China firmly rejected the Philippines’ maritime claims in the South China Sea on Sunday, posting new territorial boundaries that include the contested Scarborough Shoal. The Foreign Ministry’s announcement came two days after President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. signed two laws demarcating Manila’s maritime claims. (REUTERS)
Vietnam is poised to benefit from an escalation in the U.S.-China trade war as more Chinese manufacturing shifts to the Southeast Asian country, according to the investment management firm VinaCapital. But the influential firm cautioned that Vietnam’s bulging trade surplus with the U.S. could make it vulnerable to retaliation by the incoming Trump administration. (VIETNAMPLUS)
Chinese President Xi Jinping will travel to South America this week for the APEC summit in Peru, followed by the G20 summit in Brazil. Xi will commission the new Chinese-built Port of Chancay in Peru, which will reduce shipping times between South America and China by almost three weeks. (AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE)
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is finalizing his foreign policy team. He reportedly plans to pick Florida Senator Marco Rubio as his secretary of state and Florida Congressman Mike Waltz as his national security advisor. Both are noted China hawks. (FT)
The Indonesian unit of the Brazilian mining giant Vale will team up with the Chinese battery metal producer GEM Co. to build a $1.42 billion nickel plant in Indonesia. The plant will be on Sulawesi Island and will use an acid leach process to produce 66,000 tons of refined nickel per year. The deal was among those signed by Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto during his recent visit to China. (BLOOMBERG)
Current U.S. President Joe Biden will reportedly meet with China’s President Xi Jinping at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Lima, Peru, happening on 15 and 16 November. The meeting will be mostly ceremonial. Xi will likely also meet with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in Peru. (ASIA NEWS NETWORK)
China’s marking of its territorial line around Scarborough Shoal was “lawful and reasonable” and could help it to take “more targeted” countermeasures against rival claimant the Philippines, Chinese analysts said. (SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST)
Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said Tuesday that he didn’t expect President-elect Donald Trump’s next administration would demand that the Philippines pay more for military protection because both allies faced the shared threat of China. (AP)
Indonesia’s new leader called for collaboration rather than confrontation with China after the signing of US$10 billion in new deals at a business forum on Sunday in the Chinese capital before heading to the US. (SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST)
Indian and Chinese troops successfully completed one round of patrolling the disputed areas of Demchock and Depsang following a deal to disengage from a multi-year border standoff. The two sides coordinated the patrols, and communication channels between commanders have been restored. It is a major step in overcoming a deadly 2020 border clash that plunged the relationship into crisis. (INDIA TODAY)
China’s anticipated J-35A stealth aircraft will make its public debut on Tuesday at the Zhuhai airshow. It will be launched with an air show, marking the 75th anniversary of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force. Little is known about the capabilities of the J-35A, or the J-35, designed for use with aircraft carriers. People’s Daily said the plane “mainly carries out the task of seizing and maintaining air supremacy.” (REUTERS)
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Sergei Shoigu, Russia’s top security official on Tuesday. It was the first high-level meeting between Chinese and Russian officials since the election of Donald Trump as U.S. president. Shoigu reportedly told Wang that they face an “urgent task” to counter “containment” from the U.S. (SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST)
U.S. President Joe Biden will meet with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Lima, Peru, on Saturday. This will be Biden’s third in-person meeting with Xi as president, and it will be overshadowed by the return of Donald Trump to the position. They are expected to discuss lines of communication, curbing narcotics trade, and climate change. (WASHINGTON POST)
The BRICS group offered Türkiye the status of a BRICS partner country, according to Trade Minister Omer Bolat. This falls short of the full membership Ankara requested earlier this year. The final decision around full membership will reportedly be made later. Bolat dismissed rumors that India blocked its full membership because of Türkiye’s close ties to Pakistan. (BLOOMBERG)
China-linked hackers breached the security of “multiple” U.S. tech companies to intercept surveillance data meant for U.S. law enforcement, according to a joint statement by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. The statement said call records and communications of “a limited number of individuals who are primarily involved in government or political activity” were taken. In October, media reports alleged that hackers’ targets included President-elect Donald Trump. (REUTERS)
The Philippines’ foreign ministry said on Wednesday it summoned China’s ambassador to protest Beijing’s drawing of baselines around the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea. (REUTERS)
The Chinese military conducted a joint sea and air patrol around Scarborough Shoal on Wednesday as tensions continued to simmer with the Philippines in the South China Sea. (SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST)
China has released an updated map for a southern city, established to reinforce its claims in the South China Sea, showing new labels for Paracel and Spratly districts, which were formally created in 2020 but had not appeared on maps until now. (THE INDEPENDENT)
