Radio Free Asia, Washington D.C., DC (2025)

07/19/2025

Sirens wailed, roads emptied and people were ordered to stay indoors in Taipei on Thursday, July 17, during an annual air-raid exercise in the event of a Chinese missile attack.

Sirens sounded at 1:30 p.m. with mandatory street evacuation, effectively shutting towns and cities across northern Taiwan for 30 minutes.

The annual civilian drill is being held in cities across Taiwan this week, alongside the 10-day Han Kuang military exercises, to prepare the self-ruled island for a potential Chinese invasion.

The drills come as regional tensions between Taiwan and China are increasing.

Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te warned that “threats from authoritarianism have never stopped," in a reference to China.

"No matter it be literary attack and military intimidation, or internal infiltration and political warfare, all of these happen on a daily basis. Under such circumstances, we can only be prepared, we don’t have other options," Lai added.

With reporting by Reuters, AFP and AP

07/18/2025

To skeptics, a meme coin is a fast way to make a cheap buck.

For exiled activist Li Ying, it’s been a way to bankroll a pro-democracy community that’s challenging Chinese censorship and authoritarian rule.

Li, 32, is better known by his handle on the social media platform X: “Teacher Li is not your teacher.” He’s built a following of more than 2 million by posting news that Chinese authorities don’t want people to see.

07/17/2025

Taiwan’s military is holding live-fire drills in a simulation of its forces fighting an amphibious invasion of Penghu Islands as part of its annual Han Kuang exercise.

Troops fired Javelin missiles, machine guns, and tank rounds at maritime targets.

Taiwanese forces also conducted maritime drills around Matsu Islands involving speed boats, drones, and mortars. Soldiers fired from rubber speed boats and positions on shore, responding to a simulated "grey zone harassment" of the islands by Chinese Coast Guard and fishing vessels.

In this early morning drill, Taiwan's military police used Taipei's subway system as it simulated the redeployment of troops and supplies.

Taiwan’s military also practiced securing and defending a major bridge in Taipei. This time they were firing blanks.

Taiwanese military officials said the Han Kuang drills replicate full combat conditions, including simulated enemy attacks on communications and command systems and a full-blown invasion scenario.

They say the drills aim to show China and the international community that Taiwan is ready to defend itself against any Chinese attack or invasion.

07/16/2025

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un welcomed Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on his yacht in the eastern coastal city of Wonsan.

Kim told Russia’s top diplomat that North Korea was ready to "unconditionally support" Moscow's every effort to resolve the conflict in Ukraine.

Lavrov described Russian-North Korean ties as "an invincible fighting brotherhood" in his meeting with Kim and thanked him for the troops deployed to Russia, according to Russian media.

Relations between Russia and North Korea have deepened since the start of the Russia Ukraine war.

Russian President Vladimir Putin met Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang in 2024. Since then, Pyongyang deployed more than 10,000 of its troops and arms to Russia to back Moscow's military campaign.

Lavrov’s three-day visit to North Korea comes after he was in Malaysia for the ASEAN summit, where he met with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Lavrov is in China meeting with his counterpart Wang Yi.

North Korea's Defense Ministry said in a statement that it was ready to take military action to counter any security threat, in a warning against South Korea, Japan and the United States.

The warning followed a U.S. B-52 strategic bomber flight near South Korea flanked by the three countries' fighter jets in a defense exercise on Friday. The nuclear-armed North has previously issued similar threats.

07/15/2025

Thai and Cambodian soldiers shout as they confront each other at Ta Muen Thom (Ta Moan Thom) temple along the Thai-Cambodian border.

There are conflicting reports from both the Thai and Cambodian side as to what happened.

A video shows a verbal encounter between a Cambodian woman and a Thai soldier, which escalated when Thai and Cambodian visitors to the temple got involved. Cambodian media had a different view, reporting that a clash began when Thai soldiers blocked Cambodian tourists from entering the temple.

Multiple video clips posted to social media showed panic at the temple as Thai and Cambodian soldiers stepped in.

The situation eventually calmed as Thai and Cambodian troops returned to their stations.

Tension at the disputed border area between Thailand and Cambodia and accusations between the two governments continue following the death of a Cambodian soldier at the end of May and a leaked conversation between Cambodia’s Hun Sen and Thailand’s Paetongtarn Shinawatra in June.

07/15/2025

Cambodia will begin conscripting civilians into its military beginning next year, Prime Minister Hun Manet said on Monday, amid simmering tensions along its border with Thailand.

Hostilities between the neighbors spiked in recent weeks after a Cambodian soldier was killed in a shooting incident on May 28 along a contested border area.

