United News of Bangladesh

Floods across Thailand have killed 24 people and affected millions since mid-September, authorities said on Wednesday. According to the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, flooding continued in 29 provinces and Bangkok, affecting over 1.12 million households and 3.19 million people. Satellite data from Thailand's Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency showed about 1.71 million rai (about 676,000 acres) of land remain flooded across the country. Rain has eased across most parts of the country except the lower south, said government spokesperson Ekkapob Pianpises, adding that the overall water situation "remains manageable," with no emerging flood crises. Rain is expected to ease and then return on Oct. 4-6 in the north and northeast, which could also affect central Thailand and Bangkok. Forecasters do not expect prolonged downpours, Ekkapob told a press briefing. Dams in Kanchanaburi, west of Bangkok, will increase releases to keep their reservoirs from getting too full, Ekkapob said. Discharge on the Mae Klong River through Ratchaburi and Samut Songkhram will rise from 1,600 to 2,000 cubic meters per second, which could raise riverside water levels by about 80 cm, he said, noting that residents were told to consider moving to shelters.   

A FlyDubai passenger plane traveling from Dubai to Israel made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday after an incident involving its pilots, briefly raising fears of a possible hijacking and prompting Israel to scramble fighter jets. Israeli media, citing security officials, reported that the incident was caused by a dispute between the two pilots. All passengers and crew members were safe, and the plane landed at Tabuk, which serves as both a civilian and military base. The plane had sent an emergency alert, according to publicly available flight-tracking data. About 2½ hours after leaving Dubai, the aircraft suddenly dropped from 33,000 feet to 17,000 feet within a minute. It then made an unusual turn near the Jordanian border before landing in Tabuk about an hour later, according to FlightRadar24. A regional official familiar with the incident said a fight had broken out in the cockpit and apparently involved the pilots. The cause of the dispute was not immediately known. “The crew have been questioned as part of the investigation,” the official said, without saying whether anyone had been detained. An Israeli official said authorities were investigating whether the incident could have been an attempt to target Israelis. Another official confirmed that Israel scrambled fighter jets after fearing the plane, which was carrying dozens of Israeli citizens, could have been hijacked. All three officials spoke anonymously because the investigation was ongoing. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the situation was under control and that efforts were underway to bring the passengers home. Passengers told Israel’s Channel 12 by phone that they heard shouting from the front of the plane during the argument between the pilots. They also said the aircraft dropped sharply before landing in Saudi Arabia. The passengers said they remained on the plane while a large number of Saudi security personnel surrounded it. FlyDubai later confirmed that flight FZ 1073, which was traveling to Ben Gurion Airport, had experienced an incident and landed safely in Tabuk. “Our teams are working closely with the relevant authorities,” the airline said, adding that further updates would be provided as confirmed information became available. Flight-tracking data showed that the aircraft was a Boeing 737 Max 8. FlyDubai, a low-cost sister airline of Emirates, operates an all-737 fleet and has nearly 100 aircraft, including 69 Max 8s. The UAE has become a popular destination for Israeli tourists since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 2020. Commercial flights between Israel and the UAE began following the normalization of ties. Incidents involving cockpit disputes are rare but have occurred before. In 2022, two Air France pilots were suspended after fighting in the cockpit during a Geneva-to-Paris flight. That plane was not diverted and completed its journey. Israel has not experienced a plane hijacking in decades but maintains some of the world's strictest airport security measures, partly because Israeli interests were targeted in several hijackings and attacks by Palestinian militants in the 1960s and 1970s. Dubai International Airport, where the flight originated, is the Middle East’s busiest airport and handled a record 95.2 million passengers last year.