Pelosi praises Taiwan, says Asian trip wasn't to change status quo - Reuters

TOKYO, Aug 5 (Reuters) - U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Friday praised Taiwan, pledged U.S. solidarity and said her trip through Asia, which led to unprecedented military drills by an angry China, was never about changing the regional status quo.

Pelosi and a congressional delegation were in Japan on the last stage of an Asian trip that included a brief and unannounced stop in Taiwan, the self-ruled island that Beijing considers its own - and prompted an infuriated Beijing to hold live-fire drills in waters around Taiwan, with five missiles landing in Japan's exclusive economic zone(EEZ).

Her stop in Taiwan, the highest-level visit by a U.S. official in 25 years, came as Tokyo, one of Washington's closest allies, has become increasingly alarmed about China's growing might in the Indo-Pacific and the possibility that Beijing could take military action against Taiwan.

"We have said from the start that our representation here is not about changing the status quo in Taiwan or the region," she told a news conference after meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

"The Chinese government is not pleased that our friendship with Taiwan is a strong one," she added.

"It is bipartisan in the House and in the Senate, overwhelming support for peace and the status quo in Taiwan."

China has condemned Pelosi's trip, which took the delegation to Singapore, Malaysia and South Korea as well as Taiwan and Japan.

Its state broadcaster said the military exercises, which began on Thursday - the day after Pelosi left Taiwan - and are set to end on Sunday, would be the largest conducted by China in the Taiwan Strait. The exercises have involved live fire on the waters and in the airspace around the island.

Japan said that five of nine missiles fired towards its territory landed in its exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Tokyo lodged a diplomatic protest over the incident, which Defence Minister Nobuo Kishi termed "unprecedented." read more

Pelosi lauded Taiwan's democracy, economic successes and - in a veiled dig at China - its human rights record, noting support by Taiwan, the first Asian government to allow same-sex marriage, for LGBTQ rights.

"The fact is, I have said it again and again, if we do not speak out for human rights in China because of commercial interests, we lose all moral authority to speak out about human rights any place in the world," she said.

U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi attends a news conference while flanked by U.S. Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) and Gregory Meeks (D-NY) at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, Japan August 5, 2022. REUTERS/Issei Kato

"China has some contradictions - some progress in terms of lifting people up, some horrible things happening in terms of the Uyghurs. In fact, it's been labelled a genocide."

Human rights groups accuse Beijing of abuse against Xinjiang's Uyghur ethnic group, accusations China rejects.

Delegation member House Foreign Affairs Committee chair Gregory Meeks was even blunter.

"They surely don't want us to continue to talk about what's happening in Xinjiang (with) the Uyghurs," he said.

"We're going to speak up and speak out for human rights, human dignity, and democratic process. That's what this trip was all about."

WORRIED ALLY, MAINTAINING PEACE

Earlier, Pelosi met with Kishida, who later said they would work together to maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, a key shipping route.

Japan, whose southernmost islands are closer to Taiwan than Tokyo, has warned that Chinese intimidation of Taiwan is an escalating national security threat. read more

Tensions between Japan and China also ramped up a notch on Thursday when China announced that a meeting between the two nations' foreign ministers, set to take place on the sidelines of an ASEAN meeting in Cambodia, had been called off due to its displeasure with a G7 statement urging Beijing to resolve the tension over Taiwan peacefully. read more

China summoned the Japanese ambassador in Beijing to lodge stern representations over its participation in the "erroneous" G7 statement, its foreign ministry said on Friday.

While visiting Japan in May, U.S. President Joe Biden said he would be willing to use force to defend Taiwan - a comment that appeared to stretch the limits of the U.S. policy of "strategic ambiguity" towards the island. read more

Kishida's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has also pledged to double military spending to 2% of GDP.

