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The U.N. World Food Programme (WFP) had to cut rations to another 2 million Afghans this month and is warning of a "catastrophic" winter if funding runs out with little food for remote communities in place, the agency's country director said.

The cut in rations comes amidst growing alarm over shrinking aid for Afghanistan, where a U.N. humanitarian response plan is only about a quarter funded, even after the budget was downgraded in the face of funding shortfalls.

WFP funding for food and cash assistance is expected to run out by the end of October and the agency has had to steadily cut assistance through the year to 10 million Afghans.

The positioning of food to areas that will be cut off in winter has also been limited. The WFP said if no funding comes through, 90% of remote areas in need will be cut off without food and even in accessible locations, people will get no supplies during the harsh weather.

"That is the catastrophe that we have to avert," WFP Afghanistan Country Director Hsiao-Wei Lee told Reuters.

About three-quarters of Afghanistan's people are in need of humanitarian aid as their country emerges from decades of conflict under an internationally isolated Taliban administration that took over as U.S.-backed foreign forces withdrew in 2021.

Development assistance that for years formed the backbone of government finances has been cut and the administration is subject to sanctions and central bank assets abroad have been frozen.

Restrictions by the Taliban on women, including stopping most female Afghan humanitarian staff from working, are an obstacle to formal recognition and have also put off donors, many of whom have turned their attention to other humanitarian crises.

"What I do in my engagements with them is remind them that at the end of the day, we must focus on those who are most in need," Lee said of donors.

"The cost of inaction is ultimately borne and paid for by the most vulnerable and poor mothers and children."

'LIFELINE'

Almost 20% of the people the WFP helps are women heading households who Lee said were getting more desperate as the restrictions on women and the economic crisis meant they had fewer ways of earning.

"WFP is often the last lifeline for those who don't have other options," Lee said.

"It's extremely difficult not only for myself but for our team to have to explain to mothers that we can't help them."

Three million people are now getting food aid but after October, they might be getting nothing.

The WFP needs $1 billion in funding to provide food aid and carry out planned projects until March, Lee said.

For Kabul resident Baba Karim, 45, the cash he has got twice this year from the WFP was been a vital supplement to the less than $2 a day he earns working odd jobs at a market with a push cart.

"I'm so worried about what will happen next, now that the assistance has ended," said the father of five.

"I lie awake at night worrying about the future of my children." (Reuters)

 Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen left on Tuesday for a visit to Eswatini, Taipei's last African ally, saying the island will continue to confidently engage with the world and show it is a force for good.

Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory with no right to state-to-state relations, now has formal ties with only 13 countries, almost all small, less developed nations in Latin America, the Caribbean and the Pacific, like Belize and Nauru.

In March, Honduras ended decades of ties with Taiwan.

Tsai, speaking at the airport before leaving, said Eswatini was a "familiar old friend".

"Not only will Taiwan's footsteps to the world not stop, we will continue to move forward more firmly and self-confidently, so that the world can see Taiwan's steady force for good," she said, in comments broadcast live by the presidential office.

Tsai is in Eswatini, formerly known as Swaziland, from Sept. 5-7 for the 55th anniversary of the country's independence, and also marking 55 years of bilateral relations.

Eswatini is almost entirely surrounded by South Africa, which Chinese President Xi Jinping visited last month

Tsai is flying directly to Eswatini and not having to stop over anywhere, unlike visits to Latin America which require transits via the United States that always anger China.

Tsai last visited Eswatini in 2018, and this time is being accompanied by Economy Minister Wang Mei-hua.

Taiwan has provided large amounts of aid to the small southern African country ruled by an absolute monarchy, including in 2021 antiviral medication to help King Mswati III recover from COVID. (Reuters)

China's top security agency has hinted that any meeting between President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Joe Biden in San Francisco later this year will depend on the United States "showing sufficient sincerity".

Biden on Sunday expressed disappointment that Xi was not attending an upcoming summit of G20 leaders in India, but added that he was going to "get to see him".

Biden did not elaborate but the next likely opportunity for Biden to hold talks with Xi, as the two countries seek to stabilise troubled relations, is an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in San Francisco in November.

"To truly realise 'from Bali to San Francisco', the United States needs to show enough sincerity", the Ministry of State Security said in a post on Monday on its WeChat social media page.

It was referring to the last meeting between Biden and Xi on the sidelines of a G20 summit on Indonesia's resort island of Bali in November last year. It did not mention the APEC summit in its post.

It is unclear if the ministry, which is China's main intelligence agency, is privy to, or has influence over, Xi's considerations on diplomatic engagements.

This weekend, Premier Li Qiang will lead a delegation to a G20 summit in New Delhi, the Chinese government has announced, all but confirming that Xi would not attend.

The ministry in its post said Biden's administration had adopted a dual-natured strategy towards China, inviting competition with China but also wanting to control the competition.

It said while U.S. officials who visited China recently said there was no intention to curb China's development or "decouple", the U.S. still approved arms sales and provided military financing to Taiwan, and raised issues about Tibet and the South China Sea as well as openly criticising the Chinese economy.

"China will never let its guard down because of a few 'nice words' from the United States ... The various obstacles, containment and suppression by the United States will only make China more courageous and self-reliant," the state security ministry said.

U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, who visited China last week, said the United States did not want to decouple from China but she also said U.S. companies had complained to her that China has become "uninvestible," pointing to fines, raids and other actions that have made it risky to do business in the world's second-largest economy.

China repeated calls for the United States to take more "practical and beneficial actions" to maintain China-U.S. ties after the "uninvestible" comment was reported. (Reuters)

VOInews, Jakarta: President Joko Widodo said that ASEAN is not immune to various global challenges and geopolitical rivalries, especially in the Indo-Pacific region. Therefore, according to him, the ASEAN Indo-Pacific Forum (AIPF) was held to change the paradigm of rivalry into fruitful cooperation.

"The ASEAN Indo-Pacific Forum is here to turn rivalry into fruitful cooperation and build a habit of cooperation that is win-win formula without anyone feeling excluded," he said in his remarks at the opening of the AIPF 2023, in Jakarta, Tuesday (5/9/2023).

President Joko Widodo explained that AIPF 2023 has a number of main agendas that will be discussed, namely green infrastructure and resilient supply chains. According to him, the ASEAN economy will grow stronger through downstream industries.

"The development of the ev ecosystem is a concrete example of building a regional supply chain," he said.

Another thing that will be discussed in AIPF 2023 is sustainable and innovative financing. The President explained that ASEAN needs around USD29.4 trillion for the energy transition.

"And innovative financing schemes are needed through profitable and sustainable partnerships," he said.

In addition, AIPF 2023 also has a main agenda related to digital transformation and creative economy. According to the President, the digital economy in ASEAN in 2030 is expected to grow to USD1 trillion.

"The adoption of digital innovation needs to be strengthened to support the creative economy and MSMEs (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises)," he said.

The President also expressed his appreciation for the support and contribution of ASEAN countries and ASEAN Partners, resulting in 93 cooperation projects worth USD38.2 billion and 73 potential projects worth USD17.8 billion.

"This reflects our commitment to work the talk. Building a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific. Hopefully our efforts can provide great benefits for the people in the region and the world," he concluded. (VOI/Andy)