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July
Chinese citizen injured in Auckland shooting - state media
Written by Nur Yasmin
A Chinese citizen was injured on Thursday in the shooting in New Zealand's largest city of Auckland, state media said citing the Chinese Consulate General in Auckland.
The person is currently in stable condition, the media report said on Friday. (Reuters)
July
US Treasury's Yellen sees Vietnam as key partner in 'friendshoring' supply chains
Written by Nur Yasmin
The United States sees Vietnam as a key partner in expanding green energy sources and building more resilient supply chains, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a speech to be delivered in the country's capital of Hanoi on Friday.
Yellen, continuing her travels in Asia, told the U.S.-ASEAN Business Council that trade between the two countries had been growing at nearly 25% a year for the past two decades, and reached a record high last year.
"There is no sign that this momentum is slowing," Yellen said in a text of her prepared remarks released late on Thursday in Washington, noting that investment in Vietnam's semiconductor sector was also accelerating.
Yellen's visit is part of a push by the United States to upgrade its formal ties with Vietnam as it works to reduce dependence on Chinese supply chains by expanding manufacturing at home and boosting trade with trusted partners. But its efforts have met some resistance in Hanoi, over what experts see as concerns that China could view the move as hostile.
The United States and Vietnam normalized relations in 1995, two decades after the end of the Vietnam War, and signed a bilateral trade agreement five years later.
Yellen noted that Vietnam had become a critical node in the global semiconductor supply chain, and cited big investments made by U.S. companies in Vietnam, including Arizona-based Amkor (AMKR.O) and Intel (INTC.O), which has its largest assembly and testing facility in the world in Saigon.
Yellen's speech did not mention China, which she visited earlier this month. She underscored that Washington's "friendshoring" drive was not meant for "an exclusive club of countries. It is open and inclusive of advanced economies, emerging markets and developing countries alike."
She said Washington was looking to strengthen ties with emerging markets and developing countries, including through the Group of Seven's pledge to mobilize $600 billion in infrastructure investments, which experts see as a deliberate counterweight to China's Belt and Road Initiative.
The United States is also working to help countries address the worsening climate crisis, Yellen said, citing U.S. support for Vietnam's Just Energy Transition Partnership that is working to mobilize $15 billion in public and private funds to help Vietnam transition to a net-zero emissions economy by 2050
"Now, it is vital to intensify our cooperation to build momentum for these efforts in Vietnam, evaluate project opportunities with the multilateral development banks, and deliver a Resource Mobilization Plan that provides a roadmap for implementation," she said. (Reuters)
July
Mounting US worries over Private Travis King after silence from North Korea
Written by Nur Yasmin
The United States on Thursday voiced mounting concern over Army Private Travis King, who dashed into North Korea two days ago, saying Pyongyang had a history of mistreating captured Americans.
U.S. Army Secretary Christine Wormuth, in her first public comments on the case, said Washington was fully mobilized in trying to contact Pyongyang, including through United Nations communications channels.
But North Korea had yet to offer any response, officials said.
"I worry about him, frankly," Wormuth told the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado. She cited the case of Otto Warmbier, a U.S. college student who was imprisoned in North Korea for 17 months before dying shortly after he was returned to the United States in a coma in 2017.
"I worry about how they may treat him. So, (we) want to get him back."
At the White House, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby also expressed concern: "This is not a country that is known for humane treatment of Americans - or frankly anybody else for that matter."
American officials remained stumped about why King ran across the border into North Korea. But Wormuth acknowledged he was likely worried about facing further disciplinary action from the Army upon his return home to the United States.
She said she was not aware of any information demonstrating the 23-year-old was a North Korea sympathizer, and the Pentagon played down suggestions he might present an intelligence liability.
Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh said the U.S. Army's counter-intelligence office and U.S. forces in South Korea were carrying out an investigation into what drove King to make such a puzzling decision.
STILL ALIVE?
Singh declined to directly respond to a question about whether the Pentagon believed King was still alive. She said the U.S. military could not offer any information at all about King's status.
"We don't know his condition. We don't know where he's being held. We don't know the status of his health," Singh said, describing his formal status in the military as "AWOL," or absent without leave.
North Korea has remained silent about King and U.S. officials say Pyongyang has not responded to communication from the American military about the soldier. North Korea's state media, which has in the past reported on the detention of U.S. nationals, has not commented on the incident so far.
