washington — U.S. engagement in Southeast Asia, especially Myanmar, can advance America’s national security, economic interests and broader strategic goals in countering China’s expanding influence, foreign policy analysts say.

When U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio appeared before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in January, he pledged that under President Donald Trump, the State Department’s top priority would be the United States.

In a subsequent policy statement, Rubio argued for a pragmatic foreign policy that makes America more secure, “stronger and more prosperous.”

Some analysts say this approach should address the Asia-Pacific, particularly Myanmar, where Chinese influence has grown since the 2021 military coup. Under isolation and conflict, the ruling junta relies on Beijing for economic and military support.

Southeast Asia focus

With Rubio overseeing foreign policy, some experts see an opening for Washington to revamp its approach in Myanmar as part of a broader Indo-Pacific strategy.

Hunter Marston, a researcher at the Australian National University, said Rubio recognizes Myanmar’s strategic importance in the U.S.-China rivalry.

“I do think there’s the possibility that the State Department will have some high-level interest in Myanmar,” Marston said. “This could be an opportunity, as I’ve argued in my commentaries for the Stimson Center, to review existing policy, assess its failures and explore adjustments that could make U.S. engagement in Southeast Asia more effective.”

Zachary Abuza, a Southeast Asia security expert at the National War College, said Myanmar is central to the U.S.-China competition.

“Southeast Asia is where the United States and China compete most directly, and this is, in particular, true in Myanmar,” he said.

Abuza noted Myanmar’s location at the South and Southeast Asia crossroads, which is critical for regional security and economic stability. He warned that China’s expanding presence in Rakhine State, including deep-sea ports, raises security concerns.

“If there’s ever a military conflict with China over Taiwan, for example, the oil and gas pipelines that supply Kunming will be very important,” he said.

He added that China and Russia leverage Myanmar to project power in the Indian Ocean.

“We do not want the Chinese to build up or have access to ports in Rakhine,” Abuza said. “We would like the Russians not to be able to pull into Yangon port.”

Rare earth elements

Abuza highlighted Myanmar’s rare earth elements, which are crucial for high-tech industries.

“China has a near monopoly, maybe not in mining anymore, but in reprocessing,” he said. “This is an absolute national security threat to the United States.”

He cited data indicating China obtains about 40% of its rare earths from Kachin State. The International Energy Agency reports that Myanmar’s share of global rare earth production rose from 0.2% to 14% from 2015 to 2023.

Global Witness, an organization that investigates human rights and environmental abuses, says China’s imports from Myanmar hit $1.4 billion in 2023, and China controls 90% of global rare earth processing in the world.

China’s growing foothold

Since the 2021 coup, the junta’s reliance on China has grown as international sanctions isolate Myanmar.

“China has expanded its foothold in influence in the country,” Marston said, noting that ethnic armed groups also recognize Beijing’s interests.

A Pacific Forum paper found that China prioritized the Rakhine State for its Belt and Road Initiative, tapping natural resources and access to the Bay of Bengal.

Nyunt Than, president of the Burmese American Democratic Alliance, said Myanmar’s strategic role extends beyond infrastructure and shapes China’s broader regional ambitions.

“Another key issue is China’s internal economic disparity,” he said. “While coastal regions are highly developed, the inland areas lag significantly behind.”

Nyunt Than explained that Beijing aims to turn Yunnan province into a major transportation and trade hub for Southeast Asia, including plans for a high-speed railway connecting Kunming to the region.

US regional focus

Marston argued that the U.S. reluctance to back Myanmar’s resistance — fearful of provoking China — has enabled Beijing’s advancement there.

“China has incrementally expanded its influence and presence in the country, regardless of U.S. policy,” he said.

At his January confirmation hearing, Rubio underscored ASEAN’s strategic role. On his first day as secretary of state, he met with Quad partners — India, Japan and Australia — to counter China’s influence.

Activists like Nyunt Than see this as proof that Washington values the region’s strategic importance.

“From Rubio’s remarks and how he views ASEAN, it is evident that U.S. policymakers understand Myanmar’s significance,” he said.

Experts, including Abuza, are optimistic that Rubio’s regional knowledge could lead to a more robust U.S. policy.

“I think Secretary of State Rubio has a very good understanding of Southeast Asia,” Abuza said.

“He is well aware of what communist governments are capable of and willing to do to advance their interests,” Abuza said, citing Rubio’s Cuban American background.

Marston concurred that Washington should engage more stakeholders, including ethnic armed groups seeking a federal democracy, because China’s involvement will persist regardless of U.S. policy.

“China is going to be involved whether or not the U.S. is active in Myanmar,” he said.
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Kazakhstan is cooperating with the United States on ensuring nuclear and biological security. As part of this cooperation, a laboratory for studying extremely dangerous infections has been built in Kazakhstan. This center is mainly engaged in medical and biological research. However, the Russian press continues to spread disinformation about the research. 

