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June
U.S., South Korea, Japan envoys meet as North Korea appears to prepare nuclear test
Written by Nur Yasmin
Officials from the United States, South Korea and Japan met in Seoul on Friday to prepare for "all contingencies" amid signs North Korea is preparing to conduct a nuclear test for the first time since 2017.
U.S. Special Representative Sung Kim met his South Korean and Japanese counterparts, Kim Gunn and Funakoshi Takehiro, after a U.S. assessment that the North was preparing its Punggye-ri test site for what would be its seventh nuclear test.
"We are preparing for all contingencies in close coordination with our Japanese and ROK allies," Kim said at the beginning of the meeting, referring to South Korea by the initials of its official name, the Republic of Korea.
This year, North Korea has tested several ballistic missiles, including one thought to be its largest intercontinental ballistic missile, in violation of U.N. resolutions. read more
"We want to make clear to the DPRK that its unlawful and destabilising activities have consequences and that the international community will not accept these actions as normal," the U.S. envoy said, referring to North Korea.
South Korea's newly appointed nuclear envoy, Kim Gunn, said North Korea's "relentless pursuit of nuclear weapons will only end up strengthening our deterrence".
"The course that Pyongyang is currently embarking on has only one inevitable destination: reduce security for North Korea itself," the South Korean diplomat said.
Last week, the United States called for more U.N. sanctions on North Korea over its ballistic missile launches, but China and Russia vetoed the suggestion, publicly splitting the U.N. Security Council on North Korea for the first time since it started punishing it in 2006, when it conducted its first nuclear test. read more
Japan's Funakoshi stressed the need for coordination, vowing to "enhance regional deterrence, including trilateral security cooperation".
The officials said the door for dialogue was open and expressed concern over the COVID-19 situation in North Korea.
"We have made very clear directly to Pyongyang that we are open to diplomacy," Sung Kim said later at a separate conference in Seoul, noting that Washington was willing to discuss items of interest to Pyongyang, such as sanctions relief.
"So far they have shown no interest."
The most important thing was for the three countries to present a united front to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, the U.S. envoy said.
"When he sees that we are coordinating very closely with partners and allies I hope this persuades him that the only viable path is diplomacy with us," he said.
China and Russia were clearly not interested in working with the United States to manage North Korea's nuclear and missile arsenal, Kim said, when asked about their veto of new sanctions.
"We’re not asking them for a favour, it’s in their interest," he said.
The United States would not link humanitarian aid for North Korea as it battles COVID to denuclearisation, U.S. officials said.
"We passed the message through our regular channel, that we were willing to provide humanitarian cooperation focused on COVID relief including vaccines," Kim said. "But we haven’t heard back."
It was time to look for new approaches to North Korea because Kim Jong Un would never willingly give up nuclear weapons, said Tae Yong-ho, a former North Korean diplomat who now serves as a member of parliament in the South.
"Nuclear weapons are the core to unite the whole North Korean people and ensure continuation of Kim family rule," he told the conference. (Reuters)
June
World Bank to spend $130 million on infrastructure in Solomon Islands
Written by Nur Yasmin
The World Bank plans to step up assistance to the Solomon Islands with $130 million in new funding for projects and assistance expected to be allocated to the country this month.
The funding includes $89 million to upgrade airport infrastructure, including in the capital Honiara, and make improvements to four bridges, the bank said in a statement released on Thursday.
A further three projects worth roughly $41 million are still to be finalised but are expected to be announced later in the month.
"Providing reliable, climate resilient transport connections is a major challenge in Solomon Islands," Annette Leith, World Bank Resident Representative for Solomon Islands & Vanuatu, said in the statement.
"This new project will address critical issues in air transport infrastructure," she said.
The United States and its allies have raised concerns about the growing influence of China in the Solomon Islands after the two countries signed a security pact.
The pact is a major inroad for China in the resource-rich Pacific and comes after it funded the building of a number of significant infrastructure projects. (Reuters)
June
North Korea's Kim Jong Un sends congratulations to Queen Elizabeth on Jubilee
Written by Nur Yasmin
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has sent a message of congratulations to Queen Elizabeth, the reclusive state's foreign ministry said, as Britain celebrates her Platinum Jubilee.
Friday marked the second of four days of pomp, parties and parades to celebrate the 96-year-old monarch's record-breaking 70 years on the throne. read more
"I extend my congratulations to you and your people on the occasion of the National Day of your country, the official birthday of Your Majesty," Kim said in a message dated June 2.