Additional reporting by Elaine Lies, Mariko Katsumura and Kentaro Sugiyama; writing by Elaine Lies; Editing by David Dolan, Stephen Coates & Simon Cameron-Moore

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Video Content Budgets Across Korea, India and Southeast Asia Set to Grow 15% to $12 Billion, MPA Report Forecasts - Variety

Video content budgets across Korea, India and Southeast Asia climbed 21% in 2021 to reach $10.4 billion. They are forecast to grow a further 15% to $12 billion in 2022, according to the 2022 edition of the Asia Video Content Dynamics report.

The report, published by consultancy and research firm Media Partners Asia (MPA), attributed the 2021 surge to key operators replenishing content pipelines after the initial waves of COVID-19 depleted programming inventories in 2020. All content verticals except theatrical generated strong gains. Key film costs contracted 2% as pandemic restrictions delayed releases in many markets, the report found. However, film is projected to be the fastest growing sector, at 140%, as cinemas screen fresh movies. Some film markets, such as India and Indonesia, are expected to fully recover but in other markets, a return to pre-COVID heights may take until 2023, the report predicts.

Korea and India were the largest content investment markets with a combined $7.4 billion, while other markets reached $400-900 million each.

Pay-TV was the largest vertical with 46% of total industry content investment, reflecting mature markets in India and Korea, while streaming content was the fastest growing vertical, up 83% year-on-year to become the second largest vertical with 26% of industry investment. Korea and India enjoyed particularly strong streaming investment growth, the report found, while Thailand and Indonesia contributed significantly. Free-to-air TV was the third ranking vertical with 25% of the total.

The report projects overall robust growth, with online video projected to climb by $700 million. India and Korea will drive the bulk of the increase, the report said.

On the other hand, TV ratings continued to decline with online viewing expected to further erode the sector. Video consumption remained heavily skewed toward user generated content platforms with their share of video consumed ranging from 82% in Korea to 95% in Vietnam. While YouTube remains the leader, TikTok is driving the growth in Southeast Asia.

MPA VP Stephen Laslocky said: “Inflation, particularly with online originals, is clearly a factor driving-up content costs. Online video operators, broadcasters, and producers need to see that higher budgets translate into more premium viewing experiences; otherwise, the cost increases will not be sustainable. Internationally successful programs remain the content licensing Holy Grail which thus far, only Korean dramas and some anime, as well as U.S. and U.K. content, have sustainably achieved. Some Thai content has succeeded outside of Thailand. Quality production values, strong storylines with a focus on younger online demographics will be the building blocks of future investment strategies.

“The expanding online video sector has been a boon to independent producers. Profit margins have stabilized at 10% or more across much of the region. More can be done to bolster independent producers including additional compensation for original concepts, commensurate rewards for breakout successes and expanded use of pipeline deals (which allows producers to more reliably recoup overheads). In exchange, producers need to be transparent with production costs. Commissioners need to be willing and able to audit costs,” Laslocky added.

The report tracked video content consumption, content investment, and production costs in seven key Asian markets: India, Indonesia, South Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.

VIP+ Data: Netflix Licensed Titles Loss May Mean a Content Crisis

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Blinken visit to Southeast Asia highlights importance of potential battleground with China - Fox News

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Southeast Asia presents a ripe opportunity for the United States and western allies to diversify their supply chain away from China, making it the next major economic battleground between the rival nations. 

"China is a geographical fact in the region - it's an economic fact," Ashok Mirpuri, Ambassador of Singapore to the U.S., said during July’s Aspen Security Forum. "It's been there for generations: It's risen, it's come down, it's risen again, but the region has had to learn to live with China."

"The United States has been in many ways a stabilizing force in the region, and we don't see the United States as an outsider," he continued. "We see them as a resident power in the region as well. So the both of them, dealing with a region of Southeast Asia [with] 600 million people, is really where the competition is taking place day by day, week by week, month by month." 

Secretary of State Antony Blinken began his visit Tuesday when he met with leaders in Cambodia, which currently serves as the head of the 10-country trading block known as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). 

ASEAN has found itself in the spotlight not just due to its proximity to China, but also for the promising business opportunities present in the region. Blinken is also due to attend a Ministerial meeting with ASEAN foreign ministers, Wednesday. 