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has urged Americans to protest President Donald Trump, saying his war in the Middle East has failed, as new US sanctions and fighting in the region continued Tuesday. The United States imposed sanctions on 10 individuals and entities in Iran, Hong Kong and Pakistan over allegations that they helped Iran obtain weapons and military equipment. The Treasury Department said the measures were part of Trump administration efforts to cut financial support for Iran’s military supply network. The sanctions came as prospects for renewed diplomacy between Washington and Tehran remained uncertain. Iran calls on Americans to protestGen. Hossein Mohebbi, a spokesman for Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, said the war could end only if the United States accepted defeat and withdrew. Speaking at a news conference in Tehran, Mohebbi read what he described as a “letter to the American people” ahead of the Nov. 3 US midterm elections. In comments to The Associated Press, he urged Americans to reconsider their leadership and take to the streets to protest Trump’s policies. He accused Washington of using Iran’s nuclear program as an excuse to take the country’s wealth and return it to a colonial status. Iran’s currency also fell to a new low Tuesday, with traders exchanging more than 2.5 million rials for $1. The currency has repeatedly weakened since the war began in February. Saudi oil pipeline resumes operationsA major Saudi oil pipeline that was shut down earlier this month after a drone attack has resumed operations, a Saudi government official said. The official, who spoke anonymously because he was not authorized to comment publicly, said the 1,200-kilometre (745-mile) East-West pipeline is operating close to pre-attack levels and should return to full capacity within weeks. Saudi Arabia accused an Iran-backed Iraqi militia of carrying out the drone attack. The pipeline transports crude from oil facilities along the Gulf to export terminals on the Red Sea coast. Data firm Kpler said tankers loaded about 12.5 million barrels of oil Sunday at the Yanbu export terminal and nearby Al Muajjiz terminal, both supplied by the pipeline. Pakistan vows to support Saudi ArabiaPakistan will use “whatever means are available” to defend Saudi Arabia against Iran-backed Houthi rebels, Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said Tuesday. Asif did not say whether Pakistani forces had taken part in airstrikes. He said Pakistan’s military capabilities would be available to Saudi Arabia under a new mutual defence pact involving Saudi Arabia and Turkey. “I’m not going into detail, but obviously when I say that we are bound by this arrangement to defend Saudi Arabia, that means whatever means are available at our disposal, they’ll be available to Saudi Arabia also,” he told reporters in Rome. Heavy strikes hit Houthi strongholdSaudi-backed Yemeni government forces carried out heavy airstrikes Tuesday in the northwestern province of Saada, a stronghold of the Iran-backed Houthis. Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said government forces carried out 35 airstrikes on Houthi positions over 24 hours. Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV reported earlier that at least 20 strikes hit several areas of Saada. Israeli settlers block Palestinian family from homeMore than 100 Israeli settlers clashed with Israeli soldiers who were escorting a Palestinian man back to his home in the West Bank village of Jalud. Mahmoud Tubasi told the AP that soldiers initially took him to his house, but rioting settlers forced him and his family to leave in a military vehicle. He said settlers have surrounded the house for about two months, preventing the family from returning. The Israeli military said the overnight operation to return the family “was not completed” and that three officers were injured after settlers threw rocks, blocked roads and set Palestinian property on fire. Israeli police said three settlers were arrested over the violence. The incident was condemned by Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Foreign Minister Gidon Saar and President Isaac Herzog. Rights groups have accused the Israeli military of cooperating with settlers, while the military has struggled to contain a recent increase in settler violence. Israeli strikes kill four in GazaIsraeli airstrikes in Gaza killed four people Tuesday, including a Hamas commander, according to Palestinian and Israeli officials. An early morning strike on an apartment west of Gaza City killed two people and injured five others, officials at Shifa Hospital said. The Israeli military said the strike targeted Izz al-Din Bik, a Hamas commander involved in planning attacks and recruiting members. Hamas confirmed his death and said he was one of the main figures involved in overseeing the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on southern Israel, which killed more than 1,200 people. Later Tuesday, an Israeli strike in the Jabaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza killed one person and injured several others, Gaza’s Health Ministry said. Another strike east of Gaza City killed one person, Shifa Hospital officials said. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the afternoon strikes. The deaths were the latest reported since a ceasefire took effect nearly a year ago.

