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News, analysis, graphs and maps from all across the Asia-Pacific
🇺🇸🇯🇵 Trump discusses Taiwan, end of war in Ukraine with Shinzo Abe’s widow
US President-elect Donald Trump reportedly discussed the security environment involving China and Taiwan when he met Akie Abe, widow of Japan’s late former prime minister Shinzo Abe, earlier in December.
Persons familiar with the meeting said Trump regarded strained ties between China and Taiwan as a major global issue.
Sources said Trump also reiterated his willingness to negotiate a ceasefire between Moscow and Kyiv.
Trump handwrote the word “peace” in a book of photos he gave Abe as a present for the current Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.
#USA #Japan
@asianomics
🇯🇵🇨🇳 Most foreign buyers of land near Japan security areas are Chinese
Chinese nationals or companies bought 203 properties or plots of land close to facilities identified by the Japanese government as critical to national security in the past year, stoking fresh alarm over foreign ownership in strategically sensitive areas of the country.
A study released by Japan’s Cabinet Office on Monday confirmed that foreign nationals or entities bought a total of 371 properties or land within 1km of a “specially monitored zone”.
Under Japan's law to regulate the use of real estate with security significance, remote islands and areas within 1 kilometer of important sites such as Self-Defense Forces bases and nuclear plants are designated as "monitored areas" or "special monitored areas." A total of 583 locations are designated as such.
#Japan #China
@asianomics
🇯🇵🇨🇳 Top Japan, China diplomats begin talks in Beijing amid tensions
Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya and China's top diplomat, Wang Yi, began talks in Beijing on Wednesday, as the two nations aim to increase mutual high-level visits while maintaining communication amid continuing tensions.
For Iwaya, visiting China for the first time since taking office in October, it marks his first meeting with Wang. The previous visit by a Japanese foreign minister to the neighboring nation was made by Yoshimasa Hayashi in April 2023.
The talks come after Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to promote "mutually beneficial" and "stable" relations and to arrange foreign ministers' reciprocal visits "at an appropriate time" during their first summit in November in Peru.
#Japan #China
@asianomics
🇰🇷🇰🇵 South Korea’s ex-intelligence commander’s note reveals alleged plans to provoke North Korea
A notebook belonging to a former military intelligence commander who was arrested in the recent martial law investigation contained details about plans to “provoke North Korea into an attack” at the de facto inter-Korea sea border.
South Korea police said the notes, reading “provoke North Korea into an attack at the Northern Limit Line” and “block the National Assembly”, were found at the residence of former defense intelligence commander Noh Sang-won on Dec 20.
The notes partly aligned with statements made by several opposition party lawmakers claiming that Yoon Suk-yeol and then Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun tried to provoke North Korea by striking trash balloons and with a drone deployment to Pyongyang.
#SouthKorea #NorthKorea
@asianomics
🇹🇼🇨🇳 Taiwan warns defense could suffer under opposition's funding laws
Taiwan's cabinet warned the island's security might be at risk after opposition parties passed laws that will require cuts in government spending, including defence, at a time when China has ramped up military activity nearby.
Taiwan's opposition parties, which hold a majority in parliament, last week passed legislation to shift spending from the central government to local municipalities.
To meet the new funding requirements, the central government will need to cut 28% from a major section of its budget proposal for next year that included T$294.5 billion of the overall defense budget.
#Taiwan #China
@asianomics
🇰🇷 South Korean opposition plans to impeach acting president Han, floor leader says
South Korea's main opposition party plans to "immediately" take steps to impeach acting president Han Duck-soo, the party's floor leader said.
The Democratic Party's (DP) floor leader Park Chan-dae announced this after Han postponed approving legislation to launch a special counsel investigation into President Yoon Suk-yeol's failed bid to impose martial law.
"Acting president Han made it clear at today's cabinet meeting that he would not greenlight the special prosecution law. There is no way to interpret it other than that he is delaying time," Park said.
#SouthKorea
@asianomics
🇯🇵 Record number of Japanese school employees punished for sex offences
The number of public school teachers in Japan punished for sex-related offences in its most recent fiscal year rose to 320, a record high, according to a survey by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology released on Dec 20.
The survey included school principals, teachers and dormitory supervisors at public institutions who received disciplinary action in the school year starting in April 2023 and ending March 2024.
Nearly half of the 320 were found guilty of sexual violence against children, with 155 dismissed from their positions and two others receiving suspensions.
#Japan
@asianomics
🇰🇷 South Korean opposition threatens to impeach Han over martial law counsel
South Korea's main opposition party threatened on Monday to impeach acting president Han Duck-soo if he failed to proclaim a law to launch a special counsel investigation into President Yoon Suk-yeol's failed bid to impose martial law.
