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☆ Analysis: U.S. and allies turn to deterring war with North Korea as options for preventing nuclear tests dwindle
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( Josh Smith | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Now that the North's nuclear weapons are mature and deployed, the United States and its allies are looking to simply dissuade the North from military action. South Korean Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup said last week the focus of efforts to deal with North Korea should be shifted from curbing nuclear weapons development to deterring their use. The newly released U.S. Nuclear Posture Review says Kim Jong Un's regime would be annihilated if it ever attacked with nuclear weapons. Another major drill began on Monday with hundreds of South Korean and U.S. warplanes, including a rare deployment of American F-35B fighters. "They're doing it because they want to send a message to North Korea, hey, we mean business," he said.

Some experts argue that recognizing North Korea as a nuclear-armed state, something Pyongyang seeks, is a prerequisite for such talks. North Korea has rejected U.S. calls to return to talks. Asked if it was time to accept North Korea as a nuclear state, she replied: "Wording aside, we are committed to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. We do not accept North Korea with that status. "She was acknowledging, as other officials in other administrations have, that North Korea does have nuclear weapons, but in violation of its commitments under the NPT not to pursue nuclear weapons," he told Reuters.

☆ U.S. lawmakers slam Wall Street bankers' plan to attend Hong Kong summit
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Michael Martina | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, Oct 27 (Reuters) - Two U.S. lawmakers on Thursday urged top American bankers to cancel their planned attendance at a Hong Kong financial summit next week, saying their participation would contribute to Chinese government rights abuses. Hong Kong officials hope the event will signal a re-opening from COVID-19 border restrictions, but it has raised the ire of Hong Kong activists after authorities used a national security law to stifle dissent in the former British colony. The State Department last year warned U.S. businesses of civil and criminal penalties should they violate U.S. sanctions by "engaging in certain transactions" with sanctioned Hong Kong and Chinese officials. Hong Kong reverted to Chinese from British rule in 1997 with the guarantee of a high degree of autonomy, which critics say Beijing has significantly eroded. Republicans, who hope to win control of Congress in November midterm elections, have also slammed executives for their plans to attend the Hong Kong event.

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterChinese nationals Guochun He and Zheng Wang were charged with trying to interfere in the prosecution, the prosecutors said. Court documents did not name the company, but the complaint referenced the same dates in which the U.S. unsealed its charges against Huawei, in 2019 and 2020. In addition to the case against the two Chinese nationals accused of interfering in the Huawei prosecution, the Justice Department also announced charges in two other schemes. The second case charges four Chinese nationals out of New Jersey with running a decade-long intelligence campaign, while the third accuses seven others of waging a harassment campaign against a U.S. resident in a bid to convince him to return to China. Of the 13 people charged, 10 are Chinese intelligence officers and Chinese government officials.

Prosecutors charged Chinese nationals Guochun He and Zheng Wang with trying to interfere in prosecution of an international telecommunications company. While court documents did not name the company, a person familiar with the investigation said they were trying to interfere with the prosecution of Huawei (HWT.UL). Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterA spokesperson for Huawei could not be reached for comment on Monday. Prosecutors also unveiled charges against four Chinese nationals in what they called a long-running intelligence campaign. The complaint against He and Wang alleges they tried to obtain confidential information concerning witnesses, trial evidence and any potential new charges the company could face.

☆ U.S. takes note of China congress, says important to keep communications open
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, Oct 24 (Reuters) - The United States said on Monday it had taken note of the Communist Party congress in strategic rival China that confirmed Xi Jinping in an unprecedented third term as leader, and stressed the importance of keeping lines of communication open. read moreState Department spokesperson Ned Price told a regular briefing the party congress would not bring a change in the U.S. approach to China, which he referred to by the initials of its official name. "We continue our efforts to keep lines of communication open, including at the leader level," she said. "We believe it important to keep those conversations ongoing and we will continue to do that." Xi secured an unprecedented third leadership term on Sunday and introduced a top governing body stacked with loyalists, cementing his place as China's most powerful ruler since Mao Zedong.

