Earlier on Wednesday, Taiwan’s defence ministry said it had spotted the same Foreign aircraft carrier group traveling through waters off its east coast in the direction of Yonaguni, Japan’s southern area, which is about 110km south of Taiwan. China, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its territory, has been stagingContinue Reading
TOKYO:  , Japan’s new prime minister will be formally elected by parliament on Oct 1 following next week’s leadership contest, a ruling party official said on Wednesday ( Sep 18 ). In the internal vote on September 27th, polls indicate that three frontrunners are emerging among the nine candidates toContinue Reading
He was married, had two sons, and now resides in Hwacheon, which is located just a few kilometers west of the North Vietnamese borders.
Because of its place, many of the state’s 25, 000 people are soldiers and their community members.  ,
Although it may be in vain, Mr. Kim also feels the need to return house.  ,
” I do want to go back home. I have travelled to unique places, but never home”,  , he said.  ,
” But even if I did now, I do n’t think there will be anyone for me to meet. All of my close friends are likely already deceased.
The only occasions when people can reconnect are when there is no cross-border interaction and communication.
Since 2000, when the first reunion took place, just 21 meetings have been held. According to inter-national tensions, these state-arranged meetings, which were intended to briefly bring some of these households together, have been postponed since 2018.  ,
Out of more than 132, 000 South Koreans who signed up for a chance to meet their people, just about 40, 000 are still intact.
HONG KONG:  , Hong Kong experienced its hottest Mid-Autumn Festival since records began in 1884 with temperatures hitting 33.8 degrees Celsius, the city’s weather service said on Tuesday ( Sep 17 ). The Hong Kong Observatory advised the people to drink more water and avoid strenuous outdoor activities after theContinue Reading
Itooka lives in a care home in Ashiya , in northern Japan’s Hyogo province, the department said. According to the government, she frequently thanks the nursing home staff and expresses memories for her hometown. ” I have no idea at all about what’s the solution of my long living”, Japan’s oldestContinue Reading
UPROOTED Branches Officials reported that tens of thousands of emergency workers were on hand to remain deployed and that 414, 000 people had been evacuated to safer places throughout Shanghai. AFP writers reported seeing uprooted trees blocking many streets in the town center, and the municipal news services reported thatContinue Reading
HONG KONG:  , A 27-year-old man faces up to several years in jail for sedition, after pleading guilty on Monday ( Sep 16 ) to wearing a protest T-shirt that prosecutors say flouts Hong Kong’s new national security law. In January, Chu Kai-pong had previously served a three-month prison sentenceContinue Reading
Since Sunday night, hundreds of flights have been canceled from Shanghai’s two airports, according to state television, which reports that all flights to Shanghai’s two major airports will be canceled starting at 8 p.m. on Sunday due to the storm. Four flights to and from Shanghai Pudong Airport on SundayContinue Reading
SHANGHAI:  , Chinese authorities prepared for heavy rain on Sunday ( Sep 15 ) as a strong typhoon approached the country’s heavily populated eastern seaboard. Typhoon Bebinca was scheduled to make land along a portion of the beach, including Shanghai, somewhere between Sunday evening and Monday day, according to Beijing’sContinue Reading
Dr Reyes noted that the improvements reflect the” major development” between both parties, perhaps as both do not promote formal relationships.
After China’s Communist Party (CCP ) took control and expelled foreign priests, Beijing cut diplomatic ties with the Holy See in 1951. Otherwise, the Vatican maintains formal ties to Taiwan, one of only a few states doing so.
Mr. Yeo made a point of mentioning that Cardinal Chow, who was in the Vatican in May, had invited Pope Francis to explore Hong Kong. He views the movement as important, aimed at reinforcing the state’s responsibility as a gate between China and the world Catholic area.
Pope Paul VI is the only pope to have traveled to Hong Kong. He stopped for three hours there in 1970, when it was a British settlement, and celebrated mass at Happy Valley racecourse.
The Hong Kong priest would not have issued this proposal on his own, without China’s approval, Mr. Yeo said in an appointment with CNA late last month.” It was an unofficial invitation, but several brow were raised.
According to experts interviewed by CNA, China has taken a favorable position toward enhancing relationships with the Vatican because it aligns with its wider strategic objectives of strengthening its worldwide reputation and preventing adverse representations from the West.
Dr. Reyes from HKU cited the Beijing’s invitation to Cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi, the priest’s specific minister for peace in Ukraine, in September. The minister also met with Mr Li Hui, China’s special minister for European affairs, marking a “rare and prominent diplomatic sign”.  ,
” Beijing was notably gratified, one might even say chuffed by the Vatican sending a special emissary on Ukraine ( to the country ) … ( as ) this signifies the Holy See’s recognition of China’s potential role in facilitating peace in Ukraine”, he said.
Cardinal Zuppi made visits to Kyiv, Moscow, and Washington in July as part of the Holy See’s efforts to bring Ukraine and Russia to the table of negotiations.
China has resisted calling for a ceasefire and a political solution since Russian troops invaded Ukraine in February 2022. This approach, however, has prompted American complaints that Beijing is enabling Russia’s anger.
In July, North Atlantic Treaty Organization ( NATO ) members convened in Washington, DC, and signed a declaration designating China as a “decisive enabler” of the invasion. They demanded that Beijing stop providing Moscow with “every material and social support,” including the use of dual-use materials for both civil and military purposes.
In reply, China dismissed these statements as “groundless” and asserted that it has “always been a force for peace and security”.
The Vatican’s decision to send a harmony minister to Beijing therefore serves as a counter-narrative to Western reproval, said Dr Reyes.
It does demonstrate how the Vatican is trying to function in a more rational earth. And by logical, one was, by expansion, think of it as a so-called unipolar world in which we live”, he added.
” The US does not seem to understand that the world has changed and that it’s no more a US-dominant earth, that it’s … then multi-civilisational, international.
” I think it’s exciting to me that the Vatican, to some extent, has been operating that means ( with China ).”
Mr. Yeo, Singapore’s foreign affairs minister from 2004 to 2011, asserts that China’s attempts to bolster its understanding and engagement with the West are a part of its wider plan.  ,
Without mentioning the Catholic Church, the participation of bishops, and the Vatican, both for great and for bad, European and American history is unfathomable.
” I believe China’s political relations with the West will ( also hinge ) on its relationship with the Vatican”.
Dr. Michel Chambon, a research fellow with the Asia Research Institute’s faith and globalization group, believes that strengthening relations with the Vatican is in line with China’s desire to become a world power.
“( China ) cannot, for too long, treat the Catholic Church as just an enemy. Only China has formal diplomatic relations with the Vatican, and only North Korea and Afghanistan have diplomatic relations with the Vatican, which makes things extremely unpleasant. What does ( that say ) about China itself”?