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North Korea tests cruise missile; warns US, South Korea on ‘provocation’

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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the successful test of a cruise missile system, North Korea’s state media reported, as it accused the United States and South Korea of provocations and vowed the “toughest counteraction” to defend itself. The underwater-to-surface strategic cruise guided weapons traveled for 1,500 kilometers between 7,507 and 7,511 seconds in the Saturday test before “precisely” hitting targets, the North’s KCNA news agency reported. “The test was conducted as a link in the whole chain of efforts for carrying out the plan for building up the defence capability of the country, aimed at improving the effectiveness of the strategic deterrence against the potential enemies in conformity with the changing regional security environment,” KCNA reported. Kim was cited as noting that the North armed forces were perfecting ”the means of war deterrence.” On Sunday, North Korea accused the United States and South Korea of “staging serious military provocations” with their military exercises. “The U.S. and the ROK will never evade the responsibility for the aggravation of regional situation to be entailed by an increase in the visibility of military provocations”, a senior foreign ministry official said in a statement, referring to South Korea by the initials of its official name, the Republic of Korea. “The DPRK Foreign Ministry is closely watching the military provocations of the U.S. and the ROK escalating the tension on the Korean peninsula and seriously warns them that such moves will entail a reflective counteraction,” the official said, referring to North Korea by the initials of its official name, the People’s Democratic Republic of Korea. “The DPRK will not permit the imbalance of strength imposed by the military nexus between the U.S. and the ROK and take the toughest counteraction to defend the sovereign right, security and interests of the state and thoroughly ensure peace and stability in the region.” RELATED STORIES Interview: Trump would like to resume personal diplomacy with Kim Jong Un North Korea reiterates it has ‘no intention’ of abandoning nuclear program ‘Smart balloons’ drop leaflets, loudspeakers into North Korea The inauguration of President Donald Trump has led to speculation about an improvement in ties between the old foes. During his first term, Trump embarked on unprecedented but ultimately unsuccessful engagement with North Korea to try to get it to abandon its nuclear weapons in exchange for sanctions relief and he has suggested he would be open to a new effort. Last week, North Korea reiterated that it had no intention of giving up its nuclear program, blaming the United States for creating tensions. North Korea has drawn closer to Russia since Trump’s first term and has sent large volumes of arms and ammunition, as well as some 12,000 soldiers, to help Russia in its war against Ukraine. Neither Russia nor North Korea has acknowledged the North Korean support. Edited by RFA Staff. We are : Investigative Journalism Reportika Investigative Reports Daily Reports Interviews Surveys Reportika

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Beijing sees Trump presidency as ‘critical’ juncture for Sino-US ties

