Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

BEIJING, Dec 8 (APP): Pakistan’s government has taken significant steps to facilitate cross-border e-commerce and attract foreign investment, especially from the Chinese investors, said Shaikh Muhammad Shariq, Vice President of National Bank of Pakistan and Chief representative in China.

The introduction of favorable policies, such as the removal of regulatory barriers and the simplification of import and export procedures, has created an enabling environment for investors.

ULAN BATOR, Dec 8 (NNN-APA) – Mongolia’s central bank said today, it has purchased a total of 16.1 tonnes of gold in the first 11 months of this year from legal entities and individuals.

As of Nov, the Bank of Mongolia’s average gold purchase price had been 219,514.35 Mongolian tugriks (64 U.S. dollars) per gram, the bank said in a statement.

Purchasing gold is one of the key ways for the central bank to ensure the country’s economic stability, it said.

Dec 8 (Reuters) - Thailand and conflict-torn Myanmar will create a task force to boost humanitarian assistance to people displaced by fighting and could expand that to include other aid agencies, Thailand's foreign ministry said on Friday.

Thailand hopes the plan will lead to constructive engagement between military-ruled Myanmar, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) regional bloc, and the international community, it said in a statement.

TAIPEI, Dec 8 (Reuters) - Senior Chinese leaders held a meeting in early December to "coordinate" government efforts to sway upcoming elections in Taiwan, according to intelligence gathered on the island, part of a campaign Taiwan officials see as voting interference.

Taiwan officials have warned that Beijing is trying to nudge voters toward candidates who seek closer China ties in the Jan. 13 presidential and legislative election, which is happening as China ramps up military and political pressure to try to force the democratically governed island to accept its sovereignty.

JAKARTA, Dec 7 (Reuters) - Indonesia is considering granting visa-free entry to nationals of 20 countries, including the United States, China, Australia, India, South Korea, Germany, Britain and France, to boost its tourism and economy, its tourism minister said on Thursday.

The government will finalise the list of countries included in the provision within one month, according to a statement.

Minister Sandiaga Uno said the president had instructed the government to consider the visa waiver as a means of boosting the economy, tourism visits and investment.

VIENTIANE, Dec. 7 (Xinhua) -- Lao Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone said here on Thursday that Laos attaches great importance to the development of news, culture and tourism, and hopes to strengthen cooperation with China in these sectors to attract more Chinese tourists.

The second Belt and Road Forum for Laos-China Cooperation, jointly organized by the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism of Laos, Xinhua News Agency and the Lao Chinese Chamber of Commerce, was held in Lao capital Vientiane on Thursday.

PHNOM PENH, Dec. 7 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet will pay an official visit to Vietnam on Dec. 11 and 12 to further advance bilateral ties and cooperation, said a foreign ministry's statement on Thursday.

His upcoming visit "signifies a further deepening of the long-standing relationship based on the spirit of good neighborliness, traditional friendship, comprehensive cooperation, and long-term stability between Cambodia and Vietnam for the mutual benefit of the two nations", the statement said.

BOGOR, Indonesia (AP) — At a lake in the West Javan city of Bogor, children and teenagers paddle toward piles of floating trash, pick it up and store it in their kayaks, before passing it to friends sorting it onshore.

The group of around 20 youngsters started off as a team of one, a decade ago, when Giri Marhara decided to start cleaning up the lake. He was just 16 years old at the time, and already had a penchant for wanting to clean up his environment — from his classroom to his neighborhood.

BATU PALANO, Indonesia (AP) — The search has ended for any more victims among climbers who were caught by a weekend eruption of Indonesia’s Mount Marapi volcano that killed 23 people and injured several others, officials said Thursday.

About 75 climbers started up the nearly 2,900-meter (9,480-foot) mountain in Agam district of West Sumatra province on Saturday and were on the volcano when it erupted the following day.

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan’s Defense Ministry says a Chinese military surveillance balloon was spotted in the Taiwan Strait, as well as a large-scale movement of military aircraft and ships.

The ministry said the balloon passed southwest of the northern port city of Keelung on Thursday night, then continued east before disappearing, possibly into the Pacific Ocean.