ASIA / PACIFIC October 3, 2022 THE ASIAN REPORTER n Page 5 Harris’ Asia trip focused on security, Korea DMZ tour added ASIAN DIPLOMACY. U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris stands at a military observation post during her visit to the demilitarized zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas, in Panmunjom, South Korea, on September 29, 2022. (Leah Millis/Pool Photo via AP) By Chris Megerian The Associated Press OKYO — In meeting after meeting with Asian leaders last Tuesday, Vice President Kamala Harris emphasized the U.S. commitment to regional security. She ended her Asia trip with a visit to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), the border area dividing the rival Koreas. North Korea test-fired a short-range ballistic missile shortly before Harris left Washington, an apparent response to joint military exercises between the United States and South Korea that included the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan. U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visit- ed the DMZ in August, and then-President Donald Trump went in 2019 when he met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. President Joe Biden did not go when he was in South Korea earlier this year. Harris’ plan, which had been kept under wraps by her team, was unexpectedly revealed during a meeting with South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo. Harris toured sites at the DMZ, met with service members, and received an opera- tional briefing from U.S. commanders. She also reflected on the “shared T sacrifice of tens of thousands of American and Korean soldiers who fought and died together” in the war that divided the peninsula seven decades ago. According to the White House, Harris also talked with Han about South Korea’s complaints about the Inflation Reduction Act, which makes electric cars built outside of North America ineligible for government subsidies. “They pledged to continue to consult as the law is implemented,” the White House said. Security concerns dominated Harris’ public remarks during her meetings in Tokyo, where she attended the state funeral of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was assassinated in July. India’s top court gives equal abortion access to all women By Bhumika Saraswati The Associated Press EW DELHI — India’s Supreme Court has ruled that all women, regardless of marital status, can obtain abortions up to 24 weeks into their pregnancies. Previously, under India’s abortion law, married women could have abortions up to 24 weeks into their pregnancies, but single N women were limited to 20 weeks. The court extended the 24-week period to all women last week. The judgement was cheered by repro- ductive rights activists, who said the court had ensured that the law does not discriminate and expands the right to safe and legal abortions to single women. “Now, all the rights that married women have, single women will also have,” said Aparna Chandra, an associate professor of law at the National Law School of India, who works on reproductive justice. In its judgement, the court “breaks away from the stigma that is attached to single women getting pregnant,” she said. Abortion has been legal in India since 1971 under the Medical Termination Pregnancy Act. In 2021, the law was amended to allow certain categories of women — including married women who Continued on page 9 While sitting down with Han, Harris said the U.S. alliance with South Korea is the “linchpin of security and prosperity” in the region. “We stand with you in the face of threats,” she said. Afterwards, Harris met with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, telling him their countries share a “common goal and bond as it relates to our dedication to peace and security.” The conversations followed Harris’ meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, shortly after her arrival in Tokyo. During that encounter, Harris described the U.S. alliance with Japan as “a cornerstone of what we believe is integral to peace, stability, and prosperity” in the region. Like the abrupt disclosure of Harris’ trip to the DMZ, the meeting with Kishida was also marked by confusion. His staff tried to usher reporters out of the room while Harris was still speaking. The commotion drowned out some of her remarks, making it hard for her office to finalize a transcript of her exact comments. In addition to concerns over North Korea, there’s been increased tension involving Taiwan, the self-governing island that China views as part of its territory. Biden recently said that the U.S. would send troops to defend Taiwan if China attacked. Wang Yi, China’s foreign minister, said any attempt to prevent reunification with Taiwan would be “crushed by the wheels of history.”