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February
Pacific island leaders expect visit by U.S. president in 'near future'
Written by Nur Yasmin
The leaders of five Pacific island nations said on Tuesday that U.S. President Joe Biden would soon visit their region for a leaders' summit.
The leaders of the Pacific's five Micronesian nations, Kiribati, Palau, Nauru, Marshall Islands and Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), met on Monday and issued a communique on Tuesday saying they had discussed the "value of a visit by U.S. President Joseph R. Biden Jr to the Pacific sometime in the near future".
"Presidents welcomed President Biden's planned visit for Leaders Summit in the Pacific Region and expressed their full support and cooperation to ensure the success of this visit," they said in a statement.
The U.S. embassy covering the Pacific islands and the U.S. consulate in the Australian city of Sydney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Leaders of the Pacific Island Forum, a regional bloc of 18 countries, will meet in Fiji on Feb. 24 and any invitation for a Biden visit would likely be agreed on and issued by the forum.
The United States last year stepped up its diplomacy and aid to the strategically important Pacific region after China struck a security deal with the Solomon Islands, and China attempted but failed to forge a wider security and trade pact with 10 island nations.
FSM president David Panuelo said in a statement a U.S.-Pacific Islands summit hosted by Biden at the White House in September was "an unambiguous success".
"It will be of instrumental importance for the Pacific to ensure the United States continues to re-engage, as thoroughly as possible, with our Blue Pacific Continent," he said.
Biden is expected to travel to Australia this year to attend a meeting of the so-called Quad group of the United States, India, Australia and Japan. (Reuters)
February
Taiwan says it has spotted no Chinese surveillance balloons
Written by Nur Yasmin
Taiwan has not spotted any surveillance balloons from China in its vicinity, the island's defence ministry said on Tuesday, as a dispute between China and the United States over spy balloons triggers worries about rising military tensions.
The U.S. military on Feb. 4 shot down what it called a Chinese spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina.
China said the balloon was a civilian research craft that had mistakenly blown off course and on Monday it accused the United States of sending spy balloons over China. The United States denied that.
A Taiwan military intelligence officer said the armed forces had not seen any surveillance balloons from China near the island that were similar to the one shot down over the United States.
"The majority of the balloons near our waters were used for meteorological purposes," the officer, Major General Huang Wen-chi, told a regular briefing in Taipei, adding that weather balloons posed no serious security threat.
He said the military would destroy any balloon approaching Taiwan's territory that posed "high security threats" but no such action had been necessary.
The balloons detected near Taiwan had no steering capability and thus were unlikely to be used for surveillance, he added.
The Financial Times reported this week cited unidentified Taiwan sources as saying that the island has observed dozens of Chinese military balloon flights in its airspace in recent years, far more than previously known.
The ministry declined to comment on the report.
Beijing claims self-ruled Taiwan as its territory and has ramped up its military activities near the island in recent years, raising fears Beijing might try to take control of the it by force.
Taiwan vows to defend itself if attacked, saying Beijing's sovereignty claims are void as the People's Republic of China has never governed the island. (Reuters)
February
Adani crisis: Modi's party has 'nothing to hide', says India home minister
Written by Nur Yasmin
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party has "nothing to hide or be afraid of" on the controversy over Adani group, the home minister said on Tuesday, responding to opposition allegations of favouring the conglomerate attacked by a U.S. short seller.
Led by billionaire Gautam Adani, the business house's seven listed companies bearing his name have together lost about $120 billion in market value since a Jan. 24 report by Hindenburg Research alleged improper use of offshore tax havens and stock manipulation. The Adani group has denied the allegations and threatened legal action against Hindenburg.
"The Supreme Court has taken cognisance of the matter. As a minister, if the Supreme Court is seized of the matter it is not right for me to comment," Amit Shah, widely considered the most powerful politician in India after Modi, told the ANI news agency.
"But in this, there is nothing for the BJP to hide and nothing to be afraid of," Shah added, referring to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
He denied allegations of crony capitalism and suggested the opposition to go to court if they had proof.
The Adani crisis has stalled parliament, ignited street protests by the opposition, sparked off investigations by regulators and weighed on the broader markets in a challenge to Modi ahead of a string of state elections this year and general elections next year.
Rivals including the main opposition Congress party accuse Modi and the BJP of longstanding ties to the apples-to-airports Adani group, going back nearly two decades when Modi was chief minister of the western state of Gujarat. Gautam Adani and Shah also come from the same state.
