Top Asian News 3:45 a.m. GMT

5,000 people rescued from flooding in North Korea in evacuation efforts led by Kim, report says

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — More than 5,000 people isolated by flooding in northwest North Korea were rescued in airlifts and other evacuation work supervised by leader Kim Jong Un, state media reported Monday. Heavy rainfall on Saturday had caused a river on the North Korean-Chinese border to exceed a dangerous level and created “a grave crisis,” the official Korean Central News Agency said. About 10 military helicopters and navy and government boats were mobilized for the evacuation efforts in Sinuiju city and Uiju town where flooding had isolated residents. KCNA did not mention any deaths or how much damage the flooding caused.

Lawmakers from 6 countries say Beijing is pressuring them not to attend conference in Taiwan

BEIJING (AP) — Lawmakers from at least six countries said Chinese diplomats were pressuring them not to attend a China-focused conference in Taiwan, in what they described as efforts to isolate the self-governed island. Politicians in Bolivia, Colombia, Slovakia, North Macedonia, Bosnia and one Asian country that declined to be named said they were getting texts, calls and urgent requests for meetings that would conflict with their plans to travel to Taipei. China vehemently defends its claim to Taiwan and views it as its own territory to be annexed by force if necessary. The conference begins Monday and is being held by the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, or IPAC, a group of hundreds of lawmakers from 35 countries concerned about how democracies approach Beijing.

Japan, US, Australia, India at Tokyo talks on maritime and cyber security amid China concerns

TOKYO (AP) — Top diplomats from Japan, the U.S., Australia and India met Monday to discuss security concerns and joint support to reinforce maritime safety and cybersecurity in the Indo-Pacific region amid growing tensions with China. At the meeting hosted in Tokyo by Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmayam Jaishankar were expected to share strong opposition to Beijing’s escalating assertiveness in the South China Sea. China has triggered growing tension with many Asia-Pacific nations with its sweeping claims over the South China Sea and its crucial maritime trade routes.

Italy and China sign a 3-year action plan as Italian leader Meloni tries to reset relations

BEIJING (AP) — Italy and China signed a three-year action plan on Sunday to implement past agreements and experiment with new forms of cooperation, Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on an official visit to the Chinese capital. Meloni is trying to reset relations with China as fears of a trade war with the European Union are interwoven with continued interest in attracting Chinese investment in auto manufacturing and other sectors. “We certainly have a lot of work to do and I am convinced that this work can be useful in such a complex phase on a global level, and also important at a multilateral level,” she said in remarks at the start of a meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang.

France renews vow to defend freedom of navigation as it showcases fighter jets in the Philippines

CLARK, Philippines (AP) — France renewed a commitment to help defend freedom of navigation and overflight in the Asia-Pacific Sunday and said that its supersonic fighter jets — a pair of which landed for the first time in the Philippines — and advance military power would enable it to respond rapidly to any humanitarian or security crisis in the region. France is also working to quickly conclude a defense pact that would allow it to deploy a larger number of forces for joint exercises to the Philippines, French Ambassador to Manila Marie Fontanel said. France has moved to broaden its defense engagements in the Indo-Pacific region, including with the Philippines and other Southeast Asian nations.

Mudslide kills 15 people near tourist site in China as rains from tropical storm Gaemi drench region

BEIJING (AP) — Fifteen people were killed after a mudslide hit a homestay house in a tourist area in southeastern China on Sunday as heavy rains from what remained of a tropical storm drenched the region, state media said. Elsewhere in China, a delivery person on a scooter was killed Saturday after being hit by a falling tree in Shanghai, apparently because of storm-related winds, according to The Paper, a digital news outlet. The deaths were the first in China that appear linked to Typhoon Gaemi, which weakened to a tropical storm after making landfall on Thursday. Before reaching China, the typhoon intensified monsoon rains in the Philippines, leaving at least 34 dead, and swept across the island of Taiwan, where the death toll has risen to 10, authorities said late Saturday.

US-Japan security talks focus on bolstering military cooperation, underscores threat from China

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese and U.S. defense chiefs and top diplomats agreed to further bolster their military cooperation by upgrading the command and control of U.S. forces in the East Asian country and strengthening American-licensed missile production there, describing the rising threat from China as “the greatest strategic challenge.” Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin joined their Japanese counterparts, Yoko Kamikawa and Minoru Kihara, at the Japan-U.S. Security Consultative Committee in Tokyo, known as “2+2” security talks where they reaffirmed their bilateral alliance following President Joe Biden ‘s withdrawal from the November presidential race. Japan is home to more than 50,000 U.S.

Philippine forces sail to hotly disputed shoal without incident for first time since deal with China

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Philippine government personnel transported food and other supplies Saturday to a fiercely disputed shoal occupied by a Filipino navy contingent but closely guarded by Beijing’s forces in the South China Sea and no confrontations were reported, Philippine officials said. It was the first Philippine government supply trip to the Second Thomas Shoal, which has been the scene of increasingly violent confrontations between Chinese and Philippine forces, since the Philippines and China reached a deal a week ago to prevent clashes, the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila said in a statement. “The lawful and routine rotation and resupply mission within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone is a credit to the professionalism of the men and women of the Philippine navy and the Philippine coast guard and the close coordination among the National Security Council, Department of National Defense and the Department of Foreign Affairs,” the Philippine Foreign Affairs Department said, without providing other details.

Two Japanese climbers have gone missing while trying to scale K2 in Pakistan, officials say

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Two Japanese climbers went missing on Saturday while attempting to scale K2, the world’s second-highest mountain in northern Pakistan, officials said, the fourth such incident in less than two months. The latest incident happened when the pair fell from a height of 7,500 meters (24,605-foot) while trying to ascent the 8,611-meter (28,250-foot) high K2, which is also referred to as the “killer mountain,” a regional officer, Waliullah Falahi told The Associated Press by phone. Two Pakistan army helicopters quickly launched a search and rescue operation but they could not pluck the Japanese because the men didn’t make any move, Falahi said.

The US and China air global differences as their top diplomats meet for sixth time since last year

VIENTIANE, Laos (AP) — The United States and China on Saturday renewed their mutual grievances as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his Chinese counterpart held their sixth meeting since last year amid an uncertain political situation in the U.S. and growing concerns about China’s increasing assertiveness in Asia and elsewhere. Blinken and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met for roughly an hour and 20 minutes on the sidelines of an annual Southeast Asian regional security forum in Vientiane, Laos, at which tensions between China and U.S. ally Philippines over disputes in the South China Sea were a prime focus of discussion.