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☆ Senior U.S. diplomat links AUKUS submarine pact to Taiwan
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-04 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on Australia, United Kingdom, United States (AUKUS) Partnership as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of the United Kingdom and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of Australia participate at Naval Base Point Loma in San Diego, California, United States. 2 diplomat suggested on Wednesday that the AUKUS submarine project between Australia, Britain and the U.S. could help deter any Chinese move against Taiwan. U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell made a rare linkage between Taiwan and AUKUS, telling Washington's Center for a New American Security think tank that new submarine capabilities would enhance peace and stability, including in the strait that separates China and Taiwan. AUKUS' submarine capabilities "have enormous implications in a variety of scenarios, including in cross-strait circumstances," Campbell said. "I would argue that working closely with other nations, not just diplomatically but in defense avenues, has the consequence of strengthening peace and stability more generally," he added.

Persons: Joe Biden, Rishi Sunak, Anthony Albanese, Kurt Campbell, AUKUS, Campbell Organizations: Naval Base Point, Taiwan, New, New American Security Locations: Australia, United Kingdom, United States, Naval Base Point Loma, San Diego , California, Britain, U.S, Taiwan, China, New American

U.S. officials, after learning about the plot in late July, demanded that India investigate, a senior administration official said. High-level meetings and pledges of closer cooperation have continued, with Biden's secretaries of state and defense visiting Delhi this month. A senior U.S. administration official called the assassination plot a "serious matter" and said Washington expects India to stop such activities, even as the Biden administration pursues "an ambitious agenda to expand our cooperation" with India. Biden has made a priority of nurturing ties with India, hoping to counter China’s ambitions in Asia while drawing India away from Russia as the U.S. seeks to isolate Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine. "Both the U.S. and India realize that they need each other, perhaps the U.S. a bit more than India."

Persons: Elizabeth Frantz, Nikhil Gupta, Joe Biden, Narendra Modi, Biden, Modi, Lisa Curtis, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Canada’s, Happymon Jacob, Richard Rossow, Ashley Tellis, David Brunnstrom, Simon Lewis, Krishn Kaushik, Jonathan Landay, Trevor Hunnicutt, Don Durfee, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Eisenhower, White, REUTERS, Rights, Federal, New, New York City, Indian, White House, CIA, Washington, South, National Security Council, Canada, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Washington's Center, Strategic, International Studies, Biden Administration, Carnegie Endowment, International, U.S, Thomson Locations: United States, India, Washington , U.S, U.S, China, Manhattan, New York, New Delhi, Delhi, The U.S, Central Asia, Asia, Russia, Moscow, Ukraine, York, Canada, Vancouver suburb, Gujarat

☆ Vietnam ramps up South China Sea island expansion, researchers say
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A Vietnamese naval soldier stands quard at Thuyen Chai island in the Spratly archipelago in the South China Sea on January 17, 2013. China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan all claim territory in the sea, which covers important shipping routes and is thought to hold untapped oil and gas reserves. China claims sovereignty over vast swathes of the South China Sea, including the areas where Vietnam has been building up islands. China, Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam have lodged competing claims for some or all of the Spratly Islands. In August, the Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam rejected a map released by China that denotes its claims to sovereignty including in the South China Sea.

Persons: Thuyen, Khanh Vu, Robert Birsel Organizations: Washington's Center, Strategic, International Studies, Vietnam's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, CSIS's, Transparency, Thomson Locations: Thuyen Chai, Spratly, South, China, Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Taiwan, HANOI, South China, U.S, Spratly Islands, CSIS's Asia

U.S. President Joe Biden meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the G20 leaders' summit in Bali, Indonesia, November 14, 2022. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSAN FRANCISCO, Nov 14 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet on Wednesday before a summit of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in San Francisco, seeking to reduce friction in what many see as the world's most dangerous rivalry. But they have met only once in person since then and Xi has not visited the United States since 2017 when Donald Trump was president. In a separate dinner with business leaders, the Chinese president will also been looking to boost flagging investment by U.S. firms in China. Biden is also expected urge China to use its influence with Iran to not broaden the conflict in the Middle East.

