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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

The indictments mark the first time the U.S. has sought to prosecute any of the Chinese companies responsible for manufacturing precursor chemicals used to make the painkiller. The companies at the heart of the three separate indictments are accused of selling precursor chemicals to the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico, which in turn has flooded the U.S. with the drug. Federal prosecutors in Manhattan announced the unsealing of an indictment against the China-based chemical company Hubei Amarvel Biotech, along with its executives Qingzhou Wang, 35, Yiyi Chen, 31, and Fnu Lnu, also known as Er Yang, with fentanyl trafficking, precursor chemical importation, and money laundering offenses. "Fentanyl poses a singular threat, not only because the smallest doses can be lethal, but because fentanyl does not occur in nature. In the Eastern District of New York, prosecutors announced the unsealing of two more indictments against three other Chinese companies and individuals accused of conspiring to manufacture and distribute fentanyl in the U.S.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, Qingzhou Wang, Yiyi Chen, Fnu Lnu, Er Yang, Joaquin, El, Guzman, Lisa Monaco, Blinken, Wang, Chen, Yang, Sarah N, Lynch, Luc Cohen, David Brunnstrom, Chizu Nomiyama, Angus MacSwan Organizations: WASHINGTON, U.S . Justice, U.S, Hubei Amarvel Biotech, Justice Department, Embassy, Global Coalition, Administration, of, U.S . Prosecutors, Hebei Sinaloa Trading, Thomson Locations: United States, China, Washington, Sinaloa, Mexico, Manhattan, Hubei, cryptocurrency, Los Angeles, Honolulu , Hawaii, New York, of New York, Hebei Sinaloa, U.S

☆ 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

☆ Modi calls for 'one earth, one family, one future' at U.N. yoga event
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

UNITED NATIONS, June 21 (Reuters) - Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi led a celebration of International Yoga Day at the United Nations in New York on Wednesday and called on people "to join hands together to realize the goal of one earth, one family, one future." The United Nations in 2014 declared June 21 the International Day of Yoga, adopting a measure proposed by Modi. "Let us use the power of yoga to build bridges of friendship, a peaceful world, and a cleaner, greener and sustainable future," he said. [1/6]Participants take part in the 9th International Day of Yoga event with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the north lawn at United Nations headquarters in New York City, New York, U.S., June 21, 2023. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres delivered a video message to the yoga event, saying he wanted to "recognize Prime Minister Modi for all he has done to promote understanding of yoga and its many benefits."

Persons: Narendra Modi, Modi, Joe Biden, Mike Segar Modi, Biden, Mahatma Gandhi, Gandhi, India's, Antonio Guterres, David Brunnstrom, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: UNITED NATIONS, Indian, United Nations, of Yoga, White, REUTERS, United, Bharatiya Janata Party, Thomson Locations: New York, New, East, United States, New York City , New York, U.S, Washington, India

[1/2] U.S. President Joe Biden meets with India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, U.S., September 24, 2021. Washington also wants to wean India away from its traditional defence partner Russia. Though Modi has made several previous visits to the United States, this will be his first with the full diplomatic status of an official state visit, just the third of Biden's presidency and third by any Indian leader. "It’s a milestone in our relationship...It is a very significant visit, very important visit," India’s Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra told reporters on Monday. Modi will also meet American CEOs and lead an International Yoga Day event at the UN headquarters.

Persons: Joe Biden, Narendra Modi, Evelyn Hockstein, Modi, Vinay Kwatra, Kwatra, General, Ely Ratner, Biden, Kamala Harris, Antony Blinken, Raja Mohan, Krishn Kaushik, Sarita Chaganti Singh, David Brunnstrom Organizations: India's, White, REUTERS, Indian, . Congress, JET, General Electric, U.S ., Defense, Pacific Affairs, UN, Asia Society Policy, Rajesh, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, India, DELHI, WASHINGTON, United States, Washington, Washington and New Delhi, Pacific . Washington, Russia, New Delhi, Moscow, Ukraine, West, China, Cooperation, New York, U.S, Asia, NEW DELHI

