South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol will attend meetings of ASEAN and the Group of 20 industrialised nations this month, a senior administration official said on Wednesday.

South Korea is arranging a possible bilateral summit between Yoon and U.S. President Joe Biden as well as a trilateral summit involving the United States and Japan on the sidelines of the events, according to South Korea's Yonhap news agency."We are arranging summits with key countries on the occasion of attending the ASEAN and G20 meetings," Yoon's national security adviser, Kim Sung-han, told a briefing.

Nothing has been decided regarding a possible one-on-one meeting between Yoon and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Yonhap said.

The latest in-person meeting between Yoon and Kishida was in September. The two leaders agreed then on the need to improve relations dogged by historical disputes.

Yoon, who took office in May, has been keen to improve relations with Tokyo at a time when both countries face North Korea's evolving nuclear and missile threats.

The September meeting, which took place in New York on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, was the first between leaders of the two countries since 2019. (Reuters)

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol speaks on the government budget at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, 25 October 2022. JEON HEON-KYUN/Pool via REUTERS

SEOUL, Nov 9 (Reuters) - South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol will attend meetings of ASEAN and the Group of 20 industrialised nations this month, a senior administration official said on Wednesday.

South Korea is arranging a possible bilateral summit between Yoon and U.S. President Joe Biden as well as a trilateral summit involving the United States and Japan on the sidelines of the events, according to South Korea's Yonhap news agency.

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"We are arranging summits with key countries on the occasion of attending the ASEAN and G20 meetings," Yoon's national security adviser, Kim Sung-han, told a briefing.

Nothing has been decided regarding a possible one-on-one meeting between Yoon and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Yonhap said.

The latest in-person meeting between Yoon and Kishida was in September. The two leaders agreed then on the need to improve relations dogged by historical disputes.

Taiwan hopes to sign a trade deal with Britain and deepen cooperation with new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's government, President Tsai Ing-wen told a British minister visiting Taipei on Wednesday in defiance of Chinese demands such trips stop.

Taiwan views Britain as an important democratic partner and has been heartened by its concern over recent Chinese military exercises near the island and support for its participation in international organisations, most of which Taiwan is excluded from due to China's opposition.

China claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory and strongly objects to any official interactions between the island and foreign governments, believing it to be support for Taiwan's desire to be recognised as its own country.

Meeting Minister of State for Trade Greg Hands at the presidential office in Taipei, Tsai thanked Britain for its long-term support of Taiwan's international participation and peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.

"We attach great importance to the British proposal to promote an enhanced trade partnership between Taiwan and Britain," Tsai said.

"Our goal is to strengthen mutually beneficial economic and trade exchanges between Taiwan and Britain and we hope Taiwan and Britain will work together to promote the signing of bilateral investment and trade agreements."

Taiwan, a major computer chip producer, was willing to "make the best allocations" to help the world on restructuring the semiconductor supply chain, and looked forward to working with democratic allies like Britain to build a more resilient global supply network, she said.

Taiwan also hoped Britain could "smoothly" join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, or CPTPP, and support Taiwan's membership of the trade group, Tsai said.

"I hope that with the support of the new government, Taiwan-Britain relations will continue to improve and there will be more results from our cooperation."

Britain's Department for International Trade said it was "delighted to be on track" for entry to the CPTPP, but, as it had yet to join, it could not comment on other potential joiners.

Britain has no formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan but the two have close economic and informal relations and Britain maintains a de facto embassy in Taipei.

Hands, in Taiwan for trade talks, told Tsai that their relationship was not only about that.

"Our relationship reaches beyond trade and investment - as two groups of islands with strong democracies and institutions, we have much in common, and face many challenges as likeminded partners," Hands' office quoted him as saying.

China's foreign ministry this week expressed anger at the trip, saying Britain should stop any official exchanges with Taiwan. (Reuters)

The Ocean Viking migrant rescue ship should dock in Italian waters as per international maritime laws and Rome's refusal to let it do so - which has caused the ship to head to France - is "unacceptable", the French government said on Wednesday.

"Italy has a responsibility to welcome these people," government spokesperson Olivier Veran told France Info radio.

"The Italian attitude is ... unacceptable. Italy must play its role," he added.

Veran said diplomatic talks were underway between France and Italy to try to resolve the fate of the ship, which is carrying more than 200 people.

"No one will let this boat face the slightest risk," said Veran.

The Ocean Viking, used by France's SOS Mediterranee non-governmental organisation, has been sailing towards France after Italy refused to give it a safe port for more than two weeks.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's two-week-old administration is cracking down on charity vessels, urging them to take rescued people to other countries. The government says Italy cannot alone receive arrivals from North Africa. (Reuters)

NATO leaders will gather for their next summit in Vilnius on July 11-12, the military alliance announced on Wednesday.

The venue will be an opportunity for leaders to "agree further steps to strengthen our deterrence and defence and review significant increases in defence spending, as well as to continue our support for Ukraine," NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said in a statement.

NATO leaders last met in Madrid in June. (Reuters)