Tag Archives: TH

World

Blinken touts deeper U.S. engagement amid concern over ‘aggressive’ China

Leave a comment

  • Says Indo-Pacific must be free from coercion, intimidation
  • Cites discontent over Chinese firms, loans, infrastructure
  • U.S. to help keep internet free, secure – Blinken
  • Blinken visiting Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand

JAKARTA, Dec 14 (Reuters) – Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday touted a U.S. strategy to deepen its Asian treaty alliances, offering to boost defence and intelligence work with partners in an Indo-Pacific region increasingly concerned over China’s “aggressive actions”.

During a visit to Indonesia, Blinken described the Indo-Pacific as the world’s most dynamic region and said everyone had a stake in ensuring a status quo that was without coercion and intimidation, in a barely veiled reference to China.

He said United States, its allies and some South China Sea claimants would push back against any unlawful action.

Register now for FREE unlimited access to reuters.com

Register

“We’ll work with our allies and partners to defend the rules-based order that we’ve built together over decades to ensure the region remains open and accessible,” he said in a speech at a university.

“Let me be clear: the goal of defending the rules-based order is not to keep any country down. Rather, it’s to protect the right of all countries to choose their own path, free from coercion and intimidation.”

China claims almost the entire South China Sea as its own, despite some overlapping claims with other coastal states and an international tribunal that ruled that China’s vast claim has no legal basis.

Beijing has rejected the U.S. stance as interference from an outside power that could threaten Asia’s stability. China’s foreign ministry had no immediate comment on Blinken’s remarks.

Blinken is making his first visit to Southeast Asia since President Joe Biden took office in January, a trip aimed at shoring up relations after a period of uncertainty about U.S. commitment to Asia under the administration of Donald Trump.

‘A BETTER KIND OF INFRASTRUCTURE’

Despite tensions in the South China Sea, Beijing’s influence has grown in recent years as it pushes more infrastructure investment and integrated trade ties in the Asia-Pacific, in the perceived absence of a U.S. economic strategy for the region.

Blinken said the United States would strengthen ties with treaty allies like Japan, South Korea, Thailand and the Philippines and boost defence and intelligence capabilities with Indo-Pacific partners, as well as defending an open and secure internet.

He stressed, however, that it was not a contest between a U.S.-centric or China-centric region.

He also said Washington was committed to pressing the military junta in Myanmar to end violence, free detainees and return to an inclusive democracy.

The United States was also committed to a new comprehensive regional economic framework, which would include more U.S. foreign direct investment and U.S. companies identifying new opportunities in the region, he said, without providing details.

The administration has yet to spell out what exactly Biden’s envisaged economic framework will entail. The Trump administration walked away from a U.S.-inspired multinational Pacific trade deal, in 2017.

Blinken, who will also visit Malaysia and Thailand this week, said the United States would work to strengthen supply chains and close the region’s infrastructure gaps, from ports and roads to power grids and the internet.

In another swipe at China, he said the United States was hearing increasing concerns in the Indo-Pacific about opaque, corrupt processes of foreign companies that imported their own labour, drained natural resources and polluted the environment.

“Countries in the Indo-Pacific want a better kind of infrastructure,” he said.

“But many feel it’s too expensive – or they feel pressured to take bad deals on terms set by others, rather than no deals at all.”

Register now for FREE unlimited access to reuters.com

Register

Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk; Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by Robert Birsel and Stephen Coates

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Read original article here

World

Xi tells Southeast Asian leaders China does not seek ‘hegemony’

Leave a comment

Chinese President Xi Jinping speaks at a meeting commemorating the 110th anniversary of Xinhai Revolution at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China October 9, 2021. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins/File Photo

Register now for FREE unlimited access to reuters.com

Register

  • China will not ‘bully’ smaller countries – Xi
  • Duterte slams Chinese behaviour in South China Sea
  • Myanmar not represented at summit

BEIJING, Nov 22 (Reuters) – Chinese President Xi Jinping told leaders of the 10-country Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) at a summit on Monday that Beijing would not “bully” its smaller regional neighbours, amid rising tension over the South China Sea.

