Tag Archive for: ties

US trade rep seeks close economic security ties in Asia

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TOKYO — The United States hopes to deepen trade ties with Japan as it fortifies cooperation on economic security with its Asian allies and partners, the top U.S. trade envoy said Wednesday.

U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai’s visit to Tokyo follows a trip to the Philippine capital, Manila, that she said highlighted a newly emerging partnership among the three countries as they build both economic and defense ties.

Tai met with Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi to discuss making supply chains more resilient and secure, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Tai also reviewed the status of negotiations on the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, or IPEF, a new trade pact proposed by Washington, emphasizing the importance of cooperation with Japan, it said.

The framework has 13 members, including the U.S., that account for 40% of global gross domestic product: Australia, Brunei, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Hayashi responded by welcoming more U.S. engagement in the regional economy, saying Japan will proactively discuss the plan with other partners.

Japan and the United States have been promoting multilateral cooperation, most recently with the Philippines as they share common concern over China’s growing influence and assertiveness in both security and economic activities.

But the U.S. has stepped up diplomacy across the region, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken stopping over the weekend in Vietnam, which Washington sees as a key component of its strategy for the region given the country’s traditional rivalry with its much larger neighbor China.

Tai also met Wednesday with Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Yasutoshi Nishimura. The trade ministry said the two discussed strengthening supply chains — an issue that gained urgency amid shortages of computer chips and other goods during the pandemic. They also discussed ways to cooperate in the protection of human rights in business, the ministry said.

Japan and the United States have set up a taskforce that aims to eliminate human rights violations in international supply chains and to ban use of materials from…

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S&T’s Partnership with CISA and our Mobile Security R&D Program & Network Infrastructure Role

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“Blind” Previews Intriguing Ties Between Jung Eun Ji, Taecyeon, Ha Seok Jin, And More With Relationship Chart

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The production team of “Blind” has revealed a character relationship chart!

tvN’s upcoming Friday-Saturday drama “Blind” is a mystery thriller that depicts the story of people who have unfairly become victims because they are ordinary and perpetrators who have closed their eyes to the uncomfortable truths. The story centers around detectives, judges, law school students, and jurors.

The relationship chart allows viewers to see at a glance the intertwined relationships of the characters involved in the mysterious serial murder of a jury, stimulating the viewers’ curiosity.

In the chart, from top left to right are the two brothers, Ryu Sung Joon (2PM’s Taecyeon) and Ryu Sung Hoon (Ha Seok Jin), and Jo Eun Ki (Apink’s Jung Eun Ji), who is one of the nine jurors. Detective Ryu Sung Joon and judge Ryu Sung Hoon, who are the sons of Supreme Court justice Ryu Il Ho (Choi Hong Il) and Minister of Welfare nominee Na Gook Hee (Jo Kyung Sook), are on a hunt for the unknown serial killer of the so-called “Joker’s Murder Case” who leaves a brutal signature mark at each crime scene.

Overly motivated and passionate, detective Ryu Sung Joon always makes his older brother Ryu Sung Hoon concerned. The previously released teaser captures the two brothers not being able to trust each other. Anticipation is high for whether these brothers can overcome their distrust and find the culprit.

The chart also depicts the family relationship of Jo Eun Ki, a social worker and juror who is pursuing the truth of the murder case along with Ryu Sung Joon and Ryu Sung Hoon. Growing up with her mother Jo In Sook (Jo Yeon Hee), who took on the responsibility of her family’s livelihood on her own, Jo Eun Ki went through many hurdles in life and became blunt about things. Even when her life is at risk, Jo Eun Ki remains calm. Viewers are curious to find out whether Jo Eun Ki can survive from the unidentified killer who is targeting the jury.

The names and nicknames of the eight jurors involved in the trial of death along with Jo Eun Ki have also been revealed. From top left to right are Kang Young Ki (Kim Ha Kyun), who retired as managing director at a large firm, Bae Chul Ho (Jo Seung Yeon),…

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Common values, shared threats in India-Australia cyber security ties

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Western and media attention may be focused on the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, but countries have not taken their eye off the Indo-Pacific where there is clear evidence of the changing world order. This is manifest in the signing of the India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement in goods and services earlier this month.

The botched US withdrawal from Afghanistan followed by China taking a serious interest in creating new economic, military and political alliances, and the impending energy crisis demand that nations recalibrate their strategic as well as long-term interests. The India-Australia ECTA is a concrete example of the bilateral faith in common values, and understanding of threats and goals. A reflection of this is cooperation in cyber security.

The Russia-Ukraine conflict has shown how cyber threat actors, both state and non-state, have become significant players in hybrid or “unrestricted” warfare. Both countries have let loose malicious elements in the information as well as operational space, while non-state actors like the hacktivist group Anonymous claimed to have caused significant damage to critical Russian and Belarusian financial and military infrastructure.

China is accused of having amassed a large number of cyber weapons and has allegedly carried out sophisticated operations aimed at espionage, theft of intellectual property, and destructive attacks on internet resources of some countries. Australia and India have been at the receiving end of several such campaigns by the so-called Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) groups, supported by or assumed to be located in China.

At the June 2020 virtual bilateral summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison elevated the bilateral relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. The new cyber framework includes a five-year plan to work together on the digital economy, cybersecurity and critical and emerging technologies. This will be supported by a $9.7 million fund for bilateral research to improve regional cyber resilience.

An annual Cyber Policy Dialogue, a new Joint Working Group on Cyber Security Cooperation and a joint working group on ICTs…

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