The party, which has accused Han of aiding Yoon's martial law attempt and reported him to police, said it would "immediately initiate impeachment proceedings" against the acting president if the legislation was not promulgated by Tuesday.
"The delays show that the prime minister has no intention of complying with the constitution, and it is tantamount to admitting that he is acting as a proxy for the insurgent," Democratic Party floor leader Park Chan-dae told a party meeting, referring to Yoon.
#SouthKorea
@asianomics
🇯🇵🇺🇸 Japan to order Google to stop violating antitrust law
Japan's competition watchdog plans to order US IT giant Google to halt violations of the country's antitrust law, sources familiar with the matter told Kyodo.
The watchdog suspects that Google has unfairly pressured smartphone manufacturers to pre-install its search app, the sources added.
#Japan #USA
@asianomics
🇰🇭🇯🇵🇨🇳 Cambodia to grant Japan visitation rights to China-linked naval base
Cambodia's influential former Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Friday that Japan would be granted visitation rights to the country's Ream Naval Base, a facility the United States is concerned could become a military outpost for China.
Chinese military vessels have been rotating through Ream since a Beijing-funded upgrade started in June 2022. Cambodia has denied reports of a secret deal with China to station its forces at the base.
Hun Sen, now Cambodia's Senate president, announced the decision to grant US ally Japan access during a visit by Akiba Takeo, its national security adviser.
#Cambodia #Japan #China
@asianomics
🇺🇸🇹🇼 Biden approves $571 mln in defense support for Taiwan
US President Joe Biden on Friday agreed to provide $571.3 million in defense support for Taiwan, the White House said, while the State Department approved the potential sale to the island of $265 million worth of military equipment.
Biden had delegated to the secretary of state the authority "to direct the drawdown of up to $571.3 million in defense articles and services of the Department of Defense, and military education and training, to provide assistance to Taiwan," the White House said in a statement without providing details.
Taiwan's defense ministry thanked the United States for its "firm security guarantee", saying in a statement the two sides would continue to work closely on security issues to ensure peace in the Taiwan Strait.
#USA #Taiwan
@asianomics
🇨🇳🇺🇸 China has expanded its nuclear force, Pentagon says
The People’s Republic of China has improved its ability to project power globally despite corruption purges and a shrinking economy, the Pentagon’s annual report card on the Chinese military says.
The Pentagon annual China Military Power Report, mandated by Congress, chronicles a dramatic rise in the People’s Liberation Army’s nuclear, space, missile, and aviation capabilities in both number and quality in recent years. That includes a growing nuclear arsenal that added 100 new warheads in the last year.
The report notes that China wants to develop the capability to operate militarily beyond the so-called First Island Chain, which stretches from Japan to the Philippines and includes Taiwan.
#USA #China
@asianomics
🇺🇸🇨🇳 Congress to vote on new restrictions on US investment in China
The US Congress is set to vote in the coming days on legislation restricting US investments in China as part of a bill to fund government operations through mid-March, lawmakers said late on Tuesday.
In October, the Treasury finalized rules effective Jan. 2 that will limit US investments in artificial intelligence and other technology sectors in China that could threaten US national security.
The bill expands on those restrictions and also includes other provisions aimed at concerns about China, including a requirement to study national security risks posed by Chinese-made consumer routers and modems and mandate reviews of Chinese real estate purchases near additional national security-sensitive sites.
#USA #China
@asianomics
🇻🇳🇺🇸 Vietnam PM eyes expansion of defense cooperation, US offers to play role
Vietnam wants to expand its international defense cooperation to build trust and prevent wars, its prime minister said on Thursday, and the United States said it was hopeful its defense industry could play a key role.
In remarks to open Vietnam's second international arms fair, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said the expo was "a message of peace, cooperation and development".
On the sidelines of the expo, US Ambassador to Vietnam Marc Knapper said US defense firms could team up with Vietnamese counterparts in multiple areas, including joint production and technology transfers.
#Vietnam #USA
@asianomics
🇯🇵🇧🇾 Detention of Japanese national in Belarus confirmed by embassy
The Japanese Embassy in Belarus said it has confirmed a Japanese national has been detained in the Eastern European country, following a report that a man was taken into custody earlier this month near the border with Ukraine.
The embassy, however, declined to disclose any personal information about the Japanese person nor any allegations made by Belarusian authorities.
According to the report by a Belarusian media outlet, a Japanese man was taken captive on Dec. 1 after he allegedly recorded a video of a car bridge in Gomel in the southeast.
