Category Archives: Asia Pacific

Reeves’ drive for growth seeks China lifeline after UK market turmoil

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Chancellor’s mission to Beijing weighted with greater expectations

Rachel Reeves hailed a new era of “respectful and consistent future relations with China” as pressure grew on the embattled ­chancellor to deliver on her government’s central promise to fire up UK economic growth.

After meeting China’s vice-­premier, He Lifeng, in Beijing, Reeves said Britain’s relationship with the world’s second largest economy would be “frank and open on areas where we disagree”, while stressing it would be pragmatic in ­“finding opportunities for safe trade and investment”.

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Black boxes on crashed South Korean plane cut out before impact, inquiry finds

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Recording of flight data ceased four minutes before Jeju Air crash that killed 179 people, says transport ministry

Flight data and cockpit voice recorders on the Jeju Air plane that crashed in South Korea in December, killing 179 people, stopped recording about four minutes before the airliner hit a concrete structure at Muan airport, the transport ministry said.

Authorities investigating the disaster, the worst plane crash on South Korean soil, plan to analyse what caused the black boxes to stop recording, the ministry said.

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‘I felt less human, not human at all’: Australia faces moral crossroads over Nauru

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Who is accountable for what happens in an offshore processing centre? It’s remarkable this is still a question in Australia

Aarash lost his youth to offshore processing. Sixteen when he was sent to Nauru, he says he cannot remember a single birthday in more than a decade.

“When I see younger ones that age, having fun, playing, going to school, it reminds me of everything I lost,” he says. “I felt less human, not human at all.”

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Rachel Reeves heads to China to build bridges, but a new golden era of relations is impossible

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Seeking business partners post-Brexit is sound policy, but even in these darker geopolitical times the UK will ultimately side with the US

Rachel Reeves will fly with a delegation of City grandees to China this week as Labour seeks closer economic links with Beijing as part of its quest for growth.

With the outlook increasingly rocky at home after a run of soft economic data, the chancellor is sorely in need of a positive story to tell.

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Japanese yakuza leader pleads guilty to trafficking nuclear materials from Myanmar

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US authorities charged Takeshi Ebisawa with conspiring to traffic nuclear materials from Myanmar for expected use by Iran in nuclear weapons

A member of the Japanese criminal underworld has pleaded guilty to handling nuclear material sourced from Myanmar and seeking to sell it to fund an illicit arms deal, US authorities have said.

Yakuza leader Takeshi Ebisawa and a co-defendant had previously been charged in April 2022 with drug trafficking and firearms offences, and both were remanded.

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New Caledonia Congress elects pro-France president after political crisis

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New leader Alcide Ponga says people want a ‘signal of hope’ after turmoil in the French Pacific territory

Weeks after its first ever pro-independence government collapsed, New Caledonia has named a French loyalist as its new president as the territory seeks to rebuild from deadly riots and destruction that battered the economy.

Alcide Ponga, from the Le Rassemblement party, was elected president by the newly installed executive in Congress on Wednesday. Ponga’s party is affiliated with French right-wing party LR, Les Républicains. The loyalists are in favour of keeping New Caledonia within France.

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Communist spies and assassination attempts: how the cold war still shapes South Korean politics

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Attitudes to North Korea are key to understanding President Yoon Suk Yeol’s attempt to impose martial law and its aftermath

As South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol remains barricaded in his residence facing arrest, his descent from star prosecutor to isolated leader reveals a deeper story about a cold war-era ideology that continues to shape – and shake – South Korean politics.

The scenes outside his residence might look familiar to audiences who followed Trump-era politics: supporters waving American flags claiming democracy is under threat, decrying “fake news”, rallying against alleged election fraud, and calls to “make Korea great again”.

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Former Cambodian opposition politician shot dead in Bangkok – reports

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A gunman on a motorcycle opened fire on the dual Cambodian-French national as he arrived in Thai capital from Cambodia’s Siem Reap

A former Cambodian opposition lawmaker and French national was fatally shot by a gunman in Thailand’s capital of Bangkok on Tuesday, Thai police have confirmed.

Lim Kimya, 74, died at the scene, police said, and was attacked just hours after he arrived in Thailand from the Cambodian city of Siem Reap by bus, accompanied by his French wife and brother.

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Thailand bans imports of plastic waste to curb toxic pollution

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Campaigners welcome move but say success depends on enforcement and global agreement on a treaty

Thailand has banned plastic waste imports over concerns about toxic pollution, as experts warn that failure to agree a global treaty to cut plastic waste will harm human health.

A law banning imports of plastic waste came into force this month in Thailand, after years of campaigning by activists. Thailand is one of several south-east Asian countries that has historically been paid to receive plastic waste from developed nations. The country became a leading destination for exports of plastic waste from Europe, the US, the UK and Japan in 2018 after China, the world’s biggest market for household waste, imposed a ban.

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Taiwan investigating Chinese vessel over damage to undersea cable

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Shunxing 39 was briefly detained by coastguard on Friday on suspicion of dragging anchor over cable running to US

Taiwanese authorities are investigating a Chinese-owned vessel that is suspected of damaging an undersea internet cable, causing limited disruption.

