France - in search of "strategic autonomy"

10 Sept 23:57 Key points summarised by AI

French President Emmanuel Macron's visit to China highlighted his call for Europe to assert "strategic autonomy," urging the continent to avoid automatic alignment with US policies on contested issues like US-China ties.
Macron notably expressed a preference for the status quo regarding Taiwan, advocating for Europe to remain independent of US-led narratives and China's reactions, a stance that drew both attention and criticism.
France actively pursues an independent foreign policy, even as a NATO member, proposing European security initiatives without full US involvement and diversifying its global engagements, particularly in the Indo-Pacific.
Paris maintains a comprehensive and long-standing Indo-Pacific strategy, focused on broad engagement and economic cooperation, seeing strong ties with China as crucial for regional stability, prosperity, and reducing US-China tensions.

Government to start building Chainat-Pasak-Gulf water diversion canal next year

Today 14:58 Key points summarised by AI

Thailand's government will launch the "Chainat-Pasak-Gulf" water diversion canal project in fiscal year 2027, a seven-year mega-infrastructure initiative.
This permanent structural solution aims to mitigate recurrent central plains flooding by diverting water from the Chao Phraya River directly into the Gulf of Thailand, significantly reducing flow to major cities like Ayutthaya and Bangkok.
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul justifies the long-term investment as a means to reduce future damages and fiscal burdens, contrasting it with the 40-50 billion baht spent annually on short-term flood relief.
Concurrently, the Prime Minister instructed officials to expand drainage capacity into the Tha Chin River and swiftly remove water hyacinths to improve immediate flood management.