Reuters Asia Top

BEIJING (Reuters) – Nuclear submarine cooperation between Australia, the United States and Britain may may spark an arms race, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Thursday. “Once ‘pandora’s box’ is opened, the regional strategic balance will be disrupted, regional security will be seriously threatened,” said Tan Kefei, a spokesperson at the Chinese defence ministry, during …

China says Australia-Britain-US nuclear submarine cooperation may spark arms race Read More »

TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) – Honduran President Xiomara Castro will travel to China “soon,” the Honduran foreign ministry said on Twitter on Wednesday, without providing a date for the trip. The announcement came days after China established diplomatic ties with Honduras as the Central American country ended its decades-long relationship with Taiwan. Honduras’ foreign minister traveled to …

Honduras’ Castro to visit China after cutting Taiwan ties Read More »

By Hyonhee Shin SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korea executes people for drugs, sharing South Korean media, and religious activities as it stifles its citizens’ human rights and freedom, its rival, South Korea, said in a report on Thursday. South Korea’s Unification Ministry, which handles inter-Korean affairs, based the 450-page report on testimony collected from 2017 …

North Korea executes people for South Korean videos, drugs – report Read More »

By Ariba Shahid KARACHI, Pakistan (Reuters) -China is working on a request from cash-strapped Pakistan to roll over a $2-billion loan that matured last week, a top finance ministry official told Reuters, amid a stalemate in bailout talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Such a rollover is critical for Pakistan, where foreign exchange reserves …

Pakistan awaits China’s decision on rollover of $2 billion loan -govt source Read More »

By Josh Horwitz, Kane Wu and Julie Zhu SHANGHAI/HONG KONG (Reuters) – Alibaba Group said on Thursday it will look to monetise non-core assets and consider giving up control of some businesses, as the Chinese tech conglomerate reinvents itself after a regulatory crackdown that wiped 70% off its shares. Group CEO Daniel Zhang said the …

Alibaba considers yielding control of some businesses in overhaul Read More »

(Reuters) – Chinese officials plan random and spot checks at medical facilities in the country to track incomplete and under-reported COVID-19 data, the country’s health authority said, amid a wider call by global authorities for more transparency. For months, the country has faced pressure from countries and health experts to reveal and be more forthcoming …

China plans random, spot checks at hospitals to track COVID Read More »

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The White House urged China on Wednesday not to use a “normal” stopover in the United States by Taiwan’s president as a pretext to increase aggressive activity against Taiwan. John Kirby, the White House national security spokesperson, told reporters that Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen’s arrival soon in the United States is the latest …

White House to China: Don’t use Taiwan visit as ‘pretext’ Read More »

(Reuters) – Twitter has blocked the Pakistan government’s account from being viewed in India in response to a legal demand, according to a notice on the social media platform on Thursday. The company’s guidelines compel it to withhold entire accounts in response to a valid legal demand, such as a court order. The account, @GovtofPakistan, …

Twitter blocks Pakistan govt’s account for viewing in India – notice Read More »

(Reuters) -The United States, Britain, Japan and Australia on Wednesday expressed their concern over the dissolution of Myanmar’s former ruling party and urged a more inclusive process to return the country to democracy. Myanmar’s ruling junta on Tuesday disbanded Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) and 39 other parties over their failure …

US, allies concerned over Myanmar disbanding Suu Kyi party Read More »