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May
Canada's Trudeau to visit South Korea; focus on minerals, security
Written by Nur Yasmin
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will arrive in South Korea on Tuesday for a summit with President Yoon Suk Yeol as the two countries seek to boost cooperation on security and critical minerals used in batteries.
Yoon and Trudeau are scheduled to hold a summit and joint press conference on Wednesday, followed by an official dinner, said Yoon's deputy national security advisor, Kim Tae-hyo.
Trudeau's visit, the first in nine years by a Canadian leader, marks the 60th anniversary of bilateral relations, and both sides will issue a joint statement mapping out their partnership for the next 60 years, Kim said.
The two U.S. allies have been exploring ways to deepen cooperation on critical minerals used in electric vehicle (EV) batteries and step up intelligence sharing.
"The two leaders will discuss intensively on ways to build a norms-based global order including on North Korea's human rights issues, launching a high-level economic and security dialogue, strengthening cooperation on key minerals," Kim told reporters.
Yoon and Trudeau will sign an agreement on key mineral supply chains, clean energy conversion and energy security cooperation, a South Korean government official told Reuters, requesting anonymity as the deal was not finalised.
Canada has been trying to scale up EV production, with ample mineral reserves, including lithium, cobalt and nickel, which are used to make batteries for those vehicles.
The two leaders agreed to deepen cooperation on minerals supply chains when they met last September, as part of efforts to cut emissions to fight climate change.
The two countries have also sought to step up security cooperation including intelligence sharing, while navigating an intensifying rivalry between the United States and China.
Diplomatic tensions between Canada and China have been running high since the detention of Huawei Technologies executive Meng Wanzhou in 2018 and Beijing's subsequent arrest of two Canadians on spying charges.
Last week, China expelled a Canadian diplomat in Shanghai in a tit-for-tat move after Ottawa told a Toronto-based Chinese diplomat to leave.
Yoon has trodden cautiously with China, South Korea's largest trade partner, but he has been more vocal over tension in the Taiwan Strait. Last month Seoul and Beijing exchanged harsh words over Yoon's comments in an interview with Reuters. (Reuters)
May
Hong Kong leader says public libraries must ensure books don't violate laws
Written by Nur Yasmin
Hong Kong's leader said on Tuesday public libraries needed to ensure books don't violate local laws, amid criticism that many books and videos related to China's Tiananmen Square crackdown have now been removed from library shelves.
"These books are accessible by people in private book shops. If they want to buy, they can buy," Hong Kong's chief executive John Lee told reporters when asked about the removal of June 4 literature and documentaries from public libraries.
"What libraries need to do is to ensure that there's no breach of any laws in Hong Kong, including of course, copyrights etc, and also if they spread any kind of messages that are not in the interests of Hong Kong," Lee added, without elaborating.
Hong Kong, which returned from British to Chinese rule in 1997 with the promise of wide-ranging freedoms, has in recent years curbed individual liberties under a sweeping China-imposed national security law.
Chinese authorities, however, say the security law has brought stability after mass pro-democracy protests in 2019.
Public memorials and commemorations of China's bloody Tiananmen Square crackdown in 1989 were once allowed in Hong Kong, unlike mainland China where it is a taboo and censored topic.
In the past three years, however, Hong Kong authorities have barred an annual June 4 candlelight vigil from taking place on COVID social distancing grounds, and public monuments including a "goddess of democracy" statue have been dismantled from 3 universities.
With the scrapping of COVID restrictions this year, some activists have called for the June 4 vigil to resume.
Hong Kong's Ming Pao newspaper reported that more than 40 percent of video materials and books involving "political themes" had been removed from public libraries since 2020.
A government backed Audit Commission said in an April report that a two year government review of library materials had almost been completed of "library books which are manifestly contrary to the interests of national security and removed them from the library collections".
The national security law, which punishes acts including subversion and collusion with foreign forces with possible life imprisonment, has been criticised as a tool of repression by some countries including the United States. (Reuters)
May
China launches projects to build 'new-era' marriage, childbearing culture
Written by Nur Yasmin
China will launch pilot projects in more than 20 cities to create a "new-era" marriage and childbearing culture to foster a friendly child bearing environment, the latest move by authorities to boost the country's falling birth rate.
China's Family Planning Association, a national body that implements the government's population and fertility measures, will launch the projects to encourage women to marry and have children, state backed Global Times reported on Monday.
Promoting marrying, having children at appropriate ages, encouraging parents to share child-rearing responsibilities, and curbing high "bride prices" and other outdated customs are the focus of the projects, the Times said.
Cities included in the pilot include the manufacturing hub Guangzhou and Handan in China's Hebei province. The association already launched projects in 20 cities including Beijing last year, the Times said.
