Trade ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) nations on Sunday called for the “immediate repeal” of import bans on Japanese food products and pushed for a reform of the World Trade Organization (WTO). The G7 trade ministers issued a joint statement after a meeting in Osaka, Japan, on Oct. 29, pledging to maintain “a free and fair trading system” and enhance “economic resilience and economic security.” “We deplore actions to weaponize economic dependencies and commit to build on free, fair, and mutually beneficial economic and trade relationships and accelerate such collaboration with the wider international community,” the statement reads. The G7 nations—Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States—emphasized the importance of import curbs on food products being science-based and compliant with WTO....Read more https://www.theepochtimes.com/business/g7-nations-call-for-immediate-repeal-of-japanese-food-ban-5519312
WASHINGTON—A leading voice in the Solomon Islands Parliament says that China’s communist regime is infiltrating his country at every level. Peter Kenilorea Jr., a Solomon Islands MP and chair of its Foreign Relations Committee, says that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has increasingly infiltrated the nation since the pro-China Manasseh Sogavare assumed the office of prime minister again in 2019. In an exclusive interview with The Epoch Times, Mr. Kenilorea said that the Solomon Islands is now facing a crisis of public opinion, with pro and anti-CCP discourse dividing the country’s people. “That infiltration has just gotten stronger. It’s a battle of hearts and minds, really. That’s what’s happening in the Solomon Islands right now,” Mr. Kenilorea said....
Commentary While the focus of world attention has shifted in the past few weeks from Ukraine to the Middle East, it would be a mistake to ignore events in the Indo-Pacific, especially the South China Sea. Heightened aggression by China’s People Liberation Army (PLA) towards other nations has been notable over recent weeks and months. Apart from the ongoing intimidation of Taiwan, the PLA has increased its aggression against other countries with claims to the South China Sea, and against international missions to protect international waters. At the forefront of this aggression is an ongoing assault on the territory over which the Philippines asserts sovereignty....
A bicameral legislation has been introduced with the aim of holding the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) accountable for its persecution of religious groups in China. Sen. Ted Budd (R-N.C.) introduced the legislation with his colleague Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), with Rep. Mark Alford (R-Mo.) leading a companion bill (H.R.6069) in the House. “One of the most sacred human rights is the right to freely practice your religion,” Mr. Budd said in a video unveiling the legislation. “The Chinese government has violated these rights for decades by routinely and egregiously persecuting Christians and other religious groups, from placing Uyghurs in concentration camps to barring Christians from holding church services.”...