Modi's immense popularity, however, appears intact for now, according to approval ratings.
Without referring to Adani, Modi told parliament last week that the "blessings of 1.4 billion people in the country are my protective cover and you can't destroy it with lies and abuses", as opposition lawmakers chanted "Adani, Adani".
FLAGSHIP'S RESULTS
There was some respite for the Adani group on Tuesday as shares of its flagship company Adani Enterprises (ADEL.NS) rose as much as 10% after it reported a quarterly profit versus a loss a year ago on strong performance in its key coal trading division and airports business.
Adani Enterprises, which pulled a $2.5 billion share sale earlier this month after the stock rout, reported a profit of 8.2 billion rupees ($99.12 million) for the December quarter, compared to a loss of 116.3 million rupees a year before.
"Shares are reacting to the results and reversing some shorts that might have built up due to speculation," said Sameer Kalra, equity research analyst and founder of Target Investing, adding, however, that it will be the current quarter's results that will be the one to watch.
Shares of Adani Power (ADAN.NS) and Adani Green Energy (ADNA.NS) fell 5% in a wider Mumbai market (.NSEI) that was up around 1%.
Two large companies within the Adani group are likely to repay their short-term commercial paper (CP) debt as they come due over the next few months, instead of rolling them over as is normal, two merchant bankers and a company official directly familiar with the matter told Reuters.
India's Economic Times daily reported on Tuesday that Adani group executives had been holding negotiations since last week with Abu Dhabi's International Holding Corp (IHC) for capital infusion into Adani Enterprises or other group entities.
Adani did not immediately respond to a request seeking comment. IHC declined to comment.
The Adani group has appointed accountancy firm Grant Thornton for independent audits of some of its companies, Reuters reported on Monday, citing sources, even as India's market regulator said it was investigating the report by Hindenburg, as well as market activity immediately before and after the report was published. (Reuters)
February
Philippines files protest to China over use of laser, "aggressive activities" by vessels
Written by Nur Yasmin
The Philippines on Tuesday filed a diplomatic protest calling on Beijing to ensure its vessels cease "aggressive activities" after Manila accused China's coast guard of trying to block one of its ships in the South China Sea using a laser.
The Philippine coast guard said on Monday a Chinese coast guard ship directed a "military-grade laser" at one of Manila's vessels supporting a resupply mission to troops in the disputed waterway on Feb. 6, temporarily blinding its crew on the bridge.
"These acts of aggression by China are disturbing and disappointing as it closely follows the state visit to China of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. in early January during which he and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to manage maritime differences through diplomacy and dialogue," Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Teresita Daza said in a statement on Tuesday.
The ministry said the Chinese vessel undertook dangerous manoeuvres by approaching at a close distance the Philippine vessel, risking a collision that endangered the crew, and issuing "illegal radio challenges" demanding the Philippine ship leave the area.
The actions of China's coast guard vessel were a threat to Philippine sovereignty and security and the country had a prerogative to conduct legitimate activities within its exclusive economic zone, the ministry said.
There was no immediate comment from the Chinese embassy in Manila, but China's foreign ministry said on Monday that its coast guard had conducted actions according to the law.
"We urge the Philippines to avoid such actions, and the actions of China's staff are professional and restrained," China's foreign ministry spokesperson, Wang Wenbin, told a regular briefing.
The Philippine coast guard was supporting a navy mission to deliver food and supplies to troops on the Second Thomas Shoal, 105 nautical miles (195 km) off the Philippine province of Palawan.
Locally known as Ayungin, the shoal is home to a small Philippine military contingent on board a World War Two ship which was intentionally grounded on the shoal in 1999 to reinforce Manila's sovereignty claims in the Spratly archipelago.
China claims nearly all of the South China Sea, including the area around the Spratly islands.
The Philippines has filed 203 diplomatic notes against China since last year, foreign ministry data showed. (Reuters)
February
Vietnam exporters fret over potential trade fallout of U.S. rules on Xinjiang
Written by Nur Yasmin
Concerned Vietnam-based exporters are seeking to ensure they comply with a U.S. ban on imported products using raw materials from China's Xinjiang as lucrative trade in goods like garments and solar panels comes under closer scrutiny in Washington.
As U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai visits Vietnam this week, executives and other people familiar with the situation said some industries in Vietnam may be importing, sometimes unwittingly, raw material from Xinjiang - or might find it hard to prove they were not doing so.
The U.S. embassy in Hanoi had no comment on the issue and the matter was not on the official list of topics that Tai planned to discuss with the Vietnamese government, according to a media statement.
