‘That Was Shocking’: Four Experts React to Trump’s Autism Announcement
© Illustration by The New York Times
© Illustration by The New York Times
© Annick Sjobakken for The New York Times
© Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP
面对超强台风「桦加沙」的正面吹袭,广东省11市提早宣布「五停」应对;但一河之隔的香港,港府只宣布停课,上班一族的去留则只呼吁劳资双方自行协商,一系列安排惹枇民怨。评论指,港府高层所谓的台风「超前部署」,只仿效中国式高官巡区摆拍,欠缺人性化救灾心态,只会让港人更觉反感。
因应「桦加沙」日越接近广东省,中国国家防总预计,今明(23和 24日)两天将面对14至15级的阵风,广东中东部丶福建南部丶浙江东南部等地部分地区有大暴雨。当局更已于今早把广东丶海南的防汛防台风应急响应提升至次高的三级,并宣布会派出国家防总联合工作组到广东江门协助。
国家防总派联合组赴粤协防
广东省各地政府严阵以侍「桦加沙」的吹袭,深圳市防汛防旱防风指挥部昨天已提前宣布停课,并预告今天中午实行停工丶停产丶停运丶停业(合称五停),珠海丶江门丶中山丶潮州丶佛山和东莞等政府亦有相类似的安排。
澳门方面,当地政府也在今天中午发出橙色风暴潮警告,预计有机会出现 1 至 1.5 米的水浸,宣布执行《台风期间风暴潮低洼地区疏散撤离计划》,准备17个避险中心,会派员指示受影响市民撤离到安全地点,同时亦会启动鲜活蔬果特别供应的安排,确保市民在台风吹袭前可购买足够的食物。
香港方面,天文台已於今日下午2时许发出 8号暴风信号,并预告晚上会改发更高风球,但宣称已有「超前部署」作应对的港府,昨在「桦加沙」正面吹袭前,发放多张相片,展示特首李家超在不同高层官员陪同下,分别到视察紧急事故监察及支持中心和临时庇护中心视察的情况。
虽然港府已提早在昨天宣布今明两天将全港停课,但未有提早停工丶停市,并以呼吁的方式,请劳资双方自行协商台风的上下班安排。有打工一族表示,已带备日常用品,有心理准备在「桦加沙」吹袭期间要在公司留守。
港人要听天由命及自救
港府亦未有针对食物供应作特别安排,大批市民赶在「桦加沙」抵港前抢购食物储粮。有菜档形容,台风前的街市人多如「暴动」,多间超市鲜活食品也被抢购一空;另有市民表示,下班后到超市才发现货架已没有食品可买,在「桦加沙」吹袭期间可能要以干粮度日。
另外,港府亦未有疏散撤离低洼地区居民的安排,渠务署只表示,会加紧清理渠道,并公布 25个可能有严重水漏的地点,呼吁居民要提高警惕。杏花村等多个曾在台风吹袭时出现严重水浸的黑点地区,早在悬挂 8 号风球前已有轻微水浸情况;有水乡之称的大澳,大批居民则要自行在门前堆积沙包防水浸。
新界北区也是水浸的黑点之一,翻查资料,在2023年台风海葵吹袭后,因连日暴雨和深圳市突然在凌晨排洪,使邻近深圳的北区顿成泽国,面对超强台风「桦加沙」迫近,市民关注深圳若再次排洪,会否提早通知香港,但渠务署署长莫永昌昨日只表示,已与深圳建立 WeChat 群组,若廿1方打算排洪,会在群组通知香港。
港府高层的表现和官员对排洪的回应被大批网民抨击,有网民翻查资料,指2023年时,深圳只在排洪前2分钟才通知港府,认为即使有 WeChat 群组,不代表深圳会提前通知。另有住在北区的市民致电电台节目批评,当局未有为深受水浸威胁的居民制订遇水浸时的应对指引,亦未有如深圳和澳门般预先迁移受影响地区的居民,指港府高层只顾灾前摆拍和发新闻稿,是姿态多于实际,直言市民难以靠政府防灾,只能提早找地方避险自救。
资深传媒人李锦洪亦表示,港府有在超强台风吹袭前作不同预告,已较 7月上旬应对台风「丹娜丝」袭港所谓的「超前部署」认真,但所发长达三千字的新闻稿,只讲述不同部门的部署,是以交代式汇报工作,而不是人性化回应市民的担忧,亦未有措施协助市民在台风吹袭前储粮和减低他们对水浸的担心,未有「急市民所急」之余,反而不断发放高层落区视察的摆拍照,只会让市民更加反感。
急增的中国跨境打压案例引起联合国九个人权工作组和特别报告员(special rapporteur)的严重关注,他们联署致函该国领导人习近平,以人权律师卢思位被跨境追捕丶40名维吾尔人被遣反後的去向及港府悬红通缉多名身处海外的香港倡议者等多宗案例指称,有关跨境打压已违反不同人权,要求中国交代和解释;并预告,相关工作组可能会把相关个案提交联合国机制处理,呼吁中国其间停止有关打压行动。
联署信件的,涉及中国被指侵犯人权的范畴,包括「任意拘留」丶「强迫或非自愿失踪」及「反对歧视妇女和女童问题」等三个工作组,以及六个特别报告员,他们分别是负责就保护表达自由、和平结社和集会、宗教或信仰自由、人权捍卫者处境、少数族裔,以及酷刑等问题向联合国提交报告的专家。
工作组和专家在联署信中指出,他们对40名年初被迫遣返的维吾尔人在回到中国后「被失踪」特别关注;另外,人权律师卢思位在2023年从老挝于9月中旬被遣返中国后,在未有公开审讯的情况下,因「非法越境罪」被判有期徒刑 11个月,这些案件在在反映中国与他国政府进行跨境打压人权捍卫者及异见者方面似乎存在协调、默许和合作,情况令人遗憾。专家们更担心,这会造成寒蝉效应,令民间不敢自由表达意见和从事社会运动工作。
工作组和专家们亦关注多名身处海外的港人倡议者除被港府以百万港元悬红通缉外,他们及其家属被港府遭受跨国打压的情况,例如非政府组织「香港民主委员会」执行总监郭凤仪在港的两名亲属,被指涉嫌协助她在海外的活动而被拘留问话,她的父亲更被指控「处理潜逃者财务」罪,要还押候审和面对最高可判监七年;同样被悬红百万元通缉的倡议者刘珈汶和许颖婷,她们在港的家人也曾被港警带走助查;刘珈汶在英国的邻居更接获附有香港邮票的传单,呼吁向港府或中国驻英大使馆举报她,以领取赏金。
此外,流亡澳洲的前立法会议员许智峰及其家人在港的资产被港府冻结后,更有人把伪造传单寄到他居所附近的清真寺,指他是「亲以色列丶攻击伊斯兰的律师」,疑为煽动敌意;他在阿德莱德的律师事务所也收到悬赏征求内容的传单等;专家们认为,上述针对海外香港倡议者的打压手法如出一辙,目的是要阻吓、噤声或惩罚在境外发表的异议。
联署信要求中国政府解释,为何引用《港区国安法》和《维护国家安全条例》针对多名香港海外倡议者,以及就卢思位被限制出境和被非公开审讯的原由。他们又要求中国提供与第三国合作及引渡协议的情况,说明如何防止被遣返者遭受强制失踪、酷刑或其他严重人权侵犯等风险,他们更另外发出类似信件予东南亚国家联盟(ASEAN)、老挝及泰国等政府,副本则抄送澳洲、英国。
在交代之前,专家们更敦促中国采取一切必要的临时措施,以防止信中提及的受害者再受到同样的侵害。
联署信已于7月下旬送交中国国家主席习近平,并按机制在信件发出后两个月,在联合国人权事务高级专员办事处的网页公开。
日本首相石破茂为出席联合国大会,于23日前往美国。他预计在一般性辩论演讲中强调安理会改革的必要性,并说明日本在承认巴勒斯坦国问题上的立场,他已收到了巴勒斯坦主席阿巴斯寄来的信函,石破首相将在联合国大会发表的讲演中强烈谴责以色列对加沙的地面进攻。
围绕承认巴勒斯坦国问题,加拿大、澳大利亚和英国这些传统上与以色列保持强韧的同盟关系的国家已经宣布承认巴勒斯坦国家,而日本政府则表明,将不会在联合国大会期间做出承认。
在此背景下,巴勒斯坦民族权力机构驻日代表处代表瓦利德·希亚姆9月22日召开紧急记者会表示:“事实上,两天前,巴勒斯坦政府主席阿巴斯已向所有国家领导人寄送了信函,石破首相也收到了。”他还公布了信函的概要:
1)巴勒斯坦国家将致力于实现“一个国家、一政府、一部法律、一支合法武装部队”。哈马斯不会再统治加沙,其武器将移交给巴勒斯坦治安部队。
2)在阿拉伯国家和国际社会的支持与协调下,巴勒斯坦方面将全面承担治理与治安的责任,并负责加沙边境和检查站的管理。
3)承诺实现全面停火,在一年内举行自由公正的选举,推进治理改革、透明化和问责制。
4)拒绝恐怖主义,谴责一切针对平民的攻击,重申巴解组织30多年前对以色列的承认。
在日本政府表示暂缓承认巴勒斯坦国的方针下,巴勒斯坦民族权力机构驻日代表利德·希亚姆仍表达了对日本的期待,称“相信日本会承认巴勒斯坦”。
石破首相预计将在日本时间24日上午发表在联合国大会一般性讨论中演讲,强烈谴责以色列对加沙的地面进攻。
虽然日本目前的方针是暂不承认巴勒斯坦国家,但石破首相计划在演讲中指出:“如果以色列采取进一步阻断两国方案道路的行动,日本将会做出新的应对”,暗示未来可能承认巴勒斯坦国。
美日韩三国外长周一在纽约举行会晤后发表的联合声明中,强调维护台湾海峡两岸和平稳定的重要性,并对台湾周边日益频繁的破坏稳定行动表示关切。美国国务卿鲁比奥(Marco Rubio)、日本外务大臣岩屋毅和韩国外交部长官赵显周一在纽约联大会议之际举行了时长约45分钟的会晤。
