https://www.scmp.com/rss/519406/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Reuters Reuters Far-flung Pacific nations ⁠are reeling from the impact of a global ⁠fuel crisis as authorities scramble to manage energy supplies while families must grapple ⁠with fuel curbs and higher costs for food and access to healthcare. Global oil supplies are running down as the US-Israeli war with Iran disrupts traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which typically carries about 20 per cent of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas flows. Aid agencies have warned that the crisis has driven up prices... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3350937/pacific-islanders-skip-food-medicine-amid-global-fuel-shortage-iran-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3350937/pacific-islanders-skip-food-medicine-amid-global-fuel-shortage-iran-war?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Apr 2026 01:37:07 +0000 Kyodo Kyodo The Japanese government said it will start releasing 30 days’ worth of state-held oil from Thursday to cushion the impact on the economy as concerns over supply mount and oil prices soar amid the ongoing US-Israeli war on Iran. On Tuesday, the industry ministry announced that the government plans to sell a total of about 8.5 million kilolitres of oil from 11 storage bases across the country, following the private sector’s release of 15 days’ worth of oil stockpiles last week. According to the... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3347738/japan-start-release-state-oil-reserve-thursday-ease-iran-impact?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3347738/japan-start-release-state-oil-reserve-thursday-ease-iran-impact?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Mar 2026 12:10:30 +0000 Matthew Cheng,Themis Chen Matthew Cheng,Themis Chen A Hong Kong-based company sanctioned by the United States for alleged links to Venezuelan oil exports registered a fictitious address in the city, the Post has found, leaving a namesake eyewear firm anxious about repercussions. The Trump administration stepped up its pressure campaign against Venezuela’s oil exports earlier this week by sanctioning four companies based in Hong Kong and mainland China, accusing them of ties to the Venezuelan oil sector and evading restrictions. The US Department... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3338627/hong-kong-firm-sanctioned-us-venezuela-crackdown-found-use-bogus-address?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3338627/hong-kong-firm-sanctioned-us-venezuela-crackdown-found-use-bogus-address?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 03 Jan 2026 12:35:11 +0000 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan Senior US officials on Monday pushed back against suggestions of American retreat from the Indo-Pacific, declaring that Washington is recalibrating its foreign assistance to more effectively outcompete China in the strategically vital region while maintaining support for allies through targeted aid and security cooperation. The focus, they said, is shifting away from broad assistance towards targeted partnerships that serve US interests and advance a free and open Indo-Pacific, ranging from... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3336552/us-rejects-claims-indo-pacific-retreat-says-aid-being-recalibrated-counter-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3336552/us-rejects-claims-indo-pacific-retreat-says-aid-being-recalibrated-counter-china?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Dec 2025 22:15:49 +0000 Reuters Reuters The US Treasury Department on Tuesday sanctioned a network of shipping companies and vessels led by an Iraqi-Kittitian businessman for smuggling Iranian oil disguised as Iraqi oil. The administration of US President Donald Trump is keeping pressure on Iran while nuclear talks have stalled. A sixth round of negotiations was suspended after the start of a 12-day war in June. A senior Iranian official said on Tuesday that the path to nuclear negotiations is not closed but US demands for curbs on... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3324109/us-sanctions-shipping-network-smuggling-iran-oil?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3324109/us-sanctions-shipping-network-smuggling-iran-oil?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Sep 2025 17:57:33 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou China says it has taken “control measures” against two Philippine vessels near the Sierra Madre, a warship grounded on the disputed Second Thomas Shoal, as tensions re-emerge in the contested waters of the South China Sea. In a short statement on Friday morning, China Coast Guard spokesman Gan Yu accused the two Philippine ships deployed from the Sierra Madre of “deliberately engaging in provocative collisions” when approaching a Chinese coastguard vessel. He did not specify when the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3322763/south-china-sea-beijing-asserts-control-measures-against-philippine-ships-shoal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3322763/south-china-sea-beijing-asserts-control-measures-against-philippine-ships-shoal?