Since then, some border areas have seen closures, Cambodia has petitioned the International Court of Justice and banned some Thai imports, and Thailand has suspended its prime minister, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, amid negative reaction to a leaked phone call with former Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.

07/15/2025

The full moon day of Waso on July 9 is considered a sacred day in the Myanmar lunar calendar. It marks the beginning of the Buddhist Lent.

All photographs by Sai Aung Main/AFP

Photo 1:
Devotees pour water on a Buddha statue at Shwedagon Pagoda.

Photo 2:
Botataung Pagoda during the full moon day of Waso.

Photo 3:
A young Buddhist monk looks back as he walks with other novices in Yangon.

Photo 4:
Buddhist nuns sit at Shwedagon Pagoda during the full moon day of Waso.

Photo 5:
Devotees visit Shwedagon Pagoda during the full moon day of Waso.

Photo 6:
Devotees pour water on a Buddha statue as they visit Shwedagon Pagoda.

Photo 7:
Botataung Pagoda during the full moon day of Waso.

Photo 8:
A vendor selling Buddha statues waits for customers at Shwedagon Pagoda.

Photo 9:
Devotees visit Botataung Pagoda during the full moon day of Waso.

Photo 10:
Botataung Pagoda during the full moon day of Waso.

07/15/2025

Vietnam will ban fossil-fuel-powered motorcycles and mopeds in the heart of Hanoi starting in July 2026 in an effort to reduce air pollution, state media reported on Monday, curbing the main mode of transport for many of the city’s 8 million residents.

Issued by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, the directive applies to the area within the main ring road around central Hanoi, home to much of the city’s business activity. The city has nearly 7 million motorbikes and a million cars.

07/14/2025

Actress and style icon Jane Birkin's original namesake Hermès bag — the first ever produced — sold at Sotheby's on July 10th for a record $10 million USD.

It’s the highest price paid for a fashion item at the auction house.

Before Hermès, carrying a wicker basket, was one of Jane Birkin's hallmark style stamps. In the 1980s, a chance encounter and conversation with the Hermès CEO on a flight led to a sketch design and first production Hermès Birkin bag.

Birkin was an activist who supported political and social causes. After her 2008 meeting with the French President at Elysee Palace Birkin was photographed carrying an Hermès Birkin bag stuffed with papers and emblazoned with the Tibetan flag.

In 2016, Jane Birkin was denied a visa to enter China for a performance, reportedly for her Tibet activism. Jane Birkin died in 2023.

The Hermès Birkin is one of the most coveted luxury bags today, with long waiting lists and prices fetching tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars.

In 2019, a special order Chinese flag-designed Hermès Birkin bag available from retailer Moda Operandi sold for $125,000 US.

07/13/2025

"I don't know President Xi but I know President Trump. I can tell you he's committed to having that meeting happen," said U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio when asked about Trump and Xi meeting in thr future.

Rubio said on Friday that he had “positive and constructive” talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, amid tensions over tariffs and trade.

He was optimistic to a meeting happening between U.S. President Trump and Chinese President Xi in the future.

Rubio also said that both countries' positions on Taiwan are known, and that the meeting today was "not a negotiation" but to establish "a baseline" of discussion.

Rubio was in Malaysia on his first Asia trip since taking office, looking to stress U.S. commitment to the region at the East Asia Summit and ASEAN Regional Forum, as countries received notices of U.S. tariffs announced by U.S. President Donald Trump this week.

07/13/2025

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday that he had “positive and constructive” talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, amid tensions over tariffs and trade.

Rubio was in Malaysia on his first Asia trip since taking office, looking to stress U.S. commitment to the region at the East Asia Summit and ASEAN Regional Forum, as countries received notices of U.S. tariffs announced by U.S. President Donald Trump this week.

07/13/2025

Two nuclear-capable U.S. B-52 strategic bombers drilled with Japanese and South Korean fighter jets over international waters of the Korean Peninsula, as seen in video footage released by South Korea’s defense ministry.

It was the first time this year that a U.S. B-52H was deployed to the Korean Peninsula for a military exercise, conducted to improve deterrence against North Korea's increasing nuclear and missile threats, the defense ministry said.

The drills came as the three countries' defense chiefs held an annual meeting in Seoul on July 11, where they recognised the importance of close trilateral cooperation in addressing security challenges posed by North Korea, in the Indo-Pacific and beyond, the South Korean defense ministry said in a statement.

The three countries have boosted security cooperation in recent years, as tensions have increased stemming from North Korea's military developments and Pyongyang's military ties with Russia.

Radio Free Asia

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