联合声明指出,“美国重申其对日本和韩国防务如钢铁般牢固的承诺,并以美国无与伦比的军事实力,包括其核能力为后盾。美国重申其对日本和韩国的延伸威慑承诺,这对韩半岛及更广泛的印太地区的安全与稳定至关重要。国务卿和外长们重申了他们通过推进强有力的安全合作,包括定期举行‘自由之刃’三边多领域演习来加强防务和威慑的决心,并加强各自的防御能力”。
联合声明续指,美日韩外长“欢迎三国海岸警卫队开展合作,包括交流主题知识和经验,以加强三国之间的海事事故应对能力,以及在2025年5月向东盟成员国提供能力建设支持。他们承诺在‘三边海事安全和执法合作框架’下开展工作,以应对海事领域的多方面挑战,并为该地区的伙伴提供联合能力建设援助”。
联合声明表示,美日韩外长“强烈反对在南中国海的非法海洋主张以及强制执行此类主张的企图。他们反对任何改变现状的企图,包括在包含南中国海在内的印度-太平洋海域采取危险和破坏稳定的行动。他们强调致力于维护自由开放的印度-太平洋,并维护《联合国海洋法公约》所体现的国际法,包括航行和飞越自由以及其他合法利用海洋的自由”。
联合声明补充说,美日韩外长“强调维护台湾海峡两岸和平稳定的重要性,并对台湾周边日益频繁的破坏稳定行动表示关切。国务卿和外长们鼓励和平解决台海问题,反对任何单方面改变现状的企图。他们还表示支持台湾有意义地参与适当的国际组织”。
联合声明亦提及,美日韩外长“重申坚定不移地支持东盟的中心地位和团结,以及东盟主导的区域架构。国务卿和外长们认识到北极地区的战略重要性,并承诺通过密切的政府间沟通,进一步加强三方合作。国务卿和外长们鼓励俄罗斯和乌克兰在通过谈判达成持久解决方案方面取得进展”。
就朝鲜威胁,美日韩外长重申“坚定致力于根据联合国安理会相关决议实现朝鲜民主主义人民共和国(DPRK)完全无核化,同时继续努力通过对话和外交手段维护韩半岛的和平与稳定。他们强调,有必要共同应对朝鲜的核计划和导弹计划,并通过与其他国家合作,坚决应对违反和逃避联合国安理会相关决议的行为,维护和加强对朝鲜的制裁制度。他们敦促所有联合国会员国遵守联合国安理会相关决议规定的国际义务”。
联合声明提及,美日韩外长还“对朝鲜与俄罗斯日益加强的军事合作表示严重关切,包括俄罗斯支持朝鲜军事能力——特别是远程导弹的影响。他们敦促俄罗斯和朝鲜立即停止所有此类活动,并遵守《联合国宪章》和所有相关联合国安理会决议”,并指“国务卿和外长们重申三国在朝鲜问题上密切政策协调的重要性,并承诺加强各层级的三边磋商”。他们重申了立即解决被绑架者、被拘留者、未遣返战俘以及离散家庭问题的承诺。
在增强经济安全和韧性方面,美日韩外长表示,“致力于推进三国在供应链韧性、数字基础设施、人工智能、量子技术、生物技术和其他新兴技术领域的合作。三方强调加强能源安全的重要性,并以美国液化天然气及其他能源和技术为支撑。为了进一步丰富关键矿产和其他重要供应链,三方承诺加强关于关键矿产的三方对话,并通过进一步促进三方预警系统下的积极合作,在东南亚和撒哈拉以南非洲等地区开展合作”。
此外,美日韩外长“同意继续就经济安全进行对话。为了在核安全、安保和防扩散的最高标准下满足日益增长的能源需求,国务卿和外长们承诺加快共同努力,开发和部署先进的民用核反应堆”。他们还欢迎在开发和保护关键新兴技术方面推进务实合作,“包括9月举行的量子产业安全的三方研讨会和6月举行的第二届三边技术领导人培训项目。各方还表示支持三国国家实验室继续开展研究合作”。
就加强三方合作,美日韩外长指出,“欢迎‘三边协调秘书处’发挥积极作用,该秘书处负责协调行动导向目标,并协调和落实切实努力。他们承诺将继续在各级别举行三国会晤”。
就美日韩外长会后声明强调维护台海和平稳定的重要性。台湾外交部发言人萧光伟周二回应指,这是三国外长今年第3度做此重申,台湾将持续提升国防能力、强化经济韧性,与理念相近伙伴共同确保台海及印太区域稳定。
Trump officials are expected to link the use of pain reliever Tylenol in pregnant women to autism, according to US media reports.
At an Oval Office event on Monday, the US president will reportedly advise pregnant women in the US to only take Tylenol, known as paracetamol elsewhere, to relieve high fevers.
At the Charlie Kirk memorial service on Sunday, Trump said he had an "amazing" announcement coming on autism, saying it was "out of control" but they might now have a reason why.
Some studies have shown a link between pregnant women taking Tylenol and autism, but these findings are inconsistent and do not prove the drug causes autism.
Tylenol is a popular brand of pain relief medication sold in the United States, Canada and some other countries. Its active ingredient is acetaminophen, which is called paracetamol outside North America.
Tylenol maker Kenvue has defended the use of the drug in pregnant women.
In a statement to the BBC, it said: "We believe independent, sound science clearly shows that taking acetaminophen does not cause autism. We strongly disagree with any suggestion otherwise and are deeply concerned with the health risk this poses for expecting mothers."
Acetaminophen is the safest pain reliever option for pregnant women, it added, and without it, women face a dangerous choice between suffering through conditions like fever or use riskier alternatives.
The BBC has contacted the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for comment.
In April, the leader of HHS, Robert F Kennedy Jr, pledged "a massive testing and research effort" to determine the cause of autism in five months.
But experts have cautioned that finding the causes of autism - a complex syndrome that has been researched for decades - would not be simple.
The widely held view of researchers is that there is no single cause of autism, which is thought to be the result of a complex mix of genetic and environmental factors.
The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology said doctors across the country have consistently identified Tylenol as one of the only safe pain relievers for pregnant women.
