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August
Taiwan says 17 Chinese fighters crossed Strait median line
Written by Nur Yasmin
A total of 17 Chinese fighter jets flew across the median line of the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday, Taiwan's Defence Ministry said, amid continued military drills near to the island. (Reuters)
August
G7 foreign ministers urge Russia to hand Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant back to Ukraine
Written by Nur Yasmin
The foreign ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) nations on Wednesday called on Russia to immediately hand back full control of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant to Ukraine.
"The Russian Federation must immediately withdraw its troops from within Ukraine's internationally recognized borders and respect Ukraine's territory and sovereignty," the foreign ministers said in a statement released in Germany.
"In that context, we demand that Russia immediately hand back full control to its rightful sovereign owner, Ukraine, of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant as well as of all nuclear facilities within Ukraine's internationally recognized borders to ensure their safe and secure operations." (Reuters)
August
Thailand says Rajapaksa seeks visit, not seeking asylum
Written by Nur Yasmin
Thailand has received a request for former Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to visit the country, but he has no intention of seeking political asylum, Thailand's foreign ministry said on Wednesday.
Ministry spokesperson Tanee Sangrat said Thailand saw no problem with Rajapaksa entering on a diplomatic passport, which would allow him to stay 90 days. He did not say when Rajapaksa intended to visit. (Reuters)
August
Sri Lanka's ousted president seeking entry to Thailand after weeks in Singapore
Written by Nur Yasmin
Former Sri Lankan president Gotabaya Rajapaksa has requested entry into Thailand for a temporary stay in a second Southeast Asian country after fleeing his island nation last month amid mass protests, the Thai foreign ministry said on Wednesday.
Rajapaksa fled to Singapore on July 14 following unprecedented unrest caused by Sri Lanka's worst economic crisis in seven decades, and days after thousands of protesters stormed the president's official residence and office.
The retired military officer then resigned from the presidency, becoming the first Sri Lankan head of state to quit mid-term.
Rajapaksa is expected to leave Singapore and head to Thailand's capital Bangkok on Thursday, two sources said, asking not to be named. Sri Lanka's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Tanee Sangrat, a Thai foreign ministry spokesman, said Rajapaksa holds a diplomatic passport that allows him entry into the country for 90 days. He did not say when Rajapaksa intended to visit.
"The entry to Thailand by the former president of Sri Lanka is for a temporary stay," Sangrat said.
"The Sri Lankan side informs us that the former president has no intention for political asylum in Thailand and will travel to another country afterwards."
Rajapaksa has made no public appearances or comments since leaving Sri Lanka, and Reuters was unable to immediately contact him.
Singapore's government said this month that the city state had not accorded him any privileges or immunity.
A member of the influential Rajapaksa family, the 73-year-old served in the Sri Lankan military and later as defence secretary.
During his time as defence secretary, government forces finally defeated Tamil Tiger rebels in 2009 to end a bloody civil war. Some rights groups now want accusations that Rajapaksa committed war crimes to be investigated. Rajapaksa has previously strenuously denied the allegations.
Some critics and protesters also accuse Rajapaksa and his family of mishandling the economy during his term as president, leading to the South Asian country's worst financial crisis since independence from Britain in 1948.
His elder brother, Mahinda Rajapaksa, is a former president and prime minister. Their younger sibling, Basil Rajapaksa, served as finance minister until earlier this year.
Rajapaksa's successor, Ranil Wickremesinghe, has suggested that the former president should refrain from returning to Sri Lanka in the near future.
"I don't believe it's the time for him to return," Wickremesinghe told the Wall Street Journal in an interview on July 31. "I have no indication of him returning soon."
If Rajapaksa came back to Sri Lanka, he might not be protected under law if any charges were filed against him, legal experts have said. (Reuters)
August
China foreign ministry: Military drills in 'waters off its own territory' open, transparent
Written by Nur Yasmin
The Chinese foreign ministry said on Monday that Taiwan is part of China, and China is conducting normal military exercises "in waters off its own territory" in an open, transparent and professional way.