Britain and North Korea established diplomatic relations in 2000.
North Korea is one of the few countries that the queen, who is also head of state of 14 other nations including Australia, Canada and New Zealand, has never visited during her long reign. She has however paid a state visit to South Korea. (Reuters)
June
U.S. envoy cites concern over North Korea's missile launches, COVID
Written by Nur Yasmin
The U.S. special envoy for North Korea expressed concern for Pyongyang's continued ballistic missile launches and ongoing COVID-19 outbreak following a meeting with South Korean and Japanese counterparts in Seoul, the U.S. State Department said on Friday.
U.S. Ambassador Sung Kim met with Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Director General for Asian and Oceanian Affairs Funakoshi Takehiro and South Korean Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs Kim Gunn, department spokesman Ned Price said. (Reuters)
June
U.S. updates Taiwan fact sheet again to say it does not support independence
Written by Nur Yasmin
The U.S. State Department has updated its fact sheet on Taiwan again, to reinstate a line about not supporting formal independence for the Chinese-claimed, democratically governed island.
Last month, the State Department changed its website on Taiwan, removing wording both on not supporting Taiwan independence and on acknowledging Beijing's position that Taiwan is part of China, which angered Beijing. read more
Washington said the update did not reflect a change in policy. That wording has now been changed again, to reinstate a line saying "we do not support Taiwan independence."
The change was first reported by Taiwan's official Central News Agency on Friday, and appears to have happened on May 28, the date at the top of the fact sheet.
A State Department spokesperson said on Friday that the fact sheet was again updated to reflect Secretary of State Antony Blinken's recent speech on China, in which he said the United States does not support Taiwan independence. read more
"We oppose any unilateral changes to the status quo from either side; we do not support Taiwan independence; and we expect cross-Strait differences to be resolved by peaceful means," the spokesperson said, referring to the strait separating the island from the Asian mainland.
Other U.S. officials have echoed that position in recent weeks, saying long-standing policy has not changed.
Taiwan is already a de facto independent country, though with only very limited international recognition. Washington has no formal ties with Taipei, but is its most important international backer and arms supplier.
Taiwan's official name remains the Republic of China, the name of the government that fled to the island in 1949 after losing a civil war with the Communist Party, which set up the People's Republic of China with its capital in Beijing.
China's government in 2005 passed a law giving Beijing the legal basis for military action if it judges Taiwan to have seceded or to be about to.
Taiwan's government says only the island's 23 million people have the right to decide their future, and while it wants peace, will defend itself if attacked. (Reuters)
June
German lawmakers approve 100 bln euro military revamp
Written by Nur Yasmin
Germany's Bundestag, the lower house of parliament, on Friday approved creation of the 100 billion euro ($107.2 billion) special defence fund that Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The money is destined to top up the regular defence budget of around 50 billion euros over several years to help re-build Germany's military, which has suffered years of neglect following the end of the Cold war. read more
The government decided to amend the constitution to create the fund in order to exempt it from Germany's so-called debt brake that enforces fiscal restraint. It needed backing from the opposition conservatives as well as the ruling coalition in order to reach the two-thirds parliamentary majority needed for a constitutional change.
The fund should enable Germany to meet the NATO target of spending 2% of its economic output on defence each year, making it the world's third-biggest military spender behind the United States and China. The Kremlin earlier on Friday accused Germany of "remilitarization" as it moved to boost military spending and said it increased security risks. read more
The Bundestag also passed a budget foreseeing 139 billion euros of new debt this year - Germany's second-highest-ever level - to cushion Europe's biggest economy against fallout from the Ukraine conflict.
The budget required parliament to allow an exemption from Germany's debt brake for a third year in a row, with the new debt to go towards funding aid for households and companies struggling with high energy prices as well as support for Ukrainian refugees and Kyiv.
Finance Minister Christian Lindner wants to return to the brake next year, which according to government sources would allow the Cabinet to spend no more than 15 billion-17 billion euros in new debt.
Separately on Friday, the Bundestag approved raising Germany's minimum wage to 12 euros per hour from 9.82 euros currently - one of the key election promises of Scholz and his Social Democrats. (Reuters)
June
EU industry chief Breton in push to help Ukraine stay connected
Written by Nur Yasmin
Ukraine's national regulatory authority NCEC is set to sign up to the European body of telecoms regulators this month following a push by EU industry chief Thierry Breton, a move that could help millions of Ukrainian refugees to stay connected with low roaming tariffs.
