Close encounters in the air and on the sea highlight US-China tensions in the Indo-Pacific region.
Welcome to VOA Asia Weekly. I'm Chris Casquejo in Washington. That story is just ahead, but first, making headlines:
Chinese research on some key military technologies is so advanced that the United States and its key allies may never be able to catch up, according to a new analysis from an Australian think tank. The Australian Strategic Policy Institute says China “has a commanding lead in hypersonics, electronic warfare and in key undersea capabilities,” and leads in 19 of 23 critical categories.
North Korea is advancing its nuclear and missile capabilities and has “legalized” the use of nuclear weapons, South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol said on Tuesday, amid heightened tensions after the North’s first spy satellite launch attempt failed last week.
A searing heat wave in Bangladesh forced primary schools to close this week as power was cut frequently, worsening conditions for residents unable to run fans to cool themselves. Weather forecasters warned relief was not imminent.
Wheat farmers in China face significant crop losses after two weeks of heavy rains, which caused the wheat to sprout early. This often produces lower quality flour that’s unfit to eat. Central China’s Henan province produces a third of the country’s wheat. So far, state media has reported only three-quarters of Henan’s wheat has been harvested, compared to 90 percent at the same time last year.
India and the United States have concluded a roadmap for defense industry cooperation for the next few years, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Monday. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be in Washington for an official state visit later this month. The U.S. sees deeper military-to-military and technology ties with India as a key counterweight to China.
South Korea scrambled fighter jets after Chinese and Russian military aircraft entered its air defense zone in the south and east of the Korean Peninsula. The incursion followed encounters between U.S. and Chinese forces in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea, which the Biden administration cites as examples of growing aggressiveness by Beijing's military. VOA Chief White House correspondent Patsy Widakuswara looks at the rising tension between global powers playing out in the Indo-Pacific.
At least two incidents of close encounters between Chinese and American vessels and aircraft in less than two weeks, including this Chinese warship on Sunday cutting closely in front of a U.S. destroyer in the Taiwan Strait.
The incident coincides with trilateral naval exercises in the South China Sea among the U.S., Japanese and Philippine coast guards.
“The U.S. made provocations first, and the Chinese side only responded by handling the incident in accordance with relevant laws and regulations.”
“Since you have disregarded our warning, we will take all the necessary measures on you.”
Encounters between Chinese and other nations’ vessels, such as the Philippines, have increased in recent years, along with Beijing’s military activity in the region.
The U.S. is also adopting a more muscular approach, ramping up drills with allies in the region. Beijing considers these provocations, leading to even more incidents that could easily escalate into conflict.
“It's part of a new and, and disturbing norm, particularly given the fact that there's limited communication between high-level defense officials in the United States and China.
The White House denies it’s partly to blame and says it’s trying to talk to Beijing.
“We're working on this very, very hard, and the president is confident that we'll be able to get back to the spirit of Bali ((where Biden and Xi met last)) between the PRC ((People’s Republic of China)) and the United States.”
At the annual Shangri-la Dialogue in Singapore last week, Beijing declined Washington’s request for a face-to-face meeting between Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Chinese counterpart Li Shangfu, due to sanctions on Li that have not been lifted by the administration.
Officials are working to reschedule U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to Beijing that Washington canceled after it shot down a Chinese spy balloon in January.
Patsy Widakuswara, VOA News, Washington.
A Taiwanese high school has installed an indoor shooting range on its campus, amid rising tensions across the Taiwan Strait.
The facility helps students learn about All-Out Defense, a concept designed to help the self-ruled island prepare for conflict.
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Thanks for watching VOA Asia Weekly. I’m Chris Casquejo. Until next week.
We leave you in the waters off Indonesia, where one time coral reef poachers work to rehabilitate corals they once bombed and poisoned in order to fish.
