East Asia

Giant center Han Xu sank 26 points as China stunned five-time defending champion Japan 73-71 Sunday to win its first women's Asia Cup basketball title in more than a decade.

New York Liberty's Han also made 10 rebounds and two assists at Sydney Olympic Park while fellow superstar Li Meng poured in 17 points to hand world number two China's its 12th crown and first since 2011.

Foreign companies are shifting investments and their Asian headquarters out of China as confidence plunges following the expansion of an anti-spying law and other challenges, a business group said Wednesday.

Top North Korean officials vowed to push for a second attempt to launch a spy satellite as they called their country's first, and failed, launch last month "the most serious" shortcoming this year and harshly criticized those responsible, state media reported Monday.

A military spy satellite launched by North Korea earlier in the day crashed into the Yellow Sea owing to an engine problem and it plans to carry out its second launch "as soon as possible," reported Yonhap News Agency.

North Korea's attempt to put the country's first spy satellite into space failed Wednesday in a setback to leader Kim Jong Un's push to boost his military capabilities as tensions with the United States and South Korea rise.

Businesses from Central and Eastern European Countries and beyond have been eyeing a key commerce and trade expo being held this week in eastern China's port city of Ningbo with a view to strengthening economic ties with China and greater opportunities.

Chinese President Xi Jinping will host a Central Asian summit on Thursday, seeking to build regional influence as G7 leaders hold a rival gathering in Japan.

Held in the ancient Chinese city of Xi'an, the historic eastern end of the Silk Road that linked China to Europe through Central Asia, this week's summit is of "milestone significance", Beijing has said.

He gave green light for his "future action plan", state media in Pyongyang reported.
During his visit to North Korea's aviation agency, he emphasized that reconnaissance from space is key to confronting the US and South Korea, reports AP.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un examined a finished military spy satellite, which his country is expected to launch soon, during a visit to an aerospace facility where he described space-based reconnaissance as crucial for countering the U.S. and South Korea.

The leaders of South Korea and Japan are to meet Sunday for their second summit in less than two months, as they push to mend long-running historical grievances and boost ties in the face of North Korea's nuclear program and other regional challenges.