Top Asian News 3:40 a.m. GMT

China to challenge Biden’s electric vehicle plans at the WTO

BEIJING (AP) — China filed a World Trade Organization complaint against the U.S. on Tuesday over what it says are discriminatory requirements for electric vehicle subsidies. The Chinese Commerce Ministry didn’t say what prompted the move. But under a new U.S. rule that took effect Jan. 1, electric car buyers are not eligible for tax credits of $3,750 to $7,500 if critical minerals or other battery components were made by Chinese, Russian, North Korean or Iranian companies. The credits are part of U.S. President Joe Biden’s signature climate legislation, named the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. A ministry statement didn’t mention the specific restriction.

Indian police detain dozens of protesters demanding release of top opposition leader Arvind Kejriwal

NEW DELHI (AP) — Indian police detained dozens of opposition protesters Tuesday to stop them from marching to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence to demand the release of their leader and top elected official of New Delhi arrested last week in a bribery case. Nearly 300 supporters of Arvind Kejriwal gathered at India’s Parliament House to begin their march. Policemen, some in riot gear, surrounded the protesters and detained some. “Long Live Kejriwal” protesters chanted while being dragged and bundled into buses and driven away by the police. They are likely to be released later in the day. “This is a dictatorship.

Why is Japan changing its ban on exporting lethal weapons, and why is it so controversial?

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s Cabinet OK’d a plan to sell future next-generation fighter jets to other countries on Tuesday, its latest step away from the pacifist principles the country adopted at the end of World War II. The controversial decision to allow international arms sales is expected to help secure Japan’s role in a year-old project to develop a new fighter jet together with Italy and the U.K., but it’s also part of a move to build up Japan’s arms industry and bolster its role in global affairs. For now, Tokyo says that it doesn’t plan to export co-developed lethal weapons other than the new fighters, which aren’t expected to enter service until 2035.

China hands down terms of life to 8 years for sports officials convicted of taking bribes

BEIJING (AP) — The former president of the Chinese Football Association has been sentenced to life in prison amid a wide-ranging crackdown on sports corruption. Chinese courts on Tuesday handed down sentences of between eight years and life in prison to officials in the Communist Party-controlled sports programs, accusing them of taking bribes and committing other financial crimes. Chen Xuyuan, the former CFA president, received a life sentence for helping fix matches and using his various positions to commit financial crimes, state media reported. Xinhua reported that all of Chen’s personal property would be confiscated and his illegal gains would be recovered and turned over to the state treasury.

Those Godzilla claw shoes on the Oscars red carpet are just one of Hazama’s ‘dark fantasy’ creations

URAWA, Japan (AP) — One Japanese creation grabbing attention on the Oscars red carpet wasn’t a movie: the kitsch shoes that seemed to be clenched in Godzilla’s claw. They were the work of Ryosuke Matsui, who recently described his joy at seeing “Godzilla Minus One” director Takashi Yamazaki and his Shirogumi special-effects team walk the red carpet and win the visual effects Oscar, all while wearing his shoes. “The director loves my shoes. He calls them his uniform,” Matsui told The Associated Press in an interview. At 35 with a fashion career that’s barely a decade old, Matsui heads his own brand called Hazama, which means “the space-in-between” in Japanese.

Hong Kong leader says prisoners jailed for national security crimes unlikely to get early release

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong’s leader said Tuesday that prisoners convicted for serious national security crimes would not likely be granted early release under the tightened rules of a new national security law, signaling a hardening government stance against jailed political activists. Chief Executive John Lee said the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance stipulates that people found guilty of endangering national security must not be granted remission unless the commissioner of correctional services believes the move would not be a national security risk. This also applies to inmates who received sentences before the new law was introduced last Saturday, Lee said.

Chinese EV makers challenging market leaders at auto show in Bangkok

BANGKOK (AP) — Chinese electric vehicle makers are showcasing their latest models, including a flying car, as they take on global rivals at the Bangkok International Motor Show. Companies like BYD, XPeng and Great Wall Motors are quickly growing their sales in Thailand, challenging longstanding market leaders like Toyota, Isuzu and Ford, as they expand exports across the globe. And Thailand, one of the biggest markets in Southeast Asia, a region of more than 600 million people, has made developing its EV market a priority. Tesla launched sales in late 2022, offering its popular Model 3 and Model Y at prices aimed at competing with rivals like China’s BYD.

Pakistani police say 5 Chinese nationals and their local driver were killed in a suicide attack

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — A suicide bomber in northwest Pakistan rammed his explosive-laden car into a vehicle Tuesday, killing five Chinese nationals and their Pakistani driver, police and government officials said. The attack happened in Shangla, a district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, local police chief Bakhat Zahir said. He added that the five killed were construction workers and engineers heading to the Dasu Dam, the biggest hydropower project in Pakistan, where they worked. Authorities said the bodies were transported to a nearby hospital, and that security forces started a search in the area to look for accomplices. Police also launched an investigation into the attack.

A decade of documenting more than 63,000 migrant deaths shows that fleeing is more lethal than ever

BERLIN (AP) — More than a decade ago, the death of 600 migrants and refugees in two Mediterranean shipwrecks near Italian shores shocked the world and prompted the U.N. migration agency to start recording the number of people who died or went missing as they fled conflict, persecution or poverty to other countries. Governments around the world have repeatedly pledged to save migrants’ lives and fight smugglers while tightening borders. Yet 10 years on, a report by the International Organization for Migration’s Missing Migrants Project published Tuesday shows the world is no safer for people on the move. On the contrary, migrant deaths have soared.

Malaysian convenience store owners charged over ‘Allah’ socks that angered Muslims

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — The owners of a Malaysian convenience store chain and one of its suppliers were charged Tuesday with offending the religious feelings of Muslims after socks printed with the word “Allah” were found for sale on its shelves. Chai Kee Kan, founder and chairman of the KK Mart Group, the country’s second-large chain of convenience stores, and his wife Loh Siew Mui, a company director, pleaded not guilty to charges of deliberately wounding the religious feelings of Muslims. The company has blamed its supplier for sending products the company had not agreed to stock. Religion is a sensitive issue in Malaysia, where Muslims account for two-thirds of a population of 34 million, with large ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities.