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☆ Subaru CEO: working with suppliers to lower procurement risks of EV battery materials
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/4] Representative Director, President and CEO at Subaru Atsushi Osaki unveils the Sport Mobility Concept and Air Mobility Concept vehicles during a press day of the Japan Mobility Show 2023 at Tokyo Big Sight in Tokyo, Japan October 25, 2023. REUTERS/Issei Kato Acquire Licensing RightsTOKYO, Oct 25 (Reuters) - Japan's Subaru (7270.T) is working with suppliers to decrease risks related to procuring materials used in electric-vehicle batteries, it chief executive said on Wednesday, as automakers grapple with China's move to curb exports of graphite. We want to procure resources while considering various risk hedges," Chief Executive Atsushi Osaki told reporters on the sidelines of the Japan Mobility Show, which opened to the press on Wednesday, a day ahead of its official start. "We are working with suppliers to come up with measures to deal" with the risks, he said. Reporting by Maki Shiraki and Daniel Leussink; Writing by David Dolan; Editing by Jacqueline WongOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Atsushi Osaki, Issei Kato, Subaru, China's, Maki Shiraki, Daniel Leussink, David Dolan, Jacqueline Wong Organizations: Mobility, Japan, REUTERS, Rights, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, China

☆ China reportedly ousts defense minister after two-month absence
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( Ruxandra Iordache | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The Chinese government removed Gen. Li Shangfu from the post of defense minister and state councilor without appointing a replacement, state media CCTV reported Tuesday. Li, who was appointed to lead China's Defense Ministry during a broader Cabinet reshuffle in March, has not been seen in public for the past two months, according to Reuters. Reuters also reported that Li, 65, faced a corruption probe over the procurement of military equipment — which CNBC could not independently confirm. Li is the second high-profile minister from Xi's administration to be removed amid a storm of speculation. In July, Qin Gang — who was also stripped of his authority as state councilor on Tuesday — was dismissed from his role as foreign minister after a one-month absence.

Persons: Li Shangfu, Li, Xi Jinping, Qin Gang —, — Organizations: National People's, China's Defense Ministry, Reuters, CNBC, Renown, Chinese Communist Party, Central Military Commission, —, Qin

☆ Climate fintech is exciting investors right now. Here's why it's primed to be the next red-hot sector.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Startups operating at the intersection of climate tech and fintech are attracting a lot of investor attention right now. The so-called "climate fintech" sector is another such area that has seen investment tick up against the backdrop of the broader malaise that has hobbled the startup ecosystem, according to investors. Fintech-focused venture firm CommerzVentures defined climate fintech as companies that speed up decarbonization or help manage and adapt to climate risks. Climate fintech is also a software play so it has the ability to scale quickly and efficiently, which is a sweet spot for most VC investors, Morgenthaler added. "Clear and simplified renewable energy contracts, energy invoices, and tariffs in turn allow consumers to access the cheapest energy from multiple renewable sources," Bessemer investor Aia Sarycheva said.

Persons: Paul Morgenthaler, Morgenthaler, Jeremy Brown, fintech, It's, Sarycheva Organizations: " Venture, Morningstar's, Equity, Energy, Bessemer Locations: Europe, Anthemis, Bessemer

Beijing CNN —China’s Defense Minister Li Shangfu was fired on Tuesday two months after he disappeared from public view, becoming the second high-profile minister to lose his job recently without any official explanation. Li, who was appointed defense minister in March, has not been seen in public since late August, fueling intense speculation about his fate. Li’s ousting, ironically, has removed a major roadblock for the resumption of high-level military talks between China and the United States. The Financial Times also reported that the US government believes the defense minister has been placed under investigation, citing American officials. Li is believed to be a protege of General Zhang Youxia, Xi’s childhood friend and closest ally in the military.

