BANGKOK — Southeast Asia is bearing the mounting brunt of U.S. trade curbs aimed at stemming the forced labor of ethnic minority Uyghurs in China, with billions of dollars in blocked exports, the latest U.S. trade figures show.

Economists and human rights experts ascribe the heavy hit the region is taking to global supply chains shifting to reroute exports from China through Southeast Asia and to China’s persistent dominance in key commodities.

With both powerful forces at play, Southeast Asia is “caught in the middle,” Jayant Menon, a senior fellow at the ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore, told VOA.

The United States has detained $3.56 billion worth of imports in all since its Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, or UFLPA, took effect in mid-2022, according to recent figures from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Some 86% of those, more than $3 billion worth, arrived from Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. Only $395 million arrived directly from China.

The act forbids imports of any products made in whole or in part in China’s Xinjiang autonomous region, the Uyghurs’ historic homeland, presuming they have been made with forced labor. While many of the shipments are eventually allowed to enter the United States, the burden is on the importer to secure their release by proving the products are produced without forced labor, a process that can take months.

The United States and other governments have accused China of genocide over its treatment of the mostly Muslim Uyghurs for subjecting them to not only forced labor but mass surveillance and detention, religious persecution and forced sterilization — all denied by Beijing.

Xinjiang is a major source of some commodities crucial to the global supply chain, including 12% of the world’s aluminum, more than a third of the polysilicon for solar panels and 90% of the cotton produced by China, according to the Coalition to End Forced Labor in the Uyghur Region, a global network of rights groups.

Many of those supply chains now flow through Southeast Asia for reasons beyond just the UFLPA, said Nick Marro, principal Asia economist and global trade lead analyst for the Economist Intelligence Unit.

“For years, multinational companies — both Chinese and non-Chinese owned — have been pouring investment into Southeast Asia to construct supply chains aimed at dodging U.S. tariffs,” he told VOA.

While far from the only reason for the influx, he said, “shifting some production chains to Vietnam or Thailand, for example, can obfuscate whether a good might originally be produced in China.”

“This isn’t necessarily a fool-proof strategy,” Marro said. “U.S. trade authorities are very sensitive to illegal transshipments and other efforts aimed at circumventing U.S. duties. But for some supply chains, cracking down on these activities can be challenging — especially for products like cotton, which is notoriously difficult to trace.”

Evolving supply chains now require looking beyond exports arriving directly from China to catch what’s made there, said Menon, a former lead economist for trade with the Asian Development Bank.

“Increasingly there’s production and value addition in multiple countries,” he said. “Simply looking at goods that emanate from Xinjiang to the U.S. will not capture the intended objective.”

Of the slightly more than $3 billion worth of exports the United States has detained from Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam because of the UFLPA, the vast majority, $2.96 billion, have been electronics, including solar panels.

Louisa Greve, global advocacy director for the Washington-based Uyghur Human Rights Project, ascribes that to the surge of investment from Chinese solar panel makers into Southeast Asia starting more than a decade ago.

“We don’t know of any Uyghurs working in Southeast Asia in solar, but we do know where the polysilicon has to come from. That’s the issue,” she told VOA. “It’s about the components.”

Greve added that the Southeast Asian countries and companies involved in importing and incorporating that polysilicon into the solar panels they help make and export also risk being complicit in the state-sponsored forced labor that goes into producing it in China.

“Thirty-five percent of the world’s polysilicon, or solar-grade polysilicon, is coming from China. It’s up to every manufacturer, like the plants that are actually making solar panels in Southeast Asia … to say, ‘We have to be responsible for the raw materials that we’re using,’” she said.

Menon asserted the UFLPA could benefit low-wage countries less tainted by forced labor than China by driving more business their way, but he said that Southeast Asia will still struggle to wean itself off Chinese supplies.

“China is still the hub or the center of ASEAN [Association of Southeast Asian Nations] supply chains. That hasn’t changed. There’s been some reconfiguration taking place, but by and large, China’s not going away,” he said.

Menon said that “blunt” trade tools like the act can also hurt the countries in the middle of those supply chains by driving existing production and investment away, leaving local workers with less work or fewer jobs.

“This [act] is quite a big move, quite a massive measure, and so I’d be surprised if it doesn’t have some impact in moving production around,” he said. “If you ban imports in this way, inevitably there will be some shifts that move production in a way that tries to circumvent those bans.”

Marro said the same pressures that drove companies to “de-risk” by moving production from China to Southeast Asia years ago could yet prove a “double-edged sword.” While the shift has boosted Southeast Asia’s economies, the costs may mount as the United States and others start taking a harder look at countries helping China evade their trade curbs.

Even with only 11 months of the 2024 fiscal year reported, U.S. customs figures show the UFLPA blocked more imports from Southeast Asia over the past year than the year before.

Marro said enforcement efforts were at a “very real risk” of picking up but added that geopolitics could also intervene.

“As much as U.S. officials want to crack down on Chinese tariff circumvention, there’s an equal effort to avoid isolating Southeast Asia when it comes to the U.S.’s increasingly hawkish strategy towards China,” he said. “This balancing act will characterize the future of U.S. policy to the region.”
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KYIV, UKRAINE — The involvement of North Korean regular troops to support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine would be a serious escalation of the war, France and Ukraine’s foreign ministers said at a joint press conference in Kyiv on Saturday.

France’s Jean-Noel Barrot, who was making his first trip to Ukraine since becoming foreign minister in September, is also set to visit the east of the country, where France will finance new two new centers for the protection of children affected by the war, on Sunday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused North Korea on Thursday of deploying officers alongside Russia and of preparing to send 10,000 soldiers to help Moscow’s war effort, although NATO chief Mark Rutte said there was no evidence of Pyongyang’s presence at this stage.

“It would be serious and push the conflict into a new stage, an additional escalatory stage,” Barrot said in Kyiv, adding that such a move would signal that Moscow was struggling in the war.

His Ukrainian counterpart, Andrii Sybiha, said the risk of escalation from the move was “huge.”

“This is a huge threat of further escalation of Russian aggression against Ukraine. There is a big risk of it growing out of its current scale and borders,” he said.

Earlier this week, Zelenskyy presented his victory plan, which he said would enable Ukraine to end the war no later than next year. The first step of this plan was unconditional NATO membership for Ukraine.

France’s foreign minister said that Paris was open to the idea of an immediate invitation for Ukraine to join NATO, but that talks would continue on the subject with allies.

“Regarding the invitation for Ukraine to join NATO, we are open to it and it’s a discussion that we are having with our partners,” Barrot said.
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KATHMANDU, Nepal — A Nepali teenager, the youngest person ever to scale all 14 of the world’s tallest peaks, says he wants to use his skills to benefit the Himalayan nation’s Sherpa community and turn out world-class athletes.

Sherpas, an ethnic group living mainly in the vicinity of the world’s highest peak, Mount Everest, are known for climbing skills that make them the backbone of mountain expeditions.

They fix ropes, ladders, carry loads, cook and guide foreign climbers, earning from a single expedition amounts that range from $2,500 to $16,500 or more, depending on experience.

“I want to see Sherpas as global athletes, not just guides,” said Nima Rinji Sherpa, 18, who last week climbed Shishapangma, the world’s 14th-highest peak at 8,027 meters, in Tibet.

“We deserve the same privilege as Western climbers,” added the 12th grader, who began climbing at the age of 16, and scaled all 14 peaks exceeding 2,438 meters in the last two years.

He said he planned to exploit his climbing skills to build contacts with donor agencies, mobilizing funds and support for schools, hospitals and activities to benefit the mountain community.

“I want to be a medium between the community and donor agencies,” Nima said on Wednesday, the lower portion of his face still black from burns caused by the sun’s reflections off the snow during his climb.

