Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

SEOUL, April 12 (Reuters) - South Korea has reached an agreement to lend the United States 500,000 rounds of 155mm artillery shells that could give Washington greater flexibility to supply Ukraine with ammunition, a South Korean newspaper reported on Wednesday.

The DongA Ilbo newspaper cited unidentified government sources as saying South Korea decided to "lend" the ammunition instead of selling, to minimise the possibility of South Korean shells being used in the Ukraine conflict.

TAIPEI/BEIJING, April 12 (Reuters) - China plans to close airspace north of Taiwan for about half an hour next week, down from an originally announced three days, because of a falling object from a satellite launch vehicle, officials in Taiwan and South Korea said.

When asked about an earlier Reuters report on the airspace's closing, Yan Yu-hsien, deputy chief of the general staff for intelligence from Taiwan's defence ministry, said the "no-fly zone" would fall within the country's air defence identification zone (ADIZ), about 85 nautical miles north of its shores.

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s Defense Ministry announced Tuesday it has signed contracts worth nearly 380 billion yen ($2.8 billion) with the country’s top defense contractor, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, to develop and mass produce long-range missiles for deployment as early as 2026 amid growing fears of China’s increasing military strength.

The ministry said the contracts include enhanced versions of Mitsubishi’s Type 12 missiles for surface, sea and air launches, and a hypersonic ballistic missile for the defense of remote islands.

BANGKOK (AP) — Airstrikes by Myanmar’s military on Tuesday killed as many as 100 people, including many children, who were attending a ceremony held by opponents of army rule, said a witness, a member of a local pro-democracy group and independent media.

The military is increasingly using airstrikes to counter a widespread armed struggle against its rule, which began in February 2021 when it seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. More than 3,000 civilians are estimated to have been killed since then by security forces.

BEIJING (AP) — Recent Chinese air and sea drills simulating an encirclement of Taiwan were intended as a “serious warning” to pro-independence politicians on the self-governing island and their foreign supporters, a Chinese spokesperson said Wednesday.

The three days of large-scale air and sea exercises named Joint Sword that ended Monday were a response to Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen’s meeting with U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California last week during a transit visit to the U.S. China had warned of serious consequences if that meeting went ahead.

Beijing; 18 April 2023 (UMMN): China has objected to Indian home minister Amit Shah’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh, saying it violated Beijing’s territorial sovereignty and not “conducive” to peace and tranquillity along India-China border.

BEIJING, Apr. 11 (APP):Pakistani men’s garment export to China rose by 36% in the first two months of 2023 and this growth is attributed to the robust manufacturing capabilities and high quality of Pakistani men’s garments, said Ghulam Qadir, Commercial Counsellor, Pakistan Embassy Beijing.

China has been an important trading partner for Pakistan, with Chinese companies increasingly sourcing garments from Pakistan due to their competitive prices.

SHANGHAI, April 11. /TASS/: Finland's accession to NATO was not driven by a desire to ensure its own security; rather, the real meaning of this symbolic gesture was to put its opposition to Russia on display, Long Jing, deputy director of the Center for European Studies at the Shanghai Institute for International Studies, told TASS on Tuesday.

MANILA, Apr 11 (NNN-PNA) – The Philippines’ total external trade in goods, fell by 14.4 percent in Feb, 2023, to 14.03 billion U.S. dollars, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said today.

Of the total external trade in Feb, 63.8 percent were imported goods, while the rest were exported goods, the agency said.

The balance of trade amounted to -3.88 billion U.S. dollars, indicating a trade deficit with an annual decrease of 2.7 percent, it added.

SHANGHAI, April 11 (Reuters) - Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (9988.HK) on Tuesday showed off its generative AI model - its version of the tech that powers chatbot sensation ChatGPT - and said it would be integrated into all of the company's apps in the near future.

The unveiling, which came on the heels of the launch of a slew of new AI products by SenseTime (0200.HK) this week, was swiftly followed by the government's publication of draft rules outlining how generative AI services should be managed.