at 18:30 (JST), November 16

Asian View

"Asian View" is a five-minute news segment broadcast by NHK WORLD-JAPAN. It features the latest news and deep analysis from Japan and the rest of Asia. Listen to "Asian View" and get the latest information from a region that's playing an increasingly important role in the world.

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/upld/medias/en/radio/news/20211116183000_english_1.mp3


Key words : Biden first online summit pledged
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20211116_18/

The leaders of the United States and China have come together to work on bridging a widening gap between the two nations.

Their first online summit comes amid growing tensions.
The two leaders remain far apart on issues ranging from the economy to human rights.

But both US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping are vowing to cooperate.

Biden said, "Our responsibility as leaders of China and United States, is to ensure that our competition between our countries does not veer into conflict, whether intended or unintended -- just simple and straight forward competition."

Xi said, "The world is facing many challenges. As the world's two largest economies, and as permanent members of the UN Security Council, China and the United States need to increase communication and cooperate."

Biden also brought up several key areas of concern for Washington. He's previously criticized China's actions to crush democratic protests in Hong Kong and intimidate Taiwan. And he said during the talks that he wanted human rights, and ensuring a free Indo-Pacific on the table.

Xi had other priorities. He called for respectful relations where the two superpowers can peacefully coexist. His administration has often lashed out at the US for interfering in what it calls its "internal affairs."

Both leaders touched on economics and they pledged to work together on climate change. During last week's UN climate talks, US and Chinese officials agreed to cooperate on cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

Key words : prime security ties
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20211116_06/

Japan's Prime Minister Kishida Fumio and French President Emmanuel Macron have agreed to continue to deepen their cooperation in strengthening security ties.

The two leaders spoke by phone on Monday at Japan's request. It was their first talks since Kishida took office in October.

Kishida called France, which has territories in the Pacific Ocean, "an extremely important partner in the region." He said he wishes to strengthen cooperation to realize a free and open Indo-Pacific.

Macron replied that he too hopes to cooperate with Japan to build stronger bilateral relations.

The leaders referred to the two countries' deepening security cooperation in recent years, including a French naval flotilla's port call to Japan in May.

Kishida also welcomed the leading role that France has played in drawing up the European Union's strategy for cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.

He also highlighted Japan's hopes to further develop cooperative ties with the EU through France, which will assume the European Council's rotating presidency in the first half of next year.

Key words : southeast shrank spike
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20211116_02/

The economies of Southeast Asian nations, including Vietnam and Thailand, shrank in the July-September period amid a surge in coronavirus cases.

Data from major economies in Southeast Asia showed that Vietnam's economy contracted 6.1 percent in the quarter, compared with the same period a year earlier.

Consumer spending plunged in Vietnam after the government responded to a spike in coronavirus cases by imposing restrictions on economic activities. The country's exports were affected by the closure of factories.

The economies of Malaysia and Thailand shrank 4.5 and 0.3 percent, respectively, marking their first contraction in two quarters.

Economic growth in Indonesia -- the largest economy in the region -- fell to 3.5 percent, a sharp decrease from the previous quarter.

The stagnant economic situation in the region is one of the factors leading to disruptions in global supply chains.

Key words : american journalist
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20211115_39/

An American journalist who was sentenced to 11 years in prison in Myanmar for allegedly spreading false information has been freed and is on his way home.

Danny Fenster is the managing editor of online English-language magazine Frontier Myanmar. On Friday, the 37-year-old was found guilty of several charges including incitement and unlawful association with an illegal group. He was detained at Yangon International Airport in May on his way to the US to visit family.

The Associated Press reported former US ambassador to the United Nations Bill Richardson said in a statement Fenster had been handed over to him on Monday in Myanmar and would return to the US via Qatar over the next day and a half.

Key words : philippine president politics
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20211116_03/

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has backed away from his stated intention to retire from politics and has filed his candidacy for the Senate in next year's elections.

Duterte's candidacy was filed on Monday, which was the deadline for next year's elections that will also include those for president and vice-president.

The move came despite his announcement last month that he would retire from politics when his current term ends. This is seen as an attempt by Duterte to retain a certain degree of political clout, even after he steps down as president.

Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the son of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, is seeking the presidency. Duterte's oldest daughter is running for vice president.

Both are enjoying strong polling numbers and are considered frontrunners for the posts. The two pledged to cooperate with each other in their campaigns.

Key words : india opened
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20211115_37/

India is fully reopening to overseas visitors after the country started accepting travelers on chartered flights last month.

The measure took effect on Monday. People must test negative before they depart for India, and some must show a coronavirus vaccine certificate. Travelers can enter India without quarantine except those from designated countries.

But since many regular flights to India have been suspended, travelers from only about 20 countries operating special flights can actually enter.

The managing director of a travel agency in New Delhi said it will take time for the travel industry to get back on its feet.

Kapil Goswamy of Trans India Holidays said the tourism industry is "extremely excited" about the move. He said the industry expects business to have fully recovered to 2019 levels by the winter of 2022.

Meanwhile, Malaysia opened Langkawi Island, a popular resort, to international tourists on Monday under a travel bubble. Overseas visitors can stay for a minimum of three days without quarantine on condition their PCR test before arrival is negative.

The first day of opening up saw no foreign tourists, but they are expected to fly in later this week. The local tourism industry is looking forward to giving customers from overseas a warm welcome.

Local ice cream shop owner Lufi said she was happy to know foreign tourists can finally visit Langkawi. She said this means her business might finally return to normal again.

The tourism authority is targeting at least 5,000 international arrivals on the island by the end of next month. The government will run the pilot project for three months to check its effectiveness before deciding whether to operate bubbles in other tourist areas.

Key words : fugaku
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20211116_07/

Japan's supercomputer Fugaku has captured its fourth consecutive title as the world's fastest supercomputer. An international conference of experts announces the world rankings for supercomputers every six months.

Fugaku, jointly developed by the RIKEN research institute and the electronics firm Fujitsu, took the top spot in four categories in the latest rankings, which were released on Monday.

In the category of computing speed, Fugaku achieved over 440 quadrillion computations per second, about three times faster than its US rival, which came in second.

The three other categories are performance in computational methods for industrial use, artificial intelligence applications and big data analytics.

Fugaku retained its top ranking even before it began full operations in March.

Researchers have used it to study the spread of droplets for coronavirus measures and to forecast localized downpours and other weather events.

Matsuoka Satoshi, director of the RIKEN Center for Computational Science, said Fugaku has proved its advanced performance again and he hopes it will help build a carbon-free society.