The son of a veteran Everest climber who now runs his own company organizing expeditions, Nima bested the record of Mingma Gyalu Sherpa of Nepal, who was 30 when he achieved the feat in 2019.

His most demanding effort was the 8,034-meter climb of Pakistan’s Gasherbrum II last year directly after having scaled Gasherbrum I, the world’s 11th highest peak at 8,080 meters, in 25 hours without proper rest and food, he said.

Nima said muscle cramps were his biggest physical challenge as his “fragile” teenage body had not finished growing, adding, “I am not as strong as I should be.”

He was caught in a small avalanche on Nepal’s Annapurna I peak this year after a fall of about 5-10 meters on Pakistan’s Nanga Parbat last year, but luckily escaped serious injury both times.

“I never push myself beyond my bounds,” he said. “There is (the need for) good judgment. There is (the need for) safety.”

This winter, Nima aims for an alpine-style climb of Nepal’s Mount Manaslu, the world’s eighth highest peak at 8,163 meters.

An 8,000-meter mountain has never been climbed in winter in alpine style, he said, referring to the technique in which climbers tackle the summit in one go, without oxygen and relying chiefly on themselves, with minimum support.
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Termez, Uzbekistan — The Amu Darya, one of two main rivers that for millennia fed the now rapidly shrinking Aral Sea, no longer does.

Reporting by VOA along the length of the river in Uzbekistan has confirmed that every drop of water from the Amu Darya — formed by the convergence of the Vakhsh and Panj rivers in the mountains between Afghanistan and Tajikistan — is now diverted for human use.

“The Amu Darya is now fully utilized for agriculture and other economic needs,” said Rustam Saparbayev, deputy chairman of the parliament of Karakalpakstan, Uzbekistan’s northwestern part, where the river ends its journey to nowhere.

Saparbayev told VOA that all the river’s water is directed into five canals in southern Karakalpakstan, lamenting that there isn’t enough water for both the sea and the population.

“This is the hardest decision for us. Our priority is the immediate needs of our people. We rely on the Amu Darya to grow our crops and livestock. Water is extremely scarce in this environment, and we must prioritize food and water security,” he emphasized.

In a region already strapped for water, Karakalpakstan faces the most severe environmental challenges and the devastating impact of climate change. The Aral Sea, located largely within its territory, has dramatically shrunk over the past few decades.

Over 30,000 people live in Muynak, which was once a bustling Aral Sea port with a thriving fishing industry, but it now lies a dusty several-hour drive from the water. Since the 1970s, many residents have left because of the environmental disaster.

Nevertheless, VOA noted significant construction and business growth in the area, which the central government in Tashkent cites as evidence of increased investment in the region.

“The conditions here have improved,” said Murod Jumaboyev, Muynak’s deputy mayor. “We have been adapting to the climate challenges.

“We still face enormous difficulties with the sea essentially deserted, but we are trying to preserve what remains. With help from our government and the international community, we are revitalizing the area, hoping to turn it into sustainable groves, adopt alternative crops and create a new ecosystem — both environmental and economic,” Jumaboyev said.

There is a local “artemia season,” during which aquatic crustaceans living in the extremely salty waters of what remains of the Aral Sea are harvested for pharmaceutical use. Locals skilled at collecting them sell them to Chinese firms for several hundred dollars per pack.

Muynak residents told VOA that their situation has slightly improved but said they rely heavily on remittances from relatives working abroad.

“We are the people of the Aral Sea. The sea may have largely left us, but this is still our land. It may be harder here, but I know it’s not easy anywhere,” said Maksudbek, who works for a travel firm but declined to give his last name.

According to Muynak officials, more than 20,000 tourists visited last year, marking a significant increase over previous years.

What used to be the shores and shipyards of the Aral Sea are now more than 200 kilometers from the remaining water. It took VOA about four hours in a special jeep to reach the sea.

No population inhabits the area — it is too dry and salty even for most wildlife. A couple of campsites, powered by solar energy, have been built in recent years.

Workers there told VOA that the water receded by about 50 meters over the past year. Very few tourists make it to the sea; most only tour the former Muynak port, particularly the “graveyard of ships,” where rusting vessels sit on a desert landscape.

The Aral Sea appears passive and eerily calm at night. No fish are left, with only a few birds, visible mainly at sunrise and sunset. The gray mud is thought to have therapeutic properties, but the sea’s remoteness makes it difficult to access.

Kazakhstan has succeeded in reviving parts of the sea’s northern shores, but from the perspective of the Karakalpaks, who oversee most of it, the Aral Sea is rapidly vanishing.

“We can still save the Aral Sea, but it will require a global effort. No matter what we hear from the U.N. and other organizations, and despite current assistance, there won’t be significant change without concrete action,” said Saparbayev.

“There are international missions to save exotic animals and historic sites. The Aral Sea needs similar attention. In our view, the solution is bringing water — but from outside our region, as it can no longer come from the Amu Darya,” he said.

Further upstream, water from the Amu Darya is drawn off for use in the Bukhara, Khorezm and Surkhandarya regions, which have a combined population of 9 million. Farmers and officials there told VOA that water availability currently meets their basic needs.

But Afghanistan’s construction of a canal off the Amu Darya is cause for concern. Local leaders hope that the governments of Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan can persuade the Taliban to join a water-sharing agreement, something a regional working group is expected to draft.

“We trust that our government is doing everything possible,” said Umid Akhmedov, Surkhandarya’s lead specialist on water resources. “We haven’t felt the impact of the Afghan canal yet, but if and when it draws more water, we will have to adapt. We are already implementing new water-use and preservation methods.”

The Amu Zang canal is the first channel formed as the Amu Darya enters Uzbekistan. Speaking to VOA from this area, Akhmedov explained that Surkhandarya depends on this water.

“We don’t use it for drinking since it’s very muddy, but for everything else, it’s a critical resource.”

In Khorezm, with its desert climate, summers are cooler along the Amu Darya and traditional tea houses and restaurants — sometimes on boats — are popular, particularly around the regional capital, Urgench, and the historic city of Khiva.

VOA saw a similar scene in Karakalpakstan, specifically in Amu Darya District, where a new bridge over the river has eased transit and expanded business opportunities.

However, fishermen told VOA that fish are now scarce in the river, with most of what is sold as “Amu fish” coming from the farms drawing water from the river.

Scarcity, extreme depletion, and decline — these words dominate every conversation about water in Uzbekistan, reflecting a challenging reality and growing concern about the future. People blame Soviet-era irrigation and emphasize the need for regional cooperation to produce solutions.

“We are doing our part by using the water for our most critical needs. The Amu Darya still reaches us, but it no longer feeds the Aral Sea. We hope the world will help us save it,” said Saparbayev.

In addition to the Surkhandarya region, reporting for this story also took place in Khorezm and Karakalpakstan, Uzbekistan. This report originated from VOA’s Uzbek Service.
…

BEIJING/TAIPEI — China will not promise to renounce the use of force over Taiwan but this is aimed at external interference and a small minority of separatists, China’s Taiwan Affairs Office said on Wednesday following the country’s latest war games around the island.

China, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, staged a day of large-scale drills around the island on Monday it said were a warning to “separatist acts” following last week’s national day speech by Taiwan President Lai Ching-te.

“We are willing to strive for the prospect of peaceful reunification with the utmost sincerity and endeavor,” Chen Binhua, spokesperson for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, told a regular press briefing in Beijing.

“But we will never commit ourselves to renouncing the use of force,” he said.

That is, however, aimed at the interference of “external forces” – a reference to the United States and its allies – and the very small number of Taiwan separatists not the vast majority of Taiwan’s people, Chen said.

Taiwan’s government rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims, saying only the island’s people can decide their future.

Speaking to reporters in Taipei earlier on Wednesday, Taiwan National Security Bureau Director-General Tsai Ming-yen said China’s drills had backfired given the international condemnation they generated, especially from Washington.

