Athletes who make political or social justice protests at the Tokyo Olympics were promised legal support Thursday by a global union and an activist group in Germany.The pledges came one day after the International Olympic Committee confirmed its long-standing ban on “demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda” on the field of play, medal podiums or official ceremonies.Raising a fist or kneeling for a national anthem could lead to punishment from the IOC. The Olympic body’s legal commission should clarify what kind of punishment before this year’s games, which open on July 23.The IOC also said that slogans such as “Black Lives Matter” will not be allowed on athlete apparel at Olympic venues, though it approved using the words “peace,” “respect,” “solidarity,” “inclusion” and “equality” on T-shirts.Athletes’ support citedThe IOC’s athletes’ commission cited support to uphold Rule 50 of the Olympic Charter from more than two-thirds of about 3,500 replies from consulting athlete groups.”This is precisely the outcome we expected,” said Brendan Schwab, executive director of the World Players Association union. “The Olympic movement doesn’t understand its own history better than the athletes.”Speaking to The Associated Press in a telephone interview from Australia, Schwab said that “any athlete sanctioned at the Tokyo Olympics will have the full backing of the World Players.”The independent group representing German athletes pledged legal backing for its national team.”Should German athletes decide to peacefully stand up for fundamental values such as fighting racism during the Olympic Games, they can rely on the legal support of Athleten Deutschland,” Johannes Herber, the group’s chief executive, said in a statement.In a statement, another athlete group, Global Athlete, encouraged athletes to “not allow outdated ‘sports rules’ to supersede your basic human rights.” It said the survey’s methods were flawed.”These types of surveys only empower the majority when it is the minority that want and need to be heard,” said Ireland’s Caradh O’Donovan, a karate athlete who helped start Global Athlete.Famous salutes discouragedWhile the IOC said cases would each be judged on merits, athletes who follow the iconic salutes by American sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics still could be sent home.The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) inducted Smith and Carlos into its Hall of Fame in 2019. It pledged in December not to take action against athletes protesting at their Olympic trials for Tokyo. On Thursday, it released a statement saying its plans to update its recently released policy over protests in response to the IOC’s decision have not changed.”Nor has our commitment to elevating athlete expression and the voices of marginalized populations everywhere in support of racial and social justice,” CEO Sarah Hirshland said.And the USOPC athletes’ group also put out a statement saying it was disappointed to see no “meaningful or impactful change to” Rule 50.”Until the IOC changes its approach of feeding the myth of the neutrality of sport or protecting the status quo, the voices of marginalized athletes will continue to be silenced,” the athletes’ group leadership said in a statement.Both Schwab and Herber said minorities would be protected from discrimination if the IOC recognized the human rights of athletes to express themselves.The IOC erred by trying to regulate the place where a protest might take place instead of the statement’s content, Schwab said, adding that athletes’ freedom of expression in Olympic venues “should be respected, protected and indeed promoted.”Athletes breaching Rule 50 can be sanctioned by three bodies: the IOC, their sport’s governing body and their national Olympic committee (NOC).Leaders of two of the biggest Olympic bodies — World Athletics President Sebastian Coe and FIFA President Gianni Infantino — have publicly opposed punishing their athletes for social justice statements. Coe gave his annual award last December to Smith, Carlos and the other sprinter on the 200-meter podium in Mexico City, Peter Norman of Australia.In the past, the NOCs have played a major role in sanctioning athletes who run afoul of Olympic rules. But with the USOPC taking itself out of that role, Schwab noted “there is enormous confusion over responsibility to sanction.”
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China is lashing out at the chief of the World Health Organization for suggesting that more study is needed into the possibility that the coronavirus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic initially escaped from a laboratory in Wuhan, China.Global Times, an influential news outlet controlled by China’s ruling Communist Party, pointed this week to comments by Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Ethiopian-born director-general of the WHO, to the effect “that further investigation is needed on the hypothesis of a ‘lab leak’ being the origin of COVID-19.”FILE – World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus attends a news conference in Geneva, April 12, 2021.Speaking in Geneva, Tedros listed various scenarios to account for the origin of the virus, including that it originated in bats and then infected another animal, leading to widespread contamination in the Huanan Seafood Market in Wuhan.The WHO director also addressed a theory that the virus could have escaped from a virology laboratory just kilometers from the Huanan market, where similar viruses are being studied.”Although the team has concluded that a laboratory leak is the least likely hypothesis, this requires further investigation, potentially with additional missions involving specialist experts, which I am ready to deploy,” Tedros said.”The team also visited several laboratories in Wuhan and considered the possibility that the virus entered the human population as a result of a laboratory incident,” he said. “However, I do not believe that this assessment was extensive enough. … Further data and studies will be needed to reach more robust conclusions.”Chinese media this week quoted an unnamed Chinese expert who took part in the investigation as saying that Tedros’ remarks have “already been used by those with ulterior motives to question the authority and scientific quality” of the report issued by WHO.The expert warned that “WHO will have to be held accountable if worldwide effort at [virus] origin tracing enters a deadlock.” 
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Malaysia has become the first nation to offer a sovereign U.S. dollar-based sukuk to exclusively fund environmental projects.   
 
A sukuk is an Islamic financial certificate, similar to a bond in Western-based finance systems, that adheres to Sharia law.  According to Investopedia, sukuk involves a direct asset ownership interest, as opposed to the function of a bond, which is an indirect interest-bearing debt obligation.
 