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Beijing views the second presidency of Donald Trump as a “critical” juncture that could improve ties with the United States, according to official commentaries in state media. “The river of history is constantly flowing, and the critical points are often just a few steps,” the People’s Daily, official newspaper of the ruling Communist Party, said in an op-ed published on Monday, the Trump’s inauguration date. Describing the international situation as “full of change and chaos,” the article said the bilateral relationship should be managed from a “strategic and long-term perspective, which will bring more certainty to a turbulent world.” “China-U.S. relations are the most important bilateral relations in the world … affecting the future and destiny of mankind,” the commentary said, citing a need for more exchanges between the Chinese and American people. “Both sides need to move towards each other,” it said. The official commentaries come amid multiple media reports that Trump plans to visit China within 100 days of taking office, and that a face-to-face meeting with Xi is on the cards. Chinese Vice President Han Zheng, who attended Trump’s inauguration ceremony on behalf of Xi Jinping, met with Vice President-elect J.D. Vance on Jan. 19 to discuss various bilateral issues including fentanyl, trade balance and regional stability. Two Taiwanese Kuang Hua VI-class missile boats conduct a simulated attack drill off Kaohsiung City, southern Taiwan, Jan. 9, 2025.(Chiang Ying-ying/AP) Current affairs commentator Wu Qiang said a more domestically focused approach to global cooperation is actually something that is shared by China and the Trump administration, and that the relationship would likely improve with more direct contact between Trump and Xi. “At the very least, they can balance the relationship by strengthening the relationship between their individual leaders,” Wu said. “This is the kind of strengthening that is welcomed by the leaders of China and also Russia.” He said such relationships would act as a “parallel” axis of international cooperation, alongside the China-Russia alliance and the U.S. relationship with allies NATO, Europe and Southeast Asia. Russia, Trade Commentator Yuan Hongbing said Trump’s plan to visit China is likely part of a bid to get Beijing’s help with a ceasefire in Ukraine. “The fundamental reason he is now showing goodwill towards Xi Jinping is that he wants to meet his diplomatic commitments,” Yuan said. “Russia is already in a position of advantage on the battlefield.” But trade is also likely high on the agenda, according to Yuan and a veteran Chinese journalist who gave only the surname Kong for fear of reprisals. “It’s part of the plan to make America great again,” Kong said, referencing Trump’s slogan. “He believes that the trade deficit has had an impact on the U.S. economy.” “But what kind of pressure he will bring to bear … that will be a key focus of his trip to China.” Sun Kuo-hsiang, director of Taiwan’s Nanhua University, said Taiwan could see its defense concerns drop further down the list of U.S. priorities under Trump. “During his first term, Trump put a strong emphasis on transactional diplomacy, and so he may use Taiwan as leverage, for example, reducing arms sales or limiting official contacts, in exchange for concessions from China on trade or international issues,” Sun told RFA Mandarin in a recent interview. He said that could undermine Taiwan’s ability to defend itself in the event of a Chinese invasion. “If Sino-U.S. ties ease, then China may believe that the United States has softened on Taiwan, and step up its military and diplomatic activities,” Sun said. “That will bring far more uncertainty to the situation in the Taiwan Strait.” Translated by Luisetta Mudie. Edited by Malcolm Foster. We are : Investigative Journalism Reportika Investigative Reports Daily Reports Interviews Surveys Reportika

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Myanmar junta kills 28, including its own soldiers, in prison attack

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Read RFA coverage of this topic in Burmese. The Myanmar military killed 28 of its own soldiers and their detained relatives in an airstrike on insurgent positions near an ancient capital in Rakhine state, according to the rebels and a human rights group. The Arakan Army, or AA, is fighting for control of Rakhine state and has made stunning gains over the past year, seizing 14 of its 17 townships from the control of the junta that seized power in an early 2021 coup. The military has struck back with its air force, launching numerous bombing raids, which early on Sunday included a strike on Kyauk Se village, to the north of Mrauk U town. “We don’t know the exact details yet but we do know that dozens are dead,” Myat Tun, director of the Arakan Human Rights Defenders and Promoters Association, told Radio Free Asia. “There were no residents affected, it affected prisoners of war, including children,” he said. The AA said 28 people were killed and 29 were wounded when the air force dropped three bombs on a temporary detention center run by the AA before dawn on Sunday. “Those killed/injured in the bombing were prisoners and their families who were arrested in battles,” the AA said in a statement. “Military families were about to be released and were being temporarily detained in that place.” Some of the wounded were in critical condition and the death toll could rise, the group said. RFA tried to contact AA spokesperson, Khaing Thu Ka, and Rakhine state’s junta spokesperson, Hla Thein, for more information but neither of them responded by time of publication. Bodies of some of the 28 people killed in the bombing of a detention camp in Myanmar’s Mrauk U, Rakhine State, released on Jan. 19, 2025.(AA Info Desk) RELATED STORIES Myanmar military regime enters year 5 in terminal decline Junta blockades keep Myanmar children malnourished and without vaccines Rakhine rebels seize first police station in Myanmar’s heartland Mrauk U is the ancient capital of Rakhine kings who were conquered by Burmese kings in 1784. The AA has captured hundreds of junta soldiers, police officers and their family members, in its relentless advance across the state, from its far north on the border with Bangladesh, down to the south where AA fighters have launched probes into neighboring Ayeyarwady division. Families of soldiers and police in Myanmar often live near them in family quarters. This was not the first AA prison to be bombed. In September, military aircraft struck a detention center and hospital in Pauktaw town, killing more than 50 prisoners of war, the AA said at the time. On Jan. 8, junta airstrikes in Ramree township’s Kyauk Ni Maw village killed more than 50, including women and children, and some 500 homes were destroyed in a blaze that the bombing sparked. Translated by Kiana Duncan. Edited by RFA Staff. We are : Investigative Journalism Reportika Investigative Reports Daily Reports Interviews Surveys Reportika

