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Entertainment

See Khloe Kardashian React After Pete Davidson Sends V-Day Flowers

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Roses are red, violets are blue. Amid his romance with Kim Kardashian, Pete Davidson sent love to Khloe Kardashian, too.
 
For Valentine’s Day this year, Khloe received a slew of gifts and floral arrangements from her inner circle, including the Saturday Night Live star himself. In a Feb. 14 Instagram Story post, Khloe shared a picture of a pink floral bouquet arrangement that included calla lilies, roses and hydrangeas, writing, “The sweetest! Thank you Pete!”
 
But Pete wasn’t the only one sending love to True Thompson‘s mom, as she also shared photos of arrangements sent from mom Kris Jenner, sister Kylie Jenner and niece Penelope Disick (more than likely courtesy of mom Kourtney Kardashian, of course).

And although Kim hasn’t revealed her V-Day gift from Pete just yet, the couple did spend a fun-filled weekend full of dinner dates leading up to the holiday. On Feb. 12, the two enjoyed a date night in Brooklyn, which they followed up with by hitting up Cipriani NYC on Feb. 13.

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Science

Powerful Geomagnetic Storm Sends Dozens of SpaceX Satellites to a Fiery Doom

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A powerful geomagnetic storm has doomed 40 Starlink satellites launched by SpaceX last week, the company has announced.

Elon Musk’s company launched a Falcon 9 rocket bearing the 49 satellites from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday (Feb. 3), but a geomagnetic storm that struck a day later sent the satellites plummeting back toward Earth, where they will burn up in the atmosphere.

 

“Unfortunately, the satellites deployed on Thursday were significantly impacted by a geomagnetic storm on Friday,” SpaceX said in a statement.

“Preliminary analysis show[s] the increased drag at the low altitudes prevented the satellites from leaving safe mode to begin orbit-raising maneuvers, and up to 40 of the satellites will reenter or already have reentered the Earth’s atmosphere.”

Related: The 12 strangest objects in the Universe

Geomagnetic storms occur when a surge of solar wind – charged particles from the Sun – smashes into Earth’s magnetic field and generates charged particles and currents in Earth’s upper atmosphere.

The surge warms the upper atmosphere and increases its atmospheric density such that the drag experienced by satellites in low Earth orbit can be enough to send them tumbling back to Earth. The geomagnetic storm experienced by the satellites came from solar wind kicked out by a January 30 coronal mass ejection – an eruption of the Sun. 

After launch, the 49 SpaceX satellites began orbiting as close to 130 miles (210 kilometers) from Earth. This low orbit was intentionally designed to make the satellites easily disposable in the event of a post-launch failure, but the low orbit also left them vulnerable to the geomagnetic storm.

 

SpaceX said in the statement that the satellites’ GPS systems show the storm caused atmospheric drag to “increase up to 50 per cent higher than during previous launches.” In response, the satellites were commanded to “take cover from the storm” by flying “edge-on (like a sheet of paper)”.

This “edge-on” positioning, by decreasing the surface area of the satellite passing through the atmosphere, was an attempt to halt the rapid deceleration of the satellites.

But the drag was too much. Forty of the satellites are now set to plummet back to Earth. SpaceX assures the public that, because the company’s satellites are designed to disintegrate upon reentry, “no orbital debris is created and no satellite parts hit the ground”.

Since the first Starlink satellites were launched in 2019, SpaceX has put 2,000 of them into Earth orbit, and the company plans to place as many as 42,000 satellites into an Earth-orbiting mega-constellation.

The Starlink program would give customers high-speed internet service from anywhere in the world, but it has come under sustained criticism from astronomers because its shiny satellites often leave bright streaks in the night sky, ruining astronomical observations.

 

A 2021 study showed that the 9,300 tons (8,440 metric tons) of space objects currently orbiting Earth, including inoperative satellites and chunks of spent rocket stages, have increased the overall brightness of the night sky by more than 10 percent, rendering large parts of Earth light-polluted, Live Science previously reported.

Critics also say these SpaceX satellites clog up near-Earth orbital slots that could be used by other companies or countries.

Space experts have even warned that once the first 12,000 satellites of Starlink’s first-generation constellation are in orbit, they could become responsible for up to 90 percent of near misses between two spacecraft in low Earth orbit, Live Science sister site Space.com reported.

In December 2021, the director general of the European Space Agency, Josef Aschbacher, said Musk was “making the rules” in space, and he called for the European Union and other countries to coordinate so that SpaceX’s satellites did not prevent others from launching their own.

