ASEAN – Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom stated today that their 51-year-old Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA) treaty was robust, current, and critical to managing increasing regional tensions. Following their discussion on the margins of the Shangri-La Dialogue, the officials told a press conference that the member states’ relationship was friendly, and that they were focused …

ASEAN – This weekend, most inhabitants in China’s economic capital of Shanghai will be subjected to an unexpected round of Covid-19 testing, only 10 days after a city-wide lockdown was lifted, disturbing citizens and raising fears about the effect on business. Shanghai authorities said on Thursday that owing to the identification of a few cases in the neighborhood, seven of …

Philippines – The Philippines had filed a discretionary dissent against China’s yearly fishing ban in certain region of the South China Sea for three and a half months as it stretches out to certain pieces of the West Philippine Sea. The Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs said it challenged China‘s one-sided fishing boycott in a conciliatory note dated May 30. …

China – Today, Beijing’s streets were bustling as people in two districts were permitted to come back to work, while Shanghai moved closer to removing its two-month-old Covid-19 lockdown, which began on Wednesday, as the number of Covid cases throughout China decreased. While the rest of the world attempts to coexist with the virus, China is the only major country to …

China – The Chinese province of Henan has required its roughly 100 million residents to undergo a Covid test every two days, a first in the nation as it battles an Omicron-fueled spike. Even while most of the globe has adjusted to live with the coronavirus, China has maintained its zero-Covid policy, enforcing tight lockdowns and mobility restrictions in numerous …

Malaysia – One of the factors that contribute to the shortage of the protein source in Selangor is the high demand for chicken during the festival season. Another aspect that contributes to the shortage is the rise in the price of raw materials used to create chicken feed. Izham Hashim, the head of the State Infrastructure, Public Utilities, Modernization of …

Asean – The UN rights chief will go to China’s Xinjiang province next week for a visit that will be closely scrutinized by the world community amid demands that she speak out against crimes against the country’s Uyghur minority. Michelle Bachelet will begin a six-day trip to China on Monday, after years of asking for “meaningful and unrestricted” access to …

South Korea – As worry about a North Korean nuclear test rises, US President Joe Biden landed in South Korea on May 20 for his first Asia tour as US leader, with the goal of strengthening relations with regional security partners. Biden wants the visit to draw on recent actions that have accelerated the US‘s years-long pivot to Asia, where …

Asean – On Friday, Nobel laureate and East Timorese independence figure Jose Ramos-Horta was sworn in as the country’s fifth president, promising to use his time in office to promote national unity and create stronger ties with China. Ramos-Horta previously served as president from 2007 to 2012, as well as prime minister and foreign minister before that. He spent decades …

China – Officials in the sport of football said on Saturday that China has withdrawn from bidding to host the 2023 Asian Cup owing to the coronavirus. Beijing’s strict zero-COVID approach has dealt another blow to the country’s athletic goals. Millions of people in Shanghai have been subjected to stringent regulations for more than a month now as part of …