Top Asian News 4:58 a.m. GMT

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Echoing the campaign tactics of Donald Trump, former Indonesian Gen. Prabowo Subianto says his country, the world's third-largest democracy, is in dire shape and he is the leader who will restore it to greatness. Subianto, running for president a second time in the April 17 elections, faces a major campaign test Thursday when he and his running mate, millionaire businessman Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno, debate President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and his vice presidential pick, conservative cleric Ma'ruf Amin, in the first of five debates. The retired general's message might appear to be lifted from Trump's playbook of angry populism but Subianto has been at it far longer.

TORONTO (AP) — The U.S. State Department said that China's death sentence on a Canadian man is "politically motivated." The statement from U.S. deputy spokesman Robert Palladino said Wednesday that U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland spoke Tuesday and "expressed their concerns about the arbitrary detentions and politically motivated sentencing of Canadian nationals." A Chinese court resentenced Robert Schellenberg to death in a sudden retrial of a drug-smuggling case on Monday. Freeland and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have been talking to world leaders about Schellenberg's case and the cases of two Canadians arrested in China in apparent retaliation for the arrest of Chinese Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou.

HSINCHU, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan is holding live-fire military exercises following extended threats against the island by China. Artillery and assault helicopters fired at targets off the west coast city of Taichung on Thursday, while Mirage fighter jets took off amid rainy conditions from the air base at Hsinchu to the north. The drills are Taiwan's first since Chinese President Xi Jinping on Jan. 2 reasserted Beijing's willingness to use military force to bring self-ruling Taiwan under Chinese control. The drills also follow a new Pentagon report laying out U.S. concerns about China's growing military might, underscoring worries about a possible attack against Taiwan.

TOKYO (AP) — A small island volcano in southern Japan has erupted, blasting rocks and ashes into the air but causing no damage or injuries. Japan Meteorological Agency says Thursday's eruption of the Shindake volcano on Kuchinoerabu island sent rocks flying and hot gas and debris pouring down the crater. It has not reached the residential area 2 kilometers (1.2 mile) away. Officials say no damage or injuries have been reported. About 80 residents initially took refuge at a shelter on the island but have since started to return home after an evacuation advisory was lifted. Shindake's last major eruption in May 2015 had temporarily displaced the island's entire population of about 150.

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Aasia Bibi, a Pakistani Christian acquitted of blasphemy, still lives the life of a prisoner, nearly three months after her release from death row, awaiting a final ruling on her fate. She spends her days in seclusion for fear of being targeted by angry mobs clamoring for her death. In her hideout, she longs for her children who were taken to Canada for their safety. Pakistani security forces guarding the 54-year-old Bibi prevent her from opening a window in her hiding place, let alone go outside, a friend said. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court is weighing a petition by Islamist extremists and right-wing religious parties that rallied against her acquittal and demand her execution.

HAJIN, India (AP) — On a hot day in August, members of a Kashmiri youth soccer team watched their 16-year-old captain, Saqib Bilal Sheikh, and goalkeeper Mudassir Rashid Parray, two years his junior, walk off the field toward a man on a motorcycle. The two teenagers were not seen again until months later, when they were returned to their hometown in body bags. Dying with his teammate in an 18-hour firefight in December, Mudassir became the youngest militant slain fighting Indian troops in a three-decade insurgency in Kashmir. The rebellion is drawing greater numbers of teenage boys and young men as New Delhi has increased its suppression of protest against Indian rule in the Himalayan region.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Amid increasing tensions with Beijing, the Pentagon has released a new report that lays out U.S. concerns about China's growing military might, underscoring worries about a possible attack against Taiwan. Speaking to reporters, a senior defense intelligence official said Tuesday that the key concern is that as China upgrades its military equipment and technology and reforms how it trains and develops troops, it becomes more confident in its ability to wage a regional conflict. And Beijing's leaders have made it clear that reasserting sovereignty over Taiwan is a top priority. The official added, however, that although China could easily fire missiles at Taiwan, it doesn't yet have the military capability to successfully invade the self-governing island, which split from mainland China amid civil war in 1949.

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lanka is considering a $300 million loan offer from the Bank of China as it prepares to repay foreign debts this year, a Finance Ministry official said. The government has appointed a three-member committee to negotiate the deal, according to Finance Ministry spokesman M.R. Hasan. The loan is repayable in three years, he said Wednesday. Sri Lanka must repay $5.9 billion in foreign loans this year, of which 40 percent needs to be serviced during the first three months. It paid back $1 billion this week. A large chunk of Sri Lanka's foreign debt is from China, which considers the island nation to be part of its Belt and Road Initiative.

PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysia's foreign minister said Wednesday that the government will not budge over a ban on Israeli athletes in a para swimming competition and has decided that the country will not host any events in the future involving Israel. Malaysia, a strong supporter of the Palestinian cause, is among the predominantly Muslim countries that do not have diplomatic relations with Israel. The government has said Israeli swimmers cannot join the competition in eastern Sarawak state in July, which serves as a qualifying event for the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics. Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah said the Cabinet affirmed last week that no Israeli delegates can enter Malaysia for sporting or other events in solidarity with the Palestinians.

BEIJING (AP) — Chinese President Xi Jinping's government is sparing no expense to its international reputation in its determination to force Canada to back down over the case of a Chinese telecommunications executive it detained last month. While Beijing formally denies any connection, the arrest of two Canadians on vague national security charges and the re-sentencing of a convicted Canadian drug smuggler to death on Monday point to a determined campaign of intimidation and retribution. And while global perceptions of China's adherence to free trade and rule of law may take a beating, for Xi and other highly nationalistic Communist leaders, the stakes are simply too high.