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March
China's Xi urges political trust in call with S.Korea president-elect
Written by Nur Yasmin
Chinese President Xi Jinping said during a phone call with South Korean President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol that the two countries should bolster mutual political trust, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said on Friday. (Reuters)
March
Solomons confirms security talks with China; Australia and NZ concerned
Written by Nur Yasmin
The Solomon Islands confirmed on Friday it was creating a partnership with China to tackle security threats and ensure a safe environment for investment as it diversifies security relations.
A security pact with the Pacific island nation would be a major inroad for China in a region that U.S. allies Australia and New Zealand have for decades seen as their "backyard".
Both have expressed concern about the impact on regional security of military cooperation between China and the Solomon Islands after a draft document outlining the proposed cooperation was leaked this week.
"Broadening partnerships is needed to improve the quality of lives of our people and address soft and hard security threats facing the country," the Solomon Islands government said in its first public comment on the matter.
In a statement it said it was "diversifying the country’s security partnership, including with China" and was working to sign a number of agreements with it "to further create a secure and safe environment for local and foreign investments".
On Thursday, a Solomon Islands official told Reuters a security agreement with China covering the military would be sent to its cabinet for consideration. The Solomons has already signed a policing deal with China. read more
The arrangement would cover humanitarian needs besides maintaining the rule of law, the Solomon Islands said, adding that it needed to rebuild its economy after recent riots and would sign an air services pact with China and increase trade.
A security agreement with Australia, signed in 2017, would be preserved as the Solomon Islands deepened ties with China, it added.
Australian Minister for Pacific Zed Seselja said the prime minister of the Solomon Islands, Manasseh Sogavare, had been told of Australia's concern over the discussions with China and Canberra expected there would be "significant pushback in the region".
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, commenting on the issue earlier on Friday, said Australia and New Zealand were part of the "Pacific family" and had a history of providing security support and responding to crises.
"There are others who may seek to pretend to influence and may seek to get some sort of hold in the region and we are very conscious of that," he told reporters.
'UNSETTLING INFLUENCES'
Former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd told ABC Radio the proposed pact was "one of the most significant security developments that we have seen in decades and it's one that is adverse to Australia's national security interests".
The Pacific Island nation of fewer than a million people, 2,000 km (1,240 miles) northeast of Australia, switched diplomatic recognition to Beijing from Taiwan in 2019, signalling China's growing influence in the Pacific.
New Zealand’s foreign minister, Nanaia Mahuta, said in a statement that Pacific partners should be transparent in their actions.
"Such agreements will always be the right of any sovereign country to enter into," she said.
"However, developments within this purported agreement could destabilise the current institutions and arrangements that have long underpinned the Pacific region’s security."
Australia and New Zealand have police in the Solomon Islands, part of a multinational contingent invited by Sogavare to restore order after riots in November.
The Solomon Islands resident who published online the leaked draft of the security agreement told Reuters the document had come from a police source.
It covers Chinese police and military assisting with social order, disaster response and protecting the safety of Chinese personnel and major projects.
Australia's defence minister, Peter Dutton, said any move to establish a Chinese military base in Solomon Islands would be a matter of concern.
"We want peace and stability in the region," Dutton told Channel Nine. "We don't want unsettling influences and we don't want pressure and coercion that we are seeing from China."
Last month, the United States said it would open a U.S. embassy in Honiara amid fears China was seeking to strengthen military relations there. read more
In Beijing on Friday, foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin called on relevant parties to look at security cooperation between China and the Solomon Islands "objectively and calmly and not over-interpret it".
He was responding to a question about the new security agreement asked at a regular media briefing.
"Some politicians on the Australian side have published some fallacies of so-called 'Chinese coercion' and deliberately created an atmosphere of tension, which is extremely irresponsible and does not help regional stability and development," Wang added. (Reuters)
March
U.S., EU strike LNG deal as Europe seeks to cut Russian gas
Written by Nur Yasmin
The United States will work to supply 15 billion cubic metres (bcm) of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to the European Union this year to help wean it off Russian gas supplies, the transatlantic partners said on Friday.
The EU is aiming to cut its dependency on Russian gas by two-thirds this year and end all Russian fossil fuel imports by 2027 due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Russia supplies around 40% of Europe's gas needs.
Concerns over security of supply were reinforced this week after Russia ordered the switch of gas contract payments to roubles, raising the risk of a supply squeeze and even higher prices. read more
U.S. LNG plants are producing at full capacity and analysts say most of any additional U.S. gas sent to Europe would have to come from exports that would have gone elsewhere and already high European gas prices would have to rise further to attract those cargoes to the 27-nation bloc.
LNG under contract cannot be easily redirected.
"It normally takes two to three years to build a new production facility, so this deal may be more about the re-direction of existing supplies than new capacity," said Alex Froley, gas and LNG analyst at ICIS.
Senior U.S. administration officials did not specify what amount or percentage of the extra LNG supply would come from the United States.
