Bloomberg Australia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Marise Payne said there are concerns about a “lack of transparency” in relation to the draft security agreement between the Solomon Islands and China. Speaking in a local television interview, Payne said the matter is “something that should be discussed in the broader Pacific Island forum context itself” and that the “Pacific family” ...

  Bloomberg Sri Lanka’s army denied speculation it is planning to crack down on protesters seeking the ouster of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. In a statement, it termed as “sinister” allegations that troops are training to assault the demonstrators. Soldiers will step in only if the police call on them for assistance, the army said. “Troops as everyone witnessed in the ...

  Bloomberg South Korea’s President-Elect Yoon Suk Yeol plans to send a group of delegates to Japan next week, Yonhap News reported, a sign that the two nations could work toward mending relations amid mounting North Korean provocations. The seven-member delegation led by People Power Party’s lawmaker Chung Jinsuk will visit Japan’s foreign ministry officials during their visit from April ...