World

  Waves splash as Typhoon Krathon approaches in Kaohsiung KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan — Taiwan mobilized nearly 40,000 troops on Tuesday to be on standby for rescue efforts as powerful Typhoon Krathon approached its populous southwest coast, which is bracing for a storm surge. As the typhoon approached, helicopters lifted to safety 19 sailors forced to abandon ship when it took on water. Some flights were canceled, a rail line was closed and in the major port city of Kaohsiung, shops and restaurants shut and streets were mostly deserted. Taiwan regularly gets hit by typhoons, but they generally land along the mountainous and sparsely populated east coast facing the Pacific. This one will make landfall on the island\'s flat western plain. Krathon is...

  FILE - Chinese President Xi Jinping talks with U.S. President Joe Biden after meeting in Woodside, California, on Nov. 15, 2023. Rick Waters, former head of the Office of China Coordination at the State Department, tells VOA that conflict with China over Taiwan can be avoided. Washington — China has been one of the most-discussed international topics during the U.S. presidential campaign. VOA spoke with Rick Waters, former head of the Office of China Coordination at the State Department and deputy assistant secretary of state for China and Taiwan, about the Biden administration\'s China policy. Waters spoke about his experience dealing with his Chinese counterparts, and how he thinks Vice President Kamala Harris or former President Dona...

  FILE - U.S. President Joe Biden stands with Chinese President Xi Jinping before a meeting at the G-20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, on Nov. 14, 2022. Sources said on Oct. 2, 2024, to expect a call between the two world leaders sometime in the coming days. WASHINGTON — The United States and China are planning a call between President Joe Biden and President Xi Jinping in the coming days, according to people familiar with the discussions who spoke on the condition of anonymity. This call would follow their last conversation in April 2024 and their face-to-face meeting in Woodside, California, in November 2023. After his talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi last Friday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters that both si...