U.S.-China rivalry flares undersea with Australia submarine deal
WASHINGTON/BEIJING -- The crux of the AUKUS defense pact announced Wednesday between the U.S., the U.K. and Australia is an arrangement that will give Canberra its first nuclear-powered submarines and boost the naval power of another American ally in the Pacific.
Underwater warfare has emerged as the next area of competition in the U.S.-China military rivalry, now that China is believed to have significantly reduced America's dominance of the skies.
"Our nations will update and enhance our
China accounts for 40% of 6G patent applications: survey
TOKYO -- China is honing its technical skills in sixth-generation communication networks, which are expected to be rolled out commercially as soon as 2030.
China's 6G development had been expected to slow due to sanctions against Huawei Technologies imposed by the U.S. government under former President Donald Trump in 2019, but China has maintained its competitiveness by mobilizing state-run companies and universities.
Nikkei worked with Tokyo-based research company Cyber Creative Institute to survey around 20,
U.K. navy to station new vessels in Indo-Pacific for 5 years
LONDON -- The U.K. will station two new patrol vessels in the Indo-Pacific region for "at least the next five years" as part of plans by the U.S. and its allies to check China's naval expansion, Tony Radakin, a senior Royal Navy admiral, told Nikkei in a recent interview
Britain has been strengthening its presence in the region since leaving the European Union, and has already dispatched an aircraft carrier strike group led by the HMS Queen Elizabeth to the region. Concerns
Vietnam extends Ho Chi Minh City lockdown as COVID rages
HANOI -- The extension of the epic COVID-19 lockdown in Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City until the end of September risks further social and economic costs in the nation's largest city, which despite the harsh restrictions has failed to put the pandemic under control.
City leaders on Wednesday said Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh approved their proposal to extend the lockdown beyond the original Sept. 15 deadline. Citizens and businesses, including foreign companies, in the metropolis are now in their 108th day
Justin Trudeau's botched Asia policy puts Canada at the back of the bus
Rupa Subramanya is a researcher and commentator. She is a distinguished fellow of the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada and the co-author of " Indianomix: Making Sense of Modern India."
Canadian voters will head to the polls on Monday to decide whether to reward Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberal Party with a third term in office.
The snap election, called halfway through a four-year term and in the midst of a pandemic has been widely seen as a gamble to regain the sweeping first-term majority Trudeau
Jakarta court finds Jokowi guilty of neglecting city's air quality
JAKARTA -- An Indonesian court on Thursday found government figures including President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan guilty of neglecting air quality in the nation's congested and polluted capital.
The air pollution in Jakarta, where PM2.5 levels are constantly higher than World Health Organization standards, is seen by experts as reducing life expectancy and hurting the nation's economy.
The judges for the civil lawsuit at the Central Jakarta District Court ordered Widodo to "tighten the national air quality standard to protect the
Thai ruling party irks progressives with electoral tweaks
BANGKOK -- Voters in Thailand's next general election will cast two ballots, one for a lower house candidate and another for their preferred political party, in the wake of constitutional amendments that alter the electoral system. The changes are likely to favor large political parties while working against smaller parties, including a progressive party that emerged in the 2019 general elections.
The new system will reserve 400 lower house seats for constituency winners, up from 350 under the current system. Another 10
Tensions rise on Korean Peninsula as both sides test missiles
SEOUL -- Missile tests this week by both North and South Korea have raised tensions on the peninsula, as Pyongyang looks to strengthen its leverage over Washington, and Seoul continues to bolster its defensive prowess.
North Korea's claim it fired a long-range cruise missile at the weekend was followed on Wednesday with the launch of two ballistic missiles that Japan said landed in its exclusive economic zone. Also Wednesday, South Korea conducted its first-ever official test of a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM).
North
Myanmar currency hovers near all-time low
BANGKOK/YANGON -- Myanmar's currency, the kyat, fell to an all-time low this week after the country's central bank reversed exchange rate regulations imposed in August. The depreciation will make it even harder for the government to stabilize the Southeast Asian country's economy, which has been disrupted since the military takeover in February.
On Thursday morning, money-changers in Yangon, Myanmar's largest city, offered a buy rate of 1,900 kyat per dollar and sell rate
Thailand's constitutional changes likely to help big parties
BANGKOK -- Voters in Thailand's next general election will cast two ballots, one for a lower house candidate and another for their preferred political party, in the wake of constitutional amendments that alter the electoral system. The changes are likely to favor large political parties.
The new system will reserve 400 lower house seats for constituency winners, up from 350 under the current system. Another 100 lawmakers -- down from 150 at present -- will be chosen by proportional representation from