Top Asian News 4:54 a.m. GMT

How Chinese science fiction went from underground magazines to a Netflix blockbuster

CHENGDU, China (AP) — For a few days in October 2023, the capital of the science fiction world was Chengdu, China. Fans traveled from around the world as Worldcon, sci-fi ’s biggest annual event, was held in the country for the first time. It was a rare moment when Chinese and international fans could get together to celebrate the arts without worrying about the increasingly fraught politics of China’s relationship with the West or Beijing’s tightening grip on expression. For Chinese fans like Tao Bolin, an influencer who flew from the southern province of Guangdong for the event, it felt like the world finally wanted to read Chinese literature.

Indonesia’s likely next president made 4-star general despite links to alleged human rights abuses

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Wednesday awarded an honorary four-star general rank to Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto, a former high-ranking army officer who is linked to human rights abuses and who emerged as the apparent winner of the Feb. 14 presidential election. Widodo gave the honorary promotion to Subianto, 72, in front of high-ranking military and police officials in Jakarta. A four-star general is Indonesia’s second-highest military rank, usually held by the officer who leads the country’s military. “This award is a form of appreciation as well as confirmation of one’s complete devotion to the people, nation and state,” Widodo said on Wednesday.

Japan’s prime minister will make an appearance at Parliament’s ethics hearing over a funds scandal

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s beleaguered prime minister was set to stand before a political ethics committee Thursday at Parliament in a bid to showcase his leadership. Fumio Kishida has fought against plummeting support ratings since his governing party’s corruption scandal rocked the government. The scandal, considered the biggest in decades, centers on political funds raised through party event tickets bought by individuals, companies and organizations. It led to 10 people — lawmakers and their aides — being indicted in January. While Kishida himself is not the focus of the scandal and was not even invited to the hearing, the surprise announcement of his personal appearance broke a deadlock between the opposition lawmakers and his governing party Wednesday when the five implicated attendants refused to go public, holding up a hearing and further tarnishing the party image.

Hong Kong’s plan for a new national security law deepens fears over eroding civil liberties

HONG KONG (AP) — As Hong Kong moves toward enacting a new national security law, four years after Beijing imposed a similar law that all but wiped out dissent and vocal pro-democracy media in the semi-autonomous Chinese city, concerns are spreading among the city’s international business and media communities. Critics say the legislation will make Hong Kong’s legal system increasingly similar to that of mainland China, but the government argues it will affect only a “small minority” of disloyal residents. Businesses and journalists fear that broad provisions on state secrets could criminalize their day-to-day work. The Basic Law, the city’s mini-constitution, requires it to pass a home-grown national security law.

South Korean and US troops will begin major exercises next week in response to North Korean threats

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean and U.S. troops will begin their expanded annual military drills next week in response to North Korea’s evolving nuclear threats, the two countries said Wednesday, a move that will likely enrage North Korea because it views its rivals’ joint training as an invasion rehearsal. In recent months, North Korea has inflamed animosities on the Korean Peninsula with fiery rhetoric and continued missile tests. While it’s unlikely for North Korea to launch full-blown attacks against South Korea and the U.S., observers say the North could still stage limited provocations along the tense border with South Korea.

A small drone flies into a damaged Fukushima nuclear reactor for the first time to study melted fuel

TOKYO (AP) — A drone small enough to fit in one’s hand flew inside one of the damaged reactors at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant Wednesday in hopes it can examine some of the molten fuel debris in areas where earlier robots failed to reach. Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings also began releasing the fourth batch of the plant’s treated and diluted radioactive wastewater into the sea Wednesday. The government and TEPCO, the plant’s operator, say the water is safe and the process is being monitored by the International Atomic Energy Agency, but the discharges have faced strong opposition by fishing groups and a Chinese ban on Japanese seafood.

Biden acts to better protect Americans’ personal data such as health records and finances

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is signing an executive order aimed at better protecting Americans’ personal data on everything from biometrics and health records to finances and geolocation from foreign adversaries like China and Russia. The move allows the Department of Justice and other federal agencies to take steps to prevent the large-scale transfer of Americans’ personal data to what the White House calls “countries of concern.” The goal is to do so without limiting legitimate commerce around data, senior Biden administration officials said on a call with reporters. Biden’s move targets commercial data brokers, the sometimes shadowy companies that traffic in personal data and that officials say may sell information to foreign adversaries or U.S.

Norway’s King Harald, Europe’s oldest monarch, in hospital in Malaysia after falling ill on vacation

LANGKAWI, Malaysia (AP) — King Harald V of Norway remained hospitalized with an infection on Malaysia’s northern resort island of Langkawi on Wednesday as officials said that his condition was improving. Harald, Europe’s oldest monarch at age 87, became ill while he was on vacation. His son, Crown Prince Haakon, said in Norway that his father “is doing better now. Now he needs some rest, so it looks like things are going better.” In a brief statement, the royal household said “the king’s personal physician is in Langkawi and confirms that the king is improving from his infection.” Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said that “we get worried when our king gets ill and is admitted to hospital, whether in Norway or abroad.” “We should do what we can to contribute to getting the king home as quickly as possible and as healthy as possible,” he told Norwegian broadcaster NRK.

Fired scientists in Canada failed to protect sensitive information, newly released records say

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Two scientists at Canada’s top infectious disease laboratory lost their jobs after reviews found they failed to protect sensitive assets and information, and failed to acknowledge collaborations with China, newly released records show. The scientists, Xiangguo Qiu and her husband, Keding Cheng, were stripped of their security clearances in 2019 at Canada’s National Microbiology Laboratory over questions about their loyalty to Canada and the potential for coercion or exploitation by a foreign entity, the documents say. More than 600 pages were made public Wednesday five years later following a special all-party review of the records. The records show Canada’s spy agency, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, assessed that Qiu repeatedly lied about the extent of her work with institutions of the Chinese government and refused to admit involvement in various Chinese programs, even when evidence was presented to her.

Zuckerberg meets LG, Samsung chiefs in Seoul as Meta ramps up AI ambitions

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg discussed cooperation on extended reality devices with LG Electronics executives on Wednesday as part of his visit to South Korea that highlights Meta’s ambitions in artificial intelligence. South Korea is the second leg of Zuckerberg’s three-nation Asian tour that observers say is meant to discuss partnerships with tech powerhouses and forge good relations with business and government leaders in the region. He already visited Japan and will travel to India later this week. On Wednesday, Zuckerberg met LG Electronics CEO William Cho for two hours to talk about business strategies for extended reality — known as XR — device development, LG said in a statement.