‘Big hug’ or colder shoulder? Xi-Trump talks spotlight contrasting styles, expectations

China has learned that playing to the US president’s ego may not be worth the extra effort.

US-China rivalry over AI and chips intensifies ahead of Trump-Xi summit

Any rapport between the leaders may do little to diminish the tech competition.

Malaysia ‘shocked’ that Norway blocked missile delivery for navy ships, says defence minister

He says he may meet Norwegian defence minister in Singapore to convey message.

BJP leader back to head India's Assam state for second time in a row

Himanta Biswa Sarma is seen as one of the architects of BJP's rapid growth in India's northeast.

Japan’s iconic Calbee potato chips will soon move to black-and-white packaging. Here’s why

Calbee is one of many in Japan's corporate landscape suffering from the impact of the Iran war.

Trump-Xi summit will be no ‘Nixon in China’ moment

Meetings between Chinese and American leaders are not exactly routine, but few are historically groundbreaking. The exceptions include the very first visit by a sitting US president to China, when Richard Nixon met with Chairman Mao Zedong in Beijing in February 1972 – at a

US visas shouldn’t turn migrants into pawns against China

The latest warning from Washington that China could face visa restrictions over deportation cooperation points to a broader pattern: migration policy is increasingly being pulled into the orbit of geopolitical rivalry. While US officials frame the issue as a matter of

Malaysia mulls over further fuel subsidy cuts even as election looms

The country was expected to spend about 10 times more on fuel subsidies than before the conflict.

Teen arrested for spraying liquid in foul-odour incident on train near Tokyo

During the incident, three passengers complained of throat irritation.

New Zealand moves to halt lawsuits over climate damage

Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith said such cases were 'creating uncertainty in business confidence'.

‘Seeds of instability’: Fake news target Philippine leader Marcos’ health

The government is cracking down, but free speech advocates say it is the wrong approach.

Ex-Philippine leader Duterte's drug war enforcer escapes ICC arrest

Senator Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa, a former national police chief, has sought refuge in the senate.

Indonesian prison inmates assigned to cook free meals for schoolchildren

Prisons will also contribute some raw materials for the kitchens through agricultural activities.

Trump-Xi summit to show that everything now is leverage

Trump’s world is not rules-based globalization or full Cold War fragmentation — it’s perpetual leverage economics. This week’s summit in Beijing between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping will showcase that reality more clearly than any major diplomatic encounter since Trump returned

14 missing, 23 rescued after migrant boat sinks off Malaysia

The boat was carrying 37 undocumented migrants believed to be from Indonesia.

Oil climbs but markets shrug off US-Iran deadlock

Trump-Xi meet as petroyuan rises on Iran war’s tide

The US-Israel war on Iran has acted not as a mere diversion but as a brutal accelerator of history, fundamentally rupturing the Middle East’s security architecture and accelerating the very realignment it sought to prevent. In the war’s destructive wake – marked by the

‘Lesson written in blood’: How Hong Kong’s deadly Wang Fuk Court fire exposed systemic failures

The disaster killed 168 people and displaced thousands, laying bare lapses in construction safety while leaving survivors and families struggling to rebuild their lives and seek answers.

Trump vows to discuss case of imprisoned HK activist Jimmy Lai with Xi

Jimmy Lai was sentenced to 20 years in prison for his supposed anti-China advocacies.

Peace deal hopes fade after Trump rejects 'garbage' Iran proposal

WASHINGTON/DUBAI, May 12 - Hopes for a peace deal on Iran faded on Tuesday after Donald Trump said a ceasefire with Iran was \"on life support\" as Tehran rejected a U.S. proposal to end the conflict and stuck to a list of demands the U.S. president described as \"garbage\".

US top diplomat discusses Iran, Strait of Hormuz with UK and Australia

WASHINGTON, May 11 - U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio held separate calls with his Australian and British counterparts on Monday to discuss Iran and the Strait of Hormuz, the State Department said.

Indonesia on alert for hantavirus amid European cruise outbreak

The disease has been detected in Indonesia in the past two years, with dozens of people infected.

Vitamins over vaccines: Misinformation entrenched amid Indonesia measles surge

Over 8,000 suspected cases of measles and 10 deaths were recorded in the first three months of 2026.

Key events in ties between the United States, China and Taiwan

May 12 - U.S. President Donald Trump will meet Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping this week for talks in Beijing certain to feature the issue of democratically-governed Taiwan, which China claims as its territory, although Taipei rejects those claims.

South Korea floats ‘citizen dividend’ using AI profits

Samsung's labour union has threatened an 18-day strike starting on May 21.

Japan bear sightings double in year to March

Bear attacks killed 13 people in Japan in 2025, more than twice the previous high.

Nationwide screenings uncover early signs of hypertension in children in Indonesia

Around 22.1 per cent of the children examined had blood pressure above normal levels for their age.