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 Aug 2025 05:51:21 +0000 Kalinga Seneviratne Kalinga Seneviratne In a unanimous decision, a 15-member bench of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at The Hague in the Netherlands ruled on July 23 that government failures to protect vulnerable populations and ecosystems from climate change could amount to breaches of international law. The court’s non-binding ruling, which says that countries must comply with climate treaties, has been hailed as a great victory for youth activism from small island nations facing the brunt of the climate crisis. The... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3319809/world-courts-ruling-opens-door-wider-climate-justice?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3319809/world-courts-ruling-opens-door-wider-climate-justice?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 28 Jul 2025 21:30:07 +0000 If America wanted to convince Southeast Asia to side together against China, Donald Trump’s “universal” tariffs have just shot the nation in one foot. If the idea was to militarise the South Pacific – by pressuring those tiny island states to go along – with help from Australia under the Aukus military alliance – America has blown off its other foot. I can imagine Xi Jinping quoting Napoleon, who famously told his generals to hold their horses during a major campaign. “Gentlemen,” he said, “let... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3305413/united-states-not-china-turns-out-be-real-bogeyman?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3305413/united-states-not-china-turns-out-be-real-bogeyman?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 06 Apr 2025 13:00:08 +0000 When Donald Trump says he is imposing universal tariffs, he really means it. The US president is not just targeting most trading partners of the United States, which are by and large nations and economies made up of humans. He is, as confirmed by the White House, also going after territories full of penguins, seals, seabirds, crustaceans or other wildlife, but with few or no humans. There may be ecology but no economy to speak of. Seriously, I am not making this up. Call those poor animals... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3305266/donald-trumps-tariff-madness-targets-not-only-allies-animals?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3305266/donald-trumps-tariff-madness-targets-not-only-allies-animals?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 04 Apr 2025 13:00:09 +0000 Researchers from mainland China are taking aim at an established language theory promoted by Taiwan’s ruling party in its efforts to carve out a separate identity for the island. The latest salvo in the debate over the “Out of Taiwan” hypothesis came last month from a mainland academic who said the origins of the Austronesian peoples were in the mainland’s southeast coastal region – and not the self-ruled island. The Austronesians are a group of ethnic communities spread across a vast region of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3298411/why-out-taiwan-language-theory-cross-strait-battleground?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3298411/why-out-taiwan-language-theory-cross-strait-battleground?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:08:33 +0000 Washington’s No 2 diplomat concluded his Pacific tour on Friday with a focus on tensions in the South China Sea and boosting Nato’s ties in the Indo-Pacific vis-à-vis Beijing amid controversy over support for Taiwan at a high-profile regional gathering. US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell had been travelling in the strategically vital region since Wednesday for the Pacific Islands Forum leaders’ summit in Tonga. The US is one of the PIF’s more than 20 dialogue partners, alongside China,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3276663/no-2-us-diplomat-ends-pacific-tour-bolster-regional-ties-taiwan-flap-rankles-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3276663/no-2-us-diplomat-ends-pacific-tour-bolster-regional-ties-taiwan-flap-rankles-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 Aug 2024 20:18:38 +0000 Japanese and Pacific island leaders largely focused on climate change at their recent meeting even though Tokyo was keen to discuss security cooperation amid China’s growing military and economic influence in the region. The environmental hot potato was a “major priority” for Pacific island nations while Japan was setting its sights on boosting security initiatives in partnership with its allies, according to observers. At the talks held in Tokyo from Tuesday to Thursday, participants said they... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3271190/japans-talks-pacific-islands-focus-climate-security-issues-take-back-seat?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3271190/japans-talks-pacific-islands-focus-climate-security-issues-take-back-seat?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Jul 2024 04:00:17 +0000 The United States and Britain carried out air strikes on Yemen in what they said was a bid to degrade Iran-backed rebels’ maritime attack capabilities, with Houthi media on Friday reporting 14 killed. The Houthis have been attacking shipping around the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since November, citing solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, where Israel has been at war with the militant group Hamas since October 7. Loud explosions were heard in the capital Sanaa and the port city of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3264809/us-and-uk-strike-houthi-rebel-targets-yemen-after-shipping-attacks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3264809/us-and-uk-strike-houthi-rebel-targets-yemen-after-shipping-attacks?