North Korean long-range missile lands off Japan during APEC summit*

UPDATED AT 03:46 A.M. ET ON 11-18-2022
South Korea, Japan and the United States held emergency talks Friday on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit after North Korea fired an intercontinental ballistic missile that landed off the Japanese coast.
U.S. allies Australia, Canada and New Zealand also joined the discussion.
Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters in Bangkok that the missile is believed “to have landed west of Hokkaido, inside Japan"s EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone)."
Kishida said such provocative actions that North Korea has repeated with “unprecedented frequency” are “absolutely unacceptable."
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris said that the missile launch was a "brazen violation" of multiple U.N. resolutions and destabilizing for the region.
The protests will likely fall on deaf ears as North Korea is not a member of APEC and rarely takes part in multilateral events.
It is the North"s second intercontinental ballistic missile, or ICBM, launch this month. On Nov. 3, it fired another ICBM among a volley of launches to protest against military drills by South Korea and the U.S.
Friday"s missile landed about 210 kilometers (126 miles) off Hokkaido, at around 11:20 a.m. (02:20 GMT). It is believed to have sufficient range to reach anywhere in the U.S. mainland.
Intercontinental ballistic missiles, designed to carry nuclear warheads, are the longest-range weapons that North Korea possesses.
Big power competition
Geopolitics and big power competition once again threaten to dominate the agenda of the third meeting of world leaders in two weeks.
The host, Thailand, has called on participating nations to "rise above differences" and focus on sustainable economic growth and development.
Established in 1989 to promote free trade in the region, APEC unites 21 members including the world’s two largest economies, China and the United States.
Beijing and Washington have been locked in a fierce rivalry over political influence and a number of unsolved issues in trade and security including tensions in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping, who arrived in Bangkok on Thursday after attending the Group of 20 Summit in Bali, Indonesia, spoke of a mounting “Cold War mentality, hegemonism, unilateralism and protectionism”.
Xi did not mention any specific country but said that “Asia-Pacific is no one"s backyard and should not become an arena for a big power contest.”
“No attempt to wage a new Cold War will ever be allowed by the people or by our times,” he underscored.
Earlier this week in Bali the Chinese president and his U.S. counterpart met in person for the first time since Joe Biden took office two years ago.
The U.S. president said afterwards that “there need not be a new Cold War.”
Biden also said the United States “will continue to compete vigorously” with China but “this competition should not veer into conflict.”
The U.S. president is not present at the APEC summit, apparently having returned to Washington for a family event. Vice President Kamala Harris arrived in Bangkok on Thursday night to take his place.
A Buddhist monk scuffles with riot police at Democracy Monument as APEC leaders convene at the meeting venue seven kilometers away, Nov. 18, 2022.
CREDIT: Nava Sangthong/BenarNews.
The APEC summit, which ends Saturday, is taking place amid high security in the Thai capital. On Friday, anti-government Thai protesters clashed with riot police near Democracy Monument, about seven kilometers (four miles) from the summit venue. Police fired tear gas. Protest leader Patsaravalee Tanakitvibulpon said five protesters were injured in clashes with police. She said police used rubber bullets against protesters. 
This story has been updated to add more details of protests in Bangkok.

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