China bangladesh defence cooperation agreement

SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/Asia News Network): China's development is positive for the region, but countries in the Asia-Pacific also want to maintain their very important ties with other economies like Japan as well as the United States and Europe, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said. And countries like Singapore want to nurture these links with Japan, which is the next biggest economy in Asia by far, and maintain a balance so that they have resilience and are not overly dependent on any single party, he added. "Overall, we can prosper together, benefit from our interdependence, and have the incentive to keep the region peaceful, stable and secure." Lee was speaking in an interview with Japanese media group Nikkei on Friday (May 20), ahead of its International Conference on the Future of Asia, which he will be attending this week in Tokyo. During the interview with Nikkei editor-in-chief Tetsuya Iguchi, published on Monday (May 23), Lee was asked about the tilt in the … [Read more...] about China’s development good for Asia, but ties with Japan, US, Europe important too: S’pore PM

When the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue was first conceived as a strategic coalition of the four leading democracies in the Indo-Pacific, many doubted it would amount to much. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi mocked it as a "headline-grabbing idea" that would dissipate "like the sea foam in the Pacific or Indian Ocean". But continued Chinese expansionism, combined with the determination of former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe to build broad resistance to it, has produced an increasingly consolidated group, with real potential to bolster regional security. The question is whether it will deliver. One thing is certain: all four Quad members -- Australia, India, Japan, and the United States -- are essential to realise the vision of a "free and open Indo-Pacific". While the Quad took some time to get off the ground -- it was resurrected during former US president Donald Trump's administration but leaders' summits began only after Joe Biden took office -- it has gained … [Read more...] about The Quad at a crossroads

SEOUL, South Korea — President Joe Biden is tending to both business and security interests Sunday as he wraps up a three-day visit to South Korea, showcasing Hyundai’s pledge to build a $5.5 billion electric vehicle and battery factory in Georgia and visiting U.S. and South Korean troops monitoring the rapidly evolving North Korean nuclear threat. The major U.S. investment by a South Korean company, which was formally unveiled in Georgia on Friday, is a reflection of how the U.S. and South Korea are leveraging their longstanding military ties into a broader economic partnership. The U.S. president has made greater economic cooperation with South Korea a priority, saying on Saturday that “it will bring our two countries even closer together, cooperating even more closely than we already do, and help strengthen our supply chains, secure them against shocks and give our economies a competitive edge.” The pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February has forced a deeper … [Read more...] about Joe Biden tendng to business in South Korea visit with Hyundai exec