Top Asia Pacific Breaking News Stories

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) – Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te on Thursday vowed to defend the self-ruled island’s sovereignty in the face of China’s “expansionist ambitions,” days after Beijing wrapped up live-fire military drills near its shores. “In the face of China’s rising expansionist ambitions, the international community is watching to see whether the Taiwanese people have the resolve to defend themselves,” Lai said in his New Year’s address. “As president, my stance has always been clear: to firmly safeguard national sovereignty, strengthen national defense and the resilience of the whole society, and comprehensively construct an effective deterrence and democratic defense mechanism,” he added.

ISLAMABAD (AP) – Pakistan experienced its deadliest year in over a decade in 2025 as combat-related deaths surged 74%, with militants accounting for more than half the death toll, according to a new report released by an independent think tank. Islamabad often accuses Kabul of turning a blind eye to cross-border attacks by Pakistani militants, a claim Afghanistan’s Taliban government denies. Tensions between the two neighbors have been high since October following border clashes that killed dozens and wounded hundreds. The Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies, or PICSS, said violence in Pakistan left 3,413 people dead – up from 1,950 in 2024 – with 2,138 militants killed.

BEIJING (AP) – China’s People’s Liberation Army said Wednesday that it “successfully completed” two days of military exercises in the waters off Taiwan, concluding a set of high-powered maneuvers aimed at asserting its sovereignty over the island – actions that ratcheted up tension in East Asia during 2025’s waning days. In a New Year’s Eve announcement, the PLA said that the operation it called “Justice Mission 2025” had “fully tested the integrated joint operations capabilities of its troops.” “Always on high alert, the troops of the Theater Command will keep strengthening combat readiness with arduous training, resolutely thwart the attempts of ‘Taiwan Independence’ separatists and external intervention, and firmly safeguard state sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Senior Capt.

NEW YORK (AP) – From Sydney to Paris to New York City, crowds rang in the new year with exuberant celebrations filled with thunderous fireworks or light shows, while others took a more subdued approach. As the clock struck midnight in Japan, temple bells rang and some climbed mountains to see the year’s first sunrise, while a light show with somersaulting jet skis twinkled in Dubai. The countdown to 2026 was projected onto the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, while in Moscow people celebrated in the snow. In New York City’s Times Square, revelers braved frigid temperatures to celebrate with the famed New Year’s Eve ball drop.

BEIJING (AP) – Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday hailed his country’s technological progress in areas such as artificial intelligence and semiconductors while once again insisting his country would annex self-ruled Taiwan. During his New Year’s Eve address broadcast Wednesday evening by state media, Xi praised the country’s advancements in key sectors including military tech and space exploration. Images ranging from humanoid robots performing kung fu to new hydropower projects rolled on the screen as he spoke. “We sought to energize high-quality development through innovation,” Xi said while thanking Chinese people for contributing to the country’s economic growth over the past five years.

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) – The season’s first heavy rains and snowfall ended a prolonged dry spell but triggered flash floods in several areas of Afghanistan, killing at least 17 people and injuring 11 others, a spokesman for Afghanistan’s national disaster management authority said Thursday. The dead included five members of a family in a property where the roof collapsed on Thursday in Kabkan, a district in the Herat province, according to Mohammad Yousaf Saeedi, spokesman for the Herat governor. Two of the victims were children. Most of the casualties have occurred since Monday in districts hit by flooding, and the severe weather also disrupted daily life across central, northern, southern, and western regions, according to Mohammad Yousaf Hammad, a spokesman for Afghanistan’s National Disaster Management Authority.

TOKYO (AP) – Japan is barreling forward with efforts to significantly boost its military capabilities to stand up to China’s growing threats by doubling annual arms spending. The goal comes as Tokyo’s main ally, the United States, pushes for more military assistance in Asia and a military hawk and ultra-conservative takes over Japan’s leadership. Japan says it is still a peaceful nation and the buildup is necessary for a more self-reliant military that can better deter China. But Beijing and other critics see Japan as deviating from its postwar peace pledge, pointing to Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s statement soon after taking office that any Chinese military action against Taiwan could be grounds for a Japanese military response.

ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan (AP) – Turkmenistan, one of the world’s most isolated nations, officially legalized mining and exchanging cryptocurrency on Thursday in a major shift for the country’s tightly controlled, gas-dependent economy. Signed by President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, the legislation regulating virtual assets brings cryptocurrencies under civil law and establishes a licensing scheme for cryptocurrency exchanges overseen by the country’s central bank. However, digital currencies will still not be recognized as a means of payment, currency, or security. Turkmenistan’s internet also remains tightly regulated and controlled by the government. Turkmenistan, a former Soviet country in Central Asia, relies heavily on the export of its vast natural gas reserves to support its economy.

NAGASAKI, Japan (AP) – Hundreds of prisoners of war from Allied countries were held at brutal Japanese camps in Nagasaki when the United States dropped an atomic bomb 80 years ago. Their presence during the Aug. 9, 1945, bombing is little known, and family and researchers have been collecting and publishing testimonies to tell the stories of these often unrecognized victims. In September, dozens of relatives of Dutch POWs and descendants of Japanese bombing survivors came together to commemorate both those who were abused at the camps and the tens of thousands of Japanese who were killed that day. The dead included at least eight captives at one of the Nagasaki camps.

ISLAMABAD (AP) – Pakistan’s Prime Minister spoke by telephone with the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Wednesday to express his “complete solidarity” with the Kingdom following this week’s Saudi bombing of Yemen’s port city of Mukalla, the prime minister’s office said. According to the statement, Shehbaz Sharif also stressed the need to maintain regional peace and stability through dialogue and diplomacy. Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthening long-standing fraternal ties, which the statement said had “attained new heights in recent months.” The statement quoted Crown Prince Mohammed as thanking Sharif for the call and reiterating Saudi Arabia’s desire to expand cooperation with Pakistan in areas of mutual interest.