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potentially to be america's top diomat. a really important decision. >> elon musk spent millions of dollars trying to get donald trump elected and in return we are seeing how much access and influence he is getting. >> the idea of people like elon musk bei trump supporters, trump seeing loyalty and valuing that, that's not reading too much. ♪ ben: donald trump's top team is taking shape as the u.s. president elect picks more senior officials for his administration including a leading rick of china. we will be taking a look at that. china has been putting on a

display of its military might at the aircraft show with a new aircraft, the j25 stealth fighter. can it compete with u.s. military hardware? anthe british prime minister tells the cop 29 clements had is committed to what he calls an ambitious climate goal for the u.k. we will have the latest from azerbaijan. so, donald trump has been appointing more senior officials for his administration. he is now expected to offer the job of secretary of state to marco rubio, is former republican rival who is considered a hawk, especially on china and iran. the military veteran michael walls has been confirmed as his national security advisor. he too has been a leading critic of china, and warns that the u.s. needs to be ready for conflict in the asia-pacific region. kristi noem is set to become mr.

trump's homeland security secretary with a key role on immigration policy. she suffered backlash when she revealed that she had shot dead her pet dog because she said it cannot be trained. she said she can make tough choices. she will be working with tom homan and, mr. trump's so-called border czar in charge of deporting illegal immigrants in line with what on the next president's keep and pain promises. susie wiles has already been announced as his new chief of staff when he reenters the white house in january. his former speechwriter stephen miller will be deputy chief of staff. he is another hardliner on immigration. he was a driving force behind the 2018 border policy that separated thousands of children from their parents at the u.s. mexico border.

let's discuss all of these appointments and potential appointments with strategist at harvard university's think tank. thank you very much for being with us. what do you make of these appointments? there are people saying that first time around donald trump made appointments he later regret -- later regretted. this time he is going for ultra loyalists. >> i think that is obvious and to be expected for a president in their second administration. the thing i like to tell people is that in 2016 on november 9 dold trump was a shock to the rest of the world that he had won the presidency and he had to scramble to put together a trantion team. so he had pulled in that time from establishment republicans who he did not know. he had not been in government before. this time around he knows the hallways, he knows his w around washington, and he has

the people who have been surrounding him that he trusts in that he knows our good senior advisors to him. he is pulling from those people. they are not always know names to us. susie wiles is someone who is not on the national radar at all until she was on the trump campaign. we are going to see a lot of new faces and see him pull from some of those trump faithful within the party li marco rubio. ben: what you make of marco rubio? a real hawk when it comes to china especially. shannon: i think that marco rubio is a really interesting pick. he is a steady hand. before he became a maga for political advantage he was known as a moderate. he challenged donald trump in an early primary in 2015. so it's an interesting pick and a steady pick. i feel the same way about mark walt's. we are in ok hands there, and that shows a little bit of

polling from people that know the ropes on foreign policy. ben: immigration was of course a central part of the trump campaign. it appealed to many of his supporters and people who voted for him. these picks on immigration seem to reflect and reinforce that. shannon: that's right. what we are seeing in the days since the election while they are announcing the officials they have named, we are seeing what the priority setting will be from day one and clearly immigration is going to be a day one priority for the trump administration. that should come as no surprise. it was one othe running issues on the campaign and it is what americans voted for. i don't think it is a surprise that he s designated that as one of his top agenda items. it is interesting to see steve miller in that position who was a speechwriter but has largely been a thought leader in the immigration space for donald trump.

we will see how this shapes up but clearly the two pieces he wants to put together our foreign policy and immigration. ben: we talked about how he wants loyasts. does he want people who won't argue with him or just people who will not slagged him after they have left office, as had happened with his first administration? shannon: i think he wants people who understand him and want to deliver on his vision and i think that is a fair assessment of any president to want and the people around them. by loyalists, yeah, he wants them to go on tv and sing his praises. but it is not unusual for a president to say how can someone help shape my vision to be better and deliverable and know the politics of it. so i don't think there's anything unusual of appointing people who stood by his side for eight years. ben: the first time around he did not necessarily understand

the levers of power or the machinery of government. you think he has learned from that experience? shannon: absolutely. he has been president for a full term and leader of his party for eight years. he certainly knows the levers of power now. he knows his way in and out of the institutions. he has a clear point of view this time. and as we mentioned he has the people around him now who understand that vision and understand how to deliver on it. so we are going to see that shape up more. i will say the most important piece of the cabinet puzzle we have not heard yet will be the secretary of defense. ben: yeah, well we will be watching out for that one. thank you so much, shannon felton spence, for your analysis. amidst all the talk we have just been discussing around the likes of the future secretary of state, marco rubio's hard-line views on foreign policy and especially on china, the chinese

