Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

BEIJING/TEGUCIGALPA/TAIPEI, March 26 (Reuters) - China established diplomatic ties with Honduras on Sunday after the Central American country ended its decades-long relationship with Taiwan, while Taiwan's foreign minister accused Honduras of demanding exorbitant sums before being lured away by Beijing.

The ending of ties with Taiwan had been expected after the Honduran foreign minister travelled to China last week to open relations and President Xiomara Castro said her government would start ties with Beijing.

HONG KONG (AP) — Dozens of people on Sunday joined Hong Kong’s first authorized protest since the lifting of major COVID-19 restrictions under unprecedentedly strict rules, including wearing a numbered badge around their necks.

The rules set out by the police, who cited security reasons, came as the financial hub was promoting its return to normalcy after years of anti-virus controls and political turmoil.

BEIJING (AP) — Honduras established diplomatic ties with China on Sunday after breaking off relations with Taiwan, which is increasingly isolated and now recognized by only 13 sovereign states, including Vatican City.

Foreign ministers from China and Honduras signed a joint communique in Beijing — a decision the Chinese Foreign Ministry hailed as “the right choice.”

BEIJING, Mar 25 (APP): The cooperation between China and Pakistan in the field of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has helped strengthen bilateral relations in recent years.

At the beginning of 2023, health authorities of Sindh Province in Pakistan initiated a program, which proposed that China assist the country in training doctors proficient in the field of TCM.

SHANGHAI, March 25 (Reuters) - China's attitude towards developing a healthy, stable and constructive Sino-U.S. relationship remains unchanged, while it hopes the United States will stop using "unscrupulous means" to contain and suppress China, China's foreign minister Qin Gang said on Saturday.

China hopes the two nations will work together to promote bilateral relations to overcome difficulties and return to healthy and stable developments, Qin said as he met U.S.- friendly organizations and business representatives in Beijing.

MANILA, March 25 (Xinhua) -- Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos on Saturday called on Filipinos to join the observance of Earth Hour to mitigate the devastating effects of climate change.

Marcos said the Malacanang presidential palace will observe Earth Hour from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. local time Saturday night by switching off non-essential lights.

"Let's switch off and give Mother Nature 60 minutes to breathe," Marcos said in a video message.

BEIJING (AP) — New Zealand Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta has expressed concern to China over any provision of lethal aid to support Russia in its war against Ukraine during a meeting with her Chinese counterpart.

Her press office on Saturday detailed Mahuta’s cautionary remarks in Beijing, days after Chinese President Xi Jinping concluded his trip to Moscow, a warm affair in which Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin praised each other and spoke of a profound friendship.

BEIJING, March 24. /TASS/: US President Joe Biden could have decided to blow up the Nord Stream pipelines in order to punish German Chancellor Olaf Scholz for not wanting to provide Ukraine with more weapons, US Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist Seymour Hersh said in an interview with China Daily published on Friday.

HANOI, Mar 24 (NNN-VNA) – Vietnam rejected U.S. human rights report as based on false information.

“Vietnam feels sorry that the 2022 human rights report, by the U.S. Department of State, has made biased comments, based on false information about the real situation in Vietnam,” deputy spokeswoman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Pham Thu Hang, said, at a regular press briefing in Hanoi yesterday.

The spokeswoman reaffirmed Vietnam’s consistent policy, to protect and promote human rights.

BEIJING, March 24 (Xinhua) -- Britain's decision to provide Ukraine with armor-piercing ammunition containing depleted uranium has elicited a strong reaction from Russia, spurring fears that the current crisis in Ukraine might escalate and spiral out of control.

Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov said in Washington on Wednesday that Western countries led by the United States have decided to bring humankind to the brink of a nuclear Armageddon, TASS news agency reported.