BANGKOK (AP) — China said Sunday it would resume some ties it had suspended with Taiwan such as direct flights and imports of Taiwanese aquaculture products following a visit by the Beijing-friendly opposition leader of the self-ruled island.

The Taiwan Work Office under China’s Communist Party issued a statement saying it would explore setting up a longstanding communication mechanism between the Communist Party and Taiwan’s Kuomingtang Party. It said it will facilitate the import of Taiwan’s aquaculture products that it had previously banned.

Cheng Li-wun, the head of the Kuomingtang, and China’s President Xi Jinping held a high-profile meeting Friday during which they called for peace, without offering specifics. China claims the island as part of its territory and hasn’t ruled out the use of force to annex it.

Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council, which oversees the relationship with China, said the measures that were announced, such as promoting a communication mechanism, were “political transactions” between the two parties that circumvented the government of Taiwan.

“The government’s position is clear: to ensure the interests of the nation and its people, all Cross-Strait affairs involving public power must be negotiated by both governments on an equal and dignified basis to be effective and truly protect the rights and well-being of the people,” the Mainland Affairs Council said in response to the Chinese announcement.

Relations between China and Taiwan, which remain split since 1949, have been tense since the election of pro-independence President Tsai Ing-wen from the Democratic Progressive Party in 2016. Beijing cut off most of its official dialogue with Taiwan’s government, and has started sending warships and fighter jets closer toward the island on a daily basis.

In the statement, China said it plans to resume direct flights between Taiwan and mainland cities like Xi’an or Urumqi, although it remained unclear how the measures will be implemented without the approval of the Taiwanese government.

China banned its citizens from individual trips to Taiwan in 2019. Taiwan’s rules now require Chinese visitors to hold a valid resident visa from another country, like the U.S. or the European Union, to apply for a visitor visa.

China also said it would work toward construction of a bridge that would connect the mainland to Matsu and Kinmen, Taiwanese islands that are closer geographically to China. The project is a longstanding proposal that Beijing has previously announced.

China banned the import of Taiwanese pineapples in 2021, and since then has extended it to other fruits and products including the grouper fish, squid and tuna.

After the initial ban on grouper, Taiwan’s Ministry of Agriculture said it approached China about making adjustments to ensure it met import requirements. China replied with a limited list of individual companies that were allowed to sell to China, but without explanation.

The discovery comes one day after three teens were left injured after being shot with air pellets

Police have found an air gun while investigating reports that a group of men had been fighting outside a block of flats in Newport. The discovery came a day after three teenagers were left injured after being attacked with an air gun by three men in woodland behind the same block of flats, but police say they do not believe the incidents are not connected.

At around 6pm on Saturday, Gwent Police received a report that a group of men had been fighting in Oliphant Circle, Newport. Officers attended and searched the area.

They did not locate anyone or find any reports of injury, but did find an airsoft gun which was seized.

Three cars were believed to be involved, all three cars have since been located and recovered, Gwent Police say.

The day before, on Friday, April 10, three teenagers had suffered injuries “consistent with being struck by air pellets.”

The teenagers, one girl aged 14 and two boys aged 14 and 15, were in the woodland behind Graham Bell Close and Oliphant Circle when they were approached by a group of three men. The 14-year-old boy was also physically assaulted and required hospital treatment, police said.

DCI Matthew Edwards, the senior investigating officer said on Sunday (April 12): “We understand that reports of this nature are deeply concerning for our communities.

“While we are keeping an open mind, at this stage in the investigation this incident does not appear to the be linked to the incident near Graham Bell Close the previous day.

“Enquiries are ongoing and we urge anyone with information about either incident to contact us in the usual way.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact 101, send a message via social media or via the force website.

Alternatively, you can report anonymously through Crimestoppers by calling 0800 555 111 or online.

A force spokesperson said: “Enquiries are ongoing and we’re asking for anyone with information, including CCTV and dashcam footage, to contact us quoting log reference 2600111121.”

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The 66-year-old broadcaster is ‘responding well’ to treatment

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Eamonn Holmes’ son has provided an update on his father’s health following it was announced he had suffered a stroke.

The Belfast-born broadcaster, 66, is understood to be responding well to treatment after falling ill last week.

His son Declan Holmes has now issued a statement on the family’s behalf, expressing gratitude for the outpouring of support and providing reassurance regarding his father’s recovery, reports the Mirror.

