Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

BEIJING, July 14 (APP): The Pakistan-China friendship has grown even stronger under the present leaders of two countries. Prime Minister Imran Khan is keen to further develop that bond, Pakistan Ambassador to China Moin ul Haque said on Wednesday.

“It is encouraging to see that the friendship has grown even stronger under the present leadership of our two countries. Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan is keen to further develop that bond and has visited China thrice since assuming office in 2018,” he said in an article published by Beijing Review.

BEIJING, July 14 (APP): As officials from China, Pakistan and Afghanistan revealed an inclination to extend the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) project into Afghanistan, experts said that such projects could help boost Afghanistan’s exports, which is conducive to the country’s journey of peace, but the feasibility of the project depends on whether the Afghan government and Taliban forces can reach a consensus on protecting overseas investment.

PUTRAJAYA (Malaysia), July 14 (NNN-Bernama) — ASEAN and the United States (US) must focus on reigniting their economies and reversing the damages brought by COVID-19, said Malaysian Senior Minister of Foreign Affairs Hishammuddin Hussein.

Speaking at the ASEAN-US Foreign Ministers’ Meeting held virtually on Wednesday, Hishammuddin said both sides should use this opportunity to further enhance their cooperation where two-way trade between US and ASEAN countries total over US$260 billion.

BANGKOK, July 14 (NNN-Bernama) — Thais can test for COVID-19 right at their home starting next week when the COVID-19 antigen test kits will be available for sale at authorized hospitals and clinics.

The kits will also be available at pharmacies with a licensed pharmacist on duty approved by Thailand’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The approval of the antigen test kits for sale was published in Royal Gazette on Tuesday.

JAKARTA, July 14 (Reuters) - Concerns are mounting in Indonesia over the ability of its regions to cope with a spike in coronavirus cases, according to its health minister, as the highly transmissible Delta variant spreads quickly across the world's largest archipelago.

Indonesia is struggling to slow the pace of COVID-19 transmission and onWednesday reported a record 54,000 infections, up more than tenfold on the number of cases at the start of June, despite new containment measures.

KUALA LUMPUR, July 14 (Reuters) - Malaysian cabinet ministers on Wednesday unanimously pledged their support for Muhyiddin Yassin to continue as prime minister, amid a new round of political uncertainty after the premier lost the backing of the country's biggest party.

The United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), a key ally in the ruling coalition, withdrew support for Muhyiddin last week and called on him to resign for failing to manage the country's COVID-19 crisis. 

TASHKENT, July 14 (Xinhua) -- The High Representative of the European Union (EU) for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell will visit Uzbekistan this week to attend an international forum on connectivity between Central and South Asia, the EU delegation in Uzbekistan said Tuesday.

The forum, scheduled for July 15-16 in the Uzbek capital,`will discuss regional trade, economic, transport and communications ties between Central and South Asia, as well as the security and stability in the region.

BEIJING (AP) — The death toll in the collapse of a hotel in eastern China was raised to 17 Wednesday as authorities ended the search and rescue mission.

The city of Suzhou said on its social media feed that 23 people had been pulled from from the rubble of the Siji Kaiyuan Hotel, which collapsed on Monday afternoon. One of those freed was uninjured and five others were sent to a hospital for treatment.

Rescuers used cranes, ladders, metal cutters and search dogs to look for survivors. Most of those killed were hotel guests.

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken asked his Southeast Asian counterparts Wednesday to jointly press for an end to violence in Myanmar, its return to a democratic path and the release of all political prisoners in a video conference attended by the military-led nation’s top diplomat.

MANILA, July 13 (Reuters) - The Philippines' defence minister on Tuesday ordered the military to investigate a report by a U.S.-based tech firm that hundreds of Chinese vessels were dumping sewage into contested areas of the South China Sea.

China maintains a constant presence of coastguard and fishing boats in the South China Sea to assert its claim of sovereignty, including hundreds in the Spratly islands, where the Philippines, Brunei, Taiwan, Vietnam and Malaysia also have claims.