Latest news with #Indo-pacific
Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mirror
Major pledge on Britain being 'ready to fight' in face of China threats
Defence Secretary John Healey was challenged over threats to Taiwan as he visited HMS Prince of Wales, which is docked in Australia as part of a rare Indo-Pacific deployment Britain is ready to fight in the face of escalation from China, the Defence Secretary has said. John Healey was challenged over threats to Taiwan as he visited the British aircraft carrier, HMS Prince of Wales, which is docked in Australia as part of a rare Indo-Pacific deployment. Asked about what the UK is doing to support countries like Taiwan amid potential escalation from China, Mr Healey told The Telegraph: 'If we have to fight, as we have done in the past, Australia and the UK are nations that will fight together. 'We exercise together and by exercising together and being more ready to fight, we deter better together.' But the Cabinet minister insisted he would rather see any disputes in the Indo-Pacific resolved 'peacefully' and 'diplomatically', clarifying that he was speaking about preparation to fight in 'general terms'. Mr Healey was joined by Richard Marles, Australia's deputy prime minister, on HMS Prince of Wales, as the ship docked in Darwin to take part in war games with allies, including the US. The British aircraft carrier, which is roughly the size of three football pitches, is on an eight-month deployment, known as Operation Highmast. In April, Keir Starmer met the crew onboard HMS Prince of Wales during an overnight stay ahead of their voyage. The PM said the mission showed the UK's "leadership on global issues and security and defence". "We all know that the world is more uncertain than it felt a few months or years before - we're in a new era," Mr Starmer said at the time. "We are sending a clear message of strength to our adversaries, and a message of unity and purpose to our allies." Tensions in the Indo-pacific region have been increasing for some time, with fears mounting that China will invade Taiwan, a self-governing island. China's leader Xi Jinping has eyed forcibly incorporating Taiwan into the country. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth warned in May of China posing an "imminent" threat to Taiwan during a high-level Asia defence summit. In the UK's Strategic Defence Review, published in June, it said: "China is increasingly leveraging its economic , technological and military capabilities.. This includes: a vast increase in advanced platforms and weapons systems such as space warfare capabilities, an unprecedented diversification and growth of its conventional and nuclear missile forces with missiles that can reach the UK and Europe.' And on the China threat the SDR warns of: 'More types and greater numbers of nuclear weapons than ever before with its arsenal expected to double to 1,000 nuclear warheads by 2030.'
Kyodo News
22-07-2025
- Business
- Kyodo News
Kyodo News Digest: July 22, 2025
TOKYO - The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News. ---------- Japan PM Ishiba vows to stay on to avoid stalemate after poll defeat TOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Monday said he will remain in office to avert a "political stalemate," even as the ruling coalition lost its majority control in both chambers in parliament following a crushing House of Councillors election defeat. Ishiba, who heads the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, also underscored the need for leadership continuity at a time of "national crisis," as households reel from high prices and as Japan continues negotiations with the United States ahead of steep tariffs set to be imposed by President Donald Trump on Aug. 1. ---------- Despite election loss, Japan says seeking U.S. trade deal by Aug. 1 WASHINGTON - Japan's chief tariff negotiator, Ryosei Akazawa, said Monday that he will aim for some kind of trade agreement with the United States by Aug. 1, a deadline set by President Donald Trump to wrap up bilateral talks. "I don't have (such a concern)," Akazawa told reporters at an international airport near Washington upon his arrival, when asked whether the Japanese governing coalition's huge loss in Sunday's upper house election will make the stalled bilateral negotiations even more difficult. ---------- Philippine president secures U.S. commitment to peace in Indo-Pacific WASHINGTON - Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday secured a renewed commitment from U.S. President Donald Trump's administration that it will strive to maintain peace and stability in the Indo-pacific region. A day before his talks with Trump in Washington, Marcos met separately with U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. ---------- Ex-Japanese Prime Minister Suga eyes visit to S. Korea next week TOKYO - Former Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is making final arrangements to visit South Korea at the end of July, also hoping to meet President Lee Jae Myung, a source close to the matter said Monday. Suga, who heads a group of Japanese lawmakers working to promote friendly Japan-South Korea relations, is planning the visit on July 30 and 31, the source said. ---------- Sumo: Onosato beats Takayasu, Ichiyamamoto takes sole lead in Nagoya NAGOYA - New yokozuna Onosato scored a bounce-back win over komusubi Takayasu at the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament on Monday, as rank-and-file wrestler Ichiyamamoto emerged as the surprise outright leader. A day after his upset loss to up-and-coming No. 4 maegashira Hakuoho, Onosato (7-2) went back to basics with a dominant performance against former ozeki Takayasu (6-3) on Day 9 at IG Arena. ---------- Japan businesses call for stable politics after LDP's election defeat TOKYO - Business leaders on Monday called for political stability to keep the Japanese economy on a sustainable growth path, after the ruling parties lost their majority in the House of Councillors following the weekend election. "We face a slew of structural issues that need to be tackled from a medium- to long-term perspective," Yoshinobu Tsutsui, head of Japan's biggest business lobby Keidanren, said, citing measures to address elevated prices, tax reforms to fund soaring social security costs and promotion of a free and open international economic order. ---------- China says it seeks stable ties with Japan after LDP election defeat BEIJING - China said Monday it will continue to seek stable ties with Japan, a day after the country's ruling Liberal Democratic Party led by Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and its coalition partner Komeito lost their majority in the upper house race. Guo Jiakun, a spokesman of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, declined to comment on the results of Sunday's House of Councillors election, calling them "internal affairs" of Japan, but said Beijing is willing to work with Tokyo to continuously carry out dialogue and communication at all levels. ---------- New S. Korea foreign minister says patience key to Japan challenges SEOUL - South Korea's new Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said Monday that pressuring Japan to resolve historical issues will not produce results, stressing the challenge should be approached with "patience and persistence." Speaking to reporters ahead of his swearing-in the same day, Cho emphasized the importance of building future-oriented ties with Japan, saying a long-term approach is required to resolve the issues, namely wartime labor compensation, through improved mutual understanding. ---------- Video: Pod of sperm whales sleep "standing" in Amami
