Top Asian News 3:34 a.m. GMT

Hong Kong lawmakers unanimously approve security law giving government more power to curb dissent

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong lawmakers unanimously approved a new national security law Tuesday that grants the government more power to quash dissent, widely seen as the latest step in a sweeping political crackdown triggered by pro-democracy protests in 2019. The legislature passed the Safeguarding National Security Bill during a special session. The law will expand authorities’ ability to prosecute citizens for offenses including “colluding with external forces” to commit illegal acts as well as charge them with treason, insurrection, espionage, and disclosing state secrets, among others. It comes on top of a similar security law Beijing imposed in 2020, which has already largely silenced opposition voices in the financial hub.

How will a new national security law affect different walks of life in Hong Kong?

HONG KONG (AP) — As Hong Kong passed a new national security law, the city that evolved from a swampy fishing village to a financial center embarked on another transformation, one that may redefine its role on the world stage and the liberties of its citizens. For the government and supporters of Beijing, the legislation is the keystone in fulfilling a constitutional duty, heralding a new era focused squarely on economic prosperity. It will take effect on Saturday. However, for those who value Hong Kong’s once-vibrant political culture and commitment to openness, the legislation exacerbates fears of dwindling Western-style civil liberties that are fundamental to its allure as a global financial hub.

Doing business in China is growing tougher, more uncertain, European business group says

BEIJING (AP) — Uncertainty and “draconian regulations” have drastically raised risks for foreign businesses in China, a report by a European business group said Wednesday. The lengthy paper by the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China urges China’s leaders to do more to address concerns that it says have “grown exponentially” in recent years. “This report comes at a time when the global business environment is becoming increasingly politicized, and companies are having to make some very tough decisions about how, or in some cases if, they can continue to engage with the Chinese market,” it says. The study, compiled by the chamber and the China Macro Group consultancy, echoes concerns that have been raised by European and American companies operating in China.

Australia gets its most senior Chinese leadership visit since 2017 as relations thaw further

SYDNEY (AP) — Australia received its most senior Chinese leadership visit in nearly seven years Wednesday with stability a key theme of the discussions between the countries’ foreign ministers. China’s Wang Yi met with his counterpart Penny Wong in Canberra on his tour of Australia and New Zealand. It was the highest level meeting in Australia between the nations since 2017 and comes as relations continue to thaw after a tumultuous period under Australia’s former government in which trade measures were imposed on a raft of Australian products and security tensions were escalating around the region. “A stable relationship between Australia and China doesn’t just happen, it needs ongoing work,” Wong said at a news conference after the meeting.

UN’s Guterres decries violence in Myanmar as military airstrikes kill at least 25 Rohingya in west

BANGKOK (AP) — Military airstrikes in western Myanmar killed at least 25 members of the country’s Muslim Rohingya minority, including children, local media reported, prompting the U.N. chief to express concerns over the escalating violence. According to the reports, the airstrikes took place early on Monday morning and targeted the village of Thada, north of Minbya township in Rakhine state. The strikes also left another 25 people wounded. The military government had no immediate comment on the reports. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres expressed deep concern over “the deteriorating situation and escalation of conflict in Myanmar,” according to a spokesperson. The U.N.

Images taken deep inside melted Fukushima reactor show damage, but leave many questions unanswered

TOKYO (AP) — Images taken by miniature drones from deep inside a badly damaged reactor at the Fukushima nuclear plant show displaced control equipment and misshapen materials but leave many questions unanswered, underscoring the daunting task of decommissioning the plant. The 12 photos released by the plant’s operator are the first from inside the main structural support called the pedestal in the hardest-hit No. 1 reactor’s primary containment vessel, an area directly under the reactor’s core. Officials had long hoped to reach the area to examine the core and melted nuclear fuel which dripped there when the plant’s cooling systems were damaged by a massive earthquake and tsunami in 2011.

Top former US generals say failures of Biden administration in planning drove chaotic fall of Kabul

WASHINGTON (AP) — The top two U.S. generals who oversaw the evacuation of Afghanistan as it fell to the Taliban in August 2021 blamed the Biden administration for the chaotic departure, telling lawmakers Tuesday that it inadequately planned for the evacuation and did not order it in time. The rare testimony by the two retired generals publicly exposed for the first time the strain and differences the military leaders had with the Biden administration in the final days of the war. Two of those key differences included that the military had advised that the U.S. keep at least 2,500 service members in Afghanistan to maintain stability and a concern that the State Department was not moving fast enough to get an evacuation started.

North Korea claims progress in developing a hypersonic missile designed to strike distant US targets

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea successfully tested a solid-fuel engine for its new-type intermediate-range hypersonic missile, state media reported Wednesday, claiming a progress in efforts to develop a more powerful, agile missile designed to strike faraway U.S. targets in the region. A hypersonic missile is among an array of high-tech weapons systems that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un publicly vowed to introduce in 2021 to cope with what he called deepening U.S. hostility. Outside experts say Kim wants a modernized weapons arsenal to wrest U.S. concessions like sanctions relief when diplomacy resumes. On Tuesday, Kim guided the ground jet test of the multi-stage solid-fuel engine for the hypersonic missile at the North’s northwestern rocket launch facility, the official Korean Central News Agency reported.

China’s stock watchdog fines property developer Evergrande, slaps lifetime ban on its chairman

BANGKOK (AP) — Troubled property developer China Evergrande Group says Beijing’s stock watchdog has fined it 4.2 billion yuan ($333.4 million) for allegedly falsifying its revenue, among other violations, as it conducts a deep clean of the troubled financial sector. The company said in a release to mainland Chinese stock exchanges late Monday that its chairman, Hui Ka Yan, was fined 47 million yuan ($6.5 million) and banned from China’s markets for life. Hui, also known as Xu Jiayin, was detained by authorities in September for suspected “illegal crimes.” The notice cited a preliminary ruling by the China Securities Regulatory Commission, which recently got a new chief, Wu Qing, an industry veteran with a reputation for being tough on market misbehavior.

US officials say pact with strategically key Pacific island nations underscores American commitment

BANGKOK (AP) — U.S. officials stressed Tuesday that newly-approved legislation providing billions of dollars in funding for three strategically important Pacific island nations is an important sign of American commitment, which comes amid warnings China is actively trying to pry them away from Washington’s sphere of influence. The renewal of funds for the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia and the Republic of Palau — known collectively as the Freely Associated States — had been held up for months by broader infighting in Congress over budgetary issues, even though they enjoyed widespread bipartisan support. Leaders in the islands had warned that delays could have forced their governments to cut services, and swayed public opinion toward offers of investment from China.