READ MORE: Eamonn Holmes in hospital after suffering a strokeREAD MORE: Eamonn Holmes’ GB News co-star shares update as presenter recovers in hospital

In his message, Declan said: “I just wanted to share a quick message to say we hugely appreciate all the messages, it means a lot to us as a family.

“What happened came as a real shock, but dad is doing OK given the circumstances and we’re taking it one step at a time.

“For now, we’re focused on him and keeping things steady around him. We’d really value a bit of privacy as we navigate it, and what lies ahead, but thank you again for the support as it means so much to dad and the rest of the family.”

On Friday Eamonn’s girlfriend Katie Alexander gave fans an insight into how her life had been lately, just hours before news of the presenter’s stroke was made public.

Taking to Instagram, Katie looked back on her week without referencing Eamonn’s medical situation. She posted: “What a week. Prayer, a little visit to church to have a word with the good Lord himself, prayer each day.”

Yesterday, GB News confirmed that Eamonn had experienced a stroke and remains under hospital care.

In a statement, it said: “Eamonn was taken ill last week and it was later confirmed he had suffered a stroke. He is currently responding well to treatment.

“Eamonn has asked for privacy as he focuses on getting better.”

Eamonn had been scheduled to resume presenting GB News Breakfast next week, where he appears from Monday to Wednesday alongside Ellie Costello.

His presenting partner, Ellie Costello, said: “Thinking of you Eamonn and wishing you a speedy recovery.”

Alex Armstrong is set to cover for Eamonn during his time away. He commented: “Thinking of you Eamonn Holmes. Such a shock to all of us. You’re sorely missed. Get better soon.”

Angelos Frangopoulos, GB News CEO, stated: “Eamonn is a loved member of the GB News family, and we’re with him every step of the way as he recovers.”

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

Virgil van Dijk believes Liverpool fans have the right to protest against ticket price rises and urged the club to find a solution to a problem which he believes is benefiting no one.

Liverpool recently announced price rises for the next three years, with fans responding with a banner in Saturday’s 2-0 win over Fulham objecting to them and by removing their usual flags from the Kop.

Captain Van Dijk is concerned that it could harm the team but said he understood the supporters’ reaction.

“I think the fans are the heart and soul of the club,” said the defender. “If they feel like this, then protest is their fair right. Hopefully they come to a solution with the club. These things are far above my position as captain of the club.

“But my opinion is that our fans are the club. They always have been – before my time and after my time. It’s important that these things get solved because it benefits no one.”

Van Dijk also thinks teenager Rio Ngumoha would take it in his stride if he is selected to start against Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday.

The winger became the youngest player to score for Liverpool in the Premier League when he struck against Fulham.

And Van Dijk added: “He’s taken the record from Raheem [Sterling] which is very nice for him and should motivate and push him even more. You shouldn’t take things like that for granted and he won’t. He has to keep going.

“He’s a humble kid who works hard and listens. He wants to improve constantly. He has big dreams. It’s down to him and the people around him to make sure that he stays like that. I’m not worried that anything will change on that front.”

Ngumoha pressed his case to begin the Champions League quarter-final second leg against PSG and Van Dijk said: “He would take it in his stride. It’s down to the manager to decide the team and the game plan for Tuesday. Whether you start or not, everyone has to feel part of something special. That’s the thing we need to try and beat PSG.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — In 2011, President Barack Obama declared it was time for America to leave behind the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and “pivot” to Asia to counter the rise of China. Fifteen years later, the U.S. finds itself still at war in the Middle East and has pulled military assets from the Asia-Pacific as it aims to eliminate the threat posed by Iran’s nuclear and missile programs.

The demands of the Iran war also caused President Donald Trump to delay by several weeks his highly anticipated trip to China, deepening worries that the U.S. is once again getting distracted at the cost of its strategic interests in Asia, where Beijing seeks to unseat the U.S. as the regional leader.

Those skeptical of the U.S. involvement in the Middle East say the war is preventing Trump from adequately preparing for his summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping next month, when economic interests are on the line, and they warn that a failure to focus on Asia and maintain strong deterrence could lead to greater instability, if China should believe the time is ripe to seize the self-governed island of Taiwan.