“The Chinese communists’ military exercise has created a negative effect in that it made the international community more supportive of Taiwan,” he said.

Lai, in his Oct. 10 speech, said China has no right to represent Taiwan, but the island was willing to work with Beijing to combat challenges like climate change, striking both a firm and a conciliatory tone which Taiwan officials said was a show of goodwill towards Beijing.

Chen, the Chinese spokesperson, said Lai had stuck to his “stubborn separatist position.”

“There was no goodwill to speak of,” he added.

Lai has repeatedly offered talks with China but been rebuffed.

China’s military on Monday held open the possibility of more drills around Taiwan depending on the level of “provocation.”

Tsai said the government remained on alert for further military actions.

“We cannot rule out any possibilities,” he added.

China has over the past five years sent warships and warplanes in the waters and skies around Taiwan on an almost daily basis.

On Wednesday morning, in its daily update of Chinese activities in the previous 24 hours, Taiwan’s defense ministry said it had detected 22 Chinese military aircraft and five navy ships.
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SEOUL, South Korea — North Korean state media said on Wednesday around 1.4 million young people had applied to join or return to the army this week, accusing Seoul of a provocative drone incursion that had brought the “tense situation to the brink of war.”

The young people, including students and youth league officials who had signed petitions to join the army, were determined to fight in a “sacred war of destroying the enemy with the arms of the revolution,” the KCNA report said.

Photographs published by KCNA showed what it said were young people signing petitions at an undisclosed location.

North Korea’s claim of having more than one million young people volunteering to enlist in the country’s Korean People’s Army in just two days comes at a time when tensions on the Korean peninsula are running high.

North Korea has made similar claims in the past when there have been heightened tensions in the region.

Last year, state media reported on 800,000 of its citizens volunteering to join the North’s military to fight against the United States.

In 2017, nearly 3.5 million workers, party members and soldiers volunteered to join or rejoin its army, the reclusive state’s state media said at that time.

It is very difficult to verify the North’s claims.

According to data from the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), North Korea has 1.28 million active soldiers and about 600,000 reservists.

The IISS also said it had 5.7 million Worker/Peasant Red Guard reservists with many units unarmed.

In the latest sign of the growing tensions, North Korea blew up sections of inter-Korean roads and rail lines on its side of the heavily fortified border between the two Koreas on Tuesday, prompting South Korea’s military to fire warning shots.

Pyongyang had said last week it would cut off the inter-Korean roads and railways entirely and further fortify the areas on its side of the border as part of its push for a “two-state” system, scrapping its longstanding goal of unification.

The two Koreas are still technically at war after their 1950-53 war ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty.

North Korea has also accused Seoul of sending drones over its capital and the two Koreas have clashed over balloons of trash floated since May from North Korea. Pyongyang has said the launches are a response to balloons sent by anti-regime activists in the South.

South Korea’s government has declined to say whether its military or civilians had flown the alleged drones over Pyongyang.

“If a war breaks out, the ROK will be wiped off the map. As it wants a war, we are willing to put an end to its existence,” the KCNA report said, referring to the South’s official name the Republic of Korea.

South Korea’s defense ministry warned on Sunday “if North Korea inflicts harm on the safety of our people, that day will be the end of the North Korean regime,” Yonhap news agency reported.
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washington — South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s tour of Southeast Asian countries shows Seoul has stepped up the country’s role in supporting regional security, but there are limits to what it can do to help them push back against China’s growing aggression, analysts say.

Yoon made several pledges to support regional security during visits to the Philippines, Singapore and Laos, where he attended the closing ceremony of the ASEAN summit on Thursday.

He promised South Korea’s help in modernizing the Philippine military, agreed to South Korea’s active participation in multilateral drills with ASEAN countries, and upgraded ties with ASEAN to a comprehensive strategic partnership.

Yoon also affirmed the importance of maritime security and promoting freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea.

The pledges are seen by analysts as part of Yoon’s plan to make South Korea a pivotal global state by demonstrating a greater commitment to the defense of a rules-based world order.

Pivotal state

A South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesperson told VOA Korean on Tuesday that steps taken by Yoon during the trip reflect the country’s “willingness to strengthen cooperation with ASEAN countries across the board,” including “bolstering cooperation on the defense sector.”

The spokesperson added that South Korea will continue to help maintain maritime security based on the rules-based order in the South China Sea as it builds trust and enhances strategic communications with China.

China claims most of the South China Sea as its sovereign maritime territory, and its vessels have repeatedly engaged dangerous maneuvers against the vessels of countries — such as the Philippines — that dispute that claim.

South Korea “can play a niche role in contributing towards the defense capabilities of regional countries to protect their maritime domain against China’s intrusions,” said Rahman Yaacob, research fellow in the Southeast Asia program at the Lowy Institute.

“South Korean weapons systems are cheaper than those of the U.S. and are being used by some NATO countries,” Yaacob said. “Therefore, Seoul could be an important arms supplier to regional countries” as an alternative to U.S. weapons.”

In a joint press conference with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. after their meeting on October 7, Yoon said Seoul will support Manila’s military modernization plan.

The Philippines is seeking to procure advanced fighter jets, submarines and missiles in its third phase of a five-year modernization plan that began in 2023.

South Korea has sold FA-50 fighter jets, anti-ship cruise missiles, frigates and corvettes to the Philippines in the past decade.

South Korea is also expected to deliver FA-50 fighter jets to Malaysia in 2026 after a deal was signed last year.

Facing hurdles

While these efforts are noteworthy, analysts say they are not enough to push back against China’s growing military might.

South Korea “is unlikely to play an operationally or strategically meaningful role on the South China Sea beyond the occasional coordinated joint maritime cooperative activities,” said Evan Laksmana, a senior fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

South Korea has participated in multilateral military drills with Southeast Asian countries, such as the annual U.S.-led Cobra Gold held in Thailand in March and the Southeast Asia Cooperation and Training exercises held in Singapore and other participating countries in August.

In delivering the 47th Singapore Lecture on October 9, Yoon said South Korea will actively participate in multilateral drills with ASEAN countries as it expands engagement with China to seek common interests based on a rules-based international order.

“Yoon has been more willing to increase South Korea’s support for regional security” than his predecessor Moon Jae-in, “but he has also recognized the need for restraint in calling out China directly,” said Terence Roehrig, professor of national security affairs and a Korea expert at the U.S. Naval War College.

“South Korea can help along the margins,” but “offsetting China’s strength is near impossible” in the region, Roehrig said.

VOA contacted the Chinese Embassy in Washington for its comments on South Korea’s efforts to increase security cooperation with ASEAN countries and was referred to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, which has not yet replied.

China and Russia on Friday blocked a joint declaration issued at the East Asian Summit in Laos, according to Reuters, citing an unnamed U.S. official. The participating countries comprised the 10 ASEAN countries and eight partners, including China, Japan, South Korea, Russia and the United States.

Beijing and Moscow objected to a clause that says the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea “sets out the legal framework” for carrying out all maritime activities.

A U.N. tribunal ruled in 2016 that China was in violation by operating within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, a maritime area that extends 200 nautical miles beyond a nation’s territorial sea.
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LONDON — British Foreign Secretary David Lammy is expected to visit Beijing and Shanghai, the highest-level trip to China since the Labour government came to power.

Analysts say they will be watching the trip for signs of a possible reset in U.K.-China relations, which have been fraught in recent years. 

Reuters reported last week that Lammy is expected to meet with Chinese officials in Beijing and representatives of British companies in Shanghai. According to sources familiar with the matter, the trip will last two days.

The U.K. Foreign and Commonwealth Office spokesperson told VOA that the secretary’s travel plans have not been publicly announced.

