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November
Xi says China to consider holding Belt & Road Forum in 2023
Written by Nur Yasmin
Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Friday that China would consider hosting the third Belt & Road Forum for International Cooperation next year, which would be the first staging of the event since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Belt & Road is Xi's signature infrastructure investment initiative, and previous editions of the forum, in 2017 and 2019, drew leaders and officials from dozens of countries.
However, China has all-but-shut its borders since COVID and cancelled most big in-person international events that it had been due to host.
China has recently begun to ease some elements of its strict zero-COVID policy, even as the country battles surging outbreaks in numerous cities, with many analysts predicting more significant opening up starting in March or April.
Xi was speaking on Friday at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) gathering in Bangkok.
In February, Beijing staged the Winter Olympics inside a "closed loop". (Reuters)
November
New Zealand's Ardern talked co-operation with China, while also raising concerns
Written by Nur Yasmin
New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern discussed bilateral relations and areas of co-operation with China's President Xi Jinping on Friday, while also raising concerns about human rights and the Taiwan Strait, the New Zealand government said.
The two leaders met on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Bangkok. This was their first in-person meeting since 2019.
A New Zealand government readout said Ardern spoke to Xi of the strength of the bilateral connection and significant areas of cooperation including trade, agriculture, climate change and the environment.
It added that she also raised New Zealand's concerns regarding Xinjiang, Hong Kong, the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait.
"Noting New Zealand's interest in peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, the Prime Minister acknowledged China's long standing relationships in the Pacific, but encouraged that where issues or cooperation impacted the wider Pacific region, engagement with regional architecture such as the Pacific Islands Forum was key," it said.
New Zealand has long been seen as the moderate, even absent, voice on China in the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing alliance.
However, New Zealand's tone on both security and China's growing presence in the South Pacific toughened this year after China and the Solomon Islands struck a security pact.
But while Australia's relationship with China has deteriorated, New Zealand and China's interactions have remained largely cordial.
The readout said Ardern had encouraged China to use its influence and access to help address regional and international security challenges such North Korea's behaviour and Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
"The Prime Minister registered the importance of working together to sustain the rules, norms and systems that have served the region and the world so well for so many decades," the readout said. (Reuters)
November
Kenya, Rwanda request M23 ceasefire and withdrawal from east Congo
Written by Nur Yasmin
Kenya's former president Uhuru Kenyatta and Rwanda's President Paul Kagame have agreed on the need for M23 rebels to cease fire and withdraw from captured territories in east Congo, the East African Community (EAC) bloc said on Friday.
M23 rebels have waged several offensives in east Congo this year, their first major come-back since 2012, prompting clashes with the army that have displaced thousands of civilians since March.
The unrest ignited diplomatic tensions between Congo and neighbouring Rwanda, which Congo accuses of backing the group. Rwanda denies the accusation.
Regional efforts are under way to ease relations between the two countries and end the conflict unfolding along their border.
Kenyatta visited Congo this week as facilitator for the seven-member EAC and African Union peace envoy.
He had meetings in Kinshasa and visited displaced people in the key eastern city of Goma, to which the M23 drew closer this week.
Upon his return, Kenyatta and Kagame both agreed via telephone "on the need for an immediate ceasefire", the EAC said in a statement.
Kagame also agreed to assist Kenyatta in urging the M23 to lay down arms and withdraw from captured territories, the statement added.
Modalities will be discussed during a second round of talks in Angola's capital Luanda next week, it said.
Angola's President Joao Lourenco mediated a first meeting between Congo and Rwanda officials earlier this month.
"It is encouraging to see Paul Kagame recognize that he can influence the M23," Congo's President Felix Tshisekedi's deputy spokesperson told Reuters.
"We will see what happens on the ground," she added.
Rwanda's government spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
When it formed in 2012, M23 was the newest in a series of ethnic Tutsi-led insurgencies to rise up against Congolese forces.
Rebels seized vast swathes of territory in 2012 and briefly overran Goma before they were chased out by Congolese and United Nations forces into Uganda and Rwanda the following year.
They have staged three major offensives since March. The latest at the end of October caused a new wave of displacement. (Reuters)
November
France, Germany, Spain agree on moving on with FCAS warplane development - Berlin
Written by Nur Yasmin
France, Germany and Spain have reached agreement on starting the next phase of development of a new fighter jet dubbed FCAS, Europe's largest defence project at an estimated cost of more than 100 billion euros ($103.4 billion), Berlin said on Friday.
Germany's Defence Ministry said in a statement that an industrial agreement was achieved after intense negotiations, confirming an earlier Reuters story saying the three countries and their respective industries had struck a deal.
The ministry said it was agreed at the highest government level that a cooperative approach on an equal footing would be pursued in the project, which is under overall French responsibility.