Persons: Li Shangfu, Li, Xi Jinping, –, outranks, Qin Gang, Qin, Xi, Li’s, won’t, “, General Zhang Youxia, Zhang Organizations: Beijing CNN — China’s, Central Military, National People’s Congress, Foreign, Qin, Communist, of, People, Xinhua News Agency, Getty, PLA Rocket Force, Street Journal, The Financial Times, Defense Ministry, Central Military Commission, Development Department, Rocket Force, Equipment Development Department, Security Forum Locations: Beijing, China, United States, Sichuan, Africa, Russia, Belarus

☆ China ousts defence minister, the second senior leader to leave in three months
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( Yew Lun Tian | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIJING, Oct 24 (Reuters) - China removed its defence minister on Tuesday, the second ousting of a senior leader in three months, raising questions about the stability of the leadership team around Chinese President Xi Jinping. General Li Shangfu, who has been absent from public view for two months, was dismissed as defence minister and state councillor, according to state media. No replacement for Li was named, leaving the country without a defence minister as it prepares to host foreign defence officials at the Beijing Xiangshan Forum on Oct. 29-31. Li, 65, disappeared from public view two months ago. No other defence minister in China had served for a shorter time than Li.

Persons: Xi Jinping, General Li Shangfu, Gang, Li, Xi, Qin, Wang Yi, Yew Lun, Don Durfee, Mark Potter, Nick Macfie Organizations: National People's, CCTV, Beijing Xiangshan, Reuters, Wall, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, China, Beijing, Russia, United States

☆ Thailand aims swapping Chinese sub with frigate after troubled deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BANGKOK, Oct 24 (Reuters) - The Thai government may buy a frigate instead of a submarine from China after the Chinese manufacturer was unable to include a German engine as specified in the original deal, Thailand's defence minister has said. China has proposed replacing the German engines with Chinese-made equipment several rounds of negotiations did not yield a conclusive result. "We have proposed to China and they are considering it," defence minister Sutin Klungsang told a local media outlet on Tuesday. The defence minister said last week that procurement of submarine would be shelved for now and resume "when the country is ready". The Chinese submarine deal has attracted public criticism of the previous government, with the opposition and critics raising questions about whether was in the public interest, and whether submarines were necessary for security.

Persons: Srettha Thavisin's, Sutin Klungsang, Sutin, Panarat Thepgumpanat, Panu, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Thomson Locations: BANGKOK, Thai, China, Thailand, Germany, Beijing

☆ New York throws support behind offshore wind with three project awards
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The announcement, which the state billed as the nation's largest ever investment in offshore wind, comes less than two weeks after New York regulators rejected requests by three offshore wind developers to renegotiate their contracts because of soaring costs. In response, Governor Kathy Hochul pledged to support renewable energy projects to meet the state's climate change goals. The Biden administration, which has made offshore wind development a cornerstone of its plan to decarbonize the nation's power grid, applauded the move. New York is also committing $300 million to the development of offshore wind component manufacturing facilities planned by GE Vernova (GE.N). New York Offshore Wind Alliance Director Fred Zalcman said the announcement "will go a long way towards instilling confidence in a market that has recently faced tremendous headwinds."

Persons: Kathy Hochul, France's TotalEnergies, Germany's, Hochul, Biden, John Podesta, Fred Zalcman, Nichola Groom, Bill Berkrot, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: New York, Denmark's, Denmark's Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, White House, Power, Corio, Grid, Excelsior, GE Vernova, Offshore Wind Alliance, Thomson Locations: New, York, Denmark's Copenhagen, New York, America, RWE, . New

"Airbus remains committed to providing the U.S. Air Force and our warfighters with the most modern and capable tanker on the market," an Airbus spokesperson said. The Air Force has sought to replace hundreds of Eisenhower-era KC-135 tankers in three lots. "Lockheed Martin has decided not to respond to the U.S. Air Force's KC-135 fleet recapitalization Request for Information," Lockheed spokesperson Stephanie Stinn said in a statement. A Lockheed-Airbus victory would have landed Airbus its first aircraft contract with the U.S. Air Force after attempting to penetrate the U.S. defense market for two decades. In 2011, Boeing won the first of the three-phase procurement to replace the Air Force's aging tanker fleet, securing a contract for 179 KC-46s.