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 31 May 2024 03:18:29 +0000 An Australian MH-60R Seahawk helicopter was 8,535km from home and flew close to China’s northeastern coasts. So a Chinese warplane shot flares to warn it off. Suppose a Chinese military aircraft flew 8,535km to loiter off Australia’s northern coastlines, how would you think the Australian military, or for that matter, American military stationed in the vicinity, would respond? So far, the patriotic hand-wringing of the Australian media and political class has been over the top. It would have... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3262197/playing-defence-mini-me-us-will-cost-australia-dearly?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3262197/playing-defence-mini-me-us-will-cost-australia-dearly?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 May 2024 13:00:16 +0000 Global Impact is a weekly curated newsletter featuring a news topic originating in China with a significant macro impact for our newsreaders around the world. Sign up now! With the rivalry between the United States and China showing no signs of abating, countries in Asia have taken steps to strengthen their defence and strategic security, or prevent tensions from spiralling. In a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Beijing last week, Chinese President Xi Jinping called on the US... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3261512/global-impact-asian-nations-take-defensive-positions-blinkens-beijing-visit-falls-short-cooling-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3261512/global-impact-asian-nations-take-defensive-positions-blinkens-beijing-visit-falls-short-cooling-us?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 May 2024 06:00:12 +0000 The Solomon Islands has “locked in” ties with China after lawmakers chose another pro-Beijing prime minister, even though its government is expected to face greater scrutiny and demand for transparency in its engagement with Chinese officials, analysts say. On Thursday, the lawmakers picked Jeremiah Manele as their prime minister, who beat his opponent Matthew Wale in a 31-18 count. He succeeded Manasseh Sogavare, who was also seen as a staunch supporter of China. Manele has said he will... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3261386/solomon-islands-locks-china-ties-another-pro-beijing-leader-bilateral-security-pact-still-rankles?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3261386/solomon-islands-locks-china-ties-another-pro-beijing-leader-bilateral-security-pact-still-rankles?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 May 2024 11:29:49 +0000 Japan’s coastguard has extended an initiative designed to help other nations’ counter Chinese expansion in the South China Sea to two Pacific island countries: the Marshall Islands and Micronesia. The Mobile Cooperation Team (MCT) initiative was first set up in 2017 as part of Tokyo’s efforts to train and equip the coastguards of Southeast Asian nations that felt threatened by China’s presence in the disputed waterway. With Beijing actively looking to expand its sphere of influence further into... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3259940/japan-extends-anti-china-coastguard-training-push-south-china-sea-pacific-islands?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3259940/japan-extends-anti-china-coastguard-training-push-south-china-sea-pacific-islands?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Apr 2024 00:00:20 +0000 An election in Solomon Islands on Wednesday will be a crucial barometer of voters’ faith in the government of Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare following the signing of a controversial security pact between the strategically important country and China. Dispersed over 2,000km (1,240 miles), home to around 750,000 people – a quarter of them living in poverty – and increasingly coveted for its position in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the Solomon Islands is wooed by China and the US as a... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3259039/solomon-islands-china-security-ties-focus-pacific-nation-heads-polls?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3259039/solomon-islands-china-security-ties-focus-pacific-nation-heads-polls?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Apr 2024 00:19:02 +0000 “Sometimes I feel like John the Baptist out in the desert,” Arnold Palacios, the governor of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, declared recently in Washington. Speaking not at a church service but at a think-tank discussion during a recent visit to the US capital, Palacios put his pivot away from China in doleful terms that underscore the dire economic times that he is trying to manage back home. Drawing a parallel with the biblical prophet, the governor of the US territory... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3256969/leader-us-pacific-territory-tells-lonely-pivot-away-china-amid-dire-economic-crunch?