"[S]tudies that have been conducted in the past, show no clear evidence that proves a direct relationship between the prudent use of acetaminophen during any trimester and fetal developmental issues," the group has said.
The drug is recommended by other major medical groups as well as other governments around the world.
In August, a review of research led by the dean of Harvard University's Chan School of Public Health found that children may be more likely to develop autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders when exposed to Tylenol during pregnancy.
The researchers argued some steps should be taken to limit use of the drug, but said the pain reliever was still important for treating maternal fever and pain, which can also have negative effects for children.
But another study, published in 2024, found no relationship between exposure to Tylenol and autism.
"There is no robust evidence or convincing studies to suggest there is any causal relationship," said Monique Botha, a professor in social and developmental psychology at Durham University.
Dr Botha added that pain relief for pregnant women was "woefully lacking", with Tylenol being one of the only safe options for the population.
Autism diagnoses have increased sharply since 2000, and by 2020 the rate among 8-year-olds reached 2.77%, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Scientists attribute at least part of the rise to increased awareness of autism and an expanding definition of the disorder. Researchers have also been investigating environmental factors.
In the past, Kennedy has offered debunked theories about the rising rates of autism, blaming vaccines despite a lack of evidence.
British-Egyptian activist Alaa Abdel Fattah has been freed and reunited with his family after almost six years of imprisonment in Egypt.
One of the country's most prominent political prisoners, he was pardoned by President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi on Monday, reportedly after a request from the National Council for Human Rights.
Video of the blogger and pro-democracy activist, 43, at home after his release shows him grinning widely and jumping up and down as he celebrates with his sister and mother.
Laila Soueif, who went on extensive hunger strike during her son's imprisonment, said on his release: "Despite our great joy, the biggest joy is when there are no [political] prisoners."
Abdel Fattah was released from Wadi al-Natrun prison late on Monday and celebrated reuniting with his family at his mother's apartment in Giza.
"I cannot yet comprehend that this is real," his sister Sanaa Seif said.
The activist was arrested in 2019 during a crackdown on dissent and sentenced to five years in prison after being convicted of "spreading false news" for sharing a post about a prisoner dying of torture.
Two weeks ago, Sisi ordered the authorities to study the NCHR's petitions for the release of Abdel Fattah and six others, which the institution said it had submitted "in light of the humanitarian and health conditions experienced by [their] families".
His family said he should have been released in September 2024 but the two years he spent in pre-trial detention were not counted as time served by Egyptian authorities.
When Abdel Fattah was not released at the end of his five-year sentence, his mother Laila Soueif started an extensive hunger strike to call for his release.
She was hospitalised at St Thomas' Hospital in London and came close to death twice during the 287-day strike, which ended on 14 July after then-Foreign Secretary David Lammy told Parliament he "expected [Abdel Fattah] to be released" on 25 June.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer had previously said he would secure Abdel Fattah's freedom and there has been widespread cross-parliamentary support for his release.