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This article was originally published by Live Science. Read the original article here.

 

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Technology

Nintendo Sends Copyright Strikes To YouTube Music Channel

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Photo: Nintendo / Kotaku

A YouTube channel that uploads video game soundtracks has reportedly been sent over 1300 copyright blocks in one day. This news isn’t shocking if you know Nintendo’s track record when it comes to fan creations and communities, but it’s still a frustrating situation as much of the music that is removed from YouTube is still not streamable on services like Spotify.

Yesterday morning, YouTuber GilvaSunner posted a tweet explaining that Nintendo had sent them and their channel over 1300 “copyright blocks.” The channel, which is extremely popular, uploads full video game soundtracks, letting fans easily listen to their favorite Kirby or Mario track via YouTube.

After all the copyright blocks went through and the dust settled, GilvaSunner shared a list of all the soundtracks that Nintendo had targeted and blocked from the site. It’s a long list.

  • The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
  • The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
  • The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
  • Super Smash Bros Melee
  • Super Smash Bros Brawl
  • Yoshi’s Island
  • Super Mario Land
  • Super Mario Galaxy
  • Super Mario World
  • New Super Mario Bros
  • Mario & Luigi: Dream Team
  • Mario 3D World
  • Luigi’s Mansion
  • Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story
  • Kid Icarus Uprising
  • Kirby’s Dream Land

According to GilvaSunner their videos aren’t monetized and they don’t profit off them, yet Nintendo still decided to block hundreds of videos.

Kotaku has contacted Nintendo about the copyright blocks and if the company has any plans to release its music on streaming services.

This isn’t the first time GilvaSunner has run afoul of Nintendo. Back in 2019, the same YouTuber was sent numerous copyright claims from Nintendo over other video game soundtrack uploads. And throughout 2020, GilvaSunner continued to receive copyright blocks from Nintendo.

“I’m also not angry or surprised that Nintendo is doing this, but I do think it’s a bit disappointing there is hardly an alternative,” explained GilvaSunner in a tweet thread from 2020. “If Nintendo thinks this is what needs to be done (to set an example), I will let them take down the channel. It is their content after all.”

While it is true that Nintendo is legally clear to strike down video uploads of their copyrighted content, it continues to be disappointing that the company doesn’t wish to work with fans or its community of players to offer them more ways to enjoy the great music from past Nintendo titles. Though considering how quick the company is to shut down any fan game or mod, it’s unlikely Nintendo will be changing anytime soon.



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World

NATO allies send deadly weapons, munitions to Ukraine while Germany sends 5K helmets

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Germany has provided a meager donation of only 5,000 helmets and a field hospital to bolster Ukraine ahead of a possible Russian invasion while other NATO allies deploy forces to neighboring countries and supply weapons and munitions to Ukraine itself. 

Diplomatic discussions stalled this week after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken provided a handwritten response to Russian demands. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Thursday that the response offered “little ground for optimism” but acknowledged “prospects for continuing dialogue.” 

NATO has therefore continued to deploy troops to the region – but not to Ukraine itself – in an attempt to deter invasion by Russia. 

Members of Ukraine’s Territorial Defense Forces, volunteer military units of the Armed Forces, train in a city park in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Saturday.
(AP/Efrem Lukatsky)

Ukraine asked Germany, which maintains military forces of some 261,700 personnel, to provide at least 100,000 helmets and protective gear to the vulnerable nation. Germany responded with an offer of 5,000 helmets for troops to use – an offer that Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko decried as a “joke.” 

“The behaviour of the German government leaves me speechless,” Klistschko said in an interview. “The defense ministry apparently hasn’t realized that we are confronted with perfectly equipped Russian forces that can start another invasion of Ukraine at any time. What kind of support will Germany send next, pillows?”

UKRAINE PREPARING BOMB SHELTERS AS RUSSIAN THREAT CONTINUES TO GROW

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz insisted his country will not supply Ukraine with “lethal” aid as officials do not wish to “fuel the situation” and would rather find a diplomatic solution. Germany will provide a complete field hospital and necessary training, but NATO’s most critical European member has otherwise fallen short in comparison to other NATO allies, who appear to fully recognize the imminent danger Russia poses to Ukraine’s stability and independence. 

The U.S. last week delivered 200,000 pounds of ammunition and weapons for frontline Ukrainian defenders as part of a planned total investment of $2.7 billion to improve the country’s security. 