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3256969/leader-us-pacific-territory-tells-lonely-pivot-away-china-amid-dire-economic-crunch?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 Mar 2024 14:00:13 +0000 Washington’s latest hypersonic missile test sends “a strong message” to Beijing regarding its advanced weapons technology development, analysts said, as the United States reshapes its competition with China and Russia. The US Air Force said it had carried out the last planned test of the hypersonic AGM-183A Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW) on Sunday. A B-52H Stratofortress strategic bomber from Andersen Air Force Base in Guam took part in the test, firing off the ARRW at the Reagan Test... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3256374/us-hypersonic-missile-test-shows-advances-weapons-technology-amid-arms-race-china-russia-and-north?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3256374/us-hypersonic-missile-test-shows-advances-weapons-technology-amid-arms-race-china-russia-and-north?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 Mar 2024 09:00:47 +0000 US officials have stressed that newly-approved legislation providing billions of dollars in funding for three strategically important Pacific island nations is an important sign of American commitment, which comes amid warnings China is actively trying to pry them away from Washington’s sphere of influence. The renewal of funds for the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia and the Republic of Palau – known collectively as the Freely Associated States – had been held up for months... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/3256072/warily-eyeing-chinas-pacific-influence-us-talks-us71-billion-aid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/3256072/warily-eyeing-chinas-pacific-influence-us-talks-us71-billion-aid?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 20 Mar 2024 07:53:52 +0000 A top US State Department official has acknowledged that the US was aware that the Pacific island nation of Nauru was weighing whether to switch its diplomatic ties from Taiwan to mainland China before it formally did so in January, and sought to counter the move. “We had known for some time that there were concerns in Nauru and we were working with partners to meet those,” Daniel Kritenbrink, assistant secretary for East Asian and Pacific affairs, told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee at... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3255445/us-knew-nauru-might-cut-ties-taiwan-it-did-so-state-department-official-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3255445/us-knew-nauru-might-cut-ties-taiwan-it-did-so-state-department-official-says?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 14 Mar 2024 21:51:22 +0000 Japan’s Defence Minister Minoru Kihara will hold talks with peers from Pacific Island nations next week over security support, as Tokyo steps away from decades of Pacific policy to counter China’s dealmaking in a remote but strategically crucial region. The March 19 talks with 14 South Pacific Island countries and Western allies will pave the way for a leaders’ meeting in July, in what some experts say could become the largest Japanese security-focused move in the Pacific Islands since World War... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3255124/japan-shore-security-support-pacific-islands-significant-policy-shift-china-looms?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3255124/japan-shore-security-support-pacific-islands-significant-policy-shift-china-looms?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 Mar 2024 00:00:17 +0000 Five months behind schedule, the US Senate on Friday approved promised economic assistance for three allied Pacific island nations to blunt China’s influence in the strategically vital region. The delayed funding for the Marshall Islands, Micronesia and Palau under the Compacts of Free Association (Cofa) found its way through a US$460 billion appropriations package passed by the Senate hours before a midnight Friday deadline to narrowly avert a federal government shutdown. The upper chamber... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3254773/us-senate-passes-funds-pacific-island-nations-after-congressional-delays?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3254773/us-senate-passes-funds-pacific-island-nations-after-congressional-delays?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 09 Mar 2024 01:12:56 +0000 Hong Kong has always been one of the great maritime cities. Surrounded by water and boasting more than 250 islands, historically it emerged as a pioneer for trade and shipping in the early 1800s. Its container port was once the busiest in the world, and still ranks in the top 10 globally. It therefore should be no surprise that Hong Kong once again hopes to harness its seafaring origins to set a new course for growth in the sector. This time, the city aims to lead the way in the greening of the... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3253909/hong-kong-puts-shipping-industry-greener-course?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3253909/hong-kong-puts-shipping-industry-greener-course?