13 h. ago Major Chinese airlines extend full refund offers for Japan flights by 3 months

Major Chinese airlines have extended their offer of full refunds for flights to Japan for another three months, as the heated diplomatic row between Beijing and Tokyo shows no signs of easing. On Friday, Air China, China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines – the country’s largest state-owned carriers – along with several others, including Hainan Airlines, Shandong Airlines, Spring Airlines and Xiamen Airlines, issued statements allowing free ticket refunds or itinerary changes for...

Politics

54 h. ago Why peeling back layers of strategic ambiguity will only hurt Japan

Putting aside the ongoing war of words between Beijing and Tokyo surrounding Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s statements on Taiwan last month, there is a simple question that needs answering. Can Japan’s Self-Defence Forces really afford to fight the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) without American military support? Takaichi’s answer appears to be that Japan’s military must do so. The legislation approved by Japan’s Diet in September 2015 allowed the country to exercise its right of...

Politics

57 h. ago Video: Taiwan’s President Warns of Growing Chinese Military Aggression

Video: Taiwan’s President Warns of Growing Chinese Military Aggression  The New York Times

Events

59 h. ago Taiwan’s President Warns That China’s Military Aggression Is Growing

Taiwan’s President Warns That China’s Military Aggression Is Growing  The New York Times

Events

64 h. ago Japan’s Sanae Takaichi moves to ease weeks of tensions with China over the Taiwan Strait

After weeks of turmoil in relations with China, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has sought to dial down tensions with Beijing over a hypothetical conflict in the Taiwan Strait. Responding to a lawmaker’s question on Wednesday, Takaichi told the Japanese parliament that Tokyo’s position on the island remained unchanged and referred to a 1972 commitment that led to the normalisation of ties between Beijing and Tokyo. “The Japanese government’s basic position regarding Taiwan remains as...

Events

4 d. ago PLA’s drone carrier on fast track to deployment with apparent second sea trial

The PLA’s new “drone carrier”, a key asset for potential amphibious operations against Taiwan, appears to have conducted its second sea trial, marking quick progress towards deployment amid heightened tensions between Beijing and Tokyo over the island. A large vessel departed from the Hudong–Zhonghua shipyard on Friday, according to a navigation warning issued a day earlier by the Shanghai Maritime Safety Administration. The notice did not identify the vessel, but it is believed to be the...

Events

4 d. ago From immigration to investments: China’s middle class is unwinding bets on Japan

Some of China’s affluent middle class is unwinding bets on Japan, cashing out in real estate and shelving migration plans as a diplomatic stand-off invites a wait-and-see mood on the once-hot destination for capital and talent. The reversal follows escalating tensions sparked by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remarks on Taiwan last month. Intermediaries report a surge in profit-taking on property and rising pessimism over immigration, with the chill extending to business visits and...

Politics

4 d. ago Chinese Tourists Travel to South Korea as Tokyo–Beijing Tensions Intensify

Chinese Tourists Travel to South Korea as Tokyo–Beijing Tensions Intensify  eTurboNews

Events

4 d. ago Debate and backlash in China after Japanese singer halted mid

A Japanese singer was forced to stop performing on stage in Shanghai over the weekend, triggering accusations of excessive restriction amid the downward spiral in tensions between Beijing and Tokyo over a Taiwan contingency. On Saturday, Japanese singer Maki Otsuki was abruptly silenced while singing at an anime event in Shanghai and told by staff to halt her performance. Otsuki, known for singing the theme song of the popular anime One Piece, has “returned home safely”, according to a statement...

Politics

5 d. ago Pakistan rejects UN warning over legal immunity for military chief

Pakistan dismissed on Sunday a warning by the UN rights chief of potential “far-reaching consequences” for the rule of law in granting the head of the all-powerful military legal immunity. The foreign ministry said Pakistan was “fully committed to protecting basic freedoms and the rule of law as enshrined in the constitution,” responding to criticism from UN rights chief Volker Turk. A constitutional amendment approved by parliament earlier this month, shielding Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir...