"The society needs to guide young people more on the concept of marriage and childbirth," demographer He Yafu told the Times.
The projects come amid a flurry of measures Chinese provinces are rolling out to spur people to have children, including tax incentives, housing subsidies, and free or subsidised education for having a third child.
China implemented a rigid one-child policy from 1980 until 2015 - the root of many of its demographic challenges that have allowed India to become the world's most populous nation. The limit has since been raised to three children.
Concerned about China's first population drop in six decades and its rapid ageing, the government's political advisers proposed in March that single and unmarried women should have access to egg freezing and IVF treatment, among other services to boost the country's fertility rate.
Many women have been put off having more children or any at all due to the expense of child care and having to stop their careers, with gender discrimination still a key hurdle. (Reuters)
May
Malaysia says firms that hired stranded migrant workers to face action
Written by Nur Yasmin
Malaysia said on Monday it would sanction firms and strip away licences from recruitment agencies involved in hiring migrant workers who later found themselves stranded without jobs in the country.
Reuters reported last week that hundreds of South Asian migrants, mostly from Bangladesh and Nepal, had been left in limbo after arriving in Malaysia, where they were told that jobs promised to them in exchange for steep recruitment fees were no longer available. Malaysia announced a probe last month.
The plight of the migrants - many of whom say they have not been paid salaries for months - comes amid concerns over workplace abuses in Malaysia, with several companies facing U.S. bans for forced labour in recent years.
In response to Reuters' queries, Malaysia's Labour Department vowed to take action against recruitment agencies and companies found to have misused government quotas and licences for hiring migrant workers.
The department said in an emailed statement it would conduct a thorough investigation, and would not compromise on any unlawful activities that could "lead to any form of forced labour".
The department said it had moved some of the stranded workers to government-registered quarters, and compelled some companies to pay for their accommodation and salaries.
It did not say how many workers in a similar plight it had identified, or how many firms or agencies it was investigating.
The department also denied reports that two Nepali citizens had died by suicide at a workers' accommodation facility.
It cited police investigations that determined only one death - that of a Nepali recruitment agent, who had travelled to Malaysia to oversee the cases of workers stranded.
The police would conduct a further probe into the death, the department said. (Reuters)
May
South Korea lifts power prices by 5.3% in delayed move
Written by Nur Yasmin
South Korea said on Monday it will raise electricity prices by 5.3% to partly reflect increased generation costs, a move delayed more than a month because of the likely effect on already high inflation and the cost of living.
It is the second increase in power prices this year after a sharper 9.5% hike that took effect at the beginning of the year. The price adjustment had been due on April 1 but was delayed after a public outcry about the increased cost of living.
The government of President Yoon Suk Yeol, who marked his first anniversary in office last week amid low approval ratings, faces conflicting pressure from utilities hit by mounting losses and households hurt by the rising cost of living.
Reflecting the political burden facing the government, Energy Minister Lee Chang-yang started his announcement on the decision by saying he was "heavy-hearted about the burden and concern coming from the price increases".
Korea Electric Power Corp (KEPCO), the state-run electricity powerhouse, suffered an operating loss of 6.2 trillion won ($4.69 billion) for the first quarter after a huge 32.6 trillion won loss for the whole of last year.
The ministry also announced a 5.3% increase in city gas prices for households. Both price hikes take effect on Tuesday.
South Korea's inflation has been easing since peaking at a near 24-year high of 6.3% in July last year, but is still hovering around 4% in comparison with the central bank's target of 2%.
With parliamentary elections some 11 months away, the latest opinion poll by Gallup Korea showed last Friday the disapproval rating on President Yoon stood at 59%, far outpacing the approval rating of 35%. ($1 = 1,320.9300 won) (Reuters)
May
Cambodia poll body disqualifies sole opposition party from July election
Written by Nur Yasmin
Cambodia's election commission on Monday disqualified the sole opposition Candlelight Party from contesting elections in July over its failure to submit proper registration documents.
Other parties have signed up to contest the general election, but Candlelight's disqualification means the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) looks set to run virtually unopposed.
Some activists and diplomats have warned against what they call long-serving Prime Minister Hun Sen's actions to suppress opponents, fearing they could undermine the democratic process in the Southeast Asian country.
Asked for comment on Candlelight's disqualification, CPP spokeserson Sok Eysan said the election would be free and fair, adding that more than 10 parties had registered.
Hun Sen has previously said the CPP will dominate politics for up to 100 years.
Just over a year old, Candlelight is a reincarnation of the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), a popular opposition that the Supreme Court disbanded in 2017 ahead of an election that was swept by CPP.
