ASIA NEWS BITES: New UN Sanctions on North Korea; Dick Cheney in Taiwan; Chinese Tourists in Nazi Salute Furor; Inner Mongolia Protests

Taiwan:

Former United States Vice President Richard B. Cheney arrived in Taiwan Sunday on a four-day visit, during which he will attend a regional security forum, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said in a press release. - Central News Agency

A South Korean man wanted in connection with the theft of property from the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) headquarters on Tuesday, who briefly managed to flee the country, was apprehended yesterday in Wulai District (烏來), New Taipei City police said. - The Taipei Times

A Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) official on Saturday urged Beijing not to restrict its nationals from studying in Taiwan, in the wake of reports that some Chinese students already admitted by Taiwan's universities are being prevented from enrolling by the Chinese authorities. - Central News Agency

The Taiwanese subsidiary of China-based online video streaming service iQIYI has been accused of refusing to air a Taiwanese series for containing discussions related to Taiwanese independence and footage of the Sunflower movement. - The Taipei Times

China has been engaging young Taiwanese through a series of travel and work exchange activities as the latest move in its “united front” strategy, political observers said. - The Taipei Times

Taiwan's first offshore wind farm off the coast of Miaoli County has generated 6.5 MW as of late July since the launch of commercial operations in April, with capacity expected to grow to 120 MW by 2019, according to local company Swancor Renewable, the lead developer for the project. - Central News Agency

North Korea:

The United Nations Security Council unanimously imposed new sanctions on North Korea on Saturday that could slash by a third the Asian state's $3 billion annual export revenue over its two intercontinental ballistic missile tests in July. - Reuters

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and his U.S. counterpart, Donald Trump, agreed to cooperate and apply maximum pressure on North Korea in a telephone call on Monday, as Chinese media warned of the limits of new U.N. sanctions. - Reuters

North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho has claimed that South Korea's recent offer for talks lacks sincerity in his brief encounter with Seoul's top diplomat on the sidelines of an Asian security forum, a government source said Monday. - The Korea Times

North Korean staff assigned to consulates in China are being called back to Pyongyang for questioning on their political views, with some officials ordered home not returning to their posts, sources say. - Radio Free Asia

South Korea:

South Korea’s spy agency has admitted it conducted an illicit campaign to influence the country’s 2012 presidential election, mobilising teams of experts in psychological warfare to ensure that the conservative candidate, Park Geun-hye, beat her liberal rival. - The Guardian

China:

Declassified: Chinese students allowed longer stay in UK after Tiananmen massacre, but later urged to return. - Hong Kong Free Press

China and ASEAN said they both agreed Sunday to a framework for talks on a “code of conduct” in the disputed South China Sea, but the Southeast Asian side indirectly criticized Beijing’s territorial expansion there in an unusual statement. - Radio Free Asia via AFP

As the ruling Chinese Communist Party gears up for an all-important political congress later this year, the administration of President Xi Jinping has issued new rules aimed at limiting what party members can do online. - Radio Free Asia

Authorities in the central Chinese province of Hunan have installed a large, locked gate outside the apartment of tortured Chinese rights lawyer Xie Yang, who has been incommunicado since his "release on bail" on May 8, his wife told RFA.- Radio Free Asia

Streaming video has exploded in China, but its popularity has been mirrored by growing concern from authorities about the influence of foreign content, among other issues. In addition to government pressure, some analysts predict the sector will eventually be dominated by “BAT” – the three major digital players in China: Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent. - Hong Kong Free Press

Nazi salutes land Chinese tourists in hot water in Germany. - The New York Times

Environmentalists worried about the fate of Africa’s dwindling elephant population cheered when China announced a ban on the sale of commercial ivory last year, but Chinese artisans have turned not to ivory from elephants but from the tusks of extinct mammoths harvested from an unlikely place: the melting permafrost of Russia’s Arctic. - The New York Times

Authorities in the northern Chinese region of Inner Mongolia have detained more than a dozen people after herders in an Evenk ethnic area staged a sit-in in protest over a grazing ban on local grasslands. - Radio Free Asia

Under Armour has won a trademark lawsuit in China, according to the company’s lawyers, marking the latest victory in the battle between western brands and Chinese companies seeking to capitalize on their better-known counterparts. - The Wall Street Journal