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What is the RedNote app and why are TikTok users moving there? | RFA Insider #24

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The double features don’t stop! Tune in to this episode of RFA Insider to learn about American social media users turning to a Chinese app in response to an impending TikTok ban, and how China is preparing for the incoming U.S. administration. Off Beat With TikTok slated to be banned on Sunday unless it is sold to a new, non-Chinese owner, young American users of the app have migrated en masse to Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu, also known as RedNote. The more than half a million American users who’ve joined RedNote in recent days, dubbing themselves “TikTok refugees,” hope to relocate their online communities and for some, send a strong message to Meta and its founder Mark Zuckerberg. Family photos, presumably taken in August 2024 and March 2023, found with the bodies of North Korean troops killed in the Ukraine-Russia war.(NK Insider) RFA’s own Korean Service also conducted an exclusive interview with a Ukrainian soldier sharing his battlefield encounter with North Korean soldiers. Double Off Beat As Washington, D.C. makes the final arrangements for U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration next Monday, countries around the world are similarly preparing for the new U.S. administration. Senior reporter Kitty Wang from RFA’s Mandarin Service comes on the podcast to share insight into how China might react to the new administration. Then-U.S. President Donald Trump (left) attends a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping during the G20 leaders summit in Osaka, Japan, June 29, 2019.(Kevin Lamarque/Reuters) What’s the overall mood in China regarding Trump’s possible implementation of tariffs? Will Beijing alter its stance on either Taiwan or the South China Sea while working with this new administration? What about the Uyghur region and Tibet? Tune in to hear these answers and more. We are : Investigative Journalism Reportika Investigative Reports Daily Reports Interviews Surveys Reportika

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Russian PM wants closer economic cooperation with Vietnam after trade rises 24%

