Shooting in Canada, Turkish President cancels visit to Israel, India on alert as Chinese ship visits Sri Lanka

Russia speaks out about China's nuclear policy, Japan's Foreign Minister considers visiting Israel, South Korea-Qatar upgrade relations to "comprehensive strategic partnership"... are some notable international news in the past 24 hours.

Chinese President Xi Jinping receives California Governor Gavin Newsom in Beijing, October 25. (Source: AFP)

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

Middle East-Africa

*Qatar hopes to reach an agreement to release hostages with Hamas soon: Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman al-Thani confirmed on October 25 that there is progress in negotiations regarding hostages with the Hamas Islamist movement in the Gaza Strip, and expressed hope that an agreement to release them will be reached "soon".

On October 7, Hamas forces suddenly attacked Israel and took more than 200 hostages. Up to now, the US and Western countries are still actively influencing Israel to temporarily suspend its plan to launch a ground attack on the Gaza Strip and, through the intermediary of Qatar, seek to lobby Hamas to release the above hostages. (Reuters)

Jordan calls on Israel to end attacks on Gaza Strip: Speaking after talks with French President Emmanuel Macron, Jordan's King Abdullah II on October 25 called for an end to the war in the Gaza Strip and warned that the incident risks becoming a "trigger" in the region.

The King of Jordan also asked France and other world powers to pressure Israel to stop its bombing campaign in the Gaza Strip and end its policy of siege and blockade against more than 2 million people in the area. (Al Jazeera)

*Turkish President cancels visit to Israel: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on October 25 that he had canceled a planned visit to Israel, citing the Jewish state's "inhumane" war against the Hamas Islamist movement in the Gaza Strip.

Erdogan also asserted that the Palestinian armed movement is not a terrorist organization, but a liberation organization fighting to protect their land. In a speech to lawmakers of Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party, President Erdogan stated: "I had plans to visit Israel but I canceled them. We will not go there."

In 2010, relations between Israel and Turkey were frozen after the Jewish state attacked a Turkish ship carrying aid to the Gaza Strip. In 2022, the two countries officially “warmed up” their relations, with the Israeli president visiting Turkey. The two countries are planning to build a gas pipeline from Israel to Turkey to supply energy to Europe. However, diplomatic disputes over the conflict in the Gaza Strip could plunge bilateral relations into a new cycle of tension. (Reuters)

*Japanese Foreign Minister Considers Visiting Israel: A source said on October 25 that Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa is considering visiting Israel, amid escalating tensions between the Jewish state and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas.

Japan has condemned Hamas for carrying out “terrorist attacks” against Israel and pledged $10 million in emergency humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.

Foreign Minister Kamikawa met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on the sidelines of an international peace conference in Egypt over the weekend to discuss the Hamas-Israel conflict. The two sides agreed to maintain close communication and work to ease the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Japan has long maintained friendly relations with many Middle Eastern countries. Foreign Minister Kamikawa said that the stability of the region is very important for Japan, which depends heavily on crude oil imports. (Kyodo)

Europe

*Armenia, Azerbaijan cancel bilateral summit: Russia's TASS news agency reported on October 25 that the meeting between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, originally scheduled to take place in late October in Brussels (Belgium), was canceled after Baku withdrew.

In recent weeks, Armenia and Azerbaijan have said they are ready to sign a treaty to end decades of conflict over Nagorny-Karabakh, the breakaway region that Azerbaijan regained control of last month, forcing most of the estimated 120,000 ethnic Armenians to flee to Armenia. (TASS)

*Russia speaks out on China's nuclear policy: The Kremlin said on October 25 that Russia is not concerned about China's growing nuclear weapons capabilities, while emphasizing Moscow's "advanced strategic partnership" with Beijing and China's sovereign right to ensure its own security.

Russia has forged closer trade, political and security ties with China — part of what Moscow calls an “unlimited” partnership — since Russia launched its military campaign in Ukraine in February, triggering sweeping Western sanctions.

