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September
Russia to reinforce its Tajikistan base with new tanks
Written by Nur Yasmin
Russia is to equip its military base in Tajikistan, which neighbours Afghanistan, with 30 new tanks by the end of the year, the Interfax news agency reported.
Moscow has held military exercises in Tajikistan and expanded the hardware at the base, its biggest in a foreign country, since the U.S. withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan and the Taliban's lightning takeover.
Russia is worried about the potential for fallout in the wider region and the possibility of Islamist militants infiltrating Central Asia, which Moscow sees as its southern defensive buffer.
Tajikistan's border with Afghanistan stretches for 1,344 km (835 miles), and much of it is mountainous and hard to police.
Interfax quoted Khanif Beglov, tank unit commander of Russia's Central Military District, saying 30 modern tanks would be stationed at the base by the end of the year to replace older combat vehicles. (Reuters)
September
Facing stalemate in ties, Biden and China's Xi discuss avoiding conflict in call
Written by Nur Yasmin
U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping spoke for 90 minutes on Thursday, in their first talks in seven months, discussing the need to ensure that competition between the world's two largest economies does not veer into conflict.
The U.S. side said the "proof will be in the pudding" as to whether the stalemate can be broken with ties between the superpowers languishing at their lowest point in decades.
In a statement, the White House said Biden and Xi had "a broad, strategic discussion," including areas where interests and values converge and diverge. The conversation focused on economic issues, climate change and COIVD-19, a senior U.S. official told reporters.
"President Biden underscored the United States' enduring interest in peace, stability, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and the world and the two leaders discussed the responsibility of both nations to ensure competition does not veer into conflict," the White House added.
Occasional high-level meetings since Xi and Biden's first call in February have yielded scant progress on issues ranging from human rights to transparency over the origins of COVID-19.
In the months since, the two sides have lashed out at each other almost constantly, often with vitriolic public attacks, sanctions on officials and criticism over not upholding international obligations.
Chinese state media said Xi had told Biden that U.S. policy on China imposed "serious difficulties" on relations, but added that both sides agreed to maintain frequent contact and ask working-level teams to step up communications.
"China and the United States should ... show strategic courage and insight, and political boldness, and push Sino-U.S. relations back to the right track of stable development as soon as possible," state media said, citing Xi.
Asian currencies and share markets strengthened, as investors speculated that the call could bring a thaw in ties between the two most important trading partners of regional economies.
Xi said that if "core concerns" on both sides were respected, diplomatic breakthroughs could still be made in the area of climate change, adding that the issue could add "positive factors" to the relationship.
During a visit to China by Biden's top climate envoy John Kerry last week, senior diplomat Wang Yi said climate change was an "oasis" in China-U.S. relations but it could not be separated from broader disputes.
'PROOF WILL BE IN THE PUDDING'
The Biden administration, preoccupied by a chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, has signaled that ending America's longest war will give U.S. political and military leaders the space to tackle more pressing threats from China's rapid rise.
But Beijing has been quick to seize on the U.S. failure in Afghanistan to try to portray the United States as a fickle partner.
Last month, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Washington should not expect China's cooperation on that or other issues if it was also trying to "contain and suppress" China.
The senior U.S. administration official told reporters before the call that Washington had been disappointed that Chinese officials appeared only willing to read talking points during recent high-level talks.
The official added that the U.S. side saw the leaders' call as a test of whether direct engagement with Xi could end what had become a stalemate in ties.
"This is about seeing if there is an ability to engage more substantively than we've been able to ... the proof will be in the pudding," the official said after the call, describing the tone as candid, but respectful.
But the official also acknowledged that the United States' ability to change China's behavior may be limited, and that Washington must largely focus on shoring up competitiveness and rallying partners and allies.
Successive U.S. administrations have complained that Beijing has sought to use endless dialogue as a delaying tactic, frustration with which ultimately led Washington to end an annual U.S.-China dialogue mechanism.
