VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Leading Taiwan presidential candidate William Lai wrote in the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday that he could keep the peace with China if elected, reiterating his willingness for talks without preconditions and a pledge to boost defences.

Lai, Taiwan's vice president and the candidate for the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), has consistently led the majority of opinion polls ahead of the January election. President Tsai Ing-wen cannot run again after two terms in office.

In a commentary piece, Lai said that despite the military and economic challenges from China, including China's almost daily aerial incursions near the island, his top priorities remained pragmatism and consistency.

"I will support the cross-strait status quo - which is in the best interests of both the Republic of China, as Taiwan is formally known, and the international community. I will never rule out the possibility of dialogue without preconditions, based on the principles of reciprocity and dignity," he added.

Lai said he would continue with Tsai's plan to boost Taiwan's defences, such as spending more on the military, adding that these measures reduce the risk of war by raising the stakes and costs for Beijing.

"I will seek greater cooperation with partners and allies, particularly in training, force restructuring, civil defence and information sharing," he wrote.

Lai is expected to visit the United States next month, according to diplomatic sources, as presidential candidates traditionally do, to discuss their policy agenda.

The United States is Taiwan's most important international backer and arms supplier.

Tsai has repeatedly offered talks with China but been rebuffed. Beijing views her as a separatist for refusing to accept the Chinese position that Taiwan and China are part of "one China". She says only Taiwan's people can decide their future.

Lai angered China in 2018 while he was premier, telling parliament he was a "Taiwan independence worker" and that his position was that Taiwan was a sovereign, independent country - a red line for Beijing.

Both Tsai and Lai say that the Republic of China, Taiwan's formal name, is already an independent state, despite only 13 countries formally recognising it.

The defeated republican government fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing a civil war with Mao Zedong's communists, who established the People's Republic of China. (reuters)

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Wednesday that he hoped the $3 billion short-term bailout for Pakistan would be given final approval by the International Monetary Fund board when it meets on July 12.

After eight months of negotiations, both sides signed a staff-level agreement on Friday, to avert a imminent default on sovereign debt. Finance Minister Ishaq Dar has said Pakistan will receive a first installment of $1.1 billion, but the IMF board's approval is needed before funds can be disbursed.

"The agreement will go through, God willing," Sharif said during a ceremony in Islamabad.

Sharif also thanked longtime allies China, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates for their support while his government was in negotiations with the IMF.

The allies had pledged bilateral financing or rolled over debts to help slow the drain on Pakistan's foreign currency reserves, which by the end of last month were down to just a little below $4 billion, barely enough to pay for a month of controlled imports.

Dar said on Friday that the IMF deal would unlock bilateral lending from friendly governments and other multilateral lenders, and Pakistan's reserves could rise up to $15 billion by the end of this month.

Pakistan is due to hold a general election by early October, though Sharif's coalition government only came to power in April last year, after former prime minister Imran Khan lost a confidence vote in parliament.

The government desperately needed the IMF bailout to avoid the deepening balance of payments crisis, while dealing with an economy suffering record high inflation, running at 38% annually in May.

Sharif has had to take unpopular policy decisions demanded by the IMF since February. It has already announced an increase in the petroleum levy, and it will be raising electricity prices too.

The government has also committed to raise more than 385 billion rupee ($1.34 billion) in new taxation, and in recent days the central bank raised the policy interest rate 22%. (Reuters)

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Wednesday it was "unacceptable" that Hong Kong has put bounties on two Australian residents who are among eight overseas democracy activists wanted under a national security law.

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee said on Tuesday eight overseas-based Hong Kong activists who were issued with arrest warrants for alleged national security offences would be "pursued for life".

Hong Kong police have offered rewards of HK$1 million ($127,656) for information leading to the arrest of the eight, including Melbourne lawyer and Australian citizen Kevin Yam, and former Hong Kong lawmaker Ted Hui, who has lived in Australia since 2021.

"It's just unacceptable," Albanese said of the Hong Kong announcement in a Nine television interview. "We will continue to cooperate with China where we can, but we will disagree where we must. And we do disagree over human rights issues."

