November 18, Thursday, 2021 (1:30 p.m.) Newsline

November 18, Thursday, 2021 (1:30 p.m.) Newsline
1. A report by a US Congressional advisory panel calls for an urgent military buildup in the Indo-Pacific to deter Chinese aggression against Taiwan. The US-China Economic and Security Review Commission issued its annual report on Wednesday. The report notes that China has been modernizing its military for nearly 20 years, and is now capable of “air and naval blockade, cyberattacks and missile strikes against Taiwan.”
2. Leading pro tennis players have expressed concerns about Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai, who is reported missing after alleging sexual assault by a former leader of the Chinese Communist Party. Peng, who won doubles titles at Wimbledon in 2013 and the French Open in 2014, posted on social media this month that former vice premier Zhang Gaoli forced her to have sex with him despite her repeated refusal, and that they later had a consensual relationship.
3. Members of the European Union have begun full-fledged discussions on creating a rapid deployment force to respond to crises. At a news conference after the meeting of the foreign ministers of the EU countries, the bloc’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell referred to a large number of migrants gathered on the border between EU-member Poland and Belarus.