Scores of former CNRP members have been detained or convicted of crimes, many in absentia having fled into exile amid Hun Sen's sweeping crackdown on critics.
Candlelight deputy president Son Chhay said it would appeal to the constitutional court.
"We have one week to do so," he said in a text message.
Human Rights watch last month accused Cambodia's government of stepping up attacks on the opposition with rhetoric that had led to assaults on Candlelight members.
It took aim at Hun Sen for what it said were warnings against criticising his government ahead of the election.
In an April 24 statement, it said foreign governments should send a clear message that "dismantling opposition parties and disqualifying, assaulting, and arresting their members before election day means that there won't be any real election at all".
The government has denied targeting its opponents, saying legal cases against them were enforcement of the law. (Reuters)
May
At least three killed as powerful storm batters Myanmar
Written by Nur Yasmin
At least three people were killed, 13 injured and more than 1,000 buildings were damaged when Cyclone Mocha pummelled western Myanmar, state-run media said on Monday.
But refugee camps in southeast Bangladesh for Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar escaped the worst of the storm, although many bamboo huts were damaged, residents of the region said.
It was Myanmar's strife-torn Rakhine State that bore the brunt of the storm, which unleashed winds of up to 210 kph (130 mph) that ripped roofs off homes and brought a storm surge that inundated the provincial capital of Sittwe on Sunday.
More than 850 houses, 64 schools, 14 health facilities and seven communication towers in Myanmar were destroyed or damaged by the storm, one of the most powerful to hit the country in years, military-owned Myawaddy TV news channel said.
A junta spokesperson did not immediately answer a telephone call from Reuters seeking comment.
A spokesman for the Arakan Army militia force in Rakhine State said it was using its communication equipment to gather information on the impact of the storm because civilian networks had been severely disrupted.
The U.N. humanitarian office (OCHA) said about 6 million people in the region were already in need of humanitarian assistance before the storm, among them 1.2 million people internally displaced by ethnic strife.
OCHA officials were assessing damage to camps for displaced people, which are near the coast and mostly made of bamboo, and evacuation centres, a spokesperson said.
In 2008, Cyclone Nargis swept across parts of southern Myanmar killing nearly 140,000 people.
Before Cyclone Mocha made landfall on Sunday afternoon about 400,000 people were evacuated in Myanmar and Bangladesh, as authorities and aid agencies scrambled to avoid heavy casualties.
The majority of buildings in Sittwe were damaged, including the main hospital that lost parts of its roof, a resident said by telephone.
In neighbouring Chin State, which has seen heavy fighting between the junta forces and pro-democracy insurgents, activists were having difficulty in trying to access the impact of the storm in areas under a junta communications blackout. (Reuters)
May
China's rising clout spotlighted at finance chief meetings before G7 summit
Written by Nur Yasmin
The weekend gathering of finance chiefs from the Group of Seven (G7) advanced economies did not single out China as a threat in their communique, but left signs the world's second-largest economy will loom large at this week's summit in Hiroshima.
Efforts to grapple with China's growing global presence were evident at the three-day G7 finance chiefs' gathering in Niigata, Japan, during which they held their first outreach in 14 years, aimed at winning over emerging nations.
The meeting with Brazil, the Comoros, India, Indonesia, Singapore and South Korea primarily tackled issues such as debt and high-level infrastructure investment, in a tacit counter to China's Belt and Road initiative, analysts say.
"What's going on at the G7 is reflecting changes in global order following the loss of the U.S. dominance," said Masamichi Adachi, economist at UBS Securities. "No one is being able to draw up a grand design with shifting of power."
G7 host Japan persuaded its G7 counterparts to launch a new programme by the end of 2023 to diversify supply chains for strategically important goods away from China. The G7 comprises the United States, Britain, France, Japan, Italy, Germany and Canada.
But the finance chiefs' closing communique did not mention a U.S.-proposed idea for narrow restrictions on investment to China, a potential rift among the grouping on how far they should go in pressuring Beijing.
A Japanese finance ministry official at the gathering, who declined to be named because of he sensitivity of the matter, said the idea was discussed in Niigata, but declined to elaborate.
China is among the biggest markets for most G7 countries, particularly for export-reliant economies such as Japan and Germany. China-bound exports account for 22% of Japan's overall shipments.
Japan and the United States want to try to win over countries, including those in the Global South, with promises of foreign direct investment and aid, analysts say.
U.S. President Joe Biden last year was host of a U.S.-Africa leaders summit in Washington, aiming to bolster alliances amid the growing Chinese presence on that continent.
Japan followed suit, with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida visiting Egypt, Ghana, Kenya and Mozambique this month.