The Southeast Asian nation issued $800 million of 10-year trust certificates on Thursday, as well as $500 million in 30-year trust certificates. The initial target size was $1 billion, but the offering was oversubscribed by 6.4 times due to heavy demand.  
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Australia has canceled two Chinese “Belt and Road” infrastructure building initiative deals with a state government, provoking an angry response from Beijing. The bilateral deals with Victoria state were among four vetoed under new laws that give the federal government power to overrule international agreements by lower-level administrations that violate the national interest, Foreign Minister Marise Payne said late Wednesday. The “Belt and Road” deals struck with Beijing in 2018 and 2019 triggered the legislative response. Victoria Education Department pacts signed with Syria in 1999 and Iran in 2004 were also canceled. “I consider these four arrangements to be inconsistent with Australia’s foreign policy or adverse to our foreign relations,” Payne said. The Chinese Embassy in Australia said in a statement the decision “further shows that the Australian government has no sincerity in improving China-Australia relations.” “It is bound to bring further damage to bilateral relations, and will only end up hurting itself,” the embassy said on Thursday, referring to the Australian government. Global Times, the Chinese Communist Party’s English-language mouthpiece, said in a headline: “Australia faces serious consequences for unreasonable provocation against China.” The move “marks a significant escalation that could push icy bilateral relations into an abyss,” the newspaper added. Relations at a low Australia’s bilateral relations with its most important trading partner are at their lowest point in decades. Chinese government ministers refuse to take phone calls from their Australian counterparts, and trade disruptions are widely seen as China imposing economic punishment. But Payne said Thursday she did not expect China would retaliate. “Australia is operating in our national interests. We are very careful and very considered in that approach.” Payne told Australian Broadcasting Corp. “It’s about ensuring that we have a consistent approach to foreign policy across all levels of government, and it isn’t about any one country,” she said. “It is most certainly not intended to harm Australia’s relationships with any countries.” 
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A search for an Indonesian submarine that went missing with 53 people on board continued Thursday after rescuers found an oil spill near where the vessel dived and as neighboring countries pledged to help.The 44-year-old submarine KRI Nanggala-402 was conducting a torpedo drill in waters north of the island of Bali on Wednesday but failed to relay the results as expected, a navy spokesperson said.An aerial search found an oil spill near the submarine’s dive location, and two navy vessels with sonar capability have been deployed to assist in the search, the Defense Ministry said.A ministry statement said that requests for assistance had been sent and Australia, Singapore and India had responded.Australian defense forces would “help in any way we can,” Foreign Minister Marise Payne told ABC radio on Thursday.”We operate very different submarines from this one, but the Australian Defence Force and Australian Defence Organisation will work with defense operations in Indonesia to determine what we may be able to do,” Payne said.Indonesia’s military chief Hadi Tjahjanto told Reuters in a text message on Wednesday that contact with the vessel was lost at 4:30 a.m. and a search was under way for the submarine and its 53 crew members in ocean 96 kilometers off Bali.In a statement, the Indonesian Navy said: “It is possible that during static diving, a blackout occurred so control was lost and emergency procedures cannot be carried out and the ship falls to a depth of 600-700 meters.”The submarine was built to sustain pressure at a maximum depth of around 250 meters, an official said.The oil spill found on the surface could indicate damage to the vessel’s fuel tank, or it could be a signal from the crew, the navy said.The military chief will hold a media briefing in Bali about the search on Thursday, a spokesperson said.The 1,395-tonne KRI Nanggala-402 was built in Germany in 1977, according to the defense ministry, and joined the Indonesian fleet in 1981. It underwent a two-year refit in South Korea that was completed in 2012.Indonesia once operated a fleet of 12 submarines bought from the Soviet Union to patrol the waters of its sprawling archipelago.But now it has a fleet of only five, including two German-built Type 209 submarines and three newer South Korean vessels.Indonesia has been seeking to modernize its defense capabilities, but some of its equipment is old, and there have been deadly accidents in recent years.
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Clare Egan is an American athlete who qualified for the 2022 U.S. Olympic Team. She competes in the biathalon, a sport that combines the winter survival skills of cross-country skiing with target shooting.As chair of the FILE – Amanda Kessel (28), of the United States, drives the puck against Russia’s Yelena Dergachyova (59) during the third period of a women’s hockey game at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Gangneung, South Korea, Feb. 13, 2018The quadrennial international games draw vast audiences. In 2018, 1.92 billion people — or 28% of the world’s population — watched the Winter Olympic Games in South Korea, held February 9-25, FILE – Republican Senator Mitt Romney speaks with members of the media on Capitol Hill in Washington, March 16, 2020.”Rather than send the traditional delegation of diplomats and White House officials to Beijing, the president should invite Chinese dissidents, religious leaders and ethnic minorities to represent us,” he wrote, adding that broadcasters such as NBC, “which has already done important work to reveal the reality of the Chinese Communist Party’s repression and brutality … can refrain from showing any jingoistic elements of the opening and closing ceremonies and instead broadcast documented reports of China’s abuses.”Although world events such as the pandemic have caused cancellations of the Olympics, utilization of the games as a platform to advance human rights has a long and storied history. The U.S. last prohibited athletes from attending the games in 1980, when, along with 66 other countries, it boycotted the Moscow Games over the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan.  “I know someone personally who missed the 1980 Olympics in Moscow because of that boycott,” said Egan. “And I thought that we have kind of learned our lesson from that, which was that it’s not effective and it’s definitely not fair to use young athletes as political pawns in that way.” Adrianna Zhang contributed to this report.
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The United States has imposed sanctions on the Myanmar state-owned Myanma Timber Enterprise and Myanmar Pearl Enterprise to further pressure the military government, which seized power in a February coup.
“The Burmese military derives significant funding from state-owned enterprises in the natural resources market. Today’s action demonstrates the United States’ commitment to targeting this specific funding channel and promoting accountability for those responsible for the coup and ongoing violence,” said Andrea Gacki, director of the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control.
There was no immediate response from the government in Myanmar, also known as Burma..
According to a news release, Myanma Timber Enterprise “is responsible for the production and export of timber on behalf of the Burmese military regime” and a “key generator of government revenue,” the Treasury Department said.
Myanmar Pearl Enterprise “is responsible for oyster fishing and collecting, artificial breeding of oysters, culturing and harvesting pearl, and selling pearl” and “is a key generator of government revenue,” the release said.
The military took power February 1, overthrowing the civilian government and detaining de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other high-ranking officials.
Since the coup, widespread protests have rocked Myanmar, many of them turning violent as government officials cracked down. Hundreds of civilians, including dozens of children, have been killed by government troops and police since the coup.
The U.S has already sanctioned military leaders, some of their family members and other businesses in the country. Earlier this month, the U.S. sanctioned Myanma Gems Enterprise (MGE), calling it a state-owned business “responsible for all gemstone activities in Burma.”  
The U.S. has called for the immediate release of Suu Kyi, leader of the National League for Democracy Party, ousted President Win Myint, and protesters, journalists and human rights activists it says have been unjustly detained since the coup.
Military officials claimed widespread fraud in last November’s general election, which Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy won in a landslide, as justification for the February takeover. The fraud allegations have been denied by Myanmar’s electoral commission.
 