Persons: Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, Kevin Lamarque, Xi, Donald Trump, Biden, Richard Fontaine, There's, Trump, David Brunnstrom, Michael Martina, Don Durfee, Grant McCool Organizations: REUTERS, FRANCISCO, Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation, East China Seas, U.S, Washington's Center, New, New American Security, APEC, Thomson Locations: Bali , Indonesia, San Francisco, United States, San Francisco Bay, Ukraine, North, Russia, Taiwan, U.S, China, South, East, Philippines, Washington, Iran, New American

[1/3] U.S. President Joe Biden meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the G20 leaders' summit in Bali, Indonesia, November 14, 2022. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque//File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSAN FRANCISCO, Nov 14 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet on Wednesday before a summit of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in San Francisco, seeking to reduce friction in what many see as the world's most dangerous rivalry. But they have met only once in person since then, and Xi, who arrived in San Francisco on Tuesday evening, had not visited the United States since 2017 when Donald Trump was president. The White House says the aim of the summit, to be held at an unannounced location in the San Francisco Bay Area, is to boost communication to prevent an intense rivalry from veering into conflict. In a separate dinner with business leaders, the Chinese president will be looking to boost flagging investment by U.S. firms in China.

Persons: Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, Kevin Lamarque, Xi, Donald Trump, Biden, Richard Fontaine, There's, Trump, David Brunnstrom, Michael Martina, Don Durfee, Grant McCool, Leslie Adler Organizations: REUTERS, FRANCISCO, Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation, East China Seas, U.S, Washington's Center, New, New American Security, APEC, Thomson Locations: Bali , Indonesia, San Francisco, United States, San Francisco Bay, Ukraine, North, Russia, Taiwan, U.S, China, South, East, Philippines, Washington, Iran, New American

U.S. President Joe Biden meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the G20 leaders' summit in Bali, Indonesia, November 14, 2022. "This is going to overshadow anything that happens at APEC," said Oriana Skylar Mastro, a Stanford University China expert. Biden will welcome other APEC leaders - including from Vietnam, the Philippines, Canada and Mexico - and both he and Xi will be playing to the gallery. "Our door is open to any country or economy facing PRC (People's Republic of China) economic coercive threats," Melanie Hart, a senior China policy adviser at the State Department, said on Monday. That would include "companies flocking to meet with Xi Jinping and have dinner with him," he said.

Persons: Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, Kevin Lamarque, Oriana Skylar Mastro, Xi, Biden, Victor Cha, Washington, Matthew Goodman, Goodman, Janet Yellen, Melanie Hart, Donald Trump, Jude Blanchette, Michael Martina, David Brunnstrom, Trevor Hunnicutt, Laurie Chen, Michelle Nichols, Josie Kao Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, San, Economic Cooperation, U.S, APEC, Stanford University China, Biden, Beijing, Washington's Center, Strategic, International Studies, China, Protesters, White, Treasury, Washington, People's, State Department, Pew Research, Prosperity, CSIS, Thomson Locations: Bali , Indonesia, San Francisco, Asia, Bali, Beijing, China, China . U.S, Washington, Taiwan, South China, Vietnam, Philippines, Canada, Mexico, U.S, People's Republic of China

But whether Beijing will use it remains to be seen and experts say China may instead watch from the sidelines for a while longer. Blinken, during a whirlwind Middle East trip last week, spoke by phone to Wang and asked him to use Beijing's clout to ensure the conflict does not widen. On Wednesday, Xi said whether Washington and Beijing could establish the "right" way of getting along and managing their differences would be crucial to the world. U.S. and Chinese officials held a virtual meeting on Monday on macroeconomic developments, talks the U.S. called "productive and substantive" and China called "in-depth, frank and constructive." U.S. officials said Taiwan and the South and East China Seas, where they accused Beijing of "destabilizing and dangerous actions" against rival territorial claimants, would also be on the agenda.

Persons: Wang Yi, Joe Biden, Xi, Biden, Antony Blinken, Wang, Jon Alterman, WANG, BIDEN Shi Yinhong, Shi, Israel, Zhang Jun, Wang's, Blinken, Jake Sullivan, Xi's, Yun Sun, Washington, Humeyra Pamuk, David Brunnstrom, Laurie Chen, Trevor Hunnicutt, Josie Kao Organizations: State Department, . Security, Washington's Center, Strategic, International Studies, Renmin University of China, Reuters, White, PATH, BIDEN, Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation, China, Washington's, APEC, East China Seas, China's Global Times, Thomson Locations: WASHINGTON, BEIJING, Washington, China, Beijing, Iran, Israel, Taiwan, South, U.S, Gaza, Asia, San Francisco, Bali, China . U.S, East

