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Every weekend, Asia Pacific Daily will provide you with a run-down of the latest hot news.
This week, the following hot news you should know:
Top 1 | China urges U.S. to take meaningful, concrete actions to ease Korean Peninsula tensions
Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the United Nations (UN), on Wednesday urged the United States to take meaningful and concrete actions to relieve tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
Zhang made the remarks at a UN General Assembly debate on the Korean Peninsula issue, the first of its kind since the General Assembly adopted a resolution on April 26 that allows it to convene automatically when a veto is cast in the Security Council. On May 26, China and Russia vetoed a Security Council draft resolution aimed to impose new sanctions on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), triggering the General Assembly meeting.
The envoy said the recent escalation of tensions on the peninsula was primarily a result of the "flip flop" of U.S. policies, its failure to uphold the results of previous dialogue, and its disregard for the reasonable concerns of the DPRK.
Top 2 | Venezuelans decry exclusion from Americas summit at 'anti-imperialist forums'
Venezuelans on Wednesday spoke out at "anti-imperialist forums" to voice their opposition to the exclusion of select countries from this week's Summit of the Americas in the U.S. city of Los Angeles.
Washington's decision to exclude Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua from the regional gathering was also opposed by other countries on the continent, noted Infante, adding that several presidents of regional countries had declined to attend the summit "to protest the discrimination."
Carlos Casanueva of the Bolivarian Continental Movement, a civic organization, said the forums have been organized since Monday at public plazas around Venezuela, "mainly in repudiation" of the exclusion.
Top 3 | Iran says response to IAEA's resolution is 'firm and proportionate'
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said in a tweet on Wednesday his country's response to the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) resolution is "firm and proportionate" and "the initiators are responsible for the consequences."
The UN nuclear watchdog's 35-nation Board of Governors passed a resolution criticizing Iran for failing to explain uranium traces found at three undeclared sites, diplomats at a closed-door meeting said on Wednesday.
Iran said it disconnected some IAEA cameras monitoring its nuclear sites Wednesday, hours before the UN nuclear watchdog adopted the resolution.
Top 4 | Wang Yi meets with Central Asian counterparts, vows to boost ties
Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with his counterparts from Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, respectively, on the sidelines of the third China+Central Asia (C+C5) foreign ministers' meeting in Kazakhstan on Tuesday, where Wang vowed that China would boost ties with Central Asian countries.
Energy is an important part of China's strategic cooperation with Turkmenistan, Wang told Turkmen Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov. No matter how the international situation changes, China's intention to expand energy cooperation between the two sides remains the same, the Chinese diplomat said.
Calling the two countries "close strategic partners," Meredov said the frequent high-level exchanges between Turkmenistan and China have reflected the high level bilateral relationship. He called for the strengthening of practical cooperation with China on various fronts and opening up a better future for bilateral relations.
Top 5 | EU sets rules for more gender balance on company boards
EU deputies agreed on new rules Tuesday that will require top companies to have at least 40 percent of either gender on their boards, in a bid to boost female representation.
The proposal, agreed on by EU member states and the European Parliament, was first made by the Commission, the EU's executive, in 2012.
Under the new rules, EU countries must ensure that listed companies fill at least 40 percent of non-executive board seats "with the underrepresented gender" by the end of June 2026, the statement said.
Top 6 | Chinese FM wraps up 8-nation tour, vows to help Pacific Island countries prosper
Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Sunday that China is willing to help Pacific Island nations to speed up development and revitalization after wrapping up his tour of eight island countries.
Speaking to Chinese media, Wang said China's cooperation with the island countries does not target any other countries, stressing that Beijing has no interest in geopolitical rivalry.
Wang visited the Solomon Islands, Kiribati, Samoa, Fiji, Tonga, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea and Timor-Leste from May 26 to June 4. He also met with senior officials of the Federated States of Micronesia, the Cook Islands and Niue via video, and chaired the second China-Pacific Island Countries Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Fiji.
Top 7 | U.S. excludes Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua from Americas summit
The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden has made the final decision of excluding the governments of Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua from the 9th Summit of the Americas, which is to be held from June 6 to 10 in Los Angeles, Reuters reported on Sunday, citing sources familiar with the matter.
The decision, which followed weeks of intense deliberations, poses the risk of an embarrassing boycott of the U.S.-hosted gathering if Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and some other leaders choose not to show up.
The Mexican president had threatened to skip the summit unless all countries in the Western Hemisphere were invited.
Top 8 | Putin warns Russia will strike if West supplies Ukraine with longer-range missiles
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday said Russia would strike new targets if the United States started supplying Ukraine with longer-range missiles, according to a report by the TASS news agency.
Putin, however, did not name the targets Russia planned to pursue if western countries began supplying Ukraine with longer-range missiles.
In response, Russia's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Ukraine's assurances that it would not use U.S. rockets against targets on Russian territory could not be trusted.
Top 9 | Zelensky Urges U.S. Mayors to Cut 'Brotherhood' Ties With Russian Cities
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday urged American leaders to cut symbolic and cultural ties with Russian cities at the annual U.S. Conference of Mayors.
Zelensky urged mayors to sever any existing "brotherhood" between several U.S. and Russian cities. The Ukrainian leader said he was referring to multiple American cities that have included Russian cities as part of their "sister city" relationships, such as Chicago, with Moscow, and Jacksonville, Florida, with Murmansk.
A sister city relationship is typically considered a long-term union between two communities in two different countries. Cities can have dozens of so-called sister cities, and relationships may focus on strengthening cultural, educational, business, or economic ties between the two.Although Zelensky mentioned Chicago in his Saturday speech, the city had already moved to suspend its sister city status with Moscow in March due to the ongoing war.
Top 10 | President Biden, first lady evacuated after small plane flew into restricted airspace near the family's beach house
A small private airplane flew into restricted airspace near President Joe Biden's beach house on Saturday, prompting the U.S. Secret Service to evacuate the president and First Lady Jill Biden.
Anthony Guglielmi, a spokesperson for the U.S. Secret Service, said in a statement that the privately owned aircraft mistakenly entered the secured area and was "immediately" escorted out of the restricted airspace.
The pilot, who will be interviewed by the Secret Service, was not on the proper radio channel or following published flight guidance, Guglielmi said.
(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)