Turkey supplied Ukraine with anti-tank drones, prompting an uncomfortable call from Russian President Vladimir Putin, while the U.K. shipped anti-tank missiles to Ukraine as well as troops to train Ukrainian forces, The Guardian reported. 

And some NATO countries have deployed various military forces to member nations that border Ukraine and Russia, including Romania, Estonia, Poland and Lithuania. 

BIDEN’S WEAKNESS WITH RUSSIA RISKS WAR IN UKRAINE – AND ELSEWHERE

The U.S. deployed six jet fighters to Estonia on Wednesday as part of the Baltic Air Policing Mission. European Command claimed the jets would remain in the country until the end of next week, but Major General Jöerg Lebert, Chief of Staff, noted the jets would “contribute to the Alliance’s collective defense posture.” 

The arrival of jets comes as President Biden put thousands of troops on high alert as he considers whether to deploy them and bolster a broader NATO effort to protect allied countries bordering Russia and Ukraine. 

French Minister of Defence Florence Parly delivers a speech during a joint press statement with the Romanian Minister of Defence Vasile Dincu, in Bucharest, Romania, January 27, 2022. Inquam Photos/Octav Ganea via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS – THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. ROMANIA OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN ROMANIA

Romanian President Klause Iohannis said Wednesday that his country stands ready to host a substantial number of NATO troops. The country already maintains a multinational land force of up to 4,000 troops, and the U.S. has soldiers stationed at separate bases in Romania and Bulgaria, Reuters reported. 

“The measures NATO has taken until now to reinforce its military presence on the eastern flank are an eminently defensive response to the rising security challenges in the region,” Iohannis said. 

PHOTOS SHOW UKRAINIAN SCHOOLCHILDREN LEARNING ABOUT EXPLOSIVES AHEAD OF POTENTIAL RUSSIAN INVASION

French Minister of the Armed Forces Florence Parly pledged to help bolster military ties with Romania, including the acquisition of French naval ships, according to ABC News. 

“The current security situation is worrying on the eastern flank of Europe,” Parly told the media after the meeting. “In this context, Romanians are rightly anxious to strengthen their own security, as tensions in Ukraine continue to escalate … we understand your situation and want to support you.”

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Even Denmark deployed fighter jets to Lithuania, and both Spain and Denmark deployed frigates to the Baltic Sea. NATO started a “major military exercise” in the Mediterranean Sea on Monday, which included the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier, as a demonstration that the alliance is “united, capable and strong.” 

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World

Russia sends two S-400 battalions to Belarus for drills – Interfax

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MOSCOW, Jan 21 (Reuters) – Russia is sending two battalions of S-400 surface-to-air missile systems to Belarus to join military drills there next month, the Interfax news agency said on Friday, at a time of acute tensions with the West over neighbouring Ukraine.

Russian military forces and hardware began arriving in Belarus this week for the “Allied Resolve” drills to be held near the former Soviet republic’s western border with NATO members Poland and Lithuania, and close to its southern flank with Ukraine.

Belarusian and Russian national flags fly during “Day of multinational Russia” event in central Minsk, Belarus June 8, 2019. REUTERS/Vasily Fedosenko

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Western states fear that Russia, which has massed tens of thousands of troops on its borders with Ukraine, is planning a new assault on a country it invaded in 2014. Russia has denied such plans. Lithuania has also said the buildup of Russian troops there was a threat to its security.

Russia’s defence ministry said two S-400 battalions – which typically include eight anti-aircraft missile systems each – have started moving to Belarus from Russia’s Far East by train, Interfax said.

Moscow has said that 12 Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets and a Pantsir missile system would also be deployed to Belarus for the drills.

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Reporting by Olzhas Auyezov; Editing by William Mallard

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Business

Netflix warning on subscriber growth sends stock plummeting

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Netflix has warned that subscriber growth would slow substantially in early 2022, sending its stock tumbling 20 per cent in pre-market trading on Friday in the latest instance of investors dumping shares in companies that have thrived during the pandemic.

The streaming company projected after the close of trade on Thursday that it would add just 2.5m subscribers in the first three months of this year, far fewer than the 4m it added in the first quarter of 2021 and well below analysts’ expectations that also stood at 4m.

Netflix shares dropped to $402 in pre-market trading on the Nasdaq on Friday, down almost $100 from Thursday’s closing price. The fall would wipe about $46bn from the group’s market value. Nasdaq 100 futures were down about 0.5 per cent in European dealings on Friday, while Europe’s Stoxx 600 tech index was down 2.1 per cent.