☆ Mideast in Focus as US, China Meet to Pave Way for Biden-Xi Summit
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +6 min

Persons: Humeyra Pamuk, David Brunnstrom, Laurie Chen WASHINGTON, Wang Yi, Joe Biden, Xi, Biden, Antony Blinken, Wang, Jon Alterman, WANG, BIDEN Shi Yinhong, Shi, Israel, Zhang Jun, Wang's, Blinken, Jake Sullivan, Xi's, Yun Sun, Washington, Laurie Chen, Trevor Hunnicutt, Josie Kao Organizations: State Department, . Security, Washington's Center, Strategic, International Studies, Renmin University of China, Reuters, White, PATH, BIDEN, Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation, China, Washington's, APEC, East China Seas, China's Global Times Locations: BEIJING, Washington, China, Beijing, Iran, Israel, Taiwan, South, U.S, Gaza, Asia, San Francisco, Bali, China . U.S, East

☆ British navy chief says AUKUS submarine project needs 'rat-catchers' not regulators
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( David Brunnstrom | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] U.S. President Joe Biden, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak deliver remarks on the Australia - United Kingdom - U.S. (AUKUS) partnership, after a trilateral meeting, at Naval Base Point Loma in San Diego, California U.S. March 13, 2023. REUTERS/Leah... Acquire Licensing Rights Read moreWASHINGTON, Oct 17 (Reuters) - The head of Britain's Royal Navy joined Australia on Tuesday in questioning U.S. bureaucratic hurdles facing the three-country AUKUS project to supply Australia with nuclear-powered submarines. "If your rules environment is to prevent your adversaries from getting it and seeing what it is, that's probably realistic," Key said. "If your rules environment is to allow you a competitive edge in a different way, then I would question whether that's really enabling what matters to us all, which is to try and ensure a security framework." Rudd spoke ahead of a visit to Washington next week by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at which AUKUS will be high on the agenda.

Persons: Joe Biden, Anthony Albanese, Rishi Sunak, Leah, Sir Ben Key, we'd, Key, we've, Biden, Kevin Rudd, Rudd, David Brunnstrom, Lincoln Organizations: Australian, British, U.S, Naval Base Point, San Diego , California U.S, REUTERS, Britain's Royal Navy, Australia, Washington's Center, Strategic, International Studies, Britain, State Department, Thomson Locations: Australia, United Kingdom, Naval Base Point Loma, San Diego , California, WASHINGTON, U.S, Trafalgar, Jutland, Washington, Britain

☆ Singapore hopes for substantial IPEF progress by APEC
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong attends "Google for Singapore", an event celebrating the company's 15th year in the country, at Google's office, in Singapore August 23, 2022. REUTERS/Edgar Su Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Oct 13 (Reuters) - Singapore's deputy prime minister said on Friday he hopes for substantial progress in the U.S.-led Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) discussions in time for next month's Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. "In areas like supply chains, green economy, digital economy; these are things that we are pursuing, and we hope certainly that there can be some substantial progress." The summit meetings of the 21-member APEC forum will take place in the week of Nov. 11-17 in San Francisco. "But I think we should maintain high ambition and hopefully down the road, in years to come, the conditions may change."

Persons: Finance Lawrence Wong, Edgar Su, Lawrence Wong, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Wong, David Brunnstrom, Michael Martina, Sandra Maler Organizations: Singapore's, Finance, Google, REUTERS, Rights, Prosperity, Economic Cooperation, APEC, Washington's Center, Strategic, International Studies, U.S, Thomson Locations: Singapore, U.S, Asia, China, Pacific, United States, San Francisco

But for rights advocates, Biden's travels were a disappointment, given his administration's vow to prioritize human rights when taking office in 2021. The White House also unveiled a Vietnam Airlines purchase of 50 Boeing 737 Max jets worth $7.8 billion. Rights advocates fear a lack of focus on human rights, while not unexpected, will not only fail to improve conditions in Vietnam and India, but risk worsening them elsewhere. Reporters asked Biden in Vietnam if he was putting U.S. strategic interests above rights and replied: "I’ve raised it (human rights) with every person I met with." "As such, the Biden administration has tended to downplay or avoid human rights discussions," he said.

