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‘US will not abandon Asia-Pacific’

o Taiwan to increase defence spending

Trump’s repeated criticism of Taiwan over its dominance of the global semiconductor chip industry and its spending on defence has raised doubts about his willingness to protect the island. Defence Minister Wellington Koo said on Monday he was “convinced that the US will not abandon the Indo-Pacific”. “It doesn’t want a war in the region, since that would lead to the loss of the Indo-Pacific region and bear immense costs,” Koo said, using another term for the Asia-Pacific region, in remarks embargoed until yesterday. “The US cannot withdraw from the Indo-Pacific because this is its

core interest ... This is undoubtedly a fundamental national interest for the US, whether from the perspective of economic growth, geopolitical relevance, or military security.” Koo said Taiwan was in the centre of the Asia-Pacific’s first island chain – linking Okinawa, Taiwan and the Philippines – and its security was critical to its neighbours, who have competing territorial claims with China. “If Taiwan were breached and taken over by the CCP, what situation would Japan face? What situation would the Philippines face?” Koo asked, using the acronym for the Chinese Communist Party. Koo said China’s “authoritarian

expansionism” would not stop. The Foreign Ministry said it “continues to assess the positions of Russia, the United States, the European Union, and Ukraine”, after a White House official said Trump had suspended military aid to Kyiv. The United States does not have formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, but Washington has long been Taipei’s most important partner and biggest supplier of arms. Taiwan has repeatedly vowed to increase defence spending as it seeks to stay onside with the Trump administration, and Koo said there were discussions with Washington about the weapons procurement process.

“We are communicating with them and, of course, we hope they will also expedite the review process for arms sales that are essential for building our self-defence capabilities,” Koo said. “This is something we are working on in our discussions with them.” Koo would not comment on specific purchases, but said that “asymmetric capabilities and defence resilience are our priorities for foreign military procurement”. Taiwan’s roughly week-long Han Kuang annual military drills will be expanded this year, Koo said, with five new joint operational exercises added and live-fire drills held over 10 days. – AFP

TAIPEI: The United States will “not abandon” the Asia-Pacific region, Taiwan’s defence minister said, days after US President Donald Trump’s fiery clash with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky fuelled concern in Taiwan over US support for the island. Taiwan faces the constant threat of an invasion by China, which claims the island as part of its territory, and Taipei is heavily reliant on Washington for its security backing.

Lights out for landmark HK theatre

Japan’s worst wildfire in 50 years spreads TOKYO: Firefighters were yesterday battling Japan’s worst wildfire in half a century, which has left one dead and forced the evacuation of nearly 4,000 local residents. White smoke billowed from a forested area around the northern city of Ofunato, aerial TV footage showed, five days after the blaze began after record low rainfall. The fire also follows Japan’s hottest summer on record last year. As of yesterday morning, the wildfire had engulfed around 2,600ha, the fire and disaster management agency said – over seven times the area of New York’s Central Park. That makes it Japan’s largest wildfire since 1975 when 2,700ha burnt in Kushiro on northern Hokkaido island. It is estimated to have damaged at least 80 buildings by Sunday, although details were still being assessed, the agency said. Military and fire department helicopters are trying to douse the Ofunato fire, but it is still spreading, a city official told reporters. “There is little concern that the fire will reach the (more densely populated) city area,” the official said, adding that authorities were “doing our best” to put it out. Around 2,000 firefighters – most deployed from other parts of the country, including Tokyo – are working from the air and ground in the area in Iwate region, which was hard-hit by a deadly tsunami in 2011. An evacuation advisory has been issued to around 4,600 people, of whom 3,939 have left their homes to seek shelter, according to the municipality. The number of wildfires in Japan has declined since its 1970s peak, but the country saw about 1,300 in 2023, concentrated in February to April when the air dries and winds pick up. Japanese baseball prodigy Roki Sasaki, who recently joined the Los Angeles Dodgers, has offered a ¥10 million (RM299 million) donation and 500 sets of bedding. – AFP

HONG KONG: A landmark venue that became synonymous with Cantonese opera for more than half a century closed its doors early yesterday, with hundreds gathering to watch its neon signs going dark. Crowds packed onto the streets of Hong Kong’s North Point district after dark on Monday, eager to snap pictures of Sunbeam Theatre – recognisable from its brightly lit marquee and red neon signs looming over a busy intersection. Established in 1972, the ornate venue was the proving ground for generations of performers in the city and mainland China, and was lauded as the “palace” of Cantonese opera. Its lobby was adorned with calligraphy, a gong and drum for good luck as well as 108 round lamps suspended from the ceiling. A coin-operated weighing machine added a dash of whimsy. “This theatre grew up with us,” said neighbourhood resident Franklin Mui, who recalled watching shows there as a teen. “I never thought it would close down.” Cantonese opera originated in southern China and became a staple of post-war Hong Kong’s cultural life, with its popularity peaking around the 1960s. A 68-year-old retiree surnamed Pang travelled across town to pay tribute late on Monday, saying the theatre should have been conserved. “Watching shows at (Sunbeam), you feel close to the actors on stage,” she said. But with changing tastes, Sunbeam ran into repeated financial trouble and nearly closed in 2012 before playwright Edward Li took it over. The theatre tried to win over younger audiences with modern takes on the art form, including an absurdist tale about President Donald Trump told in Cantonese opera style. “(Sunbeam) is a collective memory that Hong Kongers don’t want to give up,” Li told AFP in January. But he acknowledged that the theatre’s heyday was behind it, adding that the government could have done more to support it. “We live in an era when Cantonese opera is at its lowest and closest to death.” At 15 minutes after midnight, following a farewell ceremony in the 1,000-seat auditorium, the lights went out. The new owners, who acquired the premises last year, plan to convert it into an evangelical church. – AFP

A helicopter douses a wildfire site in Ofunato on Monday. – REUTERSPIC

Gender pay gap in Australia improves slightly SYDNEY: Australia’s gender pay gap has narrowed slightly but women are still paid nearly a fifth less than men, with the finance, mining and construction industries showing the biggest differences, a report found. with 19% in the previous year. Some 56% of companies reduced their pay gaps. “Where an employer’s gender pay gap is beyond the target range of +/-5%, it indicates one gender is more likely to be over represented in higher paying roles compared with the other,” the agency’s chief executive Mary Wooldridge said. The Workplace Gender Equality Agency survey also showed that 72.2% of employers had a gap favouring men while 21.3% had a gap within the target range of +/-5%. The rest had a gap that favoured women. The median pay gap for the year to March 2024 was 18.6% in favour of men, compared Large listed companies with big pay gaps in favour of men included the country’s top investment bank Macquarie Group with a gap of 41.8% and gas producer Woodside with a

gap of 25.6%. Woodside showed an improvement from 30.2% a year earlier while data was not collated for Macquarie previously. The large gaps remain despite both companies having female chief executives. Asked about the gap, Macquarie CEO Shemara Wikramanayake said the firm did not want to push female employees into senior roles before they were ready. “It’s going to take as long as it’s going to take,” she told the Australian Financial Review Business Summit yesterday. – Reuters