At the same time, sources told Sky News that U.K. Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves is considering a visit to China to resume an economic and financial dialogue that was interrupted in 2019.

During this year’s parliamentary election campaign, the Labour Party promised to conduct a comprehensive audit of U.K.-China relations to develop a “long-term strategic approach” to the relationship.

In August, during a phone call with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that despite the differences, there was a need to have frank exchanges while promoting closer economic ties and global cooperation.

Over the past decade, ties between the U.K. and China have been on a roller coaster. In 2015, then-Prime Minister David Cameron declared a “golden age” in U.K.-China relations. However, by 2020, Boris Johnson’s government was clashing with Beijing over issues such as the Hong Kong National Security Law and the coronavirus pandemic as well as the exclusion of Huawei from Britain’s 5G network construction.

James Jennion, an associate fellow of the British Foreign Policy Group and co-founder of the Labour Campaign for Human Rights, told VOA that he thinks the visit will focus mainly on cooperative aspects of the relationship.

“It’s been made clear this visit is intended as a ‘reset’ of our relations with Beijing, so trade and investment will be front and center,” Jennion said.

He also said cooperation cannot come at the cost of U.K. values and human rights responsibilities.

“Human rights issues, if discussed, will likely cover ‘third-party’ issues like the Middle East and Ukraine, where possible joint solutions will be discussed. Given the nature and purpose of the trip,” he added. 

“I would be very surprised if controversial [to China] issues like Hong Kong, Xinjiang, and Taiwan are mentioned, as these have been the major friction points in previous years.” 

Observers say the business community generally wants to improve economic and trade relations with China, especially in the post-Brexit era, and note that Britain needs to open new markets. Human rights groups, however, have called for the U.K. not to compromise on human rights and national security.

Megan Khoo, a policy adviser for Hong Kong Watch, a human rights NGO based in London, told VOA the group “hopes that the Foreign Secretary uses his bilateral meetings to draw attention to the declining human rights situation in Hong Kong. This is especially important following the passage of the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance and the recent sentencing of two former Stand News editors under colonial-era sedition laws.”

Khoo said Lammy should make it clear that Britain remains committed to the observance of human rights in Hong Kong, given its historical commitments to the city.

“The Foreign Secretary should also signal that the U.K. takes seriously its duty to protect the more than 150,000 Hong Kongers who are now living in the U.K. and wish to remain free from political repression,” she said.

Luke De Pulford, executive director for the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, said Beijing will test Lammy’s resolve. 

“Let’s see if he measures up and sticks with his clear commitments he made to persecuted Uyghurs while in opposition,” De Pulford said, adding that he is not encouraged by the early signs.

“Lammy has an opportunity to show strength in defense of U.K. values, which are core to the national interest,” he said.

China’s recent military exercises around Taiwan could also be a topic of discussion. As an ally of the U.S., the U.K. has been concerned about the security situation in the Indo-Pacific region.

Adrianna Zhang contributed to this report.
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In Bangladesh, an independent commission formed after the August ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is investigating enforced disappearances during the last 15 years of Hasina’s 20-year rule. The five-member commission gives hope to many, but the panel’s pace is frustrating others. Sarah Zaman reports from the capital, Dhaka. Camera: Rubel Hassan. Video editor: Malik Waqar Ahmed.
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Washington — The National Zoo’s long dark panda drought has come to an end.

Eleven months after the zoo sent its three wildly popular pandas — Mei Xiang, Tian Tian and their cub Xiao Qi Ji — back to China, a new pair of bears arrived late Tuesday morning.

The three-year old giant pandas, named Bao Li and Qing Bao, were flown from China to Dulles International Airport in suburban Virginia, with a refueling stop in Alaska. They were loaded into special FedEx trucks and arrived at the zoo just before noon.

“Our team has worked tirelessly to prepare for the pandas’ arrival, and we’re thrilled to welcome Bao Li and Qing Bao to Washington, D.C., the only place you can see giant pandas for free in the nation,” said Brandie Smith, the national zoo director who travelled to China to take part in farewell ceremonies for the bears there. “As a result of our collective efforts, today we joyfully celebrate a new chapter of our 52-year-long giant panda breeding and conservation program.”

The zoo was closed Tuesday to facilitate the arrivals. The bears will be quarantined from the public for at least 30 days. A statement from the zoo set the date for the bears’ official public debut and the reopening of the renovated panda house as Jan. 24, 2025.

Bao Li (precious vigor) and Qing Bao (green treasure) arrive in Washington as part of a new 10-year agreement with Chinese authorities. The previous deal expired last year, leading to some concern among American panda-lovers that Beijing was gradually pulling its furry friendship ambassadors from American zoos amid rising diplomatic tensions.

Breeding pairs in zoos in Memphis and San Diego had already returned to China earlier and the four pandas in the Atlanta zoo left for China last week.

That anxiety turned to optimism last November when Chinese President Xi Jinping publicly stated a desire to continue the panda exchange programs. This year, a new pair of bears has been delivered to the San Diego Zoo, while another pair has been promised to San Francisco.

In Washington, National Zoo officials remained conspicuously silent about negotiations for a new panda agreement, but they expressed optimism about striking a new deal and launched a multimillion-dollar renovation of its panda enclosure in anticipation. Then in late May, Smith teamed up with first lady Jill Biden to announce that Bao Li and Qing Bao would be arriving by the end of this year.

Pandas have become one of the unofficial symbols of the nation’s capital, dating back to 1972 when the first pair — Ling Ling and Hsing Hsing — were sent as a gift from Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai following President Richard Nixon’s historic diplomatic visit to China. Later, a rolling series of 10-year cooperation agreements was struck.

“The giant pandas are an iconic part of the Washington, D.C., story, both for locals and incoming travelers alike,” said Elliott L. Ferguson, II, president and CEO of Destination DC. “The interest and excitement associated with their return directly benefits the entire city, bringing further interest and visitors to our hotels, restaurants and other attractions.”

The exact terms of the deal are still unclear; under previous 10-year agreements the Chinese government receives $1 million per year, per bear. Any cubs born in overseas zoos are typically returned to China before they reach age four.

Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington, credited the decades of cooperation with advancing research into panda preservation and breeding. During the lifespan of these agreements, giant pandas have been reclassified from an endangered species to merely vulnerable.

“The current round of cooperation will focus on prevention and treatment of major diseases, and protection of habitats and wild giant panda populations,” Liu said in an email. “We hope the arrival of the pandas will inject fresh impetus into exchanges between China and the U.S., and help to stabilize the broader bilateral relationship as well.”
…

KARACHI, PAKISTAN — Pakistan has agreed to increase security for Chinese citizens and projects in the South Asian nation, a joint statement said on Tuesday, as Beijing called for urgent security measures following an escalation in militant threats in the country.

China has pumped billions of dollars into Pakistan over the years building infrastructure under the Belt and Road Initiative, while also running a strategic port and a major mine in the country.

But its citizens and projects have been attacked continuously by separatist militants fighting against what they call exploitation of the mineral-rich southwestern Balochistan province.

“The Chinese side underscored the need and urgency to take targeted security measures in Pakistan, to jointly create a safe environment for cooperation,” said a joint statement on the visit of Chinese Premier Li Qiang.

Li arrived in Islamabad on Monday for a four-day visit — the first visit by a Chinese premier to Pakistan in 11 years — days after a suicide bombing in Karachi killed two Chinese engineers. It was the second attack on Chinese engineers in the country this year.

The visit coincides with a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a Eurasian security and political group.

The Pakistani side emphasized its firm commitment to enhancing security input and coordination as well as strengthening security measures, the statement, released by Pakistan’s foreign office, said.

Pakistan will make “comprehensive efforts to ensure the safety and security of Chinese personnel, projects and institutions,” the 30-point statement said.