Speaking in Japan, U.S. special envoy for North Korea Sung Kim said the United States was "working very hard" to determine King's status and well-being and is actively engaged in ensuring his safety and return. Kim did not provide any details.
King was on a civilian tour of the Panmunjom truce village on Tuesday when he dashed across the Military Demarcation Line that has separated the two Koreas since the Korean War ended with an armistice in 1953.
King had been fined for assault while stationed in South Korea and had been detained for more than a month before being escorted to Incheon International Airport by the U.S. military for a commercial flight to Dallas, Texas, according to U.S. officials.
Once past security checks, he told airline staff at the departure gate he had lost his passport and returned to the terminal, an airport official told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
Wormuth said King "may not have been thinking clearly, frankly."
"He had assaulted an individual in South Korea and had been in custody of the South Korean government and was going to come back to the United States and face the consequences in the Army," she said. "I'm sure that he was grappling with that."
North Korea and the United States have no formal diplomatic ties following years of international sanctions imposed on the reclusive state for its nuclear arms and missile programs that have drawn frequent U.N. condemnation.
Asked whether King might have sympathized with North Korea, Wormuth said: "I don't think we have any information that points to that clearly."
The Pentagon said it was not aware of any changes to freedom of movement to roughly 28,500 U.S. forces in South Korea.
Tensions are heightened on the Korean peninsula. The North has been conducting ballistic missile tests, the latest coinciding with the arrival in South Korea of a U.S. nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarine for the first time since the 1980s.
Last week, North Korea launched its newest solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) which it said had the longest flight time ever.
On Monday, North Korea's Kim Yo Jong, sister of leader Kim Jong Un and a powerful ruling party official, said the United States should stop its "foolish act" of provoking North Korea and said it was putting its security at risk.
She made her comments after White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Washington remained concerned that North Korea would carry out another ICBM test. (Reuters)
July
Japan's inflation may have peaked, no imminent change seen to BOJ policy
Written by Nur Yasmin
Japan's core inflation stayed above the central bank's 2% target in June for the 15th straight month but an index stripping away the effect of energy costs slowed, data showed, suggesting the prolonged commodity-driven price pressures may have peaked.
Yet, with services price growth also slowing last month, policymakers will feel that wage pressures have yet to build up enough to warrant an imminent tweak to the ultra-loose monetary stance.
Services prices, closely watched by policymakers on whether inflation is becoming driven more by higher labour costs, rose 1.6% in June from a year earlier after a 1.7% gain in May.
The data comes ahead of the BOJ's closely-watched policy meeting on July 27-28, when the board will release fresh quarterly projections and discuss how much progress Japan is making towards sustainably achieving its 2% inflation target.
Core inflation in Japan's capital, set for release hours before the BOJ's policy announcement on July 28, also likely slowed sharply in July, according to a Reuters poll.
With inflation having exceeded the BOJ's target for more than a year, markets are simmering with speculation the BOJ could soon phase out its controversial yield curve control (YCC) policy as early as next week.
BOJ Governor Kazuo Ueda has stressed the need to keep policy ultra-loose until the recent cost-push inflation shifts into one driven by robust domestic demand and higher wage growth.
The key would be whether companies will continue offering higher pay next year, similar to this year, and start translating the rise in labour costs to services prices.
"If more firms hike wages and pass on the cost, services prices could overshoot," said Yoshiki Shinke, chief economist at Dai-ichi Life Research Institute.
"Inflation excluding food and energy will likely moderate ahead, but the pace of slowdown could be gradual."
Under YCC, the BOJ guides short-term interest rates at -0.1% and buys huge amounts of government bonds to cap the 10-year bond yield around 0% as part of efforts to fire up inflation to its 2% target. (Reuters)
July
Japan and UAE agree innovation, climate change cooperation
Written by Nur Yasmin
Japan and the United Arab Emirates agreed to cooperate on technology and climate change during Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's visit, his second stop in the region focused on securing energy supplies and promoting green technology.
Kishida met with Emirati President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi on Monday, during which they agreed to a new Japan-UAE innovation partnership, Japan's foreign ministry said in a statement.
The partnership would include a new scheme to accelerate energy security, as well as a framework for the UAE to cooperate with and invest in Japan on chip and battery technology, according to the statement issued late on Monday.
