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☆ Indonesia's Indika, Taiwan's Foxconn mull EV partnership with Thai firm
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Stefanno Sulaiman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JAKARTA, Nov 16 (Reuters) - Coal miner PT Indika Energy (INDY.JK) and Taiwan-based Foxconn (2317.TW), which are partnering to make electric vehicles in Indonesia, are considering bringing in a Thai firm as a third partner, Indika's top executive told Reuters on Wednesday. Arsjad Rasjid, President Director of Indonesian miner Indika, declined to name the Thai company nor any target for the completion of the partnership due to ongoing negotiations, but said the three could invest in EV or EV battery production. In September, Indika and Foxconn launched a $2 billion joint venture to make EVs, batteries and energy storage in Indonesia. Foxconn, Apple's biggest iPhone maker, also has a $1 billion joint venture with Thai energy group PTT (PTT.BK) to produce battery EVs. Indika is one of the top coal miners in Indonesia, which is the world's biggest coal exporter.

☆ Days after Biden's face-to-face meeting with Xi Jinping, Kamala Harris is making a rare trip to a South China Sea hotspot
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Christopher Woody | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Palawan looks over the South China Sea, where Beijing and its neighbors have competing claims. "This is another historic visit, as the vice president is the highest-ranking US official ever to visit Palawan," a senior administration official told reporters on Tuesday. It divides the Sulu Sea and the South China Sea, where the Philippines is one of several countries that dispute Beijing's expansive claims. The Philippine province of Palawan separates the Sulu Sea and the South China Sea. Asked on Tuesday how China should view the trip, the US official said, "China can take the message it wants.

☆ Cambodia PM cancels G20 meetings after testing positive for COVID -statement
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Nov 15 (Reuters) - Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has cancelled meetings he was due to have at the G20 summit in Bali after testing positive for COVID-19, according to a statement posted on his Facebook page. Hun Sen, who is the current chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), had tested positive before he had held any meetings including those scheduled with French President Emmanuel Macron and Chinese leader Xi Jingping, the statement said. Hun Sen also hosted a summit of ASEAN and global leaders that ended on Sunday in Cambodia. Reporting by Cambodia bureau, Writing by Ed Davies; Editing by Himani SarkarOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Deglobalization is not an option for any one of us, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Su-Lin Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Picture Alliance | Picture Alliance | Getty ImagesGerman Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Singapore Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong have taken a united stance on continuing to work with China, but also remain committed to diversification. Scholz said Germany is keen to deepen economic ties with Asia-Pacific, not just China, in line with the pursuit of trade diversification. Olaf Scholz German chancellor"Often these are nothing but protectionism in disguise," Scholz said. Picture Alliance | Picture Alliance | Getty ImagesSingapore's Wong said the U.S. and China both have broad interests across Asia and must find a way to coexist, compete and cooperate peacefully. Picture Alliance | Picture Alliance | Getty Images"And within ASEAN, no country wants to be in a position to have the two sides between China or the U.S.

☆ Cambodia PM leaves G20 after positive COVID test, worried about other leaders
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PHNOM PENH, Nov 15 (Reuters) - Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Tuesday expressed concern for the health of other world leaders after a positive COVID-19 test forced him to cancel meetings at the G20 Summit in Indonesia and return home early. It was not immediately clear if any of the leaders at the G20 meeting have tested positive for COVID-19. U.S. President Joe Biden, who is tested regularly for COVID-19, had a negative test on Tuesday morning, according to the White House. Biden and Indonesian President Joko Widodo attended several meetings on Tuesday, among other leaders who were also in Cambodia. Hun Sen had been scheduled to hold talks with French President Emmanuel Macron and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, among others.

"I know I'm a cockeyed optimist," Biden told reporters in Cambodia, referencing a sunny song from the musical South Pacific, "but I'm not surprised by the turnout." A Democratic victory in a Georgia Senate runoff on Dec. 6 would give the party outright majority control, bolstering its sway over committees, bills, and judicial picks. As of Sunday evening, Republicans had won 211 seats and the Democrats 206, with 218 needed for a majority. World leaders at an East Asia summit of ASEAN nations told Biden they are closely following the midterms results, national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters aboard Air Force One. He has said he will invite Republicans and Democrats to the White House once he returns.

