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July
S.Korea's presidential office expresses deep regret over N.Korea criticism of Yoon -Yonhap
Written by Nur Yasmin
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol's office expressed deep regret over North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's criticism of Yoon, the Yonhap news agency said on Thursday. (Reuters)
July
'Mostly verbal threats': Taiwan residents shrug off China's warnings on Pelosi visit
Written by Nur Yasmin
Many in Taiwan have shrugged off China's warnings about a possible trip to the democratic island by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, saying they were accustomed to Beijing's sabre-rattling and saw no cause for alarm.
Such a trip would be the first by a House speaker to the island since 1997, and China, which claims the island as its own, has said it is prepared to act in response, as tension rises between the two sides.
While news of a possible visit has been widely reported by Taiwan media, front-page stories in the past week focused on election campaigns by political parties ahead of local elections this year, as well as record-breaking temperatures.
Waiting for a doctor's appointment on a busy street in Taipei, the capital, education professional Chen Yen-chen, gave voice to a widely-held view about China's remarks.
"That is mostly verbal threats and intimidation, so this time around I am quite at ease," said the 30-year-old, who works in education.
Visits by U.S. officials to Taiwan have become a frequent source of tension between Beijing and Washington, which does not have official diplomatic ties with Taiwan, but is bound by law to provide the island with the means to defend itself.
Despite fears that a visit could trigger a fourth crisis over the Taiwan Strait since 1949, politicians and diplomats in Taiwan say people are used to military intimidation by China's People's Liberation Army, which has never ruled out taking the island by force.
"To the Taiwanese people, Chinese threats have never stopped in the past decades. It's happening every day," Wang Ting-yu, a lawmaker of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, told Reuters.
"Taiwan needs to be on guard, but Taiwan will not cave in to fear."
A visit by Pelosi would be welcomed, said Alexander Huang, the director of international affairs for the main opposition party Kuomintang, and its representative in the United States.
"Of course it raises Taiwan's visibility and it shows the American commitment to Taiwan in a pretty formal way," he said, describing the impact such a visit would have.
Beijing's threats of unspecified "serious consequences" are merely the same old warnings for 26-year-old office assistant Hung Chien, who said, "I am already used to China issuing such statements, so I am not overly nervous."
In some cases, analysts say, military threats have only made the island more determined to stand up to Beijing.
During the last Taiwan Strait crisis in 1996, for example, the PLA fired missiles into the waters around Taiwan ahead of its first direct presidential vote.
That move was widely interpreted as a warning against supporting a candidate Beijing saw as pushing for the island's formal independence.
Former Taiwan President Lee Teng-hui won by a landslide.
For Taiwan's government, which has avoided commenting on possible U.S. visits, Pelosi could bring trouble.
But it could also foster much-needed support for the diplomatically-isolated island, which has official ties only with 14 nations, thanks to China's objections.
"If she does come, Taiwan's international visibility will be greatly boosted and it will encourage more allies to take more action to support Taiwan," one government source said, speaking on condition of anonymity. (Reuters)
July
Indonesia and South Korea expand cooperation on new capital city project
Written by Nur Yasmin
Indonesia expanded a cooperation agreement with South Korea on Thursday relating to the construction of a new capital city on Borneo island to replace overcrowded Jakarta, paving the way for Korean firms to participate in building digital infrastructure.
The two countries initially signed an agreement in 2019 to work together on the ambitious $32 billion project, under which Indonesia will relocate its capital to Nusantara on Borneo. No timeframe has been announced yet for its completion.
The revised agreement was made during a summit between South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and Indonesian President Joko Widodo, commonly known as Jokowi, in Seoul.
The new agreement "laid the groundwork for our companies to actively contribute to building the new Indonesian capital's infrastructure, electronic government and smart city systems," Yoon told a joint news conference.
Jokowi said the two countries had already started partnerships in the development of the new capital, including in construction and water supply. (Reuters)
July
Japan urges Russia not to hold military drills around disputed islands
Written by Nur Yasmin
Japan urged Russia to exclude areas around disputed northern islands from military drills Moscow is planning to conduct in the country's Far East from late August, a Japanese government spokesperson said on Thursday. Japan lays claim to the Russian-held southern Kuril islands that Tokyo calls the Northern Territories, a territorial row that dates back to the end of World War Two when Soviet troops seized them from Japan.
"We lodged a firm representation that the Northern Territories should be excluded from the areas for the drills," Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihiko Isozaki told a regular news conference. (reuters)
July
G7: Myanmar's military must refrain from further "arbitrary executions"
Written by Nur Yasmin
The Group of Seven on Thursday condemned the execution of four pro-democracy activists in Myanmar and called on the ruling military to "refrain from further arbitrary executions" and to free all political prisoners.
"These executions, the first in Myanmar in over thirty years, and the absence of fair trials show the junta’s contempt for the unwavering democratic aspirations of the people of Myanmar," a joint statement by G7 foreign ministers, released by the British government, said. (Reuters)
July
N.Korea's Kim says nuclear deterrent is ready, slams South's Yoon
Written by Nur Yasmin
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his country is ready to mobilise its nuclear war deterrent and counter any U.S. military clash, and criticised South Korea's new president for the first time, warning Seoul was pushing towards the brink of war.
