Taiwan Holds Military Drills to Defend Against Threat of Chinese Invasion 

KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan —  Almost every day, Chinese warships sail in waters around Taiwan and warplanes fly toward the island before turning back. What if they suddenly attacked? Taiwan’s military conducted a two-day exercise at sea, on land and in the air this week to practice defending against such a surprise attack. As journalists looked on from fast escort boats, a mine layer released at least a half dozen dummy mines from a chute in its stern. Maj. Gen. Sun Li-fang, the chief defense ministry spokesperson, told reporters at Zuoying Naval…

South Korea, Japan and China Agree to Resume Trilateral Leaders’ Summit, but Without Specific Date 

Seoul —  Meeting for the first time in about four years, the top diplomats from South Korea, Japan and China agreed Sunday to revive cooperation among the Asian neighbors and resume their leaders’ trilateral summit — but without a specific timing. Closely linked economically and culturally with one another, the three countries together account for about 25% of the global gross domestic product. But efforts to boost cooperation have often hit a snag because of a mix of issues including historical disputes stemming from Japan’s wartime aggression and the strategic…

Activists Protest China’s Xi Even Before he Arrives at APEC

San Francisco and Washington —  Before Chinese President Xi Jinping’s arrival in San Francisco on Wednesday for the APEC summit, protesters and pro-democracy activists voiced concerns about China and Xi that are rarely expressed in China or the region. The summit is expected to bring U.S. President Joe Biden and Xi together for their first face-to-face meeting since they spoke on the sidelines of the G20 summit meeting in Bali, Indonesia, in November 2022. Xi last visited the United States in April 2017, when then-President Donald Trump served him a…

Australia Hopeful China Will End Trade Sanctions

Australia is hoping its trade dispute with China, which has affected billions of dollars in commodity exports, could be coming to an end after Beijing lifted tariffs on barley. Trade restrictions imposed by China on a range of Australian goods, including coal, wine and beef, have been part of broader disputes between the two nations. There has been diplomatic friction in recent years over democracy in Hong Kong, human rights, and Beijing’s ambitions in the South China Sea and the Pacific. Last week, China’s commerce ministry said it would scrap…

China, Russia to Start Joint Air, Sea Drill in Sea of Japan

Codenamed “Northern/Interaction-2023,” the drill marks enhanced military cooperation between China and Russia since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine and is taking place as Beijing continues to rebuff U.S. calls to resume military communication. The Chinese flotilla comprised of five warships and four ship-borne helicopters, left the eastern port of Qingdao and will rendezvous with Russian forces in a “predetermined area.” the ministry said on its official WeChat account on Sunday. On Saturday, the ministry said Russian naval and air forces would participate in the drill taking place in the Sea of…

India Opens Myanmar Port with Wary Eye on China

BANGKOK —  India helped inaugurate a long-awaited seaport in western Myanmar this month amid New Delhi’s efforts to cope with rival China’s growing influence in Southeast Asia and across the Indo-Pacific. A maiden delivery of 1,000 metric tons of cement from the Indian metropolis of Kolkata docked May 9 in Sittwe, Myanmar, at a new port funded by New Delhi. The Sittwe port is the first node in the $484 million Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project, aimed at connecting greater India with its landlocked northeast through western Myanmar’s Rakhine and…

China, South Korea Agree to Strengthen Talks on Chip Industry

BEIJING —  China and South Korea have agreed to strengthen dialog and cooperation on semiconductor industry supply chains, amid broader global concerns over chip supplies, sanctions and national security, China’s commerce minister said. Wang Wentao met with South Korean Trade Minister Ahn Duk-geun on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) conference in Detroit, which ended Friday. FILE – Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao speaks during a State Council Information Office news conference in Beijing, China, Feb. 24, 2021. They exchanged views on maintaining the stability of the industrial…

Can China’s Stand-Up Comedy Scene Survive Joke About Two Dogs?

Taipei, Taiwan —  “Good work style and capable of winning battles.” That’s how House, a famous Chinese stand-up comedian, described his two adopted street dogs chasing squirrels at two performances in Beijing. The audience burst into laughter because they, like the comedian whose real name is Li Haoshi, understood the origin of the phrase. It is a training requirement for the People’s Liberation Army set forth by Xi Jinping, who is the president of China, the general secretary of the Communist Party of China and the chairman of the Central…

China, Russia Increasing Their Military Ties: Warns Japan FM

STOCKHOLM —  Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi expressed concern Saturday about Russian and Chinese military cooperation in Asia and said the security situation in Europe and the Indo-Pacific region was indivisible since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Speaking at a meeting of European and Indo-Pacific foreign ministers in Sweden, Hayashi said Russia’s war in Ukraine had “shaken the very foundation of the international order” and must face a united response by the international community. Participants pose for a photo during an EU Indo-Pacific Ministerial Forum in connection to an informal…

Chinese Migrants Use Social Media Tips on Trek to US-Mexico Border

The difficulty of obtaining U.S. visas and the economic aftershocks of China’s COVID lockdowns have led to a sharp increase in Chinese nationals presenting at the U.S.-Mexico border. Some of those arrivals have learned from social media websites and applications about how to make the long and dangerous journey, migrants, immigration experts, attorneys and current and former U.S. officials, told Reuters. “Entering the United States at the southern border is an expensive and risky proposition. But if you have personal or economic reasons to do so, then it is a…