Netflix’s disappointing forecast came as Peloton was forced to rush out preliminary second-quarter earnings to shore up investor confidence after CNBC reported the company was temporarily halting production of its connected fitness products. Shares in Peloton, one of the biggest beneficiaries of early Covid-19 lockdowns, fell about a quarter following the report.

John Foley, Peloton’s co-founder and chief executive, said “rumours that we are halting all production of bikes and [treadmills] are false” but conceded the company was “right-sizing our production . . . as we evolve to more seasonal demand curves”. Peloton’s market value has plummeted in the past 12 months to less than $8bn, from $50bn.

Netflix and Peloton were among a clutch of “stay at home” stocks that investors snapped up at various stages of the pandemic, and the sharp decline in their share prices came amid growing investor angst over shares in companies that benefited from the pandemic.

BlackRock’s “virtual work and life” ETF, which was launched during the first wave of the virus to track companies that would prosper from people spending more time at home, is trading close to a record low. It is down 9 per cent since the start of the year and more than 40 per cent below the peak it hit last year.

Shares in Zoom, the videoconferencing service that became ubiquitous as people worked from home, have fallen more than 11 per cent since the start of the year. Other pandemic beneficiaries such as e-signature specialist DocuSign and Netflix rival Roku have tumbled more than 20 per cent in 2022.

Investors have also soured on the tech sector in anticipation that the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates more quickly than previously expected to tame soaring inflation. Higher rates reduce the value investors place on future profits of fast-growing companies. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite index entered correction territory this week, meaning it has fallen more than 10 per cent from its high in November.

Streaming companies such as Netflix and Disney Plus hoovered up huge numbers of subscribers during the 2020 lockdowns, but a return to more normal routines has hit growth just as they are spending billions of dollars on content to attract and keep viewers.

Netflix also undershot expectations for net new subscribers in the last quarter of 2021, adding 8.3m versus expectations ranging from 8.4m to 8.7m. That brought the total number of paying customers to 222m.

The slowdown in Netflix subscriber growth came even as it has assembled one of the strongest catalogues of original content since its launch, including the Korean hit drama Squid Game and Don’t Look Up, a film starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence.

The streaming wars are leading the big services to spend more on content. Netflix said the amount it was spending had compressed operating margins to 8 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2021 — down 6 percentage points compared with a year earlier. However, Netflix did not spend as much on content as it had forecast.

Netflix noted that “competition . . . has only intensified over the last 24 months as entertainment companies all around the world develop their own streaming offering”.

The company acknowledged that the increased rivalry “may be affecting our marginal growth” but said it continued to grow in every country in which its competitors had launched.

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Entertainment

Britney Spears sends cease-and-desist to Jamie Lynn Spears

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Spears’ lawyer, Mathew Rosengart, sent a legal cease-and-desist letter to the singer’s younger sister on Tuesday regarding her new memoir, “Things I Should Have Said.”

In Rosengart’s letter, he calls the book “ill-timed” and that it makes “misleading or outrageous claims about her.”

Although Jamie Lynn Spears has recently said that the book is not about her sister, Rosengart wrote, “She takes you at your word and we, therefore, demand that you cease and desist from referencing Britney derogatorily during your promotional campaign. If you fail to do so or defame her, Britney will be forced to consider and take all appropriate legal action.”

In her book, she describes her sister’s behavior growing up at times as “paranoid” and “erratic.”

But the Grammy winner has taken to social media multiple times over the last week to take issue with her sister’s recollection. Writing on Instagram this week, “Jamie Lynn, I wasn’t strong enough to do what should have been done … slapped you and Mamma right across your f***ing faces !!!!!”

In a recent interview while promoting her book on “Good Morning America,” Jamie Lynn Spears said, “I’ve always been my sister’s biggest supporter.”

She also said that she had nothing to do with her sister’s 13-year conservatorship, which was terminated late last year.

“When she needed help, I set up ways to do so, went out of my way to make sure that she had the contacts she needed to possibly go ahead and end this conservatorship and just end this all for our family. If it’s going to cause this much discord, why continue it? I even spoke to her legal team, … her previous legal team, and that did not end well in my favor.” Adding, “I did take the steps to help. How many times can I take the steps without … She has to walk through the door.”

CNN has reached out to Jamie Lynn for comment on the legal letter.