Click here for the full story in Uzbek. 
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WARSAW, POLAND — South Korea and Poland signed a cooperation agreement on Wednesday as the democratic allies increasingly find themselves united by concerns about the global security situation despite the vast geographical distance between them. 

Foreign ministers Cho Tae-yul of South Korea and Poland’s Radek Sikorski signed an action plan which outlines their relations in the areas of politics, economy, defense and culture through 2028. 

“We both reaffirmed that there is a need to further strengthen our cooperation for transregional security cooperation, encompassing both Europe and the Indo-Pacific within the framework of the NATO-IP4 partnership,” said Cho, referring to NATO’s partnership with allies in the Indo-Pacific region, South Korea, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. 

South Korea and Poland have been strategic partners since 2013, with South Korea in recent years becoming a major supplier of weapons as NATO member Poland carries out a massive investment program to modernize its armed forces. 

“Poland is the largest recipient of Korean military equipment worldwide, and we would like to further develop this cooperation with the prospect of relocating production and technology transfer to Poland,” Sikorski told reporters. “Poland can also serve as a hub for further promotion of Korean military equipment in Europe and for the rebuilding of Ukraine.” 

The two nations share concerns about the situation in Ukraine, which lies on Poland’s eastern border and has sent jitters across NATO’s eastern flank. 

South Korea and Poland, along with other European allies, have also been concerned about North Korea’s support for Russia in the war, including its dispatch of North Korean soldiers to fight alongside the Russians. Seoul worries that Russia could reward North Korea with transfers of sensitive technology to enhance its nuclear and missile programs. 

Cho told a news briefing that his country is launching an assistance package of over $2 billion, building on $400 million provided to Ukraine last year, “to address Ukraine’s urgent needs in energy, infrastructure, health care and education.” 

Sikorski and Cho also discussed expanding access to Polish food products in the South Korean market. 

“Poland is now Korea’s fifth largest trading partner within the EU (European Union), and Korea has become the largest Asian investor in Poland as of 2024. This is a testament to the trust and potential both nations see in each other’s economic future,” Cho said.
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China on Wednesday set its economic growth target at 5%. That figure is unchanged from last year, despite mounting economic challenges, including escalating trade tensions with the United States. More from VOA’s Bill Gallo in Seoul.
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SYDNEY — Australia braced for a rare east coast tropical cyclone that is swirling toward Brisbane, its third-most populous city, with authorities urging residents in flood-prone suburbs to evacuate soon.

Storm warnings on Wednesday stretched for more than 500 kilometers across the coast in the states of Queensland and New South Wales, impacting millions of people.

Destructive wind gusts of up to 155 kph could develop from Thursday afternoon and tropical cyclone Alfred is expected to land as a Category 2 storm early on Friday morning near Brisbane, Queensland’s capital.

Total rainfall from the event could be as much as 800 mm in some regions, more than the average total for March and could cause life-threatening flash flooding, the Bureau of Meteorology said.

“This is a very rare event for southeast Queensland. … It has been many decades since this part of the state experienced (a cyclone),” Queensland Premier David Crisafulli told reporters.

He called on residents to heed evacuation orders.

“If you are in a storm tide zone or you’re in an area where you know there is riverine flooding, you really need to consider and think about your evacuation plan now,” Crisafulli said.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said heavy-lift helicopters have been deployed and offered to “provide whatever resources are required” for the state governments.

Many residents have left their homes as authorities rush to open evacuation centers. Sandbags are in short supply and supermarket shelves have been stripped bare as people stock up on essentials.

Southeast Queensland and northern New South Wales were last hit by a cyclone more than half a century ago in 1974. The last time a cyclone threatened Brisbane was in 1990, but the system tracked south just before reaching the city.

Schools in southeast Queensland will close and public transport will shut down on Thursday and Friday.

A total of 122 schools in the north of New South Wales will be closed on Wednesday and Thursday, and vulnerable residents will be urged to relocate by Thursday morning, New South Wales Premier Chris Minns said.

“We need to bunker down over the next 48 hours and get through what may be a very difficult time,” he told reporters.

Qantas said it had canceled a number of flights from southeast Queensland and northern New South Wales, and more were likely over the coming days.

The Ladies European Tour co-sanctioned WPGA Championship event was called off and the Australian Football League has postponed two matches in southern Queensland.
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U.S. President Donald Trump signed an “America First” investment policy memorandum last week, pledging to “use all necessary legal instruments” to restrict China-affiliated investors from strategic sectors in the U.S.

The news has sparked concern among Chinese companies listed in the U.S., who could face a potential new round of auditing standards review, and those who want to come to the U.S. market.

Click here for the full story in Mandarin.

 
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PESHAWAR, PAKISTAN — Attackers launched two suicide bombings to breach a wall at a military base in northwestern Pakistan while others stormed the compound and were repelled in violence that killed at least nine people and injured 25, officials and a local hospital said.

A group affiliated with the Pakistani Taliban militant group claimed responsibility for the attack in Bannu, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, and said dozens of Pakistani security forces were killed. The military did not immediately confirm any casualties, but Bannu District Hospital said at least nine people were dead.

