Philippines’ No 1 Asean chair priority? A South China Sea code, then a visit by Xi

By Raissa Roblesin Manila It was a fleeting handshake, but one that Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr made sure was caught on camera. On November 1, Marcos approached Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Apec handover ceremony in Gyeongju, South Korea, to offer his congratulations as Beijing assumed the trade bloc’s 2026 chairmanship. A Filipino […]

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Taiwan’s vice president calls for closer EU ties in rare address to international lawmakers

BRUSSELS: Taiwan’s deputy leader urged the European Union to boost security and trade ties with the self-governing island and support its democracy in the face of growing threats by China, in a rare address to a group of international lawmakers in Brussels on Friday. “Peace in the Taiwan Strait is essential to global stability and […]

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North Korea sends 5,000 construction troops to Russia: Seoul

SEOUL: North Korea has sent about 5,000 construction troops to Russia since September to help with “infrastructure reconstruction,” a South Korean lawmaker said Tuesday after a briefing by Seoul’s spy agency. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been emboldened by the war in Ukraine, securing critical support from Moscow after sending thousands of troops […]

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China’s Xi seeks to boost investment, expand economic ties with Russia

China’s President Xi Jinping on Tuesday sought to expand mutual investment with Russia and affirmed Beijing’s commitment to advance ties despite “turbulent” external conditions, Chinese state media reported. Xi met Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin in Beijing at the Great Hall of the People, a day after Chinese Premier Li Qiang held a meeting with […]

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Japan’s PM says no plan to renegotiate $550 billion investment package with US

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said on Saturday (1 November) that she had no plans to renegotiate a $550 billion investment package deal reached with the United States. “I believe that even if the prime minister changes, promises made between governments should not be altered,” Takaichi told reporters at the end of a week of […]

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