Top Asian News 3:41 a.m. GMT

BEIJING (AP) — Donald Trump has offered views on U.S. relations with Asia that could indicate radical shifts in long-standing policy toward the region. From opposing free trade agreements to confronting China and questioning Japan-South Korea alliances, he appears set to be charting a course far different from previous administrations. Yet, in other areas, including North Korea, India and Pakistan, Trump appears ready to carry forward well-established U.S. policy. As Trump prepares to be sworn-in as president on Friday, here is a look at some of the stand-out issues and how developments might play out: ___ TRADE — Trump says he plans to scrap the 12-nation trade pact known as the Trans Pacific Partnership agreement, or TPP.

BEIJING (AP) — Responding to remarks by Donald Trump, China's Foreign Ministry on Monday said the country's "one-China principle" regarding Taiwan is not negotiable and any attempt to reconsider the issue would be self-defeating. Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters that anyone attempting to use Taiwan's status in a negotiation would be "smashing their feet by lifting a rock." "Not everything in the world can be bargained or traded off," Hua told reporters at a daily briefing. "Whoever attempts to harm the one-China principle out of any motive or uses the principle as a bargaining chip will definitely be facing broad and strong opposition from the Chinese government and people, as well as the international community," Hua said.

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump's billionaire business partner and possible political proxy in Indonesia nurses big leadership ambitions in the vast but perennially lagging Southeast Asian nation, which he says isn't developed enough to have a successful democracy and needs strong leadership. Boasting more than a million followers on Twitter, three popular television channels and a newly minted political party, Hary Tanoesoedibjo says he has had enough success in business and now wants power of the political kind. Tanoesoedibjo, better known as Tanoe, is like Trump a free-trade critic. He's making his pitch to tens of millions of Indonesians left behind by a lopsided economy that favors a few major cities.

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on Tuesday urged Japan to invest more in the Southeast Asian country to become its top foreign investor. Speaking at a conference of business leaders from both countries also attended by visiting Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Phuc said Vietnam would like to see Japan invest more in infrastructure, agriculture, manufacturing and services. "At this meeting with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, we wish that Japan would be the largest (foreign) investor to Vietnam, not other countries," Phuc said. South Korea is Vietnam's largest foreign investor with total investments of $50 billion, followed by Japan with $42 billion.

BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan (AP) — A Turkish cargo plane crashed Monday in a residential area just outside the main airport in Kyrgyzstan, destroying half of a village and killing at least 37 people in the plane and on the ground, the Emergency Situations Ministry said. The Boeing 747 crashed at 7:40 a.m. local time while approaching Manas airport, south of the capital, Bishkek, in this Central Asian nation. Footage from the scene showed the plane's nose stuck inside a brick house and large chunks of debris scattered around. A dozen body bags were laid out in the yard of one home. A car parked nearby was mangled in the crash, and a refrigerator lay open.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — In a departure from the leniency typically given South Korean big businesses, prosecutors on Monday requested the arrest of the de facto head of Samsung Electronics, the country's most valuable company, in an influence-peddling scandal that has toppled the country's president. Lee Jae-yong, the 48-year-old vice chairman at Samsung Electronics, faces allegations of embezzlement, of lying under oath during a parliamentary hearing and of offering a bribe of 43 billion won ($36 million) to a long-time friend of impeached President Park Geun-hye, according to Lee Kyu-chul, a spokesman for a special prosecutors' team investigating the political scandal.

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — An Afghan official says that Islamic state militants stormed a religious school in eastern Nangarhar province, kidnapping 14 clerics who were teaching at the school and two administrators. Mohammad Asif Shinwari, spokesman for the provincial education department, said Monday that the attack by three armed men took place over the weekend. No one has claimed responsibility but police and government officials blame Islamic State militants, who are operating in the area. Meanwhile in northern Afghanistan's Baghlan province, police say gunmen shot and killed a senior government official. They say Mustafa Safayee was killed Monday by two gunmen on a motorcycle.

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The Philippines has filed a low-key diplomatic protest with China after a U.S. think tank reported that Beijing appears to have installed anti-aircraft and anti-missile weapons on its man-made islands in the strategically vital South China Sea, the country's top diplomat said Monday. Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay said the diplomatic communication was issued after the report came out last month. The Center for Strategic and International Studies report said anti-aircraft guns and weapons systems designed to guard against missile attacks appear to have been placed on all seven of China's newly created islands. Yasay told CNN Philippines that Manila had responded, but did so quietly.

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Japan will provide Vietnam new patrol vessels, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Monday on the last stop of his four-nation tour to boost his country's trade and security engagements in Asia amid China's rising dominance. "The two countries will further strengthen security and defense cooperation and this time Japan has decided to provide (Vietnam with) newly built patrol vessels at Vietnam's request," Abe said at a news conference in Hanoi with his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Xuan Phuc. "We will strongly support Vietnam's strengthening its maritime law-enforcement capabilities." Vietnam already has six used patrol vessels provided by Japan and how many were in the fresh offer wasn't mentioned.

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Cambodia has informed the United States that it is canceling an annual joint military exercise this year, even though planning for the event had already begun, officials from both countries said Monday. Defense Ministry spokesman Gen. Chhum Socheath said the Angkor Sentinel exercise had to be postponed because Cambodian forces would be unable to fully participate as a result of two important events: local elections in June and a six-month campaign to eradicate drug-related crime. U.S. Embassy spokesman Jay Raman confirmed in an e-mail that the exercises for 2017 and 2018 have been canceled. He said military exchanges and training programs are not affected.