Plumes of gray smoke rose into the air and gunshots continued after the two explosions, police officer Zahid Khan said. Four of those killed were children, hospital officials said. The victims lived close to the scene of the blasts.

The two suicide bombers blew themselves up near the wall of the sprawling military area, a security official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters.

“After a breach in the wall, five to six more attackers attempted to enter the cantonment but were eliminated. Operations in the area are still ongoing,” the security official said.

The blasts happened after sunset, when people would have been breaking their fast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Jaish Al-Fursan claimed responsibility for the attack, the third militant assault in Pakistan since Ramadan started Sunday. In a statement, the group said the source of the blasts were explosive-laden vehicles.

Militants have targeted Bannu several times. Last November, a suicide car bomb killed 12 troops and wounded several others at a security post.

In July, a suicide bomber detonated his explosives-laden vehicle and other militants opened fire near the outer wall of the military facility.
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JAKARTA — Thousands of people were evacuated in Indonesia’s capital Jakarta on Tuesday after floods swamped the region, officials said, with heavy rain expected to continue until next week. 

Torrential rain since Monday has triggered floods of up to 3 meters (9.8 feet) in and around Jakarta, the country’s disaster agency said in a statement, blocking some roads and submerging over 1,000 houses and many cars. 

Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung raised the alert level to the second highest of the critical stages, calling on the local government to activate water pumps to extract water from flooded areas and conduct weather modification operations — which typically includes shooting salt flares into clouds to trigger rain before they reach land. 

Local media reported floodwaters also swamped a hospital in the eastern town of Bekasi, with water entering some wards, forcing the evacuation of patients to other buildings, while other parts of the hospital were hit by power outages. 

Rescuers on rubber boats sailed through thigh-high water to evacuate residents that had been trapped in floods since 4 a.m. (2100 GMT) at a housing complex in Bekasi, Reuters reporters said.  

The country’s weather agency warned that heavy rain is forecast to hit the capital and surrounding cities until March 11. 

“We need to be alert. … But hopefully the weather modification could reduce rainfall,” said the agency’s head Dwikorita Karnawati.  

Sri Suyatni, 50, said she did not have time to collect her belongings before evacuating and her entire house was submerged in flood water.  

“I hope the floods will soon recede,” she said. 

The government has started building temporary shelters and distributing foods, clothes, and medications for the evacuees, said social affairs minister Saifullah Yusuf. 

Residents were also evacuated to schools, mosques and churches.  

The Greater Jakarta metropolitan area, home to more than 30 million people, is regularly hit by floods. But several local media reported the current situation, particularly in Bekasi, was the worst since 2020. 

Floods killed 60 in Jakarta in 2020, following the heaviest one-day rainfall since records began in 1866. 
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TOKYO — Firefighters were Tuesday battling Japan’s worst wildfire in half a century, which has left one dead and forced the evacuation of nearly 4,000 local residents.

White smoke billowed from a forested area around the northern city of Ofunato, aerial TV footage showed, five days after the blaze began after record-low rainfall.

The fire also follows Japan’s hottest summer on record last year, as climate change pushes up temperatures worldwide.

As of Tuesday morning, the wildfire had engulfed around 2,600 hectares, the fire and disaster management agency said — over seven times the area of New York’s Central Park.

That makes it Japan’s largest wildfire since 1975 when 2,700 hectares burnt in Kushiro on northern Hokkaido island.

It is estimated to have damaged at least 80 buildings by Sunday, although details were still being assessed, the agency said.

Military and fire department helicopters are trying to douse the Ofunato fire, a city official told reporters.

“At the moment, there is no indication that the fire is under control,” the official said.

Snow is expected overnight, changing to rain, but the official said he could not say whether it would help extinguish the blaze.

“The poor weather may prevent helicopters from dropping water,” he warned.

Around 2,000 firefighters — most deployed from other parts of the country, including Tokyo — are working from the air and ground in the area in Iwate region, which was hard-hit by a deadly tsunami in 2011.

An evacuation advisory has been issued to around 4,600 people, of whom 3,939 have left their homes to seek shelter, according to the municipality.

The number of wildfires in Japan has declined since its 1970s peak, but the country saw about 1,300 in 2023, concentrated in February to April when the air dries and winds pick up.

‘No rain’

Ofunato had just 2.5 millimeters of rainfall in February — breaking the previous record-low for the month, of 4.4 millimeters in 1967, and below the usual average of 41 millimeters.

Since Friday, “there has been no rain — or very little, if any” in Ofunato, a local weather agency official told AFP.

Some types of extreme weather have a well-established link with climate change, such as heatwaves or heavy rainfall.

Other phenomena like droughts, snowstorms, tropical storms and forest fires can result from a combination of complex factors.

Some companies have been affected by the wildfire, such as Taiheiyo Cement, which told AFP its Ofunato plant has suspended operations for several days because part of its premises is in the evacuation advisory zone.