Persons: Joe Biden's, Biden's, Biden, Carolyn Nash, Narendra Modi's, HRW, Nash, John Sifton, Sifton, Modi, Vietnam's, Kurt Campbell, Campbell, Murray Hiebert, Vietnamese Communist Party Chief Nguyen Phu Trong, Lam, Derek Grossman, David Brunnstrom, Humeyra Pamuk, Don Durfee, Josie Kao Organizations: Vietnam Airlines, Boeing, Max, Amnesty International, Rights, Indian, Bharatiya Janata Party, Rights Watch, Vietnam, Communist Party, U.S, Biden, U.S ., Washington's Center, Strategic, International Studies, Vietnamese Communist Party Chief, RAND Corp, Thomson Locations: Vietnam, India, Washington, Hanoi, U.S, Asia, Pacific, China, Saudi Arabia

Sources said Biden's schedule for Asia is not official until it has been announced and could change. One senior diplomat referred to Indonesia having scheduled the ASEAN summits, which are normally held in November, for September, specifically to make is possible for Biden to attend and then go on to the G20. Sources said Biden was expected to send Vice President Kamala Harris in his place. Policy analysts said another no-show by Biden, who attended ASEAN meetings in Cambodia in November, would call that characterization into question. "Southeast Asia has been impressed that Washington under Biden has stepped up engagement with the region," Hiebert said.

Persons: Joe Biden, Jonathan Ernst WASHINGTON, Biden, we'll, Kamala Harris, Harris, Jonathan, Murray Hiebert, Hiebert, Ted Osius, Donald Trump, Barack Obama, David Brunnstrom, Simon Lewis, Michael Martina, Stanley Widianto, Grant McCool Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, ASEAN, White, White House, Biden, U.S ., Southeast, Washington's Center, Strategic, International Studies, ASEAN Business Council, Democrat, Republican, Thomson Locations: Tusayan , Arizona, U.S, JAKARTA, Jakarta, India, Vietnam, Indonesia, Washington, Asia, American, Papua New Guinea, Australia, ASEAN, Cambodia, Southeast Asia, East Asia

Washington-based analysts say Wang's return to the ministry should help China's foreign ministry resume normal operations after weeks of international speculation about Qin's fate. In the Chinese system, the top diplomat is not foreign minister but rather the director of the Chinese Communist Party's foreign affairs commission, a role Wang will continue to hold. Still, Wang's reappointment is a sign of problems in China's foreign policy establishment, said Blanchette. On Tuesday, content mentioning Qin was quickly removed from China's foreign ministry website after Wang's appointment. The tab on the website that typically holds the biography of the foreign minister simply read "Updating."

Persons: Wang Yi, Qin Gang, Xi Jinping's, Qin, Xi, Wang, Joseph Torigian, Vedant Patel, Blinken, Joe Biden, Rorry Daniels, Wang's, China's, Jude Blanchette, Craig Singleton, Michael Martina, David Brunnstrom, Don Durfee Organizations: Communist, American University, U.S . State Department, U.S, APEC, Asia Society Policy Institute, Communist Party, Washington's Center, Strategic, International Studies, Foundation for Defense of Democracies, Thomson Locations: Washington, United States, Beijing, U.S, China, China's, Xi's, India, California, Taiwan, scold Washington, Lincoln

WASHINGTON, June 28 (Reuters) - The United States expects a greater partnership with India in the South China Sea, where China has been at the center of numerous territorial disputes with regional countries, the top U.S. diplomat for East Asia said on Wednesday. Asked whether India would have a growing role in the South China Sea and greater cooperation with the U.S. there, Kritenbrink said "Yes," adding that there would be greater collaboration among a group of regional powers - the U.S., India, Japan and Australia - known as the Quad. "Large countries should not bully smaller ones," he added, referring to China's disputes with other South China Sea claimants. "If the U.S. really cares about the stability of the South China Sea and wants to avoid accidents, I think it needs to stop the reconnaissance operations against China," Liu Pengyu told a news briefing. Though not a South China Sea claimant, India has in recent years stepped up security ties in the region, signaling its intent to play a bigger role in efforts to counter China.