South Korea’s spy agency said Wednesday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s disclosure of the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea was likely intended to build public support for greater assistance to Ukraine. Zelenskyy revealed the transfer during his speech at the United Nations last week, surprising South Korean officials and prompting strong protests from Seoul. South Korea asked Kyiv to apologize and explain what it called a breach of an agreement to keep the transfer confidential. Ukraine denied making such an agreement. The dispute has strained the traditionally friendly relations between South Korea and Ukraine, though it remains unclear whether it will have broader consequences. The two North Korean soldiers were among thousands of troops sent by Pyongyang to support Russia in fighting Ukrainian forces in Russia’s Kursk border region. North Korea has also supplied conventional weapons to Russia as part of expanding military cooperation between the two countries. Ukraine has not responded to South Korea’s demand for an apology. South Korea’s National Intelligence Service briefed a parliamentary committee behind closed doors Wednesday. Lawmaker Yoo Yeong-ha, who attended the meeting, said the agency told lawmakers that Ukraine had not offered an apology or expressed regret through either official or unofficial channels. The agency assessed that Zelenskyy likely disclosed the transfer to encourage South Korean public support for providing weapons and other assistance to Ukraine, Yoo said. He did not explain how the agency reached that conclusion. South Korea has provided humanitarian and other support to Ukraine but has not supplied weapons, following its policy of not sending arms to countries involved in active conflicts. Another lawmaker, Yun Kun-young, said the agency told lawmakers that the two North Korean prisoners arrived in South Korea in mid-September and were in generally good health. While in Ukraine, they expressed a desire to settle in South Korea, Yun said. North Korea has not publicly commented on the transfer. It has previously accused South Korea of abducting or persuading North Koreans to defect. South Korean officials have expressed concern about the safety of the two soldiers and their relatives in North Korea. Experts have also warned that the transfer could provoke a response from Pyongyang and complicate efforts to resume talks between North Korea and the United States. Yun said the intelligence agency estimates that about 9,000 North Korean soldiers are currently involved in surveillance operations in the Kursk region. The agency also told lawmakers that Russia has provided North Korea with weapons technology to support its military modernization. However, Moscow has been reluctant to share advanced technology related to nuclear-powered submarines and intercontinental ballistic missiles, Yun said. Kim Jong Un’s daughter strengthens position as possible successorThe intelligence agency also assessed that the teenage daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has strengthened her position as his likely successor, Yun said. He said the agency told lawmakers that Kim’s daughter, reportedly named Kim Ju Ae and believed to be about 13, has made around 30 public appearances with her father this year. That is the highest number recorded during the same period since she first appeared publicly in late 2022. Some experts, however, caution against concluding that she will succeed her father, pointing to North Korea’s strongly male-dominated political system. Yoo said the intelligence agency observed that Kim’s daughter has sought to present a more mature image by wearing women’s suits and pointed-toe heels. The agency has previously used artificial intelligence, high-resolution video analysis and other methods to assess Kim Jong Un’s health. At Wednesday’s meeting, the agency said Kim remains severely obese but showed no signs of other major health problems, Yun said.

The head of the company operating the Eiffel Tower will leave his post at the end of the year following an investigation into the exclusion of female staff during a visit by a Hindu religious group. Patrick Branco Ruivo, director general of the Société d'Exploitation de la tour Eiffel, will step down after an independent investigation found several operational failures linked to the Sept. 5 visit. The company said Tuesday that the failures led to female employees being excluded from the visit, describing the situation as “unacceptable.” Ruivo has led the company since late 2018. The 330-meter (1,083-foot) Eiffel Tower, which draws about 7 million visitors annually, was closed Sept. 7 after employees went on strike. A union official said the strike was prompted by “unacceptable” management instructions. Tensions rose after management instructed employees that female workers should not have contact with members of the visiting delegation from Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha, known as BAPS. BAPS is a global religious and civic organization within the Swaminarayan sect of Hinduism. The group was in Paris to celebrate the inauguration of a traditional Hindu stone temple in the Paris region. BAPS told The Associated Press that it “never requested that female employees be hidden, removed or excluded from the visit.” The group said its monks' religious practices had been explained to Eiffel Tower management beforehand and were personal commitments that did not require women to be excluded from places they visited. It did not provide details about those practices. Ariel Weil, chair of the Eiffel Tower operating company, said Tuesday that he had ordered measures and training programs aimed at promoting gender equality. The 137-year-old landmark has faced closures over labor disputes before. It was closed for six days in February 2024 after employees went on strike over maintenance concerns and demands for higher wages.