Ofunato-based confectionery company Saitoseika warned that “if our headquarters or plants become a no-go zone, we may need to halt production,” describing the situation as “tense.”

Japanese baseball prodigy Roki Sasaki — who recently joined the Los Angeles Dodgers in the U.S. — has offered a $67,000 donation and 500 sets of bedding, Ofunato city’s official account posted on X.

Sasaki was a high school student there, after losing his father and grandparents in the huge 2011 tsunami.
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The Russia- Ukraine war has disrupted the existing system of trade and economic relations in region, with sanctions in Russia causing Central Asia to look for alternative trade routes.

Experts say that the Middle Corridor, which runs through Kazakhstan- Caucasus- Turkey to Europe, is becoming a safe, uncontested option for Central Asia in the current conditions.

Click here for the full story in Uzbek.

 
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TOKYO — Japan is fighting a forest fire that has damaged dozens of homes and forced hundreds of residents to evacuate in a northeastern coastal city.

The fire has burned about 2,100 hectares (5,190 acres) of forest in Ofunato since it started Wednesday, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency.

The agency said at least 84 homes have been damaged, and over 1,200 people evacuated. The fire has subsided in some areas. More than 2,000 troops and firefighters have been deployed from across the country.

A man was found dead on a road Thursday, and authorities are examining if the death was linked to the fire, the agency said.

The northeastern regions, including Ofunato, have had their driest winter since 1946, when the Japan Meteorological Agency started collecting data.
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Prison authorities in Myanmar are accused of subjecting a jailed journalist to abuse after he exposed human rights violations in the prison, according to his employer.

Sai Zaw Thaike, a photojournalist for the independent news agency Myanmar Now, is imprisoned in Insein Prison, a facility with a dire record of rights abuses.

He and the two other prisoners, Thet Hnin Aung and Naing Win, have been subjected to physical and mental abuse every day since January, according to Myanmar Now.

The inmates are beaten daily, Myanmar Now reported.

The abuse is believed to be in retaliation to Sai Zaw Thaike and the others informing visiting National Human Rights Commission representatives that prison staff were violating the human rights of other prisoners, Myanmar Now reported, citing sources inside the prison.

The junta-appointed National Human Rights Commission has a mandate to monitor and protect the rights of Myanmar’s people.

A committee of the nonpartisan Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions in 2024, however, recommended suspending the commission from its membership over complaints, including over its independence.

Myanmar Now has said that it believes the action against its photojournalist is also punishment for his leaking information to news outlets while detained, and for his reporting about the military before his arrest.

Myanmar’s military did not immediately reply to VOA’s request for comment.

Sai Zaw Thaike was arrested in May 2023 and later that year sentenced to 20 years in prison for sedition.

He is one of dozens of journalists to have been detained since the military seized power in a February 2021 coup.

The military, known as the Tatmadaw, has sought to control media through jailings, revoking broadcast licenses and blocking access to internet, watchdogs say. The harsh environment for media resulted in some news outlets closing and many journalists and their operations moving into exile.

The U.S.-based Committee to Protect Journalists, or CPJ, called on Myanmar’s military to halt the abuse.

“Myanmar’s junta must identify and hold to account those responsible for assaulting journalist Sai Zaw Thaike,” CPJ’s senior Southeast Asia representative Shawn Crispin said in a statement.

“This type of abuse is cruel and grotesque,” Crispin said, adding that the military “must stop jailing and abusing journalists now.”

VOA was unable to independently verify the reports of abuse. However, rights groups have long documented torture in Myanmar custody. Former inmates at Insein Prison have reported beatings, burns and electrical shocks being administered.

In 2022, a journalist with the independent news outlet Frontier Myanmar said he was beaten and raped by regime soldiers while detained.

Myanmar ranks third worst in the world in terms of journalist jailings, according to CPJ, with 35 behind bars for their work as of December. Among them is a contributor to VOA’s Burmese service.

The country ranks 171 out of 180 countries on the World Press Freedom Index, where 1 shows the best media freedom environment.

Some information in this report came from The Associated Press.
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Islamabad — China is ramping up cooperation with Pakistan in space exploration, but experts say Islamabad must develop its own strengths if it aims to benefit from Beijing.

Pakistan’s Space & Upper Atmosphere Research Commission, or SUPARCO, and China Manned Space Agency, or CMSA, announced Friday they will train Pakistan’s first astronaut for a mission aboard Chinese space station Tiangong.

The agreement comes just weeks after the two sides announced China’s Chang’e-8 moon lander mission in 2028 will carry a Pakistani rover.

Last year, China put Pakistan into the moon’s orbit taking the first Pakistani lunar satellite ICUBE-Q, aboard its historic Chiang’e 6 mission, designed to retrieve samples from the little explored far side of the moon.

Weeks later, Beijing put another Pakistani communication satellite into orbit.

Picking Pakistan

The latest agreement makes Pakistan the first country with an astronaut to work at Tiangong.

