Reuters Asia Top

By Michael Martina and Trevor Hunnicutt WASHINGTON (Reuters) -CIA director William Burns visited China last month for talks with Chinese counterparts, two U.S. officials said on Friday as Washington seeks to boost communications with Beijing. “Last month, Director Burns traveled to Beijing where he met with Chinese counterparts and emphasized the importance of maintaining open …

US CIA chief Burns visited China in May Read More »

By Idrees Ali, Phil Stewart and Yew Lun Tian WASHINGTON/BEIJING (Reuters) – Brief smiles and handshakes by U.S. and Chinese military leaders at a luxury hotel in Singapore on Friday belie a deep freeze in communications between the two armed forces that is becoming a growing worry at the Pentagon. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin …

China’s snub of U.S. military leader highlights escalation risk Read More »

By Jessie Pang HONG KONG (Reuters) -Some Hong Kong shopkeepers are quietly commemorating the 34th anniversary of the Tiananmen crackdown despite the spectre of a China-imposed national security law and pressure to stay silent on the episode that is censored in mainland China. Hong Kong used to play a leading global role in commemorating the …

Hong Kong businesses mark Tiananmen anniversary in face of pressures Read More »

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin shook hands with China’s Minister of National Defense Li Shangfu on the sidelines of a security summit in Singapore but the two did not have a “substantive exchange,” the Pentagon said on Friday. In a video posted on Twitter by a Wall Street Journal reporter, Austin was …

U.S., China defense chiefs shake hands at security summit, but no ‘substantive exchange’ Read More »

By David Kirton and Ryan Woo BEIJING (Reuters) – Heatwaves tormenting parts of southern and eastern China are set to persist through June, putting power grids under strain as air conditioners are turned on full blast at homes, offices and factories in mega-cities like Shanghai and Shenzhen. In the next three days, most of southern …

Southern China swelters, power grids struggle under ‘relentless’ heatwaves Read More »

By Elaine Lies TOKYO (Reuters) – Parts of Japan were slammed by torrential rain on Friday as Tropical Storm Mawar neared, prompting authorities to advise over a million people to evacuate, though no injuries were reported. Mawar, which wreaked havoc on Guam earlier this week, has weakened to tropical storm strength from its earlier super …

Japan slammed by torrential rain as tropical storm nears Read More »

By Tim Kelly, Nobuhiro Kubo, Yukiko Toyoda and Kaori Kaneko TOKYO (Reuters) – The United States is seeking to secure supplies of TNT in Japan for 155mm artillery shells, as Washington rushes weapons and ammunition to Ukraine for a counteroffensive against Russian forces, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters. For war-renouncing Japan, any …

Exclusive-U.S. seeking explosives in Japan for Ukraine artillery shells – sources Read More »