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September
Ahead of Biden visit, US watchdog says Vietnam backsliding on religious freedoms
Written by Nur Yasmin
Days before a visit by President Joe Biden to Vietnam in which he aims to upgrade diplomatic ties, a U.S. government commission accused the country of backsliding on commitments to ensure religious freedoms.
In a report on Tuesday, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) said that since Washington dropped Vietnam from a list of "countries of particular concern" (CPC) over religious freedom in 2006, the Hanoi government had created "more space in some areas" for expressions of belief.
However, a "recent crackdown on civil society, increased pressure on independent religious communities, alarming reports of forced renunciations of faith, and other growing religious freedom violations add up to a clear reversal in that once-positive trajectory," it said.
The report said a May visit to Vietnam by USCIRF Vice Chair Frederick Davie and Commissioner Eric Ueland found that while religious groups experienced relatively greater freedom in urban areas, "serious challenges are pervasive in many rural areas."
Vietnam's requirement for religious groups to register contrasted with Hanoi's obligation to provide religious freedom to all its people, it said.
"Government authorities continue to closely monitor all religious activity, often harassing, detaining, or otherwise preventing unregistered faith communities from exercising their fundamental right to religious freedom," the report said.
Vietnam was on a "similar trajectory to China in terms of its regulation and control of religion," the report said.
Washington sees Vietnam as an important partner in the face of China's growing power in the Indo-Pacific region. It is looking to elevate its diplomatic relations with Hanoi to the top level when Biden is in Hanoi on Sept. 10, but analysts say human rights concerns could be an obstacle to certain cooperation.
Vietnam's constitution allows for freedom of religion and government media have rejected criticisms from groups such as USCIRF.
In its 2023 annual report, the USCIRF recommended the redesignation of Vietnam as a CPC, accusing it of "systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom."
Last year, the U.S. State Department added Vietnam to its Special Watch List for violations of religious freedom under the 1998 U.S. Religious Freedom Act, a lesser designation than that of a CPC, but its first since 2006.
The act provides for a range of policy responses, including sanctions or waivers, but they are not automatic. (Reuters)
September
China boosts 'political trust' with Vietnam ahead of Biden visit
Written by Nur Yasmin
China sent a senior official to Vietnam to enhance "political trust" between the two countries, ahead of a scheduled visit by U.S. President Joe Biden designed to boost diplomatic ties between Washington and Hanoi.
The Chinese Communist Party's international department head Liu Jianchao met with Vietnam's ruling Communist Party leader Nguyen Phu Trong, the official Chinese Xinhua news agency reported.
During his three-day trip, which ends on Wednesday, Liu also had talks with his Vietnam counterpart and met think tanks and media in Vietnam, Xinhua said.
Both sides said they had agreed to solidify their mutual political trust and enhance cooperation in meeting challenges.
Biden is due in Vietnam on Sunday for a visit that is expected to result in an upgrade in bilateral relations, pulling Vietnam away from the orbit of its larger Asian neighbour.
China and Vietnam have long had close ties but have been at odds on maritime territorial claims in the South China Sea. The United States, already Vietnam's largest export market, is a draw due to potential access to U.S. capital and technology to bolster its economy.
Biden said his Vietnam visit aimed to elevate their relationship and make the United States a major partner.
He will meet Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong during his trip. (Reuters)
September
New Vanuatu PM to 'revisit' security pact with Australia - ABC
Written by Nur Yasmin
Vanuatu's new prime minister, Sato Kilman, will "revisit" a security pact signed with Australia, he said in an interview with Australian state broadcaster ABC on Tuesday, a day after he came to power in a vote by lawmakers.
The pact was a major reason for the ouster of former leader Ishmael Kalsakau, who lost a no-confidence motion in parliament and was then defeated by Kilman in a secret ballot on Monday.
Opposition lawmakers had said the security pact with Australia compromised Vanuatu's neutral status and could jeopardise development assistance from China, its biggest external creditor.
On Tuesday, Kilman said the agreement, signed by the two countries in December, would be unlikely to be ratified by parliament in its current state.
"I think for us, at this point in time, I am not sure whether it is in the best interests of Vanuatu or not, only because we have not been consulted," Kilman said in an interview with the ABC in Port Vila.
"My view would be to revisit the agreement with both sides, the Australians, and the Vanuatu government, and see if there's any sticking points and then address that," he said, according to a transcript of the interview posted on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
Vanuatu is one of the Pacific island countries at the centre of competition for influence in the region between the United States and China.
The United States and its allies, including Australia, are seeking to discourage Pacific countries from establishing security ties with China, after Beijing signed a security pact with the Solomon Islands.
Vanuatu's agreement with Australia includes closer cooperation on defence, border security, policing and aviation safety.
Australia respected Vanuatu's "sovereign decision-making processes" and looked forward to discussions with the new government over its issues with the security pact, a Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
"Australia and Vanuatu share a deep security partnership... We will continue to work with Vanuatu to deliver mutual benefits and ensure our shared security."
A now five-time prime minister, Kilman pledged closer cooperation with China in previous stints as leader.