#Japan #Belarus
@asianomics
🇹🇼🇨🇳 Former Taiwan leader emphasizes shared roots of island and mainland Chinese
Former Taiwanese leader Ma Ying-jeou has vowed to protect the island’s deep-rooted cultural and historical ties with mainland China while accusing the ruling Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) of having a “misguided political agenda” in attempting to sever these links.
Ma made the statements at the seminar co-hosted by the Ma Ying-jeou Foundation. It brought together high-ranking mainland officials, including the mainland’s Taiwan Affairs Office director Song Tao, academics and participants from both sides of the Taiwan Strait.
“Most Taiwanese people maintain a strong sense of identity with Chinese culture and the Chinese nation,” Ma asserted. “Any attempts by the DPP to promote de-sinicisation are bound to fail because Chinese culture is deeply rooted in the bloodline of its people.”
#Taiwan #China
@asianomics
🇨🇳🇵🇭 China condemns Philippine defense chief's remarks on China, US missiles
China on Wednesday condemned comments by the Philippine defense minister about China, calling them "baseless accusations" that "maliciously attacked" China's ruling Communist Party.
Gilberto Teodoro said on Tuesday that the Philippines has the right to allow the deployment of a US missile system in the country despite China’s continued opposition to it.
China's embassy in Manila said in a statement that Teodoro's remarks were "filled with ideological bias, factional confrontation, cold war mentality".
#China #ThePhilippines
@asianomics
🇰🇷 South Korea's Yoon defies second agency summons over martial law
South Korea's suspended President Yoon Suk-yeol did not respond on Wednesday to a second summons by anti-corruption authorities who, along with prosecutors, are investigating his short-lived martial law decree issued early this month.
Yoon had not appeared for questioning as of 10 a.m. on Christmas Day as requested by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, after ignoring their first summons last week.
Yoon also did not respond on Dec. 15 to a separate summons by prosecutors who are investigating the martial law declaration.
#SouthKorea
@asianomics
🇺🇸🇨🇳 Biden launches new Chinese chips trade probe, will hand off to Trump
The Biden administration announced a last-minute trade investigation into older Chinese-made "legacy" semiconductors that could heap more US tariffs on chips from China that power everyday goods from autos to washing machines to telecoms gear.
US Trade Representative Katherine Tai said the probe aims to protect American and other semiconductor producers from China's massive state-driven buildup of domestic chip supply.
The "Section 301" probe, launched four weeks before Donald Trump takes office, will be handed over to his administration in January for completion. The effort could offer Trump a ready avenue to begin imposing some of the hefty 60% tariffs he has threatened on Chinese imports.
#USA #China
@asianomics
🇰🇷🇰🇵🇷🇺 South Korea says it detects signs of North Korea preparing more troops, drones for Russia
South Korea's military said it has detected signs of North Korea preparing to send more troops and weapons, including suicide drones, to Russia.
Pyongyang has already provided 240mm multiple rocket launchers and 170mm self-propelled howitzers to Russia, and was seen preparing to produce more suicide drones to be shipped there after leader Kim Jong Un guided a test last month, according to Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).
"Suicide drones are one of the tasks that Kim Jong Un has focused on," a JCS official said, adding that the North had expressed its intention to give them to Russia.
#SouthKorea #NorthKorea #Russia
@asianomics
🇵🇭🇺🇸 Philippine military says will acquire US Typhon mid-range missile system
The Philippine military plans to acquire the US Typhon missile system to protect its maritime interests, some of which overlap with regional power China.
“It is planned to be acquired because we see its feasibility and its functionality in our concept of archipelagic defense implementation,” Philippine Army chief Lieutenant-General Roy Galido said at a news conference on Dec 23.
As a rule, it takes at least two or more years for the Philippine military to acquire a new weapons system from the planning stage, Lt-Gen Galido said, adding it was not yet budgeted for 2025.
#ThePhilippines #USA
@asianomics
🇻🇳🇨🇳 Vietnam to start construction of new railway linking with China by end-2025
Vietnam will start building a new railway from its largest northern port to the border with China by the end of next year, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said.
The 417-km railway will run from Lao Cai province through capital Hanoi to Haiphong City, the statement said.
The new railway will link up with the recently built lines extending China’s railway network to the Vietnamese border, facilitating imports of Chinese industrial goods and materials.
When integrated into the broader transport network across Southeast Asia, Vietnam hopes to benefit from better connectivity with regional markets and further establish itself as an industrial hub and investment destination
#Vietnam #China
@asianomics
🇨🇳 Xi’s anti-corruption campaign nets record number of officials in 2024
Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s war on corruption has ensnared a record number of high-ranking officials this year, with 56 senior cadres at vice-ministerial level or above being investigated.
That marks a jump of nearly 25% from 2023, when 45 high-ranking officials were subject to graft probes by anti-corruption agency the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.