Even so, the official said Biden had not planned to raise the prospect of U.S. retaliatory action or "costs" if China refused to co-operate on a range of issues, including investigations into the origin of COVID-19.
Beijing denies the U.S. accusation that it has not co-operated with the pandemic source investigation.
The U.S. official said it would require a "training period" for the Biden administration to convince Chinese leaders, who are preparing for an important Communist Party congress next year, that Beijing's stance would not pay dividends.
"We also think that essentially Beijing's actions are quieter than their words," the official said. "Their responses to our actions have actually been largely symbolic and frankly their hard line rhetoric isn't really working." (Reuters)
September
Vietnam to reopen resort island to foreign tourists to boost economy
Written by Nur Yasmin
Vietnam plans to reopen the beach-fringed island of Phu Quoc to foreign tourists from next month, authorities said, as the country looks at ways to revive an economy suffering from extended lockdowns due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The island, 10 km (6 miles) off the coast of Cambodia, is expected to open for a trial period of six months, the government said in a statement issued late on Thursday.
Vietnam, which is currently shut to all visitors apart from returning citizens and investors, had managed to contain the virus for much of the pandemic but in the past three months has faced a surge in infections driven by the Delta variant.
"The prolonged pandemic has seriously hurt the tourism industry," Vietnam's tourism and culture minister Nguyen Van Hung said.
Fully vaccinated tourists with a negative coronavirus test will be eligible to visit Phu Quoc, the statement said, adding they could fly to the island on chartered or commercial flights.
Foreign arrivals to Vietnam slumped from 18 million in 2019, when tourism revenue was $31 billion, or nearly 12% of its gross domestic product, to 3.8 million last year.
At the same time, lockdowns in recent months have prompted companies to suspend operations. August industrial output fell 7.4% from a year earlier, while exports were down 5.4% and retail sales plunged by 33.7%.
Vietnam will fully vaccinate all residents on Phu Quoc before opening, the tourism ministry said, adding that the island had not reported any community infections and had sufficient COVID-19 quarantine and treatment facilities.
Neighbouring Thailand has already partially reopened to foreign tourists, including on the resort island of Phuket, where about 70% of the population were required to be vaccinated.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh conceded this month that Vietnam was facing a lengthy battle against the coronavirus, which has infected over 570,000 people and killed 14,400, so could not just rely on lockdowns and quarantine. read more
Meanwhile, the foreign ministry said on Thursday Ho Chi Minh City, the epicentre of the latest outbreak, has allowed restaurants to offer takeaway meals and shippers to operate more widely in a slight relaxation of a tough lockdown. (Reuters)
September
Taliban interim government agrees to let foreigners leave Afghanistan
Written by Nur Yasmin
Two hundred foreigners in Afghanistan, Americans among them, are set to depart on charter flights from Kabul on Thursday after the new Taliban government agreed to their evacuation, a U.S. official said.
The departures will be among the first international flights to take off from Kabul airport since the Islamist militia seized the capital in mid-August, triggering the chaotic U.S.-led evacuation of 124,000 foreigners and at-risk Afghans.
The flights come two days after the Taliban announced an interim government made up of mainly ethnic Pashtun men, including wanted terror suspects and Islamist hardliners, dashing international hopes for a more moderate administration.
The Taliban were pressed to allow the departures by U.S. Special Representative Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. official said, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity.
The official could not say whether the American civilians and other foreign nationals were among people stranded for days in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif because their private charters had not been allowed to depart.
The announcement of a new government on Tuesday was widely seen as a signal the Taliban were not looking to broaden their base and present a more tolerant face to the world, as they had earlier suggested they would do.
All of the ministers are men, and nearly all are Pashtuns, the ethnic group that predominates in the Taliban's southern Afgan heartland but accounts for less than half the country's population.