Experts say picking Pakistan as the first guest for China’s space station is not surprising as Islamabad hosts the flagship project of China’s global Belt and Road infrastructure initiative. The multibillion-dollar program includes a plethora of investment projects aimed at extending Beijing’s influence, especially in the developing world.

“In this kind of increased polarization of interest in the world, China, both politically and also from the technological point of view, is trying to be the front-runner of, we can say, the Global South,” said Carlo Iorio, director of the Center for Research and Engineering in Space Technology at the Free University of Brussels.

“So, it’s quite straightforward to think that one of the possible first candidates to be granted to use the Chinese Space Station could have been Pakistani astronauts or an astronaut,” Iorio told VOA.

Last October, China announced a 25-year plan outlining its ambitious vision for space exploration.

It includes Beijing’s goals of searching for extraterrestrial life, exploring Mars, Venus, and Jupiter, sending space crews to the moon and building an international lunar research station.

“Pakistan’s participation in the China Space Station program reflects the deep-rooted ties between the two countries,” said Lin Xiqiang, director general of CMSA, according to the Pakistani statement.

Lin was quoted as saying Pakistan’s inclusion “will contribute to mutual knowledge-sharing and the broader vision of peaceful space exploration for the benefit of humanity.”

Equal footing

Collaboration with China opens access to a treasure trove of technical knowledge and expertise for Pakistan as Beijing has managed the world’s first soft landing and roving on the far side of the moon and landed a rover on Mars.

“They have capabilities to indigenously design and develop satellites and launches for all types of applications,” said Amer Gilani, secretary of the Pakistan Human Spaceflight Cooperation at SUPARCO about China’s capabilities.

“Pakistan wants to achieve self-reliance in design and development of satellites for remote sensing, communication, deep space exploration, lunar missions,” Gilani told VOA in written comments. “With collaboration with China our space ambitions can progress much better.”

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif hailed the latest space collaboration as “a defining moment in the nation’s space journey,” but experts say the nuclear-armed country will benefit from the collaboration only if it becomes an equal partner.

“What I want to see is cooperation on equal footing,” said Yarjan Abdul Samad, assistant professor of aerospace engineering at Khalifa University in UAE.

Samad, who is also affiliated with the University of Cambridge, said that while Pakistan may not be able to contribute equally now, it should aim to do so in the near future.

“If you go on these projects and you are just on the receiving end and you get services, what you asked for, then your technological development is very limited,” Samad told VOA.

Chinese edge

The International Space Station, or ISS, and China’s Tiangong are currently the only two space stations orbiting Earth.

Managed by a partnership among 15 countries, the ISS is set to be retired in 2030.

Elon Musk, the owner of SpaceX and special advisor to U.S. President Donald Trump, recently called for deorbiting the ISS soon in favor of missions to Mars.

As the market for commercial space exploration expands, Iorio said, that leaves China’s Tiangong as the only official government-based space station for further experiments and other activities for years to come.

While this makes collaborating with China attractive for developing countries, Samad said Pakistan should consider more than national pride when putting an astronaut into space.

Sending a Pakistani into space will only make sense, Samad said, if they will “assist in carrying out work which is not possible with unmanned vehicles and which is not possible in ground conditions and which is helping us in finding solutions to technological problems.”

SUPARCO has said the mission will involve “cutting-edge scientific experiments in various fields, including biological and medical sciences, aerospace, applied physics, fluid mechanics, space radiation, ecology, material sciences, microgravity studies, and astronomy.”

Despite receiving more than $25 billion in Chinese loans and investments for energy and infrastructure projects as part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, Pakistan is yet to turn its economy around. Experts largely blame governance issues.

Iorio warned that Pakistan must strengthen its technology landscape or risk losing some of its brightest.

“Without supporting research in the country, [it] will drain more talent towards foreign nations, including China,” the Brussels-based expert said.

For now, Pakistanis have an exciting opportunity ahead of them as SUPARCO searches for the country’s first astronaut.

The criteria?

“Pakistan will select astronauts from Pakistani citizens with background suited for astronauts which could be flying, medical fitness, physical fitness, psychological fitness, research/analytical skills, and high qualifications etc.,” Gilani told VOA. “Hopefully [we] will be able to get good candidates.”
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BANGKOK — The head of Myanmar’s military government arrived in Russia on Monday on an official visit to a major ally of the Southeast Asian nation that has been shunned by much of the West for overthrowing a democratically elected government and subsequent brutal repression. 

Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, who landed in Moscow on Monday and was greeted by a military orchestra on the tarmac, will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The general is accompanied by fellow members of the ruling military council and Cabinet, as well as military officials, state television MRTV reported. 

The report said Min Aung Hlaing will also meet with other top Russian officials and discuss bilateral ties, economic affairs and security with the aim to strengthen strategic cooperation. 

Russia, along with China, is a major supporter and arms supplier of Myanmar’s military government. Russian-made fighter jets are used in attacks on territory under the control of ethnic minority groups, many of which are allies with pro-democracy resistance forces. 

