Top Asian News 3:59 a.m. GMT

US defense secretary says China is a threat to Panama Canal, spurring a fiery response from Beijing

PANAMA CITY (AP) — U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday the Panama Canal faces ongoing threats from China but that together the United States and Panama will keep it secure. Hegseth’s remarks triggered a fiery response from the Chinese government, which said: “Who represents the real threat to the Canal? People will make their own judgement.” Speaking at a ribbon cutting for a new U.S.-financed dock at the Vasco Nuñez de Balboa Naval Base after a meeting with Panama President José Raúl Mulino, Hegseth said the U.S. will not allow China or any other country to threaten the canal’s operation.

North Korean leader’s sister denounces denuclearization calls, saying nuclear status is permanent

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Wednesday mocked Washington and its Asian allies for what she called their “daydream” of denuclearizing the North, insisting that the country will never give up its nuclear weapons program. The statement by Kim Yo Jong, one of the country’s top foreign policy officials, was in response to a meeting last week between the top diplomats of the United States, South Korea and Japan where they reaffirmed their commitment to push for the North’s denuclearization. Noting that North Korea’s goals for nuclear weapons expansion are enshrined in its constitution, she insisted that any external discussions of denuclearization constitute “the most hostile act” and amount to a denial of her country’s sovereignty.

South Korea will hold a presidential election June 3 to choose Yoon’s successor

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea will hold a snap presidential election June 3 to choose Yoon Suk Yeol’s successor after the conservative was ousted over his imposition of martial law late last year. The announcement from acting President Han Duck-soo came four days after the Constitutional Court unanimously removed Yoon from office, which by law, must be followed by an election within 60 days. The next president will serve a full 5-year term. Deep political polarization will likely shape the election into a two-way showdown between Yoon’s People Power Party and its chief liberal rival, the Democratic Party, which holds a majority in the National Assembly.

Ukraine’s Zelenskyy says 2 Chinese were caught fighting alongside Russia

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The Ukrainian military has captured two Chinese men fighting alongside the Russian army in the eastern Donetsk region and has information that “significantly more” are with Russian forces, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Tuesday. There was no immediate comment from China. Beijing is not known to have provided Russia with weapons or military expertise, and it was not clear whether the Chinese had joined the fight on their own initiative. Russia allows foreigners to enlist in its military, as does Ukraine. Zelenskyy said he asked his top diplomat “to immediately contact Beijing.” He said China would be the third country to offer military support to Russia after Iran, which has supplied attack drones, and North Korea, which has supplied soldiers, according to American and South Korean officials.

Trump administration says it cut funding to some life-saving UN food programs by mistake

WASHINGTON (AP) — The State Department said Tuesday that it had rolled back an undisclosed number of sweeping funding cuts to U.N. World Food Program emergency projects in 14 impoverished countries, saying it had terminated some of the contracts for life-saving aid by mistake. “There were a few programs that were cut in other countries that were not meant to be cut, that have been rolled back and put into place,” State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told reporters. Bruce said she had no immediate information on which countries had U.S. funding for food aid restored after a dayslong cutoff. She gave no explanation for how some contracts came to be canceled in error.

Social worker imprisoned nearly 4 years for mediation attempts at Hong Kong protests

HONG KONG (AP) — A Hong Kong social worker was sentenced to three years and nine months in prison Wednesday on a charge of riot for her role in the 2019 anti-government movement, in a case that signals the authorities’ stern approach to protest-related acts. Jackie Chen was among a group of social workers who often carried a loudspeaker seeking to mediate between police and protesters during the often-violent social unrest. While she had been acquitted in her first trial in September 2020, prosecutors successfully appealed the verdict. She was convicted following a retrial. In March, judge May Chung rejected Chen’s claim of being a mediator in her verdict.

A fire kills 20 people at a nursing home in northern China

BEIJING (AP) — A fire at a nursing home in northern China has killed 20 people, according to state media, as officials investigate the cause of the fire. China’s official Xinhua news agency said Wednesday the fire started at 9 p.m. Tuesday in Chengde city in Hebei province. Six hours later, 20 people were confirmed dead. Officials are investigating the cause of the fire. In January, a fire at a food market in the Hebei city of Zhangjiakou killed eight people and injured 15 others.

US scholar in Thailand jailed pending trial on charges of insulting the monarchy

BANGKOK (AP) — A U.S. political science scholar accused by the Thai military of insulting the Southeast Asian nation’s monarchy — an offense punishable by up to 15 years in prison — was jailed on Tuesday pending trial. Paul Chambers, a lecturer at Naresuan University in the northern province of Phitsanulok, was first summoned by police last week to hear the charges against him, including violating the Computer Crime Act, which covers online activity. Chambers, a 58-year-old Oklahoma native with a doctorate in political science from Northern Illinois University, has studied the power and influence of the Thai military, which plays a major role in politics.

Strong quake shakes Taiwan, though no damage immediately reported

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — An earthquake shook Taiwan on Wednesday morning, setting off alarms in the capital, but no damage was immediately reported. The Central Weather Administration measured the quake at 5.8 magnitude. The shaking in Taipei lasted only a few seconds. The U.S. Geological Survey said the magnitude 5.0 quake was about 21 kilometers (12 miles) south-southeast of Yilan on the northeast coast. It was centered 69 kilometers (43 miles) below the Earth’s surface. Deeper quakes can be widely felt while generally causing less damage than shallow quakes. Taiwan lies along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” the line of seismic faults encircling the Pacific Ocean from Chile to New Zealand where most of the world’s earthquakes occur.

Canadian couple likely the only business owners on Australia’s Norfolk Island to face US tariffs

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Jesse Schiller and Rachel Evans are likely the only business owners on Australia’s Norfolk Island to be directly affected by the Trump administration’s tariffs, as the South Pacific outpost they call home exports nothing to the United States. The Canadian couple, both aged 41, own a business that makes plastic-free hair accessories under the brand Kooshoo. Vancouver-born Schiller said he and his Norfolk Island-born wife are likely the only business owners on the island that will pay elevated tariffs — and they will pay at the rates imposed on Japan and India, where the goods are manufactured. Around 80% of Kooshoo’s business is with the United States.