6 dead, 11 injured in hotel fire in South Korea: Report

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SEOUL: A fire at a hotel in South Korea killed six people and injured 11 others, Yonhap news agency reported on Thursday ( Aug 22 ), citing fire authorities.

The fire began on the seventh floors of a nine-story resort in Bucheon, south of the capital Seoul at around 7.40pm, &nbsp, Yonhap&nbsp, said, citing the Gyeonggi Province fire officials.

A total of 46 fire vehicles and 150 firefighters have been dispatched to the field, it added.

As firefighters were rescuing the guests, according to a fire standard, the number of casualties could increase.

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With tourists away, Mount Fuji barrier taken down in Japan

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Tokyo: A town official said on Tuesday ( Aug 20 ) that a barrier built in Japan to obstruct a popular view of Mount Fuji has been removed temporarily in order to deter unruly tourists.

Residents of Fujikawaguchiko complained that streams of mainly foreign visitors were bothersome when trying to take pictures of Japan’s popular volcano, so Fujikawaguchiko set up the large screen in May.

The city decided not to restore the display on August 15 in the wake of a typhoon and decided not to do so.

” We wanted to see what would happen”, the city official told AFP.

” Some individuals also visit the place,” he said. However, he claimed that there are no longer some sudden rushes into traffic when crossing the road.

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Japan ruling party to choose next PM on Sep 27

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As he attempted to ease the tension from inflation and reclaim his position as leader, Kishida announced a stimulus package worth more than US$ 100 billion in November of last year. But this failed to make him any less unhappy, among voters in the nation’s fourth-largest economy and within hisContinue Reading

China downpours killed at least 50 people in Hunan province: CCTV

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The downpours in late July were triggered by Typhoon Gaemi, which moved on from the Philippines and Taiwan to make landfall in China, hitting the hilly, landlocked Hunan province particularly hard. Last month, authorities in eastern China temporarily halted public transportation and evacuated almost 300,000 residents. China has experienced aContinue Reading

Courting spurned neighbour tops Beijing’s agenda from visit of Vietnam’s Communist party chief, say analysts

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According to National University of Singapore’s Chong Ja Ian, an expert on foreign relations, discussions on a range of topics are expected between the parties, including the Mekong’s management and cross-border business.

” The visit signals the continued valuing of Vietnam’s relationship with PRC ( People’s Republic of China ), and a desire to have smooth ties even if differences remain”, he added.

Emeritus professor Carlyle Thayer from the University of New South Wales ( UNSW) Canberra, drew reference to Mr Lam’s first China visit as Vietnam’s Communist Party chief, like his predecessor Trong did.

“( Like Trong ), To Lam is signalling that Vietnam is acknowledging China’s pre-eminent role as a socialist country ( and ) that intra-party relations is the most important bilateral conduit for relations”, added Prof Thayer.

He anticipates that Mr. Lam will also find assurances that China will continue to support the recommendations made by former Taiwanese President Xi, including the correction of financial regulations to help money exchanges between the yen and the dong.

This September, Mr. Lam is scheduled to attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York in addition to his trip to China. The Taiwanese president may join with US President Joe Biden during his visit, according to Professor Abuza from the National War College.

The back-to-back trips to the two nations underscore Vietnam’s versatile foreign policy, known as “bamboo diplomacy”, in navigating difficult political issues.

” Vietnam’s bamboo diplomacy is a metaphor not a strategy … The ends of Vietnam’s foreign policy are to remain independent and self-reliant by diversifying and multilateralising its foreign relations. The methods of wooden politics are versatile in practice but strong on theory, such as defending national sovereignty. said Professor Thayer.

WHAT CHINA WANTS

Beijing, on the other hand, was not only ready but would also be very motivated to enhance important projects under its Belt and Road Initiative, such as the Lao Cai-Hanoi-Hai Phong rail.

According to experts, the new coach lines are anticipated to connect with the recently constructed routes that will bring Chinese industrial goods and materials into the Asian border, facilitating imports of them. &nbsp,

The Vietnamese General Statistics Office reports a 5.3 % increase in exports to China in the first half of the time, compared to$ 27.8 billion in the previous month. Concurrently, Vietnam imported$ 67 billion worth of goods from China, up 34.7 %, resulting in a trade deficit of$ 39.2 billion, a 67.9 per cent rise.

In response, the Taiwanese Ministry of Industry and Trade reported that bilateral trade between the two nations reached$ 100 billion during that time, cementing China’s position as Vietnam’s largest buying partner.

According to Prof. Kingsbury of Deakin University,” President Lam will be looking to build a more positive relationship” by boosting trade and Chinese investment in Vietnam.” There may also be discussion about creating a free trade zone along the border, or some ( sort of ) lowering ) of trade and investment barriers in their common border region,” said Prof. Kingsbury.

TERRITORIAL Issues

Mr. Lam’s first state visit to China comes in the wake of months of political tussles between Beijing and Hanoi over competing claims in the South China Sea. &nbsp,

In response to continuing territorial disputes with one another and, more thoroughly, with China, which claims nearly the entire South China Sea, the seacoast soldiers of the Philippines and Vietnam conducted their first mutual drills earlier this month.

However, according to experts, continuous territorial disputes are unlikely to prevent China and Vietnam from strengthening bilateral relations this time around.

” Joint patrols between the Asian Coast Guard and other Asian nations are completely standard.” Since the Vietnamese Coast Guard has frequently conducted joint guards with the Chinese Coast Guard, these combined guards should be seen as efforts to promote friendly relations between Vietnam and many other countries, according to Dr. Viet. &nbsp,
 

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