Beijing’s territorial claims over the sea clash with those of several Southeast Asian nations and have raised alarm from Washington to Tokyo.

But Xi said China would never seek hegemony nor take advantage of its size to coerce smaller countries, and would work with ASEAN to eliminate “interference”.

Register now for FREE unlimited access to reuters.com

Register

“China was, is, and will always be a good neighbour, good friend, and good partner of ASEAN,” Chinse state media quoted Xi as saying.

China’s assertion of sovereignty over the South China Sea has set it against ASEAN members Vietnam and the Philippines, while Brunei, Taiwan and Malaysia also lay claim to parts.

The Philippines on Thursday condemned the actions of three Chinese coast guard vessels that it said blocked and used water cannon on resupply boats headed towards a Philippine-occupied atoll in the sea.

The United States on Friday called the Chinese actions “dangerous, provocative, and unjustified,” and warned that an armed attack on Philippine vessels would invoke U.S. mutual defence commitments. read more

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte told the summit hosted by Xi that he “abhors” the altercation and said the rule of law was the only way out of the dispute. He referred to a 2016 international arbitration ruling which found China’s maritime claim to the sea had no legal basis. read more

“This does not speak well of the relations between our nations,” said Duterte, who will leave office next year and has been criticised in the past for failing to condemn China’s conduct in the disputed waters.

ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

MYANMAR NO SHOW

Xi told the summit that China and ASEAN had “cast off the gloom of the Cold War” – when the region was wracked by superpower competition and conflicts such as the Vietnam War – and had jointly maintained regional stability.

China frequently criticises the United States for “Cold War thinking” when Washington engages its regional allies to push back against Beijing’s growing military and economic influence.

U.S. President Joe Biden joined ASEAN leaders for a virtual summit in October and pledged greater engagement with the region. read more

The summit was held without a representative from Myanmar, Malaysia’s Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah said on Monday. The reason for the non-attendance was not immediately clear, and a spokesperson for Myanmar’s military government did not answer calls seeking comment.

ASEAN sidelined Myanmar junta leader Min Aung Hlaing, who has led a bloody crackdown on dissent since seizing power on Feb. 1, from virtual summits last month over his failure to make inroads in implementing an agreed peace plan, in an unprecedented exclusion for the bloc.

Myanmar refused to send junior representation and blamed ASEAN for departing from its non-interference principle and caving to Western pressure.

China lobbied for Min to attend the summit, according to diplomatic sources. read more

Register now for FREE unlimited access to reuters.com

Register

Reporting by Gabriel Crossley, Rozanna Latiff and Martin Petty; Editing by Stephen Coates

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Read original article here

World

Vietnam’s resort island welcomes first tourists after nearly 2 yrs

Leave a comment

Phu Quoc resort island is seen via the window of an airplane after the Vietnamese government eased the lockdown following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, Phu Quoc Island, Vietnam May 8, 2020. Picture taken May 8, 2020. REUTERS/James Pearson

Register now for FREE unlimited access to reuters.com

Register

HANOI, Nov 20 (Reuters) – Two hundred vaccinated foreign tourists arrived in Vietnam’s beach-fringed island of Phu Quoc on Saturday, the first wave of visitors to the country in nearly two years as it seeks to resurrect its pandemic-ravaged tourism economy.

Vietnam imposed tight border controls at the start of the pandemic in an effort to keep out COVID-19, with some initial success, but that harmed its burgeoning tourism sector, which typically accounts for about 10% of gross domestic product.

Vaccinated tourists now do not have to undergo mandatory two-week quarantine, according to the authorities, but are required to enjoy their holiday only inside the mega complex resort Vinpearl and will be tested twice during their trip.

Register now for FREE unlimited access to reuters.com

Register

“This is the first and vital step to revive our tourism sector and to prepare for the full resumption next year,” Nguyen Trung Khanh, chairman of the country’s tourism administration said in statement.