It is unclear if Abdel Fattah will be able to travel to the UK to be with his son, though his sister said on his release that his release would "feel more real" when "his son arrives here from travelling".
The activist first rose to prominence during the 2011 uprising in Egypt that forced long-time President Hosni Mubarak to resign.
He has spent most of his time in prison since 2014, the year after Sisi led the military's overthrow of Egypt's first democratically elected president, Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohammed Morsi.
Sisi has overseen what human rights groups say is an unprecedented crackdown on dissent that has led to the detention of tens of thousands of people.
Although Abdel Fattah acquired British citizenship in 2021, Egypt has never allowed him a consular visit by British diplomats.
In May, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention - a panel of independent human rights experts – found that Abdel Fattah had been arbitrarily arrested for exercising his right to freedom of expression, had not been given a fair trial and had remained in detention for his political opinions.
According to the panel, the Egyptian government said he had been afforded "all fair trial rights" and that his sentence would be completed in January 2027.
"At what point did we become North Korea?" That was the question Nigel Farage posed when asked by a US congressional committee about limitations on freedom of speech in the UK.
He was condemning the "awful authoritarian situation we have sunk into", which he claimed had led to various arrests including that of Father Ted co-creator Graham Linehan over his views on challenging "a trans-identified male" in "a female-only space".
When I heard the question, I confess I thought that the leader of Reform UK had gone over the top.
Farage was comparing his country - my country - with a brutal dictatorship that murders, imprisons and tortures opponents.
And he was doing it in front of an influential audience of American lawmakers.
When I interviewed his deputy, Richard Tice on Radio 4's Today, I asked him whether he really believed that UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer was the same as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Three times I asked the question. Three times Tice swerved it, suggesting Farage was simply using "an analogy".
But Farage is not alone in questioning how far restrictions to freedom of speech have gone in the UK.
Tensions around the limits of free speech are nothing new and since the advent of social media in the mid-2000s, the arguments have been simmering.
Now, though, they're reaching a boiling point.
During his recent visit, US Vice-President JD Vance said he did not want the UK to go down a "very dark path" of losing free speech.
The US business magazine Forbes carried an editorial this month that took this argument further still.
In it, editor-in-chief Steve Forbes condemned the UK's "plunge into the kind of speech censorship usually associated with tin pot Third World dictatorships".
He argues that, in stark contrast to the United States - where free speech is protected by the first amendment to the constitution, "the UK has, with increasing vigour, been curbing what one is allowed to say, all in the name of fighting racism, sexism, Islamophobia, transgenderism, climate-change denial and whatever else the woke extremists conjure up".
So, how exactly did we get to the point where the UK is being compared to a dictatorship and, given how inflamed the conversation has become, what - if anything - would it take to turn down the heat?
The case of Lucy Connolly has become a cause celebre to some in the UK and beyond.
The former childminder from Northampton, who is married to a Conservative councillor, had posted an abhorrent message on X, calling for people to "set fire" to hotels housing asylum seekers following the murder of three young girls at a dance class in Southport in July 2024.
It was viewed hundreds of thousands of times at a time when the threat of violence was very real.
Connolly had pleaded guilty to inciting racial hatred by publishing and distributing "threatening or abusive" written material on X. And yet she was given the red carpet treatment at the Reform party conference, as "Britain's favourite political prisoner".
The length of her prison sentence - 31 months although she only served 40% before she was released - was questioned by many, including people who were appalled by what she had written.
It is just one case that highlights how much social media has changed the shape of the debate around free speech and made heroes and villains of ordinary people.
And I use the word "ordinary" deliberately because views similar to Connolly's will have been expressed up and down the land by others who might well have said, as she now does, "I was an idiot".
But while it's unlikely that any action would have been taken had she said what she did in a coffee shop or a bar, the fact she posted it on social media changed things.
What's more, big tech firms have changed their approach in recent years.
After Musk bought Twitter, which he re-named X, he changed content moderation, which he regards as "a propaganda word for censorship" - and he talks a lot about people spreading "the woke mind virus".
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has also changed the rules governing Meta and Instagram.
In the case of Connolly, her post was "accelerated by the algorithm" and spread far more widely, according to Lilian Edwards, an emeritus professor at Newcastle University.
The arrest of Graham Linehan at Heathrow, too, raised further questions around policing freedom of speech - and put the way issues are handled under renewed scrutiny.
Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Sir Mark Rowley has voiced his own concerns. "It's a nonsense to pretend that with all of the (online) content out there that enforcement is the answer to that," he has said.
What these cases both illustrate is the lack of consensus about what can and should be policed online in the UK, and by who.
And a lack of consensus too about how we can set apart the unpleasant, offensive, ugly and hateful things said online from those that are genuinely threatening or dangerous.
In the UK, the Human Rights Act does give protection to free speech but as a "qualified right".
This means that "governments can restrict that right… provided that the response is proportionate - [or] 'necessary in a democratic society' is what people tend to say", according to Lorna Woods, professor of internet law at the University of Essex.
But some of the comments made at the protest in London earlier this month, billed by far-right, anti-Islam activist Tommy Robinson as a "free speech rally," demonstrate that, despite other controversies, that right isn't that qualified.
"Violence is coming" and "you either fight back or die", the billionaire X owner Elon Musk told flag-waving protesters via video link.
Along with his call for the overthrow of the government, some might argue that his words at the rally were an incitement to violence.
But the UK's independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, the barrister Jonathan Hall KC, has said that Musk's words would not have broken the law.
"Politicians use martial language all the time, don't they?" he told BBC Radio 4's Today. "Metaphors such as fights and struggles are pretty normal. And he was talking about it contingently, wasn't he? He wasn't saying: 'Go out immediately.'"
Yet the fact both men were able to address a huge crowd in London is perhaps evidence that there is rather more leeway for free speech in this country than those likening the UK to a "tin pot dictatorship" suggest.
According to Essex University's Prof Lorna Woods, the lowest level of views that can be prosecuted in British criminal law are those deemed "grossly offensive or of an indecent, obscene or menacing character".
These are concepts that few people without a law degree could easily define, let alone agree upon.
It is the job of the police initially, but ultimately the courts, to try to nail that particular piece of jelly to the wall.
The UK is "out of whack" with other countries, according to Sir Nick Clegg, the former deputy prime minister who later became right-hand man to Zuckerberg. He believes the UK needs to "think long and hard" about "whether we've overdone it" on policing speech.