☆ Blinken heads to Beijing hoping to calm fears of a US-China break
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Humeyra Pamuk | Thomson Reuters | Humeyra Pamuk Is A Senior Foreign Policy Correspondent Based In Washington Dc. She Covers The U.S. State Department | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Blinken will hold meetings in China on June 18-19 and may meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping, sources said. He will be the highest-ranking U.S. government official to visit China since Biden took office in January 2021. That followed a tense evening phone call with Blinken on Tuesday during which Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang told the U.S. to stop meddling in China's affairs. So even going through the motions has some utility for both Washington and Beijing." Particularly worrisome for China's neighbors has been its reluctance to allow regular military-to-military talks between Beijing and Washington, despite repeated U.S. attempts.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Xi Jinping, Biden, Qin Gang, Wang Wenbin, Joe Biden, Andrew Small, Marshall, Tsai Ing, Stephane Dujarric, EYEING BIDEN, Xi, Emanuel Macron, Blinken's, Janet Yellen, Gina Raimondo, Yun Sun, Humeyra Pamuk, David Brunnstrom, Laurie Chen, Martin Pollard, Michelle Nichols, Ben Blanchard, Don Durfee, Daniel Wallis Organizations: Blinken, Foreign, Washington, French, U.S, Treasury, China Program, Stimson, Economic Cooperation, APEC, Biden, Thomson Locations: Beijing, United States, China, U.S, Asia, Taiwan, Taiwan Strait, Washington, Bali, Europe, East, Africa, Saudi Arabia, India, San Francisco, New York, Taipei

U.S. officials said Blinken would push to establish open communication channels to ensure competition with the Chinese does not spiral into conflict. Chinese state media said Blinken would visit on June 18 and 19. Kritenbrink said Blinken would hold a series of meetings with senior Chinese officials. The two sides did not say which officials Blinken would meet. "I believe Secretary Blinken will advocate strongly that these lines of communication are necessary.

Persons: Antony Blinken's, Qin Gang, Joe Biden, Blinken, We're, Daniel Kritenbrink, Kritenbrink, Xi Jinping, Matthew Miller, Xi, Kurt Campbell, Blinken's, Janet Yellen, Gina Raimondo, Campbell, Biden, Qin, Humeyra Pamuk, David Brunnstrom, Simon Lewis, Doina Chiacu, Chizu Nomiyama, William Maclean Organizations: Wednesday, U.S, Blinken, State, U.S . State Department, Washington, Treasury, Thomson Locations: United States, China, Beijing, U.S, East Asia, Taiwan, Ukraine, Blinken's, Bali, North Korea

Blinken's long-delayed visit is aimed at stabilizing relations between the world's two largest economies and strategic rivals. Chinese state media said Blinken would visit on June 18 and 19. Kritenbrink said Blinken would hold a series of meetings with senior Chinese officials. The two sides did not say which officials Blinken would meet. "I believe Secretary Blinken will advocate strongly that these lines of communication are necessary.

Persons: Antony Blinken's, Qin Gang, Joe Biden, Blinken, We're, Daniel Kritenbrink, Kritenbrink, Xi Jinping, Matthew Miller, Antony Blinken, Faisal Bin Farhan, Ahmed Yosri, Xi, Kurt Campbell, Blinken's, Janet Yellen, Gina Raimondo, Campbell, Biden, Qin, Humeyra Pamuk, David Brunnstrom, Simon Lewis, Doina Chiacu, Chizu Nomiyama, William Maclean Organizations: Wednesday, U.S, Blinken, State, U.S . State Department, Saudi Foreign, Intercontinental, REUTERS, Washington, Treasury, Thomson Locations: United States, China, Beijing, U.S, East Asia, Taiwan, Ukraine, Blinken's, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Bali, North Korea

☆ Ahead of Modi visit, journalists' group urges US to press India on media crackdown
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, June 14 (Reuters) - The Committee to Protect Journalists on Wednesday called on the U.S. government to urge India to end a media crackdown and release six detained journalists. A statement from CPJ President Jodie Ginsberg ahead of a state visit to Washington next week by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said there had been an increasing crackdown on India’s media since he came to power in 2014. "Journalists critical of the government and the BJP party have been jailed, harassed, and surveilled in retaliation for their work," Ginsberg said. It highlighted harassment of domestic and foreign media, including through raids and retaliatory income tax investigations launched into critical news outlets. The CPJ also cited a media crackdown in Kashmir, including the use of preventative detention, terrorism and criminal cases, travel bans and raids.

