🇦🇺🇮🇩 Australia, Indonesia make ‘remarkable’ progress towards defense pact

Australia is making “remarkable progress” towards a new binding defense agreement with Indonesia, said Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, as it seeks to add to a growing list of bilateral security deals with countries in the region.

Earlier this year, Canberra and Jakarta had agreed to elevate their existing “Defense Cooperation Arrangement” to one that was “binding under international law”.

There had been few details about the progress of negotiations since but defense minister Richard Marles had said the new agreement would increase dialogue and both nations would negotiate on reciprocal access to training ranges and streamlined entry and exit processes for joint activities.

#Australia #Indonesia

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🇹🇼 Taiwan sets prison terms and fines for spying on its military bases

Taiwan aims to ramp up security and prevent spying around its military bases, with heavy fines and prison sentences for unauthorized activities in those areas under legislation passed this week.

Anybody found making unauthorized surveys or measurements, taking pictures or videos, or engaging in any other reconnaissance activities inside a base could now face up to three years in prison.

The restriction has raised concerns that it could snare military enthusiasts photographing or filming fighter jets or other weapons during military drills and other activities.

#Taiwan

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🇲🇾🇮🇱🇵🇸 Malaysia bans Israeli shipping firm Zim from its ports

Malaysia on Wednesday said it will bar vessels owned by Israeli shipping firm Zim from docking and unloading cargo at its ports, along with any ship bearing the Israeli flag.

Malaysia has for decades staunchly backed the Palestinian cause, with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim accusing Israel of conducting genocide.

“The ban is in response to Israel’s disregard for basic human rights and international law through its continued assault and brutality towards the people of Palestine,” Anwar said.

#Malaysia #Israel #Palestine

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🇺🇦🇷🇺🇨🇳 Ukraine added Chinese company to list of war sponsors

The National Agency for Corruption Prevention of Ukraine has added China's second largest state-owned construction company, China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC), to the list of international sponsors of the war. It continues to work in Russia, building subways, bridges, and highways.

The agency cites international media reports claiming that in late October 2023, Russian and Chinese leaders secretly discussed plans to build an underwater tunnel to connect Russia with Crimea, with CRCC allegedly being the contractor.

#Ukraine #Russia #China

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🇹🇼🇨🇳 Taiwan accuses China of economic coercion after tariff cut removals

Taiwan on Thursday accused China of "typical economic coercion" after Beijing announced the end of tariff cuts on some chemical imports from the island.

China's Finance Ministry said that starting January 1, tariff cuts will be suspended for 12 products, including acrylic and p-xylene, citing "discriminatory prohibitions and restrictions" Taiwan imposed on Chinese exports in violation of a 2010 trade deal.

Taiwan's Office of Trade Negotiations, in a statement, said China was carrying out economic coercion and that it should stop its "one-sided political manipulation" and have talks under the World Trade Organization.

#Taiwan #China

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🇰🇷🇯🇵 South Korea, Japan resume high-level economic talks amid improved ties

South Korea and Japan will hold high-level economic talks on Thursday for the first time in eight years, Seoul's foreign ministry said, in a further sign of improving ties.

The talks, which first began in 1999, had been stalled since 2016 as relations between the two North Asian US allies took a hit over historical disputes stemming from Japan's 1910-1945 occupation of Korea.

The South Korean side will be represented by Kang Jae-kwon, deputy foreign minister for economic affairs, who will assess bilateral economic cooperation and discuss economic security policy with his Japanese counterpart Keiichi Ono, senior deputy foreign minister.

#SouthKorea #Japan

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🇺🇸🇵🇼 US missile defense proposal stirs debate in Palau

A proposal for permanent deployment of US Patriot missile defense batteries in Palau in response to China's expanding reach in the Pacific has come under fire as the nation's politicians debate the move ahead of elections next year.

The United States has begun work on an over-the-horizon radar system in Palau and the island nation's president, Surangel Whipps, says he has asked Washington to install the missile shield.

However, in late November, the Senate in Palau passed a resolution rejecting the deployment. The lower house of parliament has yet to consider the issue.

#USA #Palau

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🇰🇵 Second North Korean nuclear reactor appears to be operational

A new reactor at North Korea's Yongbyon nuclear complex appears to be operating for the first time, the UN nuclear watchdog and independent experts said, which would mean an additional potential source of plutonium for nuclear weapons.

