Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

BEIJING, June 10 (APP): Experts have said that despite China and India having channels to discuss disengagement in remaining regions, China should beware of nationalistic manipulation in India, following media concerns over the China-India border issue a year after the Galwan Valley clash.

On June 15, last year, the border spat between China and India turned into the first deadly military clash between the two since 1975, resulting in four Chinese deaths and those of at least 20 soldiers from India.

(Reuters) --- China passed a law on Thursday to counter foreign sanctions, as it strives to diffuse U.S. and EU pressure over trade, technology, Hong Kong and Xinjiang.

The new law is China's latest and most wide-ranging legal tool to retaliate against foreign sanctions and is intended to give Chinese retaliatory measures more legitimacy and predictability, according to local experts.

Foreign companies, however, worry about the dampening impact it might have on foreign investment.

BEIJING, June 10 (Xinhua) -- As U.S. President Joe Biden began his visit to Europe, where he will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin next week, the U.S. and Russian sides have sent tough messages to each other ahead of their summit next week.

Biden arrived in Britain on Wednesday, kicking off the first foreign trip of his presidency. Addressing U.S. troops and their families at Royal Air Force Mildenhall base there, Biden said he would deliver a clear message to Putin.

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong will allow children age 12 and above to receive the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine as it seeks to boost immunization rates in the city.

Government officials said Thursday they will offer the vaccine to about 240,000 children from 12 to 15 years old starting Friday, joining other countries that have started vaccinating children.

The move comes as Hong Kong is urging its 7.5 million population to get inoculated. Since its vaccination drive began in late February, just over 15% of the population has been fully vaccinated.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Health officials and experts in Asia have welcomed U.S. plans to share 500 million more doses of the Pfizer vaccine with the developing world, but some say it would take more than donations alone to address huge vaccination gaps that threaten to prolong the pandemic.

BANGKOK (AP) — Asian shares are higher after Wall Street logged modest losses, as investors await key U.S. inflation data. Benchmarks rose across the region, but stayed in a narrow range.

Investors will get closely watched U.S. inflation data on Thursday. The focus is on how it might impact ultra-low interest rates and other market-supporting policies.

(Reuters) --- Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has stoked a feud with boxer Manny Pacquiao by criticising his "shallow" foreign policy knowledge, after the senator and eight-division champion said he found the leader's stand on the South China Sea was "lacking".

In a late night interview with SMNI news channel on Tuesday, Duterte said Pacquiao, a senator and close ally, should "study first" before weighing in.

(Reuters) --- The Chinese foreign ministry defended the value of cultural exchanges with Japan on Wednesday after Chinese intellectuals came under heavy attack from nationalists online for attending events sponsored by the Japanese government over many years.

The ministry's mild tone contrasted with the hardline "wolf warrior diplomacy" it has often favoured on international issues, especially those concerning Japan, whose brutal wartime occupation of China is a touchstone for Chinese nationalists.

ULAN BATOR, June 9 (Xinhua) -- Presidential election kicked off across Mongolia on Wednesday amid the COVID-19 pandemic, with over 2.1 million people eligible to vote.

The vote started at 7 a.m. local time (2300 GMT on Tuesday) at 2,087 polling stations across the country and will end at 10:00 p.m. (1400 GMT on Wednesday), according to the General Election Commission.

BEIJING, June 9 (Xinhua) -- The Foreign Affairs Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), or China's national legislature, on Wednesday voiced its strong dissatisfaction with and opposition to the U.S. Senate's approval of "the United States Innovation and Competition Act of 2021."