Persons: Jodie Ginsberg, Narendra Modi, Ginsberg, – Aasif Sultan, Gautam Navlakha, Sajad Gul, Fahad Shah, Rupesh Kumar Singh, Irfan Mehraj –, Modi, CPJ, David Brunnstrom, Alistair Bell Organizations: Protect Journalists, Indian, BJP, U.S . State Department, Thomson Locations: India, Washington, United States, Delhi, Mumbai, Indian, Jammu, Kashmir

☆ US lawmakers warn North Korean refugees face forcible repatriation from China
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, June 13 (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers warned on Tuesday that China could be preparing to forcibly repatriate refugees who fled North Korea and urged the United Nations to use its influence with Beijing to prevent this. He referred to reports that approximately 2,000 and "perhaps many more" North Korean refugees faced repatriation "which would subject them to severe human rights violations upon their return." The CECC co-chair, Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley, said a 2014 report by the U.N. commission on inquiry on human rights in North Korea had stated clearly that forcible repatriation of North Koreans "subjects them to crimes against humanity." "Just being a North Korean in China means an individual would be in grave peril if sent back to North Korea," he said. China's Washington embassy, UNHCR, and North Korea's U.N. mission did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Persons: Chris Smith, Smith, Antonio Guterres, General Guterres, Filippo Grandi, Elizabeth Salmon, Jeff Merkley, Merkley, U.N, Stephane Dujarric, Guterres, David Brunnstrom, Michelle Nichols, Don Durfee, Grant McCool Organizations: United, Congressional, Commission, U.N, United Nations, South Korea's Korea Times, Washington Post, Democratic, UNHCR, Thomson Locations: China, North Korea, United Nations, Beijing, Korean, South, North Koreans, Washington

Such a spy installation would allow Beijing to gather electronic communications from the southeastern United States, which houses many U.S. military bases, as well as monitor ship traffic, the newspaper reported. The countries have reached an agreement in principle, the officials said, with China to pay Cuba "several billion dollars" to allow the eavesdropping station, according to the Journal. The intelligence on the plans for a Cuba station was gathered in recent weeks and was convincing, the Journal reported. Cuba, an old Cold War foe of the United States, has long been a hotbed of espionage and spy games. It backed down and removed the missiles, but it is widely regarded as the moment when the United States and the Soviet Union came closest to a nuclear confrontation.

Persons: Fort Bragg, John Kirby, Biden, Antony Blinken, Washington's, Bob Menendez, ”, Vladimir Putin, Doina Chiacu, Matt Spetalnick, David Brunnstrom, Patricia Zengerle, Dave Sherwood, Jonathan Landay, Nick Zieminski, Alistair Bell Organizations: Wall Street, U.S, U.S . Central Command, Tampa . Fort Liberty, Fort, White House National Security Council, Embassy, Senate Foreign Relations, Capitol, Reuters, Taiwan’s National Security Bureau, Cuban, Moscow, Soviet Union, Thomson Locations: China, Cuba, Florida, Beijing, United States, Tampa . Fort, North Carolina, People’s Republic, Washington, Cuban, U.S, America's, Coast, South, Taiwan, South China, Havana, Soviet, Lourdes, Russian

He said the United States has had "real concerns" about China’s relationship with Cuba and was closely monitoring it. Brigadier General Patrick Ryder, a U.S. Defense Department spokesperson, said: "We are not aware of China and Cuba developing a new type of spy station." If such a facility is built, the Chinese will use Cuba "as a beachhead for collection against the United States," said Daniel Hoffman, a former senior CIA undercover officer. Cuba, an old Cold War foe of the United States, has long been a hotbed of espionage and spy games. It backed down and removed the missiles, but it is widely regarded as the moment when the United States and the Soviet Union came closest to a nuclear confrontation.

Persons: Fort Bragg, John Kirby, General Patrick Ryder, Jose Cabanas, Washington, Joe Biden's, Antony Blinken, Washington's, House's Kirby, Bob Menendez, ”, Daniel Hoffman, Biden, Vladimir Putin, Matt Spetalnick, Jonathan Landay, Doina Chiacu, Trevor Hunnicutt, David Brunnstrom, Patricia Zengerle, Dave Sherwood, Michael Martina, Kanishka Singh, Phil Stewart, Idrees Ali, Nick Zieminski, Alistair Bell, Daniel Wallis Organizations: Wall Street, White House, Pentagon, U.S, U.S . Central Command, Tampa . Fort Liberty, Fort, White House National Security Council, Reuters, U.S . Defense Department, Embassy, Senate Foreign Relations, CIA, Taiwan’s National Security Bureau, Cuban, Moscow, Soviet Union, Thomson Locations: China, Cuba, Florida, Beijing, U.S, Tampa . Fort, North Carolina, United States, Washington, Cuban, America's, Coast, South, Taiwan, South China, Havana, Soviet, Lourdes, Russian

