Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

KUALA LUMPUR, April 10 (Xinhua) -- Malaysia, the world's second-largest palm oil producer, saw its palm oil stock plunge 21.08 percent month on month to 1.67 million tons in March, official data showed Monday.

The Malaysian Palm Oil Board said in a statement that the country's crude palm oil production rose 2.77 percent month on month to 1.29 million tons.

Malaysia's palm oil exports also surged 31.76 percent monthly to 1.49 million tons.

Its palm oil imports slumped 24.25 percent month on month to 39,772 tons.

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — China’s military declared Monday it is “ready to fight” after completing three days of large-scale combat exercises around Taiwan that simulated sealing off the island in response to the Taiwanese president’s trip to the U.S. last week.

The “combat readiness patrols” named Joint Sword were meant as a warning to self-governing Taiwan, which China claims as its own, China’s military said earlier.

TOKYO (AP) — The new governor of Japan’s central bank signaled Monday that he plans no drastic changes in its ultra-low interest rate policy, sticking to earlier messaging on the topic.

Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda said Japan’s financial institutions are not facing the sorts of turmoil seen recently with bank failures in the U.S. and Europe. He pledged to do his utmost to maintain stability in both prices and financial systems in the world’s third-largest economy.

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — China’s military sent several dozen warplanes and warships toward Taiwan in a large-scale exercise that simulated sealing off the island in response to its president’s trip to the U.S.

April 9 (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron said in comments published on Sunday that Europe had no interest in an acceleration of the crisis over Taiwan and should pursue a strategy independent of both Washington and Beijing.

Macron has just returned from a three-day state visit to China, where he received a warm welcome from President Xi Jinping. China began drills around Taiwan on Saturday in anger at President Tsai Ing-wen's meeting with the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy on Wednesday.

TAIPEI, April 9 (Reuters) - China's military simulated precision strikes against Taiwan in a second day of drills around the island on Sunday, with the island's defence ministry reporting multiple air force sorties and that it was monitoring China's missile forces.

China, which claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, began three days of military exercises around the island on Saturday, the day after Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen returned from a brief visit to the United States.

HONG KONG, April 9 (Xinhua) -- An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.5 jolted Nicobar Islands, India region at 10:31:20 GMT on Sunday, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

The epicenter, with a depth of 10.0 km, was initially determined to be at 8.924 degrees north latitude and 93.9567 degrees east longitude.

Beijing, Apr 8 (PTI) China on Saturday began military exercises around Taiwan to test the capabilities of its forces to "seize control of the sea, air and information," days after a meeting between the US House Speaker and the President of the self-ruled island in defiance of repeated threats by Beijing.

China views Taiwan as a breakaway province.

Beijing has not ruled out the possible use of force to reunify the self-ruled island with the mainland.

HANOI, April 8 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Vietnam next week, Senator Jeff Merkley told a news conference in Hanoi on Saturday, as part of Washington's efforts to move diplomatic relations with Hanoi on to a higher level this year.

Blinken's visit, which has not yet been officially announced, would come after U.S. President Joe Biden had a phone call last week with the chief of Vietnam's ruling Communist Party, Nguyen Phu Trong.

KUALA LUMPUR, April 8 (Reuters) - Malaysia said on Saturday it was firmly committed to protecting its sovereign rights and interests in the South China Sea after China expressed concern about Malaysian energy projects in a part of the sea that China also claims.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on Tuesday China was worried about activity by the state energy firm Petronas in a part of the South China Sea that Malaysia says is its territory.