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 01 Mar 2024 22:30:09 +0000 House Republicans added the Compacts of Free Association (Cofa) to their newly prepared ‘countering Communist China’ bill amid a months-long delay in approving promised funds for three strategically vital US-allied Pacific island nations. A congressional budget impasse has hindered funding for the Marshall Islands, Micronesia and Palau, but that could change if the draft bill by the Republican study committee, a group of more than 150 conservative lawmakers, were to pass. The legislation was... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3253738/us-house-republicans-add-pacific-nations-deals-bill-countering-communist-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3253738/us-house-republicans-add-pacific-nations-deals-bill-countering-communist-china?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Feb 2024 23:59:33 +0000 Despite a month of US-led air strikes, Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels remain capable of launching significant attacks. This week, they seriously damaged a ship in a crucial strait and downed an American drone worth tens of millions of dollars. The continued assaults by the Houthis on shipping through the crucial Red Sea corridor – the Bab el-Mandeb Strait – against the backdrop of Israel’s war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip underscore the challenges in trying to stop the guerilla-style attacks... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3252651/attacks-ships-and-us-drones-show-houthis-can-still-fight-despite-us-led-strikes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3252651/attacks-ships-and-us-drones-show-houthis-can-still-fight-despite-us-led-strikes?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 Feb 2024 04:29:02 +0000 A failure in Washington to break a deadlock over US$2.3 billion for three Pacific island nations in return for exclusive US security access – including bases for missiles and radar – may open the door for China, leaders and experts have warned. While a US$95 billion military aid package including for Ukraine and Israel was agreed last week, the relatively small change contained in a 20-year-old renewal deal called the Compact of Free Association (COFA) is yet to be signed off by the US... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3252597/us-china-relations-how-washingtons-pacific-funding-crunch-plays-right-beijings-hands?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3252597/us-china-relations-how-washingtons-pacific-funding-crunch-plays-right-beijings-hands?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 Feb 2024 00:00:15 +0000 Washington’s delay in providing economic help to the Pacific island nation Palau has made some local leaders more willing to drop diplomatic ties to Taiwan in exchange for Beijing’s financial assistance, the country’s president has warned. “The leaders here (some of whom have done ‘business’ with the PRC) who want to accept its seemingly attractive economic offers – at the cost of shifting alliances, beginning with sacrificing Taiwan,” President Surangel Whipps Jnr wrote in a letter dated... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3252122/palaus-president-raises-threat-pivot-beijing-if-us-funds-are-delayed-further?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3252122/palaus-president-raises-threat-pivot-beijing-if-us-funds-are-delayed-further?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Feb 2024 22:13:50 +0000 A day after a US$95 billion foreign aid package left out economic help promised for the Indo-Pacific as the US tries to blunt China’s sway there, a senior official on Wednesday said the Biden administration stood committed to its partnerships in the strategically vital region. “At the State Department, the White House, we continue to advocate for the authorisation and appropriation of funds. We feel it’s critically important to continue to work in close concert and in support of the freely... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3251992/us-still-seeks-delayed-pacific-islands-funds-amid-chinas-lobbying-push-region-senior-diplomat?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3251992/us-still-seeks-delayed-pacific-islands-funds-amid-chinas-lobbying-push-region-senior-diplomat?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Feb 2024 23:30:30 +0000 At the start of 2019, Taiwan counted six diplomatic allies among the Pacific Island nations. Barely five years later, that number has been halved as a growing number of small island states switch their diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing, a symbolic move, but one that is widely seen as a sign of Beijing’s growing influence in the region. Within days of Taiwan’s presidential election last month, the Pacific nation of Nauru, an island in Micronesia northeast of Australia, announced it... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3250761/whats-next-chinas-pacific-island-diplomatic-wins-mount?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3250761/whats-next-chinas-pacific-island-diplomatic-wins-mount?