“This is precisely the wrong time for the United States to turn away and be sucked into another intractable Middle East conflict,” said Danny Russel, a distinguished fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute. “Rebalancing to Asia is highly relevant to America’s national interests, but it has been undercut by many bad decisions.”

Others defend the president’s approach, arguing that the forceful steps he is taking elsewhere, including in Venezuela and Iran, serve to counter China globally.

“Beijing is the chief sponsor for the adversaries that President Trump is dealing with sequentially, and it’s wise to do this sequentially,” Matt Pottinger, who served as a deputy national security adviser in the first Trump administration, said in a recent podcast.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte also said conflicts may not be confined to a single theater, suggesting that China could call upon its “junior partners” elsewhere to divert U.S. attention if it should move against Taiwan.

“Most likely it will not be limited, something in the Indo-Pacific to the Indo-Pacific,” Rutte said, speaking Thursday at the Ronald Reagan Institute in Washington. “It will be a multi-theater issue.”

Repercussions in Asia of the Iran war

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, recently led a bipartisan group of senators to Taiwan, Japan and South Korea, where they heard concerns about the impact of the war on energy costs and about the departure of U.S. military assets, including missile defense systems from South Korea and a rapid-response Marine unit from Japan.

She sought to reassure them of the U.S. commitment to deterring conflicts in Asia and shoring up regional stability.

“Failure is not an option,” Shaheen told The Associated Press after returning from Asia. “We know China has already said they intend to take Taiwan by force if they need to, and they’re on an expedited time schedule. And we also know that what happened in Europe, in the war in Ukraine, in the Middle East is affecting those calculations.”

Kurt Campbell, who served as deputy secretary of state in the Biden administration, said he’s worried that the military capabilities that the U.S. had patiently accumulated in the Indo-Pacific region might not return in full even after the Iran war ends.

The longer the conflict goes on, the more it will pull resources and focus away from Asia, said Zack Cooper, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute who studies the U.S. strategy in Asia. He added that future arms sales to the region also will be negatively affected.

“The United States has expended substantial numbers of munitions in the Middle East and will have to keep an increased force presence there, some of which has been redirected from Asia,” Cooper said. “Meanwhile, Xi Jinping’s wisdom in preparing a ‘war time’ economy by stockpiling and adding alternate energy sources has shown itself to be beneficial.”

Shaheen said the U.S. defense industry will struggle to meet the demand to replenish the weapons stockpile. “We’re working on a number of strategies to improve that, but at this point, timelines for weapons delivery are slipping,” she said.

The senator from New Hampshire said she’s encouraged that Taiwan, Japan and South Korea are stepping up their own defense.

After 15 years and 3 presidents, pivot to Asia remains elusive

Obama’s strategic rebalance to Asia reflected his understanding that the U.S. must be a player in the Pacific to harness the region’s growth and ensure continued U.S. leadership in the face of China’s rising influence.

“After a decade in which we fought two wars that cost us dearly, in blood and treasure, the United States is turning our attention to the vast potential of the Asia-Pacific region,” Obama said in a speech to the Australian Parliament. “So make no mistake, the tide of war is receding, and America is looking ahead to the future that we must build.”

But the strategy was set back when a proposed trade agreement known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership with key U.S. regional partners failed to get through the U.S. Senate. After Trump first took office in 2017, he withdrew the U.S. from the partnership and launched a tariff war with China.

His Democratic successor, Joe Biden, kept Trump’s tariffs on China and tightened export controls on advanced technology, while strengthening regional alliances to counter China.

Middle East again grabs US attention

By the time Trump rolled out his national security strategy in late 2025, the U.S. strategy in Asia had been narrowed to military deterrence in the Taiwan Strait and the First Island Chain, a string of U.S.-aligned islands off China’s coast that restrict its access to the Western Pacific.

The national security document says it’s in the economic interest of the U.S. to secure access to advanced chips, which are sourced primarily from Taiwan and are needed to power everything from computers to missiles, and to protect shipping lanes in the South China Sea.

“Hence deterring a conflict over Taiwan, ideally by preserving military overmatch, is a priority,” the document says. “We will build a military capable of denying aggression anywhere in the First Island Chain.”

The Middle East, it says, should be getting less attention: “As this administration rescinds or eases restrictive energy policies and American energy production ramps up, America’s historic reason for focusing on the Middle East will recede.”

Then came the Iran war.

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AP writer Stephen Groves contributed to this report.