Islamabad is under tight security for the duration of the Chinese premier’s visit, which concludes on Thursday.

The joint statement also touched on regional, economic and diplomatic cooperation between the two countries.

Both parties reaffirmed their commitment to an upgraded version of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor, a $65 billion investment in the South Asian country under Chinese President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative.
…

Islamabad — Leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization of Eurasian countries gathered in Pakistan Tuesday for an annual, two-day meeting to discuss ways to enhance regional security, stability, and development cooperation.

Authorities have placed Islamabad under a security lockdown for the SCO gathering, deploying thousands of forces, including troops, in and around the Pakistani capital to protect the high-profile event due to a recent surge in deadly militant attacks.

China and Russia established the SCO in 2001 as a way to counterbalance Western alliances in the areas of security, politics, and economics. Other members of the 10-state alliance are Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, India and Iran.

Officials said that Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin are among several heads of government who will attend the meeting, which will be presided over by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the organization’s current chair.

Indian Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and the first vice president of Iran will represent their respective countries at the meeting. Jaishankar is the first Indian foreign minister to visit Islamabad in nearly a decade.

Pakistan and India have both ruled out the possibility of bilateral talks during Jaishankar’s visit, emphasizing that the SCO is a “multilateral” gathering, and neither side has requested such a meeting.

Officials stated that Sharif would host a welcome dinner for SCO delegates on Tuesday. The summit proceedings will commence on Wednesday morning.

On Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said that Premier Li “will have an in-depth exchange of view” with leaders of the participating countries on advancing the SCO’s “practical cooperation,” among other issues. 

“China believes that this meeting will produce positive outcomes and give a stronger boost to the security, stability, and development of regional countries,” Mao told reporters in Beijing. 

Analysts remain skeptical whether the SCO meetings have produced outcomes that would address concerns of member states, noting that Western alliances like NATO or the European Union offer members privileges such as mutual defense and economic integration.

Security concerns surrounding Tuesday’s SCO meeting in Pakistan stem from a recent surge in militant attacks in the country. However, the deadly violence has primarily affected southwestern Balochistan and northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces bordering Afghanistan.

The Pakistani government has declared a three-day public holiday in Islamabad and the adjoining garrison city of Rawalpindi as part of security measures. 

Last week, two Chinese engineers were killed and another was injured when their convoy was hit by a suicide car bombing in Karachi, the capital of southern Sindh province. A separatist group from Balochistan claimed responsibility for the deadly attack. 

The slain foreigners were staff at a Chinese-funded coal-fired power plant under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, or CPEC, a multi-billion-dollar infrastructure development bilateral collaboration stemming from Beijing’s global Belt and Road Initiative. 

Despite the deadly attack, Premier Li arrived in Islamabad Monday and held wide-ranging bilateral talks with Sharif before participating in the SCO meeting. 

The leaders also virtually inaugurated a CPEC-funded airport in Balochistan’s coastal city of Gwadar, which also houses a Chinese-run deep-water port on the Arabian Sea. Security concerns reportedly prompted the virtual inauguration of what officials described as Pakistan’s second-largest airport, which China gifted.
…

Russia and China held “substantive” defense and military talks to bolster ties, Russia’s defense minister said on Tuesday, as Moscow and Beijing cement a “no limits” partnership and step up criticism of U.S. efforts to extend its influence in Asia. 

“The military departments of Russia and China are united in their assessments of global processes, and they have a common understanding of what needs to be done in the current situation,” a post on the Russian defense ministry’s Telegram messaging app cited Defense Minister Andrei Belousov as saying.  

Belousov said he met with China’s central military commission vice chairman, Zhang Youxia for “very substantive” talks.  

China’s Defense Ministry said after the meeting that both sides hope to deepen and expand military relations and maintain high-level exchanges. 

Belousov’s visit to Beijing took place as China’s military vowed to take further action against Taiwan if needed after staging a day of war games it said were a warning to “separatist acts” and which drew condemnation from the Taiwanese and U.S. governments. 

China and Russia declared a “no limits” partnership in February 2022 when President Vladimir Putin visited Beijing less than three weeks before his forces launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, triggering the deadliest land war in Europe since World War II. 

In May this year, Putin and China’s Xi Jinping pledged a “new era” of partnership between the two most powerful rivals of the United States, which they cast as an aggressive Cold War hegemon sowing chaos across the world. 

Putin and Xi also agreed to deepen their “strategic partnership,” Belousov said, without providing detail, adding he is confident that “fruitful work and the adoption of significant, weighty decisions are ahead.” 

Russia said last week it was standing alongside China on Asian issues, including the criticism of the U.S. drive to extend its influence and “deliberate attempts” to inflame the situation around Taiwan.  

The U.S. says China is supporting Russia’s war effort in Ukraine by supplying so-called dual use goods, including microelectronics, that can help it build weapons. China says it has not provided weaponry to any party, and that normal trade with Russia should not be interrupted or restricted. 

(Reuters reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; Additional reporting by Farah Master and the Beijing newsroom; Editing by Tom Hogue and Lincoln Feast.) 
…

SYDNEY — An international conference in Australia of First Nations people is calling on scientists to engage with Indigenous experts to find solutions to climate change.

Indigenous Australians consider the land to be the mother of creation. To them, it is a living, breathing mass that contains secrets and wisdom.

Tribal leaders have gathered in Dubbo, 390 kilometers northwest of Sydney, to urge governments and scientists to do more to harness the knowledge of First Nations peoples to combat climate change.

In an official video, Glen Wingfield of the Kokatha Aboriginal Corporation in South Australia said the conference is part of a growing movement.

“We get on top of this (and) try to slow this global warming and all that stuff and get the message out to young people,” Wingfield said. “We need more and more voices.  If there is one or two people, you go and knock at the door, they tell you to go away. If you are going to come with a big mob, now they are going to start listening.”

Indigenous communities around the world have relied on a deep understanding of their environments to survive.

Kyle Whyte, professor of Environmental Justice at the University of Michigan, is attending the summit as a science envoy for the U.S. State Department.

He has said previously that First Nations people around the world have already been through an environmental “apocalypse” because of the theft of customary lands.

He told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. Tuesday that the impact of dispossession continues to this day.

“Going back several centuries it was Indigenous peoples’ lands that were first sacrificed to make way for mining and other industries that we now know are responsible for human-caused climate change,” he said.

The Canadian government has set up a partnership with Indigenous people to help tackle climate change. In 2023, the Ottawa government said, “First Nations, Inuit, and Métis in Canada are at the forefront of efforts to…adapt to the impacts of our changing climate.”  

In New Zealand, authorities have acknowledged that for many Indigenous Maori, climate change “is not an isolated risk” but is “intrinsically linked to other issues, such as social development needs, housing, environmental degradation…and poverty.”

Indigenous elders have said that the First Nations people of Australia, who make up about 3% of the national population, contribute the least to climate change, “yet the impacts of climate change are affecting us most severely.” 

The climate summit in Dubbo runs Oct 14-18 and is jointly run by the local Tubba-Gah Wiradjuri Aboriginal Corporation. 
…

HONG KONG — Hong Kong is expected to announce measures to boost the city’s economy in its annual policy address on Wednesday, including slashing liquor tariffs, as it seeks to revive the financial hub that has been struggling to recover since the pandemic.

Hong Kong’s small and open economy has felt the ripple effects of a slowdown in the Chinese economy. The city’s economy expanded by 3.3% in the second quarter from a year earlier, and is forecast to grow 2.5-3.5% for the year.

Although tourism numbers have rebounded since COVID, with 46 million visitors expected this year, consumption and retail spending remain sluggish, while stock listings have dried up and capital flight remains a challenge.

In February, Hong Kong’s financial secretary announced new measures spanning property, tourism and financial services, noting headwinds including a complex geopolitical environment and ballooning budget deficits.