☆ Germany's Scholz calls for closer EU trade ties with Southeast Asia
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

He said he hopes to see quick progress in the EU's trade negotiations with Australia, India and Indonesia and remains open to new agreements beyond that. His trip, one week after a visit to China, comes within the context of Germany's attempts to diversify trade in Asia, which has some of the fastest growing economies in the world. Scholz said that reducing risky, one-sided dependencies for certain raw materials or critical technologies would play an important role in Germany's national security strategy but added that de-coupling was not the answer. "A world with new or resurrected trade barriers and de-integrated economies will not be a better place," he said according to a prepared speech text. Reporting by Maria Sheahan and Kirsti Knolle Editing by Paul CarrelOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Australia's Albanese talks briefly with China's Li, prompting talk of summit -media
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SYDNEY, Nov 13 (Reuters) - Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese spoke briefly with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang at a regional summit in Cambodia, Australian media said on Sunday, sparking some expectations of a formal summit with President Xi Jinping. Albanese and Li spoke on arrival at a gala on the sidelines of the summit in Phnom Penh of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported. The discussion raised the prospect of a potential Albanese-Xi meeting at the summit of the Group of 20 big economies in Indonesia on Monday. The last bilateral summit was in 2019 when Albanese's predecessor, Scott Morrison, met Xi at a G20 meeting, according to Australia's foreign ministry. Albanese's office said last week he will attend that meeting and a subsequent summit in Bangkok of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation group.

☆ Chinese premier says economy on 'upward trend', vows further support
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIJING, Nov 13 (Reuters) - China's economy has grown 3% over the past three quarters and is stabilising on an "upward trend", Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said, vowing to continue to support the economy with policy measures. Premier Li also said China was working hard to keep market operations, employment and prices stable, the statement said. read moreChina has created more than 10 million new urban jobs in the first 10 months of the year, Li said. China aims to keep the urban jobless rate below 5.5% and to create more than 11 million new urban jobs this year. "Countries should strengthen cooperation and macroeconomic policy coordination, so as to form synergy to maintain the stability of the world economy and prevent recession," Li said.

☆ South Korea's Yoon says North Korea's provocations becoming more aggressive
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-13 | by ( Soo-Hyang Choi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SEOUL, Nov 13 (Reuters) - South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol said on Sunday that North Korea is conducting more "aggressive" provocations based on confidence over its nuclear and missile programmes, calling for strong cooperation with the United States and Japan. "North Korea is conducting more hostile and aggressive provocations based on confidence over its nuclear and missile capabilities," Yoon said in remarks broadcast on South Korean television. In a separate bilateral meeting with Biden, Yoon stressed the need to strengthen extended deterrence against North Korea's growing threats, and said they should show Pyongyang that it would gain nothing with its nuclear and missile programmes, according to Yoon's office. Biden said South Korean companies' large contribution to the U.S. economy should be considered when implementing the new rules, according to Yoon's office. Reporting by Soo-hyang Choi; Editing by William Mallard and Raissa KasolowskyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

At stake is an unresolved dispute over compensation for the Korean wartime labourers used by Japanese firms during World War Two, which had worsened bilateral relations in recent years. The South Korean presidential office also said that the two leaders agreed to continue discussions for prompt resolution of the pending issues. A South Korean court has ordered the seizure of assets of Japanese companies accused of not compensating some of their colonial-era labourers. read moreTokyo says the issue of compensation was settled under a 1965 treaty normalizing diplomatic ties and providing South Korea with economic assistance, and has warned of serious repercussions if the orders are enforced. Japan has urged South Korea to present a solution, and a Seoul official said it would devise a proposal that can win consent from both South Korean victims and Tokyo.

☆ Russia's Lavrov says West seeking to militarise southeast Asia
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Nov 13 (Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Sunday said the West was "militarising" southeast Asia in a bid to contain Russian and Chinese interests, setting the stage for a confrontation between Russia and Western leaders at the G20 summit in Bali. Lavrov will head Russia's delegation to the summit - the first such meeting since Moscow invaded Ukraine in February - after the Kremlin said President Vladimir Putin was too busy to attend. "The United States and its NATO allies are trying to master this space," Lavrov told reporters. Putin portrays Russia and China as the leaders of a global rebellion against the post-Soviet global dominance of the United States and the West. The United States casts China and Russia as the two main global threats.