"Surely part of the definition of being in a free society is people say ghastly things, offensive things, awful things, ugly things, and we don't sweep them under the carpet," he has said.
What the British public want is another story.
Earlier this month, in a survey by YouGov, 5,035 British adults were asked what was most important when it came to online behaviour: 28% said it was that people were able to express themselves freely but 61% prioritised keeping them safe from threats and abuse.
"People tend to prefer safety to free speech [online]," argues Anthony Wells, a director at YouGov.
What's more, there seems to be a generational divide.
In my conversations with young people in their 20s and 30s - the age of my own children - I often hear the view that far from being an ideal to be strived for, free speech is the cause of much of the anger, division and fear they live with every day.
In recent years a "cancel culture" has emerged in which those with "unacceptable" views can be hounded out of their jobs, no platformed as speakers or intimidated as students.
Even back in 2021, a YouGov poll of Britons found that a majority of those surveyed - some 57% - had sometimes stopped themselves from expressing political or social views because of the fear of being judged or negative responses.
For those who believe that free speech is under threat in the country, these figures can be used as evidence that decades of political correctness has had a chilling effect on people's ability to express their opinions.
"Our definitions of what constitutes hate speech, and I think a very broadened definition of what constitutes harm, is meaning that people feel like they are walking on eggshells and they're frightened - not just that they'll have the police around, but that they'll be cancelled if they say the wrong thing," the former Brexit Party MEP Baroness Claire Fox told the BBC's The World Tonight.
But dig deeper and this debate, like so much else, is also about politics and the deepening and, increasingly, angry and violent divisions in our society.
Even with its constitutional protection for free speech, plenty in the UK question what basis Americans have to lecture Britain on free speech, given the arguments they are having back at home.
The anger and division sparked by the assassination of the conservative firebrand Charlie Kirk in Utah this month ramped up the debate further on that side of the Atlantic over where the boundaries should lie between what is offensive, hateful and dangerous.
Trump's Attorney General Pam Bondi appalled many conservatives when she declared that, "There's free speech and then there's hate speech".
It seemed to take her into precisely the territory, which has caused so many problems here in the UK.
President Trump himself has threatened to sue the New York Times for $15bn (£11bn) over what he calls defamation and libel, adding to the long list of media outlets he has taken to the courts over stories - the newspaper has called it "intimidation tactics" - and he celebrated the sacking of the late-night TV host Jimmy Kimmel as "great news for America".
The US historian Tim Snyder, who is an outspoken public critic of the direction America is heading under Trump believes that free speech should be distinguished from what he calls "me speech".
"Me speech is a common practice among rich and influential Americans," writes Mr Snyder. "Practitioners of me speech use the phrase free speech quite a bit.
"But what they mean is free speech for themselves. They want a monopoly on it.
"They believe that they are right about everything, and so they should always have giant platforms, in real life or on social media.
"The people with whom they disagree, however, should be called out and intimidated in an organised way on social media, or subjected to algorithmic discrimination so that their voices are not heard."
This issue is one I've felt strongly about for as long as I can remember. My grandparents knew first hand what it was to be persecuted for who you were and what you thought or said. They were German Jews who fled the Nazis for what then was the relative security of China and later had to flee the Communists there.
As a child, I recall watching in reverential silence as each day, after lunch, my grandfather held a huge radio on his lap and turned the dial, skipping stations until he found the BBC World Service. There, he had learned, he would find news he could trust and speech which was free of political control.
So important was this to him that he had risked hiding with his wife and daughter (my mother) in a cupboard in their home in Shanghai to listen to it on a banned shortwave radio.
That is why I find any comparison between the UK and a dictatorship a little hard to swallow.
What I learned as the grandchild of those who had fled not one but two murderous ideologies was that free speech was about listening as much as talking.
What mattered above all else is being able to hear both sides of an argument and learn the facts behind them - without having that information controlled by governments, rich and powerful media owners, or anyone else.
Nick Robinson is presenter of BBC Radio 4's Today programme and Political Thinking.
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Staff at Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) will be out of work for at least another week as the business secretary prepares to meet suppliers of the car maker who are at risk of closure.
JLR's production lines ground to a halt in late August following a major cyber attack, and fears are growing that the company's suppliers could go bust without support.
Business Secretary Peter Kyle will visit JLR to meet firms in the supply chain for the beleaguered carmaker.
JLR said in a statement on Tuesday that it would not be resuming production until October 1 at the earliest, an extension from the previous date of September 24.
"Our focus remains on supporting our customers, suppliers, colleagues, and our retailers who remain open," the statement said.
"We fully recognise this is a difficult time for all connected with JLR and we thank everyone for their continued support and patience."
Industry minister Chris McDonald said he was visiting JLR alongside the business secretary to "host companies in the supply chain, to listen to workers and hear how we can support them and help get production back online."
He said in a statement: "We have two priorities, helping Jaguar Land Rover get back up and running as soon as possible and the long-term health of the supply chain.
"We are acutely aware of the difficulties the stoppage is causing for those suppliers and their staff, many of whom are already taking a financial hit through no fault of their own - and we will do everything we can to reassure them that the government is on their side."
Suppliers are anxious to be heard, according to Johnathan Dudley, the head of manufacturing for accounting and consulting firm Crowe UK. The firm is based in the West Midlands, which is where the Solihull and Wolverhampton plants are.
"Obviously, they're being very, very cautious because they don't want to create panic, and equally, they don't want to be seen to be criticizing people further up the chain," he said.
"It's not a blame game, but it is a cry for help, because there are businesses now seeing people not paying [staff]."
The halt in production had hit profits by about £120m already, and £1.7bn in lost revenue, according to David Bailey, Professor of Business Economics at the University of Birmingham.
The UK government should offer discount visas to US cancer scientists who have had their research cancelled by the Trump administration, Sir Ed Davey will say.
"The UK should step up and say: If Trump won't back this research, we will," the Liberal Democrat leader will say in a speech to his party's conference in Bournemouth on Tuesday.
He will propose the setting up of a fellowship scheme for US scientists seeking to escape the US government's "anti-science agenda".
The Lib Dem leader has stepped up his attacks on the US president this week and accused Reform UK leader Nigel Farage of wanting to turn the UK into "Trump's America".
His staunch criticism of Farage, President Trump and his allies is expected to be a big theme of Sir Ed's keynote speech on the final day of his party's conference.
In February, the US government cut billions of dollars from overheads in grants for biomedical research as a part of broader cost-saving measures.