Persons: Cheney Orr, Eisenhower, Lockheed Martin, Stephanie Stinn, Lockheed's, Valerie Insinna, Mike Stone, Chizu Organizations: Lockheed, Association of, United States Army, Global, REUTERS, Rights, Lockheed Martin Corp, U.S . Air, KC, Air Force, Airbus, U.S . Air Force, The Air Force, Boeing, U.S . Air Force's KC, Pegasus, Refueling, recapitalization, Air, Thomson Locations: Huntsville , Alabama, U.S, Alabama, Georgia, Washington

☆ US military equipment pours into Israel, 45 cargo planes loaded with armaments sent to IDF
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-21 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Israel has received its 45th cargo plane as arms continue to enter the country. Another shipment on Thursday also delivered armored vehicles to the Israel Defense Forces. —Ministry of Defense (@Israel_MOD) October 19, 2023Another cargo plane carrying a shipment of armored vehicles for the IDF, sent by the US, arrived on Thursday. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe shipments come as part of a joint effort between the IDF and Israel Ministry of Defense. The delivery was coordinated by the US Procurement Mission and the Israel Ministry of Defense's Directorate of Production and Procurement.

Persons: Israel, —, Joe Biden, Biden Organizations: Israel Defense Forces, Service, Ministry of Defense, Twitter, — Ministry of Defense, Israel Ministry of Defense, US Procurement Mission, Israel Ministry of Defense's, Production, Israel's, Jewish Press, Israel, White, BBC Locations: Israel, Gaza, Ukraine, Russia

☆ US aid to Israel and Ukraine: Here’s what’s in the $105 billion national security package Biden requested
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( Tami Luhby | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The Biden administration on Friday laid out the details of a $105 billion national security package that includes military and humanitarian assistance for the conflicts in Ukraine and Israel. House Republicans are still struggling to unite behind a speaker to lead their conference, and until one is elected, the national security package will remain in limbo. The Biden administration’s prior request for $24 billion in Ukraine aid was not included in a stopgap government funding measure Congress approved in late September. Here’s what’s in the package, according to the White House:$61.4 billion in aid for Ukraine$30 billion for the Defense Department for equipment for Ukraine and the replenishment of US stocks. $10 billion for humanitarian assistance$9.15 billion for aid for Ukraine, Israel, Gaza and other humanitarian needs.

Persons: CNN —, Biden, Joe Biden, Here’s Organizations: CNN, House Republicans, Ukraine, White, Defense Department, National Nuclear Security Administration, Israel, Iron, State Department, West Bank, Treasury Department, World Bank Locations: Ukraine, Israel, Gaza, Mexico, Taiwan, Congress, Europe, assertiveness, China

MADRID/BRASILIA, Oct 20 (Reuters) - Argentina and Brazil are requesting 12.5 billion euros ($13.2 billion) in financial aid from the European Union in talks to conclude a trade agreement with South America's Mercosur bloc, according to a document seen by Reuters. Three EU and South American diplomats confirmed the Argentine request, which is backed by Brazil, in the rotating presidency of the four-nation Mercosur. A European diplomat involved in the talks told Reuters the 12.5 billion euros number was "floated" but that any support "would not be anything like that figure." The new aid request was made in a Mercosur counterproposal to an EU addendum proposing environmental safeguards. But the financial aid request and reopening of the public procurement chapter could prevent a final deal this year.