The relevant departments have also issued announcements in a timely manner, and this is in line with both domestic and international law, said Wang Wenbin, a spokesman at the ministry, at a regular media briefing.
Wang was asked whether or not China's continuation of its military drills abides by international law, and if a new warning for civilian ships and aircraft will be issued.
China's military announced fresh drills on Monday around Taiwan, a self-governed island which Beijing claims as its own, following days of exercises to protest against last week's visit to Taipei by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. (Reuters)
August
Sri Lanka asks China to defer military ship visit after India protests
Written by Nur Yasmin
Sri Lanka said on Monday it had asked China to defer the planned visit of a Chinese ship to the island country after initially approving its arrival this week, yielding to diplomatic pressure from neighbour India to keep the military vessel out.
The Yuan Wang 5 was due to arrive on Thursday at the Chinese-built and leased Hambantota port in Sri Lanka's south for five days for replenishment. It is currently sailing in the east Indian Ocean, according to Refinitiv Eikon.
Foreign security analysts describe the Yuan Wang 5 as one of China’s latest generation space-tracking ships, used to monitor satellite, rocket and intercontinental ballistic missile launches. The Pentagon says Yuan Wang ships are operated by the Strategic Support Force of the People’s Liberation Army.
New Delhi fears its bigger and more powerful rival China will use Hambantota as a military base in India's backyard. The $1.5 billion port is near the main shipping route from Asia to Europe.
Sri Lanka's foreign ministry said that on July 12 it had approved the ship's arrival for this month.
"Subsequently in light of the need for further consultations, the ministry has communicated to the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Colombo to defer the visit of the said vessel to the Hambantota port," the ministry said in a statement.
India said late last month it was monitoring the planned visit of the ship, adding that New Delhi would protect its security and economic interests. India also lodged a verbal protest with the Sri Lankan government.
Asked about the controversy over the ship, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a regular news briefing that China's relations with Sri Lanka were "not targeted at third parties".
Relations between India and China have been strained since armed clashes on their Himalayan border two years ago killed at least 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers.
Both China and India have tried to expand their influence in Sri Lanka, which is facing its worst economic crisis in its independent history, though India has provided more help to it this year than any other nation. (Reuters)
August
Myanmar's ambassador to China died suddenly on Sunday in the southwestern Chinese city of Kunming, according to an obituary in Myanmar state media and diplomatic sources in Beijing.
The obituary for Ambassador U Myo Thant Pe by Myanmar's foreign ministry in a state newspaper on Monday did not specify his cause of death.
Diplomats in Beijing and a Chinese language Myanmar media report said the cause was likely to be a heart attack.
U Myo Thant Pe was last seen on Saturday meeting a local official in the southwestern Chinese province of Yunnan which borders Myanmar, according to a local news report.
The Myanmar embassy in China did not immediately respond to a query for comment.
U Myo Thant Pe was appointed ambassador to China in 2019 and stayed in his post after Myanmar's military took power in a coup in February 2021.
He was the fourth ambassador to die in China since 2021.
Ukraine ambassador Serhiy Kamyshev, 65, died in February 2021 during or shortly after a visit to a Beijing Winter Olympics venue. German ambassador Jan Hecker, 54, died in September, less than two weeks into his Beijing posting.
Philippines ambassador Jose Santiago "Chito" Sta. Romana, 74, died in quarantine in the eastern Chinese province of Anhui in April. (Reuters)
August
U.S. doubling down on investment in the Pacific - senior diplomat
Written by Nur Yasmin
The world's future will be written in the Pacific, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said in New Zealand on Tuesday, as she wrapped up a whistle-stop tour of Pacific nations intended to demonstrate Washington's commitment to the Pacific region.
Sherman said in a news conference in Wellington it was important for the United States to engage in the Pacific and that senior U.S. leaders believe "the future will be written here in the Pacific" without elaborating on what the future could hold.
The United States is concerned about China's ambitions to extend its military presence in the Pacific after it struck a security pact with the Solomon Islands this year.