“We want to offer tourists a new experience amid new normalcy which they can live fully in Phu Quoc and then live fully in Vietnam,” Khanh added.

The island’s authorities expect to welcome 400,000 domestic and international tourists to the end of this year.

Other Vietnamese destinations such as the UNESCO world heritage site Hoi An and Danang beach are also welcoming international tourists back.

The move follows similar steps taken by neighbouring Thailand, which hosted vaccinated foreign tourist for quarantine-free holiday earlier this month.

Foreign arrivals to Vietnam slumped from 18 million in 2019, when tourism revenue was $31 billion, or nearly 12% of its gross domestic product, to 3.8 million last year.

Vietnam, which has inoculated more than half of its 98 million people, is seeking to resume international commercial flights from January next year and eyeing a full tourism reopening from June.

Register now for FREE unlimited access to reuters.com

Register

Editing by Michael Perry

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Read original article here

Business

Coal stocks lose ground after Glasgow climate deal

Leave a comment

Smoke billows from a chimney at a coking factory in Hefei, Anhui province October 2, 2010. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo

  • Coal miner stocks fall in China, elsewhere
  • Selling crimps long rally amid energy squeeze
  • Oil down, gas steady
  • China coal futures sink amid output surge

SYDNEY, Nov 15 (Reuters) – An international agreement to reduce coal use dragged miners’ shares lower on Monday, but tight supply of the commodity provided a floor for a sector that has chalked up huge gains this year.

U.N. climate talks in Glasgow ended on Saturday with a deal targeting fossil fuel use. Wording was softened to call for a “phase down” rather than “phase out” of coal after lobbying from India, among others.

Big miners China Shenhua Energy and Yanzhou Coal fell 1% and 2.4% respectively in Hong Kong, where the broader stock market (.HSI)edged up slightly. An index of mainland-listed miners (.CSI000820) fell about 1%. Coal stocks in other regions also came under pressure.

“Climate activists will undoubtedly frame COP26 as failing on coal (and fossil fuels). We look past this frustration (and current energy market conditions) and see ongoing incremental consensus in the need to reduce demand for fossil fuel,” said Cowen analyst John Miller. .

In Indonesia, the world’s biggest coal exporter, declines were exacerbated by surging production in China, a top customer. No. 1 miner Bumi Resources (BUMI.JK)fell 5.7%, while Adaro Energy (ADRO.JK) and Indika Energy (INDY.JK) tumbled 4.5% and 7% respectively.

Shares in Australia-listed thermal coal miner Whitehaven Coal (WHC.AX) fell about 1.6% and rival New Hope (NHC.AX) about 1% in a slightly firmer broad market.

‘CASH GENERATOR’

Metallurgical coal miners South32 (S32.AX) and Coronado Global Resources (CRN.AX) dropped some 1.4% and 4% respectively. The moves extend a recent pullback that has taken the edge off huge year-to-date gains for Whitehaven, South32 and New Hope amid a global energy crunch. They are each up more than 40%.

“The reality is that coal is going to be used during the next decade or so. It’s still going to be a cash generator,” said Mathan Somasundaram, chief executive officer at Sydney-based research firm Deep Data Analytics.

China, the world’s biggest producer and consumer of coal, churned out its highest tonnage in more than six years last month, official data showed, which helped to knock near-term spot prices , on Monday. read more

The Glasgow deal has elicited promises of future cuts to use, resolved rules for carbon markets and also takes aim at fossil fuel subsidies – all of which could speed up the transition to other energy sources. read more

Elsewhere in Asia, Seoul-listed mine owners and suppliers KEPCO (015760.KS), LX International (001120.KS) and Doosan Heavy (034020.KS)traded between a fall of 2.5% and a gain of 0.6% in a broader market that was up 1%. Thai miner Banpu (BANPU.BK) fell 2.7%. Shares in Coal India (COAL.NS) slid 4.3%, also weighed down by soft quarterly results. NTPC (NTPC.NS)edge up.

