China’s Xi seeks stronger Vietnam trade ties at start of SE Asia tour

Chinese President Xi Jinping sought stronger trade ties with neighboring Vietnam at the start of a five-day swing through Southeast Asia where Beijing presents itself as a source of economic stability amid uncertainty over U.S. tariffs. Xi was welcomed in Hanoi on Monday by Vietnam’s top leader To Lam. He also held talks with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh. The two countries signed 45 agreements including on enhancing supply chains and on cooperation over railways, Reuters reported. vietnam-china-xi-jinping Vietnamese General Secretary of the Communist Party To Lam and Chinese President…

Taiwan says Cambodia deported its nationals to China after fraud arrests

TAIPEI, Taiwan – Cambodia deported Taiwanese fraud suspects to China, the island’s foreign ministry said, urging Cambodian authorities to provide a complete list of the deportees, who may number in the dozens. About 180 Taiwanese were arrested together with seven alleged Chinese coconspirators on March 31, during raids on an online fraud center in Cambodia’s capital Phnom Penh. After receiving notification of the arrests on April 1, Taiwan’s representative office in Ho Chi Minh City began negotiating with the Cambodian government, said the ministry. Cambodia deported nearly 190 suspects to…

China told Hong Kong’s last major opposition party to shut down: members

TAIPEI, Taiwan – Senior members of Hong Kong’s Democratic Party, the city’s last remaining major opposition party, said that Chinese officials and their proxies had warned the party to disband or face “serious consequences,” including possible arrests. Founded in 1994, the Democratic Party was Hong Kong’s first major pro-democracy political force. It emerged from a movement that began in 1982 to oppose any erosion of freedoms from China-U.K. negotiations on the territory’s future. In February, the party announced plans to disband amid an ongoing political crackdown under two national security…