The IAEA says it has observed a strong outflow of water from the light-water reactor's cooling system since October, suggesting ongoing commissioning of the reactor. More recent indications are that the water was warm.

Researchers at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies in California also concluded the reactor is most likely operating, adding that it may be "a significant source of nuclear material" for the nuclear weapons program.

#NorthKorea

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🇰🇷🇰🇵 South Korea stages independent tabletop exercise simulating DPRK nuclear attack

South Korea staged an independent tabletop exercise simulating a North Korean nuclear attack this year as part of efforts to hone response capabilities against the North's military threats, the defense ministry said.

The ministry noted the discussion-based exercise as one of its key accomplishments this year in a meeting presided over by Defense Minister Shin Won-sik to evaluate progress in the Defense Innovation 4.0 plan.

The exercise took place in August during major summertime drills between South Korea and the United States, discussing retaliatory measures against a North Korean nuclear attack and calculating damage in such a scenario.

#SouthKorea #NorthKorea

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🇵🇭🇨🇳 Marcos shrugs off China’s warning, says Philippines will assert sea rights

The Philippines will continue asserting its rights in the South China Sea, President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr said after China warned the nation against causing “trouble” in disputed waters.

The Southeast Asian nation “remains a force and voice of reason” despite “many attempts at provocation,” Marcos said in a statement quoting his speech before the military on Thursday.

The Philippine leader’s remarks came after Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the two nations’ ties are “ facing serious difficulties.” Wang also said Manila “must act with caution” and warned against colluding with “malicious external forces.”

#ThePhilippines #China

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🇹🇼🇨🇳 Taiwan reports more Chinese military activity as election approaches

Taiwan reported Chinese warplanes and warships around the island on Saturday, including aircraft crossing the sensitive median line of the Taiwan Strait, as Beijing continues military activities with three weeks to go before Taiwan votes.

Taiwan's defense ministry said that since 1:30 p.m. on Saturday it had detected J-10, J-11 and J-16 fighters as well as early warning aircraft operating in the airspace to north, middle and southwest of Taiwan.

Ten aircraft crossed the Taiwan Strait median line, or areas close by, working with Chinese warships to carry out "joint combat readiness patrols", the ministry said.

#Taiwan #China

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🇯🇵🇺🇸🇺🇦 Japan prepares for missile shipments after easing arms export restrictions

Japan said on Friday it would prepare to ship Patriot air defense missiles to the United States after revising its arms export guidelines earlier that day, in the pacifist nation's first major overhaul of such export curbs in nine years.

The announcement comes as Japan, which had long adopted a stance of not allowing exports of deadly weapons, seeks to boost its defense industry amid an increasingly tense security environment in the Indo-Pacific.

Although Japan's new export controls still prevent it from shipping weapons to countries that are at war, it may indirectly benefit Ukraine as it gives the United States extra capacity to provide military aid to Kyiv.

#Japan #USA #Ukraine

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🇹🇼🇨🇳 We won't let there be war with China, Taiwan VP frontrunner says

Taiwan's ruling party will not let war break out with China, but it is China that is to blame for stirring up tensions, Taipei's former top diplomat in the United States and now frontrunner to become its next vice president.

In a live televised pre-election policy address by the three vice presidential candidates, Lai's running mate Hsiao Bi-khim said her opponents had consistently blamed the DPP for tensions in the Taiwan Strait.

"But the whole world knows that the real reason is that China has been expanding outward in an authoritarian posture in recent years, trying to change the existing international order and status quo. Even during the KMT's rule, the expansion of China's armaments never stopped," Hsiao said.

#Taiwan #China

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🇺🇸🇨🇳🇹🇼 Biden signs $886 billion defense bill to boost Indo-Pacific deterrence

US President Joe Biden signed into law an $886 billion defense policy package including measures to counter Chinese military activity in the Indo-Pacific region and assist the Taiwanese forces.

The National Defense Authorization Act for the fiscal year to September 2024 includes $14.7 billion for the Pacific Deterrence Initiative, part of US efforts to enhance military capabilities through drills with its allies and partner countries in the region.