☆ Biden says won't veer into conflict with China, as first summit ends in Asia
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-13 | by ( Nandita Bose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Addressing the East Asia Summit in Cambodia, Biden said the United States would compete with China and speak out over its human rights record, but stressed the importance of peace in the Taiwan Strait and ensuring freedom of navigation in the South China Sea. On China, Biden told the summit that "the United States will compete vigorously.... while keeping lines of communication open and ensuring competition does not veer into conflict," the White House said in a statement. Eighteen countries accounting for half the global economy attended Sunday's East Asia Summit, including the ASEAN nations, Japan, South Korea, China, India, the United States, Russia, Australia and New Zealand. "The United States and its NATO allies are trying to master this space," Lavrov told a news conference in Phnom Penh. Like ally the United States, Australia's ties with China have also deteriorated in recent years.

Nov 13 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden will meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping in person on Monday for the first time since taking office, with U.S. concerns over Taiwan, Russia's war in Ukraine and North Korea's nuclear ambitions on top of his agenda. Biden and Xi, who have held five phone or video calls since Biden became president in January 2021, last met in person during the Obama administration. Xi's government has also criticized the Biden administration's posture toward Taiwan as undermining China's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Biden will also discuss Moscow's invasion of Ukraine and plans to be "unapologetic" in his defence of Ukraine, U.S. officials said last week. Biden will also warn Xi that North Korea's continued pursuit of weapons development will lead to an enhanced U.S. military presence in the region, the White House said.

☆ China stepping up actions hurting Japan's sovereignty, PM Kishida says -Jiji
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

SEOUL, Nov 13 (Reuters) - China is continuously, and increasingly, taking actions that infringe on Japan's sovereignty, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has said, Jiji Press reported on Sunday. Kishida's remarks came during a summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh, the news agency added. Reporting by Ju-min Parkand Sakura Murakami; Editing by Clarence FernandezOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ U.S. President Biden arrives in Bali for G20 summit
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

[1/2] U.S. President Joe Biden watches a cultural performance as he arrives at the Ngurah Rai International Airport ahead of the G20 leaders' summit, near Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia, November 13, 2022. REUTERS/Kevin LamarqueNUSA DUA, Indonesia Nov 13 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden landed in Bali, Indonesia, on Sunday for the summit of the G20 group of major economies. Biden, who arrives off the back of his attendance at the COP27 climate summit in Egypt and the ASEAN summit in Cambodia, is set meet Chinese President Xi Jinping and other leaders to address a range of geopolitical issues this week, including the war in Ukraine, tensions in the Taiwan Strait and the ongoing food, energy and climate crises. Reporting by Fransiska Nangoy Writing by Kanupriya Kapoor Editing by David GoodmanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ In Cambodia, Biden seeks to counter China's influence and Putin's war
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( Peter Nicholas | Peter Nicholas Is A Senior National Political Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

On Sunday, Biden will meet jointly with two valued allies, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol. They are expected to discuss the nuclear threat from North Korea, whose repeated missile tests have sent residents in both countries scurrying to bomb shelters for safety. The centerpiece of Biden’s trip is a sit-down Monday in Bali with Chinese President Xi Jinping, their first face-to-face meeting since Biden took office. Sullivan added, "And if North Korea keeps going down this road, it will simply mean further enhanced American military and security presence in the region. Scott Kennedy, a China expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said that between Russia and North Korea, China “has two friends acting like absolute rogues," adding that Beijing is "not managing either well."

☆ Japan's Kishida calls for constructive relations in talks with China's Li
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TOKYO, Nov 12 (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister told Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Saturday he hoped the two countries could strive toward building a "constructive and stable" relationship, Japan's foreign ministry said on Saturday. In a speech at the ASEAN plus 3 meeting, Kishida reiterated Japan's view that North Korea's recent ballistic missile launches, including one that flew over Japan, were a clear and serious threat to the international community, and unacceptable. He also called for cooperation among the countries in achieving a complete dismantling of North Korea's ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction. Japan's public broadcaster NHK reported Kishida was making final arrangements to hold talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping during the APEC meeting in Bangkok. Reporting by Leika Kihara; Editing by William MallardOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Ukraine works to stabilize Kherson after Russian pullout
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

In a regular social media update Saturday, the General Staff of Ukraine’s armed forces said Russian forces were fortifying their battle lines on the river’s eastern bank after abandoning the capital. About 70% of the Kherson region remains under Russian control. A view of the Ukrainian flag in front of a damaged settlement in Potemkin village which is recently retaken from Russian Forces, Kherson Oblast, Kherson, Ukraine on November 10, 2022. Despite the advances in Kherson, other parts of Ukraine continued to face civilian casualties, energy shortages and other fallout from Russian military attacks and Putin’s illegal annexation of Ukraine’s Kherson, Donetsk, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia regions. Ukrainian Armed Forces continuing their move toward the Kherson front in Ukraine on Nov. 9, 2022.