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 04 Feb 2024 08:00:15 +0000 Australia won’t interfere in any moves by the Pacific nation of Tuvalu to end its diplomatic relationship with Taiwan, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said, following media reports that it could follow Nauru’s lead in shifting its alliance to China. Tuvalu’s foreign policy is a matter for the Pacific nation alone, Wong said at a press conference in Canberra on Tuesday. Any decision on its recognition of either Taiwan or mainland China is “not something we would be intervening in.” “It’s a sovereign... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3249436/australia-says-it-wont-interfere-if-taiwan-ally-tuvalu-shifts-diplomatic-ties-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3249436/australia-says-it-wont-interfere-if-taiwan-ally-tuvalu-shifts-diplomatic-ties-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Jan 2024 03:49:08 +0000 US officials acknowledge that air strikes against Houthi militants in Yemen won’t deter the group from attacks that have roiled commercial shipping in the Red Sea. Yet that doesn’t mean the military campaign will stop any time soon. US President Joe Biden candidly described the dilemma Thursday when he was asked about the efforts to weaken Houthi capabilities after the Iran-backed group’s series of drone and missile strikes disrupted shipping in in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a vital trade... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3249029/us-presses-ahead-least-bad-option-confronting-houthis-yemen?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3249029/us-presses-ahead-least-bad-option-confronting-houthis-yemen?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Jan 2024 05:18:21 +0000 Pacific Islanders have railed at the “catastrophic” implications of the failure of world leaders at Cop28 to agree a hard stop to the use of fossil fuels, and are now turning inward for solutions in a desperate bid to protect communities at extreme risk of vanishing beneath the sea. There are 2.3 million people across the Pacific nations, keepers of old, unique cultures facing the prospect of vanishing beneath the waves as temperatures rise, with nations like Kiribati and Tuvalu forecast to... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3245480/pacific-nations-biggest-risk-rising-sea-levels-condemn-cop28-deal-disaster-humankind?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3245480/pacific-nations-biggest-risk-rising-sea-levels-condemn-cop28-deal-disaster-humankind?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 Dec 2023 11:00:11 +0000 US and Taiwanese officials have redoubled efforts to secure Taipei’s participation in the World Health Assembly and other multilateral bodies, following an unsuccessful bid to join the UN forum earlier this year. Without identifying which officials are taking part or what the efforts entail, the US State Department on Wednesday said that the meeting – organised by the American Institute in Taiwan, the de facto US embassy on the self-ruled island, and the Taipei Economic and Cultural... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3244995/us-and-taiwan-keep-pressing-taipeis-inclusion-wha-and-other-international-bodies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3244995/us-and-taiwan-keep-pressing-taipeis-inclusion-wha-and-other-international-bodies?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 Dec 2023 21:00:22 +0000 Nearly 200 nations meeting in Dubai on Wednesday approved a first-ever call for the world to transition away from fossil fuels, the top culprit of climate change behind a planetary crisis. After 13 days of talks and another sleepless night in a country built on oil wealth, the Emirati leadership of the Cop28 summit banged a gavel to signal the world had reached consensus. “You did step up, you showed flexibility, you put common interest ahead of self-interest,” said Cop28 president Sultan Al... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3244890/proposed-cop28-climate-deal-calls-transitioning-away-fossil-fuels?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3244890/proposed-cop28-climate-deal-calls-transitioning-away-fossil-fuels?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 Dec 2023 03:54:23 +0000 The United Nations on Tuesday demanded an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the Israel-Gaza war after more than three-quarters of the 193-member General Assembly backed the move, which had been vetoed by the United States in the Security Council last week. The United States does not have a veto in the General Assembly. It voted against the resolution, along with Israel and eight other countries. The resolution was adopted to a round of applause with 153 votes in favour, while 23 countries... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3244868/un-general-assembly-demands-humanitarian-ceasefire-israel-gaza-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3244868/un-general-assembly-demands-humanitarian-ceasefire-israel-gaza-war?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 Dec 2023 22:01:10 +0000 There are many straits and passages with unfamiliar names across the Indo-Pacific. Some are potential flashpoints in the event of a regional war. The Taiwan Strait is the best known. Others are more obscure but nevertheless strategically important for military access and supply as well as hi-tech spying such as penetrating undersea internet cables. That’s why the United States has been busy fortifying what some Pentagon strategists have called the first, second and even third island chains of... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3243795/how-western-allies-subvert-international-law-and-norms-contain-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3243795/how-western-allies-subvert-international-law-and-norms-contain-china?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 Dec 2023 13:00:09 +0000 The Pacific Games opened in a new China-funded stadium in Solomon Islands to thunderous drumming and fireworks, in an event where the sport is a sideshow to many outsiders who are instead scrutinising the race between China and the United States for dominance over an archipelago that’s surrounded by strategic sea lanes. Five thousand athletes from 24 Pacific Islands are competing at the Games in Honiara, Solomon Islands, from November 19 to December 2. Solomon Islands’ pro-China Prime Minister... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3242249/let-games-begin-solomon-islands-hosts-pacific-games-sports-event-mostly-paid-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3242249/let-games-begin-solomon-islands-hosts-pacific-games-sports-event-mostly-paid-china?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Nov 2023 04:00:11 +0000 Australia’s climate resettlement scheme with Tuvalu offers citizens of the sinking Pacific island a pathway to “migration with dignity”, but the defence conditions of the two countries’ upgraded ties show it is not a “free lunch” amid Beijing’s increased economic and defence activities in the region, analysts said. Following a key meeting of Pacific leaders on Friday, Australia and Tuvalu announced a new comprehensive partnership, the Falepili Union, that would offer special Australian visas... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3241372/tuvalus-climate-deal-australia-comes-trade-china-deepens-pacific-ties?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3241372/tuvalus-climate-deal-australia-comes-trade-china-deepens-pacific-ties?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Nov 2023 11:00:20 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo LINK HERE: There are two questions that have puzzled many students of US foreign policy, that is, if they are not too ideologically pro-American. One is, why the United States’ unswerving, almost unconditional support of Israel? The other is, why its impeccable hostility towards Cuba, which is, for all intents and purposes, an insignificant dot on the world map? Washington has made nice with communist Vietnam, Laos and China before; why not Cuba? By standing with one (Israel) and opposing the... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3240417/how-cuba-defied-us-subversion-playbook-and-paid-price?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3240417/how-cuba-defied-us-subversion-playbook-and-paid-price?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 05 Nov 2023 13:00:18 +0000 Congress must swiftly pass legislation to implement strategic pacts with Pacific Island nations and counter Chinese aggression towards the Philippines, US House representatives from Guam and Hawaii told the foreign affairs committee on Friday. On Thursday night, a bipartisan group of House lawmakers introduced a joint resolution to implement deals that President Joe Biden’s administration recently concluded with the Marshall Islands, Micronesia and Palau. The agreements, collectively known as... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3240316/us-congress-urged-approve-pacific-island-pacts-counter-chinese-influence?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3240316/us-congress-urged-approve-pacific-island-pacts-counter-chinese-influence?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Nov 2023 20:44:47 +0000 Two contrasting patterns of voting emerged among the United States’ Asia-Pacific partners over a United Nations resolution on the Israel-Gaza war – reflecting what analysts have interpreted as the desire of some US allies to put an “increasing amount of daylight” between themselves and Washington, even as a handful of Pacific nations backed its pro-Israel stance. The nonbinding resolution, which was drafted by 22 Arab countries and calls for an immediate humanitarian truce leading to a cessation... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3239771/israel-gaza-war-why-did-pacific-nations-side-us-un-ceasefire-vote-while-some-allies-sought-daylight?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3239771/israel-gaza-war-why-did-pacific-nations-side-us-un-ceasefire-vote-while-some-allies-sought-daylight?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 31 Oct 2023 04:03:14 +0000 US President Joe Biden and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced an agreement on Wednesday to cooperate with Japan on advanced defence technology, one of several initiatives meant to solidify the nations’ engagement in the Indo-Pacific to counter a more assertive China. The US and Australia will explore trilateral defence cooperation with Japan including on unmanned aerial systems, the White House said: “Our cooperation will enhance interoperability and accelerate technology... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3239205/us-and-australia-announce-agreement-work-japan-defence-technology?