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Indonesia’s military said it is seeking assistance from Australia, Singapore and India after a naval submarine with 53 people aboard disappeared north of the resort island of Bali on Wednesday. “It is true that the KRI Nanggala-402 lost contact since early this morning around 3:00 a.m.,” said First Admiral Julius Widjojono. Military authorities said they lost contact with the vessel, one of five operated by the Southeast Asian nation, during training exercises off the coast of Bali. The vessel, which has been in use since 1981, was rehearsing for a missile-firing exercise scheduled for Thursday. FILE – Indonesian Navy’s submarine KRI Nanggala-402 sails in Surabaya, East Java province, Indonesia, Sept. 25, 2014. (M Risyal Hidayat/Antara Foto/via Reuters)Indonesian defense officials say the German-built vessel vanished in deep blue waters about 95 kilometers north of Bali shortly after the vessel had been granted clearance to dive. The navy immediately deployed warships and a helicopter to find the missing submarine. Searchers spotted an oil slick near where it disappeared. Indonesian media reported that the navy believes the submarine sank into a trough at a depth of 700 meters, according to The Associated Press. The 1,300-ton naval vessel had on board 49 crew members, three gunners, and a commander whose identities are yet to be released. Indonesia, the world’s largest archipelago nation with more than 17,000 islands, has been improving its military apparatus in recent years as it faces regional maritime challenges involving Chinese vessels near the Natuna islands. It plans to expand its fleet of submarines by three by 2024. 
 
