World

N. Korea seeks to boost ‘military muscle’ after missile launch as US, EU condemn test

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called for boosting the country’s strategic military forces as he observed the test of a hypersonic missile state media said on Wednesday.

This marks the North Korean leader’s first official attendance of a missile launch in nearly two years.

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On Tuesday authorities in South Korea and Japan detected the suspected launch, which drew condemnation by authorities around the world and prompted an expression of concern from the UN secretary-general.

The second test of a “hypersonic missile” in less than a week underscored Kim's New Year’s vow to bolster the military with cutting-edge technology at a time when talks with South Korea and the United States have stalled.

After watching the test, Kim urged military scientists to “further accelerate the efforts to steadily build up the country’s strategic military muscle both in quality and quantity and further modernize the army,” KCNA news agency reported.

It was the first time since March 2020 that Kim had officially attended a missile test.

“His presence here would suggest particular attention on this program,” Ankit Panda, a senior fellow at the US-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, posted on Twitter.

Unlike some other recent tests, ruling party newspaper Rodong Sinmun published photos of Kim attending the launch on its front page.

“While Kim probably unofficially attended other tests in the interim, this appearance and its Page One feature on Rodong Sinmun is important,” said Chad O'Carroll, chief executive of Korea Risk Group, which monitors North Korea. “It means Kim is not concerned about being personally associated (with) tests of major new tech. And doesn't care how the US sees this.”

UN Security Council resolutions ban all North Korean ballistic missile and nuclear tests and have imposed sanctions over the programs.

Talks aimed at persuading North Korea to surrender or limit its arsenal of nuclear weapons and missiles have stalled, with Pyongyang saying it is open to diplomacy but only if the United States and its allies stop “hostile policies” such as sanctions or military drills.

US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland called the launches dangerous and destabilizing.

“It obviously takes us in the wrong direction,” she said at a regular briefing in Washington on Tuesday.

“As you know, the United States has been saying since this administration came in that we are open to dialogue with North Korea, that we are open to talking about COVID and humanitarian support, and instead they're firing off missiles.”

The European Union on Tuesday condemned the latest North Korean missile launch as a “threat to international peace and security” and called on Pyongyang to resume diplomacy.

Superior Manoeuverability

Despite their name, analysts say the main feature of hypersonic weapons is not speed – which can sometimes be matched or exceeded by traditional ballistic missile warheads – but their maneuverability, which makes them an acute threat to missile defense systems.

Photos released by state media appeared to show the same type of missile and warhead that was first tested last week, analysts said.

“The test-fire was aimed at the final verification of overall technical specifications of the developed hypersonic weapon system,” KCNA reported.

After its release from the rocket booster, a hypersonic glide vehicle made a 600 kilometer “glide jump flight” and then 240 km of “corkscrew maneuvering” before hitting a target in the sea 1,000 km away, the report said.

South Korean officials had questioned the capabilities of the missile after the first test last week, saying it did not appear to demonstrate the range and maneuverability claimed in a state media report and featured a maneuverable warhead rather than an actual glide vehicle.

On Tuesday, however, South Korea said the second test appeared to show improved performance, with the missile reaching top speeds up to 10 times the speed of sound 12,348 kilometer per hour although they did not comment on its maneuverability.

“The superior maneuverability of the hypersonic glide vehicle was more strikingly verified through the final test-fire,” KCNA said.

US condemns North Korea’s ballistic missile launch: State Department

World

New Zealand raises concerns with China on South China Sea, Taiwan

New Zealand Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta said on Saturday she had expressed concerns over the South China Sea and tensions in the Taiwan Strait during talks with her Chinese counterpart at the end of a visit to Beijing.

Mahuta also said in a statement she “noted New Zealand’s deep concerns regarding the human rights situation in Xinjiang and the erosion of rights and freedoms in Hong Kong”, during her meeting with Chinese Foreign Affairs Minister Qin Gang.

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“Nanaia Mahuta expressed concerns over developments in the South China Sea and increasing tensions in the Taiwan Strait,” the foreign minister’s statement said.

Mahuta said she reiterated New Zealand’s condemnation of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. China is a key ally of Russia and both have criticised the U.S. and NATO for undermining global stability.

Mahuta arrived in China on Wednesday for the four-day trip, the first by a New Zealand minister since 2019, and also met China’s top diplomat Wang Yi as well as business and women leaders.

Wang told Mahuta that China and New Zealand had always respected and trusted each other, according to a statement by the Chinese foreign ministry.

New Zealand has long been seen as the moderate voice on China in the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing alliance also involving the United States, Australia, Britain, and Canada. But New Zealand’s tone on security and China’s growing presence in the South Pacific toughened in the past year after China and the Solomon Islands struck a security pact.

New Zealand has consistently expressed concerns about the potential militarisation of the Pacific, amid China’s military buildup in the South China Sea.

China views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory and has never renounced the option of using force to take the island under its control, and claims a large part of the South China Sea.

