Bloomberg The US security presence “remains vital to the Asia-Pacific region,” and China would be unable to take over that role in Southeast Asia even with its increasing military might, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said. In an article published by Foreign Affairs on Thursday, Lee wrote that China’s competing maritime and territorial claims in the South China Sea ...

Bloomberg Japan will allow some resident foreigners to re-enter the country on humanitarian grounds after facing criticism its policies made their return uncertain and left the group in a Covid-19 travel limbo. A notice on the foreign ministry website says permission to land may be granted “depending on the individual situation if there are special exceptional circumstances, particularly such as ...

Bloomberg Philippine lawmakers have approved a bill allowing warrantless detention and wiretapping of suspected terrorists, which the country’s human rights commission says could curb expressions of dissent and other freedoms. The House of Representatives gave its final approval on the anti-terrorism bill, adopting the Senate’s version of the measure that’s been certified by President Rodrigo Duterte as urgent. Bills on ...