Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

China to talk with Ghana over debt restructuring proposal -foreign ministry

BEIJING, March 23 (Reuters) - China would like to enhance communications with Ghana to seek proper resolution of Ghana's debt issue, its foreign ministry said on Thursday,

Spokesperson Wang Wenbin made the remark in response to a question on Ghana's finance minister visiting Beijing for a proposed restructuring of Ghana's debt.

SINGAPORE: No imminent threat of China invading Taiwan, says senior U.S. official

SINGAPORE, March 23 (Reuters) - The United States does not see an imminent threat of China invading Taiwan but is ready to defend the self-ruled island, a senior U.S. official said on Thursday in Singapore.

Tensions have simmered between the two major powers as China becomes more assertive in its territorial claims over Taiwan and in the South China Sea, while the United States shores up alliances across the Asia-Pacific region to counter Beijing's influence.

End to Taiwan ties nears as Honduras foreign minister goes to China

TAIPEI/TEGUCIGALPA, March 23 (Reuters) - The Honduran foreign minister is travelling to China to "promote" the establishment of diplomatic ties, an official said, signalling the end is most likely near for the country's decades-long relations with Taiwan.

At stake is China's growing footprint in Central America, once a steadfast base for Taiwan and where the United States is worried about Beijing's expanding influence in its backyard.

Honduran President Xiomara Castro tweeted last week her government would seek to open relations with China.

China's military says US warship illegally entered waters in South China Sea

BEIJING, March 23 (Reuters) - China's military said on Thursday it had monitored and driven away a U.S. destroyer that illegally entered waters around the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea.

In a statement, the military said that the guided-missile destroyer USS Milius intruded into China's territorial waters, undermining peace and stability in the busy waterway.

S. Korea's parliament passes bill for gov't mandatory purchase of excess rice

SEOUL, March 23 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's parliament on Thursday passed a bill to make the government's purchase of excess rice mandatory.

The revised grain management act was passed at a plenary session of the National Assembly, led by the opposition Democratic Party, with 169 in favor, 90 against, and seven abstentions out of 266 lawmakers present.

Under the revised act, the government is obligated to purchase all overproduced rice when the excess production is 3-5 percent higher than rice demand or when the rice prices fall 5-8 percent compared to the previous year.

Thailand: Asia-Pacific faces major challenge in meeting sustainable development goals: UN report

BANGKOK, March 22 (Xinhua) -- The progress towards achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs) in the Asia-Pacific is lagging and requires doubling the efforts to catch up, said a UN report launched here on Wednesday.

The region has only achieved 14.4 percent of the progress required, the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) warned in its latest report, adding that at the current pace, the region will take another 42 years to reach all goals.

The 17 SDGs were adopted by the UN in 2015 as part of its 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Thailand: US denies Chinese claim it drove away American destroyer

BANGKOK (AP) — The United States denied Chinese claims Thursday that its military had driven away an American guided-missile destroyer from operating around disputed islands in the South China Sea, in an incident that comes as tensions in the region between the two powers continue to rise.

The U.S. Navy’s 7th Fleet said that a statement from China’s Southern Theatre Command that it had forced the USS Milius away from waters around the Paracel Islands — called Xisha by China — was “false.”

Thailand: Asia-Pacific faces major challenge in meeting sustainable development goals: UN report

BANGKOK, March 22 (Xinhua) -- The progress towards achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs) in the Asia-Pacific is lagging and requires doubling the efforts to catch up, said a UN report launched here on Wednesday.

The region has only achieved 14.4 percent of the progress required, the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) warned in its latest report, adding that at the current pace, the region will take another 42 years to reach all goals.

The 17 SDGs were adopted by the UN in 2015 as part of its 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

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