Earlier, South Korea's military said it scrambled fighter jets when a group of about 10 North Korean military aircraft flew close to the border dividing the two countries, amid heightened tensions over repeated North Korean missiles tests. North Korea's official KCNA news agency quoted the North Korean military as saying it took "strong military countermeasures" after South Korean artillery-fire drills on Thursday. It was at least the 41st ballistic missile launch by North Korea this year. Japan's coast guard also reported that North Korea had fired what could have been a ballistic missile and that it had already fallen. South Korea scrambled fighter jets a week ago after North Korean warplanes staged an apparent bombing drill as allied warships held missile defense drills in response to North Korean missile tests.

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol told reporters that Pyongyang has been "indiscriminately carrying out provocations", vowing to devise "watertight countermeasures". North Korea's military issued a statement via state media KCNA early on Friday saying that it took "strong military countermeasures", over artillery fire by South Korea on Thursday. The unprecedented frequency of North Korea's missile launches has raised concerns it may be preparing to resume testing of nuclear bombs for the first time since 2017. It said the South Korean air force "conducted an emergency sortie with its superior air force, including the F-35A". "The KPA sends a stern warning to the South Korean military inciting military tension in the frontline area with reckless action," its spokesman said, according to KCNA.

☆ Seoul scrambles fighters as North Korean planes fly close to border
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SEOUL, Oct 14 (Reuters) - South Korea scrambled fighter jets after a group of about 10 North Korean military aircraft flew close to the border dividing the two countries, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said, amid heightened tensions over repeated North Korean missiles tests. The statement said the North Korean aircraft were detected flying about 25 km (15 miles) north of the Military Demarcation Line in the central region of the Korea border area and about 12 km (7 miles) north of the Northern Limit Line, a de facto inter-Korean border in the Yellow Sea. The incident happened between 10:30 p.m. Thursday (1330 GMT) and 0:20 a.m. (1530 GMT) local time Friday. It said the aircraft were also seen near the eastern part of the inter-Korean border. The statement said the South Korean air force "conducted an emergency sortie with its superior air force, including the F-35A, and maintained a response posture, while carrying out a proportional response maneuver corresponding to the flight of a North Korean military aircraft."

SEOUL, Oct 13 (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the launch of two long-range strategic cruise missiles, state media reported on Thursday, calling it a test to confirm the reliability and operation of nuclear-capable weapons deployed to military units. It was not immediately clear if the launches were detected by authorities in South Korea, Japan, or the United States, which often monitor and release information on North Korean weapons activities. North Korea first tested a "strategic" cruise missile in September 2021, seen by analysts at the time as possibly the country's first such weapon with a nuclear capability. The cruise missiles are among a number of smaller weapons recently developed by North Korea seen as being able to fly low and maneuver in order to better evade missile defences. North Korea's cruise missiles usually generate less interest than ballistic missiles because they are not explicitly banned under U.N. Nations Security Council resolutions.

☆ If Taiwan is safe, chip supply chains will be secure, says Taiwan minister
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( David Shepardson | David Brunnstrom | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Taiwanese Minister for Economic Affairs Wang Mei-Hua said on a visit to the United States on Tuesday that if Taiwan remains safe, global supply chains of vital semiconductors would also be secure. She said Taiwan is keen for more cooperation between Taiwan and the United States to ensure resilient supply chains. “If Taiwan is safe, the global supply chain will also be secure. Asked whether Taiwan was concerned that U.S. government subsidies to encourage reshoring of chip manufacturing could lessen U.S. reliance on Taiwan, she said the Taiwanese semiconductor supply chain was “very, very concrete” having been built up over more than 40 years. “We have a very huge supply chain in Taiwan, that is difficult to duplicate, or difficult to replace.” she said.