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3239205/us-and-australia-announce-agreement-work-japan-defence-technology?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Oct 2023 22:04:51 +0000 A senior leader in the Pacific warned the United States and Australia not to abandon the region and called for an “ocean of peace” to cool strategic competition between Beijing and Washington. Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka said that while the US was a close friend of the Pacific, for a time there was a feeling that Washington had moved away and delegated relations with the region to Australia. “You carry that on your shoulders, friends,” he said in a speech to Australian diplomats and... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3238323/fiji-pm-tells-australia-were-friendly-china-now-and-us-always-amid-calls-peace-pacific?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3238323/fiji-pm-tells-australia-were-friendly-china-now-and-us-always-amid-calls-peace-pacific?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Oct 2023 05:03:06 +0000 The administration of Joe Biden scored a big win late on Monday, keeping China and other nations out of the strategically significant western Pacific region by securing a deal with a long-time Washington partner in Oceania. After months of haggling, the Marshall Islands agreed to renew a strategic pact granting the US military access to its land, air and sea in exchange for economic help for decades. Washington “sought the relationship to continue its ability to deny forces of other nations... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3238299/us-secures-marshall-islands-military-deal-keeps-china-bay-strategically-vital-pacific-region?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3238299/us-secures-marshall-islands-military-deal-keeps-china-bay-strategically-vital-pacific-region?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Oct 2023 18:30:17 +0000 Today the paintings of Tetsuya Ishida, who died in 2005, seem prescient, even prophetic. A socially conscious Japanese artist whose pictures bend and morph the physical world, Ishida’s work depicts the urban alienation, loneliness and corporate dehumanisation of post-bubble-economy Japan against a backdrop of technological advances such as mobile phones and robotic production lines. Ishida, who was 31 when he died after being hit by a train, was active only for around 10 years, but produced more... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/3237847/paintings-tetsuya-ishida-late-japanese-artist-who-was-prophet-urban-alienation-get-major-showcase?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/3237847/paintings-tetsuya-ishida-late-japanese-artist-who-was-prophet-urban-alienation-get-major-showcase?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Oct 2023 10:15:08 +0000 Three Filipino fishermen died after their fishing boat was hit by an oil tanker while crossing the South China Sea, the Philippine coastguard said on Wednesday. The incident occurred on Monday while the fishing boat was transiting waters 85 nautical miles (157km) northwest of the disputed Scarborough Shoal, the coastguard said in a statement. Eleven crew members survived after the boat sank. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr said on Wednesday that the sinking was still under... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3236706/south-china-sea-3-filipino-fishermen-die-after-ramming-foreign-vessel?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3236706/south-china-sea-3-filipino-fishermen-die-after-ramming-foreign-vessel?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Oct 2023 02:06:24 +0000 A deadline of strategic importance for Washington passed without a breakthrough on Saturday night. As lawmakers remained occupied with averting a federal government shutdown just hours before a midnight deadline, the Compact of Free Association (Cofa) pact that had steered ties between Washington and the Marshall Islands for decades expired on September 30. No public announcement has been made on the renewal. The US State Department did not respond to requests for comment on the status of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3236569/us-deal-marshall-islands-lapses-without-renewal-talks-continue?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3236569/us-deal-marshall-islands-lapses-without-renewal-talks-continue?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Oct 2023 20:50:44 +0000 As US President Joe Biden hosted leaders of the Pacific island states at the White House on Monday, CNN ran this little news item: “The US is formally establishing diplomatic relations with a pair of Pacific Island nations Monday, recognising the Cook Islands and Niue for the first time.” The 770-word story raises all sorts of questions: Did the two island states fight for independence? Since both have long been constituent parts of “the Realm of New Zealand”, did Wellington agree with their... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3236275/what-independence-really-means-two-tiny-pacific-island-states?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3236275/what-independence-really-means-two-tiny-pacific-island-states?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 Sep 2023 13:00:11 +0000