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Updated Jan. 14, 2025, 06:55 a.m. ET. Vietnam and Russia are reaping the benefits of a free trade deal at a time when Moscow faces international sanctions, with bilateral trade rising by an annual 24% last year, Russia’s prime minister said as he began a two-day visit to Hanoi. “We are paying priority attention to increasing trade and economic cooperation,” Mikhail Mishustin said in talks with his Vietnamese counterpart Pham Minh Chinh on Tuesday, as quoted by Russia’s TASS news agency. “Mutual trade turnover is growing steadily.” A free trade agreement between Vietnam and the Eurasian Economic Union came into effect in 2016. During a June 2024 visit to Vietnam, Russian President Vladimir Putin pledged to boost trade. Some 11 agreements were signed after he met then-President To Lam, in areas such as nuclear power. After meeting Chinh on Tuesday, Mishustin saw the nuclear agreement bear fruit with the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Russia’s state nuclear corporation, Rosatom, and the Vietnam Electric Power Corporation, TASS said. Talks also focused on trade when Mishustin went on to meet Lam, now communist party general secretary. “My colleague and I discussed the entire list of our bilateral issues, signed a corresponding action plan for our relations until 2030, confirmed 13 roadmaps and will achieve an expansion of our trade turnover to US$15 billion by 2030,” TASS quoted the Russian prime minister as saying. Vietnam says bilateral trade was worth around US$4.6 billion last year. Russia is a long-time ally of Vietnam and they are marking the 75th year of bilateral diplomatic relations this year. Their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership puts Russia on the highest level of engagement with Vietnam alongside countries including China and the U.S. RELATED STORIES Vietnam faces Trump era with awkward trade surplus with the US Vietnam, France upgrade relations to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Vietnam defense minister Phan Van Giang visits US to boost ties Facing international condemnation and sweeping sanctions for its invasion of Ukraine, Russia is keen to hold on to its allies in Asia. Putin has also been pursuing closer relations with North Korea, meeting leader Kim Jong Un last June just ahead of his Vietnam visit. That relationship appears to be paying off, with the U.S. claiming Kim is providing Russia with weapons and troops, while Putin has shared missile technology. Hanoi is not in a similar situation regarding the supply of arms to Moscow, given that Vietnam is heavily reliant on Russian weapons, which make up about 80% of its military might. However, there was no sign of any new Russian arms sales to Vietnam during Mishustin’s visit because of international sanctions, an analyst said. “No major arms procurement deals were signed because Western sanctions on Russia have affected international currency transactions through the SWIFT system,” said Carl Thayer, a veteran Vietnam watcher and emeritus professor at the University of New South Wales, Canberra. “During Putin’s visit last year, the two sides discussed the possibility of a ruble-đong transfer mechanism. However, as the Vietnam-Russian Joint Statement issued at the conclusion of Putin’s visit made clear, defense-security cooperation was confined to non-traditional security issues. Vietnam wants to avoid any penalties for violating Western sanctions.” Vietnam has, however, resisted calls at the U.N. to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Vietnam is also one of the biggest investors in Russia, according to Vietnamese state media. As of last November, Vietnam had 16 projects in Russia with US$1.6 billion in capital, the fourth largest of 81 countries investing there, the Vietnam News Agency said. Edited by Mike Firn. Updated to include Mishustin’s comments at a meeting with To Lam. We are : Investigative Journalism Reportika Investigative Reports Daily Reports Interviews Surveys Reportika

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Man wanted in Lim Kimya murder is Cambodian official’s brother, records show

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A Cambodian man who is wanted by Thai police in connection to the murder of a former opposition lawmaker is the brother of Pich Sros, a politician who initiated proceedings against the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party, or CNRP, that led to its 2017 dissolution, and holds a minor government position. On Tuesday, Lim Kimya, a former CNRP member of parliament, was gunned down in central Bangkok. One suspect in the murder — Ekalak Paenoi, a former Thai marine — was arrested on Wednesday in Cambodia’s Battambang province and as of this writing is still in the country pending extradition to Thailand. But a second man, believed to be the so-called “spotter” in the murder who followed Lim Kimya on a bus from Cambodia to Thailand, remains at large. Pich Sros, founder of the Cambodian Youth Party.(Fresh News) Pich Sros is also a member of the Supreme Consultative Council, an ad hoc body created by then-Prime Minister Hun Sen in 2018 to include smaller political parties who did not have any seats but were included in the new body to advise the government. Though the party failed to win any seats in 2018 or 2023, CYP joined the council with the lead representative, in this case Pich Sros, given a rank equal to a cabinet minister. Cambodians in the country and abroad expressed anger with both the murder and what they see as the government’s seeming disinterest in investigating the case. Thit Kimhun, a CNRP official, told RFA the opposition party would hold ceremonies for the slain politician in Long Beach, California, and Lowell, Massachusetts, on Jan. 19, while others would be hosted in France, Japan and South Korea. “We won’t allow this injustice to happen in Cambodia and now in Thailand,” she said. “We will continue to investigate and demand justice for Lim Kimya and his family.” In Springvale, Australia, a seven-day memorial ceremony will begin Jan. 12 with the local Cambodian community urging the Thai and Australian governments to investigate, said Chea Yohorn, president of the Khmer Association of Victoria. “The suspect is not an unknown guy,” Seng Sary, a political analyst based in Australia, told RFA. “He is a brother of Pich Sros. Giving justice to Lim Kimya will restore Cambodia’s reputation. We shouldn’t let him escape.” Calls to Pich Sros went unanswered Friday but earlier in the day he posted a photo to Facebook showing journalists packed tightly around an unseen figure, cameras and microphones shoved toward his face. The image depicts then-U.S. Ambassador Patrick Murphy speaking with reporters outside the trial of Kem Sokha. Above the photo, Pich Sros wrote a pithy note: “journalists have the right to ask questions/ but don’t have right to force people for answers/ journalists have the rights to ask/ but don’t have the right to demand for answers according to what they want.” We are : Investigative Journalism Reportika Investigative Reports Daily Reports Interviews Surveys Reportika