☆ Ukraine minister urges ASEAN to stop Russian 'hunger games'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PHNOM PENH, Nov 12 (Reuters) - Ukraine's foreign minister on Saturday urged Southeast Asian countries to take all measures possible to stop Russia from playing "hunger games" over a Ukrainian Black Sea grain deal, which could expire next week. "I call on all ASEAN members to take every method possible to stop Russia from playing hunger games with the world." The United Nations says more than 10 million tonnes of grain and other food has been exported from Ukraine under the deal. Ukraine is joining the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit and a parallel East Asian Summit for the first time. "Sitting down at a table for a nice picture, we've been there, we've done it, we've tried."

☆ Biden in Cambodia as global leaders join Southeast Asian summit
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] U.S. President Joe Biden is greeted upon his arrival at the Phnom Penh International Airport to attend the 2022 ASEAN summit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, November 12, 2022. Cambodia is hosting the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) annual summit and a parallel East Asian Summit, with the regional bloc engaging with a host of leaders. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol met ASEAN leaders on Friday. "President Trump didn't attend a single East Asian Summit during four years in office," said Greg Poling, head of the Southeast Asia programme at Washington’s Center for Strategic and International Studies. ASEAN leaders on Friday issued a "warning" to Myanmar to make measurable progress on a peace plan or risk being barred from the bloc's meetings, as social and political chaos escalates in the country.

☆ Biden says U.S.-ASEAN pact to address 'biggest issues of our time'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( Nandita Bose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/8] U.S. President Joe Biden speaks at the 2022 ASEAN summit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, November 12, 2022. In his first visit to Southeast Asia as president, Biden said the region was at the heart of his administration's Indo-Pacific strategy and Washington was committing resources, not just rhetoric, under a new Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. ASEAN is engaging a host of leaders, including Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol. At the gatherings, Biden will focus on the Indo-Pacific region and talk about U.S. commitment to a rules-based order in the South China Sea, a senior administration official said earlier this week. Biden on Saturday said the meetings would discuss Russia's "brutal" war against Ukraine and U.S. efforts to address the war's global impact.

☆ For East Timor president, ASEAN membership a lifelong dream
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( Kate Lamb | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

At the time, East Timor was ruled by Portugal, although it was clear that Lisbon would soon relinquish its colony. East Timor was later annexed by Indonesia and gained full independence only in 2002. At a summit in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh this week, ASEAN said East Timor would be granted observer status at high-level meetings of the bloc as it formulates a "roadmap for full membership". He served as the country's first foreign minister, prime minister from 2006 to 2007, and president from 2007 to 2012, during which time he survived an assassination attempt by rebel soldiers. East Timor celebrated 20 years of independence this year, but the country of 1.3 million people is heavily dependent on dwindling reserves of oil and gas.

☆ South Korea's Yoon hopes for co-operation with China, Japan
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

SEOUL, Nov 12 (Reuters) - South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol said on Saturday he hoped for the early activation of a mechanism for three-way ties with China and Japan. At a summit of leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Yoon urged stronger joint efforts to overcome complex future crises, such as those stemming from war and rights abuses worldwide as well as risks to security of food and energy brought by climate change. Reporting by Joyce Lee and Minwoo Park; Editing by William Mallard and Clarence FernandezOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Biden says U.S. pact with ASEAN will tackle 'biggest issues of our time'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

PHNOM PENH, Nov 12 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden on Saturday said a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the United States and the ASEAN bloc will help to tackle "the biggest issues of our time". Biden in remarks at a summit of the United States and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Cambodia said the agreement would help build "an Indo-Pacific that's free and open, stable and prosperous, and resilient and secure." Reporting by Nandita Bose; Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by Ed DaviesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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