The record exports allowed Asian and African countries to import the staple at a time when supplies of wheat and other grains were hit by drought and Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Retailers in popular Asian destinations are desperate to take advantage of the return of a first wave of Chinese tourists as the country reopens borders after three long years of Covid-19 curbs.

Although the total number of US troops in Japan will not change, the new deployments could be the first of several announcements on military forces aimed at making Beijing think twice before initiating any conflict.

State-run media defend Beijing's retaliation as a 'direct and reasonable response to protect its own legitimate interests'.

Health authorities commonly fog mosquito-infested areas with clouds of insecticide, and resistance has long been a concern, but the scale of the problem was not well understood.

The move comes after Japan, India and Malaysia announced stepped up rules on travelers from China in the last 24 hours, citing a rise in infections there.

There were no representatives from Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia and Singapore - the junta's most vocal critics in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).

Singapore is among the first Asian nations to provide legal protections for people working in the gig economy, with the new rules set to benefit people who deliver food or drive passengers for companies.

The South China Sea has become one of many flashpoints in the testy relationship between China and the US, with Washington rejecting what it calls unlawful territorial claims by Beijing in the resource-rich waters.

South Korea's economy, the fourth-largest in Asia, relies heavily on exports ranging from cars and ships to chips and smartphones.

The city-state's economic performance is often seen as a useful barometer of the global environment because of its reliance on trade with the rest of the world.

Addressing a summit in Bangkok, Harris called the US a 'proud Pacific power' and said that the longstanding US network of security alliances has allowed Asia to prosper.