🇫🇯🇺🇸🇨🇳 US alleges Fiji cyber breach

The US Embassy in Fiji said China-linked hackers breached a regional organisation in Suva between July and August, maintaining access to its network for several days. Fiji’s policing and communications minister Ioane Naivalurua said police are investigating and urged governments, organisations and the private sector to harden their digital systems.

The embassy said governments and telecommunications networks across the Pacific are also being targeted. The claim comes as Suva gains importance as a regional telecom hub, with Google expanding subsea cable links connecting Guam, Australia, French Polynesia and the US mainland via Fiji.

China said it was unaware of the case and rejected the allegation, while the Pacific Islands Forum said it was not the affected organisation. The episode adds to wider US-China friction in Fiji after Washington recently sought evidence for separate bribery-related claims involving a Chinese state agency employee in Suva.

#Fiji #China #UnitedStates

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🇯🇵🇺🇸 Japan, U.S. review Okinawa conduct

Japan and the United States have begun senior working-level talks on preventing crimes by U.S. military personnel after the alleged murder of a local woman in Okinawa by a U.S. Marine. Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said the consultations will address the U.S. military’s liberty policy on off-base conduct in Japan, as well as joint patrols by U.S. forces and Japanese police.

Prime Minister Sanae Takachi said the U.S. side plans to closely review its code of conduct. The suspect, Devin Ballard, stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, was arrested on Oct. 4 on suspicion of robbing and murdering Anna Yagi at a hotel in Naha on the previous day; he has denied the allegations.

Following the arrest, the U.S. military in Okinawa suspended normal operations for 48 hours and imposed a 30-day midnight-to-5 a.m. curfew starting Friday. The case has renewed scrutiny of the U.S. troop presence in Okinawa, which hosts most facilities used exclusively by U.S. Forces Japan and has long seen local opposition linked to past crimes involving service members.

#Japan #US

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🇭🇰🇨🇳 Huanggang Port Opens at Scale

Hong Kong’s new Huanggang Port handled 79,500 passenger crossings and 8,000 vehicle movements on its first day, with 41,300 people entering Hong Kong and 38,200 departing, according to frontier inspection data. Authorities said immigration clearance and public transport links at the rebuilt Hong Kong-mainland China checkpoint operated smoothly.

Transport Secretary Mable Chan said operators were increasing staffing and service frequency ahead of heavier traffic over the Chung Yeung holiday weekend. The government will step up publicity on the new arrangements, while KMB said its two cross-border feeder routes, B10 and B11, carried about 25,000 passengers on opening day and could run as often as every five minutes at peak periods.

The figures reflect total border crossings rather than unique travellers. Initial volumes indicate the rebuilt checkpoint is being integrated quickly into Hong Kong-Shenzhen cross-border traffic flows.

#HongKong #China

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🇯🇵🇨🇳🇷🇺 Japan protests China Kuril visit

Japan lodged protests with both China and Russia after an official delegation from China’s Heilongjiang province visited Iturup, a Russian-held island claimed by Tokyo as Etorofu. Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said on Oct 14 that Tokyo had conveyed its position through diplomatic channels and called third-country activity on the Northern Territories as if they were Russian territory completely unacceptable.

The delegation, which included officials and business representatives, surveyed tourism and aquaculture projects earlier in October, according to local Russian authorities. The visit adds to friction around the disputed island chain, where sovereignty remains unresolved and continues to block a formal World War II peace treaty between Japan and Russia.

Tensions have risen further after Vladimir Putin visited Etorofu in August, and Russia separately notified Japan of military exercises on the island from Oct 13 to 17. The episode also points to closer visible coordination between Beijing and Moscow around disputed territory claimed by Tokyo.

#Japan #China #Russia

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🇰🇵🇨🇳 New Yalu Bridge Opens

The New Yalu River Bridge linking Sinuiju in North Korea and Dandong in China will officially open to traffic on Thursday, according to a Xinhua report. The 3,024-meter four-lane motor bridge was completed in 2014 but remained unused for more than a decade, with an opening ceremony scheduled for the launch.

Construction began in 2011, but the crossing stayed idle because North Korea did not complete buildings and related infrastructure on its side. The bridge will supplement the existing Friendship Bridge, the main Yalu River crossing since 1943, and is expected to ease congestion while expanding trade and personnel exchanges between the two countries.

