ASEAN News

The Chinese Coast Guard ships extended their stays near the Senkaku Island region which led Japan to lodge formal diplomatic objections. Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya said on Monday that China’s maritime expansion near the disputed islands is rapidly intensifying to create more international political instability. The ships stayed 92 hours inside Japanese waters for the first time since Japan acquired …

Samsung Electronics CO-CEO  Han Jong-hee has passed away suddenly after suffering a heart attack, as announced Tuesday. The sudden demise has put the South Korean tech giant through a transition with new CEO, Jun Young-hyun, sashaying into the leadership role alone. The leadership was changed at a time very crucial as the company was working on revamping its poorly performing …

Vice Premier of China, He Lifeng, met business executives at Apple Pfizer and Mastercard on Sunday to discuss trade solutions with the US. As Beijing seeks outside business during its economic slump it brings leaders from Eli Lilly, Medtronic Cargill and Corning together with government officials for discussions.  As reported to business leaders at the event, He stated that China …

Japanese officials joined South Korean and Chinese foreign ministers in Tokyo to plan a summit based on historical turning point statements from Japan’s Takeshi Iwaya. The recent talks between Japan and its neighbors arise from uncertainty about the United States and its traditional alliances while China attempts to build stronger regional connections.  During the meeting Wang Yi stressed the three …

According to the most recent data produced by the Bank for International Settlements and released on Thursday, South Korea’s total debt- household, corporate, and government liabilities alike- grew by 4% within the third quarter of the past year, breaking its debt threshold past 6.2 quadrillion won ($4.24 trillion), which has now become 2.5 times the GDP of the country. Thus, …

Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing sold Panamanian port terminals to a US-led group, causing diplomatic conflicts between Washington and Beijing because of Latin American geopolitical competition. CK Hutchison completed its $22.8 billion deal on March 6 to unload its worldwide port terminals to a consortium led by BlackRock US due to 96-year-old Li Ka-shing’s decision. Shortly after the deal, President …

In a major setback for Korea’s burgeoning stars, a court in South Korea has ruled against NewJeans, disregarding their effort to be freed from their label, Ador. The recent ruling thus puts an inability for the group, who had recently changed its name to NJZ, to engage in independent activities—define: to make music, sign deals, or perform—without Ador’s approval. The …

Indonesia and Vietnam have completed their long-negotiated and pending ratification of their maritime boundaries. While this will probably improve maritime security and help prevent illegal fishing, the agreement will likely cause rifts with China because of the latter’s territorial claims in the South China Sea. President Prabowo Subianto said he was mulling ratifying the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) treaty with …

Lawmakers across parties worry about the Trump administration’s decision to stop funding the Open Technology Fund because leading Republicans view this nonprofit as important for fighting China’s influence. The Open Technology Fund founded its programs in 2012 and works to deliver safety and internet access tools to people whose governments restrict their online rights. The OTF helps people stay secure …

A man named Liu received the death penalty in China for selling secret documents to foreign spies, as confirmed by the State Security Ministry’s announcement on Wednesday. Liu took classified documents after resigning from his research institute because he held anger towards the institute.  One year after debt pushed him to bankruptcy, Liu offered undisclosed state documents to overseas spies …