REPORTER'S NOTEBOOK: CHINA, PELOSI AND THE IDES OF AUGUST

Mirpuri highlighted Southeast Asia’s role at the "heart of this competitive dynamic between China and the United States," which has turned the region into a budding economic battleground between the two world powers. China's "Zero-COVID" policy caused global disruption to the supply chain, and the threat of an invasion of Taiwan has caused many trading partners to consider back-up options. 

Ford opened a factory in Cambodia in April after investing $21 million to build facilities in the Pursat Province, which Minister Delegate to the Prime Minister Keo Rattanak said was part of trying to attract new business and partners to the region. Apple, meanwhile, opened a new iPad factory in Vietnam in 2021 – a process started in 2019 as part of avoiding U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods, the New York Times reported.  

This image provided by Malaysia Prime Minister Office show ASEAN leaders and Chinese President Xi Jinping, top second from right, on screen during an online meeting of the ASEAN-China special summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Monday, Nov. 22, 2021.  (Malaysia Prime Minister office via AP)

Kao Kim Hourn, minister delegate attached to the Prime Minister of Cambodia, told Fox News Digital that ASEAN allows its members to operate as "one big market" to benefit from each country’s competitive advantages. 

"I think it depends on international companies that are investing in those countries and where they want to invest," Kao said, using the example of a Japanese company that he said had remained hesitant of opening a factory in Cambodia but has now commenced building several factories in the country. 

PELOSI SHOULD HAVE VISITED TAIWAN YEARS AGO: FOREIGN POLICY EXPERT

"Of course, all of us welcome investment, welcome the relocation of factories and companies in production in Southeast Asia," he said. "This is good for us. It's good for the region." 

ASEAN members have tried to pull both the U.S. and China into a more "cooperative and coordinated" relationship in the region to help maximize investment and growth. Mirpuri pointed to other "great powers" in the region, such as India and Japan, who could help ASEAN members as he expressed concern over the "uncertainty" in the U.S.-China relationship. 

"We have the trading relationships with both the U.S. and China, [and] we have security relationships around the region, so we’re sort of operating in that space," he said. 

ASEAN has kept an eye on the impacts from the Ukraine-Russia war: The war has exacerbated inflation issues, as well as threatened food security. 

FORMER STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: COMPANIES ARE MAKING CHINA CONTINGENCY PLANS

However, that has also presented some trade opportunities for the region, Kao explained. He said that ASEAN countries have produced millions of tons of rice – 6 million from Cambodia alone – that has helped the members maintain a stronger level of food security while also exporting it to other countries. 

Maritime states in the group, such as Singapore and the Philippines, have struggled a little more for the fact that they need to import staple crops, but Kao insists that the alliance will be able to "sort it out." 

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks during a meeting with Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, August 3, 2022.  (Kok Ky/Cambodia's government cabinet/ Handout via Reuters)

Kevin Maher, a senior advisor at NMV Consulting and the former Japan office director at the State Department, told Fox News Digital that the proximity to China makes Southeast Asia "vulnerable" to Chinese claims and advances through its Belt and Road Initiative. 

Maher argued that if the U.S. can step up investment in the region, those countries no longer need to take Chinese loans to help build infrastructure, in turn cutting off some of China’s influence in the region while diversifying the U.S. supply chain in a double blow to Beijing’s economic ambitions. 

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"The future is going to be this continued struggle to, not just on the military side, but on the infrastructure investment side, official development assistance and economically, to try to balance these very robust efforts by the Chinese to come in and dominate a lot of the Southeast Asian countries," Maher said. 

Peter Aitken is a Fox News Digital reporter with a focus on national and global news. 

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Asian Shares Rise on Optimism on Economic Data, Earnings - U.S. News & World Report

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Asian Shares Rise on Optimism on Economic Data, Earnings  U.S. News & World Report

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Asian Stocks to Rise as Earnings Spur Wall Street: Markets Wrap - Bloomberg

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Asian Stocks to Rise as Earnings Spur Wall Street: Markets Wrap  Bloomberg

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Proposed legislation would require Asian American history be taught in N.Y. public schools, report says - SILive.com

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — A new bill is calling for the mandatory instruction of Asian American history in New York public schools, according to a recent report.

New York State Sen. John Liu sponsored the legislation and told Gothamist that mandated education would help combat anti-Asian violence, especially as hate incidents have increased during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The media outlet reported that New York City experienced more anti-Asian hate crimes than any other city in the country, according to the Asian American Federation.

Liu told Gothamist that it’s “easier” for people to scapegoat Asian Americans and people they don’t know a lot about.

The legislation directs the state education department’s Board of Regents to “develop a course of study in the events of Asian American history.” It also directs the education commissioner to provide technical assistance to develop curricula on Asian American history and its civic impact and to provide suitable course materials.

The bill is currently in the state senate’s Education Committee.

Liu told Gothamist that current textbooks are similar to what he used as a student, with small references to Asian American history like the completion of the transcontinental railroad by Chinese immigrants, or the concentration camps that Japanese Americans were forced into during World War II.

He said there is “not a whole lot else,” according to the media outlet.

The bill said that the curriculum in New York schools is often devoid of content related to the impact of Asian Americans on the history and culture of the state, as well as the discrimination they have faced in the country. Under the legislation, it would be part of the state’s social studies curriculum.

“A lack of understanding and knowledge of Asian Americans has contributed to a recent increase in violence and hate crimes against people of Asian descent, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic,” states the legislation. “This legislation would ensure that students in New York State schools are taught about the historical contributions of Asian Americans, which will foster respect and understanding of Asian Americans, and allow Asian American students to see themselves reflected as an important part of the history and culture of our state and country.”

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Google Adds New 'Asian-Owned' Tag for Business Listings in Search and Maps - Social Media Today

Google’s adding a new option to help users support Asian-owned businesses, with a new ‘Asian-owned’ attribute available within Google My Business profiles.

As displayed in the video, the new ‘Asian-owned’ attribute adds a badge to that business’ display, in both Search and Maps, which could help guide users that are looking to support minority-owned businesses in their decision-making.

Google added business identity attributes earlier this year, which, as you can see in this example, already include tags for women and LGBTQ-owned brands (full listing of options here).

The tags are optional, and are only available to businesses in the US. But they could provide a simple means to facilitate support - while businesses and products that apply the tags are also eligible to be featured on Google pages that highlight brands with specific identity attributes.

And now, there’s also an Asian-owned signifier, adding to this support capacity. Which, according to research, could be particularly relevant for Gen Z shoppers, who are more likely to seek out businesses that support causes that they align with.

And many Asian-owned businesses do indeed need support.

As per Google:

“Over the past two years, COVID-related small business closures and targeted acts of violence have reinforced the importance and impact of allyship - and have underscored how critical it is to support historically marginalized communities, including our Asian community.”

Indeed, according to research, race-based attacks on Asian Americans have increased significantly over the past two years, going from an average of 8.1 per year before 2020, to 81.5 since - more than 11 times the previous average.

That’s a trend that can’t be overlooked or ignored. Which is why this is an important update from the search giant.

In addition to this, Google’s also expanding its training and support programs for Asian-owned businesses:

“Over the past few years, Grow with Google has partnered with the US Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce (USPAACC) to help Asian-owned small businesses grow. To date, we’ve helped more than 20,000 Asian-owned businesses expand their digital skills through workshops focusing on topics like e-commerce tools, design thinking for entrepreneurs and making decisions using analytics.”

Expanding on this, Grow with Google is now launching an expanded program which will provide assistance to an additional 10,000 Asian-owned small businesses, helping them learn critical digital skills to meet shifting consumer demand and activity.

It’s an important addition, because again, as Google notes, Asian businesses have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic, and the surrounding angst tied back to the origins of the virus. It may seem like we, as a society, are beyond misguided criticism of this type, but recent times have shown that significant divides still remain, even if we’d prefer to think they didn’t.

These new badges are a small step in supporting minority-owned businesses, but they could play a big role in raising awareness, and fostering stronger support

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