Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

BEIJING, May 11 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese government spokesperson on Wednesday warned the U.S. government against moves that deviate from the one-China principle.

Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, made the remarks in response to a recent update to the "Taiwan fact sheet" displayed on the website of the U.S. Department of State, which removed wording on not supporting "Taiwan independence" and acknowledging China's position that Taiwan is part of China.

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — After most of his key rivals conceded defeat, presumptive Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the namesake son of an ousted dictator, faced early calls Wednesday to ensure respect for human rights, the rule of law and democracy.

Marcos Jr. garnered more than 31 million votes in an unofficial vote count from Monday’s polls in what’s projected to be one of the strongest mandates for a Philippine president in decades. His vice-presidential running mate, Sara Duterte, appeared to have also won by a landslide.

BEIJING (AP) — Shanghai reaffirmed China’s strict “zero-COVID” approach to pandemic control Wednesday, a day after the head of the World Health Organization said that was not sustainable and urged China to change strategies.

While China’s largest city has seen progress in controlling the COVID-19 outbreak, any relaxation in prevention and control measures could allow it to rebound, deputy director of Shanghai’s Center for Disease Control Wu Huanyu told reporters.

SEOUL, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Yoon Suk-yeol of the biggest conservative People Power Party on Tuesday was sworn in as South Korea's 20th president.

The inaugural ceremony was held in the National Assembly plaza, attended by over 40,000 ordinary people as well as dignitaries.

Yoon started his career as a public prosecutor at the age of 35, after failing to pass a bar exam for nine years.

Yoon gained fame and went from strength to strength with his investigation into political heavyweights and business tycoons.

JAKARTA, May 9 (Xinhua) -- Despite turbulence in global economic prices, Indonesia recorded an economic growth of 5.01 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of this year, compared to 5.02 percent it recorded during the fourth quarter of 2021, the country's Central Agency of Statistics announced on Monday.

The growth was in line with the prediction made by Indonesia's Minister of Finance Sri Mulyani Indrawati that the country's economy would grow on average 5 percent year-on-year.

BEIJING, May 10 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson on Tuesday slammed the United States for changing wording related to Taiwan on its State Department website, saying the move will hollow out the one-China principle and will backfire.

Spokesperson Zhao Lijian made the remarks when asked to comment on a recent update to the Taiwan fact sheet displayed on the website of the U.S. Department of State, which removes wording both on not supporting Taiwan independence and on acknowledging China's position that Taiwan is part of China.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Yoon Suk Yeol, a conservative political neophyte, took office Tuesday as South Korea’s new president with a vow to pursue a negotiated settlement of North Korea’s threatening nuclear program and an offer of “an audacious plan” to improve its economy if it abandons its nuclear weapons.

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s apparent landslide victory in the Philippine presidential election is giving rise to immediate concerns about a further erosion of democracy in the region, and could complicate American efforts to blunt growing Chinese influence and power in the Pacific.

Marcos, the son and namesake of longtime dictator Ferdinand Marcos, captured more than 30.8 million votes in Monday’s election according to an unofficial count, more than double those of his closest challenger.

Hong Kong, May 9 (AP) Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam on Monday said Chinese patriots are now firmly in charge of the city following the election of its new leader, who ran unopposed in a process controlled by Beijing from start to finish.

Lam's comments came a day after a carefully vetted election committee voted overwhelmingly to approve John Lee, a hard-line security chief who oversaw a crackdown on Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement.

BEIJING (AP) — The city of Shanghai is doubling down on pandemic restrictions after a brief period of loosening up, frustrating residents who were hoping a more than monthlong lockdown was finally easing as the number of new cases falls in China’s financial center.