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The Japanese government may declare a new state of emergency for the cities of Tokyo and Osaka in response to another surge of COVID-19 infections. The Mainichi newspaper reported Wednesday that Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike is requesting to impose an emergency decree from April 29 to May 9, which coincides with Japan’s annual “Golden Week” public holiday period.   Tokyo and Osaka, along with several other prefectures, are already under a quasi-state of emergency, with restaurants and bars operating under shortened business hours.  Japan as a whole has been under two separate emergency decrees since the start of the pandemic, the last one having just expired on March 21.  The previous decrees stopped short of imposing a legally binding nationwide lockdown, due to Japan’s post-World War II constitution, which weighs heavily in favor of civil liberties.  The new state of emergency, if granted, would leave in place current restrictions on opening hours, and also lead to the closure of theme parks, shopping malls and other facilities. Osaka’s neighboring prefecture of Hyogo is also expected to be covered under the new emergency decree.   Japan has 542,467 confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 9,682 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.  The numbers are moderate compared to other nations, but enough to overburden Japan’s healthcare sector and complicate plans for the Tokyo Olympic Games, which are scheduled to begin in July after a one-year delay due to the pandemic.  The Japanese capital posted a record-high 843 confirmed new coronavirus cases on Wednesday.   Also complicating matters is the country’s sluggish vaccination drive, which got off to a slow start due to an acute shortage of vaccines.  More infections in IndiaThe situation remains dire in India, which reported a single-day record 295,041 new COVID-19 infections on Wednesday, the seventh consecutive day the world’s second-most populous country has recorded more than 200,000 new cases. Health workers and relatives wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) carry the body of a man, who died from COVID-19, at a crematorium in New Delhi, India, Apr. 21, 2021.The latest surge has led to a severe shortage of oxygen canisters, hospital beds and drugs across the nation, and prompted officials in the capital, New Delhi, to impose a week-long lockdown on Monday.  Several large cities have reported COVID-19-linked burials and cremations that far exceed the official tally.  Johnson & Johnson resumes European rollout
On the vaccine front, Johnson & Johnson announced Tuesday it is resuming its European rollout of its one-dose vaccine after the European Medicines Agency, the drug regulator for the European Union, determined the drug’s benefits outweighs the risks of possible blood clots. FILE – The exterior of the European Medicines Agency is seen in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Dec. 18, 2020.The EMA reviewed the Johnson & Johnson vaccine following a small number of reports from the United States of six women between the ages of 18 and 48 developed a rare but serious blood-clotting disorder associated with low levels of blood platelets following vaccination. One woman died and one was hospitalized in critical condition. The agency concluded the drug’s product information should include a warning about the possible side effects, which should be listed as very rare.   In the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and the Food and Drug Administration jointly called for a pause in the administration of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine last week in response to the six blood clotting cases.     The six women were among the 7 million Americans who have received the vaccine since its approval.     Dr. Anthony Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has said he expects an independent CDC advisory panel to lift the suspension when it meets again later this week. 
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A South Korean court has ruled against a group of women who were seeking compensation from Japan for being forced into prostitution by colonial Japanese forces during World War Two. The judge at Seoul Central District Court said Wednesday that Japan is immune from civil lawsuits filed in another country under the concept of international law, adding that lifting the immunity would spark an inevitable diplomatic clash.   One of the original 20 plaintiffs in the case, 92-year-old Lee Yong-soo, denounced the decision outside the courtroom and vowed the group will take the case to the International Court of Justice.   In a separate case back in January, a different judge ruled in favor of a group of 12 so-called “comfort women” and ordered Tokyo to pay more than $89,000 each to compensate for their wartime suffering.  Japan angrily criticized the earlier decision on the grounds that it had settled the issue under a 1965 treaty that normalized bilateral relations with Seoul that included $800 million in reparations, as well as a separate  deal reached in 2015.Portraits of the late former South Korean comfort women are displayed near Japanese Embassy in Seoul, South Korea, April 21, 2021.In Tokyo, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Katunobu Kato refused to comment on the new case, citing the need to examine it further, but said the ruling in the previous case was “extremely regrettable and unacceptable” as it violated international law. Relations between the East Asian neighbors have grown acrimonious in recent years over South Korea’s lingering bitterness over Japan’s brutal colonial occupation of the Korean peninsula from 1910-45, when Japan surrendered to the Allied forces to bring an end to World War Two.  In addition to the scores of Korean women forced to work in Japanese military brothels during the war, thousands of Koreans were also forced to work in Japanese factories during that time.   South Korea’s Supreme Court issued a ruling last August that ordered the seizure of assets of Japan’s Nippon Steel to compensate four South Koreans who were forced into labor by Japanese forces.   
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A group of journalists in Japan called on Myanmar’s junta on Tuesday to free a colleague, Yuki Kitazumi, detained in Yangon following a crackdown on media amid ongoing protests against the military overthrow of an elected government. “We want the junta to stop oppressing the citizens of Myanmar, and we seek the swift release of the many detained journalists, including Kitazumi, who strive to tell the truth,” Isoko Mochizuki, a fellow journalist and long-time friend of Kitazumi, told a news conference. The group of journalists started an online petition on Monday addressed to Myanmar’s junta and the Japanese government calling for Kitazumi’s release. So far about 2,000 people have signed the petition. The journalists have asked the Japanese government to apply more pressure on the Myanmar authorities to free Kitazumi, who was detained on Sunday evening by the military outside his home in Yangon for allegedly “spreading falsehoods.” “It doesn’t feel at all like the Japanese government is putting enough pressure onto Myanmar,” Kanae Doi, director of Human Rights Watch Japan, told the news conference. “I hope this becomes a tipping point for Japan to do more,” she said, adding that the Japanese government has appeared to tread gently around the issue of what is happening in Myanmar, while the European Union and United States have imposed sanctions on people involved in the coup. Kitazumi, who runs a media production company, was arrested previously in February while covering protests against the February 1 coup but was released soon afterwards. According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners activist group, 737 people have been killed by security forces in Myanmar since the coup and 3,229 remain in detention.  
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For South Korean viewers, the “Joseon Exorcist” historical fantasy series seemed to have all the ingredients for a big budget television hit. Set in the 15th century, the drama follows well-known historical figures in the royal family of Korea’s famed Joseon Dynasty who battle evil spirits in a fictional twist that plays into the zombie craze sweeping South Korean entertainment.  But when the series debuted last month, South Koreans weren’t impressed. Instead, many were incensed that Korean characters were shown drinking Chinese liquor and eating Chinese food, such as dumplings, mooncake pastries and preserved “century eggs.”  Outrage over the Chinese elements, along with other historical inaccuracies, quickly devolved into an advertiser boycott. The show, which had a $28 million budget, was canceled after just two episodes. The TV channel on which it appeared apologized for offending the Korean people. The incident reflects growing animosity toward what many South Koreans feel is inappropriate Chinese influence in South Korean entertainment, as well as a manipulation of history in order to claim several beloved aspects of Korean culture. Recent months have also seen eruptions of nationalist-tinged anger over Chinese media claims that kimchi, a fermented cabbage dish ubiquitous in Korea, originated in China.  Underpinning the tensions are wider concerns about China’s growing economic and military strength, and its more combative stance toward its neighbors, which analysts say is an attempt to reassert Beijing’s position as a dominant regional power.  But China’s so-called “wolf warrior” approach to diplomacy is alienating South Koreans at an alarming pace. According to a pair of FILE – South Korea and China’s flags flutter next to Tiananmen Gate during the visit of South Korean President Moon Jae-In in Beijing, China, Dec. 15, 2017.How it all went wrong It wasn’t always this bad. In 2015, only 37% of South Koreans had a negative view of China, according to data from the Pew Research Center. By 2020, that figure had more than doubled to 75%.  South Korea-China ties especially deteriorated after 2017, when Seoul installed the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) U.S. missile defense system to counter the threat posed by North Korea. Beijing objected to the deployment of the THAAD anti-missile system, since its radar can see deep into China.  In response, China waged a painful campaign of economic retaliation. Chinese tour groups halted trips to South Korea. Stores in China belonging to Lotte, the South Korean conglomerate that provided the land for the THAAD system, were shut down after they failed to receive regulatory approval. South Korea’s K-pop musicians, wildly popular among Chinese, had their tours canceled and have since been unable to hold concerts in mainland China. FILE – Participants make kimchi, a staple Korean side dish made of fermented vegetables, for a Guinness World Record for the largest number of people making kimchi at one place during the Seoul Kimchi Festival at Seoul Plaza in Seoul, Nov. 4, 2018.Many experts noted paocai and kimchi are not the same dish. But the notion that China had created the authoritative version of kimchi was still highly offensive to many Koreans, who serve kimchi with nearly every meal and see it as a national dish. Creating enemies The kimchi incident was an example of China’s “wolf warriors” scoring an own goal, according to Peter Charles of Australia’s Lowy Institute.  “By picking a wholly unnecessary fight on a topic with no diplomatic stakes, Beijing has only further damaged its reputation with the South Korean population and made life more complicated for counterparts in Seoul who are otherwise eager to cooperate with China,” wrote Charles.  Kim Joon-hyung, chancellor of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy, which trains South Korean diplomats, told VOA he was puzzled by Beijing’s moves.  “You cannot be a global leader if you behave this way,” Kim said. “The manipulation of history — they think kimchi is their food — things like that.” “I have a lot of friends in China, believe me. I actually advise them: don’t do that. You have a rich history and can have your own soft power. Why are you so into this narrow-minded [approach]?” he added. But as is the case for many countries, diplomacy is not always about making friends. “Sometimes being feared is also very important,” says Dali Yang, a China specialist and professor at the University of Chicago. Many analysts say China’s more aggressive demeanor is an attempt to restore its old stature, following a “century of humiliation” when it was subjugated by Western and Japanese powers. “Clearly this is where President Xi [Jinping] has played a big role in terms of this willingness to fight,” says Yang. A newly powerful China, he says, wants to signal to its adversaries and rivals that it is willing to sustain losses in order to achieve its goals. Seoul stuck in the middle But is South Korea a friend or rival of China? It’s complicated, thanks in large part to a history that saw the two countries fight on different sides of the 1950s Korean War.  Beijing and Seoul established diplomatic ties in 1992. Since then, relations have been mostly stable, even though China remains allied with North Korea and South Korea remains a treaty ally of the United States. FILE – Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (L) and South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha (R) greet prior to their meeting at the Foreign Ministry in Seoul, South Korea, Nov. 26, 2020.With China now the world’s second-largest economy, South Korea is in an awkward position: not only does it host nearly 30,000 U.S. troops, it also depends economically on Washington’s main rival, which is right next door.  But if it comes to choosing between the two, many South Koreans clearly prefer the United States, says Kim Jiyoon, the public opinion researcher, who notes the alliance is as old as South Korea itself.  “We don’t really have any emotional or psychological attachment with China, but we do have that with the U.S.,” she says. “Sometimes it has been bumpy and thorny but still it has been a 70-year alliance. We’ve been together and we know what our enemy is, what our goal is, and we share democratic values.” But there is an increasing disconnect between the opinion of the South Korean public and its government, which is careful not to upset relations with Beijing, Kim says. In particular, South Korean President Moon Jae-in has been reluctant to become involved in U.S. efforts to explicitly counter China, such as the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue regional grouping.  Uncertain future Though China still occasionally expresses its opposition to the THAAD missile system, there have been signs that diplomatic ties may improve ahead of a possible visit to South Korea by China’s Xi.  Some reports even indicate China may soon lift its informal ban on South Korean film and TV shows. Such a move would likely be welcomed by the vast number of Chinese fans of South Korean entertainment.  But if recent controversies are any indication, it may be longer before many South Koreans are comfortable with seeing Chinese content dominate their own screens.  Lee Juhyun contributed to this report.
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Southeast Asian nations are set to discuss Myanmar’s governance crisis at a summit in Jakarta on Saturday. Tuesday’s announcement by the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) comes a day after the European Union imposed stiff sanctions on militarily controlled Myanmar, an ASEAN member state. The military in Myanmar, which is also known as Burma, overthrew the country’s elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi in early February, triggering a popular revolt followed by a violent crackdown on protesters and civilians who want a return to democracy. At least 738 people have been killed by junta security forces since the crackdown began, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners. FILE – Flowers are seen near photos of protesters who died during a protest against the military coup Myanmar, outside the ASEAN building in Jakarta, Indonesia, March 12, 2021.Local media say security forces killed six villagers on Tuesday. ASEAN’s principles of consensus and noninterference restrict it from meddling in the domestic affairs of member nations, but most member states say they plan to send representatives other than heads of states. Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister and top diplomat Don Pramudwinai will attend the summit instead of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha. The latter told local reporters that “some other countries will also send their foreign ministers.” It is unclear whether members of Myanmar’s military junta will attend the summit, but a Thai government official said junta chief Min Aung Hlaing would be in Jakarta, according to Reuters. Meanwhile, the European Union handed down sanctions to 10 of Myanmar’s military leaders. The sanctions will also affect two giant military conglomerates for “undermining democracy and the rule of law” in Myanmar. The EU also said the sanctions were in response to human rights violations against civilians and protesters who are demanding a return to democratic rule. 
 
