TOKYO (Reuters) – Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Thursday he has no plan to attend the Winter Olympics in Beijing at the moment, taking what appeared to be a softer tone than Western allies who have declared a diplomatic boycott. The issue of whether Japan will send senior officials to the Games in …
Japan PM Kishida says he has no plan to visit Beijing Olympics Read More »
By Michael Martina and David Brunnstrom WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Taiwan will deepen economic ties with Lithuania in a “cycle of goodwill” as it faces pressure from Beijing, Taiwan’s de facto ambassador to the United States said on Wednesday, after Lithuania’s diplomatic delegation hastily departed China. Beijing downgraded ties with Lithuania in November following Taiwan’s opening …
Taiwan will support Lithuania in face of intimidation from China, envoy says Read More »
By Josh Smith SEOUL (Reuters) – Ten years after Kim Jong Un assumed power North Korea is better armed but deeply isolated and more dependent on China, despite actions by the young leader that raised – and dashed – hopes of economic transformation or international opening. Kim’s pursuit of nuclear weapons defined his first 10 …
Analysis-N.Korea after 10 years of Kim Jong Un: Better armed but more isolated than ever Read More »
By Humeyra Pamuk KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) -U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday cut short a brief trip to Southeast Asia aimed at revitalizing relations in a region where China’s influence has grown after a COVID-19 case in the press corps accompanying him. Blinken had been due to hold meetings in Thailand on Thursday …
Blinken halts Asia trip after COVID-19 case in U.S. traveling group Read More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Britain’s foreign minister criticised what she called the “unacceptable pressure” by China after Lithuania’s diplomatic delegation left the country on Wednesday in a hastily arranged exit. Beijing, which has stepped up pressure on countries to sever relations with Taiwan, downgraded diplomatic ties with Lithuania in November after the island opened a representative …
UK criticises “unacceptable pressure” by China against Lithuanian diplomats Read More »
By Nate Raymond BOSTON (Reuters) – A lawyer for a Harvard University professor charged with concealing his ties to a China-run recruitment program accused U.S. prosecutors on Wednesday of “inventing something out of nothing” as the closely watched trial got underway. Jurors heard opening statements from prosecution and defense lawyers in the trial of Charles …
Harvard professor didn’t lie about China ties, lawyer says at U.S. trial Read More »
By Anastasia Lyrchikova MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russia and China should stand firm in rejecting Western interference and defending each other’s security interests, presidents Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping agreed in a video call on Wednesday. Their conversation, eight days after Putin spoke to U.S. President Joe Biden in a similar format, underscored how shared hostility to …
Putin and Xi cement partnership in face of Western pressure Read More »
HANOI (Reuters) – A Vietnamese court on Wednesday handed lengthy terms of jail and house arrest to two Facebook users for anti-state activities, police said, a day after a journalist and prominent dissident was imprisoned on the same charge. A Hanoi court sentenced Trinh Ba Phuong to 10 years in prison and five years of …
Vietnam hands down long jail terms to ‘anti-state’ Facebook users Read More »
By Yew Lun Tian and Andrius Sytas BEIJING/VILNIUS (Reuters) -Lithuania’s diplomatic delegation to China left the country on Wednesday in a hastily arranged exit, diplomatic sources said, as relations soured further over Taiwan, which opened a de facto embassy in Vilnius last month. Beijing, which has stepped up pressure on countries to sever relations with …
Lithuanian diplomats leave China as relations sour over Taiwan Read More »
By Hyonhee Shin SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korea has changed the way it carries out capital punishment in response to greater international scrutiny of its human rights, holding executions away from prying eyes to stop information filtering out, a rights group said on Wednesday. The Seoul-based Transitional Justice Working Group analysed satellite imagery and conducted …
Under scrutiny, North Korea tries to restrict news about executions – group Read More »
