Chinese Vice Premier Visits Russia, Terrorist Attack in Mali, Japanese Prime Minister to Reshuffle Cabinet, Ukraine Shoots Down 16 UAVs

South Korea increases defense cooperation with India, Venezuelan President visits China, Australian Prime Minister supports Philippines in East Sea dispute... are some notable world news in the past 24 hours.

British Prime Minister Sunak chats on the flight to India for the upcoming G20 Summit. (Source: The Guardian)

The World & Vietnam Newspaper highlights some of the day's international news highlights.

Asia

*Chinese Vice Premier to visit Russia, attend Eastern Economic Forum: On September 8, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced that member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, Vice Premier of the State Council of China Zhang Guoqing will make a three-day visit to Russia.

In a press release, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said that at the invitation of the Government of the Russian Federation, Prime Minister Zhang Guoqing will visit the Russian port city of Vladivostok to attend the 8th Eastern Economic Forum from September 10-12.

The Eastern Economic Forum has been held annually since 2015 at the initiative of Russian President Vladimir Putin to connect and expand economic and trade cooperation between the Russian Far East region and Asia-Pacific countries.

In 2022, the 7th Eastern Economic Forum with the participation of representatives from 68 countries will take place from September 5-7, also in the Russian city of Vladivostok, with the theme "The Road to a Multipolar World". (AFP)

*Japanese Prime Minister prepares to reshuffle cabinet: According to Nikkei Asia newspaper reported on the morning of September 8, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will reshuffle the government cabinet and the leadership of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party as early as September 13. There is information that he will keep the most influential members.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is expected to formally announce the reshuffle after the G20 summit in India next weekend. Kishida's top priority in the upcoming reshuffle is to maintain stability in the party as he plans to run for re-election as president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in 2024.

Prime Minister Kishida last reshuffled his cabinet in August 2022. His cabinet's approval rating reached 42% in a Nikkei-TV Tokyo poll in August. Prime Minister Kishida is focusing on maintaining stability and continuity in the hope of achieving more policy achievements. (Nikkei Asia)

*South Korea, US plan extended deterrence : South Korea's Foreign Ministry and Defense Ministry announced on September 8 that the country and the US plan to hold high-level discussions on extended deterrence next week to discuss ways to more effectively address growing threats in the region.

The 4th Extended Deterrence Strategy and Consultation Group (EDSCG) meeting, attended by vice defense ministers and foreign officials from both countries, is scheduled to take place in Seoul on September 15.

The two sides plan to have comprehensive and in-depth discussions on policy and strategic cooperation to strengthen deterrence against increasingly apparent nuclear threats in the region, the statement said. Extended deterrence refers to the U.S. commitment to use all of its defense capabilities, including nuclear capabilities, to help defend allies. The two sides held their first EDSCG meeting in 2017. (Yonhap)

*British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak visits India: PTI news agency reported that British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's visit to New Delhi was "clearly very special" as he spoke about being called "India's son-in-law".

Speaking to reporters on a flight to New Delhi, the 43-year-old British-Indian leader, who is married to an Indian woman, Akshata Murty, said he was delighted to be back in India, “a country that is very near and dear to my heart.” He is accompanied by his wife, the daughter of Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy, one of India’s richest billionaires.

Prime Minister Sunak usually takes his family to India every February, but he has cancelled those annual trips since becoming British Prime Minister in 2020.

Mr Sunak is expected to hold bilateral talks with host Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the G20 Summit. At the start of his three-day trip to India, Mr Sunak stressed: “I am heading to the G20 Summit with a clear focus. Stabilizing the global economy. Building international relationships. Supporting the most vulnerable.” (The Guardian)

*South Korea to strengthen defense cooperation with India: In an interview with The Times of India published on September 8, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said he plans to discuss ways to strengthen defense and supply chain cooperation when he meets bilaterally with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 11.

The meeting between the two leaders comes after the South Korean president attended the Group of 20 summit in New Delhi, which will be held on September 9-10 in New Delhi. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said, “In the upcoming bilateral meeting, Prime Minister Modi and I plan to discuss ways to strengthen bilateral defense industry cooperation - the South Korean-made K9 self-propelled howitzer, known as Vajra in India, is the best example - as well as ways to expand supply-chain cooperation, focusing on information technology and other high-tech areas."

The South Korean leader also shared plans to discuss the progress of negotiations between the two countries to upgrade the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) that took effect in 2010. (Yonhap)

Europe

*Ukraine announced that it shot down 16 UAVs in the Odesa region : Ukrainian military officials announced on September 8 that the country's Air Force had shot down 16 out of 20 Iranian-made "Shahed" drones that Russia used in the attack on the night of September 7 in the south of Odesa.

On Telegram , Odesa Mayor Oleh Kiper said: "Overnight, Russian forces attacked the Odesa region for the fifth time this week."

Ukraine’s Southern Command said 14 drones were shot down in the Odessa region and two more in the Mykolaiv region. They said the drones were launched from Russia and from the Crimean peninsula.

Ukraine has repeatedly accused Russian forces of increasing air strikes on Ukrainian grain export infrastructure on the Danube River and the port of Odesa since mid-July, when Moscow withdrew from a U.N.-brokered deal to allow safe Ukrainian grain exports across the Black Sea . (Reuters)

*Local elections begin in Russia: Head of the Election Supervision Agency in Moscow, Mr. Vadim Kovalev announced that on September 8, local elections have officially begun in the Russian capital and observers are present at all polling stations.