Among other mining stocks, Anglo American (AAL.L), the world’s third largest exporter of metallurgical coal, fell around 1% in London, while Sasol (SOLJ.J), which operates coal mines in South Africa, was steady.

George Boubouras, head of research at K2 Asset Management in Melbourne, said under-investment in coal projects would probably keep spot prices elevated from a historical perspective but the fuel’s likely eventual demise might limit gains for stocks.

“High thermal coal prices… will not necessarily translate into higher share prices to the same degree,” he said. Oil fell around 1% and gas a touch firmer in European hours and stocks in the sector were broadly steady.

Some investors see uranium filling some of the gap left as energy firms retreat from coal. This hashelped uranium futures to soar along with other commodities in recent weeks.

Large miners have rallied, lifting Canada’s Cameco (CCO.TO) to a decade high last week and Kazakhstan’s Kazatomprom (KZAP.KZ) to a record.

Reporting by Tom Westbrook; Additional reporting Joori Roh in Seoul, Muyu Xu in Beijing, Chandini Monnappa in Bengaluru and Melanie Burton in Melbourne and Danilo Masoni in Milan; Editing by Edwina Gibbs

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Read original article here

World

“No absolute monarchy:” Thousands of Thais march for royal reforms

Leave a comment

BANGKOK, Nov 14 (Reuters) – Thousands of Thais took to the streets of the capital on Sunday demanding reforms of the monarchy, defying a court ruling that such demands are a veiled attempt to overthrow the institution.

Youth-led protests that began last year by calling for the removal of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, 66, a former coup leader, have become the biggest challenge in decades to the monarchy which is constitutionally enshrined to be held in “revered worship”.

Protesters marched against rows of riot police behind shields, waving placards that read “No absolute monarchy” and “Reform is not abolition”.

“The king’s increased powers in recent years are pulling Thailand away from democracy and back to absolute monarchy,” a protester read in a statement after the demonstration reached the German embassy in Bangkok.

“This is a fight to insist that this country must be ruled by a system in which everyone is equal.”

Demonstrators walk together holding placards during a protest against the amendment of the lese majeste law, in Bangkok, Thailand November 14, 2021. REUTERS/ Soe Zeya Tun

Read More

Protesters also marched to the German embassy in October last year to urge Germany to investigate whether King Maha Vajiralongkorn, who spends much of his time in the country, was conducting state business from there.

“The word ‘reform’ is not equivalent to abolition,” said protester Peeyawith Ploysuwan, 25. “You (authorities) only want to do the things you desire and see people with opposing views as bad guys… If society continues like this, how can we move forward?”

The protests have broken longstanding taboos in Thailand, whose lese majeste law sets jail terms of up to 15 years for anyone convicted of defaming the monarchy.

Since the protests began last year, at least 157 people have been charged under the law, according to records compiled by the Thai Lawyers for Human Rights group.

Sunday’s protest came in response to the Constitutional Court’s ruling last week that a call for reforms to the monarchy by three protest leaders in August last year was unconstitutional and designed to topple the institution.

Three protesters were wounded on Sunday, a police spokesman said, adding that the incidents were being investigated.

Reporting by Patpicha Tanakasempipat; Additional reporting by Vorasit Satienlerk; Editing by Nick Macfie

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Read original article here

World

Biden vows to stand with SE Asia in defending freedom of seas, democracy

Leave a comment

  • Biden pledges to defend freedom of the seas
  • U.S. concerned by China’s “coercive and proactive actions” across Taiwan Strait
  • China’s Premier Li says upholding peace in South China Sea in everyone’s interest

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Oct 27 (Reuters) – President Joe Biden said on Wednesday the United States would stand with Southeast Asian allies in defending freedom of the seas, democracy and human rights and backed efforts to hold the Myanmar junta accountable to its commitments to peace.