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China’s government on Tuesday rejected accusations of abuses in the Xinjiang region after a human rights group appealed for a U.N. investigation into possible crimes against humanity. Accusations of forced labor or detentions in the northwestern region are “lies and false information concocted by anti-China forces,” said a foreign ministry spokesman, Wang Wenbin. He accused critics of trying to “undermine Xinjiang’s stability and security and curb China’s development.” On Monday, Human Rights Watch appealed to the U.N. Human Rights Commission to investigate reports of mass detention of Muslims, a crackdown on religious practices and other measures against minorities. It said they amount to crimes against humanity as defined by the treaty that established the International Criminal Court. More than 1 million people have been confined to camps in Xinjiang, according to foreign governments and researchers. Authorities there are accused of imposing forced labor and birth controls. Beijing rejects complaints of abuses and says the camps are for job training to support economic development and combat Islamic radicalism. The government is pressing foreign clothing and shoe brands to reverse decisions to stop using cotton from Xinjiang due to reports of possible forced labor. Wang accused news outlets of acting as a “loudspeaker of lies and disinformation.” China has denied the United Nations unfettered access to the region to investigate. Wang called on foreign observers to “respect facts and truth” and to “stop the wrong practice of spreading disinformation about Xinjiang and making false statements at every turn.” 
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Former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon strongly condemned the bloodshed in Myanmar on Monday, urging the U.N. Security Council and regional bloc ASEAN to take immediate and concerted action to prevent “ongoing atrocities” and a further escalation of violence.“I condemn the brutal use of lethal force against civilians, and the detention of State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint, as well as thousands of protesters,” Ban told a high-level meeting of the U.N. Security Council, which focused on cooperation between the U.N. and regional organizations like ASEAN.Myanmar has been mired in chaos and violence since the military rejected November’s election results and overthrew the civilian government February 1. They have detained de facto leader Suu Kyi and other high-ranking officials of her National League for Democracy (NLD) Party. Rights groups say more than 700 civilians, including dozens of children, have been killed on the streets and in their homes in the military crackdown on protests.UN Rights Chief Warns Myanmar Heading Toward Syria-like Civil War Nations must cut off supply of arms, finances that allow Myanmar’s military to kill and to violate its peoples’ human rights, says Bachelet Ban, a former South Korean foreign minister and currently a member of The Elders, helped guide Myanmar onto the path of democracy during his tenure as U.N. chief. He said he is continuing to seek a solution to the crisis, having reached out to the military for permission to visit the country, but his request was rejected.“The task ahead is daunting,” Ban said. “It will require the collective, coordinated efforts of the U.N., ASEAN and the wider region to avert catastrophe and instead help return Myanmar to the path of a peaceful, democratic transition.” He said those bodies have only a “fleeting window” to cooperate through strong action to halt the violence.He called on his U.N. successor, Antonio Guterres, to directly engage with Myanmar’s military to prevent a further escalation of violence.Ban said ASEAN needs to unify its response to the situation and stop using its policy of noninterference in the internal affairs of sovereign states to justify inaction in the face of abuses.“ASEAN must make it clear to the Myanmar military that the current situation is so grave that it cannot be regarded only as an internal matter,” Ban said. “The military’s use of lethal force, and the gross violations of human rights being perpetrated against the civilians, are not compatible with the ASEAN Charter. These actions are clear violations of international law and constitute a threat to the peace, security and stability of the region.”The regional bloc plans to hold a special summit on Myanmar April 24 in Indonesia. Ban said they must take “immediate and concerted action,” including sending a high-level delegation to Myanmar to engage with the parties.He also appealed to the U.N. Security Council to move beyond words to collective action.“This council has a responsibility to protect Myanmar’s civilian population in the context where the atrocities being committed may constitute crimes against humanity,” he said. Myanmar Junta Says 23,000 Prisoners Pardoned, ReleasedAnnouncement comes as Thailand says Myanmar’s military leader will attend summit of southeast Asian nations in IndonesiaHe urged the 15-nation council to use all the tools at its disposal. Typically, that would include targeted international sanctions and an arms embargo — two things the council has so far shied away from attempting because they would face strong pushback from China, which holds a veto on the council.Beijing’s foreign minister, Wang Yi, participated in the virtual high-level council meeting and signaled his government’s dislike of such measures. He reiterated China’s long-standing position against sanctions and rejected the threat of use of force, saying peace talks and mediation are always preferable. Wang also urged nations to respect the sovereignty of other states and not interfere in their domestic affairs.“Under the current circumstances, supporting ASEAN’s constructive participation in Myanmar’s domestic reconciliation process in an ASEAN way and de-escalating tensions in Myanmar serve the interests of the people of Myanmar and the international community,” Wang said of that crisis.The United States said the Security Council is awaiting the outcome of the upcoming ASEAN summit on Myanmar.Current U.N. secretary-general Guterres urged regional actors to leverage their influence to prevent further deterioration and find a peaceful resolution. He said his special envoy is in the region and ready to resume dialogue with the military and other stakeholders to return Myanmar to the democratic path, and to peace and stability.Special Envoy Christine Schraner Burgener’s request to visit Myanmar was also rejected by the junta. She has been in Thailand and hopes to meet with some of Myanmar’s neighbors to break the paralysis.  
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Human Rights Watch said China is “committing crimes against humanity” toward Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims in the country’s western Xinjiang region.
In a report issued Monday, the group said, “The Chinese leadership is responsible for widespread and systematic policies of mass detention, torture and cultural persecution, among other offenses.”
It called for “coordinated international action” to hold those involved responsible, including “visa bans, travel bans and targeted individual sanctions” on authorities responsible for criminal acts.
“Chinese authorities have systematically persecuted Turkic Muslims — their lives, their religion, their culture,” Sophie Richardson, China director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement.
“Beijing has said it’s providing ‘vocational training’ and ‘deradicalization,’ but that rhetoric can’t obscure a grim reality of crimes against humanity.”
Human Rights Watch said that while Chinese persecution of Turkic Muslims is not new, it has “reached unprecedented levels” in recent years.
“It’s increasingly clear that Chinese government policies and practices against the Turkic Muslim population in Xinjiang meet the standard for crimes against humanity under international criminal law,” said Beth Van Schaack, faculty affiliate at Stanford University’s Center for Human Rights and International Justice. “The government’s failure to stop these crimes — let alone punish those responsible — shows the need for strong and coordinated international action.”
The United States and others have said China is committing genocide in Xinjiang.
A spokesman for the ruling Communist Party on Monday rejected accusations Beijing has committed genocide or crimes against humanity in the region.
China’s launch of a sweeping security campaign in Xinjiang has led to the detention of more than one million people, according to rights groups. China denies international observers access to Xinjiang.