"Up to 100% of observers were present at the polling centers. We can confidently say that Moscow is observing the vote," Mr. Kovalev said. According to him, all polling stations opened on time and observers reported online to headquarters that the vote had started as usual and in full compliance with election rules.

In total, 11,700 observers have undergone training in Moscow, where voters will elect mayors, local lawmakers and councilors in 13 centrally run cities from September 8-10 . (TASS)

*EU demands Russia end blockade of Ukrainian ports : European Council President Charles Michel on September 8 warned Russia "must end" its blockade of Ukrainian ports after pulling out of a grain deal brokered by Turkey and the United Nations to ensure grain shipments.

Speaking at a press conference in the Indian capital New Delhi ahead of the G20 summit, Mr. Michel warned: "After withdrawing from the Black Sea grain initiative, Russia is again blockaded and attacking Ukrainian ports. This must stop. More than 250 million people face severe food insecurity worldwide and by deliberately attacking Ukrainian ports."

Russia withdrew from the grain deal on July 17 after several extensions. Turkey and the UN are now trying to persuade Russia to return to the grain deal. (AFP)

Oceania

*New Zealand dissolves parliament ahead of general election: New Zealand dissolved parliament on September 8 ahead of the upcoming general election, as recent polls point to a possible change in government when voters go to the polls on October 14.

Pre-election polls have shown declining support for Prime Minister Chris Hipkins’s ruling Labor Party, which has trailed the main opposition National Party led by Christopher Luxon in recent months. The poll, released on September 8, showed the centre-right National Party leading with 35% of respondents, compared to 27% for the left-wing Labor Party.

According to local media, inflation and rising living costs were two of the main concerns of voters. (Kyodo)

*Australian Prime Minister supports Philippines in East Sea dispute : On September 8, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese voiced his support for the Philippines in the East Sea dispute, on the occasion of the two leaders signing the bilateral strategic partnership agreement.

Mr Albanese said Australia wanted international law to be respected. The 2016 South China Sea ruling found that the Philippines exercised territorial rights over vast swathes of the South China Sea. President Albanese added: Australia’s position will remain consistent, as it has always been – including on recent issues relating to the South China Sea. We value the existence of an open, stable and prosperous region.

Support trade, support sovereignty and support ASEAN centrality and our engagement. We have shared security responsibilities, including supporting the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which is very important. Australia supports, as I said at the East Asia Summit (EAS), the 2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) ruling on the South China Sea. That is binding and it is important that that ruling is upheld in the future . (The Guardian)

America

*Venezuela's President visits China, Beijing praises "solid" ties with Caracas : China on September 8 praised relations with Venezuela as "solid", on the same day as the Latin American country's President Nicolas Maduro visited Beijing.

Speaking at a regular press conference, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning stressed: "Mutual trust between the two countries is becoming increasingly solid and cooperation in a wide range of fields is constantly expanding."

At the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro will pay a state visit to China from September 8 to 14, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry. This will be his fifth visit to China as President.

President Maduro, 61, has served as President of the National Assembly, Foreign Minister and Vice President of Venezuela. He was elected President of Venezuela in April 2013 and re-elected in May 2018. (AFP)

*US and Azerbaijan discuss normalization of Armenia-Azerbaijan relations: Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying that Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and US Acting Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Yuri Kim discussed normalization of Armenia-Azerbaijan relations via phone call.

"During the phone call, the parties discussed the agenda of bilateral and multilateral cooperation, the current situation, as well as the process of normalizing relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Bayramov informed the US side about the current situation in the region, noting that the propaganda carried out by Armenia in the context of the country's increasing military and political provocations against Azerbaijan, as well as manipulative actions aimed at distorting the situation, are aimed at misinforming the international community and do not reflect reality, " the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said. (Sputniknews)

Middle East-Africa

*Iran ready to build oil refinery in Burkina Faso: Tehran Times on September 7 quoted Iranian Oil Minister Javad Oji as saying that Iran is ready to build an oil refinery in Burkina Faso and export technical services to this African country. Mr. Javad Oji made the above statement during a recent meeting with Burkina Faso Foreign Minister Olivia Ragnaghnewende Rouamba.

Iran and Burkina Faso have agreed to build an oil refinery in the African country under a memorandum of understanding signed earlier, according to Minister Javad Oji. Iran's exports of petroleum products and technical services were also discussed during the meeting.

In early September, Mr. Ahmad Shokri, Project Director of the National Petrochemical Company of Iran (NPC), said that Iran is ready to implement petrochemical projects in friendly countries. According to the plan, Iran's petrochemical industry capacity will reach 200 million tons per year and to achieve this capacity, Iran will need investment capital of up to 90 billion USD.

*Suicide attack in northern Mali, at least 64 people killed: Mali's military said on September 8 that two separate attacks on a military base in the north of the country and a passenger ship killed 64 people.

Two separate attacks on the Timbuktu train on the Niger River and a military camp in Bamba, northern Mali, left “a provisional death toll of 49 civilians and 15 soldiers,” according to a government statement. Al-Qaeda and ISIS-linked militant groups “claimed” responsibility for the attacks.

Tensions in northern Mali have flared in recent weeks after the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali announced it would withdraw from the region by the end of the year and handed over two bases near Timbuktu to the Malian armed forces. (Al jazeera)

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