Russia-US to hold summit phone call, Japan sends missiles to East China Sea, Ukraine attacks Russia's Belgorod province

The Chinese president may soon visit the US, more than 400 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza, Cambodia is about to open a naval base upgraded by China, the US agrees to let Israel resume military operations in Gaza... are some of the outstanding international events in the past 24 hours.

Ukraine attacks Russia's Belgorod province amid prospects of a ceasefire. (Source: MT)

The World & Vietnam Newspaper highlights some of the day's international news highlights.

Asia-Pacific

*China and South Korea promote negotiations on maritime boundary demarcation: On March 18, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning announced that China and South Korea are promoting negotiations on maritime boundary demarcation, while affirming that the current situation in the Yellow Sea is stable.

Mao Ning made the announcement at a press conference in Beijing while answering questions about maritime issues between the two countries. She stressed: "China and South Korea have overlapping claims on maritime rights and interests, and the two sides are pushing forward negotiations on demarcation.

Regarding the maritime disputes between the two sides, China and South Korea maintain good communication through dialogue and cooperation mechanisms, and communication channels between maritime law enforcement agencies remain open. Currently, the situation in the Yellow Sea is stable." (Bastillepost)

*Japan deploys long-range missiles near East China Sea: Kyodo news agency quoted the Japanese government as saying that the country plans to deploy long-range missiles on the southwestern island of Kyushu near the East China Sea, amid growing concerns about conflict in the Taiwan Strait.

The deployment is aimed at boosting counterattack capabilities and could begin as early as late March next year, the report said, adding that the move is aimed at bolstering the security of the Nansei (also known as Ryukyu) island chain in southwestern Japan, which is only about 110km from Taiwan (China).

Earlier in November 2023, Kyodo reported that the US planned to deploy Marines equipped with Himars rocket launchers along the Nansei Island chain, as part of a US-Japan coordination plan to deal with any emergency involving Taiwan. (Kyodo)

*Cambodia prepares to inaugurate upgraded Chinese naval base: On March 18, a Cambodian military spokesman said the country will inaugurate a naval base upgraded by China next month.

Washington believes the Ream naval base, located off Cambodia's southern coast, could give Beijing a strategically important position in the Gulf of Thailand, near the disputed South China Sea.

Since 2022, China has funded the renovation of the Ream naval base, which was originally built in part with US funds. Chinese warships first docked at the 363-meter (1,190-foot) pier in December 2023.

Cambodian leaders have repeatedly denied that the base is used by any foreign power. (AFP)

*Korean, Chinese and Japanese Foreign Ministers to Meet in Tokyo: In a statement on March 18, the Korean Foreign Ministry announced that the Foreign Ministers of Korea, China and Japan will meet in Tokyo on March 22.

South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and his Japanese and Chinese counterparts, Takeshi Iwaya and Wang Yi, will discuss cooperation since the last trilateral summit in May last year and exchange opinions on a wide range of topics including regional and international situations.

The most recent trilateral meeting of foreign ministers was held in the South Korean city of Busan in November 2023. (Reuters)

*China supports normalization of relations with India: On March 17, China spoke highly of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "positive" statements on the relationship between the two countries, emphasizing that dialogue instead of conflict is the right path and the only choice to ensure common success for the two countries.

Speaking at a press conference, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning stressed the importance of the meeting between President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Modi in Kazan (Russia) last October, which created important strategic directions for improving and developing bilateral relations.

Earlier, Prime Minister Modi also affirmed that the situation on the India-China border had returned to normal after negotiations between him and President Xi Jinping. (THX)

Europe

*Ukraine urges Russia to ceasefire ahead of summit phone call: On March 18, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga called on Moscow to agree to a 30-day ceasefire proposal put forward by Kiev and Washington, ahead of a phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump.

"It's time for Russia to show whether it really wants peace," Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga said. "Ukraine has supported the US proposal for a 30-day temporary ceasefire. We expect Russia to agree to this proposal unconditionally." (AFP)

*Russia announces the time of the Summit phone call: Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump will have a phone call between 8:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. on March 18 (Hanoi time) to discuss resolving the Ukraine conflict and normalizing relations between Russia and the US.

Responding to the press conference, Mr. Peskov affirmed that there was a "certain understanding" between the two leaders, based on the phone call they held on February 12 and subsequent high-level contacts between the two countries.

"But there are also many questions related to the further normalization of our bilateral relations and the settlement of the Ukrainian issue. All this will have to be discussed by the two presidents," Peskov said. (Reuters)

*Ukraine attacks Russia's border province of Belgorod: In a statement on the Telegram channel on March 17, the Governor of Russia's Belgorod province, Mr. Vyacheslav Gladkov, said that 6 settlements in this province were attacked by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

In another development, writing on the Telegram channel the same day, the head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) Denis Pushilin said that three civilians, including two employees of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations, were injured as a result of attacks by the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF) in the Gorlovka district. (TASS)

*Russia says it will not give up on talks to resolve the conflict: Russia will not give up on talks to resolve the conflict with Ukraine. The statement was made by Russian Presidential Assistant Yury Usakov in an interview with Kommersant newspaper ahead of a scheduled phone call on March 18 between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump.

On the same day, speaking on the sidelines of the annual geopolitical conference in the Indian capital New Delhi, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Shybiha stressed that now is the time for diplomacy, and believes that Kiev can achieve a fair and lasting peace in the context of President Donald Trump leading the United States. (Sputnik)

Middle East-Africa

*More than 400 killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza: According to Palestinian health authorities on March 18, Israel's fierce airstrikes on the Gaza Strip have killed 412 people and injured more than 500, threatening to completely break the two-month-long ceasefire while the Jewish State announced the use of more force to rescue hostages being held by Hamas.