Earlier, the Pentagon released its latest report on the Chinese military on October 20. The report said Beijing had launched its first nuclear-powered guided missile submarines (Type 093B) - giving the country attack options on land and at sea, which were once the sole domain of US and Russian vessels.

The Pentagon said that in the short term, the Chinese Navy “will have the ability to conduct long-range precision strikes against land targets from its submarines and surface ships using land-attack cruise missiles. (Reuters)

Asia-Pacific

*South Korea, Qatar upgrade to “comprehensive strategic partnership”: The South Korean Presidential Office announced that at the bilateral summit in Doha (Qatar) on October 25, President Yoon Suk Yeol and the host country's King Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani agreed to upgrade the relationship between the two countries to the level of “comprehensive strategic partnership”.

According to the announcement, the new partnership – upgraded from the previous “comprehensive partnership” – will promote a policy of enhancing strategic cooperation between the two countries, including the process of expanding diplomatic and security communication channels as well as enhancing cooperation in the defense and defense industry sectors.

As part of the agreement, South Korea and Qatar signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation in ammunition and defense industry, which calls for exchanging information on defense industry and establishing a joint committee related to the field.

The bilateral summit was held at the Amiri Diwan, the office of Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, on the second day of President Yoon Suk Yeol's two-day state visit to Qatar, as the two countries prepare to celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties next year. (Yonhap)

*Australia, US discuss China and Pacific security: Reuters reported that during Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's visit to the White House on October 25, the head of the Australian government and US President Joe Biden will discuss topics such as maritime defense and cyber security, as both Washington and Canberra are coordinating strategies to deal with China.

The visit is expected to yield a series of agreements between the two countries aimed at deterring and competing with China, even as both Australia and the United States are trying to thaw relations with Beijing. The expected deals include launching an undersea internet cable project and investing in maritime port infrastructure to benefit and attract Pacific island nations, according to U.S. officials. (Reuters)

*China refuses to explain why Defense Minister Li Shangfu was dismissed: Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning on October 25 refused to explain why Defense Minister Li Shangfu was dismissed.

In a major reshuffle of China's top leadership, Beijing announced on October 24 that Li Shangfu and former Foreign Minister Qin Gang had been removed from their positions as State Councilors, but gave no explanation.

Responding to questions about the above incidents, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson affirmed that she had “no other information to provide.” Ms. Mao Ning expressed: “If you are concerned about whether China is transparent, I can confirm that we will disclose information about all personnel appointments and dismissals in a timely manner.”

Previously, observers said that Chinese President Xi Jinping personally selected both Qin Gang and Li Shangfu to the positions of Foreign Minister and Defense Minister, respectively. (AFP)

*Japan, Philippines consider negotiating new security pact: Diplomatic sources revealed on October 25 that the governments of Japan and the Philippines are considering the possibility of negotiating a new bilateral pact to enhance security cooperation and facilitate joint military exercises, amid China's increasing military activities in the Indo-Pacific region.

According to sources, at a summit scheduled for early November in the Philippines, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. are expected to give the green light to negotiations on a “reciprocal access agreement” (RAA) to facilitate the presence of visiting forces. This would be Japan’s first RAA with an ASEAN member state and the third after agreements with Australia and the UK that took effect earlier this year.

In April 2022, Japan and the Philippines agreed to “begin studying measures to further enhance and facilitate” defense cooperation, including a framework for mutual visits and logistics support. The governments of Japan and the Philippines also signed a memorandum of understanding to simplify procedures for the deployment of defense personnel from both sides for disaster relief and humanitarian assistance in each country.

The two leaders are also likely to discuss Japan’s transfer of defense equipment to the Philippines under the formal security assistance framework established in April this year. An agreement to provide additional large patrol vessels from Japan to the Philippine Coast Guard may be announced at the upcoming summit, sources said. (Kyodo)

*India on alert as Chinese ship arrives in Sri Lanka: The Times of India website cited an October 25 announcement from the Sri Lankan Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirming that China's "scientific research vessel" Shiyan 6 is expected to arrive in the South Asian island nation, following a visit by the space tracking vessel Yuan Wang 5 (Vien Vong) in 2022. This information has caused neighboring India to worry about security issues.

