BEIJING — China and Australia on Monday sought to keep ties on an even keel despite tensions over military encounters in the South China Sea and rivalry in the Asia-Pacific region, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese describing both sides as “friends.”

China is ready to build a more stable and strategic partnership with Australia, Premier Li Qiang told Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on the sidelines of a Southeast Asian summit in Malaysia, according to China’s official Xinhua news agency.

Mr. Albanese visited China in July to mend ties that had been strained to near breaking point under the previous Australian administration, vowing to keep communication channels open and look for areas of cooperation while guarding against “misunderstanding.”

China-Australia relations at present are showing a positive trend, Mr. Li told Mr. Albanese in their meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Xinhua reported.

Last week, both sides traded barbs over an encounter between their militaries in the South China Sea, most of which is claimed by Beijing as part of its territory.

Australia said a Chinese fighter jet dropped flares near one of its patrol planes, prompting Beijing to complain that Canberra was trying to cover up an “intrusion” into Chinese airspace.

“I made the position directly clear that this was an incident of concern for Australia,” Mr. Albanese told reporters after his meeting with Mr. Li.

Australia, in February, also criticized the actions of a Chinese fighter jet as “unsafe and unprofessional,” saying it had dropped flares within 30 m (100 ft) of a maritime patrol plane, also in the South China Sea.

‘FRIENDS’
In the Asia-Pacific region, China has been deepening its influence over Pacific Island nations through trade and diplomacy.

In 2022, Beijing inked a security deal with the Solomon Islands, and a year later it signed a policing agreement.

This month, Australia signed a defense cooperation deal with Papua New Guinea that observers say is aimed at countering China’s growing security presence in the broader region.

Despite the rivalry and military incidents, economic ties have remained stable, with both countries repeatedly calling for free trade and further dialogue.

China is willing to work with Australia in the green economy, high-tech industries and the digital sector, Mr. Li told Mr. Albanese, according to the Xinhua report.

Mr. Albanese said his seventh meeting with Mr. Li showed Australia and China, its largest trading partner, could manage differences through dialogue.

“We have disagreements and friends are able to discuss issues frankly — I did that,” he said. — Reuters

HONG KONG — A Hong Kong court on Monday sentenced three people to prison terms of up to 18 years over three bomb plots in 2019 and 2020.

In September, a jury found Ho Cheuk-wai, 41, Lee Ka-pan, 31, and Cheung Ka-chun, 35, guilty of conspiracy to cause explosions with intent to endanger life or property.

Ho received a sentence of 18 years, while the other two were sentenced to 16 years and eight months.

Judge Johnny Chan said Ho was the mastermind, showed no remorse, and had no grounds for a reduced sentence. Lee and Cheung, he said, were first-time offenders and were each granted a four-month reduction.

“The court must provide sufficient deterrence, so the need for defendant’s rehabilitation is less important than the former point,” Chan said.

“Also, if remorse is limited or superficial, there’s no way to talk about rehabilitation and correction.”

The defendants were accused of planting a homemade bomb in a hospital toilet at Caritas Medical Centre in Kowloon and of placing a bag containing two bombs on a train at Lo Wu station. Both devices detonated, but no injuries were reported.

A group called “92 Sign” claimed responsibility on the Telegram messaging app, saying it wanted medical workers to strike and the government to close the borders to curb the spread of the Covid-19 virus.

They were also accused of planting a bomb near a car park in a residential neighborhood ahead of a memorial event for a student who died during the city’s 2019 pro-democracy protests.

The defendants were tried under the United Nations Anti-Terrorism Ordinance, which was implemented in Hong Kong following a Security Council resolution on countering terrorism.

All the defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges. Five other defendants were acquitted.

The trio appeared calm and smiled as the judge handed down the sentence, while their relatives burst into tears in court.— Reuters

BERLIN — German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul will meet NATO’s Secretary General Mark Rutte, Indian Trade Minister Piyush Goyal and other senior policymakers during a trip to Brussels starting on Monday, a spokesperson for his ministry said.

The visit comes after Wadephul postponed a trip to China, originally scheduled to start on Sunday, because Beijing confirmed only one of his requested meetings, in a sign of rising tension with Berlin over trade and security matters.

During the trip to Brussels, Wadephul will also meet with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, EU Trade Commissioner Sefcovic and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, the spokesperson for Germany’s foreign ministry said.

“The focus of the consultations with representatives of the EU and NATO – the organizations that bring together our most important and closest partners and allies – will be on continued support for Ukraine and European security and defense capabilities,” the spokesperson said.

Another focus of the talks will be international trade issues, including prospects and potential solutions for ensuring a smooth supply of important raw materials, in particular rare earths and computer chips, two areas that are subject to bottlenecks.

India’s Goyal is in Brussels for trade policy talks, the spokesperson said.

The EU and India are working to meet a year-end deadline for signing a free trade pact.— Reuters

BRUSSELS — European Union countries are negotiating proposals to give industries a more flexible path to meeting climate goals, a draft EU document showed, as the bloc attempts to win support from governments for a new 2040 emissions-cutting target.

The EU is negotiating a legally-binding target to cut net greenhouse gas emissions 90% by 2040, and is racing to approve the goal before world leaders gather for the UN’s COP30 climate summit on November 6.

However, months of negotiations have so far not yielded a deal, as some governments have pushed back on green measures, and raised concerns over how to finance the low-carbon transition alongside priorities like defense and revitalizing industries.

A draft EU compromise proposal, seen by Reuters, showed countries have drafted plans that would allow the EU to review the 2040 target every two years – potentially allowing Brussels to weaken the goal in future.

The draft would also fix into law a commitment that if forests absorb less CO2 emissions than expected, or technologies to remove CO2 from the atmosphere develop slower than planned, other industries will not be forced to cut emissions faster to deliver the 2040 goal.

“Possible shortfalls in one sector should not be at the expense of other sectors,” said the draft, dated October 25.

NO CHANGE ON CARBON CREDITS QUOTA
The new compromise reflects demands made by EU government leaders at a summit last week, where they debated the “enabling conditions” needed to meet green goals while avoiding higher energy bills for citizens and supporting businesses grappling with cheap Chinese imports and US tariffs.

EU countries’ ambassadors will negotiate the proposal next week, before their climate ministers attempt to approve the target on November 4.

The draft proposal did not change the 90% emissions-cutting target, nor the 3% of the goal that can be met by buying foreign carbon credits, rather than domestic efforts – although countries are still debating this. French President Emmanuel Macron said last week credits could potentially cover up to 5%.

In an attempt to win over skeptical governments, the European Commission has promised changes to other green measures, including price controls in an upcoming carbon market for transport fuels, as demanded by Poland and the Czech Republic. Brussels is also considering weakening its 2035 combustion engine car ban after pressure from Germany and Italy.

A spokesperson for Denmark, which holds the rotating EU presidency and drafted the document, declined to comment.— Reuters