In April, Deutsche Telekom (DTEGn.DE) and a group of other top European telecom companies agreed to cut wholesale roaming charges levied on Ukrainian peers for three months to help Ukrainian refugees stay in touch with families back home. read more
NCEC has put in a request to the European Commission to join the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC) which is made up of the 27 national telecoms regulators across the European Union.
"I have proposed to the College a Commission decision authorising the participation of the Ukrainian national regulatory authority, without voting rights, in the board of regulators of BEREC and the management board of the BEREC office," Breton wrote in a letter dated June 3 to Ukraine's Vice Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov seen by Reuters.
"I am confident the decision will be adopted in time for the next plenary meeting of BEREC on 9-10 June," he said.
Joining BEREC would make it easier for the Ukrainian regulator to coordinate and negotiate with its peers and telecoms operators and keep its people connected especially in areas where communications infrastructure has been destroyed.
It will also help it identify web addresses of companies subjected to sanctions imposed by the EU and ensure that they comply with the bans. (Reuters)
June
Senegal leader says Putin showed readiness to free up Ukrainian grain exports
Written by Nur Yasmin
Senegal's President Macky Sall said Russia's Vladimir Putin had told him on Friday he was ready to enable the export of Ukrainian grain to ease a global food crisis that is hitting Africa especially hard.
"President #Putin has expressed to us his willingness to facilitate the export of Ukrainian cereals," Sall wrote on Twitter after meeting Putin in his role as chairman of the African Union.
Russia was also ready to ensure the export of its own wheat and fertiliser, Sall said after the talks in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi on day 100 of Putin's invasion of Ukraine.
Sall did not say if Putin had attached any conditions to his offer. Russia has previously said it is ready to allow vessels carrying food to leave Ukraine in return for the lifting of some Western sanctions against it, a proposal that Ukraine has described as "blackmail".
Africa is heavily dependent on grain supplies from Russia and Ukraine that have been badly disrupted by the war.
"I have come to see you, to ask you to be aware that our countries, even far from the theatre (of war), are the victims of this economic crisis," Sall told Putin earlier.
Russia's army has seized much of Ukraine's southern coastline and its warships control access to the country's Black Sea ports. Yet it continues to blame Ukraine and the West for the resulting halt in Ukrainian grain exports.
Putin told Russian state TV in an interview broadcast on Friday evening that Ukraine could export grain from ports including Odesa if it cleared them of mines.
"Let them remove the mines, we guarantee them free passage to international waters," he said.
There was no immediate comment from Ukraine. Odesa and the surrounding region have repeatedly been struck by Russian missiles and President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said last month its port was paralysed for probably the first time since World War Two.
Putin said the easiest way to ship out Ukrainian grain would be via neighbouring Belarus, but that would require the West to lift sanctions on Belarus. read more
Moscow says sanctions are also hitting its own grain and fertiliser exports, aggravating the shortages. Ukraine and Western governments accuse Russia of weaponising the food crisis.
"We are now seeing attempts to shift the responsibility for what is happening on the world food market, the emerging problems in this market, onto Russia. This is an attempt, as our people say, to shift these problems from a sick head to a healthy one," Putin said.
African countries are acutely affected by the growing crisis, which has sent prices of grains, cooking oils, fuel and fertilizer soaring.
Russia and Ukraine account for nearly a third of global wheat supplies, while Russia is also a key global fertilizer exporter and Ukraine is a major exporter of corn and sunflower oil. (Reuters)
June
South Korea's ruling party cements presidential win with local vote success
Written by Nur Yasmin
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol's ruling party emerged victorious in local elections, vote counts showed on Thursday, giving a boost to him and his plan to steer the economy into recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tens of millions of South Koreans went to the polls on Wednesday to elect 17 metropolitan and provincial chiefs, as well as seven members of the national assembly.
Yoon's People Power Party (PPP) cemented its power in important regions in what was seen as an early test of the president who took office last month after winning a March election by a margin of just 0.7%. read more
"We take the election results as a call from our people to revive the economy and to better take care of their livelihoods," Yoon said in a statement.
Ruling party incumbents defeated challengers for the posts of mayor of South Korea's two biggest cities, the capital Seoul and port city of Busan.