☆ Explainer: When will North Korea test a nuclear weapon?
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Josh Smith | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Only North Korea knows. Satellite imagery has shown North Korea working to restore some of the tunnels this year that were closed in 2018, when Pyongyang declared a self-imposed moratorium on nuclear weapons tests. The most recent flurry of missile tests involved units meant to operate tactical nuclear weapons, according to North Korean state media. North Korea has also said it wants to deploy much larger nuclear weapons, so analysts say that could be in the works. Previous North Korea nuclear tests also incurred United Nations Security Council resolutions that imposed sanctions, backed at the time by China and Russia.

"U.S. prosperity and security depend on the Pacific region remaining free and open," it said, noting that Pacific island countries faced urgent challenges, most notably from the climate crisis, but also heightened geopolitical tensions. Leaders and representatives from 14 Pacific island states are taking part in the summit. read moreThe official also said Biden would designate career diplomat Frankie Reed as the first U.S. envoy to the Pacific Islands Forum. The U.S. strategy document says the United States would partner with Pacific islands to help them adapt to and manage the climate crisis, an "existential threat" to their lives, health, and livelihoods. Strategic competition in the Pacific intensified dramatically this year after China signed a security agreement with the Solomons, prompting warnings of militarization of the region.

Leaders and representatives from 14 Pacific island states are taking part in the summit. Washington and its allies want to boost maritime security and island states' communication links with countries like Japan, Australia and India, he said. SOLOMON ISLANDS TIES TO CHINAIn a statement on the first day of the talks, Henry Puna, secretary general of the Pacific Islands Forum, said he was confident the islands and the United States "can, and ... will secure and build a partnership." Sogavare has repeatedly appeared to snub the United States, heightening Washington's concerns. Wednesday's talks included a session hosted by U.S. special presidential envoy for climate John Kerry, who praised Pacific island leaders for a more ambitious global climate target than agreed at the 2015 Paris climate summit.

REUTERS/Akhtar SoomroUNITED NATIONS, Sept 23 (Reuters) - Countries on the front lines of the climate crisis are fed up. Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif asked world leaders why his people were paying the price of global warming. "We renew our call to the world to declare total war on this century's greatest challenge: the climate change monster. Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the least responsible for climate change are suffering the most. And yet, we are the fourth most vulnerable country to climate change," he told the U.N. gathering.

☆ U.S., Chinese foreign ministers to meet as Taiwan tensions rise
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-23 | by ( Humeyra Pamuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in New York on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly. The meeting comes days after Biden said U.S forces would defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion, drawing an angry response from China that said it sent the wrong signal to those seeking an independent Taiwan. In a phone call with Biden in July, China's leader Xi Jinping warned about Taiwan, saying "those who play with fire will perish by it." Beijing has long-vowed to bring Taiwan under its control and has not ruled out the use of force to do so. "This is the Chinese people's will and determination," he said according to China's Foreign Ministry.

☆ Solomons 'unfairly targeted' since recognizing China, its president tells U.N.
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare addresses the 72nd United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York, U.S., September 22, 2017. In an address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Manasseh Damukana Sogavare said the Solomons had been "unfairly targeted" and "vilified" in the media. The Pacific islands region has become a new theater of geopolitical competition between China and the United States and its allies. This competition intensified this year after China signed a security agreement with the Solomon Islands, prompting warnings of a militarization of the region. read moreSogavare has since repeatedly appeared to snub the United States, heightening Washington's concerns.

U.S. President Joe Biden takes part in a bilateral meeting with Philippines President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos, Jr. in New York, New York, U.S., September 22, 2022. "The leaders discussed the situation in the South China Sea and underscored their support for freedom of navigation and overflight and the peaceful resolution of disputes," the White House said in a statement after the talks. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterBiden said as the two men began their talks that he wanted to talk about the South China Sea, COVID-19 and renewable energy. The United States has accused China of increased "provocations" against rival claimants to territory in the South China Sea and other countries operating there. President Biden reaffirmed the United States’ ironclad commitment to the defense of the Philippines," the White House said.