The ousted Kalsakau had sought to widen Vanuatu's international ties after winning a general election in November. (Reuters)
September
UN food agency cuts rations to 2 million Afghans as funds dry up
Written by Nur Yasmin
The U.N. World Food Programme (WFP) had to cut rations to another 2 million Afghans this month and is warning of a "catastrophic" winter if funding runs out with little food for remote communities in place, the agency's country director said.
The cut in rations comes amidst growing alarm over shrinking aid for Afghanistan, where a U.N. humanitarian response plan is only about a quarter funded, even after the budget was downgraded in the face of funding shortfalls.
WFP funding for food and cash assistance is expected to run out by the end of October and the agency has had to steadily cut assistance through the year to 10 million Afghans.
The positioning of food to areas that will be cut off in winter has also been limited. The WFP said if no funding comes through, 90% of remote areas in need will be cut off without food and even in accessible locations, people will get no supplies during the harsh weather.
"That is the catastrophe that we have to avert," WFP Afghanistan Country Director Hsiao-Wei Lee told Reuters.
About three-quarters of Afghanistan's people are in need of humanitarian aid as their country emerges from decades of conflict under an internationally isolated Taliban administration that took over as U.S.-backed foreign forces withdrew in 2021.
Development assistance that for years formed the backbone of government finances has been cut and the administration is subject to sanctions and central bank assets abroad have been frozen.
Restrictions by the Taliban on women, including stopping most female Afghan humanitarian staff from working, are an obstacle to formal recognition and have also put off donors, many of whom have turned their attention to other humanitarian crises.
"What I do in my engagements with them is remind them that at the end of the day, we must focus on those who are most in need," Lee said of donors.
"The cost of inaction is ultimately borne and paid for by the most vulnerable and poor mothers and children."
'LIFELINE'
Almost 20% of the people the WFP helps are women heading households who Lee said were getting more desperate as the restrictions on women and the economic crisis meant they had fewer ways of earning.
"WFP is often the last lifeline for those who don't have other options," Lee said.
"It's extremely difficult not only for myself but for our team to have to explain to mothers that we can't help them."
Three million people are now getting food aid but after October, they might be getting nothing.
The WFP needs $1 billion in funding to provide food aid and carry out planned projects until March, Lee said.
For Kabul resident Baba Karim, 45, the cash he has got twice this year from the WFP was been a vital supplement to the less than $2 a day he earns working odd jobs at a market with a push cart.
"I'm so worried about what will happen next, now that the assistance has ended," said the father of five.
"I lie awake at night worrying about the future of my children." (Reuters)
September
Taiwan president leaves for visit to last African ally Eswatini
Written by Nur Yasmin
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen left on Tuesday for a visit to Eswatini, Taipei's last African ally, saying the island will continue to confidently engage with the world and show it is a force for good.
Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory with no right to state-to-state relations, now has formal ties with only 13 countries, almost all small, less developed nations in Latin America, the Caribbean and the Pacific, like Belize and Nauru.
In March, Honduras ended decades of ties with Taiwan.
Tsai, speaking at the airport before leaving, said Eswatini was a "familiar old friend".
"Not only will Taiwan's footsteps to the world not stop, we will continue to move forward more firmly and self-confidently, so that the world can see Taiwan's steady force for good," she said, in comments broadcast live by the presidential office.
Tsai is in Eswatini, formerly known as Swaziland, from Sept. 5-7 for the 55th anniversary of the country's independence, and also marking 55 years of bilateral relations.
Eswatini is almost entirely surrounded by South Africa, which Chinese President Xi Jinping visited last month
Tsai is flying directly to Eswatini and not having to stop over anywhere, unlike visits to Latin America which require transits via the United States that always anger China.
Tsai last visited Eswatini in 2018, and this time is being accompanied by Economy Minister Wang Mei-hua.
Taiwan has provided large amounts of aid to the small southern African country ruled by an absolute monarchy, including in 2021 antiviral medication to help King Mswati III recover from COVID. (Reuters)
September
Chinese spy agency suggests that a Biden-Xi meeting hinges on "sincerity"
Written by Nur Yasmin
China's top security agency has hinted that any meeting between President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Joe Biden in San Francisco later this year will depend on the United States "showing sufficient sincerity".
Biden on Sunday expressed disappointment that Xi was not attending an upcoming summit of G20 leaders in India, but added that he was going to "get to see him".
Biden did not elaborate but the next likely opportunity for Biden to hold talks with Xi, as the two countries seek to stabilise troubled relations, is an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in San Francisco in November.
"To truly realise 'from Bali to San Francisco', the United States needs to show enough sincerity", the Ministry of State Security said in a post on Monday on its WeChat social media page.
It was referring to the last meeting between Biden and Xi on the sidelines of a G20 summit on Indonesia's resort island of Bali in November last year. It did not mention the APEC summit in its post.
It is unclear if the ministry, which is China's main intelligence agency, is privy to, or has influence over, Xi's considerations on diplomatic engagements.
This weekend, Premier Li Qiang will lead a delegation to a G20 summit in New Delhi, the Chinese government has announced, all but confirming that Xi would not attend.
