The earthquake occurred at 7:42 p.m. local time (1142 GMT) at a depth of 65.7 km (41 miles), with its epicenter located about 21 km southwest of the town of Sarangani on Mindanao island, according to the USGS.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or significant damage following the quake. Authorities also issued no tsunami warning, indicating that the earthquake was not expected to generate hazardous sea waves.

Data shared by earthquake monitoring platform GlobalQuake indicated that approximately 6.4 million people experienced the tremor, with an estimated 168,100 people located in areas where shaking was strongest. The figures were preliminary and had not been independently verified by Philippine authorities.

The latest earthquake struck in one of the world’s most seismically active regions. The Philippines lies along the Pacific Ring of Fire, a vast arc of seismic faults and volcanoes where earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur frequently due to the movement of tectonic plates.

The tremor comes less than three weeks after a major earthquake struck the same part of the southern Philippines, leaving more than 80 people dead and highlighting the region’s continued vulnerability to seismic hazards.

Teodoro said the sanctions were aimed at those who speak out against what he described as China’s actions in the region.

“That is truly what they do to those who speak the truth against their deception,” Teodoro said in a statement.

“I will just keep doing my duty and uphold our nation in the face of the wickedness they are committing here and even in our seas,” he added.

China announced sanctions on Thursday against Teodoro and his close relatives, accusing him of repeatedly making remarks that harmed China’s interests and bilateral relations.

Relations between China and the Philippines have deteriorated in recent years, with frequent disputes as Manila has challenged Beijing’s activities in the South China Sea.

China has accused the Philippines of repeated encroachment in waters claimed by Beijing, while Manila has raised concerns over what it calls aggressive Chinese actions.

Philippine Foreign Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro said the government would seek discussions with Chinese authorities over the sanctions, adding that Manila preferred diplomacy and dialogue.

The Department of Foreign Affairs described the sanctions as an “unfriendly act” that further complicated bilateral relations.

The department said such measures would not help build trust, manage differences or create conditions for constructive engagement between the two countries.

Beijing has previously imposed similar sanctions on foreign officials, including US Secretary of State Marco Rubio over criticism of China and European Union lawmakers who accused Beijing of human rights abuses in Xinjiang.

China last week criticised Teodoro after he described Beijing as a threat during remarks linked to regional security concerns. Manila also recently took diplomatic action against China over what it called the illegal presence of a floating structure in a disputed area.

For decades, reproductive policy in China was closely tied to state objectives, with authorities first seeking to limit births through the one-child policy and now attempting to encourage larger families as the country confronts a sustained decline in births.Interviews with women across China, combined with academic research and demographic data, suggest that the legacy of the one-child era continues to influence family decisions even as government priorities have shifted.

While authorities now promote childbirth through subsidies and policy incentives, many women cite economic pressures, changing social expectations and personal autonomy as key factors shaping their choices.Since the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, family planning and population management have played a significant role in public policy.

During the decades-long one-child policy, which was formally implemented in 1980 and largely ended in 2016, many families were restricted to a single child. Enforcement methods varied across regions, but reports from several parts of the country documented fines, mandatory birth-control procedures and, in some cases, forced abortions and sterilizations.

In Shen County, located on the outskirts of Liaocheng in eastern China’s Shandong province, memories of some of the most stringent enforcement measures remain vivid among older residents.One woman in her 60s, identified only by the surname Li, recalled being subjected to a tubal ligation after giving birth in 1991. According to Li, local authorities were enforcing what became known as the “childless 100 days” campaign, a policy intended to prevent births during a designated period beginning in May of that year.

Li said she was heavily pregnant when local officials transported her and other women to a hospital for procedures intended to terminate pregnancies. She said she went into labor before doctors could carry out the abortion and gave birth to a son inside the hospital.

Afterward, she was fined 6,500 yuan and ordered to undergo sterilization.The Guardian was unable to independently verify all aspects of Li’s account. However, researchers and activists familiar with the period say similar reports emerged from the region during that time.Another Shen County resident, now in her 70s, said she was one month away from giving birth when she received an injection that induced labor and ended her pregnancy.