Even if the 15 bcm is achievable, "it still falls well short of replacing Russian gas imports, which amounted to around 155 bcm in 2021," analysts at ING Bank said.
GERMAN RELIANCE ON RUSSIA
U.S. President Joe Biden and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also announced a plan to form a task force to reduce Europe's reliance on Russian fossil fuels. read more
The Commission will also work with EU countries to ensure they are able to receive about 50 bcm of additional LNG until at least 2030, the factsheet provided by the White House said.
It was unclear whether it referred to amounts additional to last year's 22 bcm of U.S. exports to the EU.
The EU has already stepped up efforts to secure more LNG after talks with supplier countries, resulting in record deliveries of 10 bcm of LNG in more than 120 vessels in January.
Meanwhile, Germany, the EU's biggest importer of Russian gas, said it has made "significant progress" towards reducing its exposure to imports of Russian gas, oil and coal.
However, Economy Minister Robert Habeck also said it could take until the summer of 2024 for Europe's largest economy to wean itself off of Russian gas. read more
German utilities on Thursday said their country needed an early warning system to tackle gas shortages as Putin's demand for gas payments in roubles left companies and EU nations scrambling to understand the ramifications.
Some countries, such as Italy, said they would continue to pay in euros. The CEO of Poland's PGNiG (PGN.WA), said the company - which has a contract with Gazprom until the end of this year - could not simply switch to paying in roubles.
Russia's demand for payment in roubles for gas still needs to be backed by a concrete mechanism.
A spokesman for Germany's Uniper said on Friday: "We have not received any official notification or request to process the settlement in roubles."
The German economy minister said the government will consult with its partners about Putin's demand for payment in roubles. (Reuters)
March
Chinese minister seeks normal India ties, Delhi says ease border tension first
Written by Nur Yasmin
India said on Friday ties with China could not be normal until their troops pulled back from each other on the disputed border, but Beijing struck a conciliatory note during a meeting of their foreign ministers in New Delhi.
Both nations have deployed thousands of troops on the high-altitude border since hand-to-hand fights killed 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers northern Himalayan region of Ladakh in June 2020. Talks between senior military officers have made little progress. read more
"I was very honest in my discussions with the Chinese foreign minister, especially in conveying our national sentiments," India's Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar told a news briefing after his three-hour meeting with Wang Yi.
"The frictions and tensions that arise from China's deployments since April 2020 cannot be reconciled with a normal relationship between the two neighbours."
In a statement, Wang said China and India should work together to promote peace and stability around the world.
"The two sides should ... put the differences on the boundary issue in an appropriate position in bilateral relations, and adhere to the correct development direction of bilateral relations," he said.
"China does not pursue the so-called "unipolar Asia" and respects India's traditional role in the region. The whole world will pay attention when China and India work hand in hand."
Jaishankar, a former ambassador to Beijing, said it was at China's request that India did not announce Wang's trip before his arrival in the capital late on Thursday.
Wang met India's national security adviser, Ajit Doval, who also pressed him for a de-escalation at the border.
It was not immediately clear if India offered to pull back its troops if China did.
Wang and Jaishankar also discussed their nations' approaches to tackling Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
"Both of us agreed on the importance of an immediate ceasefire, as well as a return to diplomacy," Jaishankar said.
India and China each consider Russia a friend and have rejected Western calls for condemnation of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which Russia calls a "special military operation".
Wang, who visited Pakistan and Afghanistan earlier this week, is set to fly to the Himalayan nation of Nepal later on Friday during a whirlwind tour of South Asia, where China is trying to strengthen its influence.
Before his arrival, Wang drew a rebuke from India for remarks in Pakistan on disputed Kashmir, a Muslim-majority region each rules in part but claims in full, an issue on which China has generally backed its close ally, Pakistan. (Reuters)
March
Irish foreign minister 'saddened and frustrated' by attempted attack
Written by Nur Yasmin
Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said he was "saddened and frustrated" by the hijacking of a van and its driver in Belfast on Friday in an apparent attempt to attack an event he was speaking at on the Northern Ireland peace process.
"Saddened & frustrated that someone has been attacked & victimised in this way and my thoughts are with him & his family," Coveney said in a Twitter post after police closed down the venue where he was due to appear. (Reuters)
March
North Korea says new ICBM will curb 'dangerous' moves by U.S. military
Written by Nur Yasmin
North Korea's latest launch was a big, new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), state media reported on Friday, in a test leader Kim Jong Un said was designed to demonstrate the might of its nuclear force and deter any U.S. military moves.
The Thursday launch was the first full ICBM test by nuclear-armed North Korea since 2017. Flight data indicated the missile flew higher and longer than any of North Korea's previous tests before crashing into the sea west of Japan. read more
Called the Hwasong-17, the ICBM would be the largest liquid-fuelled missile ever launched by any country from a road-mobile launcher, analysts say.
Its range and size also suggest North Korea plans to tip it with multiple warheads that could hit several targets or with decoys to confuse defenders, according to analysts. read more
Kim ordered the test because of the "daily-escalating military tension in and around the Korean peninsula" and the "inevitability of the long-standing confrontation with the U.S. imperialists accompanied by the danger of a nuclear war", the KCNA state news agency reported.