Southeast Asia has become a strategic battleground between the United States and China, which controls most of the South China Sea and has turned up military and political pressure on fiercely democratic Taiwan, a self-ruled island it considers its own.

Australia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) agreed on Wednesday at a virtual regional summit to establish a “comprehensive strategic partnership”, a sign of Canberra’s ambition to play a bigger role in the region.

Biden joined Southeast Asian leaders in rebuking Myanmar’s junta as the summit opened on Tuesday without a representative from the country following its top general’s exclusion for ignoring peace proposals.

“In Myanmar, we must address the tragedy caused by the military coup which is increasingly undermining regional stability,” Biden said on Wednesday.

“The United States stands for the people of Myanmar and calls for military regime to end the violence, release all political prisoners and return to the path of democracy.”

He also said the United States was deeply concerned by “China’s coercive and proactive actions” across the Taiwan Strait, a waterway linking the island and the mainland.

Tensions between Taiwan and China have escalated in recent weeks as Beijing raises military and political pressure.

That has included repeated missions by Chinese warplanes in Taiwan’s air defence identification zone, or ADIZ, which covers a broader area than Taiwan’s territorial air space which Taiwan monitors and patrols to give it more time to respond to any threats.

China has never renounced the use of force to ensure eventual unification with Taiwan.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang told the summit upholding peace, stability, freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea was in everyone’s interest.

“The South China Sea is our common home,” he said.

REGIONAL ECONOMIC FRAMEWORK

Biden also said he would speak out for “human rights in Xinjiang and Tibet (and) the rights of the people of Hong Kong”.

China denies human rights abuses in farwestern Xinjiang and the Himalayan region of Tibet. It also denies meddling with freedoms in the former British colony of Hong Kong.

Biden also announced discussions with partners in the IndoPacific region would start to develop a framework “that will position all of our economies for the future”.

“We look forward to working together with digital economy standards on infrastructure and regional connectivity, on supply chain resilience and anti-corruption and worker standards and so much more,” he said

Critics of U.S. strategy for the region point to its lack of an economic component after former President Donald Trump withdrew from the trade deal now known as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership in 2017.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters he had stressed in Wednesday’s meetings his country’s resolute stance on “urgent regional situations”, including the East and South China Seas, North Korea and Myanmar.

“I also mentioned human rights situations in Hong Kong and Xinjiang, as well as the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan strait,” he said.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the Australia-ASEAN pact would strengthen diplomatic and security ties and promised Canberra would “back it with substance”.

“This milestone underscores Australia’s commitment to ASEAN’s central role in the Indo-Pacific and positions our partnership for the future,” he said in a joint statement with Foreign Minister Marise Payne.

Brunei, serving as chair of ASEAN, said the agreement “marked a new chapter in relations.”

After the announcement, Australia said it would invest $154 million in projects in Southeast Asia on health and energy security, counter-terrorism, fighting transnational crime, plus hundreds of scholarships.

China has sought a similar agreement with ASEAN. Premier Li met ASEAN leaders on Tuesday, and the bloc’s leaders will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in November at a virtual summit, two diplomatic sources told Reuters.

Morrison sought to reassure ASEAN that a trilateral security pact agreed last month between the United States, Britain and Australia, under which Australia will get access to nuclear-powered submarines, would not be a threat to the region.

Reporting by Ain Bandial in Bandar Seri Begawan and Tom Allard in Sydney; Additional reporting by Stanley Widianto in Jakarta; Kiyoshi Takenaka in Tokyo, Colin Packham in Canberra, David Brunnstrom in Washington and Neil Jerome Morales in Manila; Writing by Martin Petty and Nick Macfie; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore, Jon Boyle and Sonya Hepinstall

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Read original article here

World

Myanmar a no-show at summit after ASEAN sidelines junta boss

Leave a comment

  • Myanmar a test for ASEAN’s credibility – Thai PM
  • Malaysia backs chair’s call on Myanmar representation
  • U.S. security advisor meets Myanmar shadow govt
  • Myanmar rejects ASEAN exclusion move

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Oct 26 (Reuters) – A Southeast Asian summit started on Tuesday without military-ruled Myanmar, after its junta refused to send a representative following its leader’s exclusion for ignoring a peace roadmap agreed six months ago.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) had said it would accept a non-political representative from Myanmar, but the junta said on Monday it would only agree to its leader or a minister attending.