And while Musk has mentioned the trip in two posts since leaving, he didn't tweet once while in China. That said, after three years of harsh COVID curbs that hampered entry into China, foreign CEOs appear eager to get the lay of the land. Sixty-seven foreign business leaders attended the high-profile China Development Forum this year, although that is still 20 fewer than in 2019. The few known comments by foreign CEOs whilst they were in China have been in line with Biden's stance that he is not seeking to decouple the world's two largest economies. The foreign ministry quoted Musk as saying he was opposed to a decoupling of the U.S. and China economies which he described as "conjoined twins".

Persons: Elon Musk, Goldman Sachs, David Solomon, Musk, Goldman's Solomon, wariness, Xi, Noah Fraser, Tesla, Goldman, Joe Biden, Tim Cook, Patrick Gelsinger, Mary Barra, Stephen Schwarzman, Jamie Dimon, Christopher Johnson, JPMorgan's Dimon, Daniel Russel, Brenda Goh, Joe Cash, Selena Li, Zhang Yan, David Brunnstrom, David Shepardson, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: Media, Twitter, Canada China Business Council, EU Chamber of Commerce, U.S . Department of Commerce, U.S, flashpoints, General Motors, China, China Strategies, U.S ., JPMorgan, Blackstone, Intel, JPMorgan Global China Summit, Asia Society Policy Institute, Thomson Locations: SHANGHAI, BEIJING, China, Shanghai, U.S, Washington, Beijing, Blackstone's, East, Hong Kong

☆ US slaps sanctions on Iranian, Chinese targets over Tehran's missile, military programs
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Daphne Psaledakis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Iran's mission to the United Nations in New York and China's embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to requests for comment. China has been a major buyer of Iranian oil despite U.S. sanctions designed to choke off these exports. Washington targeted centrifuge sales to Parchin Chemical Industries (PCI), dual-use metals sales to its intermediary, P.B. Co., Ltd, which the Treasury accused of selling centrifuges and other equipment and services worth hundreds of thousands of dollars to PCI with P.B. Sadr and PCI, as well as the other companies, could not immediately be reached for comment.

Persons: Davoud Damghani, Brian Nelson, Sadr, Zhejiang Qingji, Daphne Psaledakis, Doina Chiacu, Susan Heavey, Arshad Mohammed, David Brunnstrom, Chizu Nomiyama, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: . Treasury, Armed Forces Logistics, Terrorism, Financial Intelligence, United Nations, Parchin Chemical Industries, PCI, Zhejiang Qingji, P.B, Treasury, Hong, Hong Kong Ke.Do International Trade Co, Qingdao Zhongrongtong Trade, Co, Thomson Locations: United States, Iran, China, Hong Kong, Beijing, U.S, Washington, Tehran, New York, . Sadr, Zhejiang, Zhejiang Qingji Ind, Sadr, Qingdao

☆ Russia says it thwarts another major attack in Ukraine, inflicting heavy losses
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

On Monday, Russia said Ukrainian forces over the weekend had begun a major offensive in the southern part of the Donetsk region, which it had also thwarted. The latest Russian defence ministry statement said Russian forces had inflicted huge personnel losses on attacking Ukrainian forces and destroyed 28 tanks, including eight Leopard main battle tanks and 109 armoured vehicles. It said total Ukrainian losses amounted to 1,500 troops. Russia and Ukraine have often made claims of inflicting heavy human losses on each other which could not be independently verified. In a promotional video released on Sunday and urging silence in regards to any military actions, Ukraine's defence ministry said: "Plans like silence - the beginning will not be announced."

Persons: Zelenskiy, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Vladimir Putin, Bakhmut, John Kirby, I'm, Dmytro Kuleba, Hanna Maliar, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Reuters bureaux, Lidia Kelly, Ron Popeski, David Brunnstrom, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: Defence Ministry, Sunday Ukraine, KYIV, Kremlin, Ukrainian, Reuters, Washington Post, White House, Monday Ukraine, Ukraine's, Staff, Ukraine, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Ukrainian, Donetsk, Russia, Ukraine, Bakhmut, Crimean, Kiev, Kyiv, Crimea

WASHINGTON, June 2 (Reuters) - CIA director William Burns visited China last month for talks with Chinese counterparts, two U.S. officials said on Friday as Washington seeks to boost communications with Beijing. Burns, a veteran U.S. diplomat before leading the CIA, has made dozens of sensitive overseas trips as head of the agency, including to hold talks with Russian counterparts, as well as the Taliban in Afghanistan. The CIA, which does not regularly announce such visits, declined to comment on the China trip. Ties between the world's two largest economies are strained over issues ranging from Taiwan and China's human rights record to military activity in the South China Sea. "That's why we're also ready to engage China without preconditions, helping ensure that competition is managed, and that competition does not veer into conflict," Sullivan said.