She said women who resisted family-planning directives faced threats that included property demolition, detention and restrictions on employment.Shandong, China’s second-most populous province, has long been viewed by scholars and activists as a region where central government policies were often implemented rigorously.

Human rights activist Yang Jianli, who is originally from Shandong, described the “childless 100 days” campaign as one of the most extreme examples of one-child policy enforcement that he had encountered.The Shandong provincial government did not respond to a request for comment regarding the historical accounts.

Although comprehensive data on the campaign are unavailable, demographic analysis by Yi Fuxian, a senior scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a longtime critic of China’s population policies, indicates that birth numbers in Shen County and neighboring Guan County fell sharply during the period in question.

More than a decade after China began dismantling birth restrictions, policymakers face a different demographic challenge. China’s birth rate has continued to decline despite efforts to encourage larger families. Official data show that the birth rate fell to 5.63 births per 1,000 people last year, marking a record low.

The government has introduced a range of measures aimed at increasing births, including financial incentives and tax benefits. However, researchers say economic realities and evolving attitudes toward family life have limited the effectiveness of those initiatives.A growing body of academic research suggests that decades of restrictive family-planning policies reshaped social expectations about ideal family size.

One study published last year found that growing up as an only child contributed to a significant reduction in the number of children people expected or desired to have.For many younger Chinese adults, concerns about housing costs, education expenses and financial security appear to outweigh policy incentives.Wang Yixuan, a 26-year-old practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine, said she does not currently plan to have children.

She said achieving financial independence remains a higher priority.Jia, the filmmaker based in Beijing, said women today possess greater freedom in making decisions about reproduction than previous generations. She said many no longer view motherhood as an obligation and increasingly approach family planning as a personal choice.Recent survey data point to a significant shift in attitudes among younger women.

One study found that nearly half of women aged between 18 and 24 reported that they did not want children, compared with just 6% in 2012. The proportion of men expressing the same view also increased during the period, although at a lower rate, reaching nearly 20%.In Shen County, restaurant worker Chen Ying said economic considerations play a decisive role in family decisions.

While earlier generations faced penalties for having additional children, she said many families today are limiting family size because of the financial burden associated with raising children.Yun Zhou, a social demographer at the University of Michigan, said the one-child policy left a lasting imprint on perceptions of reproductive rights and family planning.

According to Zhou, generations of state intervention contributed to a broader understanding that reproductive decisions were subject to government influence rather than being viewed solely as personal choices.

The effects of those decades remain visible across China, where a generation raised largely as only children is now making decisions about marriage, parenthood and family size under a dramatically different demographic reality.

The travel restrictions were communicated through China’s embassy in Wellington and conveyed to the lawmakers by New Zealand’s Parliamentary Service, according to messages seen by The Associated Press on Thursday. The ban applies to lawmakers Laura McClure, Duncan Webb, Maureen Pugh and David Wilson.

China’s Foreign Ministry confirmed the sanctions on Thursday. Spokesperson Mao Ning said Beijing opposed visits to Taiwan by members of legislatures from countries that maintain diplomatic relations with China and urged those involved to respect China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

“Anyone who crosses the red line on the Taiwan question must pay the price,” Mao told a regular press briefing in Beijing.

According to communications relayed by parliamentary officials, the restrictions could be lifted if the lawmakers apologized for their visit to Taiwan. Two of the lawmakers publicly rejected that demand.

ACT Party lawmaker Laura McClure described the request as inappropriate and said she would not apologize. Labour Party lawmaker Duncan Webb said New Zealand lawmakers were entitled to engage with international partners and that he was prepared to accept the consequences of the ban.

New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ office said visits by parliamentarians to Taiwan had occurred for decades and were not inconsistent with New Zealand’s One China policy, under which Wellington acknowledges Beijing’s position that Taiwan is part of China while maintaining unofficial relations with Taipei.

The government said officials in Wellington and Beijing would seek further clarification from Chinese authorities and formally express concern over the decision.

The sanctions mark the first known instance of New Zealand parliamentarians being barred from entering China over contact with Taiwan, according to the New Zealand government. Beijing has previously imposed similar restrictions on lawmakers from other countries as it intensifies efforts to discourage official engagement with Taiwan.

