Vice Foreign Minister Xie Feng voiced "strong protests" over Pelosi's visit to the democratic self-governing island, which China considers part of its territory, during his talk with Ambassador Nicholas Burns.

The 10-member bloc had been pushing for Myanmar to adhere to a five-point peace plan it agreed to last year and has condemned the recent execution of four democracy activists by the junta.

ASEAN has involved its human rights body in efforts to ensure Myanmar complies with a regional consensus to end its ongoing political crisis, Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi said ahead of crunch talks on Wednesday.

The Southeast Asian bloc ASEAN has since late last year barred the Myanmar junta from joining its meetings due to its lack of progress in implementing an ASEAN peace plan its generals agreed to after a coup in February 2021.

The government issued an alert covering wide areas from eastern to western Japan, requesting people to drink water and avoid going outdoors to prevent heat exhaustion.

The black object, found buried about half a metre in the ground, is believed to be debris from China’s Long March 5B rocket, which came crashing back to Earth on Sunday.

"The US side will bear the responsibility and pay the price for undermining China's sovereign security interests," foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a regular press briefing.

In his televised speech broadcast on state TV, Min Aung Hlaing was referring to the consensus he reached with ASEAN leaders in April last year that calls for an immediate stop to violence in Myanmar and the dispatch of an ASEAN envoy to the country to meet with all parties concerned.

Beijing views Taiwan as its territory and has indicated through repeated warnings that it would view the visit as a major provocation.

The source said several Chinese warships have stayed close to unofficial dividing linesince Monday, adding that Taiwan had dispatched aircraft to monitor the situation.

One person familiar with Pelosi's itinerary said that most of her planned meetings, including with President Tsai Ing-wen, were scheduled for Wednesday, and that it was possible that her delegation would arrive in Taiwan early on Wednesday.

Former Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel has focused on "commercial diplomacy" since arriving as US ambassador this year, pushing for business tie-ups in areas that have broader significance for economic security. 

Rodrigo Duterte, who left office on June 30, pulled the Philippines out of the ICC in 2019 after it launched a preliminary probe into his drugs crackdown, which killed many thousands of people.

The 10-country Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) -- which has spearheaded so far fruitless diplomatic efforts to restore peace -- last week condemned the junta's execution of four prisoners.

The US and its Asian allies have expressed growing concern about China's increasing assertiveness in the Pacific, but Washington said the drills were not aimed at any country even though they would be significantly larger than previous exercises.

Her reported plans to visit the island have sparked strong warnings from Beijing, and even unease in the White House with President Joe Biden trying to lower the temperature with China.

The survey found 53.3 percent of respondents expressed opposition to the state funeral, while 61.9 percent said a parliamentary debate on holding the event is necessary.

New Zealand's borders started reopening in February first for New Zealanders and restrictions have progressively eased.

The junta first declared a state of emergency after seizing power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in a coup in February last year. 

The annual "Super Garuda Shield" exercise, which the United States called "significantly larger in scope and scale than previous exercises", comes against a backdrop of heightened tensions with China over the latter's growing assertiveness in the region. 

US Space Command "can confirm the People's Republic of China (PRC) Long March 5B (CZ-5B) re-entered over the Indian Ocean at approx 10:45 am MDT on 7/30," the US military unit said on Twitter.

ASEAN foreign ministers are set to convene their first in-person meeting during the pandemic in Phnom Penh this week, with the conflict in Myanmar expected to take center stage after the executions of four political prisoners by the military junta.

The top Japanese diplomat is expected to air concerns over repeated intrusions by Chinese coast guard ships into Japanese waters around the Tokyo-controlled, Beijing-claimed Senkaku Islands, as well as China's intensifying military activities near Japanese waters.

Ramos became a hero to many for defecting from Marcos' government, where he led the national police force, spurring the dictator's downfall during the 1986 popular uprising against his rule.

Pelosi said the congressional delegation she is leading will discuss security, trade, the COVID-19 pandemic, the climate crisis, human rights and democratic governance during the tour.

Shipping data from Refinitiv Eikon showed research and survey vessel Yuan Wang 5 was en route to the southern Sri Lankan port and was expected to get there on Aug. 11.

Yunus, 82, has been feted internationally for his efforts to eradicate poverty but his reputation at home has been tarnished by a labour dispute and a long-running feud with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

"Those who play with fire will perish by it," China's foreign ministry quoted Xi as telling Biden in their fifth call as leaders. "It is hoped that the US will be clear-eyed about this."

The new law could be crucial in providing stability as national elections are expected to be called earlier than the September 2023 deadline. 

The call is the fifth between Biden and Xi. They last held talks in a video call in March, just weeks after Russia's invasion of its neighbor started.