The opening follows the June summit in Pyongyang, where Kim Jong-un and Xi Jinping pledged to elevate bilateral ties to a strategic level and increase exchanges. Recent vehicle movements on the bridge had already suggested test operations.

#NorthKorea #China

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🇨🇳🇹🇼 China Warns Taiwan Over Pratas

China said Taiwan must bear the consequences after Taiwan’s Coast Guard used a water cannon on a Chinese fishing boat near the Pratas Islands in the South China Sea. Taipei said the vessel ignored orders to leave restricted waters, and the boat later suffered engine failure before being towed away, according to reports on the incident.

Beijing said it has indisputable sovereignty over the Pratas and surrounding waters, and called mainland vessel activity there legal and justified. Taiwan rejected that position and described the encounter as normal law enforcement; the episode comes as China has expanded coast guard patrols and military pressure around Taiwan, while the Pratas remain a vulnerable outpost more than 400km from Taiwan.

The incident adds friction at a remote but exposed maritime flashpoint between China and Taiwan. It also coincided with Taipei reporting increased Chinese military activity.

#China #Taiwan

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🇰🇷🇺🇸 SCM Talks Shift Past Midterms

South Korea and the United States have agreed to hold their annual Security Consultative Meeting after the Nov. 3 U.S. midterm elections, delaying the high-level defense talks usually held in early November. According to sources cited by Yonhap, the two sides reached a mutual understanding to reschedule the meeting, which Washington is set to host, while both defense ministries continue coordinating a mutually available date.

The SCM is the allies’ main senior-level defense channel for coordinating alliance strategy, joint readiness, and deterrence against North Korea. The delay comes as Seoul and Washington remain apart on the timing of wartime operational control transfer, with South Korea seeking progress before 2030 and the U.S. maintaining a conditions-based approach tied to force capability certification.

South Korea had aimed to complete the full operational capability assessment and announce a target year for OPCON transition at the upcoming SCM. Local media have reported the meeting could move to December.

#SouthKorea #UnitedStates

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🇮🇳🇺🇸 India Sees Progress in US Talks

India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said New Delhi is encouraged by progress in trade negotiations with the US and that both sides are “heading toward a landing point” after more than a year of talks. Speaking in New Delhi on Oct 13, he said countries must recalculate ties with Washington as the US repositions its global engagement.

Jaishankar also defended India’s relationship with Russia, saying it is in the world’s interest for Moscow to retain multiple diplomatic options and relationships in Europe and Asia. His remarks come after US ties with India were strained by new tariffs under President Donald Trump, closer US engagement with Pakistan, and friction over India’s continued purchases of Russian energy.

He said India-China talks have moved forward since the 2020 border clashes, but stressed that peace on the disputed frontier and a level playing field in trade remain essential.

#India #USA #Russia

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🇲🇾🇨🇳 Malaysia Seeks China Weather Satellites

Malaysia plans to use Chinese satellite-based forecasting to improve disaster warnings ahead of the north-east monsoon, with Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi saying Beijing has offered advanced systems during his visit to Beijing. Putrajaya also proposed a bilateral disaster management agreement with mutual legal assistance in emergencies, according to the report.

Zahid said the cooperation would cover not only equipment but also satellite technology, system access and technology transfer, while noting Malaysia’s existing MetMalaysia systems are less sophisticated. The move is aimed at earlier flood preparation, faster evacuations and lower losses, after reported flood damage fell from RM960 million in 2024 to RM600 million in 2025.

The system is not expected to be operational in time for the coming monsoon season. Malaysian officials said implementation will be pursued for use in the coming years.

#Malaysia #China

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🇨🇳🇺🇸 US CEOs Skip Shenzhen APEC

Some US corporate chiefs have decided not to attend next month’s APEC summit in Shenzhen, according to people cited by the Zaobao report. Reasons given include a lack of detailed scheduling, limited expected outcomes, and few opportunities for substantive exchanges.

Beijing had invited several US business leaders, especially executives who joined President Donald Trump’s May trip to China and attended the White House state dinner during Xi Jinping’s September US visit. But organizers reportedly delayed providing concrete agendas, activities, and meeting plans, while China also repeatedly extended corporate registration deadlines, indicating weak interest ahead of the Nov. 17-19 APEC meetings.

The APEC Business Leaders Summit is scheduled for Nov. 17-18, followed by the leaders’ summit on Nov. 18-19. Attendance by major US executives would have added weight to China-US commercial engagement on the sidelines.

