East Asia

Belize on Monday reaffirmed its diplomatic ties with Taiwan, the second country to do so in a week as Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen travels across Central America in an effort to shore up a dwindling number of allies.

Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen has arrived in New York for a visit that has sparked threats of retaliatory measures from China, AFP reported.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has called on his country to expand production of "nuclear materials for weapons" and create more powerful weapons, AFP reported.

Kim's latest threat came ahead of the planned arrival of a US Navy strike group in South Korea.

The missile was launched Thursday morning hours before South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol met Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida for a summit aimed in part at rebuilding security ties between US allies in the face of North Korean nuclear threats.

North Korea has fired two short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast, Reuters reported, citing a South Korean military statement. It is the latest of several weapons tests as South Korea and the United States hold their largest joint military exercises in years.

North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles Tuesday, Seoul said, Pyongyang's second launch in three days and the first since South Korea and the United States began their largest joint military drills in five years.

The South Korean and U.S. militaries launched their biggest joint military exercises in years Monday, as North Korea said it tested submarine-launched cruise missiles in an apparent protest of the drills it views as an invasion rehearsal.

China retained its central bank chief on Feb. 12 in a surprise move, as the country appointed a cabinet focused on fighting economic headwinds.

Yi Gang was confirmed as governor of the People's Bank of China at a meeting of China's rubber-stamp national legislature, against expectations that retirement-age Yi would step down.

The US Office of the Director of National Intelligence released its 2023 annual threat assessment on Wednesday (local time), which warned of threats against the US posed by China, Russia, North Korea and Iran.

The influential sister of North Korea's leader warned Tuesday that her country is ready to take "quick, overwhelming action" against the United States and South Korea, a day after the U.S. flew a nuclear-capable B-52 bomber in a demonstration of strengthen against the North.