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US

Sinema speaks out against filibuster reform after House sends voting rights bill to Senate – live | US news

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Kyrsten Sinema has indicated – or simply confirmed – that Democrats’ push to change Senate rules to allow for the passage of voting rights legislation is indeed doomed.

In a speech on the Senate floor delivered shortly before Joe Biden was scheduled to arrive on Capitol Hill to attempt to force the issue, the Arizona senator said: “While I continue to support these bills, I will not support separate actions that worsen the underlying disease of division infecting our country.”

Those separate actions would involve abolishing or modifying the filibuster, the rule which empowers the minority by setting a 60-vote threshold for most legislation.

The Senate is split 50-50 and controlled by Democrats via the vice-president, Kamala Harris. Democratic senators represent vastly more voters than Republican senators, a point often made by supporters of filibuster reform.

Democrats who favour change also point out that federal legislation is needed to counter Republican attempts to restrict voting among minorities which tend to favour Democrats, by means of restrictive laws at the state level.

Voter suppression laws are also at issue, as Republicans who support Donald Trump’s big lie about electoral fraud seek to instal allies in key posts and to make it easier to overturn election results.

Nonetheless, Sinema and her fellow moderate Joe Manchin, of West Virginia, have remained steadfastly against filibuster reform – even though both support some form of federal voting rights protection.

They fear the ramifications of filibuster reform if and when Republicans take back the chamber, which could well happen later this year. Some observers suggest that is naive, as Republicans under Mitch McConnell, a man who has made constitutional hardball an art form, may well dynamite the filibuster themselves.

Either way, without Sinema and Manchin, all efforts on the issue by Biden and the majority leader, Chuck Schumer of New York, are doomed to fail.

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Entertainment

Angelina Jolie still send’s ex-husband Billy Bob Thornton’s son Harry presents for Christmas

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She finalized her divorce from actor and filmmaker Billy Bob Thornton in 2003.

But Angelina Jolie still has a warm relationship with her stepson Harry James Thornton all these years after ending her marriage.

Harry revealed Wednesday in an interview with ET that the 46-year-old Academy Award winner still chats with him on the phone occasionally and even sends him Christmas presents every year.

Staying in touch: Angelina Jolie, 46, still gives her ex-husband Billy Bob Thornton’s son Harry James Thornton presents ever Christmas and catches up with him on the phone, he revealed Wednesday to ET; Angelina and Billy Bob seen in 2002 in Beverly Hills

‘To this day, she still sends me Christmas gifts every year and stuff like that,’ Harry said. ‘I don’t talk to her on the phone every day but every now and then we talk.’

Billy Bob shares Harry with former Playboy model Pietra Dawn Cherniak, whom he was married to from 1993 until their divorce in 1997 amid her claims that he had abused her in front of their children.

Thornton and Jolie first starred together in 1999’s Pushing Tin before their whirlwind courtship. After only two months together, the couple wed in 2000.

Harry gushed that ‘she was so cool’ to him and his siblings.

Still close: ‘To this day, she still sends me Christmas gifts every year and stuff like that,’ Harry said. ‘I don’t talk to her on the phone every day but every now and then we talk’

‘She took us camping every week and she rented, like, an RV one time, and we went on a full camping trip,’ he recounted.

‘She was just so fun for us back when we were, like, younger. Like, she was a lot of fun.’ 

In addition to Harry, 27, Thornton also shares William Thornton, 28, with Cherniak. The Sling Blade star, who has been married six times, shares his daughter Amanda Brumfield with his first wife, Melissa Lee Gatlin, and he shares daughter Bella Thornton, 17, with his current wife Connie Angland.

Prior to starting his relationship with Jolie, Thornton had been engaged to Laura Dern, whom he dated for two years.

Late in their relationship, Jolie adopted her son Maddox from Cambodia on her own, and she separated from Thornton three months later in 2002.

In a 2004 profile for Vogue, the Changeling star described how her marriage fizzled out, seemingly ‘overnight.’

‘It took me by surprise, too, because overnight, we totally changed. I think one day we had just nothing in common,’ she explained. ‘And it’s scary but … I think it can happen when you get involved and you don’t know yourself yet.’

Fun stepmom: Harry also revealed that Angelina would take the kids camping ‘ever week.’ She and Billy Bob only dated for two months before marrying in 2000. They separated in 2002 and divorced the following year; seen together in 2000

Harry was looking back on his time with his stepmother while promoting his new nepotism-themed reality series Relatively Famous: Ranch Rules, which premiered on E! on Wednesday.

