China's neighbours are getting ready

New Zealand 'interested in exploring' AUKUS opportunities

SYDNEY -- New Zealand is "interested in exploring" opportunities presented by the sharing of military technology under the AUKUS security pact, the country's new prime minister told his Australian counterpart in Sydney on Wednesday.

Christopher Luxon spoke alongside Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in what was the 53-year-old New Zealand leader's first official trip abroad after his conservative National Party-led coalition was sworn into office in November.

 Japan and Malaysia sign $2.8m maritime security assistance deal

Kishida welcomes elevation of bilateral 'comprehensive strategic partnership'

TOKYO (Reuters) -- Japan and Malaysia signed a security assistance deal on Saturday including a grant of 400 million yen ($2.8 million) to boost Malaysia's maritime security, as Asian nations seek to counter an increasingly assertive China.

Japan will provide equipment such as rescue boats and supplies under the official security assistance deal, signed by the two countries' foreign ministers on the sidelines of a Tokyo summit marking 50 years of ties between Japan and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Japanese Prime Minister Kishida welcomed the elevation of the Japan-Malaysia relationship to a "comprehensive strategic partnership", Japan's foreign ministry said in a statement.

In addition to Malaysia, ASEAN members the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei claim parts of the South China Sea disputed by China, which claims almost all of the waterway that is a conduit for more than $3 trillion of annual ship-borne commerce. The Permanent Court of Arbitration in 2016 said China's claims had no legal basis.

China and Japan last week accused each other of maritime incursions after a confrontation between their coast guards in waters around islands they both claim in the East China Sea.

Japan's aid to Malaysia follows similar deals with the Philippines and Bangladesh this year and is part of a plan announced in April for Japan to provide developing countries with financial assistance to bolster their defences.

In the three-day summit through Sunday, Japan is offering ASEAN members support to boost their standing as international actors and help them manage their relations with others, including China, said an official at Japan's foreign ministry.

Kishida is expected to meet separately with the leaders of all the ASEAN members, which also include Cambodia, Singapore, Thailand, Laos and Timor-Leste.

U.S. aircraft carrier calls at Singapore to support Philippines

 

U.S. aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson displays America’s military might in Southeast Asia amid a spat between China and the Philippines in the region's disputed waters.

 

SINGAPORE -- U.S. aircraft carrier, the USS Carl Vinson, docked in Singapore this week, in a display of America's military prowess in Southeast Asia amid a spat between China and the Philippines in nearby disputed waters.

 

U.S. Navy vessels call at Singapore, a close partner in the region, from time to time, and officials described the visit as part of "daily routine global operations." But the nuclear-powered Vinson, which docked on Sunday, has arrived at a particularly sensitive time. Chinese and Philippine vessels have been embroiled in skirmishes in the nearby South China Sea, raising the risk of escalating conflict.