Japan has 400 long-range US missiles, Iran summons Pakistani ambassador, US bans former Guatemalan president from entering the country

Moscow airport at risk of attack, Russia says US does not want to resolve the crisis in Ukraine, Italy proposes the most feasible solution to the Israel-Hamas conflict... are some notable international news in the past 24 hours.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov meets with his North Korean counterpart Choe Son Hui in Moscow on January 16. (Source: Reuters)

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

Russia-Ukraine

*Ukraine buys more guided missiles and Caesar artillery from France: On January 18, French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu said Ukraine has purchased six Caesar self-propelled artillery pieces from France.

In Ukraine's first purchase of French weapons since the outbreak of the conflict with Russia, Mr. Lecornu said Kiev bought six howitzers at a price of 3 to 4 million euros each.

French Defense Minister Lecornu also added that Paris will provide 50 A2SM precision-guided missiles each month to Kiev to support Ukraine against Russia's special operations. This type of missile produced by Safran can carry bombs weighing 125, 250, 500 and 1,000 kg. (Reuters)

*A Moscow airport has suspended flights due to the threat of an attack: Moscow's Vnukovo airport has suspended incoming and outgoing flights on January 18, Russian aviation authorities said, state news agency TASS reported.

Russian airports sometimes suspend flights for short periods as a precaution against the threat from Ukrainian drones, according to Russian aviation officials. (AFP)

*Russia continues to call on Ukraine to abandon its ambition to join NATO: On January 18, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Ukraine must abandon its plan to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) as one of the preconditions to end the conflict with Russia.

Speaking at a regular press conference, Mr. Lavrov stressed that the West, not Ukraine, would decide the conditions for ending the war, but said he did not think the West wanted to start peace talks at this time. (TASS)

*Ukraine accuses Russia of massive UAV attacks on Kharkov: On January 18, Ukraine announced that Russian forces launched more than 30 Iranian-made unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) into Ukraine overnight and fired guided missiles at the eastern city of Kharkov.

In a statement, the Ukrainian air force said its air defense systems shot down 22 UAVs, and Russian forces fired two guided S-300 air defense missiles from the Belgorod border area. (AFP)

Asia-Pacific

*Japan buys 400 long-range missiles from the US: On January 18, the Japanese government signed an agreement with the US to buy 400 long-range Tomahawk missiles to strengthen its military capabilities to deal with security threats in the region. The deal worth up to 2.35 billion USD for 2 types of Tomahawk missiles, with a range of 1,600 km, was approved by Washington in November last year.

"This signing will kick-start the procurement of Tomahawk missiles, greatly enhancing the country's defense capabilities," a Japanese defense official told reporters after the deal was signed in Tokyo.

Faced with growing military power from China and a nuclear-armed North Korea, the Japanese government plans to double defense spending to the NATO standard of 2 percent of GDP by 2027. (Yonhap)

*India sets conditions for easing Chinese investment restrictions: Undersecretary of state for commerce and industry and director of the Trade Promotion Agency of India, Rajesh Kumar Singh, said the investment rules “may change once the India-China border relations stabilise. On the investment front too, if everything goes well, I am sure we can resume normal business operations.”

“You can’t have someone nibbling at your border and then roll out the red carpet for investments from there,” Mr Singh said. Despite the border issues, China remains India’s largest source of imports, with bilateral trade rising 32% since tensions began in 2020 to nearly $114 billion in the fiscal year ending March 2023. ( The Hindustant Times)

*Indonesia to spend over $16 billion on elections and major holidays in 2024: Bank Indonesia (BI) said on January 18 that it has approved a plan to allocate up to Rp 260 trillion (US$16.63 billion) to serve major holidays in 2024, including expenses for elections, Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr.

BI Deputy Governor Doni Primato Joewono said the amount is 35% larger than the amount allocated by BI for Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr 2023.

During the annual holiday season, businesses often reward their employees so they can shop for the holiday. Therefore, consumer demand will increase during Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr. (Straits Times)

*Cambodia - France strengthen cooperation: According to BNN Breaking (Hong Kong), during his official visit to France on January 15, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet signed 6 memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with French companies, marking an important step towards strengthening economic and investment partnerships. According to BNN Breaking , the signed MoUs include cooperation in various fields such as renewable energy, airport construction, media production and agriculture, etc.

According to Prime Minister Hun Manet, bilateral trade between Cambodia and France reached US$515.21 million last year, contributing significantly to Europe's total trade turnover of US$4.6 billion by 2023. Prime Minister Hun Manet emphasized France's key role as a development partner, which has contributed significantly to Cambodia's economic success.

Cambodia is set to host the Francophonie Summit in 2026, a key event for business and government discussions. (Khmer Times)

*Taiwan's major chip group is about to open a factory in Japan: On January 18, Chairman of Taiwan's chip giant TSMC Mark Liu said that the group will officially open a new chip factory in Japan's Kyushu island on February 24.

