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☆ Myanmar junta hits out at critics, thanks neighbours for help
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Jan 4 (Reuters) - Myanmar's junta chief on Wednesday lashed out at countries for intervening in his country's affairs while thanking others for "positively" cooperating, noting how it was working closely with neighbours such as China, India and Thailand. We will work together for border stability and development," Min Aung Hlaing said in a televised speech from a national day parade in the capital Naypyitaw. Suu Kyi is being held in a jail in Naypyitaw in solitary confinement and the military insist she has received due process by an independent court. The United States, the European Union and countries such as Britain and Canada, have imposed sanctions on Myanmar's military and individuals deemed to have helped the junta come to power. Referring to international pressure, Min Aung Hlaing hit out at what he said were "disruptions from countries and organizations who want to intervene in Myanmar's internal affairs."

☆ Myanmar court convicts Aung San Suu Kyi of corruption in final case
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

BANGKOK — A court in military-ruled Myanmar convicted the country’s ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi of corruption on Friday, sentencing her to seven years in prison in the last of a string of criminal cases against her, a source with direct knowledge of the proceedings confirmed to NBC News. The 77-year-old Suu Kyi has also been convicted of several other offenses, including illegally importing and possessing walkie-talkies, violating coronavirus restrictions, breaching the country’s official secrets act, sedition and election fraud. Suu Kyi was the de facto head of government, holding the title of state counsellor. The U.N. said in August that Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, the head of Myanmar’s military-installed government, had “expressed openness to arranging a meeting at the right time” between Suu Kyi and U.N. special envoy Noeleen Heyzer. “The Myanmar junta’s farcical, totally unjust parade of charges and convictions against Aung San Suu Kyi amount to politically motivated punishment designed to hold her behind bars for the rest of her life,” he said.

☆ Thailand hosts Myanmar junta figures in talks, key ASEAN nations skip
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Foreign ministers of Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia and Vietnam's deputy foreign minister joined the talks hosted by Thailand's foreign minister, according to Thai foreign ministry spokeswoman Kanchana Patarachoke. "The consultation was a non-ASEAN meeting but intended to complement ASEAN’s ongoing collective efforts to find a peaceful political resolution," Kanchana said in a statement. Myanmar Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin attended along with Kan Zaw, minister for investment and foreign economic relations, and Ko Ko Hlaing, minister for international cooperation, Myanmar's foreign ministry said in a statement. The Philippines said its foreign minister would also not join, without elaborating. "Any meeting convened under ASEAN, formal or informal, should not divert from this decision," it said, according to the source.

☆ China's economy looks different than it was going into the pandemic
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

China's exports started to fall year-on-year in October — for the first time since May 2020, according to Wind Information. Net exports had supported China's GDP growth over the last several years, contributing as much as 1.7 percentage points in 2021, the analysts said. But China's exports to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have picked up, surpassing those to the U.S. and EU on a monthly basis in November, according to customs data. They expect ASEAN's GDP growth to rebound in 2023, while the U.S. and EU spend part of next year in recession. Jin pointed out that China's car exports, especially of electric cars and related parts, helped support overall exports this year.

But she warned the outlook was "exceptionally" uncertain and dominated by risks, such as the fallout from Russia's war in Ukraine, global financial tightening and a slowdown in China's growth. But we need to rebuild and preserve buffers and be prepared to fully use our policy tool-kit," she told the same forum. The fallout from China's slowdown has been particularly painful in Asia, where factory activity slumped across the region in November. At the forum, Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda said he did not see a significant risk of Asia facing a sudden loss of confidence or a renewed financial crisis. "ASEAN policymakers must be vigilant" to risks and offer "clear, sufficient and timely communication to avoid unintended outcomes," he said.

☆ Myanmar democracy leader says 2,000 dead fighting junta, urges military aid
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Poppy Mcpherson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

BANGKOK, Dec 1 (Reuters) - At least 2,000 pro-democracy fighters have been killed in Myanmar battling a military junta that seized power last year, the head of a parallel civilian government said in an interview aired on Thursday, urging allies to provide military aid. The military has branded him and his colleagues terrorists and banned citizens from communicating with them, but their parallel civilian government enjoys widespread support. Duwa Lashi La has been pictured visiting troops, who include former students and professionals driven to the jungles by military crackdowns, clad in a flak jacket and helmet. Duwa Lashi La said the opposition fighters had killed about 20,000 junta troops. Duwa Lashi La said the door was not closed to negotiation but the military had to stop killing civilians, vow to withdraw from politics and abolish the constitution that enshrines their power.

☆ Fact Check-World leaders wear traditional Cambodian clothing for 2022 East Asia Summit gala dinner
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Social media users are sharing images of world leaders wearing traditional Cambodian clothing for a Nov. 2022 East Asia Summit gala dinner. What other gathering of world leaders has had weird uniforms for them all to wear? False claims that Biden was wearing "Mao clothing" have been addressed by the Associated Press (here). World leaders were not wearing similar shirts to the 2022 East Asia Summit gala dinner as part of a new uniform, nor to imitate former Chinese leader Mao. They were dressed in traditional clothing of the host nation, Cambodia, as often happens at international gatherings.

☆ 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.

☆ 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.

☆ 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.

☆ 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.

☆ 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.

☆ 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.

☆ 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.

☆ 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.

☆ 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."

☆ 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.

☆ 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.

☆ 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.

☆ 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.

☆ 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.

☆ 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.

☆ U.S. President Biden slips up on name of ASEAN summit host Cambodia
▼ + 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 referred to Cambodia, which is hosting an international summit led by Southeast Asian leaders, as Colombia. He was referring to Prime Minister Hun Sen of Cambodia, who is currently chairing the 10-member regional bloc. The president, who is on a whirlwind trip with stops at the COP27 climate summit in Egypt, ASEAN in Phnom Penh and the G20 summit in Indonesia, made a similar slip-up while speaking to reporters at the White House recently. Supporters call that ageism and say the president, who overcame a childhood stutter, has been ad-libbing in public speeches for decades. Reporting by Nandita Bose and Jiraporn Kuhakan; Writing by Kanupriya Kapoor; Editing by Christina FincherOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ 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.

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