The issue has also drawn attention in neighboring Australia. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Canberra would raise concerns with Chinese officials and reiterated that lawmakers should be free to make independent decisions regarding overseas travel.

China regards democratically governed Taiwan as part of its territory and opposes official exchanges between Taipei and foreign governments or legislators. Taiwan rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims and maintains its own elected government and foreign engagements.

The dispute emerges despite generally stable relations between New Zealand and China in recent years. China remains New Zealand’s largest trading partner and was the first Western nation to conclude a free trade agreement with Beijing.

The ministry said missile, rocket and air defense systems accounted for 29% of export deals, making them the largest category of sales. Observation and optronics systems also recorded strong growth.

European countries were the biggest buyers, accounting for 36% of exports, followed by Asia-Pacific nations with 32%. Countries in the Middle East and North Africa purchased 15%.

Defense Minister Israel Katz linked the export growth to the performance of Israel’s military and defense industries during ongoing conflicts involving Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran.

The announcement comes as Israel seeks to expand production of Arrow missile interceptors amid continued regional tensions and heightened demand for advanced air defense systems.

The Philippines becomes the 13th member of Pax Silica, a programme designed to safeguard the full spectrum of the technology supply chain, including critical minerals, advanced manufacturing, computing and data infrastructure.

The initiative forms part of the Trump administration’s broader economic strategy to reduce reliance on rival nations and deepen coordination among allied partners. Other participating countries include Australia, Finland, India, Qatar, South Korea and Singapore.

The planned industrial hub will be located within the Luzon Economic Corridor, a key economic zone encompassing Manila and surrounding regions with established manufacturing capacity. The Philippines, Japan and the United States have also committed to increasing infrastructure investment in the corridor under a trilateral framework agreement.

“It is intended to serve as a staging point for a purpose-built platform for allied manufacturing,” the State Department said, adding that both countries aim to reinforce supply chains across semiconductors, electronics and other critical sectors.

The project underscores strengthening ties between Manila and Washington under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who has moved to deepen cooperation with the United States.

The Philippines, a former U.S. colony, has also taken on strategic importance in Washington’s efforts to counter China’s assertiveness in the South China Sea.

The benchmark KOSPI index has recovered nearly all of last month’s 19% decline, regaining momentum after being one of the world’s top-performing major indices last year. The rebound has been supported by renewed foreign inflows, with $4.2 billion returning to equities in April after record outflows of $23.8 billion in March, according to LSEG data.

Investor interest has been driven in part by the global surge in demand for high-bandwidth memory used in data centres, benefiting major South Korean chipmakers such as Samsung Electronics. Market participants said the March correction created attractive entry points, prompting portfolio reallocations into Korean technology stocks.

“We’re cautiously optimistic, but we think it’s a megatrend,” said Isaac Thong, senior investment director for Asian equities at Aberdeen Investments, referring to the long-term growth potential of AI-linked semiconductor demand.Despite the recovery, the recent market turmoil has exposed structural vulnerabilities.

South Korea’s equity market remains heavily concentrated in a small number of AI-linked firms, amplifying swings during periods of global uncertainty. Since the onset of the Iran war, the KOSPI has experienced sharp daily fluctuations, including declines of up to 12% and gains of 9%, outpacing volatility seen in other Asian and U.S. markets.

The South Korean won has remained near 17-year lows against the U.S. dollar, increasing the cost of energy imports and complicating policy responses. Authorities face a balancing act as measures to support growth risk fuelling inflation, particularly in an economy highly dependent on imported energy.

Government efforts to address the so-called “Korea discount” through corporate governance reforms have begun to attract activist investors, aiming to narrow valuation gaps linked to longstanding concerns over transparency and shareholder rights within family-run conglomerates.While equities have been volatile, South Korea’s bond market has shown resilience.

Companies raised $74.7 billion in the first quarter, maintaining strong issuance levels, while the benchmark 10-year government bond yield has declined this month to its lowest level since February.

