Trump Links China Deal to NK; China Turns NK Ships Away; Taipei-Shanghai Talks Green Lit; Tibetan Monk Freed 5 Yrs after Self-Immolation Attempt
What you need to know
Asia Update: A quick roundup of the most important news from around the region.
U.S. President Donald Trump says he “explained to the President of China that a trade deal with the U.S. will be far better for them if they solve the North Korean problem!” – Twitter
A fleet of North Korean cargo ships is heading home to the port of Nampo, the majority of it fully laden, after China ordered its trading companies to return coal from the isolated country, shipping data shows. – Reuters
A Tibetan monk jailed for over five years after surviving a self-immolation protest in Sichuan’s Ngaba county was released from prison this week after serving his full sentence, Tibetan sources in the region said. – Radio Free Asia
China remained the world’s top executioner in 2016 while Vietnam has joined the top five executing countries. - The News Lens
The annual twin-city forum between Taipei and Shanghai will likely be held in June this year. – Central News Agency (Taiwan)
It may be a long road to freedom for the Taiwanese NGO worker detained in China but local political activists say Chinese actions will only strengthen their resolve. – The News Lens
Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council has dismissed criticism that the government has failed to play an active role in securing the release of a Taiwan activist being detained in China, saying both President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and Premier Lin Chuan (林全) have paid close attention to the case. – Taipei Times
The violent removal of a United Airlines passenger who refused to leave after being bumped off an overbooked flight in Chicago on Monday has sparked widespread outrage on Chinese social media after state media said the man was a 69-year-old Chinese-American originally from Beijing. – Radio Free Asia (United States)
A Chinese official who allegedly declined to smoke in front of Muslims in Xinjiang has been demoted for taking an “unstable political stance,” a state-run newspaper reported Tuesday. – Hong Kong Free Press
A Uyghur businessman suspected by Chinese authorities of maintaining contacts with separatist organizations has died under police questioning in China’s northwestern region of Xinjiang, Uyghur sources say. – Radio Free Asia (United States)
Pro-democracy legislator “Long Hair” Leung Kwok-hung says he has received a single-visit travel permit to mainland China, having previously been prevented from crossing the border on numerous occasions. He plans to visit a water supply area as part of his work as a legislator. – Hong Kong Free Press
Hong Kong lawmaker Cheng Chung-tai has been arrested and charged for desecrating the national and Hong Kong flags inside the Legislative Council chamber last year. – South China Morning Post
Trade between China and Cambodia swelled to US$4.8 billion last year, up by about $200 million from the year before, while Beijing has now given the government $4.2 billion in grants and loans, Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Tuesday. –The Cambodia Daily
The high-profile scandal involving nationalist Osaka-based school operator Moritomo Gakuen has once again brought to the fore the ability of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who is linked to the affair, to maintain high public approval ratings. – Japan Times