🇨🇳 China urges public nuclear pledge

China’s disarmament ambassador Li Chijiang told the UN General Assembly’s First Committee on Friday that all nuclear-weapon states should publicly commit to not seeking permanent possession of nuclear arms. In remarks delivered at the UN nuclear debate, he also called for joint action on rising nuclear risks and warned of growing concern over arms racing and nuclear war.

Li said Cold War thinking, double standards, and unilateralism are the main drivers of deterioration in the international security environment. He called for preserving the existing arms control treaty system, defending the authority of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, and requiring states with the largest arsenals to take special priority responsibility for substantial further cuts.

He also urged vigilance toward some non-nuclear states accumulating plutonium without credible civilian use, seeking changes to the “Three Non-Nuclear Principles,” and openly advocating independent nuclear armament.

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🇰🇷🇰🇵 Seoul reiterates push for dialogue

South Korean Prime Minister Han Seong-sook said Sunday the government will continue efforts to open the door for dialogue with North Korea and pursue talks on peace and joint prosperity. Han made the remarks in Seoul while attending a presidential sporting event for displaced North Korean residents.

Han said inter-Korean division remains a reality and pointed to the continuing pain of displaced residents and separated families. The statement signals that the government is maintaining a formal line in favor of renewed inter-Korean engagement and peaceful coexistence despite the unresolved division of the peninsula.

She also asked participants for support in efforts to establish peace, while thanking displaced North Korean residents for their contribution to South Korea's economic development and democratization.

#SouthKorea #NorthKorea

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🇨🇳🇯🇵 China Condemns Yasukuni Offerings

China’s embassy in Japan on Saturday condemned what it called Japan’s negative moves over Yasukuni Shrine, after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi offered a ritual masakaki tree in the name of the cabinet prime minister and some cabinet members visited the shrine during its three-day autumn festival, according to a report by Zaobao. The embassy said the shrine enshrines 14 Class-A war criminals and denounced the gestures as unacceptable.

The embassy described Yasukuni as a symbol and spiritual tool of Japanese militarism, and said such acts distort historical facts, obscure responsibility for wartime crimes, and challenge the postwar international order. It also noted that 2026 marks 80 years since the opening of the Tokyo Trials, framing historical accountability as a political basis for Japan’s ties with neighboring states.

Beijing urged Tokyo to reflect on its history of aggression, face wartime responsibility, and act cautiously on issues related to Yasukuni Shrine. The episode adds another strain to a relationship where historical memory remains a recurring fault line.

#China #Japan

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🇹🇼 Taipei Debate Poll Favors Shen

Ahead of the Oct. 31 televised Taipei mayoral debate, a new TVBS survey found that 41% of respondents expect DPP candidate Shen Boyang to outperform incumbent KMT Mayor Chiang Wan-an, versus 30% for Chiang. The poll covered eligible voters in Taipei and was conducted from Oct. 12 to 15 with 1,131 valid samples.

Among independent voters, 31% favored Shen’s debate performance and 14% favored Chiang, while 55% were undecided or did not know. Age splits were uneven: Shen led among voters aged 30 to 59, while Chiang held an advantage among those aged 60 and above; party alignment was also strong, with 92% of DPP supporters backing Shen’s debate prospects and 76% of KMT supporters backing Chiang.

The debate comes in the final stretch of Taiwan’s local elections and will be jointly hosted by pro-Green Sanli TV and pro-Blue TVBS. It will include cross-examination and media questioning.

#Taiwan

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🇰🇵🇨🇳 North Korean Delegation Visits Jiangsu

A friendly delegation from North Korea’s Kangwon Province, led by People’s Committee chairman Hwang Man Bok, departed Pyongyang by air on October 17 for a visit to China’s Jiangsu province, according to the Chinese embassy in Pyongyang, which announced the trip. North Korean officials and the Chinese ambassador saw the group off at Pyongyang International Airport.

The visit comes as China-North Korea ties continue to show signs of improvement. On October 15, the New Yalu River Bridge linking Dandong in Liaoning with Sinuiju in North Pyongan opened after nearly 12 years, indicating renewed bilateral coordination on cross-border economic links.

The Jiangsu visit adds a provincial-level channel to the recent uptick in exchanges between the two countries.

#China #NorthKorea

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🇨🇳🇮🇩 Chinese Suppliers Bypass SEA Traders

Ethnic Chinese traders in Indonesia and elsewhere in Southeast Asia say factories in China are increasingly selling directly to their customers, often at prices below what intermediaries are charged. The pressure is visible on Indonesian e-commerce platforms, where Chinese companies are listing products directly and eroding margins for local distributors in sectors including home goods and pet supplies.