Myanmar’s absence was not mentioned by either Brunei, the ASEAN chair, or the 10-member bloc’s secretary-general, at the opening of the virtual meeting.

ASEAN decided to sideline from the summit junta chief Min Aung Hlaing, who led a Feb. 1 coup against an elected government, for his failure to cease hostilities, allow humanitarian access and start dialogue with opponents, as agreed with ASEAN in April.

After Tuesday’s leaders meeting, Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said on Twitter he fully supported Brunei’s decision on Myanmar’s representation, while Thai counterpart Prayuth Chan-ocha said ASEAN’s dealings with Myanmar were crucial for its reputation and a test of its resolve.

“ASEAN’s constructive role in addressing this situation is of paramount importance and our action on this matter shall have a bearing on ASEAN’s credibility in the eyes of the international community,” Prayuth said, according to his office.

The sidelining of Min Aung Hlaing was a huge insult to the junta and a rare, bold step by a regional grouping known for its code of non-interference and engagement.

Myanmar’s military, which ruled the country for 49 of the past 60 years, objected strongly, accusing ASEAN of departing from its norms and of allowing itself to be influenced by other countries, including the United States.

ASEAN made the call days after its special envoy Erywan Yusof said he would not be given access to all parties in the country, including ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who is charged with multiple crimes.

‘TRUST ASEAN’

Prayuth, a former coup leader in Thailand, urged Myanmar to follow its commitments and for Erywan to visit soon and make an “important first step in the process of confidence-building”.

Prayuth “expressed hope that Myanmar will trust ASEAN in helping Myanmar to achieve peace and harmony, as well as to return to the democratic process.”

Myanmar security forces have killed more than 1,000 civilians and detained thousands more, subjecting many to torture and beatings, according to United Nations envoys, who say the army’s excessive use of force has displaced tens of thousands of people.

Myanmar has rejected that as biased and exaggerated by unreliable sources and says the conflict is being stoked by “terrorists” allied with a shadow National Unity Government (NUG).

U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan met on Monday with representatives of the NUG, an alliance of pro-democracy groups, local militias and ethnic minority armies formed after the coup. read more

ASEAN leaders were due also to collectively meet leaders of the United States, China and South Korea.

U.S. President Joe Biden will attend a joint session of the ASEAN summit by video link.

Michael Vatikiotis, Asia Director of the Geneva-based Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, said Myanmar’s junta “probably cares about being frozen out of the summit”, although it has a history of enduring international isolation.

“The question now is whether regional leaders will agree to engage with the parallel National Unity Government more formally, as the U.S. and EU has started to do,” he said.

Reporting Ain Bandial in Bandar Seri Begawan; Additional reporting by Tom Allard, A. Ananthalakshmi in Kuala Lumpur, Panu Wongcha-um in Bangkok; Writing by Kay Johnson and Martin Petty; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Read original article here

Business

Taiwan’s Foxconn shows off three electric vehicle prototypes

Leave a comment

TAIPEI, Oct 18 (Reuters) – Taiwan tech giant Foxconn (2317.TW) unveiled its first three electric vehicle prototypes on Monday, underscoring ambitious plans to diversify away from its role of building consumer electronics for Apple Inc (AAPL.O) and other tech firms.

The vehicles – an SUV, a sedan and a bus – were made by Foxtron, a joint venture between Foxconn and Taiwanese car maker Yulon Motor Co Ltd (2201.TW).

Foxtron Vice Chairman Tso Chi-sen told reporters that electric vehicles would be worth a trillion Taiwan dollars to Foxconn in five years time – a figure equivalent to around $35 billion.