Hamas, which still holds 59 of the roughly 250 hostages taken in the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, has accused Israel of violating the ceasefire and jeopardizing efforts by mediators to reach a permanent ceasefire.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had ordered the military to take "strong action" against Hamas in response to the group's refusal to release the remaining hostages and reject ceasefire proposals. (Reuters)

*Hamas denies preparing to attack Israel: On March 18, Hamas issued an official statement denying Israel's accusation that it is preparing to attack the Jewish State.

“The accusations made by the occupation (Israel) that the resistance (Hamas) is preparing to launch an attack are baseless,” Hamas said in a statement, adding that Israel, in coordination with the United States, had carried out “genocide and dozens of massacres against the people” of Palestine.

This is the first official statement issued by Hamas after Israel resumed military operations in Gaza early the same morning. (Al Jazeera)

*Syria and Lebanon reach ceasefire agreement: On March 17, Syria and Lebanon reached an agreement to implement a ceasefire along their shared border and increase military coordination to ensure border security.

Earlier, the Syrian army also launched a security operation targeting Hezbollah positions in the western border villages of Qusayr, located in the Syrian province of Homs. The goal of this operation is to expel Hezbollah members from some Syrian territories. The priority of the Syrian army is to retake the village of Housh al-Sayyid Ali, which has become a Hezbollah stronghold.

Fighting along the Lebanon-Syria border in recent days has left seven people dead and 52 others injured, according to Lebanese health authorities. (Al Jazeera)

*US agrees to let Israel resume military operations in Gaza: The Wall Street Journal quoted an Israeli official on March 18 reporting that US President Donald Trump has "given the green light" for Israel to continue military operations against Hamas in Gaza.

According to the source, President Trump made the decision after Hamas refused to release more hostages. At the same time, Israel informed the US side before carrying out operations in Gaza.

Early the same morning, Israel resumed military operations targeting Hamas forces in Gaza. According to Arabic media, Israeli airstrikes have killed nearly 400 people and injured more than 1,000. (WSJ)

*Hamas leader killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza: Saudi Arabia's Al Arabiya TV channel reported on March 18 that the de facto Prime Minister of the Hamas government in the Gaza Strip, Essam al-Daalis, was killed in airstrikes by the Israeli Air Force that morning.

In addition, Deputy Interior Minister of the Hamas government in Gaza, Mahmoud Abu Watfa, was also killed in the Israeli bombing.

In the early hours of March 18, the Israeli military launched large-scale airstrikes on Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip. According to Al Arabiya, about 356 people were killed and 1,000 injured in the Israeli attacks. Half of the deaths were in Gaza City, the administrative center of the strip. (Al Jazeera)

*Israel "wide-scale attacks" on Gaza Strip: On March 18, the Israeli army announced that they were conducting "wide-scale attacks" on the Gaza Strip, as ceasefire negotiations stalled.

In a post on Telegram, the Israeli military said it was currently "conducting large-scale strikes on terrorist targets belonging to the Hamas terrorist organization in the Gaza Strip", without providing further details.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on the same day that he had ordered the military to "take strong action against Hamas in the Gaza Strip", launching a wave of airstrikes across the Palestinian enclave. (AFP/THX)

America - Latin America

*Canada and France agree to share intelligence: Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's office has announced new partnerships between Ottawa and Paris in the areas of security and intelligence sharing.

"Prime Minister Mark Carney met with French President Emmanuel Macron during his visit to Paris... The two leaders highlighted the launch of a new bilateral partnership in the field of intelligence and security. This partnership will focus on strengthening cyber security and sharing intelligence on major threats," the press release posted on the website said.

Earlier, Mr. Carney, amid escalating trade tensions, announced that he wanted to strengthen relations with "reliable allies" such as France. (Sputnik)

*Mexico opposes US border wall expansion: On March 17, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum reaffirmed her strong opposition to the US plan to expand the border wall and emphasized that the most effective way to solve illegal immigration is to solve the problem at its root.

Speaking at a press conference, the head of the Mexican government emphasized that the country does not approve of the US expanding the construction of more than 11km of wall along the border because this does not solve the immigration problem.

President Sheinbaum's statement came just a day after US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced plans to build more than 11 km of wall along the border with Mexico, calling it a necessary measure to ensure US security. (AFP)

*Chinese President may soon visit the US: President Donald Trump said on March 17 that Chinese President Xi Jinping may visit the US "in the not too distant future" for negotiations amid escalating economic tensions between the two powers.

Speaking at a board meeting at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, Mr. Trump affirmed that "he will come, in the not too distant future."

Since taking office on January 20, President Trump has imposed a 20% tariff on all imports from China. In recent weeks, Trump has expressed optimism about having a good relationship with the Chinese leader. But there has been little sign of progress on a range of issues that have divided the two powers. (AFP)

*Venezuela condemns the US for sending migrants to El Salvador for detention : On March 17, President of the Venezuelan National Assembly Jorge Rodriguez criticized the US for sending Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador for detention as a "crime against humanity".

Meanwhile, the same day, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the US spent about $6 million to help El Salvador detain alleged members of the Tren de Aragua gang in Venezuela.

El Salvador President Nayib Bukele also confirmed that the first 238 people accused of crimes had arrived in the country and were immediately transferred to a terrorist detention center for a period of one year. (AFP)

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/tin-the-gioi-183-nga-my-sap-dien-dam-thuong-dinh-nhat-ban-dua-ten-lua-den-bien-hoa-dong-ukraine-tan-cong-tinh-belgorod-cua-nga-308045.html