The U.S. Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, which came into force last June, has already halted more than 1,500 shipments to the United States from all over the world worth about $500 million, according to data from the U.S. customs agency.
Washington accuses China of committing genocide against ethnic Uyghurs and other Muslims in Xinjiang, and herding them into camps. Beijing denies abuses in Xinjiang, but says it had established "vocational training centres" to curb terrorism, separatism and religious radicalism.
Vietnam posted a $116 billion trade surplus with the United States last year, led by shipments of goods such as electronics, clothing and footwear.
The solar panel sector could be particularly at risk, as it greatly relies on polysilicon for solar cells, whose global production is concentrated in Xinjiang. Alongside other Southeast Asian countries, Vietnam accounts for about 80% of U.S. panel supplies, and Vietnam's panel exports to the United States were worth $3.4 billion in 2020.
"This is a major concern if the silicon is sourced from the concerned region," said Kheng Joo Ung, Managing Director at the Vietnam unit of First Solar Inc (FSLR.O), a leading exporter of panels to the United States.
First Solar did not use polysilicon in its panels, but competitors in Vietnam did, he said, without identifying any companies. Some polysilicon is produced in Vietnam, Ung said.
In addition to First Solar, the top solar panel makers in Vietnam are mostly Chinese companies, according to investment consultancy Dezan Shira.
More Chinese providers of components and supportive services, such as plastic molding and die casting, planned to invest in Vietnam to supply solar panel makers there, two industry experts said, declining to be named because the information was confidential.
No evidence has been publicly released so far of use of Xinjiang's polysilicon in Vietnam.
The Vietnamese government did not immediately respond to a request for a comment.
A third trade expert who attended internal meetings with U.S. customs officials in recent weeks told Reuters Vietnam had recently been repeatedly mentioned among the countries at highest risk of falling foul of U.S. trade restrictions. The expert declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the matter.
U.S. officials have cited Vietnam's positive efforts to comply with the new rules and some have said compliance may be a temporary hiccup.
Even companies determined to play by the rules face compliance risks.
For smaller actors it may not be easy to produce the documentation needed because of higher due diligence costs and sprawling supply chains, said one Vietnam-based executive, noting that the textile industry is also wary, since Xinjiang is also a big producer of cotton yarn. The executive declined to be named because he was not allowed to speak to media. (Reuters)
February
India tax officers search BBC offices weeks after critical documentary
Written by Nur Yasmin
Indian tax officers searched the BBC's bureaus in New Delhi and Mumbai on Tuesday, the British broadcaster said, weeks after the government came down hard against a BBC documentary critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's role in 2002 riots.
The documentary had focused on the Hindu nationalist politician's leadership as chief minister of the western state of Gujarat during the deadly communal riots in which at least 1,000 people were killed, most of them Muslims, though activists put the toll at more than twice that number.
"The Income Tax Authorities are currently at the BBC offices in New Delhi and Mumbai and we are fully cooperating. We hope to have this situation resolved as soon as possible," the BBC said in a statement.
An Income Tax Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that a "credible survey operation was ongoing" and that the department would not be able to share details. The department did not respond to a Reuters email seeking comment.
One of two sources in the BBC's New Delhi office told Reuters that tax officials were speaking with the accounts officer and no one was allowed to leave.
While the search was in progress, television news crews set up outside the office near Connaught Place in central Delhi to report developments.
The Editors Guild of India, which calls itself a non-partisan association of editorial leaders, said it was deeply concerned by the visits by the tax officers.
A Guild statement said it was "distressed by the continuing trend of government agencies being used to intimidate and harass news organisations that are critical of the ruling establishment".
It said the department also searched the offices of media outlets NewsClick, Newslaundry, Dainik Bhaskar and Bharat Samachar in 2021 after their "critical coverage" of the government.
Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said Indian institutions worked independently and the tax department was "within the law in looking into tax compliance".
"India is a vibrant democracy where no one is above the law," said BJP spokesman Gopal Krishna Agarwal.
The main opposition Congress party condemned the tax department's action.
"The IT raid at BBC’s offices reeks of desperation and shows that the Modi government is scared of criticism," lawmaker and Congress General Secretary K.C. Venugopal wrote on Twitter.
"We condemn these intimidation tactics in the harshest terms. This undemocratic and dictatorial attitude cannot go on any longer."