PPP candidates also won five of the seven parliamentary seats up for grabs, representing a gain for it of one seat in the opposition-controlled assembly.
Stakes were high for Yoon as he seeks to stabilise runaway housing prices, boost provincial economies and expedite recovery from the pandemic with a 300-member parliament dominated by the now opposition Democratic Party.
The liberal Democratic Party has seen its popularity wane in recent years amid disappointment with what many voters saw as a lacklustre economic policy and hypocrisy over political and sex abuse scandals. read more
Park Ji-hyun, the Democratic Party's interim co-leader, acknowledged "complete defeat" after her party "totally failed" to earn the people's support.
"We humbly accept the people's second judgment," she wrote on Twitter, apparently referring to the March presidential election. "We will start anew as a new and young Democratic Party."
The leadership of the Democratic Party, including Park, offered to resign en masse to take responsibility for the defeat.
One bright spot for the Democrats was the most populous province of Gyeonggi, where former finance minister Kim Dong-yeon eked out a narrow win over Yoon's former spokeswoman, Kim Eun-hye.
Former presidential candidates, Lee Jae-myung from the Democratic Party and Ahn Cheol-soo, now from the People Power Party, both won seats in parliament. (Reuters)
June
U.S., Taiwan to launch trade talks after island excluded from Indo-Pacific group
Written by Nur Yasmin
The United States will launch new trade talks with Taiwan, U.S. officials said on Wednesday, just days after the Biden administration excluded the Chinese-claimed island from its Asia-focused economic plan designed to counter China's growing influence.
Washington and Taipei will "move quickly to develop a roadmap" for the planned U.S.-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade in the coming weeks, which would be followed by in-person meetings in the U.S. capital later in June, two senior U.S. administration officials told reporters during a phone briefing.
The initiative would aim to "reach an agreement with high standard commitments that create inclusive and durable prosperity" on issues that include customs facilitation, fighting corruption, common standards on digital trade, labor rights, high environmental standards, and efforts to curb state-owned enterprises and non-market practices, one of the U.S. officials said.
The bilateral initiative in some ways parallels U.S. President Joe Biden administration's Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), an economic partnership with 13 Asian countries that he launched last week during a visit to Seoul and Tokyo. But the United States did not invite democratically self-governed Taiwan to join the IPEF talks.
Countries approached by Washington were reluctant to join a grouping with the island for fear of angering Beijing, according to a U.S. official involved in the initial talks. Over 200 members of the U.S. Congress had urged Taiwan's inclusion in IPEF. read more
The announcement on Taiwan talks came after a virtual meeting on Wednesday between Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Sarah Bianchi and Taiwan's chief trade negotiator John Deng.
Speaking in Taipei, Deng said they hoped there would be an opportunity soon to seal a free trade deal that Taiwan has long sought with the United States, adding the island was also still striving to participate in the IPEF.
The talks with Taiwan, led for Washington by the U.S. Trade Representative's office, would supplement several existing dialogues with the island, including one led by the Commerce Department on export controls and other supply chain issues, the U.S. official said.
NO TARIFF CUTS, 'MARKET ACCESS'
Like IPEF, the initiative with Taiwan would not need congressional approval because it will not include market access requirements or reduced tariffs, the official added. The so-called U.S. "fast track" negotiating authority for major trade agreements expired in July 2021, and the Biden administration has not asked Congress to renew it.
"We think there's a lot of robust areas that we can cover, that would really deepen our economic engagement, our economic ties, without dealing with market access issues. But of course, obviously, we're not ruling anything out for the future," the official said.
A second official said the new initiative added to other efforts to "highlight the U.S. commitment to the region, specifically economically."
The United States had lacked an economic pillar to its Indo-Pacific engagement since former President Donald Trump quit a multinational trans-Pacific trade agreement, in part out of concern over U.S. jobs.
But trade experts have questioned whether Washington could build momentum behind any framework that didn't offer increased access to the U.S. market.
The United States doesn't have official relations with Taiwan, a major producer of semiconductors, but has been stepping up engagement with the island as China seeks to isolate it from global institutions.
Matthew Goodman, a trade expert at Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies, said there was significant content overlap between the Taiwan initiative and IPEF.
"I think it's reasonable to conclude that, yes, the administration is looking at this initiative with Taiwan as a possible parallel pathway to its ultimate participation in IPEF itself," Goodman said, adding that U.S. officials were unlikely to emphasize it publicly. (Reuters)