“We will hold an opening ceremony for this factory on February 24 and mass production will be on schedule in the fourth quarter of 2024,” Mr. Liu said in a statement. (AFP)

*Malaysia pledges to support the "One China" policy: On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations with China in 2024, the Malaysian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a press release on January 18 stating that Malaysia reaffirms its support for the "One China" policy.

Malaysia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Wisma Putra) stressed that Malaysia has always adhered to and will continue to adhere to the "One China" policy, which is the foundation of this strong and mutually beneficial partnership. In 2013, Malaysia and China upgraded their bilateral relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP). Malaysia and China established formal bilateral relations on 31 May 1974, following the signing of the Joint Communique by then Prime Minister Tun Abdul Razak and Premier Zhou Enlai. (Straits Times)

Europe

*Russia sets conditions for discussing nuclear arms control with the US: On January 18, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced that Moscow will not discuss nuclear arms control with the US without taking into account the situation in Ukraine.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Washington had proposed separating the two issues and resuming talks on “strategic stability” between the two countries with the world’s largest nuclear arsenals. However, Lavrov said Moscow would not accept the proposal because the West supported Ukraine in its fight against Russia.

The Russian foreign minister also accused the West of pushing Ukraine to increasingly use long-range weapons to strike deep into Russian territory. Such attacks have increased in recent weeks, including an attack on the southern Russian city of Belgorod that killed 25 people on December 30. (TASS)

*Russia, North Korea discuss new areas of cooperation: The Russian Foreign Ministry said on January 18 that Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov discussed with his North Korean counterpart Choe Son Hui the implementation of agreements reached by leaders Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un.

Earlier, during a visit to Russia on January 16, North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui stated that bilateral relations were developing in line with the plans of the two countries' leaders, a move that the US and its allies expressed concern about. (TASS)

*Russia accuses the US of not wanting to resolve the crisis in Ukraine: On January 18, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the West led by the US is seeking to maintain its global dominance and military superiority and has no desire to resolve the Ukraine crisis.

Speaking at a press conference, Lavrov stressed that Moscow believes that resuming dialogue with Washington on strategic stability is impossible at the moment. (Sputnik News)

Middle East-Africa

*Italian Foreign Minister outlines most feasible solution to Israel-Hamas conflict: On January 18, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Gaza needs a “civilian government” and all members of the Group of Seven (G7) are working towards a two-state solution to the conflict.

Speaking at a press conference on the priorities of Italy's 2014 G7 presidency, Foreign Minister Tajani said: "I will reiterate to the Israeli authorities that Italy is committed to a 'civil government' in Palestine, to a two-state solution. Two peoples, two states is the only viable solution, albeit a difficult one."

The United States has previously proposed a revived Palestinian Authority that would take charge of Gaza after the conflict ends, unifying the authority with the West Bank, a proposal that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has refused to accept. (Reuters)

*Iran summons Pakistan's charge d'affaires after border attack: On January 18, Iran summoned Pakistan's charge d'affaires in Tehran after Pakistan's missile attack on the border area killed at least 7 people.

"After Pakistan's early morning attack on a border village in Sistan Baluchistan province, an hour ago, Pakistan's charge d'affaires in Tehran was summoned to the Foreign Ministry to explain (the incident)," Tasnim news agency reported.

Pakistan's missile attack on the border area between the two countries was in response to Iran's airstrike on Pakistani territory on January 16, which it said was an "attack against a terrorist group" there. The incident caused Islamabad-Tehran relations to deteriorate rapidly. (AFP)

Oceania

*Australia rejects China's sonar claims: Australia on January 18 rejected the Chinese ambassador's blaming comments regarding the injury of Australian military divers in an incident near Japan in November 2023.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he was “unmoved” by Chinese Ambassador Xiao Tian’s comments on January 17 that the Chinese navy ship did not use sonar while the Australian divers were underwater, and that a Japanese boat may have been to blame. “It’s very clear what happened, it should not have happened,” the Australian prime minister said.

China has previously denied Australia's account of the incident. At a press conference, Ambassador Xiao Tian insisted that China "did not activate sonar." He said there was a Japanese naval vessel nearby and "whether there was sonar or not, we don't know."

Meanwhile, the Japanese Embassy in Australia said they did not understand what the Chinese Ambassador was referring to and affirmed: "Japan and Australia have a partnership between like-minded countries in the Indo-Pacific region, abide by the law and are promoting security cooperation in many areas." (Reuters)

America

*US bans former Guatemalan president from entering the country due to "corruption": On January 17, the US placed former Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei, who left office earlier this week, on the list of people ineligible to enter the US due to corruption. The entry ban also includes Mr. Giammattei's three adult children.

On the same day, the US State Department also imposed sanctions on former Guatemalan Energy Minister Alberto Pimentel Mata for his involvement in government contract bribery schemes.

Mr Giammattei arrived in the US last week, visiting the headquarters of the Organization of American States (OAS) in Washington, as the organisation called on his government to respect democracy by facilitating the inauguration of new President Bernardo Arevalo. (AFP)

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