Straits Times
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
South Korea, Japan and US conduct air drill as defence chiefs meet
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox General Yoshihide Yoshida, Chief of Staff, Joint Staff of Japan, Admiral Kim Myung-soo, chairman of the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff, and John Daniel Caine, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, pose during a Trilateral Chiefs of Defense meeting at the Defense Ministry in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, July 11, 2025. Ahn Young-joon/Pool via REUTERS SEOUL - South Korea, Japan and the United States conducted a joint air drill on Friday involving a U.S. B-52 strategic bomber and fighter jets of the two U.S. allies over international waters, Yonhap news reported, citing the South's defence ministry. The three countries' defence chiefs also held an annual meeting in Seoul on Friday, where they recognised the importance of close trilateral cooperation in addressing security challenges posed by North Korea, in the Indo-pacific and beyond, the defence ministry said in a statement. "We're illuminating a future path together, a path where partnerships can evolve through persistent and regular engagement from building capacity to really sharing responsibility," U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine said in opening remarks before the meeting. "(North Korea) and China are undergoing an unprecedented military build up with a clear and unambiguous intent to move forward with their own agendas. We need to be mindful of that," Caine said. REUTERS
Euronews
02-06-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
Rutte dismisses concerns over US troop withdrawal from Europe
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Monday denied any indication that the United States was reviewing its military presence on the continent, saying instead Washington would maintain "a very strong conventional" deployment in Europe. "What we know is that the US, next to Europe, of course also has to take care of the Middle East, has to take care of the Indo-pacific and it is only logical that over time as we are building up that the US will pivot so much more towards Asia," Rutte told journalists at a press conference in Vilnius on Monday. "But I am convinced there will be a very strong conventional US presence in Europe, next to the nuclear presence," the NATO chief added, speaking on the margins of a summit in Vilnius with the Bucharest Nine (B9) format and Nordic countries. Rutte's comments come amid long-standing allegations – spurred by US-Russia talks to end Moscow's war in Ukraine – that Washington would reduce or withdraw its troops in Europe. Last February, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth warned Europeans during a visit to Poland that US troops on the continent were "important," and that "you can't make an assumption that America's presence will last forever." The US had nearly 84,000 service members in Europe in early 2025, according to a report from the Council on Foreign Relations, which also specifies that over the course of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, now in its fourth year, the total number of troops has ranged between approximately 75,000 and 105,000 military personnel. In Vilnius, Lithuania's President Gitanas Nausėda echoed Rutte's remarks, saying he had not received any indication of a US troop withdrawal or reduction in Europe. Nausėda said there were so far 1,000 US soldiers "standing shoulder to should with the soldiers of Germany, Norway, and NATO's Enhanced Forward Presence," which includes battlegroups in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. "We are ready to increase this number if there is political will from the US administration," Nausėda added. Candy manufacturer Haribo has recalled its 1-kilogram bags of Happy Cola Fizz in Belgium after traces of cannabis were found in some bags in the Netherlands, the Belgian food agency FAVV-AFSCA confirmed on Monday. In a joint press release with the agency, Haribo noted that consumption of these sweets can lead to health complaints such as dizziness. The withdrawal concerns large bags of fizzy colas with production code L341-4002307906 — the same batch that was recalled earlier in the Netherlands. "Haribo has carried out this recall in Belgium as a precautionary measure," Belgian food agency spokesperson Liesbeth Van de Voorde told Euronews. She noted that, so far, no reports have been received in Belgium of people becoming unwell after eating the sweets. "We have set up a consumer hotline for this purpose, and we have not received any news of issues in Belgium." People are strongly advised not to eat the recalled sweets. In case of consumption, it is recommended to contact a GP immediately. The one-kilogram bags of sour candies were already withdrawn from sale in the Netherlands following reports that several people in the country, including adults and children, reported feeling unwell after eating these sweets. A sample testing revealed that the product was laced with cannabis after police were notified of the issue. Dutch authorities are now investigating how the candy became contaminated with these drugs. In the Netherlands, only three bags are involved so far. Still, Haribo is recalling the entire stock in the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. "The authorities' investigation concerns a limited number of reports and one specific product in the east of the Netherlands," Patrick Tax, marketing head for Haribo Netherlands and Belgium, told domestic media in Belgium. The withdrawal only concerns Haribo's 1-kilogram bags of Happy Cola Fizz with an expiry date until January 2026 and production code L341-4002307906. It is not clear which Belgian shops were selling these large packs. Van de Voorde added that this is the only product for which the agency has received information, meaning no other products are currently deemed a risk. Instead of returning it to the store where they purchased it, consumers are asked to send the product to the Belgian head office. Affected consumers should provide their details and bank account number to receive a refund.