The US government said it was "vital to ensure that as many funds as possible go towards direct scientific research costs rather than administrative overheads".
At the time, the boss of the American Society of Clinical Oncology said the move "would be devastating to the pace and progress of cancer research in America".
"Slashing federal research funding at a time when science is revolutionising cancer care risks leaving millions of patients without the promise and potential of life-saving breakthroughs," said Clifford Hudis.
According to a poll conducted by the Nature journal, 75% of its readers were considering leaving the US and heading to Europe or Canada as a result of the actions of Trump.
The Liberal Democrats have not set out what level of discounts the UK government should offer to researchers wanting to come to the UK. Costs to purchase a visa can exceed £1,000.
In his conference speech, Sir Ed will argue that the UK should be "stepping into the vacuum left by Trump's anti-science agenda - leading the world in the fight against cancer".
The Liberal Democrat leader is also expected to criticise Reform UK party members for applauding a US decision to cut research for mRNA vaccines.
Twenty-two projects had been examining how the vaccine technology could counter viruses such as bird flu.
Sir Ed will say: "It is hard to express the cruelty and stupidity of cutting off research into medicine that has the power to save so many lives."
In addition to criticising Trump, Sir Ed has also been increasingly vocal in his attacks on the billionaire and former Trump ally Elon Musk.
On Sunday, he called on the UK's communications regulator Ofcom to "go after" Musk over "crimes" he claims are being committed on the tech mogul's social media platform X.
Sir Ed has also accused Musk of "inciting violence" when he addressed a rally in London via video link. In response, the X owner called the Liberal Democrat leader a "craven coward".
Asked by Sky News if he was worried about legal threats from Musk, Sir Ed said: "If he ... sues me, let's see how he fares, because I don't think he'll win."
The Lib Dems have become well known for their political stunts alongside a policy offer focused on social care and other priorities under Sir Ed's leadership.
It brought them success at last year's general election, with the party winning 72 seats in the House of Commons - its highest ever share.
But the Lib Dems have struck a more serious tone at this year's conference, as the party considers it's next move ahead of local elections next year.
On the opening night of the conference, former Lib Dem leader Tim Farron draped himself in a flag and called on members to "reclaim patriotism" from the far right.
Farron told a hall full of activists to "stop being so flaming squeamish and English" and reclaim the UK's flags from groups who seek to "divide and destroy".
Unusually for the Lib Dems, they have gone out of their way to claim that they are the true patriots, in contrast to Farage, who they have dubbed a "plastic patriot".
In an interview with the BBC, Sir Ed said his party has a moral duty to keep Farage and his Reform UK party out of power.
Making a claim to an insurance company can be worse than the distress of the original incident, according to Which?, as it launches a rare type of action against the sector.
The group's super-complaint - which is an action by a consumer body on customers' behalf - says the home and travel insurance sectors are "broken".
Which? highlighted cases including an insurer initially refusing to pay out for a cancelled holiday, because the trip had technically started before the flight was turned back after two hours.
The insurers' trade body said providers worked hard to help customers, handle claims efficiently, and had paid out many millions of pounds.
Rocio Concha, director of policy at Which?, said that serious failings in the travel and home insurance markets had been "tolerated for too long" by the insurance industry and the regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
"We have heard heartbreaking stories from people who have found the experience of dealing with an insurance company worse than the distressing life events that led to their claim," she said.
She added that a super-complaint was "a major intervention". Such a move is rare, and only used by consumer advocates when they believe a large number of consumers are being significantly harmed by practises across a particular sector.
Millions of people across the UK take out insurance policies they hope they will never need to draw on.
Estimates suggest around 30 million people have buildings and contents insurance, with a similar number buying either annual or single-trip travel cover during last year.
Which? said that 99% of car insurance claims were upheld, but acceptance rates fell to 63% of buildings insurance claims and 80% of travel insurance claims.
It pointed to the case of Yvette Greenley, whose flight from Luton to Egypt was sent back owing to technical difficulties.
Mrs Greenley said the problem with the flight and a lack of alternatives meant her holiday to celebrate her 60th birthday with her sister, Beverley, was over. She cancelled her leave and went back to work.
While the airline refunded the cost of the ticket, the insurer initially refused the £140 claim for accommodation and travel to and from the airport because the holiday had begun.
"I was flummoxed, then fuming about it. They seemed to dismiss the fact that the plane turned around," she said.
The insurer later apologised, settled the claim and paid compensation.
In recent years, BBC News has reported cases including:
Analysis of cases, in addition to surveys and research by Which? have led to the super-complaint that, by law, requires a response within 90 days.
The complaint is based on three areas of concern. The first is the way that claims are handled, with many being outsourced by insurers to specialists.
The second is the sales practices of insurers, which the consumer group argues are inappropriate and lead to widespread confusion over what is covered in a policy.
Finally, it accuses the FCA, as the regulator, of failing to provide an appropriate degree of protection for consumers.
It has received support from James Daley, managing director of independent consumer group Fairer Finance.
"The FCA has only recently finished a number of studies looking at this market - and while it acknowledged a number of failures, it seems to have no appetite to tackle these," he said.
A spokesman for the FCA said it would respond to the super-complaint in due course, but had been "focused on raising standards".
"We uncovered issues when we recently reviewed insurers' home and travel claims handling. We'll be holding them and their senior managers accountable for the changes needed," he said.
They included issues over outsourcing and storm definitions.
The Association of British Insurers, which represents providers, said that its members worked hard to ensure customers knew the details of policies and handled claims as quickly and efficiently as possible.
"In the first half of this year alone, insurers have paid out over £1.7bn for more than 300,000 home insurance claims. Last year, travel insurers also paid out £472m across more than 500,000 claims," a spokeswoman said.
"We're working closely with the regulator to ensure good outcomes for customers and will engage with Which? to understand the details of its concerns."
For some football fans, attending Premier League matches is a weekly habit. They purchase their season tickets for home matches and travel the country following their team away, too.
For others, going to a game in England's top tier is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity which they save up and take extended time away from their regular lives for.
Last weekend James from South Korea travelled 5,500 miles to Brighton to watch his beloved Tottenham play for the first time, paying £900 for a ticket from an unauthorised resale website. When he tried to enter the stadium, he was turned away.
After the BBC exposed the industrial-scale black market in Premier League tickets last week, Brighton invited us along to demonstrate how widespread the problem is, and how they are trying to combat it.