Foxconn, formally called Hon Hai Precision Industry Co Ltd, aims become a major player in the global EV market and has clinched deals with U.S. startup Fisker Inc (FSR.N) and Thailand’s energy group PTT PCL (PTT.BK). read more

“Hon Hai is ready and no longer the new kid in town,” Foxconn Chairman Liu Young-way told the event timed to mark the birthday of the company’s billionaire founder Terry Gou.

Gou drove the sedan, which was jointly developed with Italian design firm Pininfarina, onto the stage to the tune of “Happy Birthday”.

The sedan will be sold by an unspecified carmaker outside Taiwan in the coming years, while the SUV will be sold under one of Yulon’s brands and is scheduled to hit the market in Taiwan in 2023.

The bus, which will carry a Foxtron badge, will start running in several cities in southern Taiwan next year in a partnership with a local transportation service provider.

Foxconn this month bought a factory from U.S. startup Lordstown Motors Corp (RIDE.O) to make electric cars. In August it bought a chip plant in Taiwan in a move to supply future demand for auto chips. read more

Foxconn has also set a target to provide components or services for 10% of the world’s EVs by between 2025 and 2027.

($1 = 27.9880 Taiwan dollars)

Reporting by Yimou Lee; Editing by Edwina Gibbs

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Read original article here

World

ASEAN excludes Myanmar junta leader from summit in rare move

Leave a comment

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Oct 16 (Reuters) – Southeast Asian countries will invite a non-political representative from Myanmar to a regional summit this month, delivering an unprecedented snub to the military leader who led a coup against an elected civilian government in February.

The decision taken by foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) at an emergency meeting on Friday night, marks a rare bold step for the consensus-driven bloc, which has traditionally favoured a policy of engagement and non-interference.

Singapore’s foreign ministry said on Saturday the move to exclude junta chief Min Aung Hlaing was a “difficult but necessary decision to uphold ASEAN’s credibility”.

The statement went on to cite the lack of progress made on a roadmap to restore peace in Myanmar that the junta had agreed to with ASEAN in April.

More than 1,000 civilians have been killed by Myanmar security forces and thousands arrested, according to the United Nations, amid a crackdown on strikes and protests which has derailed the country’s tentative democracy and prompted international condemnation.

The junta says those estimates of the death toll are exaggerated.

ASEAN’s current chair Brunei said a non-political figure from Myanmar would be invited to the Oct. 26-28 summit, after no consensus was reached for a political representative to attend.

“As there had been insufficient progress… as well as concerns over Myanmar’s commitment, in particular on establishing constructive dialogue among all concerned parties, some ASEAN Member States recommended that ASEAN give space to Myanmar to restore its internal affairs and return to normalcy,” Brunei said in a statement.

It did not mention Min Aung Hlaing or name who would be invited in his stead.

Brunei said some member states had received requests from Myanmar’s National Unity Government, formed by opponents of the junta, to attend the summit.

‘JUSTIFIED DOWNGRADE’

ASEAN has faced increasing international pressure to take a tougher stand against Myanmar, having been criticised in the past for its ineffectiveness in dealing with leaders accused of rights abuses, subverting democracy and intimidating political opponents.

A U.S. State Department official told reporters on Friday that it was “perfectly appropriate and in fact completely justified” for ASEAN to downgrade Myanmar’s participation at the coming summit.

Singapore in its statement urged Myanmar to cooperate with ASEAN’s envoy, Brunei’s second foreign affairs minister Erywan Yusof.

Erywan has delayed a long-planned visit to the country in recent weeks and has asked to meet all parties in Myanmar, including deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who was detained in the coup.

Junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun said this week Erywan would be welcome in Myanmar, but would not be allowed to meet Suu Kyi because she is charged with crimes.