"We are doubling down on our investment here in the Pacific," Sherman said. She added that the United States was doing everything possible to engage in the region and promote the rules based international order to ensure everybody can prosper in peace and security.
In the past five days Sherman has met leaders in Samoa, Tonga, Australia and Solomon Islands and attended commemorations which marked the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Guadalcanal. Although Sherman met Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare, he did not attend a dawn service organised by the United States, which local media reported as a "snub."
In New Zealand, Sherman met Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and the two discussed coordinating U.S.-New Zealand efforts in the Pacific, including fostering economic prosperity through a free and open Indo-Pacific. The two countries also signed agreements related to space and emergency management co-operation. (Reuters)
August
Ocean warmth, seaweed scarcity threaten Fiji's fisherwomen's livelihoods
Written by Nur Yasmin
Karen Vusisa has been struggling to find a decent catch of a favourite Fijian edible seaweed, amid concerns that ocean temperatures have hit harvests and are threatening livelihoods of fisherwomen like her.
Like many others, Vusisa, 52, is managing to collect only about half as much of the seaweed, nama, as she once did. She must hunt for it over wider areas, spending more time at sea.
"We are struggling to find some spot for a lot of nama," Sera Baleisasa, another Fijian fisherwoman, told Reuters.
Nama, found mostly in the waters off Fiji, resembles small green grapes. It is part of the Pacific island nation's daily diet and usually served soaked in coconut milk and added to salads.
It is also crucial for the livelihoods of hundreds of fisherwomen, who earn about $10 to $20 for a bag weighing 10 kg (22 lb.).
When harvesting, they leave the seaweed's roots intact to help with regrowth, then move on to collect at a regenerated patch. But for the past several years, they say, nama has been taking longer to grow back.
Marine biologist Alani Tuivucilevu blames warmer oceans for impairing growth of nama, which she says is "very sensitive to heat."
"It's saddening, really; it's saddening, because this has been their way of life," said Tuivucilevu, who works with research group Women in Fisheries Network Fiji. "Depletion of nama supply means eroding of a way of life and, to a certain degree, of culture and traditions."
Reports by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency showed that 2021 was the warmest year for the world's oceans since records began in the late 1800s.
Climate scientists have been warning that Pacific island countries are more vulnerable to climate change due to their reliance on the ocean for resources. (Reuters)
August
South Korea, China foreign ministers to discuss North Korea, K-pop
Written by Nur Yasmin
The foreign ministers of South Korea and China will hold talks on Tuesday as Seoul explores ways to reopen denuclearisation negotiations with North Korea and resume cultural exports to China.
South Korea's top diplomat, Park Jin, arrived in the eastern port city of Qingdao on Monday for meetings with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, in the first high-level visit to China by President Yoon Suk-yeol's administration.
The foreign ministers of South Korea and China will hold talks on Tuesday as Seoul explores ways to reopen denuclearisation negotiations with North Korea and resume cultural exports to China.
South Korea's top diplomat, Park Jin, arrived in the eastern port city of Qingdao on Monday for meetings with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, in the first high-level visit to China by President Yoon Suk-yeol's administration.
"I would like to discuss ways to promote communication and exchanges between the younger generations who will carry the future of both countries," Park said on Twitter.
"Considering the global popularity of the Korean wave, I will discuss ways to widely introduce K-pop and cultural content including movies, dramas and games to China."
The talks come amid intensifying Sino-U.S. rivalry, and Park is also expected to reassure Beijing about bilateral ties despite stronger ties with Washington and tensions over Taiwan.
Park said before leaving for China on Monday that South Korea's position of respecting one China remains unchanged, but maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait is essential to regional security and prosperity.
Both sides also face a potential flare-up over THAAD and Seoul's possible participation in a U.S.-led chip alliance involving Taiwan and Japan, which China opposes.
China argues THAAD's powerful radar could peer into its airspace, and sharply cut trade and cultural imports with South Korea after Seoul announced the system's deployment in 2016, dealing a major blow to bilateral relations. (Reuters)