Chinese President Xi visits Vietnam. Indonesia presidential debate. China showcases passenger jet. Giant panda enjoys Beijing's first snowfall of the season.
What is the top news of the week from Asia, the U.S., and around the world? VOA Asia Weekly rounds up the week’s major headlines, along with expert analysis, all in five minutes, produced from Washington, DC.
Hydrogen-powered airplanes leave a trail of water vapor in the sky instead of harmful fumes.
Welcome to VOA Asia Weekly. I'm Chris Casquejo in Washington. That story is coming up, but first, making headlines:
Chinese President Xi Jinping left Hanoi on Wednesday after a two-day state visit to Vietnam. He was there to shore up Beijing's relationship with the southeast Asian nation. The Communist-ruled neighbors, close in economic areas but at odds over boundaries in the South China Sea, signed dozens of co-operation pacts and agreed to set up more hotlines to defuse any emergencies in the contested waters.
Indonesia's three presidential hopefuls faced off in the country's first election debate on Tuesday, with two candidates slamming a court decision that enabled the president's eldest son to join the leading ticket. A recent court ruling changed the age requirements for candidates. This effectively paved the way for President Joko Widodo's 36-year-old son to be named the vice-presidential candidate of defense minister, Prabowo Subianto. The ruling sparked fears about backsliding democracy and a return to the nepotism and patronage politics that characterized the decades-long rule of former president Suharto. He was forced from power in 1998.
Indonesia's Marapi volcano erupted on Wednesday, spewing volcanic ash as high as 500 to 600 meters into the air, according to the country's volcanology agency. The latest activity comes a week after an eruption on Marapi killed 23 people.
Beijing authorities shut schools and told people to stay home on Wednesday as a mass of cold air drifted into the Chinese capital from the west, the second cold wave this week.
Business confidence at big Japanese manufacturers improved in the three months to December for a third quarter in a row, a closely watched central bank survey showed on Wednesday. This underscores the strength of the country's economic recovery.
State-owned Chinese aerospace company COMAC showcased its domestically developed C919 passenger jet in Hong Kong, giving officials and media a close look at the narrow-bodied aircraft. A welcome ceremony for the C919 and an ARJ21, another Chinese-made jet, was held at the Hong Kong international airport. COMAC is preparing to take on Airbus and Boeing in the market for single-aisle commercial aircraft, but some components, like the engine, are still sourced in the West.
A California company is converting jet-fuel aircraft to run on hydrogen to reduce emissions that harm the environment. VOA’s Genia Dulot looks at these experimental planes that are already in the air.
Full script here: https://www.voanews.com/a/7398435.html
Visit voanews.com for the most up-to-date stories.
I’m Chris Casquejo.
We leave you now in the Chinese capital of Beijing, where a giant panda in the zoo enjoyed the season’s first snowfall on Monday.
Thanks for watching VOA Asia Weekly.
See more episodes here: https://bit.ly/3NGWG9p
» Subscribe to VOA Asia: https://bit.ly/3hXJChc
» Watch more VOA Asia videos: http://youtube.com/voaasia
Voice of America is the largest U.S. international broadcaster, providing news and information in more than 40 languages to an estimated weekly audience of 236.8 million people. VOA produces content for digital, television, and radio platforms. It is easily accessed via your mobile phone and on social media. It is also distributed by satellite, cable, FM and MW, and is carried on a network of approximately 3,000 affiliate stations.
What is the top news of the week from Asia, the U.S., and around the world? VOA Asia Weekly rounds up the week’s major headlines, along with expert analysis, all in five minutes, produced from Washington, DC.
Hydrogen-powered airplanes leave a trail of water vapor in the sky instead of harmful fumes.
Welcome to VOA Asia Weekly. I'm Chris Casquejo in Washington. That story is coming up, but first, making headlines:
Chinese President Xi Jinping left Hanoi on Wednesday after a two-day state visit to Vietnam. He was there to shore up Beijing's relationship with the southeast Asian nation. The Communist-ruled neighbors, close in economic areas but at odds over boundaries in the South China Sea, signed dozens of co-operation pacts and agreed to set up more hotlines to defuse any emergencies in the contested waters.
Indonesia's three presidential hopefuls faced off in the country's first election debate on Tuesday, with two candidates slamming a court decision that enabled the president's eldest son to join the leading ticket. A recent court ruling changed the age requirements for candidates. This effectively paved the way for President Joko Widodo's 36-year-old son to be named the vice-presidential candidate of defense minister, Prabowo Subianto. The ruling sparked fears about backsliding democracy and a return to the nepotism and patronage politics that characterized the decades-long rule of former president Suharto. He was forced from power in 1998.
Indonesia's Marapi volcano erupted on Wednesday, spewing volcanic ash as high as 500 to 600 meters into the air, according to the country's volcanology agency. The latest activity comes a week after an eruption on Marapi killed 23 people.
Beijing authorities shut schools and told people to stay home on Wednesday as a mass of cold air drifted into the Chinese capital from the west, the second cold wave this week.
Business confidence at big Japanese manufacturers improved in the three months to December for a third quarter in a row, a closely watched central bank survey showed on Wednesday. This underscores the strength of the country's economic recovery.
State-owned Chinese aerospace company COMAC showcased its domestically developed C919 passenger jet in Hong Kong, giving officials and media a close look at the narrow-bodied aircraft. A welcome ceremony for the C919 and an ARJ21, another Chinese-made jet, was held at the Hong Kong international airport. COMAC is preparing to take on Airbus and Boeing in the market for single-aisle commercial aircraft, but some components, like the engine, are still sourced in the West.
A California company is converting jet-fuel aircraft to run on hydrogen to reduce emissions that harm the environment. VOA’s Genia Dulot looks at these experimental planes that are already in the air.
Full script here: https://www.voanews.com/a/7398435.html
Visit voanews.com for the most up-to-date stories.
I’m Chris Casquejo.
We leave you now in the Chinese capital of Beijing, where a giant panda in the zoo enjoyed the season’s first snowfall on Monday.
Thanks for watching VOA Asia Weekly.
See more episodes here: https://bit.ly/3NGWG9p
» Subscribe to VOA Asia: https://bit.ly/3hXJChc
» Watch more VOA Asia videos: http://youtube.com/voaasia
Voice of America is the largest U.S. international broadcaster, providing news and information in more than 40 languages to an estimated weekly audience of 236.8 million people. VOA produces content for digital, television, and radio platforms. It is easily accessed via your mobile phone and on social media. It is also distributed by satellite, cable, FM and MW, and is carried on a network of approximately 3,000 affiliate stations.