Los Angeles-area mayor to plead guilty to acting as Chinese propaganda agent

LOS ANGELES, May 11 - The mayor of Arcadia, California, a heavily Chinese-American suburb of Los Angeles, has agreed to plead guilty to a federal charge of acting as a foreign agent of China, spreading propaganda on behalf of Beijing, U.S. officials said on Monday.

One killed, 11 rescued in shophouse fire in KL

A total of 45 firefighters were deployed to the scene.

Stung by Iran war, Trump heads to China in need of wins

President Trump needs China more than China needs him, say political analysts.

Malaysia searches for 14 missing after migrant boat capsizes off Pangkor island

The boat is believed to be carrying undocumented Indonesian migrants.

How China’s leader Xi lost faith in his generals

Mr Xi Jinping saw in any sign of disobedience the seed of a political threat to his rule.

How the Trump-Xi summit could set superpower relations for many years to come

Trump's whirlwind visit to China is the most significant for years - but will it bear fruit?

I led hikers up an Indonesian volcano - and then it erupted

An Indonesian guide who led hikers up Mount Dukono has described the moment of Friday's eruption which killed three people.

Proposed US-China ‘Board of Trade’ may steady ties but expectations diverge ahead of Trump-Xi summit

As trade disputes loom over this week’s meeting between US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, proposals for a “Board of Trade” and a separate “Board of Investment” may be on the table.

Middle East conflict forces Southeast Asia’s pivot to travellers from the region, but gaps remain

Countries like Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand are recalibrating their tourism strategies, while tour operators have ramped up intra-Asia offerings as airspace restrictions and rising costs weaken long-haul demand.

Less gold, less travel: Modi urges austerity as oil prices surge, economy under pressure

India heavily relies on foreign imports for its fuel needs and is also one of the world's largest importers of gold.

New Trump sanctions on Chinese firms: leverage on Xi or overkill?

The United States has sanctioned a new group of mainland China- and Hong Kong-linked companies and individuals accused of helping Iran secure drone materials and missile-related components, raising fresh tensions days before US President Donald Trump’s state visit to China. The

US issues new sanctions over Iran's oil shipments to China

WASHINGTON, May 11 - The U.S. government on Monday announced sanctions against three people and nine companies, including four based in Hong Kong and four in the United Arab Emirates, for aiding Iran's shipment of oil to China. The ninth company is based in Oman.

Japan’s highest-grossing live‑action film is a lavish kabuki epic

Kokuho is a colourful, lengthy epic, spanning five decades and running almost three hours, set in the world of kabuki – Japan’s most popular traditional performing art. It has been a huge hit in Japan, becoming the country’s highest-grossing live-action film ever. The film’s

US says 18 passengers flown back after hantavirus outbreak on ship

May 11 - U.S. Department of Health and Human Services officials said on Monday that 18 passengers from the luxury cruise ship hit by a hantavirus outbreak were flown back to the U.S. and quarantined, with the one passenger who tested positive in a Nebraska biocontainment unit.

Elon Musk and Tim Cook among CEOs expected to accompany Trump on China trip

A total of 17 US executives are set to join the president on his visit, where he will meet his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.

Trump’s coming kowtow to Chinese dictator he admires and envies

When American and Chinese presidents meet, it is usually the upstart China that is desperate to be treated as an equal by the world’s pre-eminent superpower. Yet on May 14 when Donald Trump flies to Beijing for the first of four meetings planned this year with President Xi

RFA project on war-torn Myanmar community wins at AAJA Awards

Former Radio Free Asia (RFA) journalists Jim Snyder and Gemunu Amarasinghe were named winners at this year’s Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) Journalism Excellence Awards.

Indian PM Modi to begin five-nation tour, including UAE, amid Middle East crisis

He is to visit the UAE on May 15, and subsequently, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway and Italy.

India's Modi to begin five-nation tour, including UAE, amid Middle East crisis

May 11 - Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will embark on a five-nation tour taking in the United Arab Emirates and Europe from May 15-20, India's foreign ministry said in a statement on Monday, as the Middle East crisis drives up global oil prices and strains India's foreign

View from Tokyo: Has Iran war changed confidence in the US?

Originally published by Pacific Forum, this article is republished with permission. The war on Iran waged by the US and Israel has caused multidimensional and likely irreversible tectonic shifts. At the global level, the negative effects of the war extend far beyond economic

Why the US must deter Russia and China in the North Pacific

Originally published by Pacific Forum, this article is republished with permisson. The 2025 US National Security Strategy and the 2026 US National Defense Strategy emphasized the Trump administration’s renewed focus on defending the American homeland and diplomatic priorities

White House invites Musk, Cook for Trump China trip, Bloomberg reports

May 11 - The White House is inviting Tesla's Elon Musk and Apple's Tim Cook to accompany President Donald Trump on his trip to China this week, Bloomberg News reported Monday, citing a White House official.