The ticket James purchased had already been deactivated when he tried to scan it to enter the Amex stadium. He was advised to go to the ticket office, where Brighton staff then informed him that his ticket had been purchased illegitimately.
"I'm disappointed, I didn't understand this rule," he said outside the stadium, visibly upset.
"I have been told I should try and get a refund for the ticket."
More than a hundred more like James also had their tickets for the match cancelled in the same way.
Reselling is against UK law but many websites continue to operate by being based outside the country.
The BBC's investigation found that resellers often use bot software and fake identities to hoover up hundreds of tickets to be sold on for higher prices, and can leave fans paying extortionate prices or completely out of pocket after buying tickets that don't work.
"Long-term supporters are finding it impossible to get tickets because of the way they are made available through secondary agencies," says Tom Greatrex, chair of the Football Supporters' Association.
"This is becoming endemic across the game."
Staff in the Brighton ticket office can face hundreds of queries per game from fans whose touted tickets flag as unauthorised when they try to enter the stadium
Brighton say they are using new technologies to try and crack down on the reselling of tickets for vastly inflated prices by unauthorised websites.
To try and get a grip of the problem, this season they hired Joseph Sells into a new staff position as tickets investigation officer, and he was on duty for the Tottenham fixture.
"We've found hundreds [of unauthorised resale tickets] today, and going at the black market rate, we've prevented around £100,000 of transactions that would have been going to touts," Sells said.
"We're investing heavily in stopping the problem at the core, using the latest tech we can, and we're on top of it.
"A family came with six tickets to watch the Manchester City match a fortnight ago, which they had paid a total of £6,000 for.
"That's very upsetting of course. It's a sad story, but that's why we're reiterating - if you want to come and see a game, buy directly from the club."
Brighton later told the BBC that 285 touted tickets were blocked at the match, and that 12 individual season ticket accounts were also identified as being used by touts and have had their tickets for future matches cancelled.
One of the tout accounts used the name Tony Montana - the lead character in '80s gangster film Scarface - to try and bulk purchase tickets.
Brighton's match against Spurs ended in a 2-2 draw
The Premier League is already introducing new rules for digital ticketing which include the introduction of encrypted barcodes, which they say will make touting more difficult.
Sells explains that, while he shares resources with other clubs, the software is bespoke to Brighton and searches for suspicious transactions and scours resale sites for any tickets listed with seat numbers.
"We're essentially training a model to spot tout behaviour before it can come into the club," he says. "It applies a risk score to each transaction.
"Let's say someone in Estonia is shopping with a prepaid card issued in the United Arab Emirates - that is going to flag the system.
"The model learns every day how to spot more anomalies."
At Brighton, fans presenting an unauthorised ticket to staff are given a letter which explains what has happened and concludes with the sentence: "To obtain a refund you should contract your card issuers who will assist you as a victim of fraud in reclaiming monies you have paid to the seller."
The club also offers any remaining seats in the stadium - either from season ticket holders unable to attend or in hospitality sections - for sale to fans whose tickets are blocked on entry.
For some of those like James who believe that resale websites are helping them fulfil their dream of attending a game, matchday can turn into a nightmare.
The Guardian says Nigel Farage is facing cross-party condemnation for his proposals to deport some legal migrants if Reform UK wins the next election. The i Paper calls the idea both "radical" and "sketchy" while the Daily Mirror labels it "disastrous".
The Times says European sources have dismissed any prospect of downgrading the status of EU nationals who are resident in Britain and were given rights by the post-Brexit treaty: one diplomat asks, "Why would we agree to make EU nationals worse off than they are now?".
The Sun's editorial accepts there are some unanswered questions about the plan but says it is likely to prove popular with voters and that the government must "wake up" to the issues Reform is highlighting.
The Times says health officials in the UK have reassured pregnant women that paracetamol is safe to take, after US President Donald Trump said it was "not good" and linked to autism. The paper says scientists were "dismayed" by his comments and have pointed to a body of evidence refuting any link.
The Daily Telegraph says British experts condemned "fear-mongering".
The Daily Mail asks how the Royal family can continue to "indulge" the Duchess of York, after charities cut ties with her because of her links to Jeffrey Epstein. Its headline reads "Will the King now banish Fergie?"
The Times sets out how, "one by one, charities left the Duchess behind" yesterday. It says that what started as a trickle at lunchtime led to the dam bursting at teatime. The Mirror says Sarah Ferguson's life in the public eye now "lies in tatters".
The Telegraph leads with the call from a think tank with close ties to the government for Chancellor Rachel Reeves to cut national insurance and increase income tax in the Budget. The paper says the Resolution Foundation has often been the "petri dish" of Labour policy in recent years, and that the Treasury is packed with its former staff. It calls the idea a "£6bn raid on pensioners, landlords and the self-employed".