Russia defends Myanmar’s military government in international forums, and the ruling generals generally support Moscow’s foreign policy agenda. 

Western nations have ostracized Myanmar’s ruling military and imposed economic and political sanctions against them because of their takeover and violent repression of opposition, which has led to the deaths of thousands of civilians and given rise to an armed conflict widely seen as a civil war. 

The trip is Min Aung Hlaing’s fourth to Russia since his army seized power in February 2021 from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. His one known previous meeting with Putin was on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum held in the eastern Russian city of Vladivostok in September 2022. 

Russia and Myanmar have also held joint military drills and signed a pact on developing nuclear power. Myanmar’s military government is planning to allow general laborers to go to Russia for work.
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Bangkok — Thailand is studying the idea of building a wall on part of its border with Cambodia to prevent illegal crossings, its government said on Monday, as a multi-national effort to dismantle a sprawling network of illicit scam centers mounts.

The crackdown is widening against scam centers responsible for using the internet to contact potential victims and carrying out massive financial fraud out of Southeast Asia, especially those on Thailand’s porous borders with Myanmar and Cambodia, where hundreds of thousands of people have been trafficked by criminal gangs in recent years, according to the United Nations.

At the weekend, Thai police received 119 Thai nationals from Cambodian authorities after a raid in the town of Poipet, pulled more than 215 people out from a scam compound.

“If it is done, how will it be done? What results and how will it solve problems? This is a study,” Thai government spokesperson Jirayu Houngsub said of the wall proposal, without specifying its length.

A spokesperson for Cambodia’s government declined to comment on the wall proposal. Its foreign ministry spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Thailand and Cambodia share a border of 817 kilometers. The Thai defense ministry has previously proposed a wall to block off a 55 kilometer natural crossing between Thailand’s Sa Kaeo province and Poipet, which at present is only protected by razor wire.

Telecom fraud centers have been operating for years in Southeast Asia, ensnaring people of multiple countries, as far away as West Africa.

They have faced heightened scrutiny after the rescue in January of Chinese actor, Wang Xing, who was lured to Thailand with the promise of a job before being abducted and taken to a scam center in Myanmar.

In Myanmar’s Myawaddy, more than 7,000 foreigners – mostly from China – are waiting to cross into Thailand, which is coordinating with embassies to try to streamline their repatriations.

Hundreds of foreigners pulled out of the compounds are in limbo, in squalid conditions in a militia camp in Myanmar, and are struggling to secure a route home, according to some detainees. A top Thai lawmaker last week said the crackdown is insufficient, estimating 300,000 people have been operating in compounds in Myawaddy alone.
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BEIJING — China’s factory activity grew at a faster pace in February, driven by stronger supply and demand, including a rebound in export orders, a private-sector survey showed on Monday, partly due to seasonal factors related to the holiday period.

The Caixin/S&P Global manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index, or PMI, rose to 50.8 in February, from 50.1 the previous month, marking a three-month high and beating analysts’ forecasts in a Reuters poll of 50.3. The 50-mark separates growth from contraction.

The PMI offers a snapshot of operating conditions in the manufacturing sector.

The positive trend in the Caixin survey aligned with an official PMI for China released over the weekend, that showed manufacturing activity expanding at the fastest pace in three months.

“The holiday period saw robust consumption momentum, and technological innovations in certain industries added to the positive sentiment, helping sustain the manufacturing market recovery,” said Wang Zhe, economist at Caixin Insight Group.

Factory production in China accelerated in February from the previous month, while total new orders increased at the quickest pace in three months. New export orders increased at their fastest pace since April last year.

However, manufacturers faced rising input costs, particularly for materials like copper and various chemicals, putting pressure on profit margins.

To mitigate these challenges, factory owners focused on cost-cutting. Employment in the sector continued to decline, and output prices remained subdued, reflecting weak pricing power.

Despite these pressures, business sentiment improved from January, buoyed by signs of recovering domestic demand and expectations of additional government support for the economy.

China’s GDP officially grew 5% last year, reaching the government’s target, largely due to extensive government stimulus measures. But the economy has been grappling with challenges including a faltering property market, weakening domestic demand and rising trade tensions.

Trump on Thursday said he would slap an extra 10% duty on Chinese goods on March 4, on top of the 10% tariff that he levied on February 4, worsening the trade outlook.

Wang Zhe emphasized the importance of timely policy support, saying “March represents a critical policy window. Supportive measures should address market expectations and societal concerns, focusing on key economic bottlenecks.”

 
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Sydney — A Lithuanian rower was rescued from storm-tossed seas off Australia on Monday after paddling into a tropical cyclone while trying to cross the Pacific Ocean alone.  

An Australian navy vessel plucked long-distance rower Aurimas Mockus from the Coral Sea, where Tropical Cyclone Alfred on Monday was whipping up 100-kilometer (60-mile) per hour winds and seven-meter (20-foot) swells.