The shift affects a long-established commercial layer linking Chinese manufacturers with Southeast Asian retail markets, including many ethnic Chinese family-run trading businesses. It reflects the growing reach of cross-border e-commerce and a structural move by mainland suppliers to capture downstream market access rather than rely on regional intermediaries.

The immediate effect is margin compression for small and medium traders from Indonesia to the Philippines. If sustained, the trend could further weaken the traditional brokerage role of diaspora-linked trading networks in regional commerce.

#China #Indonesia #Philippines

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🇮🇩 Orangutan rescues rise in Kalimantan

Indonesian conservation agencies and non-profit YIARI have evacuated dozens of orangutans from wildfire zones in West Kalimantan, with 51 rescues reported there since Aug 6. Forestry ministry figures indicated the number rescued across Kalimantan in recent months could be as high as 96, while the latest operation on Oct 17 removed a 20-year-old male from Hampangen village in Central Kalimantan.

The rescues come as wildfires on Borneo and Sumatra, intensified by El Nino conditions, continue to drive a months-long haze episode across Indonesia and neighbouring states. The pollution has shut schools, increased respiratory illnesses in humans and animals, restricted outdoor activity, and pushed air quality in cities including Singapore and Kuala Lumpur into the world’s most polluted major urban centres.

The haze has also disrupted transport, with Indonesia’s transport ministry reporting about 2,400 flights affected since mid-August due to reduced visibility. Wildlife rescue operations are continuing alongside broader fire and haze response measures.

#Indonesia

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🇯🇵 Japan Tightens Property Disclosure

Tokyo has begun requiring all property buyers to declare their nationality when registering ownership or transferring property from October 5, a move that is raising concerns about foreign demand. The rule applies to both Japanese and non-Japanese buyers, while investors are also reassessing the market after higher interest rates increased financing costs.

Japan recorded US$27.2 billion in property investment in the first half of 2026, the second-highest total in Asia-Pacific after mainland China, according to MSCI, but transaction volume was 7 per cent lower year on year. The Bank of Japan’s quarter-point hike last month lifted benchmark rates to 1.25 per cent, a 31-year high, adding pressure on leveraged investors in a market that had drawn sustained foreign capital over the past several years.

Government data showed foreign nationals and businesses accounted for 68 of 9,573 large-scale land deals in the six months to December 2025, or 0.7 per cent, with Chinese buyers leading that group. The disclosure measure is not a purchase restriction, but it adds a new compliance layer as Japan’s real estate market adjusts to tighter monetary conditions.

#Japan #China

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🇰🇷 Seoul Cites Chip-Led Growth

South Korean Finance Minister Lee Hyoung-il said in Bangkok that the country’s growth momentum is set to strengthen as a semiconductor supercycle lifts exports and facility investment, during meetings with Moody’s, Fitch and S&P on the sidelines of the IMF-World Bank annual meetings, the finance ministry said. Lee told the agencies South Korea is projected to grow in the 3 percent range this year.

Lee said the government plans to build future growth engines through three megaprojects and the green transition, while also addressing disparities in housing, jobs and financial services. The rating agencies focused on how Seoul will use strong tax revenues from the chip boom; Lee outlined the Future Fund due to launch next year, while the agencies maintained that South Korea’s economic indicators and public finances remain stable.

Separately, Lee met multilateral development banks including the EBRD and CABEI and signed MOUs to expand exchanges in AI.

#SouthKorea

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🇯🇵 Japan Launches Mars Moon Mission

Japan will launch the MMX probe aboard an H3 rocket from Tanegashima Space Center on Oct 20, targeting Mars’ moon Phobos in what JAXA says would be the first round trip to the Martian system. The spacecraft will collect at least 10g of material from Phobos after arriving near Mars in about one year, then return the sample to Earth.

The mission is being conducted with NASA, ESA, CNES, DLR, universities and technology companies, and will also observe Deimos. JAXA aims to determine whether Phobos and Deimos formed through a giant impact or were captured, while also using Phobos as a test case for round-trip requirements that it says are essential for future crewed Mars exploration.

MMX is expected to orbit Phobos for up to three years, with the IDEFIX rover conducting surface observations before landing to support a safe sample retrieval. The mission also comes as Japan seeks to operate in Mars gravity conditions while China prepares a rival sample mission.

