Thai Prime Minister faces growing calls to step downーNHK WORLD-JAPAN NEWS
thai Prime Minister Patton Chinowat is under growing pressure to step down after a phone call was leaked in which the leader appears to undermine a Thai army commander The prime minister had been speaking last weekend with former Cambodian Prime Minister Hunen who is currently Senate President The conversation delved into a border dispute between their countries and Patton referred to a regional commander of the Thai army as the opposite side She later apologized and described her comments as a negotiation tactic Patton on Friday met with the commander in an apparent show the two sides have patched things up He has said there is no issue as the prime minister had already explained what she meant in the talks with Hunsen But the audio clip has already triggered Puma Thai the then second largest party of her ruling coalition to quit the alliance Executives of the next largest United Thai Nation party or UTN say Patongant should resign While some of the party members oppose this the coalition would lose majority in the lower house if UTN withdraws The largest opposition people’s party demanded the prime minister take political responsibility for the leak and urged the dissolution of parliament The leaders of New Zealand and China have affirmed the importance of their country’s economic ties Good morning Prime Minister Christopher Luxon met with Chinese President Xiinping on Friday in Beijing This is Luxon’s first visit to China since he took office in November 2023 Loxon said he wants to maintain healthy trade ties with China which is his country’s largest trading partner He cited education and tourism as areas for cooperation Meanwhile she noted the two nations share a long relationship that has delivered tangible benefits to both sides but differences remain between the two countries China has been lobbying New Zealand in its efforts to join the comprehensive and progressive agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership or CPTP New Zealand is already a signatory of the pact but China’s move puts it in a difficult position as other members have reportedly raised concerns Beijing cannot meet the agreement’s high standards The meeting also came one day after New Zealand announced it will hold millions of dollars in financial aid to the Cook Islands The island chain signed a strategic partnership agreement with China without telling New Zealand The two Pacific nations are obliged to consult each other on defense and security matters Vietnam has been officially admitted as the 10th partner country of the BRICS group of emerging economies While partners lack decision-making power they can take part in the BRICS leader summit Vietnam is ready to coordinate and connect the cooperation programs of the BRICS group with relevant multilateral mechanisms thereby contributing to peace stability cooperation and development in the region as well as in the world A Vietnamese foreign ministry spokesperson also said the country is willing to work with other members in areas such as trade and investment Bricks was originally made up of the five emerging economies of Brazil Russia India China and South Africa It has since expanded to 11 members including Middle Eastern nations such as Iran and Egypt Some Southeast Asian countries which are strengthening economic ties with China have also shown interest in joining the block Meanwhile US President Donald Trump has threatened BRICS members that try to use their own currency for financial transactions He says these nations could face 100% tariffs if they move away from the US dollar And that wraps up our bulletin I’m Traan in Bangkok
June 20 NEWSROOM TOKYO Bangkok Live Lineup:
00:00 Thai Prime Minister faces growing calls to step down
01:25 New Zealand, China leaders affirm importance of economic ties
02:55 Vietnam joins BRICS as partner country
#asia #cambodia #newzealand #thailand #security #politics #china #trade #vietnam
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