Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

BEIJING, Oct 10 (APP): A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Monday that China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was a landmark project for cooperation between China and Pakistan and the Chinese side would continue to work with Pakistan to deliver more benefits to people in the region.

“CPEC is an important pilot project for belt and road cooperation and also a landmark project for China Pakistan cooperation in the new era,” Mao Ning said during her regular briefing in response to a question asked by APP.

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct. 10 (Xinhua) -- Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced the dissolution of the country's parliament on Monday, paving the way for national elections which must be held in the next 60 days.

In a televised speech, Ismail Sabri said he had received the consent of the country's King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah in accordance with the country's constitution.

WENCHANG, Hainan, Oct. 10 (Xinhua) -- The Mengtian lab module, the second lab component of China's under-construction space station, has been filled with fuel as planned at the launch site, the China Manned Space Agency said on Monday.

The pre-launch operation was conducted on Sunday.

BEIJING, Oct. 10 (Xinhua) -- China firmly opposes the new U.S. export controls on semiconductor chips to China, as it will severely hurt the normal trade between companies in the two countries and threaten the stability of global industrial and supply chains, said a Ministry of Commerce spokesperson on Monday.

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — China’s threats of military action against Taiwan are “absolutely not an option” and will “only push our two sides further from each other,” Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen said Monday.

Speaking on Taiwan’s National Day, Tsai said China should not mistake competition within Taiwan’s multiparty democratic political system for weakness and “attempt to divide Taiwanese society.”

“I want to make clear to the Beijing authorities that armed confrontation is absolutely not an option for our two sides,” Tsai said.

TOKYO (AP) — It’s hard to tell from his serious demeanor, but Akky International Corp. Chief Executive Hideyuki Abe can barely contain his excitement.

Foreign tourists are coming back, those big-spending visitors from abroad who used to flock into his colorful store in Tokyo’s Akihabara electronics district, its colorful shelves filled with watches and souvenirs like samurai swords and toy cats with bobbing heads.

BEIJING (AP) — Chinese cities were imposing fresh lockdowns and travel restrictions after the number of new daily COVID-19 cases tripled during a weeklong holiday, ahead of a major Communist Party meeting in Beijing next week.

The latest lockdown started Monday in Fenyang city in northern China’s Shanxi province after a preliminary positive case was found in citywide testing the previous day, state broadcaster CCTV reported.

BANGKOK (AP) — Asian shares slipped on Monday, with Chinese markets logging moderate losses after they reopened from a weeklong holiday.

The declines followed yet another dismal end to the week on Wall Street as a strong U.S. jobs report added to worries the Federal Reserve might consider the higher-than-expected hiring data as proof the economy hasn’t slowed enough to get inflation under control. That might mean still more hefty rate hikes that could make a recession more likely.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea’s recent barrage of missile launches were tests of its tactical nuclear weapons to “hit and wipe out” potential South Korean and U.S. targets, state media reported Monday, as its leader Kim Jong Un signaled he would conduct more provocative tests.

The North’s statement, released on the 77th birthday of its ruling Workers’ Party, is seen as an attempt to buttress a public unity behind Kim as he faces pandemic-related economic hardships, a security threat posed by the boosted U.S.-South Korean military alliance and other difficulties.

BEIJING, Oct 9 (APP): Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s deep gratitude to the Communist Party of China (CPC), the Chinese Government and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) for assistance in the floods is another lifelong demonstration of China-Pakistan iron-clad friendship, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, Mao Ning said on Sunday.