Vietnam 'torn' as embattled Putin visits - Nikkei Asia

HO CHI MINH CITY -- Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Vietnam for a state visit that analysts are watching for a potential sanctions-defying arms deal and which the U.S. has slammed for allowing the leader to "promote" his war in Ukraine.

In Hanoi on Thursday, Putin is expected to discuss military, energy and trade relations rooted in the Cold War. Russia and Vietnam are both eager to show they have security alternatives to China and the U.S., several analysts told Nikkei Asia.

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2024-06-19 22:38:00Z
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Russian President Putin arrives in Vietnam for state visit - CNA

Vietnam, which officially pursues a neutral foreign policy it calls "bamboo diplomacy" in its relations with world powers, has abstained from condemning Russia's attack on Ukraine, a stance that Western countries view as too close to the Kremlin

The Southeast Asian country will be the third nation Putin has visited, after China and North Korea, since he was sworn in for a fifth term in May.

Vietnam has been gearing up for a full state welcome for Putin, his first visit since 2017 and his fifth in total.

As well as holding talks with Vietnam's top leaders, Putin will attend wreath-laying ceremonies including at the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, housing the embalmed corpse of Vietnam's founding leader.

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2024-06-19 21:11:53Z
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Putin's visit to Vietnam casts spotlight on Russia's influence in Southeast Asia - CNA

US ISSUES REBUKE

Vietnam is rolling out the red carpet for Putin amid rebuke from the US government, despite having just upgraded relations with Washington last year.

In a statement sent to CNA, a spokesperson for the US Embassy in Hanoi said that no country “should give Putin a platform to promote his war of aggression and otherwise allow him to normalise his atrocities”.

“If he is able to travel freely, it could normalise Russia’s blatant violations of international law and inadvertently send the message that atrocities can be committed in Ukraine and elsewhere with impunity, worsening human suffering, and prolonging the path to sustainable peace and justice,” the spokesperson added.

“We cannot return to business as usual or turn a blind eye to the clear violations of international law Russia has committed in Ukraine. There needs to be accountability for those responsible for war crimes.”

HISTORICALLY DEEP RELATIONS WITH RUSSIA

Vietnam has continued its historically deep relations with the former Soviet Union, even as it aligns itself with the US in opposition to China.

Assistance from Russia played a critical role in Vietnam’s history of war and nation-building when peace resumed.

The US had entered Vietnam in the late 1950s to prevent a communist takeover of the region. As Vietnamese civilians became increasingly caught in the crossfire and American tactics grew more brutal, the war became deeply unpopular in the US.

Exhibits at the Vietnam Military History Museum, located in the heart of Hanoi, make it apparent Vietnam sees Russia as an ally.

Wreckage of American airplanes from the Vietnam War is placed next to Soviet-made missile systems and aircraft that Vietnam used during the war.

Nguyen Dat Phat, vice-chairman of the Vietnam-Russia Friendship Association, told CNA: “The support from the Soviet Union was great and important because then, we wanted to liberate the South and unite the country by force, by resistance war.

“We needed weapons, ammunition, gas, and so on.”

Now, Vietnam wants to show its support for Russia as well.

It avoided the Ukraine peace summit last weekend and has abstained from voting on United Nations resolutions on the Russia-Ukraine war.

“The draft resolutions are sponsored by the West to condemn Russia. I think abstention means not joining efforts to oppose Russia. That's support for Russia,” said Nguyen.

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2024-06-19 09:47:00Z
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Ulu Tiram attack: Family members of alleged cop-killer charged in court, including for inciting terrorism - CNA

The Star reported that the five were brought to the Johor Bahru Court Complex in separate vehicles amid tight security.

They arrived at around 9am, according to local media, and were escorted by nearly 30 police officers.

Radin Imran – the patriarch of the family - faces four charges, including under Section 130G (a) of the Penal Code (Act 574), for inciting terrorism by promoting the ideology of violence associated with the Islamic State (IS).

If found guilty of that, he may be jailed for up to 30 years and liable to a fine.

He was reported to have propagated IS teachings among his family members – including the alleged attacker, 21-year-old Radin Luqman – between the end of 2014 and May 17, 2024.

He was also charged with supporting terrorism by storing four homemade air rifles for IS activities, pledging loyalty to IS head Abu Bakar Al-Baghdadi and possessing a book linked to the militant group.

Abu Bakar Al-Baghdadi was an Iraqi militant who was the first caliph of IS from 2014 until his death in 2019. 

The 34-year-old Radin Romyullah was charged with two offences, including swearing allegiance to Abu Bakar Al-Baghdadi and possessing an external hard disk that contained materials related to IS and its activities.

Meanwhile, the three women were charged with one count each of deliberately omitting to provide information regarding crimes related to the ideology of terrorism.

They allegedly committed this offence at the same location between April 2017 and May 17 and face a prison sentence of up to seven years and a fine, according to The Star.

