Latest news with #ForeignMinisters
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Arab officials put off rare West Bank trip over Israeli 'obstruction'
Top Arab diplomats, who had planned to make a rare visit to the West Bank, have decided to postpone the trip due to "Israel's obstruction", Jordan said on Saturday. An Arab delegation led by the Saudi foreign minister had originally planned to travel from Jordan to the West Bank city of Ramallah on Sunday to meet Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in what would have been the first such high-level visit since Israel occupied the Palestinian territory in 1967. "The committee decided to postpone the visit to Ramallah in light of Israel's obstruction of its mission by refusing the delegation entry through airspace in the occupied West Bank controlled by Israel," the Jordanian Foreign Ministry said. The ministers slammed the reported Israeli decision, calling it a "flagrant violation of Israel's obligations as the occupying power," the ministry added in a statement posted on the social media platform X. There was no official Israeli comment on the visit. The delegation includes the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and other countries, the Saudi state television Al Ekhbariya reported earlier this week. The broadcaster quoted the Palestinian ambassador to Riyadh as saying the team planned during the Ramallah visit to discuss drumming up international support for Palestinian statehood ahead of a conference on a two-state solution to the Palestinian problem, including the creation of a Palestinian state alongside with Israel. Saudi Arabia and France are due to co-chair the conference in New York on June 17-20. The Israeli media outlet ynet quoted an Israeli official as saying that "such a state would undoubtedly become a terrorist state in the heart of the land of Israel."
ABC News
6 days ago
- Business
- ABC News
Pacific ministers wrap up high level Chinese meeting
Pacific nations have backed China's claim over Taiwan during a high-profile meeting, but have shied away from directly endorsing Beijing's push to "reunify" the democratically ruled island with the mainland. China has also taken a shot at the United States over climate policy, promising to work with the region to combat climate shocks despite the Trump administration's decision to abandon the Paris Agreement. China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Wednesday sat down with foreign ministers from eight Pacific nations — along with senior officials from three others — in the southern city of Xiamen. It's the third time China has held a meeting with Pacific foreign ministers, but it's the first time the event has been held in person rather than online, and Beijing has trumpeted the gathering as a major milestone. China has long been pushing to expand its influence throughout the region, and analysts say the Trump administration's sweeping global tariffs and aid cuts will open up more opportunities for it. Beijing has also been intent on building global support for its increasingly forceful stance on Taiwan, which it has pledged to bring under its control.
ABC News
7 days ago
- Business
- ABC News
Pacific Island nations support China's Taiwan claims at high-profile foreign ministers' meeting
Pacific nations have backed China's claim over Taiwan during a high-profile meeting, but have shied away from directly endorsing Beijing's push to "reunify" the democratically ruled island with the mainland. China has also taken a shot at the United States over climate policy, promising to work with the region to combat climate shocks despite the Trump administration's decision to abandon the Paris Agreement. China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi yesterday sat down with foreign ministers from eight Pacific nations — along with senior officials from three others — in the southern city of Xiamen. It's the third time China has held a meeting with Pacific foreign ministers, but it's the first time the event has been held in person rather than online, and Beijing has trumpeted the gathering as a major milestone. China has long been pushing to expand its influence throughout the region, and analysts say the Trump administration's sweeping global tariffs and aid cuts will open up more opportunities for it. Beijing has also been intent on building global support for its increasingly forceful stance on Taiwan, which it has pledged to bring under its control. A joint statement issued after the meeting declared that all the Pacific nations "recognise that there is but one China in the world, that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory, and that the government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China". But the statement doesn't explicitly and directly endorse the Chinese government's push to take Taiwan, as Pacific nations like Solomon Islands and Kiribati did last year. It uses slightly softer language instead, reiterating China's determination to "realising national reunification" and saying this commitment "gained wide understanding and support at the meeting". Dr Anna Powles from Massey University said Beijing would have been hoping for clearer backing on Taiwan at the meeting. "That said, the Pacific Island nations' position is ambiguous with reference to 'understanding and support' falling short of an endorsement of reunification which would have been Beijing's objective." The three Pacific nations which still recognise Taiwan rather than Beijing — namely Palau, Tuvalu and the Republic of Marshall Islands — weren't at the gathering. The joint statement also doesn't directly endorse China's efforts to expand security and policing cooperation with Pacific Island nations, although Beijing pledged in a separate outcomes document to hold another dialogue on police training with the Pacific before the end of the year. Dr Powles said that China "continues to present itself as an alternative security and policing partner to Pacific Island countries". "However it is less clear how widespread support is amongst Pacific countries with the exception of Solomon Islands and Kiribati," she said. "Three ministerial dialogues on policing and law enforcement have already been held without substantive region-wide outcomes so far." China has also promised to establish a new "mechanism" to help with disaster management in the region, and to deliver 100 "small but beautiful" projects across the region over the next three years — using a term which has been adopted as a guiding principle under Beijing's global "Belt and Road" infrastructure program. Separately it said it would make a modest $2 million investment in sectors like clean energy, fisheries and tourism across the Pacific. "China fully recognises the vulnerability of the economic and social development of the Pacific Island countries in the face of the climate change crisis," the Foreign Ministry said. Wang Yi also took a thinly veiled swipe at the Trump administration for ditching its global climate commitments. "We deeply regret that a certain major country has withdrawn from the Paris Agreement," he said, according to state media. "However, regardless of how the situation changes, China's resolve to support and participate in global climate governance will not waver, nor will our commitment to implementing South-South cooperation on climate change." Dr Powles said US retrenchment on climate under Trump "gives China the opportunity to wedge" the US in the region, but "whether this carries currency and advantage with Pacific countries is less clear". Some Pacific countries have already criticised the Trump administration's 'Liberation Day tariffs', warning they will undermine US credibility and sap goodwill towards Washington. In a separate meeting Solomon Islands Foreign Minister Peter Shanel told Wang Yi that his country would "continue to stand firmly with China and jointly oppose unilateralism and protectionism by the United States", according to a readout from China's Foreign Ministry. But there were no direct criticisms of the US in the readouts of bilateral meetings which Wang Yi also had with the foreign ministers from Cook Islands, Tonga and Kiribati on Wednesday. Wang Yi is expected to hold standalone meetings with other Pacific foreign ministers later today.