Medicine prices are rising sharply in Iran and some drugs have become difficult to find as a US blockade and tougher sanctions put pressure on the country’s pharmaceutical industry. Some medicines have more than tripled in price, adding to the financial pressure on Iranians seven months into the country’s war with the United States and Israel. Food and other basic goods have also become much more expensive, while unemployment has increased and Iran’s currency, which hit a record low this week, has lost about half its value. The conflict has put Iran’s economy under severe pressure. Iran has sought to push up global energy prices by attacking oil shipping routes in the region, while the United States has tried to put further pressure on the Iranian economy by blockading its ports since June and imposing tougher sanctions. Iran’s pharmaceutical sector is particularly vulnerable because it depends heavily on imports. Although major medicine shortages have not yet been widely reported at hospitals, problems are increasingly being felt at pharmacies. Gholamreza Rahmani, a Tehran welder, and his wife recently spent two days visiting several pharmacies to find four medicines prescribed for their 12-year-old daughter, who was suffering from stomach problems. “Each one would have one or two items, not all of them,” Rahmani said. They could not find one of the medicines anywhere. The search also cost him two days of wages because he was unable to go to work. “My daughter’s illness and the loss of income are like scissors, cutting from two sides,” he said. Pharmaceutical industry depends on importsIran produces more than 80% of its medicines domestically, according to official figures, but many of those medicines require imported raw materials. Before the war, most medicines and pharmaceutical ingredients were transported by sea. But the US naval blockade has disrupted shipping, Bahman Sabour, a member of the Tehran Pharmacies Association, told local media. Importers have turned to more expensive air freight. However, that option has also become more difficult after new US sanctions were imposed on several Iranian airlines, leading to the suspension of some international flights. US sanctions do not directly target medicines. However, long-standing financial sanctions have made it harder for pharmaceutical companies to obtain supplies because international banks and businesses often avoid transactions involving Iran over concerns about violating sanctions, said Reza Majdzadeh, a professor at the School of Health and Social Care at the University of Essex in England. “A medicine may be perfectly legal to sell to Iran, but a bank may refuse to process the payment,” he said. Companies may also decide that doing business with Iran carries too much risk. The Iranian government has not disclosed how much medicine production has declined. Officials, however, say the sector has been affected after airstrikes damaged more than 40 pharmaceutical factories, including facilities producing cancer treatments. Pharmacies are also struggling financially. Insurance companies have delayed payments to pharmacies for drug coverage by as much as nine months because of the “current situation,” said Mohammad Jamalian, a member of parliament’s health committee. Sabour said insurance companies owe pharmacies about $270 million. Medicine supplies are also being affected by smuggling to neighbouring Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq, where drugs can be sold at higher prices, state media reported. Pharmacy prices rise sharply“The price of almost everything has gone up, in some cases doubling, quadrupling, or even increasing sixfold,” said Mina Mohammadian, a pharmacy salesperson in Tehran. Mehdi Pirsalehi, head of the government agency responsible for setting medicine prices, said last week that prices of 2,000 types of medicines had been “amended” over the past six months because of inflation and currency problems. Ali Fallah, a Tehran resident, said the ointment he uses for inflammation had increased more than fourfold in three months, from 750,000 rials, or about 35 cents, to 3.25 million rials, or roughly $1.46. The minimum daily wage for an unskilled worker in Iran is about 7.5 million rials, or $3.50. “I honestly don’t know where this situation is heading,” Fallah said. Prices of tablets needed by kidney dialysis patients have risen by nearly 350% in recent months. Common painkillers such as acetaminophen have also become much more expensive, when available. Hospitals largely remain suppliedAn employee at a public hospital said supplies of some specialised psychiatric medicines for bipolar disorder and acute psychosis are running short. Some commonly used medicines for anxiety and panic disorders are also difficult to obtain. Doctors have had to use electroconvulsive therapy more frequently because some medicines were unavailable or were considered to be of lower quality, she said. “The side effects for patients are really a lot,” she told The Associated Press by phone from a major Iranian city. She spoke on condition of anonymity for security reasons. Azita Hassanpour, a part-time teacher, said her mother, who has cancer, has continued receiving chemotherapy, although some treatments have been delayed because the medicines are less available than before the war. Hassanpour is also worried because her mother has not received her annual flu vaccine, as authorities search for alternative sources of vaccines. “I am worried that I may lose her because of flu. I weep out of her sight every night,” she said. Hadi Ahmadi, a spokesman for the Iranian Pharmacists Association, told local media Saturday that about 700,000 flu vaccine doses had been imported from China, with another 500,000 expected soon. A flu shot currently costs about 22 million rials, or roughly $9, nearly twice last year’s price. Authorities have promised to provide the vaccine free of charge to people at high risk.