Persons: Narendra Modi, Daniel Kritenbrink, Kritenbrink, Liu Pengyu, Michael Martina, David Brunnstrom, Kanishka Singh, Alistair Bell Organizations: United, East Asia, Indian, Washington's Center, Strategic, International Studies, U.S, Washington, China, Thomson Locations: India, South China, China, East, United States, Washington, The U.S, South, U.S, Japan, Australia, Vietnam

☆ Ambitious plans for US-India technology sharing face hurdles
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( David Brunnstrom | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Standing in the way are strict U.S. rules governing export of defense technology, including International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). Ely Ratner, assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific affairs, has stressed the need to break down barriers to technology sharing with allies and partners, including India. But one congressional aide said efforts to speed technology sharing with India would face "an uphill battle" both in the U.S. Congress and at the U.S. State Department, where officials have a specific obligation to protect U.S. technology. "There are concerns about (technology sharing) in the Australia context and there would be more concerns in the India context," he said. Rick Rossow, an India expert at Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies, said approval processes for advanced defense technology transfer were "onerous but not impossible."

Persons: Joe Biden, Narendra Modi, Elizabeth Frantz WASHINGTON, Biden, Ely Ratner, Democrat Mark Warner, Republican John Cornyn, Bill Greenwalt, Greenwalt, ITAR, Rick Rossow, David Brunnstrom, Mike Stone, Patricia Zengerle, Don Durfee, Deepa Babington Organizations: India's, White, REUTERS, United, Indian, General Electric Co, Center, New, New American Security, TECH, U.S . Senate India Caucus, Democrat, Republican, U.S . Congress, U.S . State Department, Pentagon, GE, State Department, U.S . Missile Technology Control, Washington's Center, Strategic, International Studies, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, United States, India, New Delhi, Asia, U.S, Britain, Australia, New American, Russia, Ukraine, Delhi

Afterward, he was to have been the first sitting U.S. president to visit Papua New Guinea. In Sydney, Biden had planned to attend a meeting of the four so-called Quad nations - the United States, Japan, Australia and India. White House spokesperson John Kirby said Biden would be able to meet Albanese and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi while in Hiroshima. Albanese said in a statement that Biden had apologized for not being able to visit Australia and that they would work to reschedule his visit at the earliest opportunity. “I'm sure the White House will find ways to make this up to partners in the short term.

"Twitter Blue is a mess. Within the next 48 hours, all but 110 of the most-followed Twitter accounts suddenly had verification through Twitter Blue, indicating Twitter likely gifted the check marks, independent researcher Travis Brown told Reuters. GRADUAL PULLBACKSince the initial rollout of the Twitter Blue service in November, imposter tweets have spread harmful misinformation. Imposter Twitter accounts also tarnished the online reputations of Lockheed Martin Corp(LMT.N) and Nintendo Co Ltd(7974.T). "The volume of imposter accounts seems to depend on several things -- Is the client doing a high profile event that week?

☆ Analysis: China's small steps on offshore use of yuan are starting to add up
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Tom Westbrook | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

SINGAPORE, April 27 (Reuters) - China's yuan currency is slowly but surely being adopted for more international payments, which analysts say could lay foundations for a trade system running parallel to the dominant U.S. dollar. True global yuan adoption is unlikely, given expectations that Beijing will want to keep a tight grip on the currency. "Their cooperation could draw other countries to renminbi payments over time and cumulatively, this group could lift the renminbi at the expense of the dollar," he said. "This kind of renminbi internationalisation may achieve Beijing's goals, including reducing China’s exposure to exchange rate fluctuations and mitigating China’s vulnerabilities to U.S. financial sanctions." "Therefore, if exporters want to use yuan to settle trades, they must persuade foreign importers to pay in yuan, which often takes a long time."

REUTERS/Elizabeth FrantzWASHINGTON, April 11 (Reuters) - The top defense and diplomatic officials from the United States and Philippines agreed on Tuesday to complete a road map in coming months to cover the delivery of U.S. defense assistance to the Philippines over the next five to 10 years. Experts say the United States sees the Philippines as a potential location for rockets, missiles and artillery systems to counter a Chinese amphibious invasion of Taiwan, which China claims as its own. Austin said that it was "too early" to discuss what assets the United States would like to station at Philippine military bases under a recently expanded Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA). The joint statement said the United States expects to boost its allocated spending for EDCA sites to over $100 million by the end of 2023, against a previously announced $80 million. U.S.-Philippines relations have warmed considerably under Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, and the 2+2 meeting underlined that as the first of its kind in seven years.