Persons: William Burns, Burns, Joe Biden's, Antony Blinken, Janet Yellen, Gina Raimondo, Biden, Lloyd Austin, National Defense Li Shangfu, Li, Jake Sullivan, Sullivan, we're, Wang Yi, Michael Martina, Jonathan Landay, David Brunnstrom, Susan Heavey, Tim Ahmann, Alistair Bell, Matthew Lewis, Don Durfee Organizations: CIA, Washington, Reuters, Financial Times, Russian, Blinken, U.S . Defense, China's, National Defense, Pentagon, White House, People's, Arms Control, Thomson Locations: China, Beijing, Washington, Afghanistan, U.S, Taiwan, South China, . U.S, Singapore, Austin, People's Republic of China, Vienna

Relations between the superpowers are increasingly acrimonious, with friction over issues from Taiwan and China's military activity in the South China Sea to U.S. efforts to hold back China's semiconductor industry. China's leaders, by contrast, have been slow to establish military contacts and quick to shut them down during periods of diplomatic tension. This has frustrated the United States. Then there is China's view of how military talks fit into the broader U.S.-China relationship. From that perspective, military talks are something to bargain with.

Persons: Lloyd Austin, China's, ", Ely Ratner, National Defense Li Shangfu, Li, Zhu Feng, Zhu, Jacob Stokes, Yun Sun, ”, Daniel Russel, William Burns, it’s, Idrees Ali, Phil Stewart, David Brunnstrom, Michael Martina, Yew Lun Tian, Martina Pollard, Laurie Chen, Don Durfee, Alistair Bell Organizations: Pentagon . U.S . Defense, U.S . Army, U.S, National Defense, School of International Studies, Nanjing University, Center, New, New American Security, Stimson, East Asia, Obama, Asia Society Policy Institute, CIA, Washington, Pentagon, Thomson Locations: WASHINGTON, BEIJING, Singapore, Beijing, United States, China, Taiwan, South, U.S, Austin, New American, East Asia, Washington, Ukraine, States, East, Hainan

☆ US slaps sanctions on Chinese, Mexican entities in fentanyl action
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Daphne Psaledakis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The Treasury Department said it slapped sanctions on seven entities and six people based in China, as well as one business and three people based in Mexico. "Counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl constitute a leading cause of these deaths, devastating thousands of American families each year. We remain committed to using all authorities against enablers of illicit drug production to disrupt this deadly global production and counter the threat posed by these drugs." The Biden administration has been pushing for action as U.S. drug-related overdose deaths surpassed 100,000 in 2021, according to government estimates. Reporting by Daphne Psaledakis, Doina Chiacu and David Brunnstrom; Editing by Sharon Singleton and Jamie FreedOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Biden, Brian Nelson, Liu Pengyu, Washington, brazenly, Liu, Daphne Psaledakis, Doina Chiacu, David Brunnstrom, Sharon Singleton, Jamie Freed Organizations: Treasury Department, Terrorism, Financial, U.S . Centers for Disease Control, Prevention, Washington, Reuters, Treasury, Thomson Locations: United States, China, Mexico, Beijing

[1/6] People watch a TV broadcasting a news report on North Korea firing what it called a space satellite toward the south, in Seoul, South Korea, May 31, 2023. REUTERS/Kim Hong-JiSEOUL/TOKYO, May 31 (Reuters) - A satellite launch conducted by North Korea on Wednesday ended in failure after the rocket's second stage malfunctioned, sending the craft plunging into the sea, North Korean state media said. The new "Chollima-1" satellite launch rocket failed due to instability in the engine and fuel system, state news agency KCNA reported. The launch was the nuclear-armed state's sixth satellite launch attempt, and the first since 2016. It was supposed to launch North Korea's first spy satellite into orbit.