#China #UnitedStates

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🇨🇳🇹🇼 Beijing Bars Cao Relative

China’s Taiwan Affairs Office said former UMC chairman Cao Xingcheng’s brother was denied entry at a Shanghai airport after attempting to enter the mainland. At a regular briefing on Oct. 14, spokesman Chen Binhua said Cao, already on Beijing’s “diehard Taiwan independence” list, is subject to sanctions that bar him and his family from entering mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau.

Beijing said it welcomes normal cross-strait exchanges but will not tolerate pro-independence activities. Cao, a former head of Taiwan semiconductor firm UMC, was added to the blacklist in October 2024 alongside DPP lawmaker Shen Pao-yang, while the Kuma Academy civil defense group backed by Cao was also penalized.

The case shows Beijing is applying existing sanctions to relatives of blacklisted Taiwanese figures, not only to the listed individuals themselves.

#China #Taiwan

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🇮🇩 Bali Fuel Queues Persist

Motorists across Bali have been lining up for hours at petrol stations in Denpasar, Badung and Tabanan amid a fuel supply disruption, according to local and regional reporting. Governor I Wayan Koster said supplies were sufficient overall but deliveries to stations were not keeping pace with demand, and he attributed the shortages in part to panic buying.

The issue is affecting local businesses and tourist activity on Indonesia’s main resort island. Officials said Pertamina had initially allocated 2.2 million litres per day to Bali, while the company said it had received 18 million litres of subsidised Pertalite and 2.5 million litres of Pertamax to stabilise supply.

Provincial officials also cited the broader global geopolitical situation as a factor behind pressure on fuel availability, while encouraging more restrained consumption and greater use of electric vehicles. Koster said he expected conditions to improve by Wednesday.

#Indonesia

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🇨🇳 ByteDance Creates AI Safety Unit

ByteDance’s AI research team Seed has set up an independent model safety and alignment department focused on improving AI agent security and reducing risks from advanced models in chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear domains. The new unit, called Seed Model-Alignment & Preparedness, will be led by Yan Lin and report directly to Seed head Wu Yonghui.

The move consolidates ByteDance’s existing Responsible AI team and part of its chat-model staff into a dedicated structure. Chinese large-model developers have generally handled safety and alignment within broader compliance systems; the report said Seed is the first frontier AI lab in China to establish a standalone department for the function.

The new department will cover behavior standards, safety evaluation systems, alignment training, safeguards, and risk monitoring, while expanding cooperation with external research and third-party evaluators. The change reflects growing industry concern over increasingly autonomous AI agents and their potential misuse or unauthorized actions.

#China

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🇰🇵🇰🇷 North Korea tests submarine cruise missiles

North Korea said it test-fired two types of strategic cruise missile into the East Sea on Oct. 14, with South Korean officials indicating the launch may have come from the 3,000-ton-class Hero Kim Kun Ok submarine unveiled in 2023. Pyongyang said the test checked underwater combat system readiness, while Seoul said it tracked the missiles from before launch through the end of flight.

If confirmed, this would mark the first reported launch from the Hero Kim Kun Ok, which North Korea has described as its first tactical nuclear attack submarine and a core underwater offensive asset. South Korea's military said one missile was launched from a vertical launching system and another from a torpedo tube, indicating multiple submarine launch modes; the previous reported submarine cruise missile test was in January 2024 from the smaller 8.24 Yongung.

The launch follows North Korea's tactical ballistic missile test earlier this week and extends a pattern of naval and missile signaling without Kim Jong-un's direct attendance. Seoul did not publicly announce the launch on the day, but rejected any suggestion it had failed to detect it.

#NorthKorea #SouthKorea

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🇪🇺🇨🇳 EU hardens China trade line

The European Union is preparing to intensify action against Chinese trade practices after Beijing agreed to cap hybrid vehicle exports to the bloc at 350,000 units a year. Brussels now sees the deal as proof that pressure can produce concessions, with the shift outlined in recent reporting from Brussels following talks involving EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic and Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao.

EU policymakers are converging on a two-track approach: continued dialogue with Beijing alongside stronger trade defence measures against what they view as distortive Chinese policies. The change is politically significant because Germany, China’s largest trading partner in Europe, has moved closer to France in backing a tougher line after previously resisting more assertive steps.

The hybrid car arrangement was intended to defuse pressure, but it has instead reinforced support in Brussels for broader action. Further EU trade instruments targeting Chinese competition are now more likely.