New Delhi is skeptical of China's expanding presence in the Indian Ocean region and Beijing's influence in Sri Lanka, a country strategically located between important East-West international shipping routes.

Chinese state television channel CGTN called the Shiyan 6 a “scientific research vessel” with a crew of 60, tasked with conducting oceanographic, geological and marine ecological surveys. International ship tracking website MarineTraffic said the ship would arrive in Colombo after October 25. Sri Lanka’s foreign ministry did not specify how long the Shiyan 6 would be there. (The Times of India)

America

*Shooting in Canada, 5 people dead: On October 24, Canadian police found 5 people dead, including 3 children and the suspect in the shooting, in two residential areas in the border city in a case described as "emotional violence".

The victims were discovered in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, near the confluence of the three Great Lakes bordering the US state of Michigan and about 700 kilometres north of Toronto, after police received reports of break-ins.

In a statement, regional police chief Hugh Stevenson said the incidents were linked and “the result of emotional violence”. Meanwhile, Sault Mayor Matthew Shoemaker described it as “a tragedy”.

Gun crime in Canada fell from 2020 to 2021, accounting for “a small proportion of total violent crime,” according to government data. But mass shootings are on the rise compared to a decade ago. (Reuters)

*Chinese President meets with Governor of US state of California: On October 25, in Beijing, Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Mr. Gavin Newsom - Governor of the state of California in the western US. In announcing his week-long visit to China, Governor Newsom emphasized: "California and China hold the key to solving the climate crisis... (China, the US) are two of the largest economies in the world, our partnership is essential to the process of implementing climate action for our communities and beyond."

The California governor arrived in Hong Kong on October 23, where he held a climate change discussion. He then traveled to neighboring Shenzhen, a leader in renewable energy for public transportation, and toured an electric bus station. State media reported that Newsom met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on October 25.

California is currently the state with the largest economy in the United States. (THX)

*Chinese ambassador warns against conflict with US: At a time when US-China relations are increasingly strained despite a series of recent diplomatic engagements, Chinese Ambassador to Washington Xie Feng warned that a conflict between the two powers should “never be allowed” and that decoupling the world’s largest economies would “never work”.

Speaking at the National Committee on US-China Relations’ annual dinner in New York on October 24, Xie described reversing the downward spiral in bilateral relations as a “common desire” because “messing up” the relationship is not in anyone’s interest. Xie said that by 2024 — when China and the US celebrate the 45th anniversary of diplomatic relations — the two countries must find the “correct path” to reconciliation. The Chinese diplomat predicted that the US-China relationship would continue to be “the most important bilateral relationship in the world,” and said that “neither side can change or replace the other.”

According to Mr. Ta Phong, the three principles outlined by President Xi represent China's fundamental and long-term approach to US-China relations, and remain "a compass for exploring the way forward." (SCMP)

Oceania

*Shooting in Sydney, Australia: According to the website abc.net.au, after receiving information about the shooting that occurred at 4:10 p.m. on October 25 (local time) on Upper Pitt Street, in the Kirribilli suburb of Sydney (New South Wales), the state's emergency forces immediately arrived at the scene.

Initial reports suggest a man with strong links to international organised crime groups has been shot on Sydney’s north shore. Police have confirmed the man is in his 30s and refused medical assistance after suffering a minor leg injury. The man is believed to be well known to police.

Police have cordoned off the crime scene and are investigating. They are looking for at least two suspects who were spotted in the area, and are investigating whether a car that caught fire in the suburb of Neutral Bay is linked to the shooting.

The incident has raised safety concerns in the local community as Kirribilli is home to many residential buildings and schools. Both the Governor-General’s residence and the Prime Minister’s residence are located within a few hundred metres of the scene of the shooting. (AP)

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/tin-the-gioi-ngay-2510-xa-sung-o-canada-tong-thong-tho-nhi-ky-huy-tham-israel-an-do-canh-giac-khi-tau-trung-quoc-tham-sri-lanka-247475.html