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Monday marked the opening of a “travel bubble” between Australia and New Zealand that allows Australians to visit New Zealand without entering a mandatory coronavirus quarantine period. Arrival gates at Wellington International Airport were the scenes of long-awaited emotional reunions between New Zealanders and their expatriate friends and family members who made the 4,155 kilometer flight from Australia, having endured more than a year of separation because of the pandemic. The airport painted an enormous welcome sign near its main runway to greet the planes as they landed. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern called the first day of quarantine-free travel between the two nations “an important milestone” that could boost her country’s economy by as much as $1 billion. About 1.5 million Australians visited New Zealand in 2019, making up about 40 % of all international travelers to the Pacific nation.Families and loved ones embrace after arriving on the first Air New Zealand flight to land as quarantine-free travel between Australia and New Zealand begins, in Wellington, April 19, 2021.Australia and New Zealand have been largely successful in controlling the spread of COVID-19, closing their borders when the pandemic began and imposing strict quarantine requirements for travelers returning from other countries.   Australia has 29,533 confirmed cases, including 910 deaths, while New Zealand has just 2,596 cases with only 26 deaths, setting the template for coronavirus response efforts, according to Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.  Parts of Australia have for several months allowed people from New Zealand to visit without them going into quarantine, but New Zealand has required a mandatory quarantine on all visiting Australians. Both Ardern and her Australian counterpart Scott Morrison have warned travelers the bubble could end if any new COVID-19 outbreaks occur.  
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Philippine troops killed a suspected Egyptian would-be suicide bomber and two local Abu Sayyaf militants in what military officials said Saturday was a setback that would make it harder for gunmen linked to the Islamic State group to stage suicide attacks.Army troops gunned down the three militants in a 10-minute firefight Friday night near a hinterland village off the mountainous Patikul town in southern Sulu province. They also recovered three assault rifles and bandoliers of ammunition, army brigade commander Col. Benjamin Batara Jr. said.Military officials did not indicate how the three were tracked down but military chief Gen. Cirilito Sobejana suggested that troops were helped by intelligence provided by villagers. “The support of the public in our peace and security operations is much, much needed,” Sobejana told The Associated Press.The Egyptian, who was identified by the military only as Yusop, was the son of an Egyptian militant Reda Mohammad Mahmud who used the nom de guerre Siti Aisyah and was killed when she detonated a bomb and was shot by troops two years ago at the gate of an army detachment in Sulu’s Indanan town. His Egyptian stepfather was killed in a gunbattle with troops at a military checkpoint in Indanan, also in 2019, the military said.”This is one less suicide bomber,” army Maj. Gen. William Gonzales said. “Without them, the possibility of another attack is slimmer.”Gonzales said without elaborating that the killing of the Egyptian would cut off foreign financial support to the Abu Sayyaf. The small but violent group has long been blacklisted by the United States and the Philippines for ransom kidnappings, beheadings of hostages and deadly bombing attacks.Aside from Yusop, troops also killed suspected bomb maker Abu Khattab Jundullah and another still-unidentified militant.They belonged to an Abu Sayyaf faction led by Mudzrimar Sawadjaan, who has been blamed for a series of suicide attacks, including the January 2019 bombings by an Indonesian militant couple of a Roman Catholic cathedral in Jolo town in Sulu that killed 20 people and wounded more than 100 others, Batara said.Gonzales said troops were hunting down the remaining militants and expressed optimism that Sawadjaan, one of the most wanted Abu Sayyaf commanders, “will soon meet his end.”Military intelligence indicates there may be four remaining foreign militants with the Abu Sayyaf group in Sulu, a poverty-wracked Muslim province, including an Egyptian and two Indonesians, the military’s Western Mindanao Command said.Abu Sayyaf, one of a handful of small but violent militant groups aligned with the Islamic State group, has been considerably weakened by battle setbacks, surrenders and factionalism but remains a national security threat.From hundreds of armed fighters in the 1990s, only about 60 to 70 Abu Sayyaf combatants remain in Sulu and outlying island provinces. Since January, about 60 Abu Sayyaf militants have surrendered, seven captured and three killed in military offensives in Sulu, where thousands of troops have been deployed in recent years, military officials said.Despite considerable setbacks, desperate Abu Sayyaf militants “could be looking to take new hostages, simply out of financial straits,” according to the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict, which assesses insurgencies and other violent conflicts in the region. The Jakarta-based think tank said a likely target are Indonesian-crewed Malaysian fishing vessels plying across the Sulu Sea’s richest fishing areas “where Abu Sayyaf group kidnappers lie in wait.”
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South Korea raised concerns over Japan’s decision to release contaminated water from its crippled Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea with visiting U.S. climate envoy John Kerry, its foreign ministry said, but Kerry reaffirmed Washington’s confidence in the plan’s transparency.Kerry arrived in Seoul on Saturday to discuss international efforts to tackle global warming on a trip that included a stop in China ahead of President Joe Biden’s virtual summit with world leaders on climate change on April 22-23.South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong sought to rally support behind the country’s protest of the Fukushima plan at a dinner meeting with Kerry, the ministry said. Under the plan, more than 1 million tons of water will be discharged from the plant wrecked by an earthquake and tsunami in 2011 into the nearby sea off Japan’s east coast.Seoul strongly rebuked the decision, with the foreign ministry summoning the Japanese ambassador and President Moon Jae-in ordering officials to explore petitioning an international court.”Minister Chung conveyed our government and people’s serious concerns about Japan’s decision, and asked the U.S. side to take interest and cooperate so that Japan will provide information in a more transparent and speedy manner,” the ministry said in a statement.But Kerry, at a media roundtable on Sunday, said Tokyo had made the decision in a transparent manner and will continue following due procedures.”The United States is confident that the government of Japan is in very full consultations with the IAEA,” he said, referring to the International Atomic Energy Agency.”The IAEA has set up a very rigorous process and I know that Japan has weighed all the options and the effects, and they’ve been very transparent about the decision and the process.”The former U.S. secretary of state added that Washington would closely monitor Japan’s implementation “like every country, to make certain there is no public health threat.”The South Korean foreign ministry said Chung and Kerry also agreed to work together to boost international cooperation to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, a goal pledged by South Korea, Europe and others.Kerry told the roundtable that Biden aims to urge countries to commit to more ambitious greenhouse gas emissions targets, including China, such as by revamping their power initiatives or speeding up transitions to renewable energy.The United States is expected to announce its own new emissions target for 2030 this week.”I think Korea has set an ambitious target and Korea is trying to do a lot, it’s not easy for any country,” Kerry said.”We need to be smarter, so do I think it’s possible for additional steps? I do think there are some things that could happen.”
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Myanmar’s military government said Saturday it released more than 23,000 prisoners in observance of the country’s traditional New Year holiday and that the country’s new junta chief would take his first foreign trip since seizing power.
 