According to the Post’s analysis, corruption cases involving top party organs and ministries have doubled, while there was also an increase in cases within the aviation and defense industries.
#China
@asianomics
🇨🇳🇺🇸🇹🇼 China calls Taiwan a 'red line', criticizes new US military aid to island
China criticized new US military aid to Taiwan on Sunday, saying the $571 million package seriously violates the "one China principle" and provisions of joint communiques between China and the US.
China will take "all necessary measures" to protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity, a foreign ministry spokesperson said, calling Taiwan "a red line that must not be crossed" in China-US relations, according to a statement released by the ministry.
#China #USA #Taiwan
@asianomics
🇰🇷 South Korea police questioned acting president Han over martial law decree
South Korean police have questioned Prime Minister and Acting President Han Duck-soo as part of an investigation into the short-lived decision this month to impose martial law.
The acting president was among 12 people present at a cabinet meeting on Dec. 3 shortly before President Yoon Suk-yeol's shock late-night announcement on martial law. Nine of those people have been questioned by a special police unit investigating the case.
The official at Han's office did not say when he was questioned, but said it took place before Han was appointed acting president. He was being investigated as a suspect.
#SouthKorea
@asianomics
🇨🇳🇺🇸 Seven Chinese nationals tried to illegally enter Guam as US tested missile, authorities say
Seven Chinese citizens were arrested on charges of illegally entering Guam around the time the US Missile Defense Agency conducted a key missile interception test using a new radar.
The agency said at least four of the people arrested on Dec. 10-11 were found "in the vicinity of a military installation". Guam has many such installations, including Andersen Air Force Base, where the Dec. 10 missile test was conducted.
Guamanian authorities said that all of the Chinese nationals arrived on the same boat from Saipan, and that the investigation was ongoing.
#China #USA
@asianomics
🇯🇵🇰🇷 Japan's Ishiba, acting South Korea pres. Han affirm need to develop ties
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and his South Korean counterpart Han Duck Soo, the nation's interim leader, agreed Thursday to maintain close communication to keep the improvement in bilateral ties on track despite the impeachment of the president.
Ishiba and Han, who assumed the role of South Korea's acting president on the weekend due to Yoon Suk-yeol's impeachment, also reaffirmed during their phone call the importance of continuing to collaborate trilaterally with the United States in dealing with North Korea and other issues.
Concerns linger over the possible negative impact on Japan-South Korea ties, which significantly improved under Yoon and Ishiba's predecessor, Fumio Kishida, as they worked to resolve bitter disputes over wartime compensation and other issues. Trilateral cooperation involving the United States has also been enhanced.
#Japan #SouthKorea
@asianomics
🇰🇷 South Korea's Yoon willing to represent himself in legal proceedings, lawyer says
South Korea's impeached President Yoon Suk-yeol is willing to present his views himself during legal proceedings related to his short-lived declaration of martial law, a lawyer advising Yoon said on Thursday.
Seok Dong-hyeon, a lawyer and long-time friend of Yoon, also told reporters that multiple - seemingly overlapping - investigations involving Yoon should be streamlined.
"He (Yoon) has already apologized for surprising and shocking the public, and he remains apologetic for that... but he has a clear and confident position on the issues that are in dispute and must be addressed," Seok told a briefing, adding Yoon had never even considered insurrection.
#SouthKorea
@asianomics
🇨🇳🇵🇭 China permits Philippine ship to deliver supplies to Second Thomas Shoal outpost
China has allowed a Philippine civilian ship to deliver supplies to a warship long grounded by Manila at the Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea, the Chinese coastguard said on Tuesday.
“On December 12, with the permission of the Chinese side, the Philippines sent a civilian boat to deliver daily necessities to its illegally ‘beached’ warship on Renai Jiao,” China Coast Guard spokesman Liu Dejun said in a statement, using Beijing’s term for the Second Thomas Shoal.
A day later, the Chinese defense ministry accused the Philippines of “stirring up troubles” in several spots in the South China Sea “with US support and solicitation”.
#China #ThePhilippines
@asianomics
🇻🇳 Vietnam seeks to boost domestic defense industry as it hosts arms fair
Vietnam will showcase locally made weapons at an international arms fair in Hanoi on Thursday, as it seeks to boost its domestic industry and possibly export military equipment.
Among the nearly 250 exhibitors will be top defense companies, including from the United States, Europe, Turkey, Israel, Iran, Russia and Ukraine.
State-owned defense firm Viettel and other local companies will showcase missile defense systems, drones, air defense radars, armoured vehicles and artillery, according to Vietnam defense ministry media.
#Vietnam
@asianomics