ASEAN News

On Wednesday, a day after China stopped issuing new visas in both nations in what appears to be retaliation, Japan and South Korea justified public health restrictions on visitors from China. On Tuesday, Chinese embassies halted providing new visas to Japanese and South Korean citizens. It was unclear whether China will extend the visa suspensions to other nations that have …

Pfizer Inc is not in discussions with Chinese authorities to license a generic version of its COVID-19 treatment Paxlovid for use in China, according to the company’s chief executive, Albert Bourla, on Monday, January 9. However, the company is in discussions about the price of the branded product, he said. Reuters reported on Friday that China was in negotiations with …

The Chinese embassy in South Korea has banned the issuance of short-term visas to South Korean tourists, the embassy said on Tuesday, January 10. This is the first act of retaliation against states that have imposed COVID-19 restrictions on Chinese passengers. The embassy would modify its stance if South Korea removes “discriminatory entrance restrictions” against China, according to a statement …

Thailand is preparing for more visitors after China reopened its border on Sunday by requiring international passengers to show proof they are completely immunized against COVID before traveling to Thailand. According to a statement released on Saturday by the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT), beginning early on Monday, all international arrivals would need to show proof of vaccination or …

Melvin Jerusalem opened the boxing season for the Philippines by winning the WBO global minimumweight championship on January 6 in Osaka, Japan. Better and wiser than when he first fought for a world title six years ago, Jerusalem stopped Japanese champion Masataka Taniguchi with a vicious straight right to the face in the second round at the Edion Arena. Taniguchi …

China is in negotiations with Pfizer Inc. to get a license that will allow domestic drugmakers to produce and market a generic version of the COVID-19 antiviral medicine Paxlovid in China, according to three sources cited by Reuters. Since late last month, China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) has been in charge of negotiations with Pfizer, according to one source …

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has ousted a former foreign minister who played a key role in his summits with former US President Donald Trump in 2018 and 2019, according to intelligence authorities cited by South Korean MPs on Thursday (5 January). Ri Yong-ho has remained out of the public view since denuclearization talks with Washington halted following a …

Now that the border between Hong Kong and China has been reopened, Shanghai engineer Roy Wang has a pressing task: rekindling his long-distance love after a terrible separation. “So many arguments occurred between my girlfriend and I. It was quite difficult to manage,” Wang, 23, reported to AFP on Wednesday (Jan 4). His request to visit her the following day …

On Friday, January 6, the operator of McDonald’s restaurants in Japan announced its third price raise in less than a year. This is the latest indicator of compounding inflationary pressures on the customers of the nation’s McDonald’s restaurants. McDonald’s Holding Company Japan announced on January 16 that it would raise prices on around 80 percent of its menu, citing currency …

China may be reopening, with its millions of would-be tourists and other global travelers freed of nearly all Covid-19 restrictions, but many of the countries that had been waiting desperately for the return of all those lovely tourist dollars are now keeping a wary foot behind the door, if not slamming it shut. China has announced that it would eliminate …