The Prisons Department said 23,184 prisoners were pardoned and freed from jails across the country under a New Year amnesty program, but few, if any, of the anti-coup activists who were arrested are believed to be among them.
 
State broadcaster MRTV reported that the junta’s chief, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, pardoned the prisoners, which included 137 foreigners, who would be deported.
 
The prisoner release announcement came as daily protests continue against the ouster of the elected government of former de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi, and the government’s use of deadly force against them.
 
Security forces fatally shot two protesters Saturday in the central ruby-mining city of Mogok, according to Reuters, while local media outlets reported several small bombs were detonated in the country’s largest city of Yangon.  
 
In a campaign to quell the protests, the government has killed at least 728 coup protesters and bystanders since the takeover, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, which tracks casualties and arrests.Anti-coup protests continued today, April 17, 2021, in Kalay, Sagaing region, where 11 demonstrators were killed by security forces 10 days ago. (Credit: Citizen journalist via VOA’s Burmese Service)Amid the upheaval, Thailand announced Saturday that Myanmar junta chief Min Aung Hlaing would attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Indonesia on April 24, his first known trip abroad since he seized power.
 
Myanmar’s neighbors have been trying to jump start talks between the junta and Suu Kyi’s ousted government, but the junta has not indicated a willingness to participate.
 
In addition to Min Aung Hlaing, several of the 10 ASEAN leaders have said they would attend the meeting, the Thai foreign ministry said.
 
The junta did not immediately comment on Thailand’s announcement.
 
Ousted members of parliament, pro-democracy politicians, and ethnic minorities announced the formation Friday of the National Unity Government (NUG), which is calling for global recognition of legitimate authority.
 
The NUG also requested an invitation to attend the ASEAN meeting in place of junta chief Min Aung Hlaing.
 
When the military removed Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy government, it detained Suu Kyi and President Win Myint, and it imposed martial law across Myanmar.
 
Suu Kyi led Myanmar since its first open democratic election in 2015, but Myanmar’s military contested last November’s election results, claiming widespread electoral fraud, largely without evidence. 
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Large numbers of people here in the dry northeast region of Thailand bordering Laos and Cambodia, a region known as Isaan, are facing the consequences of changes in the natural rhythms of the Mekong River wrought by the construction in recent years of dams upstream in China and Laos.The dams have brought drought in the monsoon season and high waters when it should be dry, changing the lives of the many in the northeast of the country who depend on the river for food and work.Moreover, the hydropower plans for the Mekong have only begun, as China leads the dam charge with an eye on both the economic rewards and geopolitical advantage of controlling the key waterway.That has left one of the world’s great rivers, flowing for 5,000 kilometers from China through Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam in retreat and decimating local fishing catches.Local fisher Sudta Insamran lamented the loss of “the same Mekong River that we knew,” as he tried to net silver-scaled Thai carp, a small species of Thai carp, here in Nong Khai, across the Mekong from the Lao capital of Vientiane. Fishers traditionally sold their catch locally or traded it for rice. There are about 3,000 such fishers from Nong Khai province’s six districts.“Please don’t build any more dams. Enough is enough,” he told VOA.Just a few years ago fishing in Nong Khai used to earn him around $250 a month, Sudta said, but now the catch has collapsed, forcing many to work inland as rubber tappers on other people’s farms.The costs of the ecological shock are being heaped onto the poorest people in the Mekong region and many villagers now eat farmed fish bought at markets rather than their own catch.Up to 60 million people rely in some way on the river as their main source of protein or income across the Mekong region in China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.The upstream dams and climate change are strangling the ecosystem — fish struggle to breed in water which fluctuates because of hydropower demands.“At least 69 species of fish have now disappeared. It has also an impact on plant species — many of which are a food source for fish,” Apisit Soontrawiwat, a local researcher who studies the impact of the dams and is a member of the People’s Network of Isaan Mekong Basin, a conservation group, said.Stretches of water turn green with algae which flourishes due to sudden low water levels; other areas go aquamarine as sediment is blocked by the 11 dams in China and two so far in Laos.“Villagers are not getting any benefits from these dams, the only people to gain are doing business linked to the dams,” Apisit said.Electricity overloadThe dams are being built by Chinese, Thai and Vietnamese companies selling electricity in the region, with transmission lines running hundreds of kilometers from the dams into Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia.The operators say they are providing much needed development and power for economies in need of a kickstart.Conservationists say there is already an oversupply of electricity.“We are seeing a few elite families and companies earning enormously while the costs of ecological destruction are not incorporated,” said Paiporn Deetes of International Rivers, a conservation group.The Mekong River Commission, established by the lower Mekong countries of Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam, said this month its next 10-year strategy is to mitigate the damage to the river.The commission does not have the power to stop a dam project, though, leaving the river without a powerful protector.Drone shot of the exposed Mekong river bed between Thailand and Laos. (Photo courtesy Black Squirrel Productions)Laos, in a bid to become the “battery of Asia,” has two major Mekong dams in operation with several more planned, mainly with Chinese state-backed firms.The game-changer for the northern Thai stretch of water was the Xayaburi dam in Laos, which began operation in 2019. Thai company CK Power, which led the construction, insists it operates with a “sustainable development” at its core, with extensive environmental impact studies and complex engineering including a “fish ladder” to allow species to migrate downstream.Experts say it will take several more years to effectively judge the impact of the dam.Yet, the same water is set to flow through another dam in Laos at Sanakham, a project planned by Chinese state power firm Datang International Power Generation.If it comes into operation as slated in 2028 locals fear the new $2 billion dam, which is to be nearly 60 meters high and produce 700 megawatts of electricity a year, will be the end of the living river in northern Thailand — that it will lack nutrients and the sediment that provides nutrients for fish.Thailand has kicked back against the project due its proximity to the countries’ shared border and there are hopes the dam builders could be forced to reconsider if the Thai government refuses to buy the power.“Thailand has no need to buy more electricity from Laos as we produce enough ourselves,” a source at the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand told VOA, requesting anonymity.While debate on Sanakham rages, dam plans go uninterrupted with another proposed for Pak Chom in Thailand’s nearby Loei province which could be the first to straddle the Thai-Laos border.
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Strategic competition with China was one of the main issues discussed in U.S. President Joe Biden’s Friday meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, the first foreign leader to visit the White House since Biden took office. White House Correspondent Patsy Widakuswara has this report.
Producer: Kim Weeks
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U.S. President Joe Biden plans to discuss ways to counter competitive pressure from China during a White House summit Friday with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga aimed at revitalizing the U.S.-Japan alliance.
 