Foreign countries greeted the interim government with caution and dismay on Wednesday. In Kabul, dozens of women took to the streets in protest and several journalists covering the demonstration said Taliban fighters detained and beat them.
The new Taliban Interior Ministry later said that to avoid disturbances and security problems, anyone holding a demonstration should apply for permission 24 hours in advance.
Protests by both women and men were being curtailed because there was a security threat from Islamic State fighters, said a Taliban minister who declined to be identified. Any attack on journalists would be investigated, he said.
QUESTIONS OVER RECOGNITION
Many critics called on the leadership to respect basic human rights and revive the economy, which faces collapse amid steep inflation, food shortages and the prospect of foreign aid being slashed as countries seek to isolate the Taliban.
The Taliban government wanted to engage with regional and Western governments and to work with international aid organisations, the Taliban minister said.
But White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said no one in the Biden administration "would suggest that the Taliban are respected and valued members of the global community".
The European Union voiced its disapproval at the appointments. It was ready to continue emergency humanitarian assistance, but longer-term development aid would depend on the Taliban upholding basic freedoms.
Saudi Arabia expressed hope the new government would help Afghanistan achieve "security and stability, rejecting violence and extremism". read more
Analysts said the make-up of the cabinet could hamper recognition by Western governments, which will be vital for broader economic engagement.
The new acting Cabinet includes former detainees of the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay. The interior minister, Sirajuddin Haqqani, is wanted by the United States on terrorism charges and carries a reward of $10 million, while his uncle, with a bounty of $5 million, is the minister for refugees and repatriation.
NOT CRICKET
U.S. Central Intelligence Agency director William Burns discussed Afghanistan in talks in Pakistan with army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa and military intelligence head Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed, Pakistan's military said.
Afghanistan's ousted U.S.-backed government for years accused Pakistan of supporting the Taliban. While officially denying that, Pakistan has long seen the Taliban as its best option for minimising the influence of old rival India in Afghanistan.
The last time the Taliban ruled Afghanistan, from 1996 to 2001, women and girls were banned from work and education. The group carried out public executions and its religious police enforced a radical interpretation of Islamic law.
Taliban leaders have pledged to respect people's rights, including those of women, in accordance with sharia Islamic law, but have yet to provide details of the rules they intend to enforce. Afghans who have won greater freedoms over the past two decades fear losing them.
In an interview with Australia's SBS News, a senior Taliban official said women would not be allowed to play cricket - a popular sport in Afghanistan - or possibly any other sport because it was "not necessary" and their bodies might be exposed.
Australia's cricket board said it would scrap a planned test match against the Afghanistan men's team if the Taliban did not allow women to play. (Reuters)
September
Foreign brands criticised in China for misleading shoppers
Written by Nur Yasmin
Chinese state media and ruling party members have rounded on several foreign brands, criticising them for misleading customers after authorities fined the Chinese unit of clothing company Canada Goose (GOOS.TO) for false advertising.
The dressing down comes as tension between China and Western countries has fuelled patriotism and driven some shoppers to turn to home-grown labels. read more
"Basket of lies and wave of falsehoods," the Communist Youth League, the youth wing of China's ruling party, said on its WeChat social media account, referring to the punishment for Canada Goose.
The state-owned China Economic Daily also singled out the down jacket manufacturer in a Wednesday editorial, highlighting how the administration for market regulation in Shanghai city fined its local unit 450,000 yuan ($70,000) for false advertising in June.
The market regulator said that instead of goose down, the jackets mainly use duck down and claims that a type of down known as Hutterite down was the warmest Canadian down misled consumers.
The China Economic Daily praised the market regulator for "catching the lying Canada goose across the Pacific".
Canada Goose and its China unit did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
But it is not only Canada Goose that has come in for criticism, the newspaper said, adding that Chinese consumers were increasingly questioning their assumption that foreign goods were better.
"International brands have been caught doing wrong very often lately making internet users wonder if the foreign moon is still rounder than it is in China," the Youth League said in an article.
