BEIJING — China has lodged a diplomatic complaint with Japan regarding the visit by a high-ranking official of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) to Taiwan, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Monday, as ties between the East Asian nations strain.

“China is firmly opposed and has lodged solemn representations with the Japanese side,” spokesperson Lin Jian said, urging Japan to “reflect deeply on its mistake”.

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te received the LDP’s executive acting secretary general Koichi Hagiuda in the presidential office in Taipei on Monday, and urged closer cooperation between Taipei and Tokyo to help maintain regional stability and advance a “free and open Indo-Pacific”.

Mr. Lai said he hoped the two sides would “join hands, stay united and support each other” to deepen cooperation in areas including national strategy, regional partnerships, economic security, and high-tech industries.

He urged democracies to “stand together so as not to be picked off one by one.”

Mr. Hagiuda’s visit comes with diplomatic ties between Tokyo and Beijing at their lowest in years after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested last month a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan could trigger a military response from Tokyo.

China responded vehemently and has been pushing for the Japanese leader to retract her statement. — Reuters

HANOI — Senior officials of Vietnam’s ruling Communist Party began a two-day meeting on Monday that is set to select candidates for the country’s leadership positions for the next five years.

The gathering precedes the five-yearly party congress, scheduled on January 19-25, which will formally nominate leaders and set key policy and economic targets for the remainder of the decade.

Party chief To Lam opened the meeting saying the plenum of the party’s central committee is tasked with finalizing the selection of state and party leaders, according to his speech published on the government portal.

“I propose that you all focus your intellect and responsibility to select personnel to be nominated for the 14th Party Congress in a straightforward, objective and impartial manner,” Mr. Lam told the roughly 200 party members attending the meeting.

The names of candidates shortlisted in previous party meetings have not been disclosed. The party said in its portal the meeting will conclude on Tuesday but authorities did not say whether the plenum’s decisions will be made public after its conclusion.

Mr. Lam, 68, is seeking a second term as party chief, the country’s most powerful job which he assumed in August last year after his predecessor Nguyen Phu Trong died.

The sweeping administrative and economic reforms that Mr. Lam introduced during his roughly 18 months at the helm have earned him admirers but also stirred discontent.

Alongside the party chief, delegates will also select candidates for the other four “pillars” of the state: president, prime minister, chairman of the parliament, and the standing member of the party’s secretariat. — Reuters

SYDNEY — Australia’s New South Wales state parliament was recalled on Monday to vote on proposed new laws that would impose major curbs on firearm ownership, ban the display of terror symbols and restrict protests, following a mass shooting at Bondi Beach.

The state parliament was recalled for two days to debate legislation which would cap the number of firearms a person can own at four, or up to 10 for certain groups, such as farmers.

Although Australia has some of the toughest gun control laws in the world after a 1996 mass shooting that killed 35 people, the Bondi shooting has highlighted what authorities say are gaps.

In New South Wales, the most populous state, there is currently no limit to firearm ownership if the reason can be justified to police, and there are more than 70 people in the state who own more than 100 guns, a police firearms registry shows. One license holder has 298 guns.

One of the alleged Bondi gunmen, Sajid Akram, 50, was shot dead by police and owned six firearms. His 24-year-old son Naveed Akram has been charged with 59 offenses, including murder and terrorism, according to police.

Fifteen people were killed and dozens injured in the mass shooting at a Jewish Hanukkah celebration at Sydney’s Bondi Beach on December 14. The attack has shocked the nation and sparked calls for tougher gun laws and heightened efforts to stop antisemitism.

The proposed legislation would also give police more powers to remove face coverings during protests or rallies. The state government has vowed to ban the chant “globalize the intifada” which it says encourages violence in the community.

New South Wales Premier Chris Minns told reporters outside parliament that he expected opposition to the legislation, which include restrictions on public assemblies in the aftermath of a terrorism event, but they are needed to keep the community safe.

“We have got a responsibility to knit together our community that comes from different races and religions and places from all over the world. We can do it in a peaceful way,” he said.

New South Wales has said it will hold a royal commission into the attack, the most powerful type of Australian government inquiry. Jewish leaders have called for a national inquiry.

The opposition Liberal Party leader Sussan Ley backed those calls on Monday, and told a news conference that she has called on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to meet with her to review the terms of reference for a royal commission.

ALBANESE APPROVAL DIPS

Mr. Albanese has faced mounting criticism from opponents who argue his government has not done enough to curb a rise in antisemitism. He was booed by sections of the crowd during a memorial event in Bondi attended by tens of thousands of people on Sunday, one week after the shooting.

