China

WASHINGTON — U.S. officials are becoming increasingly concerned about the emerging partnership among China, Russia, Iran and North Korea – a bloc being talked about by some in Washington as a new “axis of evil.” Those worries got a major boost on Wednesday with confirmation by U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin during a trip to Rome that North Korean troops are now present in Russia, presumably …

Prague/Washington — In the lobby of an upscale hotel in Prague, Sikyong Penpa Tsering talked about death — specifically, the eventuality that China’s Xi Jinping will one day die. “Nothing is permanent. Even our life is not permanent. We are born, and we have to die. So even empires rise and fall. Governments rise and fall. Xi Jinping will also have to die. So, these are …

While Hong Kong’s economy remains open, observers say Beijing’s heavy-handed political interventions risk the city-state’s status as an international business hub. …

taipei, taiwan — Taiwan is stepping up efforts to strengthen its capabilities to respond to a potential military blockade by China, as Beijing increases military pressure on the democratically ruled island. In a report outlining Taiwan’s wartime food plan, which was submitted to parliament on Tuesday, the Ministry of Agriculture said it had maintained a three-month rice stockpile and ensured food and critical supplies were stored …

A top Chinese official has urged tech giant Apple to deepen its presence and investment in innovation in the world’s second largest economy at a time when supply chains and companies are shifting production and operations away from China. As U.S.-China geopolitical tensions simmer and tech competition between Beijing and Western countries intensifies, foreign investment in China shrunk in 2023 to its lowest level in …

Ankara — Assailants set off explosives and opened fire in an attack Wednesday on the premises of the Turkish state-run aerospace and defense company TUSAS, killing four people and wounding several, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said. At least two of the attackers died, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said. “We have four martyrs. We have 14 wounded. I condemn this heinous terrorist attack and wish mercy …

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday that Israel’s killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar presents a “real opportunity” to achieve an agreement to free the remaining hostages still being held by the militant group in the Gaza Strip. Speaking to reporters in Tel Aviv before flying to Saudi Arabia, Blinken said Israel has achieved a number of successes in the war against Hamas, …

Taipei, Taiwan — A Chinese aircraft carrier group sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday, Taiwan’s defense minister said, a day after Beijing held a live-fire exercise near the self-ruled island. China considers Taiwan to be part of its territory and has ramped up military activity around the island in recent years to pressure Taipei into accepting its claims of sovereignty.  “The Liaoning is passing through …

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has visited missile bases to examine their readiness to undertake actions of “strategic deterrence,” while calling U.S. nuclear capabilities a growing threat to the country, state media reported on Wednesday. The U.S. strategic nuclear arsenal poses an “ever-increasing threat” to North Korea’s security environment, which demands that Pyongyang maintain a strict counteraction posture of its nuclear …

bangkok — Myanmar journalists are being offered resources including equipment and training as part of a new initiative. Set up by Reporters Without Borders, or RSF, and the Exile Hub, which supports human rights defenders who fled their home countries, the Myanmar Press Freedom Project will work to support journalists from Myanmar who are in exile or still reporting under harsh conditions inside the country. “Through …

washington — Hezbollah is seeking to quickly boost sales of illegal drugs in Europe, former U.S. officials tell VOA, as the Iran-backed Lebanese militia reels from a weekslong Israeli offensive that has destroyed and disrupted its key sources of cash in Lebanon.  International law enforcement officials tell VOA, though, the U.S.-designated terror group faces some challenges in ramping up its European drug trafficking operations.   Hezbollah …

Baghdad — Iraqi forces have killed nine Islamic State group commanders, including the militants’ top figure in the country, Baghdad announced Tuesday, with the Pentagon saying two U.S. troops were injured during the raid. Iraq’s Joint Operations Command said in a statement that counterterrorism forces “killed nine terrorists, among them the so-called governor of Iraq” for IS, naming him as Jassim al-Mazroui Abu Abdel Qader. The …