LOS ANGELES, April 4 (Reuters) - China, Taiwan, and the United States all share a common interest in ensuring this week's California stopover by Taiwan's president gets the focus each thinks it deserves, but without setting off a new crisis. It is sure to elicit a forceful reaction from Beijing, which considers Taiwan part of its territory. McCarthy, as House speaker, is third in line to the U.S. leadership and he has said publicly that he does not rule out a future visit to Taiwan. Xu Xueyuan, charge d'affaires at China's Washington embassy, said last week that McCarthy meeting Tsai "could lead to another serious confrontation in the China-U.S. With an eye the Taiwan election, China invited former Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou of the KMT party for a visit coinciding with Tsai's U.S. stopovers.

☆ Vietnam may resist diplomatic upgrade with Washington as U.S.-China tensions simmer
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Francesco Guarascio | Thomson Reuters | Francesco Leads A Team Of Reporters In Vietnam That Covers Top Financial | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The United States is hoping for an upgrade in the relations this year, ideally to coincide with the 10th anniversary in July of its comprehensive partnership with Vietnam. The United States is a major investor in Vietnam and the largest ever U.S. business mission visited the country this week. Though it is Vietnam's biggest export market, it is currently ranked as a third-tier diplomatic partner for Hanoi. A formal ties upgrade this year "is not considered realistic anymore," said Florian Feyerabend, the representative in Vietnam for Germany's Konrad Adenauer Foundation. Le Hong Hiep, a Senior Fellow at Singapore's ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute, said there was no doubt Vietnam wants to upgrade ties with Washington, but it was unlikely to agree to that this year.

The summit is the same week as major South Korea-U.S. military drills that routinely anger Pyongyang, and North Korea has already staged multiple missile launches - a backdrop for the message that Japan, South Korea and the United States need to close ranks. In November South Korea and Japan agreed to exchange real-time intelligence on North Korea's missile launches, which experts say will help both countries better track potential threats. "South Korea is already taking a side and entering the Cold War," said Kim Joon-hyung, a former chancellor of the Korean National Diplomatic Academy. Yoon said high-tech cooperation on supply chains between Japan and South Korea would contribute significantly to economic security. 'SHARED INTERESTS'Washington had pressed for reconciliation, but a State Department spokesperson said the recent arrangements were the result of bilateral discussions between Japan and South Korea.

White House spokesperson John Kirby said on Friday that while Washington was not directly involved, Saudi Arabia kept U.S. officials informed of the talks with Iran. NUCLEAR TALKSThe agreement comes as Iran accelerates its nuclear program after two years of failed U.S. attempts to revive a 2015 deal that aimed to stop Tehran producing a nuclear bomb. "Saudi Arabia is deeply concerned about Iran's nuclear program," he said. "If this new opening between Iran and Saudi Arabia is going to be meaningful and impactful, it will have to address the concerns about Iran's nuclear program - otherwise the opening is just optics." Friday's agreement also offers hope for more durable peace in Yemen, where a conflict sparked in 2014 has widely been seen as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

Biden met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in November with that goal in mind and both leaders pledged more frequent communications. He has also sidelined some of his "wolf warrior" diplomats whose strident rhetoric alienated many of China's trade partners. Despite such pragmatic rhetoric, China's actions - especially its military activity around Taiwan and in the South China Sea - have not moderated, analysts said. Washington hopes for incremental progress on more specific but vital matters such as securing China's cooperation on fentanyl, global health, climate change and the cases of U.S. citizens detained there. That ... is more than deeply frustrating," said another source familiar with the administration's thinking, adding that China has rebuffed Washington's "very specific" proposals.

☆ Austin's Manila visit to bring deal on expanded base access - Philippines official
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( David Brunnstrom | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

WASHINGTON/MANILA, Feb 1 (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's visit to the Philippines this week is expected to bring an announcement of expanded U.S. access to military bases in the country, a senior Philippines official said on Wednesday. "There's a push for another four or five of these EDCA sites," the a senior Philippines official said. The Philippines official said increased U.S. access needed to benefit both countries. "The deal with Russia was very attractive because for a certain budget we were able to get something like 16 of these heavy-lift helicopters," the official said. He said the U.S. and Philippine marines were pursuing similar capabilities with ground-based rockets, with Manila's particular interest being to protect its South China Sea claims.

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