Mr. Albanese’s government has said it has consistently denounced antisemitism and highlighted legislation passed over the last two years to criminalize hate speech and doxxing. It also expelled Iran’s ambassador earlier this year after accusing Tehran of directing antisemitic attacks in Sydney and Melbourne.

“You’ve seen us crack down on hate speech. You’ve seen us criminalize doxxing. You’ve seen us be very clear about counterterrorism laws banning Nazi salutes and so forth,” Foreign Minister Penny Wong told ABC Radio on Monday.

A poll conducted for the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper among 1,010 voters released on Monday found Mr. Albanese’s approval rating slumped 15 points to -9 from +6 at the beginning of December, the lowest since his resounding election win in May.

Authorities on Monday started clearing flowers, candles, letters, and other items placed by the public at Bondi Beach.

The tributes would be preserved for display at the Sydney Jewish Museum and the Australian Jewish Historical Society, authorities said.

Thirteen people remain in hospital, including four in critical but stable condition, health officials said. — Reuters

NIIGATA — The Japanese region of Niigata is expected to endorse a decision to restart the world’s largest nuclear power plant on Monday, a watershed moment in the country’s pivot back to nuclear since the 2011 Fukushima disaster.

Kashiwazaki-Kariwa, located about 220 kilometers (136 miles) northwest of Tokyo, was among 54 reactors shut after a massive earthquake and tsunami crippled the Fukushima Daiichi plant in the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl.

Since then, Japan has restarted 14 of the 33 that remain operable, as it tries to wean itself off imported fossil fuels. Kashiwazaki-Kariwa will be the first operated by Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO), which ran the doomed Fukushima plant.

“We remain firmly committed to never repeating such an accident and ensuring Niigata residents never experience anything similar,” said TEPCO spokesperson Masakatsu Takata.

If approved, TEPCO is considering reactivating the first of seven reactors at the plant on January 20, public broadcaster NHK reported. Mr. Takata declined to comment on timing.

RELUCTANT RESIDENTS WARY OF RESTART

TEPCO earlier this year pledged to inject 100 billion yen ($641 million) into the prefecture over the next 10 years as it sought to win the support of Niigata residents.

But many locals remain wary.

A survey published by the prefecture in October found 60% of residents did not think conditions for the restart had been met. Nearly 70% were worried about TEPCO operating the plant.

Ayako Oga, 52, settled in Niigata after fleeing the area around the Fukushima plant in 2011 with 160,000 other evacuees. Her old home was inside the 20 km irradiated exclusion zone.

The farmer and anti-nuclear activist has now joined protests against what she sees as a new threat on her doorstep.

“We know firsthand the risk of a nuclear accident and cannot dismiss it,” said Ms. Oga, adding that she still struggles with post-traumatic stress-like symptoms from what happened at Fukushima.

Even Niigata Governor Hideyo Hanazumi, who backed the restart last month, hopes that Japan will eventually be able to reduce its reliance on nuclear power. “I want to see an era where we don’t have to rely on energy sources that cause anxiety,” he said.

STRENGTHENING ENERGY SECURITY

On Monday, the prefecture’s assembly will cast a vote of confidence on Mr. Hanazumi, a de facto ballot on his support for the restart.

The vote is seen as the final hurdle before TEPCO restarts the first reactor, which alone could boost electricity supply to the Tokyo area by 2%, Japan’s trade ministry has estimated.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who took office two months ago, has backed nuclear restarts to strengthen energy security and to counter the cost of imported fossil fuels, which account for 60% to 70% of Japan’s electricity generation.

Japan spent 10.7 trillion yen ($68 billion) last year on imported liquefied natural gas and coal, a tenth of its total import costs.

Despite its shrinking population, Japan expects energy demand to rise over the coming decade due to a boom in power-hungry AI data centers.

To meet those needs, and its decarbonization commitments, it has set a target of doubling the share of nuclear power in its electricity mix to 20% by 2040.

Joshua Ngu, vice chairman for Asia Pacific at consultancy Wood Mackenzie, said public acceptance of the restart of Kashiwazaki-Kariwa, would represent “a critical milestone” towards reaching those goals.

In July, Kansai Electric Power, Japan’s top nuclear power operator, said it would begin conducting surveys for a reactor in western Japan, the first new unit since the Fukushima disaster.

But for Ms. Oga, who will join protests outside the Niigata assembly as lawmakers cast their vote on Monday, the nuclear revival is a terrifying reminder of the potential risks.

“Every news update about the restart — it’s like reliving the fear,” she said. — Reuters

KUALA LUMPUR — Southeast Asian foreign ministers meet in Malaysia on Monday, seeking to end border clashes between Thailand and Cambodia that have killed at least 40 people and displaced more than half a million this month.

The ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will seek to revive a short-lived ceasefire brokered by Malaysia, this year’s ASEAN chair, and US President Donald Trump.

ASEAN members Thailand and Cambodia are scheduled to attend the gathering in Kuala Lumpur, the first face-to-face meeting between the governments since the fighting resumed on December 8.

Bangkok and Phnom Penh each accuse the other of moves that led to the breakdown of the July ceasefire and a wider October peace deal. Heavy exchanges of fire have occurred in many of the long-disputed areas along their 817-kilometer (508-mile) land border, from forested inland areas near Laos to coastal provinces.

MALAYSIA PM ‘CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC’

In addition to the regional push for peace, the US and China have pursued separate diplomatic efforts to end the conflict, with no signs of success so far.

The ASEAN meeting, chaired by Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan, will consider steps ASEAN could take to help de-escalate the situation and end the fighting, Malaysia’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Sunday.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim expressed hope that the meeting would enable Thailand and Cambodia to negotiate openly, resolve differences and achieve a fair and lasting solution.

“I emphasized the importance for Cambodia and Thailand to uphold the spirit of dialogue, wisdom and mutual respect in order to end the tensions and maintain peace and stability in this region,” Mr. Ibrahim said on X on Sunday, adding that he had spoken with both prime ministers.

He told reporters last week he was “cautiously optimistic” about the outcome of the meeting, adding that Thai caretaker Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Cambodian premier Hun Manet were both “keen to achieve an amicable resolution as soon as possible”.

An ASEAN team will present findings to the foreign ministers from its field observations and data captured by satellite-monitoring technology provided by the US, Mr. Ibrahim posted on social media.

Thailand has carried out airstrikes on Cambodian military positions and halted fuel shipments through a Laotian border checkpoint due to fears they were being diverted to Cambodia.

The Thai army said Cambodia had been using drones to drop bombs on Thai bases and firing rockets at civilian areas. — Reuters

KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia’s former prime minister Najib Razak, jailed for corruption in the multibillion-dollar 1MDB scandal, will learn on Monday if he can serve the remainder of his sentence at home in the first of two rulings this week that will test current premier Anwar Ibrahim’s campaign against graft.

Mr. Razak, who has been in prison since 2022, had his 12-year jail sentence halved last year by a pardons board chaired by the country’s former king.

But he insists the monarch also issued an “addendum order” that converts his sentence to house arrest, and he has been seeking to compel the government to confirm the document’s existence and enforce its contents.

Government officials for months denied knowledge of its existence, though the former king’s office and a federal lawyer this year confirmed the royal document had been issued.

The Kuala Lumpur High Court will rule on the bid on Monday, four days before delivering its verdict in the biggest trial facing Mr. Razak over the scandal at 1Malaysia Development Berhad, a state fund he co-founded in 2009.

Any decision in favor of Mr. Razak could prove unpopular with the public, especially supporters of Mr. Ibrahim, who came to power in 2022 on an anti-corruption platform, analysts said.

“It’s a test of the prosecution, it’s a test of the judiciary, it’s a test of political will,” said Bridget Welsh of the University of Nottingham Asia.

Mr. Ibrahim has faced repeated questions about his commitment to reform as prosecutors dropped several charges against Mr. Razak. This month, prosecutors also abandoned an appeal against the acquittal of Mr. Razak’s wife Rosmah Mansor in a separate graft case.

Mr. Ibrahim has said he does not interfere in court cases, though the country’s attorney generals are appointed by the prime minister and their independence has often been questioned.

RAZAK FACES ADDITIONAL JAIL TIME

Malaysian and US investigators say at least $4.5 billion was stolen from 1MDB between 2009 and 2014, and that more than $1 billion made its way into bank accounts linked to Mr. Razak.

He was found guilty of graft and money laundering in 2020 after receiving funds from a 1MDB unit. Two years later, he became the first Malaysian prime minister to go to prison after losing all his appeals.

Voted out in 2018, Mr. Razak last year apologized for mishandling the scandal during his time in office, but he has consistently denied wrongdoing, saying he was misled about the source of the funds by fugitive financier Jho Low and other 1MDB officials.

On December 26, the court will also decide whether to convict Mr. Razak of four additional charges of corruption and 21 counts of money laundering involving the illegal transfer of about 2.2 billion ringgit ($538.69 million) from 1MDB.

If found guilty, he could face a maximum of 20 years’ imprisonment on each charge, as well as a fine of up to five times the value of the alleged misappropriations.

Mr. Razak’s lawyer, Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, said last week that the house arrest decision would not have any bearing on the 1MDB trial, though he hoped both would go his client’s way.

“We hope Monday is a good decision for us, and we hope that (December) the 26th likewise will be a good decision for us,” he told reporters. — Reuters