Persons: videoconferences, Xiana Mendez, Belen Carreño, Anthony Boadle, Brad Haynes, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: European Union, South America's Mercosur, Reuters, EU, South, Argentine, Mercosur, Thomson Locations: MADRID, BRASILIA, Argentina, Brazil, Mercosur, Uruguay, Paraguay, European, Brussels, Brasilia, Valencia

The Global Cooling Pledge – set to be announced at the upcoming United Nations climate summit, COP28 – represents a tough request given the cooling industry is only expected to grow. The emissions from both the refrigerants and the energy used in cooling now account for about 7% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and are expected to triple by 2050 as temperatures continue to rise. "We need cooling, but it has to become more efficient," UNEP Cool Coalition global coordinator Lily Riahi said. Another 13 commitments outlined in the draft pledge include establishing minimum energy performance standards for air conditioning by 2030, and including cooling emissions in countries' overall climate action plans, called Nationally Determined Contributions. The UNEP estimates that global efforts to tackle cooling emissions could have a significant impact by 2050, avoiding the release of up to 86 billion metric tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent.

Persons: Tyrone Siu, –, Noah Horowitz, Lily Riahi, Gloria Dickie, Katy Daigle, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: China Import, Export Fair, Canton Fair, REUTERS, Reuters, United, Programme's, Cool Coalition, International Energy Agency, UNEP, Coalition, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: Canton, Guangzhou, China, India, United States, Nations, United Arab Emirates, Kigali, Montreal, Dubai, London

☆ Shein, the fast fashion darling mulling a U.S. IPO, opens up about forced labor, data privacy
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Gabrielle Fonrouge | In Gabrielle-Fonrouge | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +16 min

The committee is investigating Shein over concerns that Uyghur forced labor is being used in its supply chain and has gone undetected because of the de minimis provision. The committee has not yet drawn conclusions about forced labor in Shein's supply chain. When asked about claims of forced labor in Shein's supply chain, Claure told CNBC he doesn't "believe those allegations are correct." However, forced labor can still show up in other parts of the supply chain, said Chloe Cranston, the head of thematic advocacy programmes at Anti-Slavery International. In 2022, 11% of audits turned up "zero tolerance violations," including child labor, forced labor and wage violations, and 28 suppliers were terminated as a result, according to the company.

Persons: Elham Ataeiazar, Shein, Donald Tang, Matt Kennedy, they're, they've, Mike Gallagher, Elise Stefanik, Steve Scalise, Chip Somodevilla, we're, Marcelo Claure, Claure, Ralph Lauren, Rupert Hodges, Oritain, Chloe Cranston, Cranston, It's, it's, Shang, Jin Wei, Wei, Austin Knudsen, Chris Xu, Jade Gao, Knudsen, Gary Gensler Organizations: Wall, Bear, Chinese Communist Party, U.S, Renaissance Capital, CNBC, Bloomberg, Nike, Adidas, Republican National Committee, Washington , D.C, D.C, Target, Costco, Visual China, Getty, Workers, Columbia University's, Communist, CCP, Microsoft, AFP, U.S . Securities, Exchange Locations: Bear Stearns, U.S, China, Beijing, Xinjiang, Washington ,, Washington, Singapore, Nanjing, United States, Chinese, Guangzhou, Brazil, Turkey, India, Mexico, Montana

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. on Wednesday imposed sanctions on a group of people and firms based in Iran, China, Hong Kong and Venezuela, tied to the development of Iran's ballistic missile and drone programs. The penalties come as the United Nations' restrictions on Iran missile-related activities under a Security Council Resolution are set to expire, as well as the E.U. A UAV is an unmanned aerial vehicle, commonly known as a drone. President Joe Biden's administration maintains that Iran is providing Russia with drones and materials to build a drone manufacturing plant east of Moscow as President Vladimir Putin's government invades Ukraine. Tensions between the U.S. and Iran remain high, despite the release of five American detainees from Iran in September in exchange for the release of nearly $6 billion in frozen Iranian assets.

