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The United States is considering options for a sanctions package against China to deter it from invading Taiwan, with the European Union coming under diplomatic pressure from Taipei to do the same, according to sources familiar with the discussions.

The sources said the deliberations in Washington and Taipei's separate lobbying of EU envoys were both at an early stage -- a response to fears of a Chinese invasion which have grown as military tensions escalate in the Taiwan Strait.

The United States is considering options for a sanctions package against China to deter it from invading Taiwan, with the European Union coming under diplomatic pressure from Taipei to do the same, according to sources familiar with the discussions.

The sources said the deliberations in Washington and Taipei's separate lobbying of EU envoys were both at an early stage -- a response to fears of a Chinese invasion which have grown as military tensions escalate in the Taiwan Strait.

The sources did not provide any details of what is being considered but the notion of sanctions on the world's second-largest economy and one of the global supply chain's biggest links raises questions of feasibility.

"The potential imposition of sanctions on China is a far more complex exercise than sanctions on Russia, given U.S. and allies' extensive entanglement with the Chinese economy," said Nazak Nikakhtar, a former senior U.S. Commerce Department official.

China claims Taiwan as its own territory and last month fired missiles over the island and sailed warships across their unofficial sea frontier after U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taipei in what Beijing saw as a provocation. 

Chinese President Xi Jinping has vowed to bring democratically-governed Taiwan under Beijing's control and has not ruled out the use of force. He is set to secure a third, five-year leadership term at a Communist Party congress next month. Taiwan's government strongly rejects China's sovereignty claims.

In Washington, officials are considering options for a possible package of sanctions against China to deter Xi from attempting to invade Taiwan, said a U.S. official and an official from a country in close coordination with Washington.

U.S. talks over sanctions began after Russia invaded Ukraine in February, but took on fresh urgency after the Chinese reaction to Pelosi's visit, the two sources said.

The United States, backed by NATO allies, took a similar approach to Russia in January with a threat of unspecified sanctions but this failed to dissuade Russian President Vladimir Putin from launching his invasion of Ukraine.

The White House is focused on getting countries on the same page, including coordinating between Europe and Asia, and avoiding provoking Beijing, the non-U.S. official said.

Reuters was unable to learn details on what specific sanctions were under consideration, but some analysts suggested China's military could be the focus.

"Big picture, initial sanctions conversations will likely revolve around curtailing China's access to certain technologies required to sustain a military operation against Taiwan," said Craig Singleton at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

The White House declined to comment.

Taiwan's Foreign Ministry said it had discussed China's recent war games and the "great challenges" China poses to Taiwan and the region with the United States, Europe and other like-minded partners, but could not disclose details.

China's Foreign Ministry and the Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

TAIWAN'S PITCH TO EUROPE

Taiwan had already broached sanctions with European officials after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but China's recent military exercises have seen Taiwan's position harden, six sources briefed on the Taiwan-Europe discussions told Reuters.

Top Taiwanese officials' calls for sanctions preparations have intensified in recent weeks. A recent Chinese white paper, which withdrew a promise not to send troops or administrators to Taiwan if Beijing takes control of the island, has prompted a redoubling of their efforts with Europe.

Taiwan has not asked for anything specific, only for Europe to plan what actions it may take if China attacked, one source briefed on discussions said, and has asked Europe to warn China privately that it would face consequences.

EU officials have so far shied away from imposing tough sanctions on China over human rights issues, as the country plays a far bigger role for the bloc's economy than Russia, said another person familiar with the matter.

European sanctions would require all 27 member countries to agree, which is often elusive; consensus was tough even in isolating Russia after its invasion of Ukraine, in part because its gas was critical for Germany.

All of Europe, excluding the Vatican, has formal diplomatic relations with Beijing but not Taipei, though Taiwanese and European officials have had extensive, private contacts since China's military exercises began, the sources say.

Germany, the bloc's economic engine, is "wary," according to another official familiar with the discussion. "I don't think the Russia-Ukraine has fundamentally changed the way they view their relationship with China."

But there is growing concern in the German government over its economic dependence on China, with the economy minister pledging a new trade policy and "no more naivety" on Tuesday.

A spokesperson for German Chancellor Olaf Scholz declined to comment. (Reuters)

Food security will provide food availability for the community, thereby helping to maintain national economic stability, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto stated.

"Food security needs to be improved by pursuing food sovereignty and independence or food resilience," he noted here on Wednesday.

Hence, the government seeks to encourage food security through a variety of food security strategies and policies, so that the target of community welfare can be achieved evenly, including by establishing a National Food Agency through Presidential Regulation Number 66 of 2021 that provides the authority to manage food reserves, conduct supply and price stabilization activities, as well as strengthen the food logistics system.

