Countries including the UK, Japan, China and South Korea have said they are still considering their options but without making commitments after the US president, Donald Trump, urged them to send warships to the strait of Hormuz to secure the vital shipping route. In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump called on the UK, China, France, Japan, South Korea and other countries to send ships to the waterway, the world’s busiest shipping route, which is being violently blockaded by Iran. In his post, Trump alleged that “many countries,…
Tag: South Korea
‘Mad fishing’: the super-size fleet of squid catchers plundering the high seas
In a monitoring room in Buenos Aires, a dozen members of the Argentinian coast guard watch giant industrial-fishing ships moving in real time across a set of screens. “Every year, for five or six months, the foreign fleet comes from across the Indian Ocean, from Asian countries, and from the North Atlantic,” says Cdr Mauricio López, of the monitoring department. “It’s creating a serious environmental problem.” Just beyond Argentina’s maritime frontier, hundreds of foreign vessels – known as the distant-water fishing fleet – are descending on Mile 201, a largely…
Kimchi, made in China: how South Korea’s national dish is being priced out at home
The pungent scent of red chilli powder hangs in the air at Kim Chieun’s kimchi factory in Incheon, about 30km west of Seoul. Inside, salted cabbage soaks in large metal vats in the first stage of a process that Kim has followed for more than 30 years. But watching over the production line has become increasingly fraught. South Korea imports more kimchi than it exports, and the gap has widened as cheaper Chinese-made products take hold in the domestic market. “Kimchi has become a world food from Korea, but this…
Labubus, TikTok and KPop Demon Hunters: how childhood went east Asian – podcast
From matcha and bubble tea to manga and Studio Ghibli, east Asian culture has become mainstream culture for millions of young people around the world. Jeff Yang, the co-author of Rise: A Pop History of Asian America from the Nineties to Now, describes to Nosheen Iqbal how after decades of American pop-cultural exceptionalism, the Covid-19 pandemic ushered in a new era of interest in east Asian culture, particularly as western attitudes towards subtitles shifted. The pair discuss the influence of social media on young people, the South Korean government’s deliberate…
Xi Jinping cracks joke about spying with phones given to South Korean president
It would take someone with nerves of steel to joke about the security of Chinese smartphones in front of Xi Jinping. Step forward the South Korean president, Lee Jae Myung, who, after being given a pair of smartphones by the Chinese leader before their state banquet at the weekend, wondered out loud if the devices were secure. Xi, who is not known for public displays of humour, laughed and smiled as Lee’s quip was translated into Chinese, before displaying some sharp wit of his own. Pointing at the phones, he…
Xi Jinping’s moment and whirlwind diplomatic tours: key takeaways from the Apec summit in South Korea
1. After Trump went awol, this was Xi’s moment Having dominated the headlines for several days during visits to Malaysia, Japan and South Korea, Donald Trump flew back to Washington on the eve of the Apec summit in Gyeongju, leaving his treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, to do his bidding. Whether by accident or design, Trump’s absence allowed Xi to fill the void and position himself as a unifying voice and champion of the region’s economic interests, and an alternative to “America first” protectionism. While Trump – who was showered with…
Trump-Xi meeting: US president says rare earths deal and tariff reduction agreed in crunch trade talks
Donald Trump has described crucial trade talks with the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, in South Korea as “amazing”, saying their dispute over the supply of rare earths had been settled and that he would visit China in April. In early comments, Chinese state media reported Xi as saying a “consensus” with Trump had been reached on trade issues, and that there were good prospects for cooperation on trade, immigration and fraud. After their meeting, the two shook hands and Trump immediately boarded Air Force One to return to Washington. He…
Donald Trump and Xi Jinping hold meeting in South Korea amid hopes for trade deal – live updates
From 34m ago Trump and Xi shake hands Donald Trump and Xi Jinping have greeted each other and shaken hands. Trump said Xi was a “very tough negotiator and that’s not good”. In the comment to reporters in Busan before the meeting got under way, the US president also said: “We have a great relationship.” Asked if he planned to sign a trade deal, Trump said: “Could be.” The Chinese president didn’t make any comments. Share Updated at 22.16 EDT <gu-island name="KeyEventsCarousel" priority="feature" deferuntil="visible" props="{"keyEvents":[{"id":"6902ca9e8f0860207cef1005","elements":[{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":" At the table for the talks…
South Korea grapples with surge in anti-China sentiment as Xi Jinping prepares to fly in
Thousands of protesters flooded central Seoul on Saturday, waving Korean and American flags, Maga hats, and banners honouring slain rightwing activist Charlie Kirk. They held placards reading “Korea for Koreans” as chants of “China out” and “send the communists away” blended with an anti-Chinese racial slur. These rallies mark an escalation in anti-China sentiment that comes at a supremely awkward time for South Korea, just days before it is due to host Chinese president Xi Jinping in the south-eastern city of Gyeongju for the Apec summit, where he is set…
Trump in Asia: five key questions as US president prepares for diplomatic tour
Donald Trump is about to embark on a tour of Asia that many hope will ease trade tensions with countries in the region and repair damaged ties with China. Trump will begin his trip on Sunday at a meeting of south-east Asian nations in Malaysia, before flying to Japan to meet its new prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, early next week. But the most important stop on his itinerary will come at the end of the month, when he is expected to discuss trade, and possibly Taiwan, with Chinese leader Xi…