VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Exposing China's activities was the "key purpose" of Australia's foreign interference laws, but the scheme has failed to do this, former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull, who introduced the laws, said on Tuesday.

The Australian government was careful not to name China when introducing laws to prevent foreign interference in 2018, but the move nonetheless sparked tension with Australia's largest trading partner that later developed into a diplomatic freeze.

Turnbull told a parliamentary committee the "key purpose" of a foreign interest register was to disclose the links the Chinese Communist Party's United Front Work Department had formed in Australia.

"The most active state and political party seeking to influence public affairs in Australia is China ... but they don't seem to appear on the register," he told a parliamentary inquiry in Canberra on Tuesday.

The law was aimed at authoritarian states and not Australia's security allies, and geopolitical tensions had worsened since it was introduced, he added.

The Albanese government, elected in May, has sought to stabilise relations with Beijing and wants to restart exports to China that were hit by trade bans during the diplomatic dispute, but says it has not changed its policy on China.

The committee is examining whether to adjust the foreign interference laws to improve their effectiveness.

Australia's government plans to "out" foreign interference operations that are targeting politicians, academics and community leaders, Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil said earlier this month. (Reuters)

Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha on Tuesday said he would dissolve parliament next month ahead of an election that would likely take place on May 7, a potential date previously outlined by the country's poll body.

The former army chief, who has been in power since he led a coup in 2014, said the election commission needed until the end of this month to agree on a timeframe, while house dissolution in March would be sufficient time for candidates to prepare.

Asked by a reporter if the election would be on May 7, Prayuth said: "Sure, why not?"

Campaigning is already underway in Thailand for an election that could upset the status quo after nearly nine years of government led or controlled by the military and its backers in the royalist establishment.

Opinion polls on the top choice for next leader show Prayuth, 68, trailing political newcomer Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the 36-year-old daughter and niece of two former prime ministers elected in landslides but toppled by the army.

Paetongtarn will represent the opposition Pheu Thai, the latest incarnation of a party controlled by the billionaire Shinawatra family, which has won the most votes in every election since 2001.

Prayuth, who leads a 17-party coalition government, has switched to the new United Thai Nation party (UTN), while his military mentor and deputy prime minister, Prawit Wongsuwan, 77, will represent the ruling Palang Pracharat party.

Government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri on Tuesday presented a rough timeline for an election likely in early May, with results announced in early July.

The new legislature would choose a prime minister by the end of July and name their cabinet in early August, with Prayuth's government serving as caretaker in the interim, Auncha told a news conference. (Reuters)

Japan and China will work towards launching a direct communication line for security from this spring, Japan's defence ministry said on Tuesday in a statement after talks between senior defence officials from both countries.

Japan told China that violations of its airspace by unmanned surveillance balloons were unacceptable, Kyodo news agency reported, citing a Japanese defence ministry source.

Tokyo also urged Beijing to examine the situation and take preventive steps, the report said.

Japan's Defence Ministry said last week it "strongly suspects" Chinese surveillance balloons had entered Japanese territory at least three times since 2019.

Senior officials from the two nations are due to meet on Wednesday for security talks. (Reuters)

Some Chinese provinces are giving young newlyweds 30 days of paid leave in the hope of encouraging marriage and boosting a flagging birth rate, the Communist Party mouthpiece People's Daily Health said on Tuesday.

China's minimum paid marriage leave is three days, but provinces have been able to set their own more generous allowances since February.

The northwestern province of Gansu and the coal-producing province of Shanxi now give 30 days, while Shanghai gives 10 and Sichuan still only three, according to the People's Daily Health.

"Extending marriage leave is one of the effective ways of increasing the fertility rate," Yang Haiyang, dean of the Social Development Research Institute of Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, was quoted as saying.

"The extension of marriage leave is mainly in some provinces and cities with relatively slow economic development," he said, adding that there was an urgent need to both expand the labour force and stimulate consumption.

Yang said a host of other supporting policies were still needed, including housing subsidies and paid paternity leave for men.

China's population fell last year for the first time in six decades, according to official data - a turning-point that is expected to mark the start of a long period of decline.

Last year, China recorded its lowest ever birth rate, of 6.77 births per 1,000 people.

Much of the downturn is the result of a "one child" policy imposed between 1980 and 2015, and a surge in education costs that has put many Chinese off having more than one child, or even having any at all. (Reuters)