Category Archives: Asia Pacific

US military stockpiling supplies in Australia in readiness for any confrontation with China

Posted on by

American war planners used joint Talisman Sabre exercises to position equipment in northern Victoria

When US and Australian troops practised amphibious landings, ground combat and air operations last year, they drew headlines about the allies deepening defence cooperation to counter China’s growing military ambitions.

But for US war planners preparing for a potential conflict over Taiwan, the high-profile Talisman Sabre exercises had a far more discrete value: they helped create new stockpiles of military equipment that were established in Australia after the drills ended in August, US officials said.

Continue reading...

Elderly Uyghur women imprisoned in China for decades-old religious ‘crimes’, leaked files reveal

Posted on by

Hundreds of women sentenced for practices such as studying the Qur’an, dating back as far back as 60s and 70s, analysis of Chinese police files shows

Hundreds of thousands of Uyghur female religious leaders are estimated to have been arrested and imprisoned in Xinjiang since 2014, with some elderly women detained for practices that took place decades ago, according to an analysis of leaked Chinese police files.

There is growing evidence of the abusive treatment of the Uyghur Muslim population of the north-west Chinese region of Xinjiang, with their traditions and religion seen as evidence of extremism and separatism.

Continue reading...

Carmakers may be using aluminium made by Uyghur forced labour, NGO investigation finds

Posted on by

Companies such as Toyota, Volkswagen, Tesla, General Motors and BYD could do more to ensure their strict standards are applied in China, Human Rights Watch says

Car manufacturers Toyota, Volkswagen, Tesla, General Motors and BYD may be using aluminium made by Uyghur forced labour in their supply chains and could do more to minimise that risk, Human Rights Watch says.

An investigation conducted by HRW has alleged that while most automotive companies have strict human rights standards to audit their global supply chains, they may not be applying the same rigorous sourcing rules for their operations inside China.

Continue reading...

Fiji transfixed as reports of ministerial sex scandal threaten ruling coalition

Posted on by

Leaked intimate images allegedly depicting affair between two ministers captivate nation and rattle prime minister Sitiveni Rabuka’s coalition

A sex scandal involving allegations of an extramarital affair between two ministers, leaked intimate images and suggestions of drug use during a ministerial trip has gripped Fiji, rattling the government and raising questions over whether the coalition can survive.

The conservative Pacific nation of about 1 million people has been transfixed by the saga which centres on an alleged affair between the minister for women, Lynda Tabuya, and former minister for education Aseri Radrodro, a married man. Radrodro also used to be son-in-law to the prime minister, Sitiveni Rabuka. Discussion about the allegations has flooded social media in recent weeks, with some Fijians calling for their resignation, while others want accountability and an explanation from the coalition that has been in power for just over a year.

Continue reading...

Myanmar hands over junta-backed warlords to China in telecoms scam case

Posted on by

Ten people extradited on Tuesday accused of being key figures in fraud involving victims of trafficking

Myanmar has extradited 10 people, including notorious warlords, to China, where they are wanted for their alleged role in running abusive online and telephone fraud centres in which tens of thousands of foreign nationals are trapped and forced to run scams.

The centres – which target people in China as well as in other countries - have flourished since the Covid-19 pandemic and China says about 44,000 people have been involved, including victims of human trafficking.

Continue reading...

Thai court rules Move Forward party must end bid to reform lese-majesty law

Posted on by

Opposition leader rejects claims party is seeking to cause deterioration of monarchy

Thailand’s constitutional court has ruled that the opposition party’s pledge to reform the country’s lese-majesty law is unlawful and that it must cease such efforts.

The court ordered the Move Forward party and its leader, Pita Limjaroenrat, to stop all forms of communication aimed at bringing reforms to the law, under which criticism of the powerful royal family can lead to up to 15 years in prison on a single charge.

Continue reading...

Malaysia swears in motorbike-riding billionaire as new king under rotating monarchy system

Posted on by

Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar takes the throne at a time when royal intervention has been increasingly needed to deal with political instability

Malaysia has sworn in an outspoken motorcycle-riding king in what’s believed to be the world’s only rotating system of monarchy.

Nine ethnic Malay state rulers have taken turns as king for five-year terms since Malaysia gained independence from Britain in 1957.

Continue reading...

Japan’s former PM, 83-year-old Aso, piles insults on female foreign minister

Posted on by

Taro Aso, vice-president of ruling LDP, said Yoko Kamikawa ‘not that good looking’, got her name wrong, used ageist jibe and mixed up her place in history

A Japanese former prime minister and vice-president of the ruling Liberal Democratic party has been accused of sexism after making insulting comments about the foreign minister’s appearance and age.

“She’s not that good looking,” Taro Aso, who has a long history of inappropriate remarks, said of Yoko Kamikawa during a recent speech, before awkwardly praising her abilities as a politician. “But she speaks with dignity, speaks properly in English and makes appointments with people she needs to see on her own, without help from diplomats.”

Continue reading...

New Zealand to ban PFAS ‘forever chemicals’ in cosmetics in 2026

Posted on by

Country may be the first to do so, amid increasing concerns about the health and environmental risks posed by the virtually indestructible chemicals

New Zealand is banning so-called “forever chemicals” in cosmetics from 2026, in what could be the first example of a country doing so.

The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) said it has banned the use of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in cosmetics to protect people and the environment from the chemicals.

Continue reading...

Prominent Australians urge Albanese government to adopt activist middle power role to head off war between US and China

Posted on by

Statement signed by former foreign ministers, a Nobel laureate and academics outlines anxieties about possibility of conflict in Indo-Pacific region

Australia must step up diplomatic efforts to “avert the horror of great power conflict” and reduce the risk of being dragged into a war between the US and China, according to 50 prominent Australians.