Kim made the remarks during a speech at an event to mark the 69th anniversary of the July 27 Korean War armistice, which left the two Koreas technically still at war, according to the official KCNA news agency on Thursday.
The confrontation with the United States posed nuclear threats since the 1950-53 war and required the North to achieve an "urgent historical task" of beefing up its self defence, Kim said.
"Our armed forces are thoroughly prepared to respond to any crisis, and our nation's nuclear war deterrence is also fully ready to mobilise its absolute strength faithfully, accurately and promptly to its mission," he said.
Kim also denounced South Korea's new conservative President Yoon Suk-yeol by name for the first time, accusing him of threatening the North's security and right to self defence.
Yoon's office expressed deep regret over Kim's "menacing" remarks, saying South Korea is capable of "strongly and effectively" responding to any provocations at any time.
"We once again urge North Korea to take the path of dialogue to achieve substantive denuclearisation and peace," Yoon's spokeswoman Kang In-sun told a briefing.
Kim's speech came after Seoul and Washington officials said Pyongyang has completed preparations to conduct its first nuclear test since 2017.
South Korea's unification minister handling inter-Korean affairs said on Tuesday there was a "possibility" of the test around the anniversary of the armistice, though a military official said there were no immediate signs for it.
North Korea is likely to face stronger sanctions including measures targeting its cyberattack capabilities if it goes ahead with the test, South Korea's foreign minister said on Wednesday.
In the speech, Kim said Washington continues "dangerous, illegal hostile acts" against the North, and seeks to justify its behaviour by "demonising" the country.
The North has long accused the United States of double standards over military activities and pursuing a hostile policy towards Pyongyang, saying it hampers a restart of talks aimed at dismantling the country's nuclear and missile programmes in return for sanctions relief.
"The duplex act of the United States, which is misleading all the routine actions of our armed forces as 'provocation' and 'threat' while holding large-scale joint military exercises that seriously threaten our security, is literally a robbery," Kim said.
"That is driving bilateral relations to the point where it is difficult to turn back, into a state of conflict."
'ABSOLUTE WEAPON'
Kim also said that "warmongers" and "disgusting thugs" in Yoon's administration are bent on confrontational military activities, singling out Seoul's weapons developments and drive to bring back U.S. nuclear strategic assets as well as allied military drills.
Their "heinous confrontational policy" toward the North and "toadyish, treacherous acts" are pushing the situation to the brink of war, he said.
North Korea in recent months has tested hypersonic missiles and missiles that it says could carry tactical nuclear weapons, narrowing the time that Seoul would have to respond to a pending attack.
Yoon has vowed to complete the so-called "Kill Chain" system that calls for preemptive strikes against the North's missiles and possibly its leadership if an imminent attack is detected.
But that system would never be able to cover the North's "absolute weapon," Kim said.
"Such a dangerous attempt will immediately be punished by a powerful force, and Yoon Suk-yeol's government and his army will be annihilated," he said.
Seoul's defence ministry said it would continue reinforcing its own capabilities and the U.S. extended deterrence including its nuclear umbrella to better respond to Pyongyang's threats.
Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, said Kim's remarks seem to be intended to highlight the legitimacy for weapons developments and his "eye for eye" approach toward Washington and Seoul. (Reuters)
July
COVID infections fall in New Zealand, worst case scenario likely avoided
Written by Nur Yasmin
New Zealand's government said on Wednesday new COVID-19 cases were trending down and it looked likely the country would avoid a feared worst-case scenario of 20,000 infections daily.
In the last seven days there were on average 8,111 new cases daily of COVID, down from a seven-day rolling average of 9,367 new cases in the week prior, according to Health Ministry data released on Wednesday. Currently 808 people were in hospital with COVID, which was also a lower number than earlier, data showed.
Ashley Bloomfield, director general of health, said case rates were trending down and this shift was supported by waste-water testing and a fall in the number of people testing positive on arrival at hospital.
"What is apparent is that the worst-case scenario that our modellers had suggested a couple of weeks ago with up to 1,200 beds occupied and over 20,000 cases a day is now highly unlikely. And I'm sure we're all relieved to see this," said Bloomfield.
The Omicron BA.5 sub-variant is driving the current wave in New Zealand, which has 5.1 million people. There have been 56,750 active cases in the past seven days, although authorities say many infections are unreported.
Once regarded as a model for preventing COVID infection, New Zealand's swift response to the pandemic and its geographic isolation kept it largely free from the virus until the end of last year.
New Zealand has recorded a total of about 1.6 million infections in total and 1,427 deaths, according to the latest data. The deaths are roughly a third lower than previous numbers as the ministry had changed how it classifies virus-related fatalities.
Under the new classification, deaths will be recorded as COVID-related if they are attributable to the virus, rather than a death within 28 days of testing positive for the virus.
