Top Asian News 2:31 a.m. GMT

US defense secretary warns Indo-Pacific allies of ‘imminent’ threat from China

SINGAPORE (AP) — U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reassured allies in the Indo-Pacific on Saturday that they will not be left alone to face increasing military and economic pressure from China, while insisting that they also contribute more to their own defense. He said Washington will bolster its defenses overseas to counter what the Pentagon sees as rapidly developing threats by Beijing, particularly in its aggressive stance toward Taiwan. China has conducted numerous exercises to test what a blockade would look like of the self-governing island, which Beijing claims as its own and the U.S. has pledged to defend. China’s army “is rehearsing for the real deal,” Hegseth said in a keynote speech at a security conference in Singapore.

AP PHOTOS: Dragon boats thunder through Hong Kong waters to mark ancient Chinese festival

HONG KONG (AP) — Throngs of people flocked to southern Hong Kong on Saturday to watch the iconic dragon boat races, a highlight of a Chinese festival with over 2,000 years of history. Following their drummers’ rhythm, crews powered their dragon boats through the water in unison, racing to become the first to reach the finish line. Residents and tourists cheered for them. The origin of the Dragon Boat Festival, also known as “Tuen Ng” in Cantonese, is linked to various legends. But the most well-known story is about commemorating a patriotic and righteous official in ancient times who drowned himself after falling out of favor with his leader and seeing his kingdom decline.

India’s monsoon floods kill at least 22 people in the country’s northeast

GUWAHATI, India (AP) — Landslides and flash flooding triggered by days of torrential monsoon rains in India’s northeast have killed at least 22 people, officials said Saturday. Five people, including three from a single family, were killed on Saturday when their homes were buried in a mudslide in Assam state’s Guwahati city, an official flood bulletin said. In neighbouring Arunachal Pradesh state, which borders China, seven people were killed on Friday when their vehicle was swept away by floodwaters. Two others drowned in a separate incident in the state. Eight people were killed in the states of Mizoram, Tripura and Meghalaya in the last 24 hours due to floods and mudslides brought on by the rains, according to official figures.

India, a major user of coal power, is making large gains in clean energy adoption. Here is how

BENGALURU, India (AP) — One of the most carbon-polluting countries, India is also making huge efforts to harness the power of the sun, wind and other clean energy sources. Most of the electricity in India, the world’s most populous nation, still comes from coal, one of the dirtiest forms of energy. But coal’s dominance is dropping, going from 60% of installed power capacity 11 years ago to less than 50% today, according to India’s power ministry. At the same time, India had its largest ever addition of clean power in the fiscal year between April 2024 and April of this year, adding 30 gigawatts — enough to power nearly 18 million Indian homes.

Brunei’s sultan released from Malaysian hospital

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Brunei’s Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, one of the world’s wealthiest men and its longest-reigning sitting monarch, was discharged from a Malaysian hospital five days after he was admitted for fatigue. Brunei’s government said on social media late Saturday that the 78-year-old monarch has moved to a Kuala Lumpur hotel, where he will spend a few days resting before returning home. Brunei’s information department posted pictures on Facebook of the sultan walking into the hotel lobby with his wife, and in a room with family members including his wife and two of his sons. Sultan Hassanal was attending an annual summit o f the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Kuala Lumpur when he was hospitalized Tuesday at the National Heart Institute.

Death toll rises to 17 in Indonesia quarry collapse as search continues

CIREBON, Indonesia (AP) — The death toll from the collapse of a stone quarry in Indonesia’s West Java province has risen to at least 17, with eight people still missing, officials said Saturday. The victims were trapped in the rubble when the Gunung Kuda quarry in Cirebon district collapsed on Friday. A dozen survivors were found by rescuers. By Saturday afternoon, rescuers had retrieved 16 bodies, while one of the survivors died in the hospital, said local police chief Sumarni. She said rescuers are searching for eight people still believed to be trapped “The search operation has been hampered by bad weather, unstable soil and rugged terrain,” said Sumarni who goes by a single name like many Indonesians.

Chinese student struck a chord emphasizing humanity during Harvard commencement speech

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) — A day after her emotional speech at Harvard University’s commencement, Yurong “Luanna” Jiang kept running into classmates who praised her message that people should see everyone’s common humanity rather than demonize others for their differences. “We’re starting to believe those who think differently, vote differently or pray differently — whether they’re across the ocean or sitting right next to us — are not just wrong. We mistakenly see them as evil. But it doesn’t have to be this way,” she said in her address, which drew wide applause. “The message itself, if I have to put it into one sentence, will be humanity rises and falls as one,” Jiang told The Associated Press on Friday.

China set to resume imports of Japanese seafood halted over Fukushima water discharge

TOKYO (AP) — China will resume Japanese seafood imports it banned in 2023 over worries about Japan’s discharge of treated but slightly radioactive wastewater from the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the sea, a Japanese minister said Friday. Agriculture Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said the agreement was reached after officials met in Beijing and the imports will resume once paperwork is complete. China said talks this week made “substantial progress,” but did not confirm an agreement with Japan on the issue that has been a significant political and diplomatic point of tension. ”Seafood is an important export item for Japan and a resumption of its export to China is a major milestone,” Koizumi said.

China forms new global mediation group with dozens of countries

HONG KONG (AP) — Dozens of countries joined China on Friday in establishing an international mediation-based dispute resolution group. Representatives of more than 30 other countries, from Pakistan and Indonesia to Belarus and Cuba, signed the Convention on the Establishment of the International Organization for Mediation in Hong Kong to become founding members of the global organization, following Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. The support of developing countries signaled Beijing’s rising influence in the global south amid heightened geopolitical tensions, partly exacerbated by U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade tariffs. At a ceremony, Wang said China has long advocated for handling differences with a spirit of mutual understanding and consensus-building through dialogue, while aiming to provide “Chinese wisdom” for resolving conflicts between nations.

Macron warns US and the Indo-Pacific not to abandon Ukraine at the expense of focusing on China

SINGAPORE (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron warned the United States and a large audience of Indo-Pacific nations on Friday night that they risk a dangerous double standard as they concentrate on a potential conflict with China, if that shift comes at the cost of abandoning Ukraine. Macron’s made the remarks as the U.S. is considering withdrawing troops from Europe to shift them to the Indo-Pacific. He warned that abandoning Ukraine would eventually erode U.S. credibility in deterring any potential conflict with China over Taiwan. In a speech that emphasized France’s tight ties to the Indo-Pacific, Macron said that any shifts to developing a more hard-line deterrent stance in the region is still tied to how the world — and particularly the West — treats other critical issues, including climate change and Israel’s ongoing military operations in Gaza.