Prospects for sovereign debt have improved further with anticipated inclusion in FTSE’s World Government Bond Index, prompting early inflows from major institutional investors including Japan’s Government Pension Investment Fund, alongside interest from global asset managers such as Goldman Sachs Asset Management and Principal Global Investors.

Analysts estimate that index inclusion could drive between $50 billion and $70 billion in passive fund inflows, reinforcing demand for Korean bonds even as equity markets remain sensitive to external shocks.

However, continued weakness in the won remains a key concern for global investors, with capital outflows and safe-haven demand for the dollar keeping the currency near levels last seen during past financial crises.

Authorities have responded with verbal interventions and strategic hedging operations by the state pension fund to stabilise the currency.

The meeting, held at the Great Hall of the People, comes as Beijing increases military and political pressure on Taiwan, which it claims as its territory. Cheng is visiting China on what she described as a “peace mission” aimed at reducing tensions.

Xi reiterated Beijing’s long-standing “One China” position, stating that both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one nation and calling Taiwan independence the “chief culprit” undermining regional stability.

He urged collaboration between China’s Communist Party and Taiwan’s opposition Kuomintang to promote national reunification.Cheng said she hoped to foster mutually beneficial relations and expand exchanges, adding that dialogue could help prevent the Taiwan Strait from becoming a flashpoint for international conflict.

Taiwan’s government rejected Beijing’s stance, with top policymaker Chiu Chui-cheng saying only Taiwan’s people could determine the island’s future and calling on China to engage with its democratically elected leadership.

Beijing has refused to hold talks with President Lai Ching-te, labeling him a separatist. The current divide traces back to 1949, when rival governments split after China’s civil war, with each side maintaining separate political systems.

Cheng, chair of the Kuomintang (KMT), is scheduled to visit China from April 7 to 12 and may meet Xi Jinping, though Beijing has not confirmed such talks. Speaking before departure in Taipei, she said the trip aimed to reduce tensions and prevent conflict, calling it a “historic journey for peace.

”The visit comes amid heightened military pressure from China, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory and has not ruled out the use of force to assert control. Beijing has also refused formal engagement with Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te, labeling him a separatist.

Taiwanese officials said Chinese naval activity around the island remains elevated. Kuan Bi-ling reported multiple warships positioned off Taiwan’s coasts, including deployments to the east, north, northwest and southwest, underscoring what authorities described as sustained military pressure.

Separately, Chiu Chui-cheng urged Beijing to engage with Taiwan’s elected government and called on Cheng to press Chinese authorities to halt military activities, including air and naval operations near the island.

The trip takes place ahead of a planned summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Xi in Beijing, where Taiwan is expected to feature among key issues alongside trade.Cheng’s itinerary includes stops in Shanghai and Nanjing, where she is expected to visit the mausoleum of Sun Yat-sen, founder of the Republic of China.

The visit marks the first by a KMT leader to China in a decade, reflecting renewed political outreach despite ongoing cross-strait tensions.

Curtis, speaking alongside fellow lawmakers including Jeanne Shaheen, said Taiwan should draw lessons from Hong Kong, where Beijing imposed a sweeping national security law in 2020 following unrest, a move critics say curtailed freedoms.

The visit comes as President Lai Ching-te seeks approval for an additional $40 billion in defence spending, a proposal backed by Washington but currently stalled in the opposition-controlled parliament.

Taiwan’s government says the funding is necessary to strengthen deterrence against China, which claims the island as its territory. Opposition parties have expressed support in principle for defence measures but have resisted approving what they describe as open-ended commitments.

Curtis said Taiwan risked misjudging Beijing’s intentions if it ignored the trajectory of Hong Kong since its return to Chinese rule in 1997 under a framework guaranteeing autonomy.“My biggest worry for Taiwan is that they underestimate the intentions of China,” Curtis said, urging vigilance despite aspirations for peace.

China has simultaneously stepped up engagement with Taiwan’s opposition. Beijing has invited Cheng Li-wun, leader of the Kuomintang, to visit, a trip she has described as a “peace mission.”

Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council said China’s objective of annexation had not changed and cautioned against what it called “illusions” about peace, reflecting ongoing tensions across the Taiwan Strait.