But in a meeting last month between China’s top official on Hong Kong affairs, Xia Baolong and Hong Kong leader John Lee, Xia emphasized a need for further “reforms” to spur economic growth, in line with China’s national strategy.

He called on the Hong Kong government to “unite and lead all sectors of society” to promote reforms, while urging businessmen to help in this drive.

One commentator in the state-run China Daily said Xia’s speech suggested a need for “economic and social reforms.”

Lee has said the focus this year would be on economic development and people’s livelihoods. His government pushed through new national security laws in March which Lee said had improved stability.

Some countries including the U.S. have criticized Lee for leading a years-long security crackdown that has jailed opposition democrats, shutdown liberal media outlets and curbed freedoms.

Local media also reported possible plans to phase out some of Hong Kong’s more squalid sub-divided flats, tiny cubicles that have been criticized as below acceptable living standards. Lee is also expected to push more tourism-related initiatives.

On real estate, a key pillar of the economy, Lee is under pressure to do more to revive a market that has fallen around a fifth from its 2021 peak.

Some market players, including Midland Realty’s Hong Kong residential CEO Sammy Po, have called for further cutting of red tape to help Chinese buyers, including younger ones on talent schemes, to transfer capital and secure mortgages.

Liquor taxes could also be slashed from the current 100% – one of the highest rates globally – to try to turn the city into a spirits trading hub in the way that it became an Asian wine trading hub after wine duties were abolished in 2008.

The move may benefit local bars and restaurants that have struggled since COVID, with many local residents now opting to travel across the northern border to the Chinese city of Shenzhen to dine more cheaply.

Retail sales were down 7.7% for the first eight months of 2024 compared with the same period a year before.
…

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Tuesday reiterated that state energy firm Petronas will continue to conduct oil and gas exploration activities in Malaysia’s exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea, despite objections from China.

This includes exploration activities in Petronas’ Kasawari gas development off Sarawak state on Borneo, he told parliament.

“We will continue, but we will not close the door on discussions with any country,” Anwar said.

He said Malaysia had territorial disputes with many of its neighbors, including Thailand, the Philippines, and Indonesia, and said undue focus was placed on its differences with China.

“We have issues but these issues do not affect diplomatic relations. These issues do not affect trade relations and close friendships with our neighbors,” he said.

Anwar said last month Malaysia’s exploration activities were within its territory and were not intended to be provocative or hostile towards China, following the media leak of a diplomatic note from Beijing.

In the note, carried by a Philippine news outlet, Beijing asserted that Malaysia’s oil and gas exploration in the South China Sea breached its territory.

China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea and has deployed a fleet of coast guards deep into Southeast Asia, including the EEZs of Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines and Vietnam, complicating those country’s exploration efforts.

China rejects a 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague that Beijing’s expansive claims had no basis under international law.

Petronas’s oil and gas projects in the South China Sea have had several encounters with Chinese vessels in recent years.

The Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, a U.S. think tank, said in a report this month that Chinese coast guard vessels have made frequent visits to Malaysian exploratory wells off Sarawak this year, passing as close as 1,000 meters from gas production platforms at Timi, Kasawari, and Jerun.

Petronas’ Kasawari field holds an estimated 10 trillion cubic feet of gas reserves and commenced first production in August this year.
…

ISLAMABAD — Pakistan is hosting a major security meeting this week, with senior leaders from longtime ally China and archrival India among those attending.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization was established in 2001 by China and Russia to discuss security concerns in Central Asia and the wider region.

But it’s Pakistan’s own security that is under the microscope.

An attack on a foreign ambassadors’ convoy, violent protests by supporters of an imprisoned former prime minister and a bombing outside Pakistan’s biggest airport are signs the country is struggling to contain multiplying threats from insurgents.

The meeting, which begins Tuesday in Islamabad, comes at a crucial time for the government. 

Here’s why:

Armed groups are outpacing the army

Pakistan says it has foiled attacks through intelligence-based operations and preventative measures. It frequently vows “to root out terrorism.”

But the frequency and scale of the recent violence give the impression that the government isn’t in control and raises questions about its ability to protect key sites and foreigners, let alone Pakistanis.

In the last few weeks, separatists from Pakistan’s southwest Balochistan province have killed Chinese nationals in Karachi, Pakistan’s biggest city, as well as more than 20 miners in an attack on housing at a coal mine and seven workers in another attack. The outlawed Baloch Liberation Army, or BLA, is better at mobilizing fighters in different areas, and its operational capabilities have increased.

The group wants independence for the province. It’s not interested in overthrowing the state to establish a caliphate, which is what the Pakistani Taliban want. But the two groups have a common enemy — the government.

Analysts have said the BLA is getting support from the Pakistani Taliban. But, even without an alliance, attacks in the southwest are becoming more audacious and brutal, indicating that the BLA’s tactics are evolving and taking the security apparatus by surprise.

The Pakistani Taliban continue their shootings and bombings in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders Afghanistan.

It could be difficult for militants to hit the meeting, given the security around it and the areas where delegates will stay. But they could still wreak havoc.

Vehicles are often just waved through street checkpoints in Islamabad. Aside from government buildings and top hotels, body searches and under-vehicle scanners are rare.

“At stake for the entire state is the only mission: how to hold such an event peacefully,” said Imtiaz Gul, executive director of the Center for Research and Security Studies. “How to get it done without any unpleasant incidents taking place. It’s going to be a formidable challenge for the government to disprove the notion of failures within the security apparatus.”

Pakistan is paying the price for shutdowns

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said last week that the national economy suffered cumulative daily losses of more than $684 million on account of recent agitation.

He was referring to supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan reaching the heart of the capital, despite a suspension of cellphone service and placement of shipping containers at access points to the city. The shutdown hit most business sectors, the gig economy, point-of-sale transactions, commuters, students, workers and more.

Pakistan can’t afford to incur such losses or deepen people’s grievances. It relies on International Monetary Fund bailouts and multibillion-dollar deals and loans from friendly countries to meet its economic needs. There are regular protests over energy bills and the cost of living.

Despite people’s hardships, authorities have declared a three-day holiday surrounding the meeting.

There have been reports of the government ordering the closure of wedding halls, restaurants, hotels, cafes and markets in Islamabad and the neighboring garrison city Rawalpindi for security reasons.

Officials denied the reports, but not very strenuously.

“Generally, high-profile conferences are meant to promote connectivity, trade and improve a country’s image,” said Gul. But not in this case because Islamabad won’t look like a normal city, he said.

“It seems they lack innovative thinking,” Gul said. “They are unable to use smart approaches, and that’s why the easier way is to shut everything down.”

A seat at the table and saving face

The last time Pakistan hosted a major conference was in March 2022, a month before Khan was kicked out of office and a new cycle of upheaval started.

The country’s security situation and political instability are two factors that have prevented it from holding big international events.

Even its best-loved sport, cricket, has suffered. There was a 10-year absence of test matches after terrorists ambushed a Sri Lanka team bus in 2009, killing eight people and injuring players and officials.

The meeting is Pakistan’s chance to shine, especially in front of its neighbor China, to whom it is in hock by several billion dollars and whose nationals are prime targets for armed groups, as well as India, which is sending its foreign minister to the country for the first time since 2015.

India and Pakistan have fought three wars and built up their armies but also developed nuclear weapons. China and India fought a war over their border in 1962.

Pakistan, unused to hosting such a high-level meeting, will have to put its best face forward.

Senior defense analyst Abdullah Khan said the government wants to show its international legitimacy amid the domestic crises.

“The presence of heads of state and other senior officials will itself be a success as Pakistan will come out of its so-called isolation,” said Khan. “A peacefully held SCO will further improve the country’s image.”
…

SEOUL, SOuth Korea — North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un convened a top national security meeting Monday, state media reported, directing a plan of “immediate military action” at a time of spiking tensions with the South.  