Mockus first activated his emergency beacon Friday evening, enduring three nights at sea as the looming cyclone hampered rescue efforts.  

Vice Admiral Justin Jones said Mockus — who has used the attempt to drum up support for Ukraine’s war effort — was safely on board and undergoing medical checks.  

“The ship is on its way back to Australian shores,” said the Australian Maritime Safety Authority in a statement.  

Aerial photos taken before the rescue showed his modified rowboat bobbing on white-capped waves in a turbulent, dark ocean.  

Mockus fell just short of his goal to row 12,000 kilometers (7,500 miles) across the Pacific Ocean from the United States to Australia.  

He started the grueling journey in September 2024, according to his website.  

Tropical Cyclone Alfred is forecast to bring damaging waves and strong winds as it moves toward Australia’s eastern coast later this week, the government weather bureau said.
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Dehradun, India — Rescuers recovered the eighth and final body from the site of an avalanche in a remote area of northern India, the army said Sunday, marking the end of a marathon operation in sub-zero temperatures.

More than 50 workers were submerged under snow and debris after the avalanche hit a construction camp Friday near Mana village on the border with Tibet in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand.

Authorities had revised down the number of workers on site at the time of the avalanche from 55 to 54 after one worker, previously believed to be buried, was found to have safely made his way home before the avalanche hit.

The army used a drone-based detection system to assist in its search operations.

Multiple drones and a rescue dog were also employed.

Construction worker Anil, who only gave his first name, recalled his rescue hours after being buried by the avalanche.

“It was if God’s angels had come to save us,” Anil, who is in his late 20s, told AFP on Sunday by phone from his hospital bed.

“The way we were engulfed in snow, we had no hope of surviving.”

Being alive now felt “like a dream,” he said.

Not all made it

Working on a project by the Border Roads Organization, the workers were living on site in steel containers considered stronger than tents and capable of withstanding harsh weather.

Anil said many workers were fast asleep and a few others were in makeshift toilets when the avalanche struck around 6 a.m. local time Friday.

As the ground beneath them shook, the container in which Anil and his colleagues were in began to slide down.

“At first we did not understand what was happening but when we looked out of the window of the containers, we saw piles of snow all around,” he said.

“The roof of the containers was also slowly bending inwards.”

Everyone started screaming for help and a few men were lucky to get out of their containers.

“But not all of them made it out and they remained trapped,” he said.

Like thunder

His colleague Vipan Kumar thought “this was the end” when he found himself unable to move as he struggled for air under the thick layer of snow.

“I heard a loud roar, like thunder … before I could react, everything went dark,” he told the Times of India newspaper.

At an altitude of more than 3,200 meters (10,500 feet), minimum temperatures in the area were down to minus 12 degrees Celsius (10 degrees Fahrenheit).

Dhan Singh Bisht said his son and nephew were alive only because of the prompt action by the relief teams.

“I am grateful to them,” an overwhelmed Bisht told AFP by phone Saturday.

Avalanches and landslides are common in the upper reaches of the Himalayas, especially during the winter season.

Scientists say climate change is making weather events more severe, while the increased pace of development in the fragile Himalayan regions has also heightened fears about the fallout from deforestation and construction.

In 2021, nearly 100 people died in Uttarakhand after a huge glacier chunk fell into a river, triggering flash floods.

And devastating monsoon floods and landslides in 2013 killed 6,000 people and led to calls for a review of development projects in the state. 
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China’s State Administration for Market Regulation and five other departments issued the “Three-Year Action Plan for Optimizing the Consumer Environment (2025-2027).” It states that in implementing the action to optimize consumer order, they will continue to carry out special actions to regulate the internet market and crack down on illegal activities, such as traffic fraud, order manipulation, vulgar sales, and illegal advertising in the internet market.

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Freedom House, like other human rights organizations, considers Central Asia to be a region far from democracy. According to the report, none of the Central Asian republics allow political competition; there is no opposition, and therefore, elections are unfair and undemocratic; parliaments and courts are not independent; presidents are autocratic.

Regional analysts are concerned about that and human rights in Central Asia.

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The public spat Friday between U.S. President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, at the White House has triggered European solidarity for Ukraine. Barring Hungary, major European powers led by Germany and France have thrown their weight behind Kyiv, calling it the victim of Russian aggression, while promising sustained support to the war-torn country. Experts say rising tensions in the transatlantic relationship would benefit one country – the People’s Republic of China. They argue that recent developments provide Beijing with an opportunity to make inroads in Europe.

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NEW DELHI — China is in the midst of a sweeping anti-corruption campaign that has seen a growing number of high-ranking military officials removed from their posts. The campaign has been so expansive that when China hosts the Two Sessions next week – Beijing’s biggest political event of the year – more than a dozen military officials will not be able to attend.