The last U.S. troops were set to leave Iraq on Wednesday under an agreement between Baghdad and Washington, a move welcomed by Iran-backed groups but viewed with concern by some Iraqis, particularly in the Kurdish region. The United States invaded Iraq in 2003 to remove Saddam Hussein from power. U.S. troops left in 2011, but returned three years later after Iraqi authorities requested a smaller U.S.-led mission to fight the Islamic State group, which had captured large parts of the country. With Islamic State militants now largely reduced to scattered sleeper cells, Washington and Baghdad agreed in 2024 to gradually end the mission. Most U.S. troops left their bases in other parts of Iraq last year, while several hundred remained in the semiautonomous Kurdish region in the north. Those bases have faced repeated attacks since the United States and Israel began their war against Iran on Feb. 28. Iran-backed Iraqi militias have also coordinated attacks with Yemen’s Houthi rebels against Saudi Arabia. The Iraqi government had initially linked the Sept. 30 deadline for the U.S. withdrawal to the disarmament of non-state armed groups. Although some smaller militias agreed to hand over their weapons, powerful Iran-aligned groups rejected the demand or imposed conditions that the government was unlikely to meet. Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has since moved away from the original deadline. He told The New York Times earlier this month that the deadline for militia disarmament had been extended to June 2027. The impact of the U.S. withdrawal may not be immediately apparent because the American military presence had already been significantly reduced. However, officials in Iraq’s Kurdish region have expressed concern about the departure, particularly the removal of U.S. air defense systems. The Kurdish regional government’s Peshmerga Ministry said the region had experienced more than 1,000 drone and ballistic-missile attacks during the recent U.S.-Iran conflict. “The departure of the United States from the Kurdistan Region under these complex regional circumstances, without the provision of a defense system, is a matter of concern,” the ministry said. Meanwhile, Iran-backed groups in Iraq welcomed the U.S. withdrawal. “The expulsion of the occupation forces, defeated, from the land of Iraq is the beginning of full sovereignty,” Abu Mujahid al-Assaf, a security official with the powerful Kataib Hezbollah militia, said in a statement. He also warned Prime Minister al-Zaidi’s government against following U.S. plans, saying that “any government that does not work for the benefit of the people will be overthrown by all means.”

Morocco's King Mohammed VI on Tuesday named Urban Planning Minister Fatima Zahra Mansouri as the country's prime minister, making her the first woman to hold the position in the Muslim country. Mansouri, who also is the mayor of Marrakech, was tasked with forming a new government, the Royal Palace said in a statement. Mansouri is expected to build a governing coalition in the coming days. Her government is expected to make billions of dollars in investments linked to the 2030 FIFA World Cup, while delivering on promises to fight inflation, raise wages and create jobs.  

