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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 hopes U.S. to create condition for cooperation in climate change
China said its cooperation with the U.S. is not "flowers in the greenhouse," it is closely related to the development of bilateral ties, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian told reporters on Thursday.
Zhao made the comments after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called for bilateral cooperation in climate change while admitting the two countries have deep differences in other areas.
In response to Blinken's statement, Zhao said he hopes the U.S. meets the Chinese side halfway and creates favorable conditions for coordination and cooperation between the two countries in major areas.
Top 2 | US: Germany is 'highly valued' station for American troops
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin told Germany's Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer in his first conversation with her since taking up his new post that Germany is “highly valued” as a station for American soldiers, the Defense Ministry said Thursday.
Last year, then President Donald Trump ordered the reduction of the U.S. military contingent stationed in Germany by more than 25% and the Pentagon has been studying how that could be done.
German officials have hoped that order will be rescinded by the new administration, and the German Defense Ministry said that in his call with Kramp-Karrenbauer on Wednesday, Austin “emphasized that Germany is highly valued as a station and that American soldiers feel very comfortable here."
Top 3 | Israel extends virus shots to those 35 and older
Israel on Thursday said it was extending coronavirus vaccinations to adults age 35 and older, an expansion of its world-leading drive to vanquish COVID-19.
Health Ministry Director General Hezi Levy said shots would be available to the new age group starting Friday.
The change reflects Israel’s aggressive drive to inoculate its entire population by the spring and the country is on track to do so. More than a quarter of Israel’s 9.3 million people have been vaccinated so far.
Top 4 | Japan PM apologises after lawmakers' night club outings
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga apologised on Wednesday after lawmakers from his ruling coalition visited night clubs despite his government’s call for people to avoid unnecessary outings to curb the spread of COVID-19.
The news is another headache for Suga whose approval rating has tumbled because of dissatisfaction with his handling of the pandemic, which critics have called too slow and inconsistent.
Top 5 | Russian parliament OKs New START nuclear treaty extension
Russian lawmakers on Wednesday quickly approved the extension of the last remaining nuclear Russia-U.S. arms control, a fast-track action that comes just days before it’s due to expire.
Both houses of parliament voted unanimously to extend the New START treaty for five years, a day after a phone call between U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Kremlin said they agreed to complete the necessary extension procedures in the next few days.
The pact’s extension doesn’t require congressional approval in the U.S., but Russian lawmakers must ratify the move and Putin has to sign the relevant bill into law.
Top 6 | EU to create private-public bio-defence preparedness plan
The European Union will seek to create a bio-defence preparedness programme in the form of a public-private partnership, to prepare against the next big health crisis, the head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said.
The 27-nation bloc, like the rest of the world, is struggling to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic that has already killed tens of thousands and prompted economic lockdowns across Europe causing a deep recession.
Von der Leyen said the programme would seek to prepare the EU before the next pandemic hits by seeking to discover and prepare for known and emerging pathogens, and then developing and manufacturing vaccines at scale to respond to them.
Top 7 | Biden plans to limit private prisons and transfer of military equipment to police
President Joe Biden is poised to issue executive actions as soon as Tuesday scaling back the use of private prisons and placing new limits on the transfer of military equipment to local law enforcement, according to a person familiar with the matter and a planning document.
The executive actions are part of a broader push by the new administration to roll back controversial policies by Biden’s predecessor Donald Trump, promote criminal justice reform and address racial inequity across the United States.
Representatives of the White House and the Justice Department did not respond to requests for comment.
Top 8 | Greece, France to sign $2.8 billion fighter jet deal
Greece is due to sign a 2.3 billion-euro ($2.8 billion) deal with France on Monday to purchase 18 Rafale fighter jets as tensions grow with neighbor Turkey.
Florence Parly, the French defense minister, is due in Athens to sign the agreement to deliver 12 used and six new aircraft built by Dassault Aviation over two years, starting in mid-2021.
France has sided with Greece in a dispute over boundaries in the Aegean Sea and eastern Mediterranean that has brought NATO members Greece and Turkey to the brink of war several times in recent decades.
Top 9 | Johnson, Biden discuss COVID-19, climate in their first phone call
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and U.S. President Joe Biden on Saturday vowed to deepen ties and tackle climate change in their first conversation since the U.S. president's inauguration, the British Prime Minister's office said.
Johnson congratulated Biden on his inauguration and "the two leaders looked forward to deepening the close alliance between our nations," said a statement from Downing Street.
The conversation appeared aimed at warming frosty relations after Biden in 2019 described Johnson as a "physical and emotional clone" of Donald Trump, his predecessor as U.S. president.
Top 10 | China calls for further cooperation with Denmark, Poland
Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi held separate phone calls with his counterparts from Denmark and Poland, calling for more efforts to cooperate in various areas such as climate, trade and investment.
During the exchange with Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod, Wang said that China welcomes the expansion of two-way trade and investment, adding that it hopes Denmark will continuously push the European Union (EU) to pursue a positive and constructive China policy as Denmark is an important member of the EU.
Noting that the two sides have established diplomatic relations for 70 years, Wang said that both sides should seriously summarize these important experiences and lessons so as to carry forward bilateral relations in the next 70 years.
(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)