No bail was offered to the five accused and Sessions Court Judge Che Wan Zaidi Che Wan Ibrahim had advised the family to appoint a lawyer or represent themselves.

The pre-dawn attack on the Ulu Tiram police station on May 17 left two cops dead and another injured. The two - Ahmad Azza Fahmi and Muhamad Syafiq - have since been posthumously promoted to the rank of corporal while the surviving cop was promoted to Sergeant.

The families of the killed officers each also received compensation of RM216,632 (US$46,000) and RM213,586 respectively, which includes funeral assistance, the government's share of Employees Provident Fund contributions, and other benefits, according to local media.

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2024-06-19 05:57:00Z
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Malaysia, China mark 50 years of ties with deals on development, durians - CNA

KUALA LUMPUR: China and Malaysia signed a slew of deals on Wednesday (Jun 19), renewing a five-year economic co-operation pact and allowing exports of fresh durians, during a visit by Chinese Premier Li Qiang to mark 50 years of diplomatic ties.

Li met Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in the administrative capital of Putrajaya, following his arrival in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday.

"China is ready to work with Malaysia," Li said in a statement, adding that focus areas included development strategies, mutually beneficial co-operation, and exchanges to promote the building of a China-Malaysia community.

After Wednesday's closed-door meeting, Li and Anwar witnessed the signing of more than a dozen pacts on co-operation in areas ranging from the digital economy to green development, housing, tourism, and communications, among others.

The new five-year pact that runs until 2028 provides for strategic collaboration in areas such as trade and investment, agriculture, manufacturing, infrastructure and financial services, a statement after the meeting showed.

The five-year programme was first introduced in 2013.

China also agreed to allow imports of fresh durian from Malaysia after it meets sanitary requirements, the statement added.

Malaysia, one of the world's biggest producers of the spiky, smelly fruit, was previously allowed to ship only the whole frozen fruit and its products to China, with exports valued at RM1.19 billion (US$253 million) in 2023.

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2024-06-19 08:00:06Z
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More students from China choosing to study in Malaysia - CNA

Analysts said these cultural exchanges will help ensure that the diplomatic ties between Malaysia and China, which are deeply rooted in people-to-people relations, will continue to flourish.

“Going forward, you see these students when they get to know one another, I think the next thing they would do perhaps set up some enterprises. They will have some joint projects, joint collaborations together,” said Dr Oh Ei Sun, senior fellow from the Singapore Institute of International Affairs.

“I think it will continue to drive this already very close bilateral relations,” he added.

Another student, Ms Wang Yi, was practising a Malay folk dance called Zapin when CNA spoke to her.

Ms Wang, who is from the north-central region of Ningxia, was among 44,000 students from China who applied for entry to Malaysia’s public universities last year. She secured a place at the faculty of creative arts in University Malaya.

The undergraduate is trained in traditional Chinese dance, and said she enjoys how “jovial” Malay dance is.

“Whenever the locals perform the dance, you can see that they are smiling from their hearts,” the 21-year-old added.

“I like Malaysia very much. I wish to bring a part of its culture back with me.”

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2024-06-19 03:27:37Z
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Xi calls for all-out flood rescue effort as storms pound southern China - CNA

Deaths during China's annual summer floods have fallen sharply from the thousands each year in the 1990s, as authorities beefed up flood control measures, such as dam construction.

Yet extreme weather in recent years, including record-breaking rainfall, has made China vulnerable to intense flooding and disasters such as sudden mudslides, often in its mountainous but populated areas.

In Shanghang, a county in southeastern Fujian province, four people were killed after rainfall in 15 townships broke records over a 24-hour period, Xinhua reported.

Communication and power infrastructure in disaster-stricken areas in Shanghang have not fully recovered, with the region facing the risk of more landslides.

In the far western region of Xinjiang, flash floods engulfed a car on Tuesday, and four people remained missing, state media said.

In the mountainous area of Changji in Xinjiang's northwest, emergency officials said heavy rainfall had brought flash floods and mudslides that blocked roads in one town.

Also on Tuesday, officials in the southwestern region of Guangxi upgraded a flood warning advisory, adding that about 23,600 people were affected in 10 counties.

Flash flood warnings were also issued in the provinces of Zhejiang and Jiangxi, where heavy rain fell for two days, state media said.

Weather forecasters expect more heavy rain in Guangxi region, and the provinces of Jiangxi, Fujian, Zhejiang, and Anhui, which could lead to more landslides and flooding.

The waters in many rivers have exceeded warning levels, official media said.

Meanwhile, China's north is wilting under some of the year's hottest weather.

The mercury was expected to soar to up to 39 degrees Celsius in Beijing and the surrounding areas of Tianjin and Hebei on Tuesday, the National Meteorological Centre said.

Authorities have also moved to offer drought prevention and disaster relief in seven provinces across China's north, east and centre.

China is enduring a summer of extreme weather, which scientists say is made more common by climate change.

Greenhouse gases, of which China is the world's biggest emitter, are a key contributor to climate change.

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2024-06-18 09:47:00Z
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