have been putting on a display of their military might. in particular a special new aircraft. it is the j-35 stealth fighter. it was unveiled at the china aviation exhibition. as the chinese seek to modernize their military and show how they are modernizing it, analysts say it marks a crackle step in china's effortso challenge american dominance in the asia-pacific region, especially over taiwan. let's discuss that with former senior officer in the british military who flew assault helicopters for 20 years mikey kay. he is also our analyst on our weekly security brief specialist and will talk to us about this chinese aircraft. is it very special? will the americans be worried about it? mikey: i think the americans are very curious. this particular type is called

the j 35a the alphabet is really important because that means it is land-based. there is another just called the j 35. we will not be seeing that anytime soon. the third carrier that china on has. it is undergoing sea trials at the moment. what is interesting about the j-35a is it's very, very similar in many respects from the outside to the fifth-generation fighter the americans in the u.k. operate called the f-35. be numbers are very similar. we have a slide which we can bring up that allows us to look at the comparison between the two. what we are seeing is the british f-35. there is another slide which has the j-35 on the top and on the

bottom, the fc-31 on the bottom. the fc-31 is the chinese second version of the fifth-generation stealth and that was seen about 10 years ago as the prototype. what was encouraging about the shop on the bottom is that from the outside it looks really similar to the u.s. f-22 raptor, which came into service in 2005. that is a long time ago. if you look at the top version, the f-35a, that has a really similar look to the f-35. what you see from the outside is one thing. what is troubling analysts and western defense officials at the moment is what is on the inside. no one really knows what engines are being used in the f-35, they don't know what the radar systems are. they have an idea of the missiles but how many missiles can be carried within the fuselage itself? also there is that question on

decoding -- on the coating. the f-35 which is operated by the u.k., the u.s., norway, that has a special coating which absorbs radar frequency. basically reduces what is called the rcs, which is the radar cross-section. so yes, whilst the chinese have unveiled this, and they unveiled at the day after the 75th anniversary of the plaaf, the people's liberation army air corps force, it's significant in one respect because of its look at people don't really know what is on the inside and how capable it is from that perspective. ben: what is the broader point here? are we looking at a chinese military that is simply more for a minimal -- more formidable than we thought it was? mikey: it is certainly evolving. it has three aircraft carriers now, two that are operational.

they have a ski jump on the front. this one here, this is the latest. it is undergoing trials at the moment. what is different about that carrier is it looks very reminiscent of the u.s. carrier. it does not have ski ramps but it does have electromagnetic catapults. what has been going on the last couple of years is there is an aircraft called the j-15, very similar to the russian flanker. that has been operated off chinescarriers for some time now. but this third class carrier undergoing sea trials, the thought is the f-35, not the variant, but the f-35 we have not seen, will join a new variant of the j 15 and those two will join the new aircraft during sea trials. we are looking at equipment here. capability involves way more than equipment.

it involves the training of pilots and enginrs, the missile systems, radar systems, the tactics training and procedures. what the americans have in the british are working up to if they have not have already, his day night all weather capability. that will take some time for the chinese to be able to evolve that third carrier with the j-35, with the j-15, to get anywhere close to the capability the americans have at the moment. ben: all of this is important and a lot of it sounds quite technical. but it is important because we could -- and i stress could -- could be seeing a conflict over taiwan the next few years. because of course china claims sovereignty of taiwan. lots of threatening military exercises around taiwan in recent years. and many people in taiwan fear that sooner or later china will make an attempt to take it. mikey: i don't know if my

assessment is that there is imminent war and that is not what you are saying. but as you allude to, there has definitely been a lot of posturing from the chinese regarding exercises. there were two exercises very recently using the two carriers that are in use with the ski ramps and the j-15. the chinese are basically trying to figure out how to operate day night all weather capability to then transpose all of that information and knowledge game for this posturing from these exercises, to then take that onto this new carrier and then start evolving those tactics, training, and procedures even further with the j-35. when we see the j-35, i am not sure yet. but it would not surprise me if in early 2025 we see the j-35 operating under trials to try and get all their pilots, engineers, armorers, air traffic

control, the way the battle space works, all of that up to speed really just to show the americans that if they were serious about taiwan, they can do something about it. ben: good talking to you. mikey kay, thank you so much for your analysis. aroundhe world and across the u.k., you are wanting be easy news -- you are watching bbc news. do stay tuned. ♪

ben: the british prime minister keir starmer has told the cop 29 climate summit that he is committed to what he called an ambitious climate goal for the u.k. cutting emissions by 81%, or 199 0 levels, by 2035. it comes after the president of e host country azerbaijan told the summit that oil, gas, and other natural resources are a gift of god and that nations should not be blamed for having them. from the summit is our political

correspondent. reporter: at this climate gathering, the messages are everywhere you look. warnings about global consequences without action. the u.k. is clean -- is keen to make its presence stealth -- its presence felt. keir starmer wants to show he is serious. he announced ambitious new targets to cut emissions and made tackling -- and claims tackling this issue can bring opportunity. >> very important to show leadership on the climate challenge. it is a very important challenge of our time. i have long believed it is the single biggest opportunity for the next generation of jobs. reporter: you don't have to look far to see why there is concern from the recent devastations. fears about the impact of extreme weather. for some, the promises made are simply not enough. >> misplaced idea that their country somehow will be immune. the fallacy that their short-term interests are worth