Events

6 d. ago Singapore becomes Plan B for Chinese travellers giving Japan a wide berth

Amid the diplomatic fallout between Tokyo and Beijing, Hunanese accountant Echo He feels relieved she has chosen Southeast Asia for her year-end trip with her husband and colleagues, instead of the popular choice, Japan. The latest spat between both nations arose on November 7 when Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested her country could deploy its military forces in the event of a conflict in the Taiwan Strait. This infuriated Beijing, which sees Taiwan as part of China to be reunited...

Politics

7 d. ago Beijing freezes Japan youth exchange programmes over Takaichi’s Taiwan remarks

Beijing has frozen youth exchange programmes with Tokyo amid continuing fallout over Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remarks on Taiwan, a diplomatic source said, raising concern that the bilateral rift could affect generations to come. The Japanese side was told about the cancelled programmes in recent weeks after China launched retaliatory measures against Japan over Takaichi’s comments earlier this month, according to the diplomatic source. “Usually, November and December are the...

Politics

7 d. ago Beijing freezes Japan youth exchange programmes over Takaichi Taiwan row

Beijing has frozen youth exchange programmes with Tokyo amid the fallout over Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remarks on Taiwan, according to a diplomatic source, raising concern that the bilateral rift could affect younger generations. The Japanese side was told about the cancelled programmes after China launched retaliatory measures against Japan over Takaichi’s comments earlier this month, the source said. “Usually, November and December are the season for youth exchanges, but now...

Politics

8 d. ago Beijing Daxing Joins Shanghai Pudong, Tokyo Haneda, Osaka Kansai, Kuala Lumpur, Suvarnabhumi, and Changi: The Future of Smart Airports Set to Launch by 2026!

Beijing Daxing Joins Shanghai Pudong, Tokyo Haneda, Osaka Kansai, Kuala Lumpur, Suvarnabhumi, and Changi: The Future of Smart Airports Set to Launch by 2026!  Travel And Tour World

Politics

9 d. ago Beijing warns Tokyo after PM Takaichi’s Taiwan salvo raises tensions

Beijing warns Tokyo after PM Takaichi’s Taiwan salvo raises tensions  irishsun.com

Events

1 week ago FBI probes Democratic lawmakers who warned US military about illegal orders

The FBI has requested interviews with six Democratic members of the US Congress who in a video message told members of the military they can legally refuse to carry out unlawful orders, a Justice Department official said on Tuesday. The Pentagon on Monday threatened to recall Senator Mark Kelly, a Navy veteran and one of the six lawmakers, to active duty potentially to face military charges over what Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth described on social media as “seditious” acts. US President...

Events

1 week ago FBI probes Democrat lawmakers who warned US military about illegal orders

The FBI has requested interviews with six Democratic members of the US Congress who in a video message told members of the military they can legally refuse to carry out unlawful orders, a Justice Department official said on Tuesday. The Pentagon on Monday threatened to recall Senator Mark Kelly, a US Navy veteran and one of the six lawmakers, to active duty potentially to face military charges over what Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth described on social media as “seditious” acts. US President...

Events

1 week ago Japan PM highlights Trump bond after first talks since China clash

Japan PM highlights Trump bond after first talks since China clash  Reuters

Politics

1 week ago Philippine military says ‘no junta’ in its ranks, warns against destabilisation

The Philippine military has confirmed that plots to oust President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr were “not far-fetched”, but downplayed fears of a coup led by troops and said there was “no junta” forming within its ranks. “There is no such thing as a military junta within the AFP,” military spokeswoman Colonel Francel Margareth Padilla said on Tuesday, referring to the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Her comments come amid rising public anger over a corruption scandal linked to flood-control...

Events

1 week ago Trump talks to Japanese PM hours after his overnight call with China’s Xi

Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi confirmed “the close cooperation” between Tokyo and Washington in a phone call with US President Donald Trump on Tuesday, hours after Trump spoke by phone with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. Takaichi said her conversation with Trump covered the strengthening of the Japan-US alliance along with the various challenges facing the Indo-Pacific region, according to the Fuji News Network. The phone call came amid escalating tension between Beijing and Tokyo...

Politics