☆ At U.N., Micronesia denounces Japan plan to release Fukushima water into Pacific
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

A worker, wearing protective suits and masks, takes notes in front of storage tanks for radioactive water at Tokyo Electric Power Co's (TEPCO) tsunami-crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Okuma town, Fukushima prefecture, Japan February 10, 2016. REUTERS/Toru HanaiUNITED NATIONS, Sept 22 (Reuters) - The president of the Pacific island state of Micronesia denounced at the United Nations on Thursday Japan's decision to discharge what he called nuclear-contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station into the Pacific Ocean. Japan said in July that its nuclear regulators had approved a plan to release into the Pacific ocean water used to cool reactors in the aftermath of the March 2011 Fukushima disaster. Panuelo also highlighted the threat posed by climate change, to which Pacific island states are particularly vulnerable. He called on geopolitical rivals the United States and China to consider it "a non-political and non-competitive issue for cooperation."

☆ U.S.-led Pacific group to focus on climate, connectivity amid China concerns
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register"I think as we've seen in some instances, clearly China has ambitions in the Pacific, some of which have caused concern among Pacific Island leaders," Campbell said. But he said the group's agenda would be guided by Pacific Island countries' needs. The Blue Pacific event, held on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York, comes ahead of a Sept. 28-29 summit U.S. President Joe Biden plans to host with Pacific island leaders. Campbell added that the group was also working on increasing connectivity among island states. In a separate meeting, Blinken and his South Korean and Japanese counterparts affirmed a shared commitment to support Pacific Island countries.

☆ South Korean, Japanese leaders meet, agree on need to improve ties
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida addresses the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. Headquarters in New York City, U.S., September 20, 2022. REUTERS/Eduardo MunozUNITED NATIONS, Sept 21 (Reuters) - South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida held the first one-on-one talks between their countries' leaders since 2019 on Wednesday and agreed on the need to improve relations by resolving issues of dispute. The meeting took place in New York on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly. Japan's Foreign Ministry Press Secretary Hikariko Ono said the two leaders "shared the need to bring back the sound bilateral relationship with the resolution of various issues." Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by David Brunnstrom and Chris Gallagher; editing by Grant McCool and Richard PullinOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterU.S. officials, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, have underscored this year that the United States does not support Taiwan independence. "It is incoherent to argue that America's Taiwan policy has not changed while also claiming that the U.S. has a commitment to fight for Taiwan and that Taiwan makes its own judgments about independence," said Craig Singleton, a China policy expert at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. read more"The President directly affirmed the United States' longstanding one China policy," said Adrienne Watson, a spokesperson for Biden's National Security Council. 'PRECISION OF LANGUAGE'Taiwan's Foreign Ministry responded to Biden's remarks by expressing its "sincere appreciation" for his staunch support of the island. "One issue where the precision of language is paramount is the discourse on our Taiwan policy," Blanchette said.

☆ Blinken to host 'Blue Pacific' event amid competition with China
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Campbell said circumstances for the Pacific islands countries were "much more dire" than in the past. We're going to seek to do that as we go forward, building on the existing institutions and engagements of the Pacific." The Blue Pacific event, on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York, will come ahead of a Sept. 28-29 summit U.S. President Joe Biden plans to host with Pacific island leaders, which Campbell said reflected "a desire to demonstrate clearly our larger commitment to the Pacific going forward." U.S.-China competition for influence in the Pacific islands has intensified this year after China signed a security agreement with the Solomon Islands, prompting warnings of a militarization of the region. read morePacific island leaders said this month Washington should accept their priorities, making climate change - not superpower competition - the most urgent security task.

Ukrainian troops "have pushed across the Oskil. Ukrainian forces swept through the Kharkiv region this month after bursting through the front line, sending thousands of Russian troops fleeing and abandoning their tanks and ammunition. ALARM OVER NUCLEAR PLANTUkraine accused Russian forces on Monday of shelling near the Pivdennoukrainsk nuclear power plant in Ukraine's southern Mykolaiv region. "The invaders wanted to shoot again, but they forgot what a nuclear power plant is," Zelenskiy said in a social media post. 1/17 Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy speaks during an interview with Reuters, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine September 16, 2022.

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