Persons: Jaber Reihani, Brian Nelson, Joe Biden's, Vladimir Putin's, Raisi Organizations: WASHINGTON, United Nations, Treasury's, Foreign Assets, Islamic, Guard, Ministry of Defense, Armed Forces Logistics, Defense, General Assembly, U.S Locations: Iran, China, Hong Kong, Venezuela, United States, Treasury's, U.S, Russia, Moscow, Ukraine

☆ China's Xi wants to expand cooperation with Indonesia in several key markets
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Chinese President Xi Jinping attends a ceremony to welcome participants of the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, China, October 17, 2023. Sputnik/Sergei Savostyanov/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBEIJING, Oct 17 (Reuters) - China is willing to expand and strengthen cooperation with Indonesia in emerging industries such as the digital economy, photovoltaics and new energy vehicles, President Xi Jinping said on Tuesday. In October, Widodo inaugurated a $7.3 billion high-speed railway connecting the country's capital with the city of Bandung. Widodo said Indonesia regards China as an important strategic partner in national economic development and construction, and "looks forward to further strengthening communication and cooperation with China," state media reported. Reporting by Ethan Wang and Bernard Orr; editing by Christina Fincher and Chizu NomiyamaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Sergei Savostyanov, Xi, Joko Widodo, Widodo, Ethan Wang, Bernard Orr, Christina Fincher, Chizu Organizations: Forum, Sputnik, Rights, China Central Television, Initiative, of Southeast Asian Nations, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Rights BEIJING, Indonesia, Bandung

[1/2] A BR700-725 jet engine is seen at the assembly line of the Rolls-Royce Germany plant, in Dahlewitz near Berlin, Germany February 28, 2023. Tufan Erginbilgic, who took over in January, is the latest chief executive to try to tackle the company's inefficiencies. On Tuesday the company said it planned to shed up to 2,500 roles out of its total staff of 42,000. "This is another step on our multi-year transformation journey to build a high performing, competitive, resilient and growing Rolls-Royce," he said. One in 2020 aimed at surviving the pandemic which slashed 9,000 jobs, and one in 2018 which made 4,600 redundancies.

Persons: Nadja Wohlleben, Grazia Vittadini, Tufan Erginbilgic, Royce, Warren East, Sarah Young, Kate Holton, Emelia Organizations: Royce, REUTERS, Airbus, Boeing, General Electric, Tuesday, Warren, Thomson Locations: Royce Germany, Dahlewitz, Berlin, Germany, Britain, United States

[1/2] A BR700-725 jet engine is seen at the assembly line of the Rolls-Royce Germany plant, in Dahlewitz near Berlin, Germany February 28, 2023. Tufan Erginbilgic, who took over in January, is the latest chief executive to try to tackle the company's inefficiencies. On Tuesday the company said it planned to shed up to 2,500 roles out of its total staff of 42,000. "This is another step on our multi-year transformation journey to build a high performing, competitive, resilient and growing Rolls-Royce," he said. As part of the new streamlining plan, Rolls-Royce said it would merge its engineering technology and safety groups, and as a result chief technology officer Grazia Vittadini would leave in April 2024.

Persons: Nadja Wohlleben, Grazia Vittadini, Tufan Erginbilgic, Royce, Warren East, Sarah Young, Kate Holton Organizations: Royce, REUTERS, Airbus, Boeing, GE, Tuesday, Warren, Thomson Locations: Royce Germany, Dahlewitz, Berlin, Germany, LONDON

☆ Indian wheat prices at 8-month high on festival demand, tight supply
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( Rajendra Jadhav | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Amit Dave/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMUMBAI, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Indian wheat prices surged to an eight-month high on Tuesday, propelled by strong demand for big festivals, limited supplies and as import duty makes overseas buying unfeasible for domestic flour mills. Rising wheat prices could contribute to food inflation. Wheat prices in New Delhi jumped by 1.6% on Tuesday to 27,390 rupees ($329) per metric ton, the highest since Feb. 10. "Festival season demand is driving up wheat prices. As of Oct. 1, wheat stocks in government warehouses stood at 24 million metric tons, sharply down compared with a five-year average of 37.6 million tons.

