Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

BEIJING, July 24 (APP): Pakistan is well placed position for facilitating the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) members in improving regional connectivity as the Central Asia countries are land-locked, and Pakistan is ideally located to provide shorter sea access to these countries, Secretary General of SCO Zhang Ming said.

He said, “this will facilitate trade among SCO member states and even beyond”, China Economic Net (CEN) reported.

KUALA LUMPUR, July 24 (NNN-Bernama) — National solo climber T. Ravichandran, who is also a person with disabilities (PwD), has become the first Malaysian to raise the Jalur Gemilang at the summit of the world’s second highest mountain, K2 in Pakistan.

The 57-year-old, together with five other world-class solo climbers and accompanied by five sherpas (mountain guides), conquered the 8,611-metre K2 at 10.50 am local time on Friday (July 22).

KUALA LUMPUR, July 24 (NNN-Bernama) — Malaysia’s total trade recorded double-digit growth of 43.3 per cent year-on-year in June 2022, reaching a record high of RM270.39 billion, Senior Minister of International Trade and Industry Mohamed Azmin Ali said. 

He said Malaysia managed to maintain the positive momentum of economic growth through the export segment driven by encouraging performance in domestic exports and re-exports.

BEIJING (AP) — China on Sunday launched one of two laboratory modules to complete its permanent orbiting space station.

The Wentian was launched from tropical Hainan Island with a large crowd of amateur photographers and space enthusiasts watching. Designed for science and biology experiments, the module lifted off on the Long March 5B remote 3 rocket, and spent roughly eight minutes in flight before it entered orbit, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A gunman opened fire on university campus in the Philippine capital region on Sunday, killing a former town mayor and two others in a brazen attack ahead of a graduation ceremony, police said.

The suspect was armed with two pistols and a silencer and was captured in a car he commandeered trying to escape the Ateneo de Manila University in suburban Quezon City, police said. He was blocked by witnesses and authorities outside the university gates.

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — The Chinese military has become significantly more aggressive and dangerous over the past five years, the top U.S. military officer said during a trip to the Indo-Pacific that included a stop Sunday in Indonesia.

U.S. Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the number of intercepts by Chinese aircraft and ships in the Pacific region with U.S. and other partner forces has increased significantly over that time, and the number of unsafe interactions has risen by similar proportions.

BEIJING, July 23 (APP): Along with China’s investment in Pakistan, great support and progress were continuously seen in the infrastructure sectors.

When it comes to infrastructure, one of the top items that stands out is the public transport sector.

China has exceptionally helped Pakistan in this sector. And its investors are constantly helping Pakistan with new projects in this sector to bring Pakistan on par with the modern world.

BEIJING, July 23 (APP): Pakistan Ambassador to China, Moin ul Haque said that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) played a vital role in the future economic development of Pakistan, with the Gwadar port as the main component.

“The CPEC is one of the most important flagship project of the five corridors launched under Belt and Road Initiative. Half of its projects have already been executed, he said in an interview with CGTN Radio.

July 23 (Reuters) - China has issued stark private warnings to the Biden administration about a possible trip to Taiwan in August by U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the Financial Times reported on Saturday.

PHNOM PENH, July 23 (Xinhua) -- The Senate of Cambodia on Saturday slammed the so-called "Cambodia Democracy and Human Rights Act of 2022" released by the United States recently, saying the bill contains biased, unfounded and prejudiced content.

The senate said in a statement that the U.S. bill was driven by geopolitical motives.