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Myanmar junta bombs Rohingya Muslim village killing 41, rescuers say

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The Myanmar air force has bombed a fishing village in Rakhine state killing 41 civilians and wounding 52, most of them Rohingya Muslims, residents involved in rescue work said on Thursday, in an attack insurgents condemned as a war crime. Military planes bombed Kyauk Ni Maw village on the coast in Ramree township on Wednesday afternoon sparking huge fires that destroyed about 600 homes, residents said, sending clouds of black smoke up over the sea. The area is under the control of anti-junta Arakan Army, or AA, insurgents but a spokesman said no fighting was going on there at the time of the air raid. “The targeting of innocent people where there is no fighting is a very despicable and cowardly act … as well as a blatant war crime,” AA spokesman Khaing Thu Kha told Radio Free Asia. Villagers survey ruins in Kyauk Ni Maw village in Rakhine state after a Myanmar air force raid on Jan. 8, 2025.(Arakan Princess Media) RELATED STORIES Myanmar’s Arakan Army takes a major town, says ready for talks Myanmar’s junta answers rebel proposal for talks with week of deadly airstrikes EXPLAINED: What is Myanmar’s Arakan Army? The AA has made unprecedented gains against the military since late last year and now controls about 80% of Myanmar’s westernmost state. On Dec. 29, the AA captured the town of Gwa from the military, a major step toward its goal of taking the whole of Rakhine state, and then said it was ready for talks with the junta, which seized power in a February 2021 coup d’etat. But the junta has responded with deadly airstrikes, residents say. The military denies targeting civilians but human rights investigators and security analysts say Myanmar’s army has a long reputation of indiscriminate attacks in civilian areas as a way to undermine popular support for the various rebel forces fighting its rule. “The military is showing its fangs with its planes, that people can be killed at any time, at will,” aid worker Wai Hin Aung told RFA. Villagers watch homes burning in Kyauk Ni Maw village, in Rakhine state, after a raid by the Myanmar air force on Jan. 8, 2025.(Arakan Princess Media) The bombing of Kyauk Ni Maw is the latest bloody attack on members of the persecuted Rohingya Muslim minority. About 740,000 Rohingya fled from Rakhine state to neighboring Bangladesh following a bloody crackdown by the military against members of the largely stateless community in August 2017. Over the past year, Rohingya have suffered violence at the hands of both sides in the Rakhine state’s war, U.N. rights investigators have said. The AA took a hard line with the Rohingya after the junta launched a campaign to recruit, at times forcibly, Rohingya men into militias to fight the insurgents. On Aug. 5, scores of Rohingya trying to flee from the town of Maungdaw to Bangladesh, across a border river, were killed by drones and artillery fire that survivors and rights groups said was unleashed by the AA. The AA denied responsibility. Edited by RFA Staff. We are : Investigative Journalism Reportika Investigative Reports Daily Reports Interviews Surveys Reportika

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Chinese firms supporting Russia pose as Taiwanese to dodge sanctions: activist