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美国国会访华代表团团长在与中国官员会晤后表示,中美之间围绕北京控制稀土供应的争端尚未解决,这显示双边关系中仍然存在一个关键的摩擦因素。
据彭博社报道,美国众议院军事委员会资深议员史密斯星期二(9月23日)在北京举行的新闻发布会上称,稀土问题仍面临持续挑战。
史密斯说:“我认为我们还没有解决稀土问题”,但他没有具体说明症结所在。“我认为这个问题还须要进一步解决。”
根据中国海关总署上星期六(9月20日)公布的数据,中国对美出口稀土磁铁在8月份同比减少11.8%、环比减少4.7%至590吨。总出口量则比去年同期增加15.4%、比今年7月份增加10.2%至6146吨,为1月份以来的最高水平。
稀土磁铁是电动车、风力涡轮机和军事装备必不可少的原材料。
今年4月,美国总统特朗普宣布对中国产品提高关税后,中国商务部对国防、能源和汽车领域使用的七种稀土元素和磁铁实施出口限制。特朗普最近表示,飞机零部件是美国对抗北京限制稀土出口的筹码。
中国控制着全球大约90%的稀土磁铁产量,这次的供应危机加速了美国和其他国家构建当地供应链的努力。
太平洋岛国瓦努阿图官员说,中国将向该国捐赠价值超过40万美元(约51万新元)的警用装备。
据法新社引述当地媒体报道,瓦努阿图内政部长纳普阿特(Andrew Solomon Napuat)说,北京将向瓦努阿图警察部队捐赠摩托车、无人机和其他装备。
纳普阿特说,两国还在考虑签署一项警务协议,旨在更好地协调和管理警务领域合作。
这项声明是在纳普阿特上周访华并与中国公安部部长王小洪会面后发布的。
据中新社报道,中国-太平洋岛国第四次执法能力与警务合作部级对话9月18日在江苏连云港举行。
王小洪在主旨讲话中说,中国和太平洋岛国警务执法部门围绕“让合作更专业、更高效、更友好,让岛国更安全”的主题,不断积累互信,持续推进合作,取得诸多务实成果。
中国近年持续在南太平洋加强影响力,引发澳大利亚、新西兰等区域主要国家的高度警惕。
去年,中国出资帮助瓦努阿图兴建了几栋新的政府大楼,包括总统府。
中国今年5月28日至29日在福建省厦门市同太平洋岛国召开外长会,11个同中国建交的太平洋岛国外长或代表,以及太平洋岛国论坛副秘书长纳亚西应邀参会。
在经历了漫长的谈判之后,印度尼西亚与欧盟于周二(9月23日)在巴厘岛签署了一项自由贸易协定——《全面经济伙伴关系协定》(CEPA)。该协议仍需欧盟27国及印尼议会批准,预计将于2027年正式生效。
作为东南亚最大经济体,美国的关税政策影响了印尼与欧盟的谈判进程。
此前,谈判因森林砍伐相关产品问题而一度受阻,但在美国总统特朗普对多国加征关税后,谈判明显提速。目前,印尼出口到美国的产品被征收19%的关税,因此它转而寻求与欧盟达成优惠贸易协议。而受到特朗普政府关税政策影响的欧盟27国,也在积极寻求贸易伙伴多元化。“这项协议之所以能最终签署,是因为特朗普的贸易战。印尼需要在欧洲寻找替代市场,而欧洲也需要开拓新的市场,”雅加达经济与法律研究中心执行主任比马·尤迪斯提拉(Bhima Yudhistira Adhinegara)对法新社表示。
根据协议,印尼出口到欧盟的80%商品将享受零关税待遇。这将惠及印尼的主要出口产品,比如鞋类、纺织品、水产以及棕榈油等。欧盟委员会主席冯德莱恩在一份声明中表示:“我们与印尼达成的协议为企业和农民创造了新的机遇,也确保了关键原材料的稳定和可预测供应。”欧盟是印尼的第五大贸易伙伴,2024年双边贸易额达到约256亿欧元。印尼国际与战略研究中心(CSIS)研究员德尼·弗里亚万指出:“这项协议将使欧盟的产品更容易进入印尼这个拥有2.8亿人口的市场。”同时,欧盟的开放也为印尼的纺织和鞋类等行业带来新机会,这些产业此前在与越南的竞争中处于劣势。越南早在2019年就与欧盟签署了自由贸易协定,新加坡则更早,在2018年达成协议。该协定还将鼓励欧盟在印尼的投资,尤其是在电动车、电子产品和医药等战略领域。据声明称,欧盟出口商每年在进入印尼市场时,将节省大约6亿欧元的关税成本。
此前谈判一度搁置,是因为欧盟提出禁止进口与森林砍伐相关产品,导致布鲁塞尔与雅加达之间的关系一度紧张。作为全球主要棕榈油出口国之一,印尼对此表示强烈不满。不过,该立法的实施时间已推迟至今年年底。此次签署的协议包括一项“棕榈油议定书”,旨在“最大程度发挥CEPA在支持可持续棕榈油贸易方面的潜力”。欧盟委员会补充说,该议定书将设立一个对话平台,尤其是就与棕榈油行业相关的监管变化进行沟通,但并未透露更多细节。面对欧盟在森林砍伐政策方面给予印尼的“特殊待遇”。环保人士则表示担忧,因为该协议可能导致棕榈油需求上升,从而进一步加速森林砍伐。
台北上海双城论坛原订于9月25日由台北市率团赴上海市参加,不过台北市政府却在22日出发前夕临时取消。陆委会表示,对台北市政府突然宣布缓办感到相当意外。
台北上海双城论坛在2025年迈入第16年,今年原订于9月25日由台北市率团赴上海市参加,不过台北市政府却在22日出发前夕临时取消,延至年底举办。
台北市副市长林奕华表示,双城论坛原本规划9月举行,评估相关事务性与技术性审查及协调进度后,认为仍需更周延的准备,经完整考量,双方决定不在9月办理。另外,这次预计签署两个合作备忘录,审查进度没有想像中顺利,所以急事缓办。
陆委会副主委梁文杰则回应,合作备忘录牵涉部会很多,比如有一份水资源合作的备忘录,就牵涉到内政部国土管理署、经济部水利署、环境部。陆委会的角色就是提供协助,想办法让各部会意见整合在一起。但内部已在19日初步达共识,移民署原本预计要发证同意赴中,因此对台北市政府突然宣布缓办感到相当意外。
根据联合报报导,知情人士透露,台北市府依往年惯例,出发两周前送出访行程审查,截至出发前三天,陆委会不仅不回有无意见、也不批核。一个月前就送件的合作备忘录也被部会「已读不回」,为避免行程太多不确定变数及风险,只能缓办。而中央名义虽称积极协助,但审查过程确实感受不是很顺利。
知情人士强调,台北市政府2024年双城论坛登场前三天,陆委会就曾卡国台办主任金梅、媒体团来台,当时就有感受双城筹办作业将愈加困难。今年最后决定缓办,也是因陆委会、相关部会等,如果有哪一个环节不批核,谈好的不能执行将连带衍生很多风险,尤其若无法签署市政交流备忘录,带不回实质成果,将很可惜。
台北上海双城论坛是目前两岸最高层级官方交流,论坛自2010年7月于上海举行以来,虽有形式或层级的调整,但从未中断过,具高度指标性意义。
美国驻华大使庞德伟称,美国和中国就美国波音公司“巨额”飞机订单的谈判正处于最后阶段。
据彭博社报道,虽然庞德伟没有透露潜在订单规模的细节,但他在北京与到访的美国国会议员代表团一起出席吹风会时的表态显示,有关协议将很快敲定。
庞德伟说:“这是一笔巨额订单,对总统来说非常重要。对波音来说也非常重要。我认为这对中国来说一样非常重要……我认为,谈判已经进入最后几天,最后几周,我们希望最终能够达成。”
彭博社上个月报道,波音致力于与中国达成一项出售多达500架飞机的协议,此举将结束自2017年美国总统特朗普访华以来持续的销售低迷。
飞机外交(Plane diplomacy)在特朗普任内不断上演,他常在会见外国政要时宣布与波音的交易。