In late February, just days before the Two Sessions begin on March 4, authorities in China announced that Tan Ruisong, former chairman of the state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China, or AVIC, was the latest target of the government’s anti-corruption campaign. AVIC is a major defense contractor and aircraft manufacturer that is on Fortune’s Global 500 list. The anti-graft watchdog, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), said Tan took huge bribes and “lived off the military sector.”

There has been no public response from Tan or AVIC.

Analysts say the purges are part of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s efforts to ensure personal loyalty towards himself within the rank and file of the People’s Liberation Army, or PLA, and less about corruption. More than 14 senior officials have been punished in the past two years.

There have been several reports that China’s Defense Minister Dong Jun, a naval officer, may have been put under investigation, although the Foreign Ministry previously denied that was the case late last year. Analysts say they will be watching closely to see if Dong attends the Two Sessions meetings next week.

China’s leader has also fired General Li Yuchao, the head of the PLA’s Rocket Force unit — which is responsible for the country’s rocket and missile systems — as well as his deputy. Those sacked are part of the ongoing second wave of disciplinary actions that have included four generals, eight lieutenant generals and two major generals. At least three more aerospace defense executives have been expelled from China’s top political advisory body.

In his remarks to senior military leaders last June, Xi was clear about the intention of the crackdown.

“We must uphold the party’s absolute leadership over the military,” he said, adding that “the gun barrel must always be grasped by people who are loyal and reliable to the party.”

Xi’s remarks echoed a phrase that Communist Party’s founder Mao Zedong coined, “political power grows out of the barrel of a gun.”

Some see the ongoing anti-corruption campaign as a sign of political struggle within the party.

“Purges are likely a manifestation of growing challenges against Xi by other party leaders. Those military leaders suspected to be less loyal to Xi are likely to be subjected to pre-emptive removal,” Yoichiro Sato, a professor at the College of Asia Pacific Studies in Japan’s Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, told VOA.

“Corruption in the military is nothing new. Corruption charges are a tool of Xi for going after potential challengers to his rule,” he said.

The anti-corruption drive is also causing a good amount of political confusion because the targets include those regarded to be close to Xi. They included Miao Hua, who held one of China’s most powerful positions as a member of the Central Military Commission and was head of its Political Work Department.

Two consecutive ministers of defense, Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu, also were removed and punished in 2023. Li was removed while in office, and Wei after he had stepped down.

Wei served as China’s Defense Minister from March 2018 to March 2023. Before that, he was the commander of the PLA Rocket Force.

Miao’s suspension showed that the drive had expanded to the Political Work Department, which acts as the Communist Party’s eyes and ears within the military force. Previously, the anti-corruption campaign concentrated on military departments involved in defense procurement like the Rocket Force unit and the Equipment Development Department, which are regarded as hotbeds of corruption.

Analysts say the purges may further strengthen Xi’s position, but they may have negative implications for China as well. They would not just affect the military’s morale but could also hamper its ability to fulfil the party’s plans to take over Taiwan.

“If Xi cannot be sure that the PLA would be able to prevail in the case of a conflict, he is less likely to take on the risks that an operation against Taiwan or in the South China Sea, for example, would entail,” said Helena Legarda, lead analyst at the Berlin-based Mercator Institute of China Studies. “In the short run, and at least while this second anti-corruption drive takes place, Beijing’s appetite for initiating an open conflict might be reduced.”

Rocket Force hit hard

Xi has himself raised questions about the PLA’s ability to accomplish essential functions of a modern mission command and accused it of suffering from “peace disease,” said Roy Kamphausen, senior fellow for Chinese security at the Washington-based National Bureau of Asian Research.

“The decade-long campaign against corruption in the PLA has had a negative impact on morale and thus ability to accomplish its missions, despite technological advances,” Kamphausen told VOA. “All of this suggests that whatever inclination Xi might have to take Taiwan by force is reduced,” he said.

The Rocket Force – which would play a critical role in a potential Taiwan conflict – has been hit hard by anti-corruption purges, Mohan Malik, a non-resident fellow at the Washington-based Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies, told VOA.

“Morale and capability suffer when leaders skim off the top or push subpar gear. This suggests the PLA may be less effective than it appears on paper, even as China fields advanced missiles, stealth fighters, and an expanding navy,” he said.

Xi cannot permit dissenting generals to continue in crucial positions because of the evolving international situation and the potential for a future global conflict, said Evan Ellis, a Latin America research professor at the U.S. Army War College.

“Xi is conscious that he will have to call on the PLA in a global war with the U.S. in the not distant future. It is vital that he eliminate any risk of dissent or challenge to his political authority on the military,” Ellis told VOA. 
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A Tajik national has been arrested in New York on charges of conspiring to provide material support to Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) and the Islamic State-Khorasan Province (ISIS-K), possessing firearms while unlawfully in the United States and immigration fraud.

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A new gallery at the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Virginia features the stories and experiences of U.S. Marines who served in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. From Triangle, Virginia, VOA’s Noshaba Ashna has the story, narrated by Bezhan Hamdard. Roshan Noorzai contributed to this story. Camera: Hoshang Fahim
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