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
China accuses Hegseth of espousing 'Cold War mentality' for labeling country as a threat: 'Vilified'
China criticized U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Sunday for his "vilified" remarks "filled with provocations" in which he said the Asian country poses a legitimate threat in the Indo-Pacific. The Chinese Foreign Ministry said Hegseth touted a "Cold War mentality" when he delivered his speech on Saturday at the Shangri-La Dialogue security conference in Singapore. "Hegseth deliberately ignored the call for peace and development by countries in the region, and instead touted the Cold War mentality for bloc confrontation, vilified China with defamatory allegations, and falsely called China a 'threat,'" a spokesperson for the ministry said in a statement. "The remarks were filled with provocations and intended to sow discord," the statement continued. "China deplores and firmly opposes them and has protested strongly to the U.S. No country in the world deserves to be called a hegemonic power other than the US itself, which is also the primary factor undermining the peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific." Hegseth Says Us Will Bolster Defenses Overseas To Support Indo-pacific Allies Against China On Saturday, Hegseth said the U.S. will bolster its defenses overseas to counter what the Pentagon views as rapidly developing threats by China, particularly toward Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its own. Read On The Fox News App The Chinese army "is rehearsing for the real deal," Hegseth said. "We are not going to sugarcoat it — the threat China poses is real. And it could be imminent." The Pentagon chief said China is no longer building up its military forces to take Taiwan, but it is "actively training for it, every day." Addressing the dispute over Taiwan, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in its statement that the matter is China's internal affair and that the U.S. should "never play with fire." "No country is in a position to interfere," the statement said. "The US should never imagine it could use the Taiwan question as leverage against China. The US must never play with fire on this question. China urges the US to fully abide by the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiqués, and stop supporting and emboldening the 'Taiwan independence' separatist forces." Hegseth Denies Claim That Golden Dome Is 'Offensive': 'Protecting The Homeland' The statement also accused the U.S. of deploying offensive weaponry in the South China Sea and "stoking flames and creating tensions" in the Asia-Pacific, which it said was "turning the region into a powder keg and making countries in the region deeply concerned." In the South China Sea, the statement said there "has never been any problem with regard to freedom of navigation and overflight there." "China has always been committed to working with countries concerned to properly handle differences through dialogue and consultation, while safeguarding China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in accordance with laws and regulations," the spokesperson said. "It is the U.S. that is the primary factor hurting the peace and stability in the South China Sea." The statement concluded: "China urges the U.S. to fully respect the efforts of countries in the region to maintain peace and stability, stop deliberately destroying the peaceful and stable environment cherished by the region, and stop inciting conflict and confrontation and escalating tensions in the region." Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson Zhang Xiaogang also called Hegseth's comments a provocation that distorted China's policy positions. While Hegseth vowed to boost U.S. defenses overseas to counter any possible threat from China, the defense secretary insisted that allies in the Indo-Pacific also contribute more to their own defense. "We ask, and indeed we insist, that our allies and partners do their part on defense," he said on Saturday. "Sometimes that means having uncomfortable and tough conversations." The U.S. and China reached a deal last month to cut tariffs on each down to 115% for 90 days to allow time for negotiators from both sides to come to a more substantive agreement — U.S. tariffs on China were reduced from 145% to 30% and China's taxes on the U.S. were slashed from 125% to 10%. But Trump said in a social media post on Friday that he would no longer be "nice" with China when it comes to trade and accused Beijing of breaking an unspecified agreement with the article source: China accuses Hegseth of espousing 'Cold War mentality' for labeling country as a threat: 'Vilified'
