Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

Beijing, Oct 9 (PTI) Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday made a strong pitch for the reunification of Taiwan with the mainland amidst heightened tensions with the estranged island, saying the Taiwan question will be resolved and it brooks no external interference .

Xi's comments came after China sent a record number of military jets into Taiwan's air defence zone for four days in a row, in a public show of force.

BEIJING, Oct 8 (APP): Chinese Foreign Ministry’s Spokesperson Zhao Lijian Friday said that the Chinese side had received an invitation from the Russia to attend international talks on Afghanistan to be held in Moscow on October 20.

“The Chinese side has received Russia’s invitation. We stand ready to maintain communication and coordination with relevant sides including Russia,” he said during his regular briefing held here.

He said that China supported all international efforts that were conducive to promoting peace and stability and gathering consensus in Afghanistan.

BEIJING, October 8. /TASS/: The US must present the international community with the details of the US nuclear submarine USS Connecticut incident, when the submarine collided with an unknown object in the Indo-Pacific Region, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said on Friday.

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 8 (NNN-Bernama) — Former Malaysian foreign minister Syed Hamid Albar welcomes Malaysia’s readiness to consider holding a dialogue with Myanmar’s National Unity Government if the ruling military junta continues to ignore the five-point consensus agreed upon by ASEAN.

However, he cautioned that the move should not be at the expense of the ties with the junta governing the country.

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 8 (NNN-Bernama) — Malaysia seeks to be the facilitator for conciliation, enabler for cooperation, and builder of consensus as a member of the Human Rights Council, says Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah.

In a short video message regarding Malaysia’s candidature to the council for the 2022-2024 term, Saifuddin said Malaysia is ready to play its role as a constructive partner and work closely with the member states to advance the global human rights agenda as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

SINGAPORE, Oct 8 (NNN-Bernama) — Singapore and South Korea have agreed to jointly launch Vaccinated Travel Lanes (VTLs), which will start from Nov 15, 2021, according to the Singapore Ministry of Transport.

The jointly launched VTLs will be the first of its kind between two major aviation hubs in Asia and build on these longstanding relations to safely revive cross-border air travel and people-to-people flows.

TAIPEI, Oct 8 (Reuters) - Taiwan should be called a country, a senior French senator said on Friday during a visit to Taipei, doubling down on earlier comments that have angered Beijing, which views the island as one of its provinces, not a country.

Taiwan's name is a tricky issue.

Formally called the Republic of China, it is not recognised by most of the world, which has diplomatic ties with Beijing. Its de facto embassies generally use the name "Taipei" to describe the island, to ensure host nations do not upset China.

08 Oct 2021; MEMO: Indonesia's Aqsa Working Group (AWG) today condemned the new Israeli ruling that allows Jews to worship in Islam's third most holy site, Al-Aqsa Mosque.

"We strongly condemn Israel's policy of allowing Jews to worship at Al Aqsa mosque. This is a provocative and unreasonable policy," AWG said in its statement, stressing that Jews are allowed to pray in Muslim holy sites while access to Muslims is "severely restrict[ed]".

SEOUL, Oct 8 (Reuters) - South Korea's government on Friday said it would raise its greenhouse gas reduction goal from 26.3 percent to 40 percent by 2030, as part of efforts to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.

The revised nationally determined contribution (NDC) was proposed by the ruling party in June and will be officially introduced at the 26th U.N. Climate Change Conference in Glasgow in November, with a government plan presented to the United Nations in December.

TAIPEI, Oct 8 (Reuters) - Taiwan does not seek military confrontation, but will do whatever it takes to defend its freedom, President Tsai Ing-wen said on Friday, amid a rise in tensions with China that has sparked alarm around the world.

Taiwan, claimed by China as its own territory, reported close to 150 Chinese air force aircraft flew into its air defence zone over a four-day period beginning last Friday, though those missions have since ended.