In a joint statement on Saturday, the G7 finance chiefs stressed the urgency of addressing debt vulnerabilities in low- and middle-income countries, mentioning Zambia, Ethiopia, Ghana and Sri Lanka.
They did not mention China, but said foreign investments in critical infrastructure "may pose risks for economic sovereignty," and thus must "not undermine the economic sovereignty of host countries."
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in March that Beijing's lending activities left developing countries "trapped in debt," adding that Washington was working to counter China's influence in international institutions and in lending.
"There were talks about coercion" at the G7 finance leaders' meeting, the Japanese finance ministry official said.
The G7 summit will most likely have a special session on China to debate Beijing's "economic coercion" against other countries, according to a Reuters report.
"No matter how the G7 want to fence in the Global South, it's not easy," said Atsushi Takeda, chief economist at the Itochu Economic Research Institute. "These emerging economies won't side with either the West or China, while carefully weighing what will be in their best interests." (Reuters)
May
Philippine court acquits top critic of ex-president Duterte's 'war on drugs'
Written by Nur Yasmin
A Philippine court on Friday acquitted of a drugs charge one of the fiercest critics of ex-President Rodrigo Duterte's "war on drugs", a move welcomed by activists who called her incarceration a vindictive effort to harass and silence her.
The court cleared former senator Leila de Lima, 63, of the second of three criminal charges against her, which stemmed from allegations made publicly by Duterte that as a justice minister in an earlier administration, she took payments from drug gangs in prisons.
De Lima has spent the past six years in detention, five of which as senator, and has one more case pending.
"I had no doubt from the very beginning that I will be acquitted in all the cases the Duterte regime has fabricated against me based on the merits and strength of my innocence," she said in a statement.
The charges came in 2017 a few months after she launched a senate investigation into Duterte's fierce crackdown on illicit drugs, during which thousands of users and dealers were killed, many by police or in mysterious circumstances.
The hugely popular Duterte responded by humiliating De Lima in public speeches with lurid revelations about her private life, prompting threats and online hate campaigns against her. He accused her of colluding with drug gangs in jails.
"I'm still asking for even more prayers for another case," De Lima said as she emerged from the courtroom and headed to a waiting police vehicle, as supporters chanted "Free De Lima now".
"Glorious day, glorious day, beginning of my vindication," she added.
Duterte has accepted the court judgement, Salvador Panelo, his legal counsel during his administration, said in a statement on Saturday.
"I have never interfered with the judicial process. I always say let the law take its course," Panelo quoted Duterte as saying.
The current Justice Secretary, Jesus Crispin Remulla, said the acquittal showed the independence of the judiciary.
"The rule of law has prevailed," Remulla told reporters. "Democracy is working."
Human Rights Watch Deputy Asia Director Phil Robertson said De Lima was a victim of a "vindictive campaign to destroy her" and called for the remaining charge to be dropped.
"Freeing her now is critical so she can return to her family, leaving the injustice of years behind bars in pre-trial detention caused by Duterte's vengeful cruelty," he said.
Amnesty International said the government should hold accountable those responsible for what it said was arbitrary detention and denial of her rights to presumption of innocence.
"The charges against Leila de Lima are bogus and the result of the peaceful exercise of her right to freedom of expression. She should not have spent a single day in jail," it said. (Reuters)
May
Philippines' Finance minister says no reason for rate hike
Written by Nur Yasmin
The Philippine central bank has no reason to raise interest rates further as domestic inflation is easing, the country's finance minister said ahead of a May 18 monetary policy meeting.
Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno reiterated his stance against a rate hike when he spoke to reporters. But he said he was just expressing his opinion and was only one of the seven monetary board members who will each vote during Thursday's decision-making.
"I'm for a pause, that's my opinion. Inflation is going down, huge (foreign exchange) reserves, the current account deficit has expanded but it's financially manageable and that's because of the improved economy, infrastructure spending," he said. "So over all, there's no reason why we should increase the rates."
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has raised rates by a total of 425 basis points since May last year to fight inflation, the full impact of which Diokno said had yet to be absorbed by the economy considering that monetary policy often works with a long lag.
Philippine annual inflation eased for a third straight month in April to 6.6%.
BSP Governor Felipe Medalla himself has said the month-on-month inflation trends in particular "present an even stronger argument" for keeping rates unchanged at the May 18 policy meeting.
Some economists believe the inflation downtrend and cooling economic growth have built the case for the BSP to pause in its tightening cycle.
However, the International Monetary Fund said on Friday that with risks to inflation remaining on the upside, "a continued tightening bias maybe appropriate until inflation falls decisively within the 2-4% target range". (Reuters)