Diplomatic Briefing
Your exclusive news aggregator handpicked daily!Archive for March 5, 2023
Newsline: Argentine ambassador blasts US offensive comments on Chinese ties
The Argentine ambassador to the U.S. denounced a Florida Republican’s comments on alleged Chinese military involvement in the South American country, calling the remarks “inaccurate” and “offensive.” In a letter to Rep. María Elvira Salazar, Ambassador Jorge Argüello lashed out at the lawmaker, who at a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing Tuesday accused Argentina of joining other Latin American countries such as Venezuela and Bolivia in giving China a military foothold in the Americas. “Some of the remarks that you made at that meeting are not only clearly inaccurate but are also offensive,” Argüello wrote. (https://news.yahoo.com/argentine-ambassador-bemoans-house-republican-221122332.html) Salazar, who chairs the Western Hemisphere subcommittee within Foreign Affairs, warned about a growing Chinese presence, accusing Argentina of playing host to its regional aspiration. “We know the Chinese are not here for trade, they are here for war,” Salazar said. Argüello pushed back against the idea of Chinese military presence in his country.
Newsline: China Seen as Antagonist in Diplomatic Talks
When the top diplomats of four major Asia-Pacific nations met here in the Indian capital on Friday to discuss issues in the region, one had a direct message for the behemoth whose shadow loomed over the talk. China must “act under the international institutions, standards and laws” to avoid conflict, Yoshimasa Hayashi, the foreign minister of Japan, said on a public panel that included his counterparts from the United States, India and Australia. (https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/03/world/asia/china-diplomacy-beijing.html) That request is one that every official on that stage has made on many occasions. Although Russia’s war in Ukraine has dominated diplomatic dialogue around the globe this past year, the dilemma of dealing with an increasingly assertive China is ever-present — and for many nations, a thornier problem than relations with Moscow. They subscribe to the framing that President Biden and his aides have presented: China is the greatest long-term challenge, and the one nation with the power and resources to reshape the American-led order to its advantage.
Newsline: Indian diplomat alleges poor facilities at business class lounge at NY’s JFK airport
An Indian diplomat complained about the poor facilities at Air India’s business class lounge at the John F. Kennedy airport in New York. Dr K.J. Srinivasa, India’s High Commissioner of India to Guyana, Antigua & Barbuda, and St.Kitts & Nevis, alleged that the Air India business class lounge at JFK Airport had “empty food containers, disposable plates and cutlery and unresponsive staff”. “Pathetic state of affairs at @airindiain business class lounge @JFKairport. empty food containers,bad food,disposable plates/cutlery,unresponsive staff. @TataCompanies can splurge billions on buying new aircraft why not pay some attention to revamping existing lounge @RNTata2000,” he said in a tweet. (https://in.investing.com/news/indian-diplomat-alleges-poor-facilities-at-ai-business-class-lounge-at-nys-jfk-airport-3541015) The diplomat also shared photos which showed food trays with cut vegetables, a few dishes, cup noodles and other things. Air India responded to Dr Srinivasa’s complaint saying they are looking into it.
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