The two leaders also adopted a joint statement on climate action, which said that both remain committed to the goal of achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and acknowledged "the role of clean hydrogen and derivatives including ammonia in accelerating the energy transition".
State news agency WAM also said the two leaders discussed a comprehensive strategic partnership between the UAE and Japan. They signed several agreements covering different sectors, WAM added.
Kishida is expected to attend a UAE-Japan business forum later before travelling to major gas-producer Qatar on Tuesday, officials said.
Japan is actively developing greener and renewable energy technologies and aims to be carbon neutral by 2050. Kishida will also try to promote Japanese know-how as energy-producing countries have pledged to achieve a net zero transition, especially ahead of the COP28 climate summit to be held in Dubai in November.
His UAE visit follows a stop in Saudi Arabia on Sunday in which Riyadh said it remained committed to securing oil supplies for Japan and would continue cooperating with Tokyo on clean hydrogen, ammonia and recycled carbon fuels.
Kishida and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom's de facto ruler, agreed to launch "Manar" initiative, which will help countries around the world achieve their net zero transitions, Saudi state news agency SPA reported on Monday.
Tokyo and Riyadh are also set to start a new strategic dialogue at the foreign minister level - a move both leaders welcomed in their summit meeting, according to a statement released by the Japanese foreign ministry on Monday.
"Both leaders agreed to further energise exchanges, which cover politics, diplomacy, and security, between the two countries," the statement said.
Japan and the six-country Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) will in 2024 resume talks on a free trade agreement, said Hikariko Ono, press secretary for Japan's foreign ministry. The GCC is a six-nation regional union that comprises Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain.
"We don't really have any target year to complete a negotiation," she said on Monday, adding that previous trade talks with the GCC were suspended in 2009.
State oil giant Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) has previously said that Japan imports approximately 25% of its crude oil from the UAE, making it ADNOC's largest international importer of oil and gas products.
"The secure energy supply from the UAE has supported Japan's economic growth for many years," Kishida wrote in a piece published by UAE state news agency WAM on Sunday.
A senior official at Japan's foreign ministry told reporters this week that Kishida planned to discuss energy markets during his trip, while also aiming to offer Japanese technologies for net zero transition. (Reuters)
July
Taiwan says looking to buy NASAMS air defence system from US
Written by Nur Yasmin
Taiwan is looking to buy National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems, or NASAMS, from the United States to upgrade its air defence capabilities having seen how well they work in Ukraine, the island's defence minister said on Tuesday.
China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory, has stepped up military and political pressure over the past three years to try to force the democratically governed island to accept Beijing's rule.
NASAMS have been provided by the United States for use in Ukraine, with U.S. officials saying they have had a 100% success rate in intercepting Russian missiles.
The system, developed and built by Raytheon Technologies (RTX.N) and Norway's Kongsberg Gruppen (KOG.OL) is a short- to medium-range ground-based air defence system that protects against drone, missile, and aircraft attack, which both Canada and Lithuania have also bought, or are buying for Ukraine.
Asked on the sidelines of parliament about Taiwan buying NASAMS, Defence Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng said "certainly" there was a proposal to get them.
"This work must be done in accordance with the enemy situation," he said. "We have seen from the Russia-Ukraine war that these weapons definitely have good performance."
However, Taiwan has not received any official notification from the U.S. that they will sell NASAMS to Taipei, Chiu said.
"But we need this work to be done as soon as possible."
The U.S., Taiwan's main foreign source of weapons, formally makes notifications to the island about the arms Washington is willing to sell.
The U.S. is bound by law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself, despite a lack of formal diplomatic relations. China routinely denounces such arms sales.
Taiwan's military has been paying close attention to the war in Ukraine for lessons on defending against a much larger opponent, for example by the use of drones. (Reuters)
July
Malaysia charges opposition leader with sedition over remarks on royalty
Written by Nur Yasmin
Malaysia on Tuesday charged opposition leader Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor with sedition for allegedly insulting the country's revered sultans, state media Bernama reported.
Muhammad Sanusi, a popular politician with the Islamist party PAS and the chief minister of Kedah state, has pleaded not guilty, according to the report, which said he was charged with two counts of sedition over remarks made in a political speech this month.