Persons: Kim Hong, KCNA, Hyonhee Shin, Josh Smith, Chang, Ran Kim, David Brunnstrom, Chris Reese, Sonali Paul, Christian Organizations: REUTERS, Ji, North, Thomson Locations: North Korea, Seoul, South Korea, Ji SEOUL, TOKYO, North Korean, Tokyo, Washington

[1/6] People watch a TV broadcasting a news report on North Korea firing what it called a space satellite toward the south, in Seoul, South Korea, May 31, 2023. The launch prompted emergency alerts and brief evacuation warnings in parts of South Korea and Japan, which were then withdrawn with no danger or damage reported. South Korea's military said it was still analysing whether the launch was successful, while media in South Korea and Japan said governments there were examining the possibility that it failed. North Korea had said it would launch its first military reconnaissance satellite between May 31 and June 11 to boost monitoring of U.S. military activities. North Korea has previously attempted five satellite launches, with two satellites placed in orbit, including during its last such launch in 2016.

Persons: Kim Hong, Leif, Eric Easley, Chol, Brian Weeden, Hyonhee Shin, Josh Smith, Chang, Ran Kim, David Brunnstrom, Chris Reese, Sonali Paul Organizations: REUTERS, Ji, Ewha University, Ocean, Central Military Commission, Workers ' Party, U.S, U.S . State Department, Korean, United Nations, State Department, Secure, Foundation, Thomson Locations: North Korea, Seoul, South Korea, Ji SEOUL, TOKYO, Japan, Korean, China, Pyongyang, Tokyo, Okinawa, Korea's, U.S, Washington

☆ Chinese jet carried out 'aggressive' maneuver near US military plane, Pentagon says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, May 30 (Reuters) - A Chinese fighter jet carried out an "unnecessarily aggressive" maneuver near a U.S. military plane over the South China Sea in international airspace, the United States said on Tuesday. "The United States will continue to fly, sail, and operate – safely and responsibly – wherever international law allows," it said in a statement. China claims almost all of the South China Sea, where several other countries have rival claims. Beijing has frequently said that the United States sending ships and aircraft into the South China Sea is not good for peace. The encounter followed what the United States has called a recent trend of increasingly dangerous behavior by Chinese military aircraft.

Persons: Liu Pengyu, Liu, Dado Ruvic, Lloyd Austin, Idrees Ali, David Brunnstrom, Lisa Shumaker, Grant McCool Organizations: U.S ., REUTERS, U.S . Defense, Pentagon, U.S . Air Force, Thomson Locations: U.S, South, United States, Washington, China, South China, Beijing, Singapore, Taiwan

☆ Reaction: Biden, McCarthy debt ceiling deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

WASHINGTON, May 27 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden and top congressional Republican Kevin McCarthy have reached a tentative deal to raise the federal government's $31.4 trillion debt ceiling, ending a months-long stalemate. DEMOCRATIC REPRESENTATIVE TED LIU"Tonight, I have been informed that there is an agreement in principle between the White House and House Republicans. This was a House Republican manufactured crisis. REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE BOB GOOD "I am hearing the 'deal' is for a $4 trillion increase in the debt limit. "If we didn't reach a deal … the average American person would clearly see a hit ... we had to reach some kind of conclusion here."

☆ US to sign strategic pacts with two Pacific states, hopes for third in weeks
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( David Brunnstrom | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, May 20 (Reuters) - The United States will sign new strategic pacts with the Pacific island states of Palau and Micronesia early next week and hopes to do so with the Marshall islands in coming weeks, the U.S. presidential envoy negotiating the deals said. As anticipated, he was unable to conclude the deal with the Marshall Islands. "We have made progress over my three-day visit to Marshall Islands and we hope to sign an agreement with the Marshall Islands in the coming weeks," he said. Chinese diplomats have been courting the region and China's construction and mining companies have expanded their business in many Pacific island nations. Yun said last month "topline" agreements would provide the three COFA states with a total of about $6.5 billion over 20 years.

WASHINGTON, May 18 (Reuters) - China’s commerce minister will visit the United States next week for meetings with the commerce secretary and Washington’s top trade official, the spokesperson for China's embassy in Washington said on Thursday, as the U.S. seeks engagement with Beijing to salve damaged ties. A source familiar with planning for the meetings said that Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao will meet with Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo in Washington next week before traveling to Detroit for a meeting of Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) trade ministers. He will meet with U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai on the sidelines of that gathering, scheduled for May 25-26. Washington has expressed eagerness for high-level meetings with China in an effort to keep increasingly tense relations from veering toward conflict. Blinken, Raimondo, and U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen have all expressed interest in visiting China.

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.

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