Cambodia declares geopolitical stance, China conducts military exercises in Taiwan Strait, Israel admits "painful and heavy" consequences

The World and Vietnam newspaper highlights some of the most prominent international events of the day.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet (far right) and Hun Sen (center), Chairman of the Cambodian People's Party (CPP) and President of the Senate of the Kingdom of Cambodia and Honorary Chairman of the CPP Heng Samrin (left), release doves in Phnom Penh during a celebration in January. (Source: AFP)

Asia- Pacific

Cambodia pledged to maintain geopolitical neutrality , Prime Minister Hun Manet stated at the ceremony commemorating the 20th anniversary of the country's accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) on October 14th. Accordingly, the consistent policy of the Southeast Asian nation is not to participate in any political mechanism aimed at competing with or confronting any other country or organization.

However, Prime Minister Hun Manet stated that Cambodia will join an organization or mechanism with the common goal of maintaining peace, harmony, and prosperity in the region, as well as promoting common development. (AKP)

* China is conducting military exercises in the Taiwan Strait, aimed at testing the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) multi-domain coordination capabilities and precision strike capabilities against key targets.

The exercise, codenamed "Joint Advantage-2024B," involved the Liaoning aircraft carrier strike group, numerous fighter jets, bombers, and other advanced combat aircraft. (CCTV)

* South Korea is "fully prepared" to retaliate against North Korea after Pyongyang ordered troops at the border to prepare to fire amid escalating tensions over drones dropping leaflets over the capital. The South Korean military stated it is closely monitoring North Korea's response. (Yonhap)

* Chinese Premier Li Qiang arrived in Islamabad , Pakistan on October 14th to attend the 23rd meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and to make an official visit to the South Asian country. (THX)

South Korea and China established a "friendship forum" on October 17 in Beijing, with the participation of government officials and private sector experts from both sides, to discuss ways to strengthen relations and cooperation. (Yonhap)

The defense ministers of South Korea, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand are expected to hold a rare meeting on the sidelines of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) defense ministers' conference this week to discuss ways to strengthen cooperation with NATO, amid deepening military cooperation between North Korea and Russia. (Yonhap)

Europe

* Germany will host a summit with Balkan nations on October 14th. Host Prime Minister Olaf Scholz will welcome the leaders of six countries – Serbia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, and North Macedonia – to the Berlin Process Summit, aimed at building closer ties with the European Union (EU).

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, representatives from nine EU countries, and international organizations are expected to attend the conference. (AFP)

Britain marked a milestone in its “resetting” relationship with the EU when Foreign Secretary David Lammy decided to attend a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg. He noted: “Britain’s security and Europe’s security are inseparable.” (Reuters)

* NATO is conducting a large-scale nuclear exercise called Steadfast Noon, involving 2,000 soldiers from 13 alliance countries and 60 military aircraft in Northern Europe starting on October 14th.

The exercises, taking place primarily in the United Kingdom, the North Sea region, as well as in Belgium and the Netherlands, will demonstrate to “all adversaries” that NATO is ready to respond to any threat. (Sputnik)

* The Russian Pacific Fleet, comprising the frigates Gromky, Rezky, Hero of Russia Aldar Tsydenzhapov, and the supply ship Pechenga, is on a friendly visit to Malaysia . The Russian group of ships has docked at George Town port, the administrative center of Penang Island, and will remain in Malaysia until October 17th. (TASS)

Kyiv destroyed a Tu-134 military aircraft in the early hours of October 13th at a military airfield in the Orenburg region, deep within Russian territory, about 1,000 km from the border with Ukraine. (AFP)

Middle East-Africa

* The Hezbollah attack on a military base in Haifa, northern Israel, on the night of October 13th was “heavy and painful,” according to the Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi. The attack resulted in at least four soldiers killed and at least 60 wounded, according to media reports. (Times of Israel)

* The United Nations (UN) warned Israel was committing war crimes in Lebanon after Israeli tanks rammed through the main gate and entered the encampment of the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon (UNIFIL ) .

The United States will deploy a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system in Israel and send a US team to operate it in order to better protect its Middle Eastern ally from future missile attacks. However, US officials did not specify a concrete timeframe for the deployment. (Reuters)

America

* Argentina plans to increase its defense budget by six times in 2025 compared to 2024, in an effort to become a "global partner" of NATO. Accordingly, Argentina plans to allocate nearly $500 million to its defense fund solely for arms purchases. (Infobae)

* US President Joe Biden is ready to negotiate nuclear arms reductions with Russia, China, and North Korea and must continue to work towards the day when "nuclear weapons can finally be permanently eliminated from the world." He emphasized that there is no interest in "obstructing the process of reducing nuclear arsenals." (Sputnik)

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