Biden, who took office in January, has focused on reviving the alliance, as well as U.S. involvement in multilateral institutions, which were often criticized or shunned by former U.S. President Donald Trump.
 
Suga will be the first foreign leader to visit the White House since Biden took office.
 
The meeting underscores the importance of the alliance between the two countries, particularly as their rival, China, grows in strength and aggressiveness.
 
“We have to shore up American competitiveness to meet the stiff competition we’re facing from an increasingly assertive China,” Biden said earlier this week as he explained his decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan.
 
Japan recently joined the U.S. and other countries in calling out Beijing’s human rights abuses and incursions into disputed areas of the East and South China Seas, seen as a departure from a longstanding trade and economics-centered approach.
 
China, however, is Japan’s longtime rival and largest trading partner, leading some analysts to predict Suga will refrain from overtly antagonizing Beijing during his meeting with Biden.
 
Japan’s ambassador to the U.S., Koji Tomita, recently told VOA the need for a stronger U.S.-Japanese alliance and a “free and open” Indo-Pacific region will be top issues at the summit.
 
Tomita said Japan is “very encouraged” by Biden’s active engagement in the Indo-Pacific region, citing last month’s virtual Quad Summit, in which Biden hosted the leaders of Japan, Australia and India.
 
“The international order is being challenged in various ways, so we hope to continue having specific discussions on the ways that Japan and the U.S. can take initiative in realizing our shared vision,” he added.
 
Before Suga’s meeting with Biden, China’s Foreign Affairs Ministry warned Japan against “being misled by some countries holding biased views against China.”
 
Earlier this month, China also sent a naval strike group near Okinawa, where the U.S. has troops, a signal Beijing is prepared to counter the U.S.-Japan alliance.
 
Japan hosts approximately 55,000 U.S. troops. The two sides routinely describe their alliance as the “cornerstone” of peace and stability in Asia.William Gallo contributed to his story from Seoul, Natalie Liu from Washington.
 
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Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai was jailed for 12 months on Friday along with four other veteran democracy activists for helping to lead one of the city’s biggest-ever protests.Organizers say 1.7 million people — almost one quarter of Hong Kong’s population — turned out for a huge rally that formed the backbone of demonstrations that wracked the city throughout 2019.Lai was among nine of Hong Kong’s most prominent democracy campaigners found guilty of organizing and participating in the rally.Many of them have spent decades advocating non-violence in their ultimately fruitless campaign for universal suffrage.Lai, 73, was sentenced to 12 months in prison while four other campaigners were jailed for between eight and 18 months.Among the other defendants were Martin Lee, 82, a respected barrister known as the “father of democracy” in Hong Kong, who was once chosen by Beijing to help write the city’s mini-constitution.They also include Margaret Ng, a 73-year-old barrister and former opposition lawmaker.Lee and Ng were also given prison terms, but their sentences were suspended.Lai was brought to the court from custody, where he was being held after arrest under Beijing’s new national security law.Seven of the defendants who had earlier pleaded not guilty submitted their mitigation on Friday morning.”There is no right so precious to the people of Hong Kong as the freedom of expression and the freedom of peaceful assembly,” said Ng, who discharged her legal team and gave her statement in person.She added that she’s prepared to stand with and stand up for the people who “in the last resort, had to give collective expression of their anguish and urge the government to respond.””I stand the law’s good servant but the people’s first,” said Ng, whose submission ended with a round of loud applause in courtroom.Judge Amanda Woodcock earlier said in her verdict that the march had caused serious traffic disruption and the fact it was peaceful was no defense.”I’m ready for the sentencing and I’m proud that I can walk with the people of HK in this road for democracy,” former lawmaker Lee Cheuk-yan said outside court ahead of the hearing.”We’ll walk together through the storm even in darkness.”Lee was sentenced to 12 months in jail.Lee and Jimmy Lai had pleaded guilty to taking part in another illegal assembly on Aug. 31, 2019.The maximum penalty is five years in prison and the sentencings are also expected to be delivered on Friday afternoon.The rallies in 2019 often descended into clashes between riot police and a knot of hardcore participants and posed the most concerted challenge to China’s rule since the former British colony’s 1997 handover.Since then, authorities have unleashed a broad crackdown, with the imposition of a sweeping security law that criminalizes much dissent and passed a radical overhaul of the city’s electoral system.
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