Mahuta said the countries looked forward to resuming in-person dialogue on a range of issues following a gap of several years in face-to-face contacts.

She invited Qin to visit New Zealand, and also flagged a potential visit by New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins to China, perhaps this year. Hipkins became prime minister in January after Jacinda Ardern resigned.

World

Two migrants suffocate to death, more injured aboard Texas train

Two suspected undocumented immigrants suffocated to death aboard a freight train and 10 others in need of medical care were taken by helicopter or ambulance to hospital on Friday in south Texas, police said.

Officials in Uvlade, Texas, received an anonymous emergency 911 call advising them that numerous immigrants were suffocating inside a train, Uvalde police said in a statement. At least 15 immigrants needed immediate medical attention, police said.

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US Border Patrol officials were notified and able to stop the train just east of Knippa, Texas, in Uvalde County, police said. Officials closed US Highway 90 temporarily to land the helicopters.

Federal investigators were looking into the possibility of human smuggling, investigators with the US Department of Homeland Security said.

The tragedy occurred near the site of a more grave incident last year, when 53 migrants died in the back of a tractor trailer amid the sweltering heat during a smuggling attempt.

Dozens of migrants were packed into the back of a truck found on the outskirts of San Antonio on June 27.

Two Americans have been indicted in federal court in that case and could face the death penalty if convicted. Two Mexicans have been charged with lesser crimes.

On Friday, Uvalde Police Chief Daniel Rodriguez suspected the migrants were dehydrated due to the heat of the train cars during warm weather, KSAT television reported.

“It’s sad to see that so many undocumented immigrants were found in this condition, and two of them lost their lives. It’s heartbreaking,” KSAT quoted Rodriguez as saying.

The Union Pacific railroad would lead the investigation, Uvalde police said.

The Mexican consulate in Eagle Pass, Texas, said on Twitter it was aware of the incident and in communication with US officials to determine if any of the victims were Mexican.

Homeland Security had yet to determine the nationalities of the victims or whether any families or children were among them, a department official with knowledge of the matter said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Knippa is about 72 miles (115 km) west of San Antonio and about 120 miles (190 km) from the Mexican border.

It is near the town of Uvalde, which was the scene of a mass shooting at an elementary school in May last year that killed 19 school children and two teachers.

Mexico finds 57 adolescent migrants crammed into truck near US border

World

Biden-Xi call will come later than the US hoped as China ties fray

US officials now expect that a phone call between President Joe Biden and China’s President Xi Jinping won’t happen as soon as they had hoped, as ties between the world’s two biggest economies continue to fray, according to people familiar with the matter.

China’s leaders still haven’t responded to US requests to set up the call, which American officials had said would take place soon after an annual meeting of the country’s legislature, the National People’s Congress, concluded March 13, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing private deliberations.

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The US now expects a call won’t happen until after Taiwan’s president passes through the US in early April, the people said. That stop, which Chinese officials have already criticized, may include a meeting with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

The delay isn’t provoking panic but reflects a broader deterioration in the two countries’ relationship after a series of spats, testy exchanges and full-blown crises in recent months, all of which has been accompanied by increasingly aggressive rhetoric on both sides.

Asked to comment about the US assessment on the timing of a call, National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson dismissed it as “idle speculation by an unnamed official.”

“The two leaders will speak at some point in the coming weeks, but we have nothing specific to announce,” Watson said.

The delay fits an emerging pattern: China still hasn’t responded to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s effort to speak with his Chinese counterpart, outreach the US made after Biden deployed US fighter jets to shoot down an alleged Chinese spy balloon that transited the US in February.

The balloon provoked a national uproar and led Secretary of State Antony Blinken to cancel a trip to Beijing. China said the balloon was a harmless weather craft that drifted off course and accused the US of “hyperventilating.”

US officials have said restoring communications is a top priority. Blinken has been looking to reschedule his trip, and others including Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen may visit the People’s Republic of China.

“It’s important that we keep those lines of communication open, particularly now when tensions are so high,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said earlier in the week. “As a matter of fact, we’re having discussions with the PRC right now about a potential visit by Secretary Yellen and Secretary Raimondo to go over there and talk about economic issues.”

Biden has put a particular emphasis on using one-on-one chats with other leaders as a way to smooth relations. He last met Xi in person in November on the sidelines of a Group of 20 meeting in Bali, Indonesia. The two leaders’ pledge to arrest the slide in ties was drowned out by the balloon uproar as well as US accusations that China is moving closer to Russia and may provide it lethal assistance for the invasion of Ukraine.

Tsai’s visit to Central America will be the latest irritant. She’s expected to stop over in New York on March 29 and 30 and then again in Los Angeles a week later.

Such stopovers are normally routine but will draw new scrutiny given how bad the US-China relationship is now.

Lower-level contacts between the US and China have continued, including between the Pentagon and the Chinese military as well as a recent visit to Beijing by the head of the State Department’s new “China House,” Rick Waters.