Malaysia's sultans play a largely ceremonial role, including acting as custodians of Islam in the Muslim-majority country, and are held in deep respect.
Negative remarks about its royalty can be prosecuted under a colonial-era Sedition Act, which has been used against people who criticise the sultans on social media.
It is similar to Thailand, which has a strict lese majeste law prohibiting insults against its monarchy. However, sedition charges against Malaysian politicians have been rare in recent years.
The charges come as political tensions rise in Malaysia ahead of next month's regional polls in which the opposition alliance - which includes PAS - is expected to pose a strong challenge to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's ruling alliance.
Kedah is one of the six states that will elect a new government on Aug. 12.
Muhammad Sanusi's remarks, according to other media reports, questioned decisions taken by the royalty regarding the formation of government in the federal and state level.
If found guilty, he faces up to three years in prison and a maximum penalty of 5,000 ringgit ($1,102.54). (Reuters)
July
US nuclear missile submarine visits S.Korea as allies talk war planning
Written by Nur Yasmin
For the first time since the 1980s a U.S. nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) visited South Korea on Tuesday, as the allies launched talks to coordinate their responses in the event of a nuclear war with North Korea.
White House Indo-Pacific coordinator Kurt Campbell confirmed the rare visit, which had been expected after it was announced in a joint declaration during a summit between South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden in Washington in April.
"As we speak, an American nuclear submarine is making port in Busan today. That's the first visit of (an) American nuclear submarine in decades," Campbell told reporters at a briefing in Seoul, where he was attending the first Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) discussion with South Korean officials.
The group, aimed at better coordinating an allied nuclear response in the event of a war with North Korea, was also announced during the April summit amid growing calls in South Korea for its own nuclear weapons, a step Washington opposes.
North Korea, which test fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) last week, condemned the NCG on Monday for "openly discussing the use of nukes" and warned against allied plans to increase displays of military force, including the submarine visit.
Campbell did not identify the submarine, but said its visit is a manifestation of American commitment to South Korea's defence.
South Korea's defence ministry later confirmed the submarine's arrival and identified it as the USS Kentucky, an Ohio class SSBN.
U.S. SSBNs rely on stealth to ensure their survival and preserve their ability to launch nuclear missiles during a war, and they rarely make public stops in foreign ports.
The United States has pledged to deploy more strategic assets such as aircraft carriers, submarines and long-range bombers to South Korea to deter North Korea, which has developed increasingly powerful missiles that can hit targets as far away as the United States.
The U.S. Navy fields 14 SSBNs, often referred to as “boomers”. The Ohio-class submarines carry 20 Trident II D5 missiles, each of which can deliver up to eight nuclear warheads to targets as far as 12,000 km (7,500 miles) away.
There were regular SSBN visits to South Korea in the 1970s, another period when South Korea was debating the strength of the U.S. commitment and the need for its own nuclear arsenal, according a report by the Federation of American Scientists.
NUCLEAR PLANS
South Korea's Principal Deputy National Security Adviser Kim Tae-hyo, who co-chaired the meeting, said the discussions are enough to ensure there is no need for South Korea to develop its own nuclear weapons.
The two sides agreed to facilitate information sharing - including establishing a secure communication network - and coordination and planning in the event of a North Korean nuclear attack, which would face an "overwhelming" allied response, Kim said.
The allies will also develop "operations, exercises, simulations, trainings, and investment activities" to bolster nuclear deterrence and response capabilities on the Korean Peninsula, according to a statement released after the meeting.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said the NCG would be a "starting point" to build a strong and effective deterrence against North Korea.
"Through a South Korea-U.S. alliance upgraded to a new nuclear-based paradigm, we will make substantial efforts to fundamentally block North Korea's nuclear and missile threats," Yoon told a briefing.
China and North Korea have criticised the group's formation as further raising tensions on the Korean peninsula.
When asked whether South Korea will have a role in U.S. decision making, a senior U.S. administration official told Reuters the group was more about sharing information.
"A lot of the objective here is to make sure that our South Korean allies have more transparency, more access, more direct connection with planning, so that they can understand how government officials have long been thinking about what goes into defence and deterrence for South Korea," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the talks. (Reuters)
July
Xi tells ex-Philippine president Duterte to promote ties with China
Written by Nur Yasmin
China's President Xi Jinping told former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte to continue to promote cooperation between the two countries, after bilateral relations cooled with Duterte's successor seeking closer ties with Washington.