The China Economic Daily echoed that, saying: "Consumers have come to understand that foreign brands do not necessarily represent high quality ... Chinese brands are on the rise."
The newspaper also criticised Unilever's Magnum ice cream, saying it was made with cheaper ingredients in China compared with those used in Western countries.
Telephone calls to Unilever's office in China were not answered and the company did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
The Communist Youth League criticised the Japanese milk brand Yakult over false advertising.
In August, the administration for market regulation in Shanghai fined a Yakult unit 450,000 yuan for claiming in a promotion that probiotics had an "important role" in the prevention of COVID-19, according to a filing that the Youth League posted.
Yakult's China office did not immediately respond to telephone calls or an emailed request for comment. (Reuters)
September
Japan extends COVID-19 emergency curbs in Tokyo, other areas
Written by Nur Yasmin
Japan extended emergency COVID-19 restrictions on Thursday in Tokyo and other regions until the end of this month to curb infections and prevent hospitals being overwhelmed.
Announcing the extension, ratified earlier by an advisory panel, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said it was needed to shore up a medical system still stretched by serious cases even though new infections were falling and vaccinations were rising.
"Inoculation of all those who wish to be vaccinated will be completed in October or November," Suga told reporters. "And from then, we will be able to ease restrictions by using proof of vaccination or testing results."
Japan has been struggling with a fifth wave of the virus and last month extended its long-running curbs until Sept. 12 to cover about 80% of its population.
The number of severe cases and the strain on the medical system have not eased sufficiently in Tokyo and surrounding areas to allow restrictions to be lifted. The measures will now stretch until Sept. 30, including for Osaka in the west.
Japan's emergency curbs have centred on asking restaurants to close early and refrain from serving alcohol. Residents are being urged to work from home as much as possible and refrain from travel.
Some signs of improvement around Japan mean two prefectures out of 21 will move from the state of emergency measures to more targeted restrictions, and a number of other prefectures will remove all curbs.
"I believe we're starting to see results, but it's still too early to lower our guard," Health Minister Norihisa Tamura said.
INTERNATIONAL ENTRY RESTRICTIONS
The Nikkei newspaper reported that the government was moving towards easing international entry restrictions by reducing quarantine times for vaccinated travelers. The move has been urged by Keidanren, Japan's main business lobby, and foreign chambers of commerce.
"We welcome any proposal to re-open Japan's borders to business travel, as part of a science-based approach to preserving public health," Christopher LaFleur, special advisor to the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan, said.
LaFleur said many of Japan's top trade partners allow vaccinated travelers to enter freely and mandate quarantines of 10 days for those without shots, and that it was "reasonable that Japan adopt the same policy."
Local media have reported that the government may allow restaurants to resume regular business hours and alcohol sales as the vaccination push nears completion in October and November.
Authorities are considering plans that would reward businesses that maintain current infection controls, such as foot traffic limits, or encourage in-store checks of vaccination and testing status.
About half of the population has now been fully vaccinated in Japan.
Tokyo's new daily coronavirus infections totaled 1,834 on Wednesday. Japan has reported around 1.6 million cases and 16,436 deaths but the death rate has declined in the latest outbreak. The 1% fatality rate compares with 1.6% in the United States and 1.9% in Britain.
Shigeru Omi, Japan's chief health advisor, said on Wednesday the pandemic fight was shifting to focus more on the threat of new viral variants or a possible decline in the effectiveness of vaccines. (Reuters)
September
'Quad' countries arranging summit meeting in Washington on Sept 24 -Kyodo
Written by Nur Yasmin
Final arrangements are being made for the leaders of the United States, Australia, Japan and India to meet in person in Washington on Sept. 24, Kyodo News reported on Thursday, citing unnamed U.S. and Japanese sources.
The four countries held their first meeting in March virtually, pledging to work closely on COVID-19 vaccine distribution, climate issues and security as part of an effort to counter China's growing influence.