Persons: Amit Dave, Pramod Kumar S, Sanjeev Chopra, Ashwini Bansod, Bansod, Rajendra Jadhav, Robert Birsel Organizations: Agriculture, REUTERS, Rights, Federation, Phillip Capital India, Ltd ., El, Thomson Locations: Ahmedabad, India, Rights MUMBAI, New Delhi, Ltd . India, Mumbai

☆ A big climate change stress test is coming for Amazon sellers and suppliers
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-14 | by ( Laura Petrecca | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

"The pressure is coming at companies, who are then putting pressure on suppliers," said Bob Willard, a corporate consultant and author of six books on sustainability. AstraZeneca suppliers are expected to annually report emissions data to the CDP and set science-based goals. "Tracking emissions data is no easy feat," says Karen Kerrigan, president and CEO of the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council. Small businesses already under economic stressAmid ongoing fears of recession, higher interest rates cutting into sources of capital, signs of weaker consumer demand, and labor market challenges, small businesses have focused more on employees and their bottom line than sustainability. The report found, as previous climate accounting has typically shown, that the majority of emissions come from suppliers.

Persons: Bob Willard, Andrew Winston, Winston, Karen Kerrigan, Chaitali Patel, Patel, Russell Organizations: Amazon, Microsoft, Walmart, Apple, AstraZeneca, Intuit QuickBooks, Small Business, Entrepreneurship Council, Greenhouse, CNBC, SurveyMonkey, Survey, New York Times

[1/5] A new building for earthquake survivors is under construction in Diyarbakir, Turkey August 26, 2023. With work underway on a fraction of the planned new buildings in the devastated city of Adiyaman, Kaplan fears a long wait together with his disabled wife and other survivors. One senior government official with direct knowledge of the reconstruction plan said the target could be missed, citing insufficient fresh funding to hold new tenders amid rising costs. They both said the effort had taken a blow when fewer companies bid for the reconstruction tenders after a post-election economic policy U-turn in June sent the currency plunging. "Our budget resources have been prepared for this huge, comprehensive project and can be updated when necessary," Erdogan's office said.

Persons: Stringer, Ismet Kaplan, Tayyip Erdogan, Erdogan, Kaplan, Bayir, Adiyaman, Turkey's, Mehmet Ozhaseki, Arvid Tuerkner, Mert Arslanalp, Erdogan's, Arslanalp, Mehmet Simsek, Simsek, Tahir Tellioglu, Tellioglu, Umit, Ezgi Erkoyun, Nevzat Devranoglu, Jonathan Spicer, Frank Jack Daniel Our Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects, Coordination Council, European Bank for Reconstruction, Erdogan's AK, Istanbul's Bogazici University, TAG, Construction, Thomson Locations: Diyarbakir, Turkey, Rights ISTANBUL, Adiyaman, Netherlands, Belgium, Syria, Hatay, Malatya, Gaziantep, Istanbul, Ankara

☆ On Amazon, eBay, and Shopify, AI is the new third-party seller
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( Cheryl Winokur Munk | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Did AI help in the process of convincing you to spend? We do know for sure that getting a leg up on the competition is getting easier for e-commerce platform sellers through the latest AI. Amazon, for example, recently rolled out a generative AI tool to help sellers write more robust and effective product descriptions. Here's what sellers need to know about using AI to sell more effectively. Customers will find more complete product information, as the new technology will help sellers provide richer information with less effort," the company stated.

Persons: Al Drago, Chris Jones, Greg Mercer, Mercer, Sellers Organizations: Amazon Devices, Amazon.com Inc, Bloomberg, Getty, Amazon Prime, New York Times, Meta, Business, Scout Locations: Arlington , Virginia

☆ Exclusive: Combat veteran is likely replacement for China's missing defence minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

China's defence ministry and State Council information office did not respond to requests for comment. If his departure is confirmed, Li will be the second senior minister to lose his job in recent months. Qin Gang was removed as foreign minister in July, one month after he was last seen in public. U.S. defence officials have long wanted to reestablish routine communications with counterparts directly involved in command decisions. Qin was made foreign minister in Dec. 2022 and Li became defence minister in March.