United Nations — A group of Western nations called on China Tuesday to release all arbitrarily detained Uyghur Muslims and Tibetans and to allow independent human rights observers to visit sites to make assessments. “Transparency and openness are key to allaying concerns,” said Australian Ambassador to the United Nations James Larsen, during a U.N. General Assembly committee meeting on human rights. “We call on China to …

Russian President Vladimir Putin called Chinese President Xi Jinping his “dear friend,” amid growing cooperation between Moscow and Beijing, as the leaders met at the BRICS summit in Kazan.  Xi also expressed his gratitude at the meeting regarding the increasing partnership between Russia and China, saying the “profound relationship” between the two countries has “continuously deepened and expanded comprehensive strategic coordination and practical cooperation.”  Since …

Koror, Palau — When Palau passed a law to close off 80% of its oceans to fishing in 2015, the tiny pacific nation became a global leader in conservation. Palau’s national marine sanctuary is one of the largest in the world. But now, that legacy is being tested with a government proposed plan to expand fishing in the waters from 20% to 50%, effectively shrinking the …

BEIJING — China and the Vatican have agreed to extend an accord on the appointment of Catholic bishops in the communist country for a period of four years, the two parties said on Tuesday.   The Vatican struck a landmark deal with the Beijing government in 2018. The agreement, which was previously renewed every two years, gives Chinese officials some input into who Pope Francis appoints as …

Lee Hsien Yang, the youngest son of the founder of modern Singapore Lee Kuan Yew, said on Tuesday he is now a political refugee from Singapore under the U.N. Refugee Convention. In a Facebook post, Lee, the estranged brother of former premier Lee Hsien Loong, said Britain has determined he faces “a well-founded risk of persecution, and cannot safely return to Singapore.” “I sought asylum …

HONG KONG — China’s National Health Commission (NHC) published its first set of guidelines to standardize the diagnosis and treatment of obesity, with more than half of China’s adults already overweight and obese, and the rate expected to keep rising. The guidelines, made public on October 17, come as China experiences an upward morbidity trend of its overweight and obese population. The rate of overweight or …

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to meet with Israeli leaders Tuesday as he makes a push to revive stalled Gaza cease-fire talks, enable greater humanitarian access to Gaza and deescalate the war between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Making his 11th visit to the region since the conflict in Gaza erupted in October 2023, Blinken’s schedule Tuesday includes talks with Israeli Prime …

New Delhi — After four years of heightened tensions and disrupted economic ties, India and China have agreed on a return to 2020 border patrol arrangements along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Himalayas, India’s Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar announced Monday.   The agreement marks a significant step toward resolving a simmering border conflict that in 2020 saw clashes between their militaries in the …

Manama, Bahrain — Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa received Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in the Gulf state’s capital Manama on Monday, state media reported, amid fears of conflict potentially spreading across the Middle East. The pair “discussed bilateral cooperation and the latest regional developments, focusing on efforts to de-escalate tensions and reach peaceful solutions,” according to the official Bahrain News Agency. Araghchi has …

washington — The General Assembly of the World Uyghur Congress (WUC) is set to begin Thursday, following months of ongoing harassment from the Chinese government that the top Uyghur organization has described as “unprecedented.” In the months leading up to the group’s eighth general assembly, which takes place this year in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Uyghur organization has endured numerous efforts to derail or even …

Manila, Philippines — A Philippine court has convicted and sentenced to life 17 Islamic militants for kidnapping for ransom 21 people, including European tourists and Asian workers, from a dive resort in Malaysia more than two decades ago, officials said Monday. The Filipino militants belonged to the small but violent Abu Sayyaf group. Among those convicted by the Regional Trial Court in Taguig city, a suburb …

MANILA, Philippines — The U.S. Army’s recent deployment of a midrange missile system to the northern Philippines was “incredibly important” and allowed American and Filipino forces to jointly train for the potential usage of such heavy weaponry in Asian archipelago conditions, a U.S. general said Monday.  The Biden administration has moved to strengthen an arc of military alliances in the Indo-Pacific to better counter China, including …