Asia

President Marcos says Philippines ‘undeterred’ after confrontations with Chinese vessels

MANILA, Dec 10, 2023 (AFP) – Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos said Sunday the country was “undeterred” after confrontations between Chinese and Philippine vessels. “We remain undeterred,” Marcos said in a statement on Facebook and X platforms. “The aggression and provocations perpetrated by the China Coast Guard and their Chinese Maritime Militia against our vessels and personnel over the weekend have only further steeled our determination to defend and protect our nation’s sovereignty, sovereign rights, and […]

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Hong Kong ‘patriots only’ elections see lowest-ever turnout

HONG KONG, Dec 11, 2023 (AFP) – Hong Kong’s first “patriots only” district council elections saw a turnout of 27.5 percent, the government said Monday, a record-low number for a race that had shut out all opposition candidates. The city last held district council elections at the peak of huge, sometimes violent, democracy protests in 2019, recording a historic-high 71 percent turnout that delivered a landslide victory for the democracy camp. But a clampdown on […]

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US calls on Beijing to stop ‘dangerous’ conduct in South China Sea

WASHINGTON, Dec 11, 2023 (AFP) – The United States called Sunday for Beijing to halt its “dangerous and destabilizing” actions in the disputed South China Sea, after a Philippine boat and Chinese Coast Guard ship collided near a contested reef. Both countries traded blame after the incident earlier Sunday, the latest such confrontation in the contested sea. The collision happened during a Philippine resupply mission to a tiny garrison on Second Thomas Shoal in the […]

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Nearly 200 Rohingya stranded on Indonesia beach: AFP

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia, Dec 10, 2023 (AFP) – Nearly 200 Rohingya refugees, mostly women and children, were stranded on a beach in western Indonesia Sunday after local authorities said they would not accept the new arrivals, AFP witnessed. The refugees arrived by boat at 3:00 am local time (2000 GMT Saturday), the latest in what has been the largest influx of the persecuted Myanmar minority since 2015. The mostly Muslim Rohingya were the target of […]

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Philippine civilian convoy aborts trip after ‘constant shadowing’ by Chinese boats: organiser

By Faith Brown SOUTH CHINA SEA, Dec 10, 2023 (AFP) – A convoy of civilian boats planning to deliver provisions to Filipino fishermen and troops in the disputed South China Sea aborted the trip on Sunday after “constant shadowing” by Chinese vessels, the organiser said. The “Christmas convoy”, which departed the Philippines’ western island of Palawan in the early hours of Sunday, was being led by dozens of volunteers on two boats carrying food, water […]

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Hong Kong holds first ‘patriots only’ local elections

By Xinqi SU HONG KONG, Dec 10, 2023 (AFP) – Polls opened in Hong Kong’s first “patriots only” district council election on Sunday, with officials dismissing concerns of potentially low turnout in a race that has shut out all opposition candidates after a national security crackdown. The previous election was held at the peak of the huge, sometimes violent, democracy protests in 2019, and recorded a historic-high 71 percent turnout — delivering a landslide victory […]

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Philippines, China trade blame for collision in disputed waters

By Pam Castro with Jing Xuan Teng in Beijing MANILA, Dec 10, 2023 (AFP) – A Philippine boat and a Chinese Coast Guard ship collided near a hotly contested reef on Sunday, with both countries trading blame for the latest such confrontation in the disputed South China Sea. The incident happened during a Philippine resupply mission to a tiny garrison on Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands, which is a flashpoint for Manila and […]

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Philippines accuses Chinese coast guard of shooting water cannon at its boats

By Pam CASTRO MANILA, Dec 9, 2023 (AFP) – The Philippines accused the Chinese coast guard on Saturday of using water cannons to “obstruct” three government boats delivering provisions to Filipino fishermen near a reef off its coast. The incident happened near the China-controlled Scarborough Shoal, a flashpoint between Manila and Beijing, which claims almost the entirety of the South China Sea. The National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea said in a statement […]

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China protests calls to include Taiwan in climate talks

DUBAI, Dec 9, 2023 (AFP) – China on Saturday lodged a protest after calls at the UN climate talks in Dubai to include Taiwan, the self-governing democracy claimed by Beijing. Two of the dwindling number of countries that recognise Taiwan — Guatemala and the tiny Pacific island of Nauru — both hailed support from Taipei in addresses at the COP28 conference. “I would take this opportunity to make special reference to the government of Taiwan, […]

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Chinese balloon crosses Taiwan strait median line: defense ministry

TAIPEI, Dec 8, 2023 (AFP) – Taiwan’s defence ministry said Friday it had detected a Chinese balloon crossing the so-called median line which bisects the sensitive strait that separates the island from China. “1 PRC (People’s Republic of China) balloon was detected at 11:52 (0352 GMT) yesterday after crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait at the location (of) 101 nautical miles (187 kilometres) southwest of Keelung,” said the ministry, referring to a city […]

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EU’s von der Leyen tells Xi differences must be addressed

By Peter CATTERALL BEIJING, Dec 7, 2023 (AFP) – EU President Ursula von der Leyen told Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Thursday that the bloc and its biggest trading partner must address their differences, as they began the first in-person EU-China summit in over four years. China and the EU have ramped up diplomatic engagement this year in an attempt to steer post-pandemic recovery and repair damaged ties, with a number of its commissioners visiting […]

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China launches world’s first next-gen nuclear reactor

BEIJING, Dec 6, 2023 (AFP) – China began commercial operations of the world’s first next-generation, gas-cooled nuclear reactor power plant, state media reported Wednesday. The Shidao Bay plant in eastern Shandong province is powered by two high-temperature reactors cooled by gas rather than pressurised water, according to state news agency Xinhua, making it more efficient and cost-effective. Conventional reactors produce electricity from nuclear energy. However, these advanced models — known as small modular reactors, or […]

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