South Korea begins removing loudspeakers on border with North
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South China Morning Post
2 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
South Korea's ‘headache': defence cost-sharing on agenda for US summit, but no Taiwan talk
The United States is expected to pile pressure on South Korea for increased burden-sharing of defence costs in a coming summit between the leaders of both countries, with Seoul's role in a potential Taiwan conflict set to be excluded from the agenda. The cautious stance on China also aligns with the office of South Korean President Lee Jae-myung stressing the importance of fostering ties and engagement, as it downplays comments by his foreign minister labelling Beijing a 'problem'. Discussions are still under way to finalise the agenda for the first summit between Lee and US President Donald Trump , tentatively set for later this month in Washington. US representatives have reportedly informed Seoul during working-level talks that Washington does not plan to raise the Taiwan issue at the summit, according to Yonhap News Agency. Instead, the summit was likely to yield only a broad agreement to elevate the bilateral alliance into a 'comprehensive strategic alliance' in response to an evolving regional security environment, it said. Public Affairs Director of South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff Lee Sung-jun (left) and United States Forces Korea Public Affairs Director Ryan Donald (right) at Thursday's press briefing on the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise, part of an annual combined training with troops from South Korea and the United States. Photo: EPA The progressive Hankyoreh daily, citing a senior government official, also reported that South Korea's role in the event of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan would not be broached at the summit. 'That is a hypothetical situation, so we will not talk about it,' the official said.
South China Morning Post
4 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
US debuts Dark Eagle hypersonic missile in Australia with China in mind
The US appears to be strengthening its allied deterrence against China by deploying its Dark Eagle hypersonic missile , a move that could 'further intensify' regional rivalry, Chinese experts have warned. Advertisement The United States Army Pacific, a service component for America's Indo-Pacific Command, confirmed on the weekend that it had deployed a Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW) system – commonly referred to as Dark Eagle – to Australia's Northern Territory as part of the three-week Talisman Sabre 2025 military exercise that wrapped up on Monday. It was the first time that the weapon had been used overseas and beyond the continental US. 02:19 Leaders' meeting sees Australia and China call for increased dialogue and cooperation Leaders' meeting sees Australia and China call for increased dialogue and cooperation 'The deployment of the LRHW system to Australia is a major milestone for the army and demonstrates our ability to rapidly deploy and operate advanced capabilities in support of our allies and partners,' Wade Germann, commander of the Hawaii-based 3rd Multi-Domain Task Force which transported the weapon to Australia, said on Sunday. As a land-based, manoeuvrable missile system, Dark Eagle can travel at over 6,100km/h (3,800mph) and strike targets more than 2,700km (1,700 miles) away. The US deployment of the weapon showed a 'flexing of military muscle', according to Xin Qiang, deputy director of the Centre for American Studies at Fudan University in Shanghai. Advertisement He said the move indicated the importance that Washington attached to the US-Australia alliance, including its readiness to strengthen defence coordination and security cooperation with Canberra.
RTHK
7 hours ago
- RTHK
Trump hikes India levy over Russian oil
Trump hikes India levy over Russian oil US President Donald Trump has imposed an additional 25 percent tariff on goods from India. Photo: AFP US President Donald Trump has ordered steeper tariffs on Indian goods over New Delhi's continued purchase of Russian oil. The additional 25-percent tariff on Indian goods, coming into place in three weeks, stacks atop a separate 25-percent duty entering into force on Thursday, taking the level to 50 percent for many products. Trump's order also threatens penalties on other countries who "directly or indirectly" import Russian oil, a key revenue source for Moscow's war in Ukraine. Exemptions remain however for goods targeted under sector-specific duties such as steel and aluminium, and categories that could be hit later, like pharmaceuticals and semiconductors. Smartphones are in this list of exempted products for now, shielding Apple from a major hit as the US tech titan shifts production from China to India. India's foreign ministry condemned Trump's announcement, calling the move "unfair, unjustified and unreasonable." The ministry previously said India began importing oil from Russia as traditional supplies were diverted to Europe over the war – noting that Washington had "actively encouraged" such imports to strengthen "global energy market stability." But Trump recently raised pressure on India over the oil purchases, threatening new tariffs as part of a campaign to force Moscow into ending its conflict with Ukraine. The 25-percent additional tariff is lower than a 100-percent level Trump floated last month when he told Russia to end the war in Ukraine within 50 days or face massive new economic sanctions. The Republican said at the time that these would be "secondary tariffs" targeting Russia's remaining trade partners, seeking to impede Moscow's ability to survive already sweeping Western sanctions. "This marks a low point in US-India relations," said Farwa Aamer, the Asia Society Policy Institute's director of South Asia Initiatives. She expects domestic pressure for India to accede to US demands, but said "this will be a tough road to navigate." (AFP)