Japanese media have reported that outgoing Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga was due to attend the meeting and also hold talks with U.S. President Joe Biden. Japan's top government spokesman said earlier on Thursday that no final decision had been made. (Reuters)
September
Japan vaccine minister Kono to declare LDP leadership run on Fri -Kyodo
Written by Nur Yasmin
Japanese vaccine minister Taro Kono will formally announce on Friday that he is joining the race to lead the ruling party, Kyodo news agency said.
That will make Kono the third candidate to replace Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, who last week threw into disarray the contest for leadership of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) with a sudden statement that he would not run.
The party's majority in parliament virtually ensures that its leader will become prime minister. The leadership election is set for Sept 29. (Reuters)
September
New Zealand buys Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines from Spain
Written by Nur Yasmin
Around a quarter of a million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech (PFE.N) COVID-19 vaccine bought from Spain will arrive in New Zealand this week, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Thursday, boosting the country's inoculation programme.
The doses will arrive in Auckland on Friday, Ardern said, adding to some 1.8 million doses being delivered directly from Pfizer throughout September.
"This means we don't have any plans to slow down the rollout," Ardern said at a news conference.
Officials have sped up the national vaccination programme as they battle an outbreak of the Delta variant that prompted Ardern to order a snap nationwide lockdown last month.
About 1.7 million people in the largest city of Auckland remain in a strict level 4 lockdown but curbs have been eased in the rest of the country.
Around 31% of New Zealand's 5.1 million people have been fully vaccinated, one of the slowest paces among the wealthy nations of the OECD grouping.
Officials on Thursday reported 13 new cases of COVID-19, all in Auckland, taking the total number of cases in the latest Delta variant outbreak to 868.
Ardern's lockdowns and international border closure since March 2020 have been credited with reining in COVID-19, largely freeing up day-to-day activities for New Zealanders. (Reuters)
September
Duterte daughter denies Philippine succession interest as expectation rises
Written by Nur Yasmin
The daughter of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said on Thursday she would not run for higher office in next year's general election, a remark that did little to dampen speculation that she has her eye on the presidency.
Sara Duterte-Carpio, 43, mayor of Davao City, has topped all opinion polls this year on preferred candidates for the top post and has given mixed signals about the possibility of running.
Her father is barred by the constitution from seeking a second term, but on Wednesday he accepted his PDP-Laban party's nomination to run in the vice president contest. read more
"I am not running for a national position as we both agreed only one of us will run for a national position in 2022," Duterte-Carpio, told reporters, referring to her father.
Expectations of her running grew on Wednesday when Duterte's chosen successor, Senator Christopher "Bong" Go, declined PDP-Laban's presidential nomination. Duterte-Carpio is not a party member.
"Their actions confirm their support for a candidate outside the party," said Ronwald Munsayac, an official from a rival faction led by boxing star Manny Pacquiao, who is also considering running for president.
"It was a smokescreen for another candidate from Davao," he added.
Such a scenario is not unheard of in the Philippines' often dramatic elections.
Duterte, who has portrayed himself as a reluctant leader, was a last-minute replacement for a 2016 election candidate, in what was widely dismissed as a choreographed stunt.
Political analysts believe Duterte-Carpio may use that same playbook. read more
In July she launched a Facebook page with a video saying she wanted the public to get to know her, while "run, Sara, run" banners, posters and t-shirts are now ubiquitous.
She last week said several politicians have offered to be her running mate. read more
It is not uncommon for former leaders to be prosecuted in the Philippines and a victory could insulate her father from legal action, including a possible international indictment over his bloody war on drugs, analysts have said.
Antonio La Vina, professor of law and politics at the Ateneo de Manila University, said he suspected PDP-Laban's vacancy was engineered to put pressure on her to run, with her father's vice presidential bid for "insurance".
"They are hedging their bets," La Vina said. (Reuters)