Global Economy Week Ahead:Chinese exports and imports are expected to post solid growth, albeit at a slower pace than in June. - The Wall Street Journal

Tibet:

Authorities in the Tibet Autonomous Region’s Chamdo (in Chinese, Changdu) prefecture beat a Tibetan man and detained him for two days last month on suspicion of maintaining contacts outside of the region, a Tibetan source in exile said Friday. - Radio Free Asia

Myanmar:

Security forces in Myanmar fired warning shots to disperse Muslim villagers while they were arresting four suspected insurgents in a western region where government troops have been accused of human rights violations against Rohingya minority, officials said Saturday. - The Wall Street Journal

Government dismisses claims of abuse against Rohingya: State-backed commission rejects UN report of mass killings and systematic rape of Muslim minority by security forces.- Al Jazeera

Hong Kong:

Ten beaches typically packed on a hot weekend were closed in Hong Kong on Sunday (Aug 6) due to a palm oil spillage from a ship collision in mainland Chinese waters. - Channel NewsAsia

Hong Kong Journalists Association Chairperson Chris Yeung says that the government is concerned that digital media platforms may protest, rather than cover news, if allowed into press conferences. The government has long-banned digital-only outlets from attending its media events and obtaining its press releases, despite a chorus of condemnation from local and international watchdogs. - Hong Kong Free Press

Controversial joint checkpoint arrangement will not be overturned, says Hong Kong Chief Exec. Carrie Lam. - Hong Kong Free Press

Hong Kong top ‘mobile-first’ market in news consumption – Reuters study. - Hong Kong Free Press

Japan:

Toyota move to build a new factory in the U.S. won immediate praise from President Donald Trump, but it is just one facet of a larger plan that also involves boosting production of high-margin trucks and SUVs in Mexico and Canada. - The Wall Street Journal

Tokyo on Sunday asked Washington to halt Osprey flights in Japan after the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps called off search and rescue operations for three marines who disappeared after an MV-22 crashed off Australia’s east coast a day earlier. - The Japan Times

China is expected to overtake Japan as the second-largest contributor to the general U.N. budget beginning in 2019, according to the global body’s latest report on contributions. - The Japan Times

A slow-moving but weakening Typhoon Noru, at one point the strongest storm in the world this year, approached the main islands of Japan on Sunday, leaving two people dead and prompting evacuation advisories to be issued for hundreds of thousands. - Channel NewsAsia

Vietnam:

Authorities in central Vietnam’s Quang Binh province arrested a member of an online democracy advocacy group on Friday, bringing to five the number of group members taken into custody during the last week. - Radio Free Asia

Singapore:

Singapore’s government is to take legal action against the grandson of founding leader Lee Kuan Yew over a Facebook post linked to a family feud that has gripped the city state. - Guardian

Indonesia:

Despite the detection of hotspots, some districts in Indonesia have yet to be on emergency alert for forest fires, said Indonesia's National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) on Sunday (Aug 6).- Channel NewsAsia

Indonesian state trading company Perusahaan Perdagangan Indonesia and Russian state conglomerate Rostec have signed a preliminary deal to trade Sukhoi Su-35 jets for commodities like palm oil and coffee, the Indonesian trade ministry said. - The Jakarta Globe

Tech giant Google and microblogging site Twitter have agreed to support the Indonesian government's efforts to curb content deemed inappropriate or against the law by providing special reporting channels, a minister said on Friday (04/08).- The Jakarta Globe

Philippines:

Philippine construction firm Teravera Corp is planning to raise a fourth dollar loan in a year, after borrowing around $2.5 million to buy dozens of excavators, road rollers and dump trucks from China, South Korea and Japan. - The Philippine Star

Filipinos consider ISIS, global climate change and cyber-attacks from other countries as the leading security threat to their country, according to a Washington-based fact tank. - The Philippine Star

Cambodia:

The prime minister of Cambodia, a country whose uneasy relationship with the United States has involved war, refugee emigration and years of on-off political tension, says he does not want his U.S.-born grandchild to have an American passport. - CNBC

The government has stalled its latest effort to deport a group of Vietnamese asylum-seekers at the behest of the U.N. refugee agency, an official said on Sunday, after stating last month that the 16 Montagnards would soon be expelled to Vietnam. - The Cambodia Daily