The meeting in Pyongyang was attended by the country’s top security officials, including the army chief and other military officials, as well as the ministers of state security and defense. 

“He set forth the direction of immediate military action and indicated important tasks to be fulfilled in the operation of the war deterrent and the exercise of the right to self-defense,” the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.

The meeting comes as the nuclear-armed North has accused Seoul of flying drones over its capital and moved troops to its border, with South Korea saying Monday it was “fully ready” to respond if fired upon.

Officials at the meeting in Pyongyang heard a report on the “enemy’s serious provocation,” KCNA reported, an apparent reference to the drone flights.

Kim “expressed a tough political and military stand” at the meeting, state media said.

The North has accused Seoul of being responsible for the drones, which dropped propaganda leaflets filled with “inflammatory rumors and rubbish,” and warned on Sunday that it would consider it “a declaration of war” if another drone was detected.

Seoul’s military initially denied it was behind the flights, with local speculation centered on activist groups in the South that have long sent propaganda and U.S. currency northward, typically by balloon.

The United Nations Command, which oversees the armistice that ended active fighting in the 1950 to 1953 Korean War, said it was aware of the North Korean claim.

“The command is currently investigating the matter in strict accordance with the Armistice Agreement,” it said.

The two Koreas remain technically at war.
…

Paris — The Auto manufacturers competing to persuade drivers to go electric are rolling out cheaper, more tech-rich models at the Paris Motor Show, targeting everyone from luxury clients to students yet to receive their driving licenses. 

The biennial show has long been a major industry showcase, tracing its history to 1898. 

Chinese manufacturers are attending in force, despite European Union threats to punitively tax imports of their electric vehicles in a brewing trade war with Beijing. Long-established European manufacturers are fighting back with new efforts to win consumers who have balked at high-priced EVs. 

Here’s a look at the show’s opening day on Monday. 

More new models from China 

Chinese EV startups Leapmotor and XPeng showcased models they said incorporate artificial intelligence technology. 

Leapmotor, founded in 2015, unveiled a compact electric-powered SUV, the B10. It will be manufactured in Poland for European buyers, said Leapmotor’s head of product planning, Zhong Tianyue. Leapmotor didn’t announce a price for the B10 that will launch next year. 

Leapmotor also said a smaller electric commuter car it showcased in Paris, the T03, will retail from a competitive 18,900 euros ($20,620). Those sold in France will be imported from China but assembled in Poland, Zhong said. 

Leapmotor also announced a starting price of 36,400 euros ($39,700) in Europe for its larger family car, the C10. 

Sales outside of China are through a joint venture with Stellantis, the world’s fourth largest carmaker. Leapmotor said European sales started in September. 

Xpeng braces for tariff hit 

Attending the Paris show for the first time, the decade-old Chinese EV manufacturer XPeng unveiled a sleek sedan, the P7+. 

CEO He Xiaopeng said XPeng aims to deliver in Europe from next year. Intended European prices for the P7+ weren’t given, but the CEO said they will start in China at 209,800 yuan, the equivalent of 27,100 euros, or $29,600. 

XPeng’s president, Brian Gu, said the EU’s threatened import duties could complicate the company’s expansion plans if Brussels and Beijing don’t find an amicable solution to their trade dispute before an end-of-October deadline. 

Brussels says subsidies help Chinese companies to unfairly undercut EU industry prices, with Chinese-built electric cars jumping from 3.9% of the EV market in 2020 to 25% by September 2023. 

“The tariff will put a lot of pressure on our business model. It’s a direct hit on our margin, which is already not very high,” Gu said. 

Vehicles for young teens 

Manufacturers of small electric vehicles that can be driven in Europe without a license are finding a growing market among teens as young as 14 and their parents who, for safety reasons, prefer that they zip around on four wheels than on motorbikes. 

Several manufacturers of the two-seaters are showcasing in Paris, including France’s Citroen. The starting price for its Ami, or “Friend,” is just under 8,000 euros ($8,720). Launched in France in 2020, the plastic-shelled vehicle is now also sold in other European markets and in Turkey, Morocco and South America. 

“It’s not a car. It’s a mobility object,” said Citroen’s product chief for the Ami, Alain Le Gouguec. 

European legislation allows teenagers without a full license to drive the Ami and similar buggies from age 14 after an eight-hour training course. They’re limited to a top speed of 45 kilometers per hour (28 mph). 

The vehicles are also finding markets among adults who lost their license for driving infractions or who never got a full license, and outside cities in areas with poor transport. 

Renault subsidiary Mobilize said that even in winter’s energy-sapping cold its two-seater, no-license, plastic-shelled Duo can go 100 kilometers (over 60 miles) between charges. A phone app acts as its door and ignition key. 

Another French manufacturer, Ligier, sells its no-license two-seaters in both diesel and electric versions.
…

BEIJING — Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called on all parties involved in tensions between Israel and Iran on Monday to exercise caution and avoid escalating the situation. 

In a phone conversation with Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz, Wang also urged Israel to ensure the safety of personnel of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), a foreign ministry statement said. 

He also reiterated Beijing’s position on the Gaza conflict, calling for an immediate, complete and permanent cease-fire. 

Katz said that during the call he had “clarified that Iran is the primary source for undermining stability in the Middle East” and said that Iran poses a direct threat through its proxies, including Hamas and Hezbollah. 

Katz said he had expected that China would express “a balanced and fair position in relation to the war,” citing the economic cooperation ties between the two countries “and the fact that approximately 20,000 workers from China continue to work in Israel during the … war.”
…

Prague — Former Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen is among the world leaders calling for the release of pro-democracy publisher Jimmy Lai from jail in Hong Kong, where he is standing trial on national security charges that are widely viewed as politically motivated. 

“They should release him,” Tsai told VOA about Jimmy Lai. She made the statement shortly after she delivered a speech at the Forum 2000 democracy conference in the Czech capital Prague on Monday. It was Tsai’s first international trip since leaving office in May. 

Tsai’s call for Lai’s release comes just weeks before Lai’s trial is set to resume on November 20, when he is expected to take the stand for the first time. 

Lai, the founder of Hong Kong’s now-shuttered Apple Daily newspaper, has been held in solitary confinement since late 2020. The 76-year-old British national is standing trial on charges of collusion with foreign forces and sedition. The charges, which Lai rejects, are widely viewed as politically motivated.

The British government recently asked to defer Tsai’s visit to the United Kingdom due to concerns that her visit would anger Beijing, according to media reports. British Foreign Minister David Lammy is expected to visit China next week in his first trip to the country as foreign secretary.

A Foreign Office spokesperson told The Guardian: “Ministerial travel will be confirmed in the usual way. We do not comment on speculation.”  

Jimmy Lai’s son Sebastien told VOA he hopes Lammy will raise his father’s case with the Chinese government during his upcoming visit. 

“I’ll expect him to raise the case,” Sebastien said. “At the end of the day, this is about saving my father’s life, and the foreign secretary is in a unique position to do that.” 

Although the United Kingdom has called for Jimmy’s release, the British government has faced criticism from rights groups and activists who say it isn’t doing enough to advocate on behalf of Jimmy, who is a British national. 

“They’ve only been in power for four months,” Sebastien said, referring to Britain’s new Labour government. “Dad’s been in jail for four years. So it’s not an excuse.”

Sebastien spoke to VOA at Forum 2000, which he attended to advocate for his father’s release. “Getting as much global attention on my father to put pressure on the government of Hong Kong so that they can’t keep essentially persecuting my father,” Sebastien said. 

Lai’s plight has come to symbolize the rapid deterioration of press freedom and other civil liberties in Hong Kong since China’s harsh national security law came into effect in 2020. 