#Japan

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🇨🇳 Long March legacy targets youth

As China marks the 90th anniversary of the Red Army’s Long March victory, some young people are turning to its themes of perseverance and hope to navigate unemployment and broader uncertainty. The South China Morning Post reported that students have been visiting commemorative sites including Chishui in Guizhou, where the 1935 campaign is presented as a model of military strategy.

The Long March was the Communist Party Red Army’s 1934-36 strategic retreat during the Chinese civil war, covering about 10,000km through mountainous and marshland terrain while evading Kuomintang forces. Its symbolism has long been embedded in official political education, and the renewed resonance among youth comes amid economic stress and state efforts to anchor younger generations in revolutionary history.

The trend links present-day social anxiety with established party narratives rather than a new policy shift. It also extends the political utility of revolutionary memory beyond formal commemorations.

#China

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🇨🇳🇰🇷 China Delegation Visits Korea

Chinese local government officials will make a five-day visit to South Korea through Friday to discuss bilateral exchanges and local-level cooperation, with Seoul’s foreign ministry saying the delegation includes foreign affairs officials from Beijing, Guangdong, Jiangxi and other regions. The group will visit industrial and cultural facilities and receive a briefing on bilateral relations.

The itinerary includes stops at the Saemangeum national industrial complex and related agencies to explore cooperation on the development project. Saemangeum is a large-scale west coast reclamation project aimed at building an industrial, business and tourism hub, and was discussed by President Lee Jae Myung and President Xi Jinping at their November 2025 summit in the context of promoting investment.

The visit is part of the 2026 Korea-China Future-Oriented Exchange Program, launched in 1999 to host Chinese local foreign affairs officials. It indicates continued use of subnational channels in managing Korea-China ties.

#China #SouthKorea

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🇺🇸🇰🇷 US acknowledges Seoul’s objections

The United States has expressed understanding of South Korea’s objections to recent remarks by USFK Commander Gen. Xavier Brunson on the inter-Korean border and wartime operational control, according to a source cited by Yonhap. Brunson had described the southern fence line near the DMZ as where South Korean territory begins and said allies must meet “new standards” for the OPCON transfer.

The remarks triggered protests in Seoul, where lawmakers called for a retraction and apology, arguing they touched on sovereignty. The dispute also reflects a broader gap over OPCON transfer timing: South Korea wants to retake wartime command as early as next year, while Washington has remained cautious, citing North Korea’s advancing military capabilities and changes in the security environment.

A USFK official later said Brunson’s comments on conditions referred to the evolving threat environment rather than the formal OPCON transition criteria, while the UNC stated South Korean sovereignty was not in question.

#SouthKorea #UnitedStates

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🇰🇷 Hyundai Rotem Buys Defense Unit

Hyundai Rotem said it will acquire Hyundai Wia’s defense business for 358.4 billion won ($252 million), according to a regulatory filing in South Korea. The unit makes key components for the K9 howitzer and K2 main battle tank, adding in-house production capacity to Hyundai Rotem’s defense operations.

The deal aligns with Hyundai Motor Group’s internal restructuring, with Hyundai Rotem concentrating on defense manufacturing and Hyundai Wia shifting toward future mobility technologies. Hyundai Wia said it will use the proceeds to invest in electrification, software-defined vehicles, constant velocity joints, thermal management systems, and robotics.

The acquisition supports Hyundai Rotem’s export-driven expansion as it scales production for major K2 contracts, including a $6.5 billion follow-up order from Poland signed in August 2025. It also follows a comprehensive agreement with Peru covering 195 ground weapons systems, including 54 K2 tanks.

#SouthKorea #Poland #Peru

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🇰🇷 South Korea Reschedules Space Rocket Test

South Korea’s defense ministry said it plans to resume the launch of the solid-fuel space rocket by the end of 2026 after a June 30 attempt off Jeju Island was postponed over safety issues detected in the final stages. The ministry said technical inspections have been completed and final preparations are under way, with the exact date still pending weather and readiness conditions.

The launch would be the first test of a fully assembled four-stage vehicle, following partial three-stage trials in 2022 and 2023. Seoul has developed the solid-propellant launcher since 2021 to strengthen independent spy satellite capabilities tied to monitoring North Korean threats, while the system’s simpler structure and shorter preparation time support faster launch cycles than liquid-fueled rockets.

The military plans to use the rocket for future microsized spy satellite launches. The last launch was conducted in December 2023.