"The political agreement on FCAS is a great step and - especially in these times - an important sign of the excellent Franco-German-Spanish cooperation," German Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht said.
"It strengthens Europe's military capabilities and secures important know-how not only for our, but also for the European industry."
Previously, sources had said that the next development phase for the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) was expected to cost about 3.5 billion euros, to be shared equally by the three countries.
France's Dassault (AM.PA), Airbus (AIR.PA) and Indra (IDR.MC) - the latter two representing Germany and Spain, respectively - are involved in the scheme to start replacing French Rafale and German and Spanish Eurofighters from 2040.
"Now, a number of formal steps in the respective countries have to be taken in order to allow a speedy contract signature which we will have to adhere to," Airbus said in e-mailed comments.
French President Emmanuel Macron and then German Chancellor Angela Merkel first announced plans in July 2017 for FCAS, which will include a fighter jet and a range of associated weapons, including drones.
Lately, the project - originally meant to unify Europeans after the migration crisis and Britain's decision to leave the European Union - has been a source of tension between the two countries.
Last month, Macron cancelled a joint Franco-German ministerial meeting over disagreements with Berlin on a wide range of issues including defence and energy projects.
Both sides had been struggling for more than a year to agree the next stage of FCAS's development, although the French and German government broadly agreed on the project.
Some sources saw the blame lying with Dassault, as the company had refused to budge in a long-running row over intellectual property rights.
Other sources blamed Airbus for pushing for a bigger workshare of the Dassault-led project, insisting it should be given "equal footing" with the French company. (Reuters)
November
Xi, Kishida meet as tensions grow over Taiwan, East China Sea
Written by Nur Yasmin
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said he conveyed concerns over regional security to Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Thursday amid growing tensions in Asia over China's maritime ambitions.
Xi was quoted by Chinese state broadcaster CCTV as telling Kishida that China and Japan should deepen trust, areas of cooperation and regional integration, and resist "conflict and confrontation".
The two leaders met in Thailand on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, marking the first leadership-level talks between the two countries in almost three years.
Regional tensions have been rising over self-governed Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its own territory. China has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control, and earlier this year staged war games near the island.
The democratically-elected government in Taipei rejects Beijing's claims and says only its people can decide its future.
Japan also lodged a diplomatic complaint in August after five ballistic missiles launched by the Chinese military fell into Japan's exclusive economic zone, near disputed islands known as the Senkaku in Japan and the Diaoyu in China.
"I reiterated the importance of peace and security in the Taiwan Strait," Kishida said to reporters after the summit, stopping short of suggesting how China responded to his concerns.
"I conveyed my grave concerns about the situation in the East China Sea, including the Senkaku Islands, as well as China's military presence such as their launching of missiles," Kishida added.
Xi told Kishida the issue of Taiwan needed to be handled properly and in good faith as it touched on the political foundation and basic trust of China-Japan relations, according to CCTV.
Xi then went on to say that "China does not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries, nor does it accept anyone interfering in China's internal affairs under any pretext", CCTV reported.
The Japanese premier took a at an East Asia Summit held in Cambodia last week, openly criticising China for "violating" Japan's sovereignty in the East China Sea.
Xi only hinted at the issue on Thursday, however, saying that "on the issue of maritime and territorial disputes, we should abide by the consensus of principles already reached, and show political wisdom and commitment to properly manage differences."
The fact that Xi sat with Kishida at the summit table in Bangkok despite the open criticism a few days prior gives weight to the meeting, said Rumi Aoyama, professor in Chinese foreign policy at Waseda University.
"Holding the talks was an important achievement to have for Xi's foreign policy... and also indicates the importance of China's relationship with Japan as its economy struggles with the zero-covid policy," she said.
Analysts say Xi's packed schedule of bilateral meetings at the G20 summit in Indonesia, which ended on Wednesday, and at the APEC summit was partly driven by a perceived need to counterbalance U.S. global influence over its allies, including Japan. read more
Kishida also told reporters that he had agreed with Xi to reopen diplomatic channels of communications, with Japan's foreign minister set to visit China in the near future. (Reuters)
November
EU says Russia is not yet ready for peace in Ukraine
Written by Nur Yasmin
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Thursday that peace in Ukraine was not going to be possible until Russia withdrew its troops, but that Moscow showed no signs of being ready for that.
"I am afraid Russia is not ready to withdraw and as far as it doesn't withdraw, peace will not be possible," Borrell told Reuters in the Uzbek city of Samarkand.