Persons: Carlos Garcia Rawlins, Liu Zhenli, Liu, Li Shangfu, Li, Qin Gang, Qin, Nancy Pelosi, Xi Jinping, Xi, James Char, Lloyd Austin, Alexander Neill, Willy Lam, Chang Dingqiu, Katerina Ang, Daniel Flynn Organizations: Political Consultative, REUTERS, Rights, Defence, Reuters, Russia, Joint Staff Department of, Central Military Commission, State, U.S . Department of Defense, ., CMC, Xiangshan, National, Committee, Communist Party's, U.S, Pentagon, People's, Army, Rajaratnam, of International Studies, Washington, PUBLIC, National Defence, Joint Staff Department, Pacific Forum, Jamestown Foundation, Xinhua, Air Force, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Rights BEIJING, United States, U.S, Taipei, ., Singapore, Honolulu, Vietnam

☆ Indonesia ex-agriculture minister named as graft suspect
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

South Sulawesi governor Syahrul Yasin Limpo is pictured before meeting with legislative members in Makassar, March 14, 2014. Syahrul Yasin Limpo, who resigned last week after KPK raids on his multiple houses and ministry, said via his lawyer that he will cooperate with the investigation. KPK named Limpo as a suspect for allegedly instructing two colleagues to force officials to pay him at most $10,000 in exchange for positions or participation in procurement projects at the ministry. Limpo is the sixth minister in Jokowi's cabinet to face corruption allegations. Earlier this year, authorities arrested the then communications minister on corruption charges.

Persons: Syahrul Yasin Limpo, Yusuf Ahmad, Joko Widodo's, KPK, Limpo, Johanis Tanak, Johanis, Jokowi, Ananda Teresia, Stanley Widianto, Michael Perry Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Thomson Locations: Sulawesi, Makassar, INDONESIA, Rights JAKARTA

WASHINGTON, Oct 11 (Reuters) - The U.S. says it has accepted an invitation to attend China's top annual security forum in late October, the latest sign of potentially warming ties between the two countries' militaries. The Pentagon did not say whom China had invited or who from the U.S. side would attend, and China's embassy in Washington also declined to give details. Before 2019, the U.S. often sent embassy defense attaches. CHINA'S DEFENSE MINISTERAs China's defense minister, Li typically would give a keynote speech at the forum and meet with delegations. Beijing has offered no official explanation about Li's fate and his disappearance raises questions about how this year's forum will be conducted.

Persons: Lloyd Austin, Austin, Li Shangfu, Nancy Pelosi's, China, China Chad Sbragia, Li, Sbragia, –, Xi, Liu Pengyu, Michael Martina, Idrees Ali, Don Durfee, Gerry Doyle Organizations: U.S, Pentagon, Reuters, China's People's Liberation Army, PLA, Beijing Xiangshan, Defense, Xi Jinping's Global Security Initiative, Washington, Thomson Locations: U.S, Washington, China, Beijing, United States, Taiwan, Russia, Austin

☆ Chinese EV maker Xpeng says vice president suspended for investigation related to corruption
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

A woman walks past a showroom of Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker XPeng in Beijing, China February 4, 2023. REUTERS/Florence Lo/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies Xpeng Inc FollowBEIJING, Oct 10 (Reuters) - Chinese electric vehicle maker Xpeng (9868.HK) said its vice president Li Feng has been suspended for an investigation related to corruption, according to a company statement on Tuesday. "The incident affected a small area and did not affect business and production links," the statement said. Xpeng has been strengthening supply chain management this year and some supply chain staff have been investigated, the statement added. Reporting by Qiaoyi Li, Zhang Yan and Brenda Goh; Editing by Andrew HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Florence, Li Feng, Li, Xpeng, Qiaoyi Li, Zhang Yan, Brenda Goh, Andrew Heavens Organizations: REUTERS, Inc, BEIJING, HK, Media, Thomson Locations: XPeng, Beijing, China

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