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Jesse Johnson
Taiwanese Vice President Lai Ching-te (left), presidential candidate from the Democratic Progressive Party, introduces Hsiao Bi-khim, Taiwan's de facto envoy to the United States, as his running mate in the 2024 election, during a news conference at Lai's campaign headquarters in Taipei on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 20, 2023
Taiwan presidential front-runner taps U.S. envoy as running mate
Lai Ching-te tapped Hsiao Bi-khim, a fluent English speaker who had been Taiwan's de facto ambassador to the U.S., to join him on the DPP ticket.
Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missiles take part in a nighttime military parade to mark the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Korean People's Revolutionary Army in Pyongyang in this undated photo released in April 2022.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 19, 2023
North Korea marks missile holiday with silence as Kim absent 29 days
Missile Industry Day was not mentioned in state-run media on Sunday, as leader Kim Jong Un remained out of the public spotlight for nearly a month.
The U.S. Navy guided-missile cruiser USS Monterey fires a Tomahawk land attack missile in April 2018.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 18, 2023
U.S. approves deal to sell long-range Tomahawk missiles to Japan
The Pentagon said Friday that the U.S. State Department had signed off on the estimated $2.35 billion deal for 400 Tomahawk missiles.
U.S. President Joe Biden greets Chinese President Xi Jinping before a meeting during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders week in Woodside, California, on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 16, 2023
Biden and Xi agree to pick up the phone to avert crisis. But now what?
Agreed measures are unlikely to be enough to improve bilateral ties, as neither side appeared willing to tackle fundamental differences head on.
U.S. President Joe Biden shakes hands with Chinese leader Xi Jinping at Filoli estate in Woodside, California, on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 16, 2023
Xi and Biden agree to restart high-level military-to-military talks
The leaders of the two superpowers looked to stabilize a relationship that has been in freefall amid fears it could devolve into outright conflict.
This undated picture released Wednesday shows the first ground combustion test of a high-power solid-fuel engine for a new intermediate-range ballistic missile, at an undisclosed location in North Korea.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 15, 2023
North Korea eyes surprise attack ability with missile engine test
The new engines for the intermediate-range ballistic missiles would give Pyongyang another means of targeting Japan.
U.S. President Joe Biden meets with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Group of 20 leaders summit in Bali, Indonesia, on Nov. 14, 2022.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / FOCUS
Nov 14, 2023
Biden and Xi look to put floor under strained U.S.-China ties
The two leaders will have a laundry list of concerns to discuss, but the talks are unlikely to yield any dramatic breakthroughs.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa speak as they wait for a group photo session during the Group of Seven foreign ministers meeting in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 8, 2023
G7 top diplomats call for ‘humanitarian pauses’ in Israel-Hamas war
The statement didn’t mention a cease-fire, only noting the necessity of humanitarian action.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping and U.S. President Joe Biden meet on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Nusa Dua, on the Indonesian resort island of Bali, in November last year.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 7, 2023
Biden wins global vote of confidence over China's Xi, survey finds
A survey has found that nearly two-dozen countries are nearly three times more likely to the U.S. president more positively than the Chinese leader.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu points to a red line he drew on the graphic of a bomb used to represent Iran's nuclear program as he addresses the United Nations General Assembly at the U.N. headquarters in New York in September 2012.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Nov 6, 2023
Israeli minister's Gaza nuclear comments spotlight opaque arsenal
The country has long had a policy of ambiguity as to whether it has nuclear weapons, though it is widely believed to possess a sizable number.
Japanese evacuees from Israel arrive at Tokyo's Haneda Airport via an Air Self-Defense Force flight on Friday night.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 3, 2023
SDF plane evacuates 46 from Israel as Japan's top diplomat visits
The evacuation came as Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa visited Israel for talks with her Israeli and Palestinian counterparts.
Maritime Self-Defense Force Chief of Staff Ryo Sakai speaks during a news conference Tuesday at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 31, 2023
Defense chief condemns ‘outrageous’ response in SDF harassment case
A male perpetrator of sexual assault was forced to apologize directly to the female victim despite her wishes not to see him.
China's powerful vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, Zhang Youxian (left), and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu arrive for the Beijing Xiangshan Forum in the Chinese capital on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 30, 2023
Chinese military No. 2 slams U.S. but signals defense channel reopening
While criticizing the U.S., China's Gen. Zhang Youxia also indicated an openness to resuming high-level military talks with the Pentagon.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping meets with U.S. President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Nusa Dua, on the Indonesian resort island of Bali, on Nov. 14, 2022.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / FOCUS
Oct 29, 2023
U.S. and China agree to work toward Biden-Xi meeting next month
U.S. President Joe Biden emphasized the need to manage the U.S.-China rivalry "responsibly” during a rare meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrive to speak to the press prior to meetings at the State Department in Washington on Thursday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 27, 2023
Top U.S. and China envoys seek 'in-depth' dialogue to stabilize ties
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken for talks that could pave the way for a meeting of the two countries' leaders.
Then-Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu attends the 20th IISS Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore in June.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Oct 25, 2023
Chinese defense chief’s ouster opens door to better military ties with U.S.
Although questions remain over Li Shangfu’s fate, his firing has opened an avenue for resuming high-level military talks with the U.S.
Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu salutes before delivering a speech during the 20th Shangri-La Dialogue summit in Singapore on June 4.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 24, 2023
China ousts defense chief and removes ex-top envoy from Cabinet
Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu has been removed from his positions as defense chief and state councilor, state-run media said.
Japan on Tuesday named Shigeo Yamada (left) its new ambassador to the United States and tapped and former Foreign Ministry top bureaucrat Kenji Kanasugi to be its envoy to China.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 24, 2023
Japan taps new U.S. and China envoys as Tokyo looks to balance ties
The appointments of new envoys to the U.S. and China come amid growing rivalry between Washington and Beijing.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks during an opening ceremony of a diplomatic symposium at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on Tuesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 24, 2023
China's top diplomat to visit U.S. ahead of possible Xi trip
Foreign Minister Wang Yi will be the highest-ranking Chinese official to travel to Washington in about five years.
A China Coast Guard vessel collides with a Philippine resupply vessel in the disputed South China Sea on Sunday, in this image taken from video.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 22, 2023
Philippines and China trade blame over South China Sea collision
The incident occurred near the Second Thomas Shoal, as a Philippine resupply vessel made its way toward a military garrison.

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