TAIPEI — The US and Taiwan navies conducted joint drills in the Pacific in April that, officially, did not take place, four people briefed on the matter said, as the two militaries boost cooperation amid rising Chinese military threats.

Washington and Taipei have been expanding their military cooperation in recent years amid almost daily Chinese incursions into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone and drills by Chinese forces near the island.

US-Taiwan military engagement, including visits and training, are kept low-key and are often not officially confirmed because of China’s objection to any military contacts between Washington and Taipei. China claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, which the island strongly rejects.

The drills, which were not publicized, took place last month in the Western Pacific, according to the sources, who requested anonymity given the sensitivity of the matter.

One source said “multiple military assets” were involved. A second source said the drills did not officially exist and were dubbed “unplanned sea encounters,” pointing to a tacit agreement in which both sides claim the exercises were simply the result of coincidental encounters.

“It’s like I am dining in this restaurant, and you also happen to be here,” the source said. “Then it looks like I am only sharing the same table with someone.”

That source also said about half a dozen navy ships from both sides, including frigates and supply and support vessels, participated in the days-long exercises, which were designed to practice “basic” operations such as communications, refueling and resupply.

Taiwan’s navy said in a statement to Reuters that to handle unexpected scenarios at sea and to minimize “interference” with each another, the navy “acts in concert with the US-promoted Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea,” also known as CUES.

“The Navy often makes contact with vessels of other countries and conducts encounter drills as needed,” the statement said, without elaborating.

The Pentagon declined to comment.

Taiwan and the United States have no official diplomatic relationship, as Washington formally recognizes Beijing but is bound by law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself and is the island’s most important international backer.

A third source said although the “unplanned encounters” of the two navies involved mostly basic exercises, such drills are vital to ensure the two militaries can operate together in times of emergency.

The source added that the two navies also practiced various tactical manoeuvres, including searching for underwater targets.

CUES was formulated about a decade ago to help de-escalate tensions between militaries at sea, providing guidelines such as safe speeds and distances, a common communications language, and what actions to take if a ship becomes disabled.

China’s defense ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Taiwan’s navy chief, Tang Hua, last month visited the United States and discussed how to boost bilateral naval cooperation, Reuters reported. In response, China’s foreign ministry said it firmly opposed “military collusion” between the United States and Taiwan.

This month, Taiwan’s Chief of the General Staff Admiral Mei Chia-shu attended the change-of-command ceremony for U.S. Indo-Pacific Command in Hawaii, which only came to light after he was spotted in the audience in an official picture.

China has long said Taiwan is China’s most sensitive territorial issue, which is a major bone of contention in Sino-US ties.

Beijing has not renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control, while Taipei says the Chinese territorial claims are void as the People’s Republic of China has never governed the island. — Reuters

WASHINGTON — US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Monday that President Joseph R. Biden’s administration does not view the killings of Palestinians in Gaza by Israel in its war with Hamas as genocide.

Mr. Sullivan said the United States wants to see Hamas defeated. He also said that Palestinians caught in the middle of the war were in “hell” and that a major military operation by Israel in Rafah would be a mistake.

“We do not believe what is happening in Gaza is a genocide. We have been firmly on record rejecting that proposition,” Mr. Sullivan told reporters at the White House.

Mr. Sullivan expressed concern about reports of Israeli settlers attacking a humanitarian aid convoy on its way to Erez Crossing in northern Gaza, the second such incident in less than a week. “It is a total outrage that there are people who are attacking and looting these convoys,” Mr. Sullivan said. “It is completely and utterly unacceptable behavior.”

Mr. Biden, who is running for re-election this year, has faced heavy criticism from his own supporters domestically for his support of Israel; some of those critics have accused Israel of committing genocide. More than 35,000 Palestinians in Gaza have died, according to Gaza health officials.

Biden has sought to influence Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s approach to the war, Mr. Sullivan said, but Israel is a sovereign, democratic nation that ultimately makes its own decisions, Mr. Sullivan said.

“The prime minister doesn’t have to answer to us. He’s got to answer to the Israeli people,” Mr. Sullivan said.

Reiterating a comment made by Mr. Biden on Saturday, Mr. Sullivan said there could be a ceasefire in Gaza now if Hamas would release hostages. The world should be calling on Hamas to return to the negotiating table and accept a deal, Mr. Sullivan said.

The United States is working urgently for a ceasefire and hostage-release deal, Mr. Sullivan said. He said he could not predict when or if such a deal would be sealed. — Reuters

VIENNA — Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ) people in the European Union (EU) face less discrimination but more physical or sexual attacks than three years ago, a vast survey by an EU rights body showed on Tuesday.

The online survey of more than 100,000 people who identify as LGBTIQ carried out in June, July and August of 2023 found only slight overall changes compared with the previous such survey three years earlier, the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) said in a report on the findings published on Tuesday.

“More LGBTIQ people in Europe are now open about who they are. At the same time, they face more violence, harassment, and bullying than before,” the Vienna-based FRA said in a statement on the report.

Data adjusted to allow comparison between surveys showed the proportion of respondents in the 27 EU member states who said they had experienced a physical or sexual attack in the five years before the survey for being LGBTIQ rose to 14% from 11% in the previous survey.

The worst-performing EU countries were Bulgaria (18%) and Latvia (17%). Intersex and trans people had the highest rates.

Roughly 36% of respondents in the European Union reported feeling discriminated against in at least one area of their lives in the year before the latest survey because they are LGBTIQ, down from 42% in the previous one.

The countries with the highest rates were Bulgaria and Cyprus, both with 48%. The people who reported feeling discriminated against the most were intersex (61%) and trans people (54%), the only categories that were above 50%.

The areas of life referred to included work, education, healthcare, contact with public services, as well as in shops, restaurants, bars and night clubs.

The survey also included EU candidate countries Albania, North Macedonia and Serbia.

“Being openly LGBTIQ in Europe should not be a struggle. Even though we see signs of progress, bullying, harassment and violence remain constant threats,” FRA chief Sirpa Rautio said in the statement. — Reuters