The series follows eight celebrity children as they give up the conveniences afforded them by their parents’ wealth to temporarily live and work on a ranch. 

The series is inspired by Filthy Rich: Cattle Drive, which featured a pre-Keeping Up With The Kardashian’s Kourtney Kardashian as part of the cast.

In addition to Harry, the children of David Hasselhoff, Martin Lawrence, Eazy-E, Ray Parker Jr. Billy Gunn, Shaquille O’Neal and Pat Benatar are featured. 

Harry revealed that his famous father gave him some simple advice before joining the series: ‘He said, “Don’t do anything embarrassing.”‘

In the spotlight: Harry was looking back on his time with his stepmother while promoting his new nepotism-themed reality series Relatively Famous: Ranch Rules, which premiered on E! on Wednesday; still from Relatively Famous

Packed cast: The series follows eight celebrity children as they give up the conveniences afforded them by their parents’ wealth to temporarily live and work on a ranch

Words of wisdom: Harry revealed that his famous father gave him some simple advice before joining the series: ‘He said, “Don’t do anything embarrassing”‘; Harry (L) seen with stepmom Connie Angland and father Billy Bob in 2016 in NYC

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World

Japan, Australia’s new defense pact sends a message to China: Analyst

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Australia and Japan’s new defense pact sends a strong message to China — that the two countries will work closely to ensure a stable Indo-Pacific region, a senior analyst from an Australian think-tank said Friday.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison virtually on Thursday. The two countries signed a reciprocal access agreement (RAA) that will go through necessary domestic procedures before going into effect “as early as possible.”

The agreement will pave the way for much closer defense relations between the two countries, as Japanese and Australian forces can deploy from each other’s bases and establish common protocols, according to Malcolm Davis from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.

“What is even more important is the strategic message this RAA sends to the region — that Japan and Australia are working together much more closely to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific,” Davis said on CNBC’s “Squawk Box Asia.”

“That is occurring against a context of a rising China that is much more assertive, and even aggressive, in areas such as the South China Sea, East China Sea, where Japan and China have a territorial dispute, and of course, in relation to Taiwan,” he added.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison shows a document during a virtual summit with Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio in Canberra on January 6, 2022.

AFP | Getty Images

“I fully expect some terse statements out of the Chinese ministry of foreign affairs in Beijing,” Davis said, referring to China’s likely response to the Australia-Japan defense agreement, which has been in the works for years.

“They won’t like this, but frankly, we make our defense policy choices based on Australia’s needs, not on what China is happy with,” he added.

What is the Indo-Pacific region?

Those arrangements send “a strong message to Beijing that the U.S., the U.K., Japan, other key powers are working together to do a number of things,” Davis said. First, they demonstrate the countries’ commitment to build a stable, free and open Indo-Pacific; second, they act as a way to deter China in areas of disputes, including Taiwan.

“Thirdly, to be able to respond to threats when they do emerge,” he added.

Taiwan is at the forefront of discussions as the United States, Japan and Australia strengthen their relationships with one another, Curtis Chin, Asia fellow at the Milken Institute, told CNBC’s “Street Signs Asia” on Friday.

“If China were to speak freely, clearly I think they would be worried,” he added.

China’s rising influence

ASPI’s Davis told CNBC that a big concern is the potential for China to make some kind of move against Taiwan — and existing security pacts and arrangements in the Indo-Pacific could “strengthen the credibility of deterrence.”

Some political analysts say rising tensions between the U.S. and China over Taiwan will be the top risk for Asia this year.

On the economic front, China is a member of the world’s largest trade agreement, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, which includes a number of countries in the Indo-Pacific region. Beijing is also lobbying to join another mega trade deal in that part of the world.

The U.S. is involved in neither of those trade pacts.

China also has an ambitious program called the Belt and Road Initiative, which aims to build physical and digital infrastructure that connects hundreds of countries from Asia to the Middle East, Africa and Europe and extend the country’s influence in those regions.

Chin from Milken Institute explained that while much of the discussions are around how other nations are reacting to a rising China, it is important to also look at what the country is facing domestically.

That includes its efforts to contain the Covid outbreak as well as trying to get its economy back on track — economists are worried that the problems in the property market and sluggish consumption could weigh on China’s growth outlook.

Still, Chin said he hopes that in 2022, all parties involved will “take a step back and recognize it’s [to] no one’s benefit if what some call an emerging cold war becomes a hot war in the Asia-Pacific region.”

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