U.S. President Joe Biden gives his State of the Union address.
Welcome to VOA Asia Weekly. I'm Chris Casquejo in Washington. That story is just ahead, but first, making headlines.
The U.S. has briefed dozens of countries on the Chinese spy balloon. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday that it is a part of a large surveillance program that China has been conducting for “several years" over several continents.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ordered his military to expand its combat exercises and strengthen war preparedness as he looks to escalate already provocative weapons demonstrations amid heightened tensions in the region and with Washington. State media reported Kim gave the order during a meeting of the ruling party on Monday.
The first trial of 47 Hong Kong pro-democracy activists charged under a sweeping Beijing-imposed national security law began on Monday. The defendants were arrested in January 2021 and charged with conspiracy to commit subversion. They are accused of participating in an unofficial primary election organized by democracy supporters in 2020.
China will offer emergency humanitarian aid in the equivalent of $4.4 million dollars to earthquake-hit Syria, as the death toll of the devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria jumped to more than 12,000 on Wednesday.
Sri Lanka's economy “can achieve economic growth” again by the end of this year and the government hopes to lift the country out of its economic crisis by 2026, President Ranil Wickremesinghe told parliament on Wednesday.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Junior is on his first bilateral trip to Japan, a visit that is expected to pave the way for closer security ties with Tokyo. Last week, the Philippines granted the U.S. greater access to military bases as the region deals with an increasingly aggressive China.
U.S. President Joe Biden spoke directly to the American people and a divided Congress Tuesday evening in his State of the Union address. Rising tensions with China and a lingering war in Ukraine were the main foreign policy issues, as VOA's Diplomatic Correspondent Cindy Saine reports.
As President Joe Biden spoke to a joint session of Congress Tuesday evening on the state of the nation, tensions with China loomed large after a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon captured the attention of both lawmakers and ordinary Americans.
Without mentioning the balloon specifically, Biden sought to reassure Americans, while sending this message to China.
“I am committed to work with China where it can advance American interests and benefit the world. But make no mistake: As we made clear last week, if China’s threatens our sovereignty, we will act to protect our country. And we did.”
On Saturday, a U.S. fighter jet shot down the balloon in midair over the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of South Carolina.
China has called the U.S. shooting down of the balloon “unacceptable” and an “over-reaction.”
Some Republicans criticized Biden for not ordering the balloon shot down earlier as it traversed the country. They may be looking for a tougher stance on China, Michael Kugelman of the Wilson Center told VOA.
“So, he was not taking a forceful, hawkish position. He was leaving open some space for conciliation, and I really don't think those members of Congress that wanted a more hard-line stance would have been satisfied with what he said tonight.”
Russia’s war against Ukraine also was featured in Biden’s address. The U.S. has committed more than 27 billion dollars in security assistance to Ukraine. Biden said Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion one year ago was a test that America passed.
“We united NATO and built a global coalition.”
Some Republicans have been skeptical of military aid to Ukraine, but that was not the case when Republicans in the chamber, including House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, appeared to strongly support Biden’s remarks.
Apart from the war in Ukraine and a long-planned “pivot to Asia,” President Biden is planning for the first visit to sub-Saharan Africa by an American president since 2015.
Cindy Saine, VOA News, Washington.
Finally, China has resumed allowing group tours for its citizens to 20 countries, including Thailand, Russia and New Zealand.
A tour group of two dozen tourists headed to Phuket were given a warm welcome ceremony before their flight.
Chinese visitors accounted for nearly a third of Thailand’s 40 million foreign tourist arrivals in pre-pandemic 2019. The Thai government is expecting at least five million Chinese tourist arrivals this year.
Visit voanews.com for the most up-to-date stories. Thanks for watching VOA Asia Weekly. I’m Chris Casquejo. Until next week.
