Cambodia’s Ream Naval Base upgrade sparks worries of China link before US diplomat’s visit

The rapid construction of two buildings at Cambodia’s Ream Naval Base, just north of where United States-funded facilities were demolished by Phnom Penh last year, has raised concerns that China stands to benefit from the upgrades, according to a Washington-based think tank.The Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI), which is part of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, said in a report released on May 21 and updated on May 28 that the new buildings appeared to have been…

US, China regulators have a problem with bitcoin. Hong Kong, Singapore may have solutions

China’s warning earlier this month that it intended to curb bitcoin trading and mining was the latest indication that the world’s growing army of cryptocurrency backers face bigger headaches than Elon Musk changing his tune and saying Tesla would no longer accept it as payment.The Chinese Vice-Premier Liu He and the State Council said it was necessary to crack down on bitcoin mining and trading behaviour to “resolutely prevent the transmission of individual risks to the social field”.Bitcoin…

Coronavirus: Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City to test entire population of 13 million

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’s most populous city, is preparing to test all of its 13 million residents for the coronavirus after a steep rise in community transmissions, state media said on Sunday.The southern metropolis is expecting to carry out a mass testing programme that will see 100,000 tests each day, city chairman Nguyen Thanh Phong said during an emergency meeting on Sunday, according to online newspaper VnExpress.The news follows an announcement made earlier on Sunday that Ho Chi Minh…

China and Covid-19 on minds as Australian, New Zealand leaders meet

The prime ministers of Australia and New Zealand will meet face-to-face for the first time in 15 months on Sunday, amid signs of division between the neighbours on how to manage relations with China.Scott Morrison and Jacinda Ardern will meet in Queenstown for discussions that are expected to touch on their differing approaches to China as Western countries including the United States ramp up coordination to pressure Beijing on human rights and security concerns.Ardern said earlier this month…

Philippines lodges protest over China’s ‘illegal’ South China Sea presence and activities

The Philippines has lodged a protest over China’s continuing “illegal presence and activities” near an island in the South China Sea held by the Southeast Asian nation, the foreign ministry said on Saturday.Manila lodged the diplomatic protest on Friday over the “incessant deployment, prolonged presence, and illegal activities of Chinese maritime assets and fishing vessels” in the vicinity of Thitu island. It demanded that China withdraw the vessels.The Chinese embassy in Manila did not…

Coronavirus: Antony Blinken says US and India united in tackling pandemic

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday the United States and India are united in trying to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic together and Washington wants to make sure it takes action to help India with its current coronavirus crisis.Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, who has spent the past week in the United States seeking help amid a devastating second wave of infections at home, told reporters while standing with Blinken at the State Department that India is grateful to…