"It is Russia who has to make peace possible, the aggressor has to withdraw if he wants a sustainable peace," he said. (Reuters)
November
Ukraine welcomes MH17 verdict, wants those who ordered attack to face trial
Written by Nur Yasmin
Kyiv welcomed the murder convictions handed out by a Dutch court on Thursday to three men for their role in the 2014 shooting down of a Malaysian airliner over Ukraine, but said those who ordered the attack must face trial.
The court in The Hague issued the sentences after saying Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 was shot down by a Russian-made missile fired from a field in eastern Ukraine and that Russia had overall control of separatist forces at the time.
"An important decision of the court in The Hague. The first sentences for those responsible for shooting down #MH17," President Volodymyr Zelenskiy wrote on Twitter.
"But it is necessary that those who ordered it also end up in the dock because the feeling of impunity leads to new crimes. We have to dispel this illusion. Punishment for all Russian atrocities - both then and now - will be inevitable."
The plane was shot down as Russian-backed separatists fought Ukrainian forces in eastern Ukraine, a region where fighting continues following Russian's invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24.
The three men convicted were former Russian intelligence agents Igor Girkin and Sergey Dubinskiy, and Leonid Kharchenko, a Ukrainian separatist leader.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba hailed a "profound joint effort" by Ukraine, the Netherlands, Belgium, Australia, and Malaysia.
"Today’s verdicts send a message to Russia: no amount of lies can help escape justice. All criminals up the Russian chain of command shall be held accountable," he wrote on Twitter.
Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said the ruling sent "the strongest signal to the whole world, including Russia itself, that every war crime committed by the Russians will be documented, investigated and brought to a conclusion. No matter how much time it takes." (Reuters)
November
Xi tells Marcos stability on South China Sea issues key to good bilateral ties
Written by Nur Yasmin
Chinese President Xi Jinping told Philippines counterpart Ferdinand Marcos Jr at a meeting on Thursday that the strength of bilateral ties hinged on stable relations at sea, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported.
Xi was referring to disputes over areas of the South China Sea that have plagued relations between Beijing and Manila.
CCTV said Xi also told Marcos on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Bangkok that the two countries need to stick to amicable negotiations to resolve differences over South China Sea issues. (Reuters)
November
Canada 'very unlikely' to join OPEC-like group for nickel -gov't source
Written by Nur Yasmin
Canada has not committed to establishing an OPEC-like organization for nickel-producing countries with Indonesia and is "very unlikely" to participate in any such group, a Canadian government source familiar with the discussions said on Thursday.
Indonesia proposed talks with Canada to establish the organization in a meeting between Investment Minister Bahlil Lahadalia and Canadian Trade Minister Mary Ng on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali earlier this week.
A statement from Bahlil's office said Ng "welcomed the proposal and the next step for both countries to explore such collaboration opportunity."
"Minister Ng did not commit to exploring this collaboration at this time," said the source who was not authorized to speak on the record. "It is very unlikely we will be doing this (joining an OPEC-like nickel group). Officials expressed high levels of reservation about the Indonesian proposal."
A spokeswoman for the Indonesian investment ministry did not respond to a request for comment made outside of office hours.
Oil companies in many OPEC countries such as Saudi Arabia are owned by the government while in countries such as Nigeria contracts stipulate that government can compel private companies to cut or raise production.
A suggestion for a nickel OPEC had been met coolly by Canadian producers, who said a global cartel would not benefit them.
"Canadian companies are integrated into the North American supply chain and the Canadian resource base is a little bit different," said Canada Nickel (CNC.V) Chief Executive Mark Selby. "This proposal is more of a way for Indonesia to capture more value in their own country."
Bahlil said on Wednesday that a group of nickel-producing countries could make sure they get an optimal return from the electric vehicle (EV) industry.
The two ministers did discuss working with "allies such as Indonesia to develop sustainable and resilient global supply chains," said the source.
Indonesia and Canada are the world No. 1 and No. 6 nickel producers, respectively. (Reuters)
November
Pakistan, IMF plan to move fast on bailout programme
Written by Nur Yasmin
Pakistan and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will "expeditiously" finish their technical engagement as part of the ninth review of Pakistan's bailout programme, Pakistan's finance ministry said on Thursday.
Pakistani finance minister Ishaq Dar held a virtual meeting with the IMF Mission Chief for Pakistan, Nathan Porter.
"Engagement at the technical level shall be expeditiously concluded for proceeding with the 9th Review," a finance ministry statement said.'
Pakistan is in need of funds to shore up its struggling economy, exacerbated by devastating floods that wiped out much of the country's agriculture and infrastructure in recent months.
The IMF would "sympathetically view" assistance for flood victims, according to the statement, which added that it would firm up estimates for humanitarian assistance and priorities for recovery efforts.
The IMF board in August approved the seventh and eighth reviews of Pakistan's bailout programme, allowing for a release of over $1.1 billion. (Reuters)