#China #EuropeanUnion

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🇮🇩 PLN chief replaced after Batam blackout

Indonesia replaced PLN chief executive Darmawan Prasodjo after a 16-hour blackout in Batam, with Suroso Isnandar appointed as the new CEO, according to an exchange filing on Oct 14. The outage began early on Oct 12 and affected more than 411,000 customers, disrupting water supplies and telecommunications.

Danantara, PLN’s controlling shareholder, said the leadership change is part of efforts to improve services at the state electricity company. PLN’s Batam subsidiary will also be moved directly under the sovereign wealth fund, while the island remains a strategic manufacturing, free-trade and data-centre hub near Singapore.

Most services had been restored by Oct 13, but rolling blackouts continued on Oct 14 as power demand exceeded capacity.

#Indonesia #Singapore

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🇨🇳🇰🇵 China, North Korea Open Border Bridge

The new Yalu River bridge linking Dandong in China’s Liaoning province with Sinuiju in North Korea’s North Pyongan province opened on Thursday. Chinese Premier Li Qiang said the project will boost bilateral trade and people-to-people exchanges, describing it as a new symbol of traditional China-North Korea friendship.

Li said the bridge was a major cross-border infrastructure project jointly supported by Xi Jinping and Kim Jong Un. The 3,026-meter bridge, a four-lane road link built by China at a cost of about 2.2 billion yuan, had remained unused after its main span was completed in 2014 because North Korea’s connecting roads and port facilities lagged behind.

The opening adds a new transport channel to the main China-North Korea border zone and comes as Beijing says bilateral ties are entering a new stage under top-level strategic guidance.

#China #NorthKorea

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🇨🇳 IMF Flags Undervalued Yuan

An IMF official said China’s domestic stimulus has been too weak to revive demand, leaving the renminbi undervalued in real effective terms. Speaking in Bangkok during the Fund’s annual meetings, Asia-Pacific director Krishna Srinivasan said the currency’s weakness reflects deeper imbalances in China’s economy. IMF’s latest assessment puts the yuan’s undervaluation at 17.3% to 25.3%, with a midpoint of 21.3%.

Beijing has introduced demand-support measures, including a stimulus package announced last month, but Srinivasan said the scale remains insufficient. He linked the renminbi’s real depreciation to very low inflation in China, arguing that it has automatically boosted competitiveness and contributed to a trade surplus that has widened over several years.

He also warned that unresolved structural imbalances are delaying progress on other risks, including local government debt. The exchange-rate debate remains contested, with disagreement over whether misalignment is a cause or a result of broader economic distortions.

#China

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🇰🇷🇺🇸🇨🇳 SK Hynix Ties US Plant to China Exports

Reuters reported on Oct. 14 that SK Hynix is seeking Washington’s approval to export more US-made chip equipment to its Dalian, China facility, with that access set as a condition for expanding NAND production at a future US plant. The request centers on unused space at the Dalian factory, where subsidiary Solidigm wants to install additional tools to make NAND flash chips.

The case sits at the intersection of US industrial policy and semiconductor export controls. The Trump administration has pressed foreign chipmakers including SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics to build in the United States, while Dalian’s NAND lines rely on equipment from major US suppliers including Lam Research, Applied Materials, and KLA.

SK Hynix said it is not considering a capacity expansion at the Dalian Mod B plant built in 2023, adding that equipment introduction is proceeding under consultations and licensing requirements with the US government. Solidigm declined comment, and the US Commerce Department did not respond.

#SouthKorea #UnitedStates #China

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🇰🇷🇺🇸 Seoul warns on command transfer

South Korea’s Defence Ministry spokesperson said in Seoul on Oct 15 that repeatedly changing the conditions for wartime operational control transfer from the US could make the handover impossible, though the ministry’s formal position remains adherence to the agreed plan. The comment followed remarks by US Forces Korea commander Xavier Brunson, who said the security environment had changed; the proposed transfer remains tied to a conditions-based process.

The issue concerns the long-running shift of wartime operational control from Washington to Seoul under the US-South Korea alliance. Brunson cited changes in operational plans and North Korea’s recent missile launches as reasons new standards must still be met, while South Korean media report Seoul is targeting 2028 and the US side has floated early 2029.

President Lee Jae Myung wants the transfer completed before 2030. Timing now appears increasingly tied to whether both sides keep the original benchmarks or revise them.

#SouthKorea #UnitedStates

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