Lai’s trial, which began in December 2023, was originally estimated to last around 80 days. 

Jonathan Price, a member of Jimmy’s international legal team, said he was concerned the trial could be delayed again. “It doesn’t seem, to us, likely to finish anytime soon,” Price told VOA at Forum 2000. 

Price added that Lai’s trial highlights the lack of rule of law in Hong Kong.

“The proof about the rule of law in Hong Kong is in the pudding. If you’re shocked that there are 1,500 political prisoners in Russia, a country of 150 million people, you’d be staggered to learn that there are more political prisoners in Hong Kong,” Price said. 

The Washington-based Hong Kong Democracy Council estimates that there are more than 1,800 political prisoners in Hong Kong, which has a population of about 7.4 million.

“That itself is symptomatic of the total destruction of the rule of law,” Price said.

Hong Kong’s Security Bureau acknowledged receipt of VOA’s email requesting comment for this story but did not provide a comment by time of publication.

But in an October email to VOA, a Hong Kong government spokesperson denied that civil liberties and the rule of law have declined there. The spokesperson added that “rights and freedoms are not absolute” anywhere in the world.

“In particular, journalists, like everyone else, have an obligation to abide by all the laws. Their freedom of commenting on and criticizing government policies remains uninhibited as long as they do not violate the law,” the spokesperson said.

Hong Kong authorities have also previously denied that Jimmy’s trial is unfair. 

Also at Forum 2000 in Prague, Miriam Lexmann, a Slovakian Member of European Parliament, told VOA that the European Union should do more to push for Lai’s release. 

“It’s very important to talk about Jimmy Lai because it represents the case of Hong Kong very clearly. And what is absolutely vital now is that we address the issue of Hong Kong as Europeans,” said Lexmann, who also serves as co-chair of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, or IPAC.

IPAC is a coalition of global lawmakers that is focused on relations with the Chinese government. 

Lai’s case is especially important, Lexmann said, because he could have left Hong Kong, but he decided to stay in order to stand up for freedom. 

“He decided to stay and suffer just to show the case of what’s going on in Hong Kong,” Lexmann said. “We have a moral responsibility to help those who fight for freedom worldwide.

With his father’s trial set to resume shortly, Sebastien says now is an especially important time for governments to place more pressure on Hong Kong and China to release the publisher. 

“We do see this as a critical time to raise attention for my father’s case,” Sebastien said. “My goal is to release him as soon as possible because at his age, he could die at any moment.” 
…

NEW DELHI — India said Monday it is recalling its ambassador and other diplomats from Canada, hours after it rejected a Canadian notification that the ambassador was a “person of interest” in the assassination of a Sikh activist last year. 

India’s foreign ministry said in a statement that it had also summoned the top Canadian diplomat in New Delhi and told him that “the baseless targeting” of the Indian high commissioner, or ambassador, and other diplomats and officials in Canada “was completely unacceptable.” 

“We have no faith in the current Canadian Government’s commitment to ensure their security,” it said. “Therefore, the Government of India has decided to withdraw the High Commissioner and other targeted diplomats and officials.” 

In September last year, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said there were credible allegations that the Indian government had links to the assassination in that country of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. India rejected the accusation as absurd. 

In Ottawa, messages left for Canada’s foreign ministry, foreign minister and the prime minister’s office seeking comment were not immediately returned. 
…

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea said Monday it has detected signs that North Korea is preparing to destroy the northern parts of inter-Korean roads no longer in use, as the rivals are embroiled in soaring tensions over North Korea’s claim that South Korea flew drones over its territory.

Destroying the roads would be in line with leader Kim Jong Un’s push to cut off ties with South Korea, formally cement it as his country’s principal enemy and abandon the North’s decades-long objective to seek a peaceful Korean unification.

South Korea’s military said Monday that it was observing various activities in North Korea that appeared to be preparations for demolishing the roads, such as installing screens.

“They have installed screens on the road and are working behind those screens, preparing to blow up the roads,” Lee Sung Joon, spokesperson of South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a briefing. He said the demolitions could be carried out as early as Monday.

Lee said that the South Korean military believes that the North could also attempt to launch a space rocket, which is viewed by the U.N. as a banned test of long-range missile technology. Lee said North Korea may conduct unspecified “small provocations” to ramp up pressure on Seoul.

It’s not clear how much parts of the roads North Korea would destroy.

The development comes as North Korea has recently accused South Korea of launching drones to drop propaganda leaflets over Pyongyang three times this month and threatened to respond with force if it happened again. South Korea has refused to confirm whether it sent drones but warned it would sternly punish North Korea if the safety of its citizens is threatened.

In a statement Sunday, the North’s Defense Ministry said that the military had ordered artillery and other army units near the border with South Korea to “get fully ready to open fire.” The spokesperson said that the entire South Korean territory “might turn into piles of ashes” following the North’s powerful attack.

North Korea often releases warlike rhetoric when animosities with its rivals increase. Experts say it’s highly unlikely for North Korea to launch full-scale, preemptive attacks as it military is outmatched by the combined U.S. and South Korean forces.

Koo Byoungsam, a spokesperson of South Korea’s Unification Ministry, said Monday that North Korea’s accusation on South Korean drone flights was likely aimed at creating tensions to reinforce its internal unity while stoking instability in South Korea. Koo said North Korea cannot win what it wants from South Korea with threats and provocations.

Some observers say anti-Pyongyang activists might have sent drones this month, but North Korea argues the South Korean government cannot still escape responsibility because it must have been aware of such moves.

In 2022, South Korea sent surveillance drones across the border into North Korea after it accused North Korea of flying drones into South Korea for the first time in five years.

Last week, North Korea said it will permanently block its border with South Korea and build front-line defense structures to cope with “confrontational hysteria” by South Korean and U.S. forces. It cited various military exercises in South Korea and the temporary deployments of powerful U.S. military assets in South Korea.

South Korean officials said North Korea had already been adding anti-tank barriers, planting mines and reinforcing roads on its side of the border since earlier this year in a likely attempt to boost its front-line security posture and prevent its soldiers and citizens from defecting to South Korea.

Tensions on the Korean Peninsula are at their highest point in years, with North Korea continuing a run of provocative missile tests and South Korea and the U.S. expanding their military drills. Observers say North Korea could perform major weapons tests ahead of next month’s U.S. presidential election to increase its leverage in future diplomacy with the Americans.

In January, Kim Jong Un ordered the revision of North Korea’s constitution to remove the goal of a peaceful Korean unification, formally designate South Korea as the country’s “invariable principal enemy” and define the North’s sovereign, territorial sphere.

Kim’s order stunned many North Korea watchers because it was seen as breaking away with his predecessors’ long-cherished dreams of peacefully achieving a unified Korea on the North’s terms. Experts say Kim likely aims to diminish South Korea’s voice in the regional nuclear standoff and seek direct dealings with the U.S. They say Kim also likely hopes to diminish South Korean cultural influence and bolster his rule at home.
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COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Sri Lanka closed schools in the capital Colombo and suburbs on Monday as heavy rains triggered floods in many parts of the island nation. 

Heavy downpours over the weekend have wreaked havoc in many parts of the country, flooding homes, fields and roads. Three people drowned, while some 134,000 people have been affected by flooding, according to the country’s Disaster Management Centre. 

The center said rains and floods have damaged 240 houses and nearly 7,000 people have been evacuated. Authorities have cut electricity in some areas as a precaution. 

Navy and army troops have been deployed to rescue victims and provide food and other essentials. 

Local television channels showed flooded towns in the suburbs of Colombo. In some areas, waters reached the roofs of houses and shops. 

Sri Lanka has been grappling with severe weather conditions since May, mostly caused by heavy monsoon rains. In June, 16 people died due to floods and mudslides. 
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