The government has dismissed the BBC documentary as propaganda. The foreign ministry in January said it was meant to push a "discredited narrative", was biased, lacked objectivity and showed a "continuing colonial mindset".
The BBC has stood by its reporting for the documentary.
Last month police in Delhi detained students as they gathered to watch the documentary after their university declined to give permission for a screening of it.
The documentary covers events from February 2002, when a suspected Muslim mob set fire to a train carrying Hindu pilgrims in Gujarat, setting off one of independent India’s worst outbreaks of communal violence.
Modi ruled Gujarat for more than a decade before becoming prime minister in 2014.
His career has been dogged by accusations that he did not do enough to stop the rioting in 2002. Modi has always denied any wrongdoing and in 2013 a panel appointed by the Supreme Court said there was insufficient evidence to prosecute him. (Reuters)
February
China Says U.S. Flew High-Altitude Balloons Over Its Airspace
Written by Nur Yasmin
China said on Monday that U.S. high altitude balloons had flown over its airspace without permission more than 10 times since the beginning of 2022, drawing a swift denial from Washington.
China's accusation widened a dispute with United States that began last weekend after the U.S. military shot down what it says was a Chinese spy balloon, prompting top U.S. diplomat Antony Blinken to cancel a trip to Beijing designed to ease tensions.
"Since last year, the U.S.'s high-altitude balloons have undergone more than 10 illegal flights into Chinese airspace without the approval of the relevant Chinese departments," Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at a regular briefing in Beijing in response to a question.
Wang did not specifically describe the balloons as military or for espionage purposes and did not provide further details.
Asked how China had responded to such incursions, Wang said its responses had been "responsible and professional".
White House national security spokesman John Kirby denied China's accusation.
"Not true. Not doing it. Just absolutely not true," he said in an interview with MSNBC. "We are not flying balloons over China."
The U.S. Defense Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
China's assertion comes after the United States shot down what it called a Chinese surveillance balloon off the coast of South Carolina on Feb. 4 after it had drifted across the continental United States for days.
China said the balloon was a civilian research craft that had mistakenly blown off course and accused the United States of overreacting.
In recent days, the U.S. military has shot down three other flying objects over North America, most recently on Sunday, when an octagonal object was downed over Lake Huron, the Pentagon said.
Wang said he had no information on the latest three objects shot down by the United States. (Reuters)
February
With China Looming, U.S. Signs Assistance Deal With Micronesia
Written by Nur Yasmin
The United States said on Friday it has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Federated States of Micronesia, reflecting a shared understanding on future U.S. assistance to the Pacific island country that Washington is anxious to keep out of China's orbit.
The State Department announcement means Washington has now signed MoUs on future assistance with three key Pacific island countries as it negotiates cooperation agreement renewals that gives the United States access to huge swaths of the Pacific for defense purposes.
Washington said it signed MoUs last month with the Marshall Islands and Palau and reached consensus on terms of U.S. economic assistance, but Washington has not provided details.
Micronesia did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Friday's statement said the latest MoU affirmed "our close and continuing partnership and reflecting our shared understanding reached on levels and types of future U.S. assistance to be requested for the Federated States of Micronesia."
"The Memorandum of Understanding was signed as part of the ongoing Compact of Free Association negotiations and confirms our shared vision for a strong and enduring partnership that will continue to benefit both nations and the entire Pacific region," the statement said.
The U.S. move comes as Washington and its allies are concerned about China's military ambitions in the Indo-Pacific region.
Under Compacts of Free Association (COFA) first agreed in the 1980s, Washington retains responsibility for the defense of the three island nations while providing them with economic assistance.
COFA provisions will expire in 2023 for the Marshall Islands and FSM and in 2024 for Palau. Though the island nations still enjoy close ties to Washington, critics warn that a failure to finalize economic aid could spur them to look to China for funding or increased trade and tourism. (Reuters)
February
Cambodia's Hun Sen Orders Shutdown of Independent Local News Outlet
Written by Nur Yasmin
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen ordered the shutdown of one of the last independent local news organizations in the country on Sunday night, saying it had attacked him and his son and hurt the country.
The Voice of Democracy, also known as VOD, will no longer have a license to publish or broadcast from 10am local time on Monday, the prime minister said in a statement posted on his official Facebook page.
He ordered Phnom Penh police to "keep order" but not seize property. He said foreign donors to VOD should take back their money and its staff should find new jobs.
"Commentators tried to attack me and my son Hun Manet," Hun Sen wrote. He said a VOD story published earlier this week had hurt the "dignity and reputation" of the Cambodian government, and he ordered the Ministry of Information to cancel VOD’s license.