While mentioning the need for a comprehensive training and capacity-building program for Taiwan's military, the law requires US cooperation on the self-ruled democratic island's bid to strengthen military cybersecurity activities.

#USA #China #Taiwan

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🇮🇩 Indonesia nickel smelter furnace blast kills 13 workers, wounds 38

Thirteen workers were killed and 38 were injured on Sunday in the explosion of a nickel smelter furnace owned by Indonesia Tsingshan Stainless Steel on Sulawesi island.

The blast occurred when workers repaired the furnace and installed plates at 5:30 a.m. on Sunday, killing eight Indonesian workers and five Chinese workers.

The first explosion triggered several other explosions because there were many oxygen cylinders used for welding and cutting furnace components for the repair.

#Indonesia

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🇹🇼🇨🇳 Taiwan official takes KMT message to voters in mainland China

A leader of Taiwan’s main opposition party wrapped up a whistle-stop mainland China tour on Friday, spreading the Kuomintang’s message with less than a month to go until a presidential election on the island.

In an apparent effort to win over mainland-based voters from the Taiwanese business community, Andrew Hsia Li-yan, vice-chairman of the Beijing-friendly KMT, visited five southern cities to rally support against the ruling Democratic Progressive Party.

According to Taiwanese media estimates, there are roughly 1.2 million people from the island living on the mainland, accounting for about 5% of Taiwan’s population. Most of the voters in this group tend to support the KMT and party officials often make the trip across the Taiwan Strait before elections.

#Taiwan #China

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🇹🇼🇨🇦 Taiwan, Canada sign bilateral investment agreement

Taiwan and Canada signed a bilateral investment deal, boosting the government’s efforts to bolster business ties with like-minded democratic partners and possibly easing the nation’s entry into a major pan-Pacific trade pact called CPTPP.

Taiwan has been seeking greater diplomatic and moral support from major Western democracies, such as Canada, as it faces growing military and political pressure from China.

The Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Arrangement is part of Canada’s plan to increase trade and influence in the Indo-Pacific region.

#Taiwan #Canada

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🇺🇸🇰🇵 US concerned over North Korea's commissioning light-water reactor

The United States has expressed serious concern over North Korea showing signs of starting the operation of a new light-water nuclear reactor in a possible attempt to produce nuclear weapons fuel.

International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi said that the agency has detected more signs of the North commissioning the light-water reactor at the North's main Yongbyon nuclear complex.

The North's "commissioning of a new light-water nuclear power plant raises serious concerns, including safety," the US Mission to the United Nations in Vienna said in a statement. "The DPRK's unlawful nuclear & ballistic missile programs continue to pose a grave threat to international peace & security."

#USA #NorthKorea

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🇯🇵 Japan’s ex-defence chief pushes for more arms export rules easing

Japan should continue to loosen its restrictions on military exports to allow its own technology to be sold overseas, a former defense minister said as the country prepares to export missiles to the US in the first transaction of its type.

Itsunori Onodera, who is spearheading the move to enable defense exports from the long-pacifist country, said he would press ahead with ruling coalition discussions on broadening the scope of allowable exports.

While the loosening of the restrictions in the short term could help the US and European nations in providing arms to Ukraine, in the long term it could widen the opportunities for Japan to sell arms overseas.

#Japan

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🇰🇵 North Korea to convene plenary meeting of ruling party this week

North Korea is set to hold a key party meeting this week amid expectations that its leader Kim Jong-un will likely reaffirm a hard-line stance against the United States and unveil plans to strengthen its military capabilities.

The North's state media earlier reported the country will convene the ninth plenary meeting of the eighth central committee of the ruling Workers' Party late in December to review this year's state policies and set policy goals for next year.

In recent years, the North's leader has used a year-end party plenary meeting as a venue to deliver his major speech to replace his annual New Year's Day address.

#NorthKorea

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🇹🇼🇨🇳 Taiwan not seeing signs of large-scale Chinese military activity pre-election

Taiwan is not seeing any signs of large-scale Chinese military activity before elections next month but is keeping a close watch on China, the island's defense ministry said.

"So far we haven't seen signs they're making big moves, but nothing today doesn't mean there won't be something tomorrow or the day after tomorrow," Taiwan defense ministry spokesperson Sun Li-fang told reporters.

#Taiwan #China

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