New Zealand closed its border in early 2020 as the coronavirus was spreading around the world and imposed lockdowns and strict social distancing to keep its infection low.
It began re-opening its border in February and will lift the last restrictions at the end of this month.
The news conference was Bloomfield's last in this role. The director general, who has led New Zealand's response to COVID, steps down from his post on Friday. (Reuters)
July
Australia sets sights on clean energy jobs created by 'climate emergency'
Written by Nur Yasmin
Australia sees the world's climate emergency as an opportunity to create jobs, the new Labor government said on Wednesday, introducing legislation to enshrine an emissions reduction target.
Minister for Climate and Energy Chris Bowen said a decade of political in-fighting had seen Australia go backwards on climate change, and the legislation would send a message that Australia was "open for business" and "back as a good international citizen".
"The world's climate emergency is Australia's jobs opportunity," he said, adding the resource-rich nation could become a renewable energy powerhouse.
Iron ore sent to China, coal and liquefied natural gas are Australia's top exports.
Bowen said clean energy jobs would be created in battery manufacturing, and commodities such as aluminium, lithium, copper, cobalt and nickel.
"There is a significant export market waiting for us if we get the levers right," he said.
Legislation setting a 43% emissions reduction target by 2030 and net-zero by 2050 was a beginning, and its implementation would be monitored by an independent climate change authority.
"We see 43% as a floor on what our country can achieve," he said, a stance backed on Wednesday by business groups.
The conservative Liberal and Nations coalition, swept out of office in a May election where Greens and independents pushing for climate change action won record seats amid a backdrop of worsening fires and floods, is opposing the bill.
The government is negotiating with the Greens, which hold the balance of power in the upper house and want more ambitious climate action.
The president of the UN's Climate Change Conference, Alok Sharma, said the Australian government "had a fresh mandate from their voters to tackle climate change" and he was struck by protesters in Australia who held placards saying "2050 is too late" as he visited this week.
"Our populations know that the world is running out of time, and we also know if we act now we will reap an economic as well as environmental dividend - jobs, growth and a boost for all of our economies," he said in a speech in Fiji on Wednesday.
He added that unless governments act now, the goal of containing warming to 1.5 degrees would "slip irreversibly out of reach".
The government has said it cannot support a Greens call to stop new coal and gas projects.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a TV interview on Tuesday it also wouldn't end coal exports, because Australia's customers would substitute it from other sources.
"What you would see is a lot of jobs lost, you would see a significant loss to our economy, significant less taxation revenue for education, health and other services, and that coal wouldn't lead to a reduction in global emissions," he told the ABC. (Reuters)
July
U.S. House speaker Pelosi looks to visit Japan in August - Kyodo
Written by Nur Yasmin
U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi plans to visit Japan in August, Kyodo reported on Wednesday, citing sources. (Reuters)
July
IMF says Sri Lanka needs to talk with China about debt restructuring
Written by Nur Yasmin
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said Sri Lanka should kick off debt restructuring talks with its bilateral lender China, while the island state's government seeks a financing loan from the Washington-based fund.
"China is a big creditor, and Sri Lanka has to engage proactively with it on a debt restructuring," Krishna Srinivasan, director of the IMF's Asia and Pacific Department, told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday.
The island of 22 million is currently engulfed by its most severe economic and political crisis in recent history.
Six-time prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was recently appointed as president after a popular uprising ousted his predecessor following months of severe shortages of fuel, food and medicines.
The government recently decided to restrict fuel imports for 12 months.
The country owes Beijing some $6.5 billion in financing including development bank loans and a central bank swap, according to data from the Institute of International Finance (IFF).
The world's second-largest economy has invested in projects such as highways, a port, an airport and a coal power plant. Japan and India are also bilateral creditors to Sri Lanka.
"Sri Lanka has to engage with its creditors, both private and official bilateral, on a debt workout to ensure debt sustainability is restored," Srinivasan said, as he pointed out that technical talks on a new IMF program are ongoing with both officials from the finance ministry and the central bank.
Sri Lanka's foreign ministry and central bank did not immediately respond to a request for comment. China's embassy in Sri Lanka did not immediately respond.
The South Asian nation has requested an IMF rescue plan to overcome its worst economic crisis since independence in 1948. The country defaulted on a bond payment debt earlier this year on its $12 billion overseas debt with private creditors, as it struggles to pay for imports of basic goods.
"There are some areas where we need to make further progress," Srinivasan added, but declined to specify the top reforms Sri Lanka should address in other to reach an agreement.
An Extended Fund Facility (EFF) programme from the IMF, which would be the fund's 17th plan for the nation, requires countries to make structural economic reforms.
Maldives and Laos are other examples of countries in the region that are facing onerous debt situations.
Srinivasan said the fund is advising countries to "spend more in alleviating the impact on the poor and vulnerable but keeping budget neutral by reducing expenditures elsewhere or raising revenues where feasible."
"It's not just public debt, but also corporate debt and household debt - and that has implications for policymaking," he said. "The debt issue is very significant." (Reuters)