Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

TAIPEI, June 5 (Xinhua) -- Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (TSMC) said Wednesday it would continue supplying products for mainland telecommunications company Huawei despite the U.S. government's ban on the latter.

Mark Liu, chairman of TSMC, told reporters that the company's delivery of products to Huawei in the second half of this year is expected to be better than the same period of last year.

The U.S. government last month announced restrictions on the sale and transfer of U.S. technologies to Huawei over what it claimed were technological threats.

MANILA, June 6 (Xinhua) -- A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck Sultan Kudarat province in the southern Philippines on Thursday, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said.

The institute said the quake, which struck at 4:41 a.m. local time (2041 GMT Wednesday), hit at a depth of 470 km, about 17 km northeast of Palimbang town.

The institute said the tremor, which was tectonic in origin, was also felt in Cagayan de Oro City.

There was no reported casualties or damage.

The institute said aftershocks are expected.

BEIJING, June 5 (Xinhua) -- One of the most frustrating and disappointing parts in the China-U.S. trade war has been the U.S. side's distortion of facts, which most recently came after China issued a white paper on bilateral trade consultations.

After China comprehensively and accurately introduced the consultation process between the two countries in the white paper, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and the U.S. Department of the Treasury issued a joint statement, sticking to a prejudiced stance and a twisted version of the story.

5 June 2019; AFP: China on Wednesday imposed a $23.6 million fine on US auto giant Ford's joint venture with Changan Automobile for "price fixing" in the latest incident of Beijing targeting an American company amid a festering trade war.

The fine, amounting to four percent of Changan Ford Automobile's sales in the southwestern city of Chongqing, was levied over violations of China's anti-monopoly laws.

BEIJING, June 4 (Xinhua) -- China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism on Tuesday issued a travel alert for Chinese tourists traveling to the United States.

Noting the frequent occurrence of shootings, robberies and theft in the United States recently, the ministry warned Chinese tourists of the risks of traveling there.

Chinese tourists are urged to learn about the public security situation and related laws and regulations of tourist destinations, to raise their safety awareness and step up precautions to stay safe.

The travel alert is valid until Dec. 31, 2019.

QINGDAO, June 5 (Xinhua) -- China successfully launched a rocket from a mobile launch platform in the Yellow Sea off Shandong Province on Wednesday, sending two technology experiment satellites and five commercial satellites into space.

A Long March-11 solid propellant carrier rocket blasted off at 12:06 p.m. from the mobile platform. It is China's first space launch from a sea-based platform and the 306th mission of the Long March carrier rocket series.

4 June 2019; DW: Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has suggested that East Asia should consider a common trading currency backed by gold, saying the current foreign exchange system tied to the US dollar was prone to manipulation.

The Malaysian leader said the currency could be used for regional trade and would not be used for domestic transactions.

BEIJING, June 3 (Xinhua) -- China's Ministry of Education on Monday warned students and scholars of the risks of going to study in the United States citing U.S. visa restrictions, urging them to step up risk assessment and make corresponding preparations.

The alert states that the visa applications of some Chinese hoping to study in the United States have recently been restricted, with an extended review process, shortened validity period, and an increased rejection rate, which have affected their plans to study in the United States or the completion of their studies there.

TOKYO, June 4. /TASS/: An earthquake of 6.1 magnitude has rocked Japan's remote Ogasawara islands, Japan Meteorological Agency said on Tuesday.

The earthquake's epicenter lay at the depth of 440 km.

No injuries or damages were reported. A tsunami alert was initially issued but was cancelled several minutes later.

SANYA, June 4/.TASS/: Chinese scientists found in the Hainan waters kinds of several rare species of whales and dolphins. According to Xinhua, the discovery was made during a 14-day scientific expedition in the South China Sea in May.