Tokyo, 29 January, /AJMEDIA/
China envoy warns of “conflict” if U.S. promotes Taiwan independence
WASHINGTON – China’s Ambassador to Washington Qin Gang warned of “military conflict” if the United States continues to take moves which Beijing perceives as encouraging Taiwan’s independence, in an interview with U.S. media aired Friday.
“If the Taiwanese authorities, emboldened by the United States, keep going down the road for independence, it most likely (will) involve China and the United States, the two big countries, in a military conflict,” Qin told National Public Radio, referring to the self-ruled democratic island which China views as its own.
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U.S., EU leaders commit to energy security amid Ukraine tension
WASHINGTON – The U.S. and European Union leaders on Friday expressed their joint commitment to ensuring Europe’s energy security amid concerns of supply disruptions should Russia take military actions against Ukraine.
“The United States and the EU are working jointly towards continued, sufficient, and timely supply of natural gas to the EU from diverse sources across the globe to avoid supply shocks, including those that could result from a further Russian invasion of Ukraine,” U.S. President Joe Biden and his EU counterpart Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement.
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China allows U.N. rights chief to visit Xinjiang
HONG KONG – China will allow U.N. human rights chief Michelle Bachelet to visit the far western region of Xinjiang, the Foreign Ministry said Friday.
Bachelet received Beijing’s approval to visit the region with the understanding that it would be a “friendly” trip rather than an investigation into alleged human rights abuses against Uyghur Muslims, according to The South China Morning Post.
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Japan warns underpriced IPOs could constitute antitrust law violation
TOKYO – The Japan Fair Trade Commission on Friday cautioned brokerage firms about the potential violation of the antimonopoly law by underpricing initial public offerings.
A JFTC report on IPO prices said public offering procedures should include a scheme to allow the lead underwriter to be changed as necessary, as it finds around 90 percent of newly listed companies say lead underwriters played a key role in deciding their IPO prices.
The antimonopoly watchdog also said that it could be a violation of the law for a brokerage firm to prevent other securities firms from taking on the role of lead underwriter.
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Japan to move some embassy staff from Ukraine amid tensions
TOKYO – Japan plans to withdraw some of its embassy staff from Ukraine amid the Eastern European country’s heightened tensions with Russia, a senior Foreign Ministry official said Friday.
The embassy has about 20 staff members and the ministry will keep only those needed to help Japanese nationals living in Ukraine, the official said. Family members of the embassy staff have already begun to leave.
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Japan to seek listing of Sado mine site as world heritage
TOKYO – Japan will recommend a gold and silver mine on Sado Island for the 2023 UNESCO World Heritage list, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Friday, drawing an immediate backlash from South Korea which urged Tokyo to stop attempting to list the site linked to what Seoul views as forced Korean laborers during World War II.
The decision, a reversal of the Japanese government’s initial plan to forgo making a recommendation this year, comes amid growing pressure from former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who heads the largest faction in the Liberal Democratic Party, and other lawmakers of the ruling party who wanted the government to go ahead.
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Japan to cut quarantine days for COVID close contacts to 7 from 10
TOKYO – Japan will further shorten the quarantine period to seven days from the current 10 for people who have been in close contact with someone infected with the novel coronavirus, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Friday.
The new policy was announced as the highly transmissible Omicron variant of the virus continues to spread rapidly, making it increasingly difficult to maintain social and economic activities.
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Hong Kong economy grows 6.4% in 2021, showing recovery from pandemic
HONG KONG – Hong Kong’s economy grew 6.4 percent in 2021, marking its first positive growth after two consecutive years of recession due to the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 and anti-government protests in 2019, government figures showed Friday.
The economy is recovering from a record 6.5 percent contraction in 2020 amid the pandemic, according to the preliminary data released by the city government.