Several other strategies are alleviating food insecurity in vulnerable areas as well as developing food diversification and the local food potential. The government has also issued a policy to purchase grain or rice from farmers by the State Logistic Agency (Bulog) until the Government's Rice Reserve (CBP) stock reached 1.2 million tons of rice equivalent.

This assignment is aimed at expanding the capacity of Bulog in absorbing farmers' production in the 2022 rice season while preventing falling prices at the farm level.

In addition, the government conducts local food diversification by increasing the production of corn, sorghum, sago, and cassava through land expansion and opening of new areas.

"This is in order to increase production as an alternative to imported food," Minister Hartarto stated.

Meanwhile, in terms of financing, the government provides People's Business Credit (KUR) assistance that can be accessed by agricultural sector players, with an interest of three percent, until the end of 2022.

The KUR credit ceiling in 2022 will be increased to Rp373.17 trillion. The Micro KUR ceiling without additional collateral, which was earlier above Rp10 million to Rp50 million, was also increased to above Rp10 million to Rp100 million.

Regarding the availability of subsidized fertilizers, the government has reformed the subsidized fertilizer policy by limiting the distribution of subsidized fertilizers -- NPK and urea -- to nine main commodities, such as rice, corn, soybeans, chili, shallots, garlic, sugarcane, coffee, and cocoa.

The government is developing independent food centers based on farmers' corporations to increase efficiency and economies of scale in agricultural production through the Food Estate Program in Central Kalimantan, North Sumatra, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), Central Java, Central Sulawesi, and Papua.

"The Closed Loop Program, which has been developed in Sukabumi, Garut, and Sikka, is also carried out by the government," Hartarto stated. (Antaranews)

Indonesia's maritime power, along with land and air forces, must be built without delay to ensure the sovereignty and prosperity of the nation, Minister of Defense Prabowo Subianto has said.

"Indonesia must immediately build a maritime force, combined with land and air forces, to ensure the sovereignty and prosperity of the nation," Subianto said, according to a statement received in Jakarta on Tuesday.

He made the remarks while delivering the keynote speech at the 2022 International Maritime Seminar themed "Dealing with Conflict to Build Maritime Glory”.

The seminar was organized by the Naval Staff and Command School (Seskoal) to commemorate the 77th anniversary of the Indonesian Navy in Jakarta on Tuesday.

According to Subianto, Indonesia’s geographical location on world trade routes is of strategic value.

Therefore, Indonesia must have a strong maritime power.

“Sometimes, our weakness is in our character. Sometimes, we are too nice. We have to think about our interests and the interests of our children and grandchildren," the minister remarked.

Currently, the Ministry of Defense is repairing 41 naval (AL) ships and increasing their capabilities. This, he said, is being carried out in cooperation with domestic defense player PT PAL Indonesia.

In fact, Subianto said, the government on Thursday (September 8, 2022) determined the marine reserve components that are ready to strengthen and expand the strength of the Indonesian Navy.

The seminar was also attended by the Chief of Staff of the Navy (Kasal), Admiral Yudo Margono.

The speakers at the seminar included the Governor of the National Resilience Institute (Lemhannas) Andi Widjajanto; the Indonesian Ambassador to Germany, Arif Havas Oegroseno; and the Director of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Phillips J. Vermonte. (antaranews)

The National Sports Committee of Indonesia (KONI) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Ministry on developing micro, small, and medium enterprise (MSME) products for national sports.

The MoU was signed by the chairperson of Central KONI, Lieutenant General Marciano Norman, and the ministry's secretary, Arif Rahman Hakim, here on Tuesday in the presence of Cooperatives and SMEs Minister Teten Masduki.

Norman urged Indonesian sports actors, specifically all provincial KONIs and sports branches, to prioritize domestic products, especially if their quality can compete with imported products.

"KONI and the Cooperatives and SMEs Ministry will bring something meaningful for domestic products," he remarked.

Central KONI has around 1,200 sports MSME mentees across Indonesia. He said he expects the cooperation to bolster MSME skills for producing more quality products and services, expanding promotion, and obtaining certification, among other things.

According to Norman, the cooperation is a form of commitment from KONI to utilize and support domestic products.

"To this end, I have asked for support from the Cooperatives and SMEs Ministry to provide a space to support sports industry actors in Indonesia," he said.

Meanwhile, Masduki expressed his optimism over the future of the Indonesian sports industry due to the cooperation with Central KONI.

"Insya Allah (God willing), the cooperation with KONI will strengthen the people's economy," he remarked.

He said he believes that the collaboration with KONI will have a strategic impact in terms of bolstering the national sports ecosystem.

"I am very happy to cooperate with KONI. I am optimistic that it can drive the sports industry," he added.

The government is currently supporting the utilization of domestic products and services in other sectors, he noted.

"The government has established that 40 percent of its spending should be used to purchase domestic products. This can create jobs for two million people without much investment," he explained.  (Antaranews)