TAIPEI, May 11 — Taiwan’s coast guard said today that it had disrupted “illegal” operations by ‌a Chinese research ship in waters close to the island and driven it away, part of what Taipei sees a provocative pattern of China’s stepped up ‌maritime activities.

The coast guard said that last Thursday it detected the Chinese ship the “Tongji”, which was commissioned only last year, 29 nautical miles southeast of the southern tip of Taiwan though just outside restricted waters.

The ship was observed lowering ropes into the water, suspected to be the deployment of scientific instruments for “illegal” survey operations, and the coast guard sent its own ship in, it said in a statement.

The Taiwanese ship moved in close to create wake interference, ‌and broadcast messages to “forcefully expel the vessel, prohibiting it from ⁠conducting related activities”.

The “Tongji” then retrieved its ⁠survey instruments and altered course, departing from ⁠Taiwan’s waters, the coast guard said.

China’s ⁠Taiwan Affairs Office ⁠did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Taiwan’s coast guard said it continued to shadow the Chinese ship until Monday, when ⁠it proceeded away from waters close to the island.

“Chinese research vessels, in disregard of international law, have attempted to conduct illegal survey activities in our waters,” it said, calling on China to stop such practices.

Chinese state media says the “Tongji” has all-weather operational capability and ⁠can carry remotely operated vehicles, laboratories and unmanned systems.

It can be used for marine geology, oceanography, marine chemistry and marine biology ⁠research, and is capable of performing offshore engineering operations such as pipeline laying, ⁠Chinese media ⁠have reported.

As well as regular Chinese military activities around Taiwan, which views the island as its own territory, Taiwan has also complained that China ‌regularly sends ostensibly civilian ships into its waters as part of “grey zone” harassment designed to pressure Taipei and exhaust its forces. — Reuters

POMPEI, May 8 — Pope Leo asked that God would inspire world leaders to calm global tensions and reduce hatred in an address on Friday to mark his first anniversary as head of the Catholic Church, a day after he met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the Vatican.

Leo, who has drawn the ire of US President Donald Trump after criticising the Iran war, asked worshippers to pray that global governments would turn away from violence.

In a visit to Pompei, a modern city about 245 km (152 miles) south of Rome near the famed ruins of a volcanic eruption, the pope said he would join their prayers that God would begin “touching hearts, calming rancour and fratricidal hatreds, and enlightening those who have special responsibilities of government”.

Leo, the first US pope, held talks with Rubio on Thursday in an atmosphere of tension with Washington as Trump has repeatedly disparaged the pontiff on social media.

The Vatican said afterwards that the two had pledged to improve their bilateral relations, in what insiders said was an unusual recognition of unprecedented tensions.

The US embassy to the Holy See said on X after the meeting that Leo and Rubio had discussed “topics of mutual interest in the Western Hemisphere”.

Leo, the former Cardinal Robert Prevost, was elected by the world’s cardinals to succeed the late Pope Francis as leader of the 1.4-billion-member Church on May 8, 2025.

Prevost, who spent decades as a missionary and a bishop in Peru before becoming pope, kept a relatively low profile in his first 10 months but has been speaking forcefully against war and despotism in recent weeks.

In his message to thousands in Pompei’s main square on Friday, the pontiff lamented that world peace is “endangered by international tensions and by an economy that prefers the arms trade to respect for human life”.

He urged people not to become accustomed to war.

“We cannot resign ourselves to the images of death that the news shows us every day,” said Leo. — Reuters 

KUALA LUMPUR, May 8 — The ringgit eased against major and regional currencies including the US dollar at the close on Friday as investors remain cautious ahead of the United States non-farm payrolls (NFP) report amid renewed escalation in the West Asia conflict.

At 6pm, the ringgit inched down against the US dollar to 3.9185/9230 from 3.9070/9115 at Thursday’s close.

Bank Muamalat Malaysia Bhd chief economist Mohd Afzanizam Abdul Rashid said the NFP is expected to decline to 65,000 in April based on consensus estimates versus 178,000 in March.

“The local note softened by 0.31 per cent in light of the unsettling event in West Asia,” he told Bernama.

Meanwhile, SPI Asset Management managing partner Stephen Innes said profit-taking activities emerged after another West Asia conflict escalation which briefly tested risk sentiment.

He said Iranian attacks on US warships that transited the Strait of Hormuz added a fresh layer of caution towards market sentiment.

“However, the broader ceasefire narrative remains intact after President Donald Trump continued to signal that the truce is still holding,” he said.

Innes said the market still believes in the West Asia conflict de-escalation trade, which should be supportive for Asian currencies and regional risk appetite.

“On the other hand, traders are reluctant to add fresh exposure before the US jobs print, especially if a stronger-than-expected number keeps the US Federal Reserve away from the easing path and supports the greenback,” he added.

At the close, the ringgit traded lower against a basket of major currencies.

It slipped versus the Japanese yen to 2.5010/5040 from 2.4982/5013 at Thursday’s close, eased against the British pound to 5.3354/3416 from 5.3202/3263 yesterday and fell vis-a-vis the euro to 4.6121/6174 from 4.5978/6031 previously.

The local currency was mostly lower against regional peers.

It edged down against the Singapore dollar to 3.0910/0948 from 3.0861/0901 at yesterday’s close, depreciated versus the Thai baht to 12.1640/1844 from 12.1486/1687 previously, and remained unchanged vis-a-vis the Indonesian rupiah at 225.4/225.7.

The ringgit was little changed against the Philippine peso to 6.46/6.47 from 6.46/6.48 at the previous close. — Bernama