The Cameroon-registered vessel Shunxing 39 was briefly detained by Taiwan’s coastguard on Friday on suspicion of dragging its anchor over an international subsea cable north-east of the island. The cable runs to the US and is co-owned by several international companies.

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China’s yuan hits 16-month low amid fears over Trump tariffs

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CSI 300 blue-chip stock index also trades weakly, hitting its lowest point since September

China’s currency hit a 16-month low on Monday, despite efforts by the central bank and stock exchanges to soothe investor worries about impending US tariffs under a Donald Trump presidency.

The tightly controlled yuan reached 7.3301 per US dollar, its weakest level since September 2023. It has routinely hit multi-month lows since Trump won the US election, promising massive tariffs on Chinese imports.

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South Korea investigators seek extension of arrest warrant for president

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Request comes after attempts to detain Yoon Suk Yeol were thwarted by presidential security service guards last week

South Korea’s investigating authorities have requested an extension of a warrant to arrest the country’s impeached president, Yoon Suk Yeol.

The corruption investigation office for high-ranking officials (CIO) made the application at Seoul western district court on Monday.

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Waitangi Day: record crowds expected amid tensions over Māori policy in New Zealand

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Event in February that commemorates signing of New Zealand’s founding document expected to draw tens of thousands but PM will not attend

Organisers of New Zealand’s national day commemorating the signing of the country’s founding treaty between Māori tribes and the British crown are expecting record attendance in 2025, following a year of rising tensions over the government’s policy direction for Māori.

In February, tens of thousands of people are expected to descend on Waitangi, in New Zealand’s Northland region, to commemorate the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, which was signed by Māori chiefs and the British Crown in 1840 and is instrumental in upholding Māori rights.

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Thousands of rival protesters rally in Seoul after Yoon Suk Yeol avoids arrest

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Crowds gather outside South Korean presidential residence where suspended leader is protected by security officers

Thousands of rival South Korean protesters have rallied in the capital a day after a failed attempt to arrest the country’s suspended president, Yoon Suk Yeol, for imposing a short-lived martial law decree that led to his impeachment.

The country has been plunged into political chaos since last month, with Yoon defiantly holed up in the presidential residence surrounded by hundreds of loyal security officers who have so far resisted efforts by prosecutors to arrest him.

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World’s oldest person, Tomiko Itooka, dies in Japan aged 116

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Itooka, who died at a care home in Ashiya, enjoyed bananas and had been a keen mountain climber

A Japanese woman who was the world’s oldest living person has died at the age of 116.

Tomiko Itooka, who was awarded the Guinness World Record status last year, died on 29 December at a care home in Ashiya, Hyogo prefecture in central Japan.

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Fire at food market in northern China kills eight people and injures 15

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Cause of fire in city of Zhangjiakou in Hebei province is under investigation

At least eight people have died and 15 are injured after a fire broke out at a food market in northern China, according to state media.

The fire at the Liguang market in the city of Zhangjiakou broke out at midday on Saturday and had been mostly extinguished two hours later, the Xinhua news agency reported, citing a government official in Qiaoxi district where the market is located.

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Myanmar junta to free about 6,000 prisoners in annual amnesty, including 180 foreigners

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It was not clear whether Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been held virtually incommunicado since 2021 coup, would be among those released

Myanmar’s military government will release about 6,000 prisoners and has reduced other inmates’ sentences as part of a mass amnesty on Saturday marking the 77th anniversary of independence from Britain.

There was no sign that the prisoner release would include Aung San Suu Kyi, 79, who has been held virtually incommunicado by the military since it seized power from her elected government in 2021. She is serving a 27-year sentence after being convicted of a series of politically tinged prosecutions brought by the military.

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Man charged over alleged rape of Virgin Australia crew member in Fiji

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Airline staff were celebrating New Year’s Eve in Nadi when the alleged incident occurred

A man has been charged with the alleged rape and sexual assault of a Virgin Australia crew member in Fiji in the early hours of New Year’s Day.

The man “will be produced in court on Monday”, after having been taken into custody on Wednesday, acting police commissioner Juki Fong Chew said in an email that confirmed a report by ABC.

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Philippine president removes deputy from security council after alleged plot to kill him

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Vice-president Sara Duterte is facing an investigation over her alleged threat to kill Ferdinand Marcos Jr

The Philippine president, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, has removed his vice-president, Sara Duterte, from the national security council (NSC) a month after she allegedly plotted to kill him, according to an executive order released on Friday.

The order, signed on Monday by Lucas Bersamin, a lawyer and the Philippines’ executive secretary, removed Duterte and all former presidents from the council, which advises the president on policies affecting national security.

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Thai prime minister declares £324m in assets including 217 designer handbags

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Paetongtarn Shinawatra made required wealth declaration to national anti-corruption commission

Thailand’s prime minister, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, has declared £324m in assets including a collection of 217 designer handbags and 75 luxury watches in submissions on her wealth to a government body.

Paetongtarn, daughter of the billionaire ex-prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, took office in September, the fourth member of the powerful family to lead Thailand.

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