The General Debate of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly concluded on Monday, during which 194 delegations spoke on topics including peace, development, human rights, UN reform and the selection of the next secretary-general, as well as artificial intelligence (AI). "Across your statements, one word came before all others -- peace. But peace was spoken of less as a distant aspiration than as an urgent defense of the UN Charter, international law and the protection of civilians," General Assembly President Khalilur Rahman said in his closing remarks. "We heard that the maintenance of peace and security ... meant more than containing violence. It requires prevention, mediation and diplomacy, respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, adherence to international law and investment in the conditions that sustain peace," he said. Development was featured prominently throughout the debate, Rahman said. "Time is running out, and promises remain unfulfilled," he said, noting that only a few of the Sustainable Development Goals are on track and progress has stalled. AI, or artificial general intelligence, has moved from the margins of discussions in previous years to the center of the debate this year, he noted. Four years ago, AI was raised in this hall by only five delegations. This year, 128 delegations addressed it, more than the number that spoke on climate change and human rights, he said. More leaders recognized the extraordinary potential of AI to transform public services, accelerate scientific discovery, advance sustainable development and expand access to knowledge, while pointing out risks arising from it. Many framed AI as a question of governance, he said. "AI governance must be human-centered, inclusive and attentive to the needs of developing countries. It must prevent a new divide ," he said. World leaders also spoke clearly about reforming the United Nations. Reform is not an exercise in rearranging structures or reducing budgets. Its measure is whether this organization delivers better, faster and more fairly for the people it serves, said Rahman. On the selection of the next secretary-general, member states called for a process that is transparent, inclusive and merit-based. The selection process must strengthen, not diminish the legitimacy, independence and moral authority of the office of the UN secretary-general, he said. Restoring trust, a theme of this year's debate, resonated widely in speeches, said Rahman. "Trust cannot be commanded. It must be earned through consistency between words and deeds, equal application of international law, fulfillment of commitments, genuine representation, transparency, accountability, and results," he said. "Restoring trust, therefore, means making our institutions worthy of that trust. Meaningful, and often painful, reforms need to underpin efforts to rebuild trust." This year's General Assembly high-level week again saw the weaponization of visas by the United States, which abused its status as the host country. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was unable to travel to New York for a second consecutive year after the United States imposed a visa ban on Palestinian officials. Addressing world leaders via prerecorded video, Abbas said: "We reject these unlawful punitive measures. And we reject the accusations and justifications on which they were based." The Palestinian people and leadership should not be punished for demanding an end to the occupation or for turning to the United Nations, the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court, said Abbas. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke Thursday morning in the same session after Abbas. Netanyahu's presence triggered a mass exodus from the General Assembly Hall as scores of delegates walked out in protest. Netanyahu was booed as the Israeli delegation sat in the hall, while supporters in the gallery cheered him on. The theme of this year's General Debate was "Restoring trust, managing transformation: a United Nations that delivers for all." During the high-level week, meetings were also held on sustainable development, climate action, sea-level rise, pandemic prevention and response, among other issues. 

Taiwan’s defense minister said Tuesday that existing U.S. arms sales to the island remain unchanged, although a record $14 billion package remains on hold. Defense Minister Wellington Koo said Taiwan is continuing discussions with the United States on individual arms deals and has received no notice of any changes to existing sales or military cooperation. “As for arms sales, we are in continuous discussions with the Americans on this,” Koo told reporters outside Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan in Taipei. “We haven’t received any notice of any changes to sales or our cooperation.” Koo said U.S. officials had assured him that Washington’s policy toward Taiwan remained unchanged. He also said 66 advanced F-16V fighter jets ordered by Taiwan have reached a stage of production where they are ready for delivery. The aircraft were originally expected to be delivered in 2024, according to local media, but the program was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic and problems involving the production line. The comments came amid concerns that U.S. President Donald Trump could suspend arms sales to Taiwan. China has repeatedly called on Washington to stop such sales, including during a May meeting in Beijing between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. The United States paused the $14 billion package following that meeting. U.S. arms sales to Taiwan are a major source of tension between Washington and Beijing. China claims Taiwan as part of its territory, while the United States does not formally recognize the island as an independent country. Washington, however, maintains close unofficial ties with Taipei and is legally required to help Taiwan maintain its ability to defend itself. Taiwan says it needs U.S. weapons to strengthen its defenses against a possible Chinese attack. China’s People’s Liberation Army regularly sends military aircraft and naval vessels toward Taiwan. Analysts expect U.S. arms sales to Taiwan to continue, although some deals could remain delayed in the short term. “There are two more summits between the U.S. and China scheduled within this year, so I think neither side really wants to break things off, and the Taiwan issue will be put aside temporarily,” said Ma Chun-wei, a professor at Tamkang University. However, Ma said Taiwan remains important from a security perspective and that U.S. arms sales to the island would likely continue.