Asia

‘The pandemic won’t stop us’: the Beijingers skirting Covid rules

by Poornima WEERASEKARA / Michael ZHANG Mothers hosting playdates near cordoned-off parks, mahjong maestros huddled in streets and youngsters slugging night-time beers on barricaded sidewalks — Beijingers are making the most of the small spaces available as China’s coronavirus controls close in. Meanwhile in Shanghai, a growing number of residents are being allowed to briefly venture outside as the city gradually eases out of an extended lockdown, celebrating their first hours outside in weeks with […]

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Western powers sound alarm on China plan for South Pacific

Western powers sounded the alarm Thursday over leaked plans to dramatically expand China’s security and economic reach in the South Pacific, in what one regional leader called a thinly veiled effort to lock island states into “Beijing’s orbit”. If approved by Pacific island nations, the wide-ranging draft agreement and a five-year plan, both obtained by AFP, would give China a larger security footprint in a region seen as crucial to the interests of the United […]

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China premier issues warning on Covid-hit economy

by Beiyi SEOW China’s premier has sounded an unusually stark warning about the world’s second-largest economy, saying it must return to normal as the country’s zero-Covid strategy bites into growth. China is the last major economy welded to a policy of mass testing and hard lockdowns to eliminate virus clusters, but the strict curbs have battered businesses. Restrictions around the nation in recent months — including on the manufacturing hubs of Shenzhen and Shanghai as […]

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Hundreds stranded after ransomware attack on Indian airline

Hundreds of Indian air travellers were stranded inside their planes after the low-cost airline SpiceJet cancelled or delayed flights due to an “attempted ransomware attack”, the company has said. Many angry passengers, some of whom were left waiting inside their planes for up to five hours earlier this week, complained about a lack of communication from the budget carrier. “Certain SpiceJet systems faced an attempted ransomware attack last night that impacted our flight operations,” the […]

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Marcos says Philippines to uphold South China Sea ruling

  by Mikhail FLORES Philippine president-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr said Thursday he would uphold an international ruling against Beijing over the disputed South China Sea, insisting he would not let China trample on Manila’s maritime rights. China claims almost all of the resource-rich waterway, through which trillions of dollars in trade passes annually, with competing claims from the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam. Beijing has ignored a 2016 decision by The Hague-based Permanent Court […]

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US to urge tougher sanctions after North Korea fires likely ICBM

by Sunghee Hwang and Kang Jin-kyu © Agence France-Presse Seoul, SOUTH KOREA (AFP) — The United States said Wednesday it would seek new sanctions on North Korea at the United Nations after Kim Jong Un’s regime fired a volley of missiles, including possibly its largest intercontinental ballistic missile. The launch came just hours after US President Joe Biden left Asia following a trip overshadowed by Pyongyang’s saber-rattling. North Korea has also been conducting “operational tests” […]

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Japan says China, Russia jets flew nearby as Quad met

      Chinese and Russian fighter jets carried out joint flights near Japan on Tuesday as leaders of the Quad bloc met in Tokyo, the Japanese defence minister said. Nobuo Kishi said the government had expressed “grave concerns” to Russia and China over the flights, which took place while leaders from the United States, India, Australia and Japan held talks on regional security. The planes did not breach territorial airspace, the defence ministry told […]

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Quad nations warn against ‘change by force’ with eyes on China

  by Sara HUSSEIN / Sebastian Smith Leaders of Japan, India, Australia and the United States warned Tuesday against attempts to “change the status quo by force” as concerns grow about whether China could invade self-ruled Taiwan. A joint statement by the so-called Quad bloc avoided any direct mention of China’s growing military power in the region, but left little doubt about where its concerns lie. The carefully worded document also made reference to the […]

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North Korea fires three ballistic missiles, Seoul military says

by Kang Jin-kyu North Korea fired three ballistic missiles towards the Sea of Japan early Wednesday, Seoul’s military said, just one day after President Joe Biden wrapped up his first Asia visit as US leader. South Korea‘s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that it had “detected at around 0600 (2100 GMT), 0637 and 0642 the firings of ballistic missiles launched from Sunan area.” Japan’s coastguard warned of a “possible ballistic missile” launch […]

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US unveils Asia-Pacific trade framework

https://youtu.be/9bx5onRYzx0   US President Joe Biden launched a new Asia-Pacific trade initiative Monday in Tokyo, with 13 countries including India and Japan signed up. Biden formally unveiled the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity, or IPEF, on his second day in Japan, where he held talks with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida ahead of a regional Quad summit on Tuesday. Unlike traditional trade blocs, there is no plan for IPEF members to negotiate tariffs and ease market […]

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Japan hosts Quad summit seeking unity on countering China

by Sara Hussein / Sebastian Smith © Agence France-Presse Tokyo, JAPAN (AFP) — Leaders of Japan, India, Australia and the United States met in Tokyo on Tuesday, looking to put China on notice as it expands its military and economic influence in the region. The summit of the grouping known as the Quad comes a day after US President Joe Biden said Washington would be ready to intervene militarily to defend Taiwan, prompting China to […]

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Biden warns China against invading Taiwan, vows US military defence

  by Sebastian Smith and Tomohiro Osaki Agence France Presse TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — President Joe Biden vowed Monday that US forces would defend Taiwan militarily if China attempted to take control of the self-ruled island by force, warning Beijing was already “flirting with danger”. The remarks, made in Tokyo where he is meeting with Japan’s prime minister ahead of a regional summit Tuesday, were Biden’s strongest to date on the issue and come amid […]

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