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TAIPEI, Taiwan – Chinese firms supporting Russia are presenting themselves as if they are from Taiwan not only to avoid sanctions but also to discredit the self-ruled island, said a Ukrainian activist. Vadym Labas initially accused the Taiwanese company Taiwan Rung Cherng Suspenparts, or TRC, of modifying and producing servomechanisms for Russia’s deadly glide bombs, citing a transaction document between TRC and a Russian firm. However, Labas later clarified that further investigation revealed the TRC name in the document was actually a front for a Chinese company seeking to evade international sanctions, not the Taiwanese company. “We also discovered a double operation, which consisted not only of a new scheme to circumvent sanctions, but also an operation to discredit the Taiwanese manufacturer, which had been repeatedly carried out by the parties concerned,” Labas wrote on his Facebook on Monday. Labas added that the Chinese company KST Digital Technology Limited supplied servomotors to Russia through a network of intermediaries, including a firm called Kaifeng Zhendaqian Technology. These products were eventually rebranded as those of the Taiwanese firm TRC, whose name was used without authorization. Servomotors are crucial for glide bombs as they control the bomb’s aerodynamic surfaces, such as fins or wings, enabling precise maneuvering and guidance. “Taiwan has been unjustly implicated. The actual culprits are Chinese manufacturers exploiting TRC’s name for camouflage,” he added. Radio Free Asia was not able to contact KST Digital Technology Limited or Kaifeng Zhendaqian Technology for comment. Chen Shu-Mei, TRC’s deputy general manager, dismissed any suggestion of a business connection with Russia, saying the firm may take legal action to protect its reputation. “It was a totally unfounded claim,” said Chen, adding that the company primarily produces automotive chassis components and parts for vehicle suspension systems. RELATED STORIES Cross-strait shadows: Inside the Chinese influence campaign against Taiwan (Part I) Taipei hits back over Chinese military’s New Year propaganda video Taiwan warns internet celebrities on collusion after video uproar While not as advanced as Western precision-guided munitions, Russian glide bombs have become a key part of its air strategy in Ukraine. Military analysts estimate they contribute 20% of Russia’s operational advantage in the conflict. Ukrainian intelligence reports that Russia has greatly increased its use of such bombs. In May 2023, Russian forces were using about 25 glide bombs daily, but that number has since climbed to at least 60 per day, sometimes exceeding 100. Edited by Taejun Kang. We are : Investigative Journalism Reportika Investigative Reports Daily Reports Interviews Surveys Reportika

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Year in photos: Lens of empathy captures stories of resilience across borders

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WASHINGTON — Radio Free Asia photojournalist Gemunu Amarasinghe has had a distinguished career capturing images across Asia. His ability to access intimate moments sheds new light on the stories behind the struggle for freedom and human rights. In the special report, “In Washington, Myanmar democracy advocates push for a Breakthrough,” Amarasinghe captures the efforts of Myanmar’s National Unity Government in Washington, D.C., as Deputy Foreign Minister Moe Zaw Oo and press aide Aye Chan Mon navigate the complexities of international diplomacy. In “Nyah Mway: The boy who will forever be 13,” he delves into the tragedy of a young refugee from Myanmar who was fatally shot by police in Utica, New York. His photographs reveal the effect the incident has had on Nyah’s family and community, offering insight into broader issues of systemic violence and the experiences of displaced people in the United States. In “Five Years after a Summer of Protest, Hong Kong Exiles are Still Rebuilding Their Lives,” Amarasinghe chronicles the lives of Hong Kong activists who have resettled in the United States following the 2019 pro-democracy protests. Through his lens, Amarasinghe provides a comprehensive perspective on resilience and transition. Here are some of his photos: Aye Chan Mon, a press aide with Myanmar’s National Unity Government, works from home as her cat tries to intervene.(Gemunu Amarasinghe/RFA) Buddhist monks chant at the burial of Nyah Mway, 13, in Utica, New York, July 6, 2024.(Gemunu Amarasinghe/RFA) Hong Kong democracy activist Frances Hui stands outside the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Washington, D.C., during a protest to mark World Press Freedom Day, May 2, 2024.(Gemunu Amarasinghe/RFA) Huen Lam visits the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial in Washington, D.C., March 30, 2024.(Gemunu Amarasinghe/RFA) Edited by Jim Snyder. We are : Investigative Journalism Reportika Investigative Reports Daily Reports Interviews Surveys Reportika

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