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Geopolitics

Under Pressure From China, Milan Reverses Plans To Honor The Dalai Lama

Worldcrunch

IL MESSAGERO, LA REPUBBLICA (Italy)

MILAN - Under mounting pressure from the Chinese government, Milan's city council cancelled a vote planned this week that would have awarded honorary citizenship to the Dalai Lama, the Italian daily Il Messagero reported.

The Tibetan spiritual leader, who has gathered similar honors over the years from Rome, Venice and other cities around Europe, is scheduled to visit Milan next week where the Italian city's representatives had previously signed a resolution committing to plans for the honorary citizenship.

But Italian press reported that pressures against the vote was mounting from Chinese representative and from the Italian foreign ministry. Milan will host the 2015 Universal Exposition and, according to La Repubblica, the council didn't want to jeopardize relations with China, which was the first country to formalize its participation to the event.

The final city council vote to reverse the plans to give the Dalai Lama the keys to the city was 16-12, with three abstensions. Milan's left-leaning mayor, Giuliano Pisapia, who abstained, said that the decision was taken "to try to avoid that some levels of enmity in the world could be accentuated." The mayor added the he still plans to welcome the Dalai Lama to Milan's city hall, Palazzo Marino.

But Democratic party council member Pietro Tatarella, who voted in the minority, wasn't buying it. "Today, I am ashamed to be a representative of a council and a city that are scared."

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Geopolitics

China's Military Intentions Are Clear — And Arming Taiwan Is The Only Deterrence

China is spending more money on weapons and defense than ever. The reason is evident: Xi Jinping wants to take Taiwan. Europe should follow the U.S. and support Taipei militarily as the only way to deter Beijing from war.

Photo of Military drills in Taiwan amid rising China-U.S. Tensions

Taiwanese soldiers stand guard at a base during a military drill simulating defense operations against a possible Chinese PLA intrusion

Gregor Schwung

-OpEd-

BERLIN — Fear is never the best advisor.

It is, however, an understandable emotion when China announces the biggest increase in its defense budget in memory. And when Beijing does so after siding with Russia in the Ukraine war with its supposed "peace plan" and justifying the increase with an alleged "escalating oppression" of China in the world.

The budget plan unveiled by outgoing Premier Li Keqiang calls for a 7.2% increase in defense spending. That's more than in previous years — and just the official figure.

Experts estimate the true spending is much higher, as Beijing finances its military through numerous shadow budgets.

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