"The strategic forces ... are fully ready to thoroughly curb and contain any dangerous military attempts of the U.S. imperialists," Kim said while overseeing the launch, according to KCNA.
North Korea's return to testing weapons that are believed to be capable of striking the United States poses a direct challenge to President Joe Biden as he responds to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
It also raises the prospect of a new crisis following the election of a new, conservative South Korean administration that has pledged a more muscular military strategy towards North Korea.
South Korea's conservative president-elect, Yoon Suk-yeol, said North Korea had nothing to gain from provocation.
In a telephone conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping after the launch, Yoon called for close coordination on North Korea's complete denuclearisation, his office said. Xi said China and South Korea should bolster mutual political trust, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said.
China, North Korea's sole major ally and neighbour, urged restraint on "all sides" after the test. read more
South Korea staged an exercise with F-35 fighter jets on Friday. The launch also drew condemnation from the United States and Japan.
Kim said the test would help convince the world of the modern features of his country's strategic forces.
"Any forces should be made to be well aware of the fact that they will have to pay a very dear price before daring to attempt to infringe upon the security of our country," he said.
A spokesperson for the White House, asked about Kim's remarks, said it had nothing to add to its earlier comments on the launch.
'STRIKING DEMONSTRATION'
Responding to the launch, which was in violation of U.N. sanctions, through the Security Council will be far more difficult now than after North Korea's last such test in 2017.
Security Council members are at odds over the Ukraine war making the kind of sanctions that it imposed on North Korea at that time a far more complicated process. read more
The Security Council will meet later on Friday to discuss the launch. On Thursday, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged North Korea "to desist from taking any further counter-productive actions".
The U.S. State Department announced sanctions on Thursday on two Russian companies, a Russian and a North Korean individual, and North Korea’s Second Academy of Natural Science Foreign Affairs Bureau for transferring sensitive items to North Korea’s missile programme. read more
North Korean state media photographs showed a massive missile, painted black with a white nosecone, rising on a column of flame from a launch vehicle.
The Hwasong-17 flew for 1,090 km (680 miles) to a maximum altitude of 6,248.5 km (3,905 miles) and hit a target in the sea, KCNA reported. Those numbers are similar to data reported by Japan and South Korea.
NK Pro, a Seoul-based website that monitors North Korea, said discrepancies in the imagery and video released by state media suggested that it may have been shot on different dates, raising the possibility that North Korea was hiding details about the missile launch.
North Korea never acknowledged what South Korea said was a failed missile launch from the same airport last week, and on Thursday the South's Yonhap news agency cited unnamed officials who said that they were examining whether the latest successful test may in fact have been a Hwasong-15 ICBM, which was test fired in November 2017.
KCNA called Thursday's successful test a "striking demonstration of great military muscle," while Kim said it was a "miraculous" and "priceless" victory for the Korean people.
Later, the state broadcaster released a video of the launch featuring Kim in a leather jacket and sunglasses. read more
North Korea first showed off the Hwasong-17 at a military parade in October 2020. Analysts said at the time it appeared considerably larger than the Hwasong-15.
It was displayed a second time at a defence exhibition in October 2021.
Officials in Seoul and Washington previously said launches on Feb. 27 and March 5 involved parts of the Hwasong-17 ICBM system, likely in preparation for a full test. (Reuters)
March
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited Kabul on Thursday to meet his Afghan counterpart, a spokesman for Afghanistan's foreign ministry said, the highest-level visit by a Chinese official since the Taliban took power last year. (Reuters)
March
Moon says N.Korea's Kim violated moratorium on ICBM launches - Blue House
Written by Nur Yasmin
South Korea's President Moon Jae-in said on Thursday North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had broken a moratorium on launching intercontinental ballistic missiles, strongly condemning the latest missile test, according to his office, the Blue House. (Reuters)
March
Japan PM says N.Korea's missile launch 'unacceptable act of violence'
Written by Nur Yasmin
North Korea's latest missile launch is an "unacceptable act of violence", Japanese Prime Minster Fumio Kishida said on Thursday.
Kishida, who is in Brussels for the G7 summit, said he would like to confirm cooperation regarding North Korea's action at the meeting, adding that North Korea's missile technology was improving.
Top officials in Seoul and Tokyo condemned North Korea's launch of what they said was an intercontinental ballistic missile earlier on Thursday. (Reuters)
March
Myanmar army denies Rohingya genocide, says some individuals may have committed crimes
Written by Nur Yasmin
Myanmar's military did not commit genocide against minority Rohingya Muslims during 2017 operations in Rakhine state, but crimes may have been committed by personnel on an individual level, an army spokesman said on Thursday.
Junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun was responding to a question at a news conference about a U.S. announcement that it had formally determined genocide and crimes against humanity had taken place in "widespread and systematic" attacks. (Reuters)