Australia's opposition leader Peter Dutton said it was "completely unacceptable that Australians should be tracked down or hunted down".

The Hong Kong activists are accused of asking foreign powers to impose sanctions on Hong Kong, and are wanted under a national security law that Beijing imposed on the former British colony in 2020.

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Australia is concerned by the broad application of the national security law to arrest or pressure pro-democracy figures and civil society.

Chinese and Hong Kong authorities say the law has restored the stability necessary for preserving the Asian financial centre's economic success. China's foreign ministry said countries should "stop providing a safe haven for fugitives".

In a radio interview on Wednesday, Hui said Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade had contacted him to offer protection. Yam confirmed to Reuters he had also been offered protection.

Australia suspended its extradition treaty with Hong Kong in 2020, and a foreign interference law makes it illegal for foreign powers to monitor dissidents or silence community members from exercising freedom of speech.

The other dissidents facing Hong Kong bounties, living in the U.S. and Britain, have had bank accounts frozen, Hui told ABC radio.

"Some of them can be frightened, but they are assured that there is no immediate or imminent threat against them personally. But in terms of travel, in terms of bank account, in terms of financial support they are a bit worried now," he said.

Yam, who migrated to Australia as a 10 year old, said on Twitter: "I am not a fugitive. I left Hong Kong through its international airport openly in 2022. I am an Australian citizen now living in Australia." (Reuters)

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi, after surveying the site of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant on Wednesday and meeting with locals, vouched for the safety of Japan's plan to release treated radioactive water from the power plant into the ocean.

In a major milestone for the decommissioning of the power plant, destroyed in a massive earthquake and tsunami in 2011, the IAEA said on Tuesday that a two-year review showed Japan's plans for the water release would have a negligible impact on the environment.

Japanese fishing unions have long opposed the plan, saying it would undo work to repair reputational damage after several countries banned some Japanese food products for fear of radiation. Japan regularly tests seafood from the Fukushima area and has found it to be safe.

Grossi said there were no pending issues, after surveying the wrecked power plant and feeding flounder raised in the treated radioactive water as proof of its harmlessness.

He also inaugurated an IAEA office on site that will monitor the release of the water, which is expected to take 30 to 40 years.

Still, the reality for people, the economy, and social perceptions may be different from the science, Grossi said, acknowledging the fears surrounding the water release.

"I don't have a magic solution for the doubts and concerns that may exist, but we do have one thing ... we are going to stay here with you for decades to come ... until the last drop of the water has been safely discharged," he said.

The Japanese government is looking to start releasing water as early as August, the Nikkei reported on Wednesday.

The plan still needs official approval from the national nuclear regulatory body, which is expected on Friday.

CRITICISM ABROAD

Some neighbouring countries have also raised concerns over the threat to the environment, with Beijing emerging as the biggest critic.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin on Wednesday criticised the move towards discharging the water and threatened action if the plan should move ahead.

"The relevant Chinese government departments will strengthen the monitoring of the ocean environment and inspection of marine products import, so as to ensure the health and food security of the public," he said, but declined to give specific details on what sort of action the government would take.

China bans seafood imports from 10 prefectures in Japan, including Fukushima and the capital Tokyo. Seafood imports from other prefectures are allowed but must pass radioactivity tests and have proof of being produced outside the 10 banned prefectures.

To assuage international concerns, Grossi said he will follow up his visit to Japan with a tour of South Korea and the Pacific Islands to explain the water will have no negative impact on the environment.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Tuesday his country would aim to gain acceptance both domestically and internationally with the IAEA's endorsement.

Kishida may meet with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to explain the water release, when attending the NATO summit meeting in Lithuania next week, the Mainichi newspaper said on Wednesday.

Japan's foreign minister, Yoshimasa Hayashi, is also preparing to meet his Chinese and South Korean counterparts mid-July on the sidelines of a South-East Asia group summit, the Yomiuri newspaper reported on Wednesday.

Japan says the water has been filtered to remove most radioactive elements except for tritium, an isotope of hydrogen that is difficult to separate from water. The treated water will be diluted to well below internationally approved levels of tritium before being released into the Pacific. (Reuters)