House Speaker Kevin McCarthy met Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen in California on Wednesday, becoming the most senior US official to meet a Taiwanese leader on American soil since 1979.
Mr McCarthy, a Republican who through his position in the House of Representatives is number three in the US leadership hierarchy, hosted Ms Tsai at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, near Los Angeles.
At a meeting including other Republican and Democratic politicians, he called Ms Tsai “a great friend to America”.
“Their presence and unwavering support reassure the people of Taiwan that we are not isolated and we are not alone,” Ms Tsai told reporters after the meeting concluded.
Mr McCarthy added: “We will continue to find ways for the people of America and Taiwan to work together to promote economic freedom, democracy, peace and stability in Asia.”
Under a 1978 agreement that normalised relations, the US agreed to recognise Beijing as the sole seat of China’s government, while acknowledging but not endorsing the Chinese position that Taiwan is part of it.
The US has insisted that any reunification of the island with the mainland must be peaceful.
China staged war games around Taiwan last August following the visit to Taipei of then-House speaker Nancy Pelosi. Taiwan's defence ministry said a Chinese aircraft carrier group had entered the waters off the island's south-east coast before the meeting.
Beijing had repeatedly warned against a meeting between Mr McCarthy and Ms Tsai, although some analysts expect its reaction to be more moderate than that to Ms Pelosi's Taipei visit.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said there was nothing new about a Taiwanese president transiting through the US and Beijing should not use it as an excuse to take action or ratchet up tension.
“There’s no reason for the Chinese to overreact in any way,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Wednesday. “We’ll watch this as closely as we can.”
However, the US, which is bound by law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself, has stepped up interactions with Taipei in recent years as Beijing's pressure on the island has increased.
Agencies contributed to this report
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How Apple's credit card works
The Apple Card looks different from a traditional credit card — there's no number on the front and the users' name is etched in metal. The card expands the company's digital Apple Pay services, marrying the physical card to a virtual one and integrating both with the iPhone. Its attributes include quick sign-up, elimination of most fees, strong security protections and cash back.
What does it cost?
Apple says there are no fees associated with the card. That means no late fee, no annual fee, no international fee and no over-the-limit fees. It also said it aims to have among the lowest interest rates in the industry. Users must have an iPhone to use the card, which comes at a cost. But they will earn cash back on their purchases — 3 per cent on Apple purchases, 2 per cent on those with the virtual card and 1 per cent with the physical card. Apple says it is the only card to provide those rewards in real time, so that cash earned can be used immediately.
What will the interest rate be?
The card doesn't come out until summer but Apple has said that as of March, the variable annual percentage rate on the card could be anywhere from 13.24 per cent to 24.24 per cent based on creditworthiness. That's in line with the rest of the market, according to analysts
What about security?
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Is it easy to use?
Apple says users will be able to sign up for the card in the Wallet app on their iPhone and begin using it almost immediately. It also tracks spending on the phone in a more user-friendly format, eliminating some of the gibberish that fills a traditional credit card statement. Plus it includes some budgeting tools, such as tracking spending and providing estimates of how much interest could be charged on a purchase to help people make an informed decision.
* Associated Press
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
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