VOD on Wednesday published a story on Cambodia’s earthquake aid to Turkey. The story quoted government spokesperson Phay Siphan saying the prime minister's son and presumed successor Hun Manet had signed the aid agreement. Hun Manet is the joint chief of staff and deputy commander for the country’s armed forces, and signing such an agreement appeared to have overstepped the bounds of his position.
Hun Sen, one of the world’s longest-serving dictators, on whose watch political rivals have been jailed and exiled, critical media outlets shuttered and civil dissent crushed, demanded a public apology.
The NGO that runs VOD, the Cambodian Center for Independent Media, sent a letter to Hun Sen’s Cabinet saying it was sorry for any confusion it may have caused and explaining that VOD had quoted government spokesman Phay Siphan. Hun Sen said the response was unacceptable.
Phay Siphan and the media director for CCIM did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
VOD is not the first media organization to be shut down in Cambodia. The Cambodia Daily was shut down in late 2017 after being given one month to pay millions in back taxes that the publication disputed.
The paper had a reputation for breaking news on tough issues and was shut months ahead of the last general election in 2018. The next general election is due to be held in July. (Reuters)
February
India's Military, Civil Ambitions To Dominate Aero India Show
Written by Nur Yasmin
India is scouting for billions of dollars worth of military planes, completing jetliner deals to meet civilian demand and pressing global aircraft manufacturers to produce more locally at a major air show this week.
Flanked by nuclear-armed rivals China and Pakistan, India has the world's fourth-largest air force but its largely Soviet-era fleet is in desperate need of modernising. It also wants planes for aircraft carriers to balance China's growing power in the Indian Ocean.
As the country prepares to host the Aero India show in Bengaluru from Monday, its airlines are expanding, with Air India expected to announce a potentially record deal to buy nearly 500 jets from Airbus SE (AIR.PA) and Boeing Co (BA.N), worth more than $100 billion at list prices.
IndiGo, the country's biggest carrier and a top Airbus client, could be next, with aviation consultant CAPA India predicting it will make a blockbuster order of a similar scale as Air India's.
Indian carriers may buy 1,500 to 1,700 aircraft in coming years, CAPA said, including Air India and IndiGo.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is to open the air show, which runs through Friday. It will be military-dominated but also feature India's efforts to accommodate a domestic travel boom and rebuild its brand abroad.
Modi has made "Make-in-India" a centrepiece of his economic policy, insisting that manufacturers such as Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N), Boeing and Airbus share technology or make more than parts in the country.
His government's push to expand the world's fifth-largest economy to $5 trillion by 2026 from $3.2 trillion in 2021 could mean more industrial supply deals.
MILITARY, COMMERCIAL COMPETITION
"The days of foreign companies selling directly to India are over," a defence industry source told Reuters. "The narrative has moved as the Modi government wants Indian companies to manufacture in partnership with global firms."
The push for transfer of high technology and domestic manufacturing signals Modi's ambition to share the stage with military superpowers like the United States, Russia and China.
At the same time, airlines like Air India are seeking to go head-on with rivals like Emirates Airline (EMIRA.UL) for a bigger share of international passenger flow. But many analysts warn recapturing traffic from established Gulf hubs will face tough competition.
With manufacturers lining up for a slice of the multi-billion-dollar opportunity and the chance to partner with a rising power, Rolls-Royce Holdings PLC (RR.L) has said it was ready to work with India on developing combat-aircraft engine technologies.
New Delhi is trying to reduce its traditional dependence on Russia, turning to the United States, France and Israel for equipment and pushing its own Tejas light combat plane.
The U.S. delegation will be the largest in the air show's 27-year history, said the embassy in New Delhi. "As India modernises its defence capabilities, certainly we want to be the partner of choice."
India's pressing military air need is to shore up its fighter squadrons, which have fallen to 31 from the approved 42 as political and bureaucratic hurdles and lack of funds delay purchases. A $20-billion proposal to buy 114 multi-role fighter aircraft has been pending for five years, brought into sharp focus by tensions with China and Pakistan.
The biggest military aircraft makers want in on such a deal, with attention on French Dassault Aviation SA's (AM.PA) Rafale, Saab AB's (SAABb.ST) JAS-39 Gripen, Boeing's F-15EX and F/A-18 Super Hornet, and Lockheed Martin's F-21 - an upgraded version of the F-16 unveiled at the India show in 2019. (Reuters)