Geostrategic Countries

Creation of Kosovo’s army is provocation fueling tensions in Balkans, says Putin

Vladimir Putin has said that Russia finds the Kosovo authorities’ decision to create their own army regrettable and sees it as another risk of destabilization of the situation in the Balkans.

“Regrettably, Kosovo’s authorities took a series of provocative steps lately, thus greatly aggravating the situation. In the first place I have in mind their decision of December 14 to form a so-called army in Kosovo,” Putin told a news conference. “It goes without saying that this is a direct violation of the UN resolution, which does not allow for the creation of any paramilitary forces except for the international UN contingent.”

“Such irresponsible steps by Kosovo’s authorities may cause destabilization in the Balkans,” he warned. Source: Tass

Germany considers barring China’s Huawei from 5G networks

The German government is debating whether to follow the United States and allies such as Australia in restricting China’s Huawei Technologies from accessing its next-generation mobile networks on national-security grounds.

Some Western countries have barred Huawei from their markets after US officials briefed allies that Huawei is at the beck and call of the Chinese state, warning that its network equipment may contain “back doors” that could open them up to cyberespionage. Huawei says such concerns are unfounded. Source: The Irish Time

US lawmakers seek to ban chip sales to China’s Huawei and ZTE for ‘violating American sanctions’

  • The bipartisan bills target firms supposedly in breach of US sanctions, and specifically cite Huawei and ZTE
  • Republican Senator Tom Cotton branded Huawei ‘an intelligence-gathering arm of the Chinese Communist Party’

The measures would require the US president to ban the export of US components to any Chinese telecommunications company that violates US sanctions or export control laws. Source: South China Morrning Post

Yellow vests: France to crack down on unsanctioned protests

French Prime Minister has announced plans to punish people who hold unsanctioned protests after seven weeks of anti-government unrest. His government wants to draft new legislation that will ban troublemakers from protests and clamp down on the wearing of masks at demonstrations. He said 80,000 members of the security forces would be deployed for the next expected wave of protests. Source: BBC

Yellow vest call to withdraw money from banks: Is it dangerous?

“We will return to the polls but through the distributor,” announced Facebook on January 7 Maxime Nicolle, aka “Fly Rider”, one of the most media figures of yellow vests. This call is not trivial and begins to spread on social networks. The operation is called the “tax collectors’ referendum” and consists of going simultaneously to the ATMs to get the most out of their wealth. “Many people will withdraw their money from banks. Source: Capital

Chinese President Xi Jinping gives army its first order of 2019: be ready for battle

Xi’s speech was made at a meeting of top officials from the Central Military Commission (CMC), which he heads, and broadcast later on national television.

“All military units must correctly understand major national security and development trends, and strengthen their sense of unexpected hardship, crisis and battle,” he said.

China is keen to beef up its armed forces amid territorial disputes in the South China Sea and escalating tension with the United States over issues ranging from trade to the status of Taiwan. Source South China Morning Post