Ferdinand Marcos Jr was elected as president for a six-year term in 2022, taking over from Duterte who had adopted a more pro-China stance.
"I hope you will continue to play an important role in the friendly cooperation (between China and the Philippines)," state media cited Xi as saying during a meeting at the Diaoyutai state guest-house in Beijing on Monday.
Under Marcos, relations between China and the Philippines have grown tense, with Manila pivoting back to its traditional ally, the United States.
The Philippines and the U.S reaffirmed a decades-old security alliance during a trip by Marcos to the U.S. in May, where he met with President Joe Biden, who said the U.S. commitment to defending its ally was "ironclad".
Washington has pledged to defend the Philippines, which allowed the U.S. access to four additional military bases this year, angering Beijing.
Marcos also said granting U.S. access to the bases was a defensive step that would be "useful" if China attacked democratically governed Taiwan, which China claims as part of its territory.
China has always insisted on being friendly with its neighbours, which it sees as its partners, Xi said, without commenting on the state of current bilateral ties.
"During your tenure as president of the Philippines, you had resolutely made the strategic choice to improve relations with China in an attitude of being responsible to the people and to history," Xi told Duterte.
Last month, Duterte told domestic media that the Philippines could become a "graveyard" if it gets caught up in U.S.-China tensions. (Reuters)
July
Thai PM candidate Pita open to managing pace of reform agenda
Written by Nur Yasmin
Thailand's prime ministerial hopeful said on Tuesday he was willing to manage the pace of his Move Forward party's ambitious reform drive if he becomes leader, but vowed no retreat from a plan to change a law that forbids insulting the monarchy.
In an interview with Reuters on the eve of his second bid to win the top job, Pita Limjaroenrat, who led his party to election victory in May, described efforts by the military establishment to block him as like a "broken record" and said Thailand had entered a ew era with a public hankering for change.
Pita, 42, plans to contest his second parliamentary vote on the premiership on Wednesday, after failing last week to win the required backing of more than half of the legislature, as the conservative, military-appointed Senate closed ranks to thwart him.
"It was absolutely expected, the same thing, same venue. Broken record. But the sentiment of the era has changed," he said in the interview.
"Despite what happens tomorrow there has been progress in society. They demand something new, something fresh."
Buoyed by massive youth support for its disruptive, anti-establishment reform agenda, Move Forward was the surprise winner of the May 14 election, thrashing conservative rivals in what was seen as a resounding rejection of nearly a decade of government led or backed by the royalist military.
But it is hamstrung by a constitution drafted by the military, which makes it very difficult for elected parties to form a government without the endorsement of the Senate, which typically votes in line with the powerful army and conservative establishment.
'PRE-PLANNED' OBSTACLES
Pita faces more obstacles on Wednesday, when some senators will try to block his second nomination for prime minister, arguing a motion that was not endorsed cannot be re-submitted.
On the same day, the Constitutional Court will consider a complaint against him seeking his disqualification as a lawmaker over a shareholding issue deemed in violation of election rules.
"The court decision, parliamentary rules and also the senators - that's three-to-four obstacles coincidentally happening in a day," he said.
"That's fine. It's something that was pre-planned."
Move Forward agenda is controversial, taking on issues long seen as untouchable in Thailand, including its plans to tackle business monopolies, end military conscription and remove generals from politics.
He said Move Forward was "not the party of the radical or the young", but had an opportunity to serve all of Thailand.
Its boldest aim is to change article 112 of the criminal code, under which hundreds of people have been charged with insulting the monarchy, which carries jail terms of up to 15 years.
The military has for decades invoked its duty to defend the monarchy to justify intervention in politics. Critics say it has used the law against royal insult to stifle dissent.
Pita said the decision on 112 was ultimately one for parliament and Move Forward would not dominate the issue, nor would it back away from its agenda in order to get a smoother passage to office.
Amending 112 was not a threat to the palace, he said, but would ensure the monarchy was not politicised and that the law was not misused.
"I'm still sticking to what I promised the voters ... the institution is above politics. That's the only option for governance in this country,' he said.
He added: "I cannot look them in the eye if I'm walking away from this issue." (Reuters)