China will gradually resume importing Japanese marine products, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced Friday. Beijing has imposed a blanket ban since Japan began discharging treated water from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in August 2023. The Japanese and Chinese governments have reached an agreement that China will lift its ban on Japanese marine products. Beijing will join the discharge monitoring activities conducted by the International Atomic Energy Agency and will accept marine products meet the organization’s standards. Japan and the IAEA agreed on Friday to expand discharge monitoring activities, such as testing more samples of seawater and fish.…
Author: Asia News Network
Indonesian and New Zealand authorities rejoiced over the weekend as Philip Mehrtens, a New Zealand pilot held hostage for 19 months by a Papuan armed group, walked free on Saturday. Mehrtens was working for Indonesian airline Susi Air when he was abducted on Feb. 7, 2023 by a faction of the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) led by Egianus Kogoya in Nduga, Papua Highlands province. Members of the Cartenz Peace Operation, a joint police and military task force assigned to curb armed criminal groups (KKB) and restore peace in the region, picked up Mehrtens on Saturday morning at a…
Korean battery makers Samsung SDI and LG Energy Solution are putting considerable effort into boasting their latest technologies in the commercial electric vehicle sector at the ongoing IAA Transportation 2024 in Hanover, Germany. The IAA, currently being held from Sept. 17-22, is one of the largest auto exhibitions in the world and alternates its focus between passenger and commercial vehicles each year. This year’s theme is commercial vehicles. Samsung SDI has presented a lineup of next-generation batteries, such as LFP+, its lithium iron phosphate battery product optimized for electric commercial vehicles; 46-phi cylindrical batteries, which have a diameter of 46…
Renminbi-denominated financial assets are likely to see more foreign capital inflows in the months ahead as the United States enters an interest rate cut cycle, giving Chinese policymakers more room to maneuver toward steady economic growth, analysts said. The renminbi and Chinese equities rallied on Thursday after the US Federal Reserve’s first rate cut in over four years. The renminbi, or the Chinese yuan, strengthened by 293 basis points in the onshore market to 7.06 against the US dollar on Thursday, the strongest level since June 2023. The Shanghai Composite Index, a benchmark of Chinese A shares, went up 0.69…
North Korea launched multiple ballistic missiles Wednesday in its latest show of force, just days after an unprecedented public release of photos showing its uranium enrichment facilities capable of producing nuclear weapons material. The missile launches came on the heels of last week’s launches which marked the end of a more than two-month pause in Pyongyang’s missile provocations. The South Korean military detected North Korea launching several short-range ballistic missiles northeastward in the area of Kaechon, South Pyongan Province, at around 6:50 a.m. local time, according to a statement from the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The missiles traveled about 400…
With the total damage caused by powerful typhoon Yagi estimated to exceed VNĐ50 trillion (US$2 billion) across the country, the Government has issued a resolution outlining six measures to accelerate recovery. The first measure involves ensuring the safety and well-being of the population in affected areas. The second focuses on rebuilding community life to help people return to a sense of normalcy. The third centres around revitalising economic activities. The fourth focuses on enhancing preparedness for future natural disasters, such as floods and landslides. The fifth involves simplifying administrative procedures to expedite the delivery of relief and support for those…
Deadly floods and landslides triggered by Typhoon Yagi have affected nearly six million children across Southeast Asia, the UN said Wednesday, as the death toll from the disaster rose. Typhoon Yagi brought powerful winds and torrential rainfall to Vietnam, Thailand, Laos and Myanmar when it swept across the region almost two weeks ago. Thailand reported three more deaths on Wednesday, taking the toll in the kingdom to 18, with a total of 537 fatalities now confirmed across the region. Six million children have been affected by Yagi, United Nations children’s agency UNICEF said in a statement, with access to clean…
Singapore’s key exports grew for a second straight month in August, with non-oil domestic exports (Nodx) rising 10.7 per cent year on year. The growth compares with a Bloomberg consensus forecast of a 15 per cent increase, and extends the 15.7 per cent expansion in July. The gains were mainly driven by electronics even though non-electronics also increased, Enterprise Singapore (EnterpriseSG) noted in its Sept 17 statement. Year on year, electronics exports surged 35.1 per cent in August, extending the 16.8 per cent expansion in July. Integrated circuits (ICs), disk media products and personal computers (PCs) contributed the most to…
The 56th ASEAN Economic Ministers’ Meeting taking place in Vientiane has engaged in discussions around ways to make ASEAN more attractive to foreign investors. The meeting is chaired by Laos’ Minister of Industry and Commerce, Mr Malaythong Kommasith, and attended by the ASEAN Secretary-General, the Minister of Trade and Industry from Timor-Leste, and heads of delegations from ASEAN member countries. “The regional and international economic and financial situation continues to face instability affected by the spread of Covid-19, climate change, and political conflicts in the region and internationally. This requires us to strengthen unity and cooperate closely to find appropriate…
Kia is showing signs of recovery in China, recording more than 20,000 units in monthly sales for three consecutive months from June to August. If this momentum continues, the company is on track to reach or surpass its goal of selling over 200,000 units in China by the end of the year. Kia’s recovery is primarily driven by two factors: the introduction of new, market-specific models and an expansion of its export operations. According to Kia’s Chinese joint venture, Jiangsu Yueda Kia, the company sold 22,498 vehicles in August — marking a 36.2 percent increase compared to the same month…