Reporting by Ain Bandial; Additional reporting by Aradhana Aravindan in Singapore and Simon Lewis in Washington; Writing by Rozanna Latiff; Editing by William Mallard & Simon Cameron-Moore

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Read original article here

World

Southeast Asian bloc to discuss excluding Myanmar junta leader from summit

Leave a comment

A bird flies near the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) secretariat building, ahead of the ASEAN leaders’ meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia, April 23, 2021. REUTERS/Willy Kurniawan

  • Myanmar junta criticised for reneging on ASEAN commitment
  • Credibility risk if ASEAN relents on Myanmar – Philippines
  • Indonesia, Malaysia, S’pore indicate favour exclusion – sources
  • Myanmar junta chides countries, U.N. for “double standards”

Oct 14 (Reuters) – Southeast Asian foreign ministers will discuss excluding Myanmar junta chief Min Aung Hlaing from an upcoming summit at a meeting on Friday, sources told Reuters, as pressure builds on the ruling military to comply with an agreed peace roadmap.

The meeting comes as the junta ruled out allowing a regional envoy, Brunei’s second foreign affairs minister, Erywan Yusof, to meet deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who is on trial on multiple charges since her elected government was overthrown in a Feb. 1 coup.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) agreed on a five-point consensus with Min Aung Hlaing in April, but several members of the bloc have criticised the junta’s failure to implement the plan, which includes dialogue among all parties, humanitarian access and an end to hostilities.

Friday’s previously unscheduled virtual meeting will be hosted by ASEAN chair Brunei, according to multiple sources based in ASEAN member countries, including diplomats and government officials.

Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia had indicated that they were in favour of excluding Min Aung Hlaing from the Oct. 26-28 virtual summit, but were pushing for a consensus among nine ASEAN states, three of the sources said. Myanmar is the 10th ASEAN member.

A spokesman for Thailand’s foreign ministry confirmed a meeting would be held on Friday.

Philippine Foreign Minister Teodoro Locsin on Thursday voiced support for excluding Min Aung Hlaing from future summits, adding that ASEAN could no longer afford to take a neutral stance on Myanmar.

“We can continue keeping them (Myanmar) at a distance but… if we relent in any way, our credibility as a real regional organisation disappears,” Locsin said in an interview with Australian think-tank Lowy Institute.

“What’s that? We’re a bunch of guys who always agree with each other on the worthless things, things that don’t count in the world.”

The U.S. State Department said Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed Myanmar, also known as Burma, with Erywan on Wednesday.

It said the two “expressed concern over the violence and deteriorating crisis in Burma and emphasized the urgency for the Burmese military regime to cease the violence, release all those unjustly detained, and restore multi-party democracy and Burma’s democratic transition.”

It said they also reaffirmed the need to hold the Myanmar government accountable to the five-point consensus and facilitate a meaningful visit by Erywan, to include engagements with all stakeholders.

Myanmar junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun did not respond to calls seeking comment. Brunei’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.

ENVOY VISIT STALLED

Myanmar, with a long history of military dictatorship and international sanctions over systematic human rights abuses, has been ASEAN’s trickiest issue since the group was formed in 1967, testing the limits of its unity and policy of non-interference in each others’ affairs.

More than 1,100 people have been killed since Myanmar’s coup, according to the United Nations, many during a crackdown by security forces on pro-democracy strikes and protests, during which thousands have been arrested.

Erywan last week confirmed some members had been “deep in discussions” about not inviting Min Aung Hlaing.

A long-planned visit by Erywan to Myanmar has been delayed in recent weeks. Earlier this week, he said he was in consultations with parties in Myanmar, did not take sides or political positions and looked forward to a visit.

Junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun, in written remarks dated Wednesday, said the military would not block Erywan from visiting but would not allow him to meet Suu Kyi, because she is charged with crimes. read more

Reporting by Rozanna Latiff in Kuala Lumpur and Tom Allard in Jakarta; Additional reporting by Ain Bandial in Bandar Seri Begawan, Panu Wongcha-um in Bangkok and David Brunnstrom in Washington; Writing by Martin Petty and Rozanna Latiff; Editing by William Mallard and Nick Macfie

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Read original article here