The group, who include the former foreign ministers Bob Carr and Gareth Evans, is urging the Albanese government to play an “activist middle power” role to reduce tensions between Australia’s top security ally and its biggest trading partner.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Kim Jong-un’s bellicose stance could signal conflict, or his preference for a President Trump

Posted on by

North Korea’s leader has increased his displays of military aggression but analysts are split on whether it’s a sign of electoral interference or a war footing

When a highly militarised dictatorship fires artillery shells in the direction of its neighbour, which it has just denounced as its “greatest enemy”, then tests cruise missiles and underwater nuclear attack drones, it is reasonable to believe that armed conflict could follow.

But when that country is North Korea, conventional geopolitical punditry is often left wanting.

Continue reading...

Duterte calls Philippine president ‘a drug addict’ as rift deepens

Posted on by

Ferdinand Marcos Jr hits back with fentanyl insult amid breakdown in relations between political families

The former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte accused his successor, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, of being a drug addict who risked being ousted from office in an expletive-laden tirade that underlined the breakdown in relations between the two powerful political families.

Duterte’s speech on Sunday, in which he claimed Marcos Jr’s allies were trying to remove constitutional term limits so they could cling to power, follows long-running speculation about hostilities between the families.

Continue reading...

Papua New Guinea in talks with China on security cooperation, foreign minister says

Posted on by

Justin Tkachenko says they are in ‘early stages of negotiation’ with Beijing on its offer to assist with police and security

Papua New Guinea is in early talks with China on a potential security and policing deal, the country’s foreign minister Justin Tkachenko has said, weeks after deadly riots in the country’s capital.

Amid jostling between Washington and Beijing for influence in the Pacific, the biggest Pacific Islands nation, Papua New Guinea (PNG), has previously said Australia and the United States are its security partners, while China is an important economic partner.

Continue reading...

British Base jumper dies in 29-storey fall in Thailand

Posted on by

Nathy Odinson, 33, had parachute problem after climbing up building in Pattaya and jumping off

A British Base jumper has died after his parachute failed to open during a stunt in Thailand.

Nathy Odinson, 33, from Cambridgeshire, who had performed skydives and Base jumps around the world, is said to have illegally climbed up a 29-storey building in the coastal resort of Pattaya and jumped off on Saturday night.

Continue reading...

Amazon’s Expats series not available in Hong Kong, where it is set

Posted on by

First two episodes inaccessible to viewers in city, with some attributing censorship to umbrella protest scenes

Amazon’s big-ticket series Expats, set and filmed in Hong Kong, is not available for viewing in the city despite being billed as a worldwide release.

The first two episodes of the drama, starring Nicole Kidman and directed by The Farewell’s Lulu Wang, were released on Friday but listed as “currently unavailable” for viewers in Hong Kong. The series, based on a 2016 novel, The Expatriates, focuses on the lives of three American women in Hong Kong.

Continue reading...

Evergrande collapse: Hong Kong court orders liquidation of China property giant

Posted on by

Judge says ‘enough is enough’ after developer, which has $300bn in debt, fails to provide convincing restructuring plan

Embattled Chinese development company, Evergrande, has been ordered to liquidate by a Hong Kong court after an 18-month long hearing.

Evergrande, which holds the ignominious title of the world’s most indebted property developer with about $300bn in liabilities, failed to convince the court that it had a viable restructuring plan, after having been given seven extensions since court proceedings were first brought in June 2022. However it can still appeal.

Continue reading...

Japan’s Slim moon lander overcomes power crisis to start scientific operations

Posted on by

Moon probe starts taking pictures of lunar surface after bumpy landing left its solar cells pointing in the wrong direction

Japan’s Moon lander has resumed operations, the country’s space agency said on Monday, indicating that power had been restored after it was left upside down during a slightly haphazard landing.

The probe, nicknamed the “moon sniper”, had tumbled down a crater slope during its landing on 20 January, leaving its solar batteries facing in the wrong direction and unable to generate electricity.

Continue reading...

Chinese courts to rule on Hong Kong commercial disputes under new law

Posted on by

Legislation will further erode differences between legal systems of Hong Kong and mainland

A new law giving Chinese courts the authority to enforce rulings in commercial disputes in Hong Kong comes into effect on Monday, further reducing the barriers between the Hong Kong and Chinese legal systems.

The law puts into effect an agreement signed between China’s supreme people’s court and the government of Hong Kong in 2019 and is designed to reduce the need for re-litigation in civil and commercial disputes, in cases where there is a connection to mainland China.

Continue reading...

North Korea fires cruise missiles off east coast, says South Korea

Posted on by

South Korean military says it is analysing the launch along with US intelligence authorities

North Korea has fired multiple cruise missiles off an eastern military port, South Korea’s joint chiefs of staff have said.

The missiles were launched about 8am (2300 GMT Saturday) and were being analysed by South Korean and US intelligence authorities, South Korea said, without specifying how many missiles were fired.

Continue reading...

Tuvalu’s pro-Taiwan prime minister Kausea Natano loses seat in partial election results

Posted on by

The results fuel concern that the micronation could switch diplomatic recognition to Beijing, as votes continue to be counted

The pro-Taiwan leader of the Pacific islands nation of Tuvalu, Kausea Natano, has lost his seat according to partial election results.

The vote is being closely watched by Taiwan, China and the United States, amid speculation the micronation could be poised to switch diplomatic recognition to Beijing.

Continue reading...