Free Malaysia Today
25-05-2025
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
East Timor could join Asean bloc by October
East Timor President Jose Ramos-Horta has long campaigned for Asean membership. (EPA Images pic) KUALA LUMPUR : East Timor is a step closer to fulfilling its longstanding wish to join the Southeast Asian regional bloc and could become its 11th member state by October, Malaysia's foreign minister said today. Mohamad Hasan said on the sidelines ahead of an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) summit in Kuala Lumpur that Dili 'has made meaningful progress in implementing a roadmap' for it to join. East Timor is one of the world's poorest countries and some concerns remain around whether it could participate meaningfully in Asean's development agenda. However, the bloc's foreign ministers voiced 'strong support for Timor-Leste's full membership in Asean, particularly in its efforts to fulfil the remaining criteria', Mohamad told a news conference, using the country's Portuguese name. The top Malaysian diplomat did not give details on issues still outstanding but full membership could be granted at Asean's next regional meeting in October, chaired this year by Malaysia. Asean member states will 'now begin undertaking their respective domestic legal procedure with a view to finalise Timor-Leste's accession process by the 47th Asean Summit and Related Summits in October, hopefully', Mohamad said. East Timor is the youngest country in Southeast Asia, having gained independence from Indonesia in 2002 after 24 years of occupation. Its president, Jose Ramos-Horta, has long campaigned for Asean membership and an application was first submitted by the former Portuguese colony of around 1.3 million people in 2011. Dili was granted observer status to the regional body in 2022 but its full membership has been delayed by various challenges. East Timor is grappling with high levels of inequality, malnourishment and unemployment and remains heavily reliant on oil, with little diversification into other sectors. It also faces challenges in infrastructure development and human resource capacity, seen as critical for effective participation in Asean's economic community.
Free Malaysia Today
25-05-2025
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
Asean must strengthen economic integration amid global disruption
Foreign minister Mohamad Hasan said Asean centrality must remain the region's guiding compass in engaging with the world and managing complex global relationships. (Bernama pic) PETALING JAYA : Foreign minister Mohamad Hasan has called on Asean member states to urgently strengthen regional economic integration and collective resilience amid intensifying global disruptions, including the US-China trade war, climate change and rapid technological shifts. He said Asean nations were among those most affected by US-imposed tariffs, indicating that superpower competition and resulting shifts in the global order have disrupted the regional landscape. Mohamad said there was a need for the bloc to approach the issue collectively and take on an active role in weathering the turbulence of the coming years. 'We must seize this moment to deepen regional economic integration so that we can better shield our region from external shocks. 'As we advance our community-building efforts, we must confront the reality that reducing the income disparities within Asean must be viewed as a priority,' he said at the Asean Foreign Ministers' Meeting at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre today. He said member states must continue to enhance the mechanisms that facilitate intra-Asean trade. 'By tailoring them to our member states' unique strengths, we can address uneven economic growth within this grouping. Diversifying our partnerships will also empower us to handle future shocks that come from external economic factors.' Mohamad highlighted that around the world, temperatures and sea levels are rising. 'These issues are expected to hit Southeast Asia particularly hard. The low-lying countries of our region are exposed to rising sea levels. 'Our already warm climate may see an increase in extreme weather events and overwhelm public health infrastructure if temperatures continue to climb.' He also spoke on artificial intelligence which is evolving faster than any government can respond. 'And our populations, which enjoy high internet penetration rates, are vulnerable to the malevolent use of AI and other unregulated, disruptive tech,' he said, adding that these shared issues highlight a need for Asean members to act as a collective. Mohamad said Asean centrality must remain the region's guiding compass in engaging with the world and managing complex global relationships. 'This centrality will continue to be tested. It is therefore crucial that we reinforce the ties that bind us so that they do not unravel under external pressures. For Asean, unity is now more important than ever.' He said there was a need to continue promoting a model grounded in dialogue, cooperation and multilateralism in dealing with an increasingly polarised world. 'We must think seriously about how we can constructively and positively contribute to global developments and evolution. This includes speaking out firmly as one voice on issues of peace, justice, equality, humanity and international law,' he said.
