Tokyo, 15 November, /AJMEDIA/
Biden, Xi trade barbs over Taiwan, seek “principles” on competition
NUSA DUA, Indonesia – U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping traded barbs Monday over Taiwan, with Xi stressing that the question of the self-ruled island is “the first red line that must not be crossed,” but agreed to develop “principles” to manage their intensifying competition.
In their first in-person summit, which took place in Indonesia’s Bali, Biden expressed objections to China’s “coercive and increasingly aggressive actions” toward Taiwan, saying they undermine peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and jeopardize global prosperity, according to the White House.
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Philippines, Japan want visiting forces accord amid China’s rise
MANILA – The Philippines and Japan want to have a visiting forces agreement that would allow Japanese troops to take part in joint military drills in the Southeast Asian country, the acting Philippine defense chief said Monday, amid China’s growing assertiveness in regional waters.
“We share a common interest with Japan, particularly in our interest in the West Philippine Sea,” Jose Faustino said in a press conference. “Our goal really is to strengthen this cooperation, the defense cooperation with Japan.”
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FOCUS: Biden-Xi summit may not ease Taiwan feud as tough talk eyed in U.S.
NUSA DUA, Indonesia – The first face-to-face summit talks between U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday was important progress concerning Washington’s desire to keep lines of communication open with Beijing, amid intensifying competition between the world’s two largest economies.
But there seems to be no silver bullet for easing tensions, particularly over Taiwan, which Xi — emerging from last month’s twice-a-decade Communist Party congress having consolidated his grip on power — has vowed to reunite with the mainland, by force if necessary.
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Japan vows to provide yen loans to Indonesia for transportation
NUSA DUA, Indonesia – Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida pledged Monday to provide 130 billion yen ($927.4 million) in loans to Indonesia for its mass rapid transit system project and tollway infrastructure.
During their in-person summit on the resort island of Bali, Kishida agreed with Indonesian President Joko Widodo that the two nations will sign the deal in the near future, according to the Japanese government.
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Japan to develop underwater drones to lay, remove sea mines
TOKYO – Japan plans to develop unmanned underwater vehicles to lay and sweep mines, aiming to attain maritime superiority in the event of a contingency near the country’s southwestern Nansei Islands chain, a source close to the matter said Monday.
The plan comes as the Defense Ministry seeks to ramp up the use of drones to support missions of the ground, maritime and air branches of the Self-Defense Forces.
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Australia PM to meet China’s Xi Tues. on fringes of G-20 summit
SYDNEY – Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Monday he will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping the next day on the sidelines of a meeting of leaders from the Group of 20 major economies on the Indonesian island of Bali.
The envisioned meeting marks a major step forward in repairing the strained bilateral relationship after it sunk to new lows under Australia’s former conservative government.
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Kishida, Xi to hold talks in Thailand on Nov. 17: Japan gov’t
TOKYO – Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is scheduled to hold talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Thailand on Thursday, in what would be the first summit between the leaders of the two countries in roughly three years, the government said.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said at a news conference in Tokyo that during the talks, Japan will “assert what needs to be asserted” to China, but stressed both nations need to work to build a “constructive and stable” relationship.
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Japan retains stake in Russia’s Sakhalin 1 oil project
TOKYO – Japan has retained its stake in the Sakhalin 1 oil and gas project in eastern Russia, with a Japanese company receiving a 30 percent stake in a new Russian operator, Tass news agency reported Monday.
The report, which cited the Russian government, comes as resource-poor Japan has sought to keep its stake in the project to retain a vital source of energy while joining Western countries in imposing sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.