the destruction on their doorstep. and that they will escape without blame. reporter: the summits are all about getting international agreement and the often result in high-level targets or ambitious goals. you speak to many people here and they will tell you what really matters is not assessing the targets, it is meeting them. there plenty who believe it will be much harder with donald trump headed to the white house. keir starmer has repeatedly refused to be drawn from the incoming president's views on climate change, preferring instead to set out his own. >> there is no national security. there is no economic security. there is no global security. without climate security. >> you have set out this ambitious target on emissions but not how we are going to get there. what is this going to mean? >> what we are not going to do is tell people how to live their lives. we are not going to dictate to

people what they do. but we are going to be clear that that involves hitting clean power 2030 mission we have set out, one of e five big projects. reporter: one man who knows about negotiating over climate change is this former president of the cop climate conference. >> you have to bring people with you and people should get to decide. so if you want people to drive elected vehicles, you want them to have heat pumps, you need to provide those incentives to them. it has to be ambitious but also deliverable. reporter: but he is just one side of the challenge. the men who greeted keir starmer at this summit used his speech to defend his country's use of oil and gas, calling it a gift of god. plenty of conversations here, perhaps less consensus. alex forsyth, bbc news. ben: here in the u.k., the member of parliament behind a bill to legalize assisted dying in england and wales says it is

about shortening death and not ending life. our medical editor has been talking to two people, one who feels the plans don't go far enough in the other who says they shouldn't be introduced at all. >> no doctor will ever say you would be dead in five months. reporter: a retired high court judge is part of the movers and shakers, a group of friends who have a podcast about life with parkinson's. >> because we die with parkinson's, not of it. reporter: he wants the assisted dying bi to apply not just to the terminally ill, but also to those facing intolerable suffering from incurable neurological conditions like parkinson's. >> the likelihood if you have parkinson's disease, your ending will be prolonged and very unpleasant. it will not be possible at any stage that you will be dead within a finite period, like six

months. but it will involve a great deal of pain and suffering. reporter: this car, after, and disability rights activists, says legalizing assisted suicide in any form, even for the terminally ill, would be dangerous. she hopes mp's will reject it. >> the bill has not even been voted on and are pushes to extend it for people who are suffering intolerably. that means disabled people. that is when it starts to impact me and many in my community who are afraid. reporter: opponents of the assisted dying bill say it is a slippery slope which will place the disabled and vulnerable at risk. those in favor argue if it is restricted to the terminally ill and has oversight by two doctors and a high court judge, it will not be open to abuse. but nicholas asks, why shouldn't parkinson's patients also have a choice over when they die? >> i just don't understd the

moral argument which is because i wish to exercise sovereignty over my own body that i am in some ways, facitating a slippery slope for abusive treatment of people who don't want to do this. reporter: earlier this year, liz made a documentary giving against assisted suicide. >> medical assistance in dng has become such a normal part of the canadian health care system. reporter: it included a trip to canada, where the law was changed in 2016. >> it began in canada for terminally ill people. and within five years, it had changed to include people who were suffering, which includes disabled people. i think it would end up as an inevitable solution to the social ills of those who are ill, older, and disabled. absolutely. reporter: if parliament does

legalize assisted dying, it would be arguably the most profound societal change since the abortion act in 1967. mp's will get a free vote later this month on this complex and sensitive issue. ben: at least 35 people have been killed in a car ramming in southern china. a car broke through a barrier and prout -- and plowed into people exercising outside of a sportscenter. at least 43 people were injured. the driver was arrested at the scene. our china correspondent stephen mcdonald tried to report from the scene but local people appear to have been organized to keep journalists away. reporter: people in china are in shock following events that unfolded in front of this stadium. the complex is now closed off but normally you can go in there and exercise. there are running tracks and the

like and you have groups of community dancing in this type of thing. but then a man in his 60's drove into there and ran down people. according to the police, dozens of them have now died. and many more have been injured. the death may even increase. sorry. we're getting hassled here. we're obviously getting hassled here by these people. obviously being organized by the party to try and stop this kind of thing happening. [speaking chinese] xi jinping is called on officials all over the country

to settle immunity disputes to prevent this kind of thing happening in the first place. i suppose what is he going to say, after all? it is really an inexplicable event. according to the police, the official reason they are giving is that this man was upset about his dispute with his wife after the vision of his property following his divorce. for some reason this led him to drive into this complex and kill people. he also harmed himself it seems with a knife according to reports he is now in aoma. ben: that was our china correspondent. plenty more to come. please stay with us on bbc news. announcer: funding for presentation of this program is provided by... financial services firm, raymond james.

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