Tag: Asia & Pacific

US, Taiwan Sign Trade Deal Over China’s Opposition

WASHINGTON—The United States signed a trade agreement Thursday with Taiwan over opposition from China. The two governments say the U.S.–Taiwan Initiative on 21st Century Trade will strengthen commercial relations by improving customs, investment, and other regulation. The measure was signed by employees of the unofficial entities that maintain relations between the United States and Taiwan,…


India Train Crash Kills Over 280, Injures 900 in One of Nation’s Worst Rail Disasters

BALASORE, India—Rescuers found no more survivors in the overturned and mangled wreckage of two passenger trains that derailed in eastern India, killing more than 280 people and injuring hundreds in one of the country’s deadliest rail crashes in decades, officials said Saturday. Chaotic scenes erupted on Friday night as rescuers climbed atop the wrecked trains…


Bank of China Opens Office in Papua New Guinea Amid US Tensions

The Bank of China (BOC) has opened a representative office in Papua New Guinea (PNG), its first branch in the South Pacific island nation, amid intensifying competition between the United States and China. The ceremony, at the new office in the capital of Port Moresby, was attended by BOC Chairman Ge Haijiao and PNG Prime…


Bank of China Launches Office in Papua New Guinea Amid US Tensions

The Bank of China (BOC) has opened a representative office in Papua New Guinea (PNG), its first branch in the South Pacific island nation, amid intensifying competition between the United States and China. The launching ceremony was attended by BOC chairman Ge Haijiao and PNG leader James Marape on June 1. The new office is…


Japan’s Birth Rate Plummets to Record Low for Seventh Straight Year

Japan’s birth rate declined to a record low for the seventh consecutive year, with the number of babies born falling below 800,000 this year, health ministry data showed on June 2. The number of newborns in Japan fell to 770,747 this year, down 40,875 from the previous year and the lowest since the country began…


US Defence Chief Calls on Beijing to Engage in Dialogue to Avoid Conflict

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the ruling party of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), has demonstrated little interest in engaging in serious talks with the United States about the fraying relationship between the global superpowers and its potentially catastrophic consequences.  U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, however, in his address on June 2 at…


US Defense Chief Calls on Beijing to Engage in Dialogue to Avoid Conflict

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the ruling party of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), has demonstrated little interest in engaging in serious talks with the United States about the fraying relationship between the global superpowers and its potentially catastrophic consequences.  U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, however, in his address on June 3 at…


More Than 230 Killed and 900 Hurt After 2 Trains Derail in India; Hundreds Still Trapped

NEW DELHI—Rescuers waded through piles of debris and wreckage to pull out bodies and free people after two passenger trains derailed Friday night in India, killing more than 230 people and leaving hundreds of others trapped inside more than a dozen mangled rail cars, in one of the country’s deadliest train crashes in decades. The…


LIVE 8:20 PM ET: Defense Ministers Speak at Shangri-La Dialogue Asia Security Summit in Singapore

On the first day of the Shangri-La Dialogue Asia security summit in Singapore, defense ministers from the United States, Britain, Canada, Indonesia, South Korea, Japan, and Sweden, as well as Europe’s foreign policy chief, Jose Borrell, deliver remarks from 8:30 p.m. ET on June 2. U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin III speaks around 8:35…


LIVE NOW: Defense Ministers Speak at Shangri-La Dialogue Asia Security Summit in Singapore

On the first day of the Shangri-La Dialogue Asia security summit in Singapore, defense ministers from the United States, Britain, Canada, Indonesia, South Korea, Japan, and Sweden, as well as Europe’s foreign policy chief, Jose Borrell, deliver remarks from 8:30 p.m. ET on June 2. U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin III speaks around 8:35…