#SouthKorea

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🇹🇼🇯🇵 Foxconn, Mitsubishi Form EV Venture

Foxconn and Mitsubishi Electric said they will build a global electric-vehicle platform business through a 50-50 joint venture in Tokyo, with the unit aimed at supplying platforms that automakers can use for their own models. The companies announced the partnership on Monday, using Mitsubishi Electric Mobility as the base entity.

The venture combines Foxconn’s manufacturing scale and speed with Mitsubishi Electric’s technology and production capabilities as Chinese EV makers, including BYD, expand globally. The tie-up reflects pressure on Japanese and German automakers to accelerate the shift from internal-combustion strengths toward EV and autonomous-driving systems.

For Foxconn, the deal supports its push into EV contract manufacturing beyond consumer electronics and AI server-related growth. It also deepens cross-border industrial coordination between Taiwan and Japan in a strategic auto segment.

#Taiwan #Japan

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🇰🇷 Seoul Hosts Global AI Summit

A three-day Global AI & Digital Summit opened in Seoul on Monday, co-hosted by South Korea’s science ministry and the World Bank Group. The event brought together government officials from around 50 countries, along with development partners, private-sector leaders and researchers to examine how AI and digital transformation can support practical development gains.

The summit marks the first time the event has been held outside the United States. It opens with an AI and Digital Ministerial meeting co-chaired by Science Minister Bae Kyung-hoon and World Bank Group Vice President for Digital and AI Kim Sang-bu, followed by policy forums and company exhibitions.

South Korea has hosted the AI and digital ministerial meeting since 2005, with the latest edition held alongside APEC last year. Second Vice Science Minister Ryu Jae-myung is set to present Seoul’s major AI policies, including the AI for all initiative.

#SouthKorea

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🇨🇳 State Funds Re-enter A-Shares

China’s CSI 300 extended its losing streak to a record 10 straight weeks, falling 3.4% in the five trading days through Oct. 16, while signs emerged that state-backed funds were stepping up ETF purchases to stabilise the market. On Monday, the index later rose 0.1% after stronger-than-expected third-quarter economic data, though it remains about 17% below its June peak and near a technical bear market, according to a report on market moves.

Bloomberg-compiled data showed ETF inflows last week reached their highest level since July, with buying concentrated in major broad-based funds favoured by China’s so-called “national team.” A Citic Securities report said the scale, concentration, and late-session trading pattern were consistent with contrarian buying by large institutions, although authorities have not confirmed direct intervention.

The market pressure comes as the global AI trade cools and Chinese tech shares weaken sharply, complicating Beijing’s effort to use the equity market to support technological upgrading. The STAR 50 index has fallen nearly 40% since the second half of the year, making it one of the world’s worst-performing major tech benchmarks.

#China

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🇯🇵 MHI Restarts Defense Ship Line

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries plans to restart a shipbuilding line in Okayama in fiscal 2027, aiming to build a defense vessel for Japan’s Defense Ministry, according to a source close to the matter. The company will reactivate a slipway at its Maritime Systems subsidiary’s main plant in Tamano and increase staffing.

The move is intended to expand construction capacity as demand for ships rises under Japan’s higher defense spending and efforts to promote overseas naval vessel exports. The Tamano facility was previously owned by Mitsui Shipbuilding & Engineering, now Mitsui E&S, before Mitsubishi Heavy took it over in 2021 after Mitsui exited the naval ship business.

The restart adds domestic industrial capacity for defense shipbuilding as Japan pushes to strengthen its military production base.

#Japan

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🇰🇷🇺🇸 Autonomous Vessel Test in U.S.

HD Hyundai and Anduril Industries conducted a joint trial of autonomous vessel technology off Long Beach, California, marking the first demonstration of South Korean autonomous navigation technology in U.S. waters. During the 3.5-hour test, the companies demonstrated autonomous navigation, mission changes, coordinated fleet operations, and emergency responses, with operations monitored in real time from shore-based control stations.

The trial used a modified 368-ton vessel previously operated by the U.S. Navy, fitted with HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering’s VAOne autonomous navigation platform and Anduril’s Lattice software for autonomous mission management and coordination. The test reflects HD Hyundai’s push into the U.S. defense market by combining its shipbuilding capabilities with Anduril’s autonomous systems technology.

The two companies are also jointly building an unmanned vessel at HD Hyundai’s shipyard in Ulsan. That vessel is scheduled for sea trials off the U.S. coast next month.

#SouthKorea #UnitedStates

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