The ministry in its post said Biden's administration had adopted a dual-natured strategy towards China, inviting competition with China but also wanting to control the competition.
It said while U.S. officials who visited China recently said there was no intention to curb China's development or "decouple", the U.S. still approved arms sales and provided military financing to Taiwan, and raised issues about Tibet and the South China Sea as well as openly criticising the Chinese economy.
"China will never let its guard down because of a few 'nice words' from the United States ... The various obstacles, containment and suppression by the United States will only make China more courageous and self-reliant," the state security ministry said.
U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, who visited China last week, said the United States did not want to decouple from China but she also said U.S. companies had complained to her that China has become "uninvestible," pointing to fines, raids and other actions that have made it risky to do business in the world's second-largest economy.
China repeated calls for the United States to take more "practical and beneficial actions" to maintain China-U.S. ties after the "uninvestible" comment was reported. (Reuters)
September
Russia proposes joint navy exercise with N.Korea, China - Yonhap
Written by Nur Yasmin
Russia's defence minister has proposed to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un that their countries hold a naval exercise, along with China, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported on Monday, citing South Korea's intelligence agency.
Russian Minister of Defence Sergei Shoigu visited North Korea for the 70th anniversary of the end of the Korean War, celebrated in North Korea as "Victory Day", in July when he met Kim.
They attended a defence exhibition featuring North Korea's banned ballistic missiles, North Korean state media reported at the time.
Yonhap reported that Shoigu had made the proposal for a three-way naval exercise to Kim during his visit but it provided no details.
South Korea's National Intelligence Service told the National Assembly that Shoigu appeared to have held a private meeting with Kim to agree on broad military expansion, Yonhap reported.
Russia and North Korea have recently called for closer military ties but North Korea has denied having any "arms dealings" with Russia.
White House national security spokesman John Kirby told a press briefing last month that Shoigu had tried on his visit to North Korea to sell artillery ammunition to Russia.
The United States recently imposed sanctions on three entities it accused of being tied to arms deals between North Korea and Russia.
North Korea has conducted six nuclear tests since 2006 and had been testing various missiles over recent years but it rarely holds military exercises with its neighbours.
The United States and its ally, South Korea, hold regular military exercises, which North Korea denounced as preparations for war against it. (Reuters)
September
APPEC-Sanctions against Russia bringing BRICS closer, executives say
Written by Nur YasminWestern sanctions against Russia are driving the BRICS grouping of countries closer together in addition to curbing Moscow's oil revenue, some executives at a major Asia energy conference said.
Sanctions imposed by the Group of Seven and other western countries in the aftermath of Russia's invasion last year of Ukraine have capped Russian energy revenues and forced a drastic re-drawing of the global energy map.
"Western sanctions on Russia are working ... In the sense that they're creating less or lower revenues," Russell Hardy, chief executive of Vitol, the world's largest independent oil trader, told the Asia Pacific Petroleum Conference (APPEC) in Singapore on Monday.
"The flip side of sanctions is that it is creating stronger bonds between BRICS countries ... So I think that's a very negative aspect," he added.
The BRICS - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - invited Iran, Argentina, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Ethiopia and Egypt into the club during a summit last month in Johannesburg.
Since the imposition of sanctions, India and China have drastically stepped up imports of Russian oil and have used currencies other than the dollar to pay for it, as the BRICS grouping seeks to challenge the dollar's dominance, with China in particular keen to widen use of its renminbi.
"Everybody is irritated by the U.S. government, the U.S. Treasury sanctioning ... So people say is there any way to create a counter-force, counterbalance to G7 or G20? BRICS is the candidate," Fereidun Fesharaki, chairman of the FGE energy consultancy, told the event.
However, he said, an expanded BRICS grouping would not replace the dollar, noting, for example, that the currencies in Saudi Arabia and the UAE are pegged to the dollar.
"Nobody can replace the U.S. dollar," he said.
The G7's price cap on Russian oil is effective in limiting Russia's revenue and oil supplies, a senior U.S. Treasury official told the conference, even as market data shows that most Russian crude and fuel exports from the Baltic and Black Sea regions are sold above the $60 cap.
"Over the course of the past year, we feel very good about where we are," said Eric Van Nostrand, acting assistant secretary for economic policy at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, with respect to the price cap limiting Russia's revenue while keeping oil supplies flowing.
"We want to extract that natural resource (out of Russia)... but to do so while limiting (President Vladimir) Putin's revenue as best we can." (Reuters)
September
Japan to allocate $140 mln more to help fisheries after China's import ban
Written by Nur Yasmin
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Monday the government would allocate an additional 20.7 billion yen ($141.41 million) to support the fisheries industry after China's total import ban of Japanese aquatic products.
The ban followed the start of Japan's release of treated radioactive water from the destroyed Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant last month.
The government had previously set up two funds worth 80 billion yen to help develop new markets and keep excess fish frozen until they can be sold when demand recovers, among other measures.
With the additional funding, from budget reserves, support would total 100.7 billion yen, Kishida said. (Reuters)
September
Vanuatu parliament elects Sato Kilman as Prime Minister
Written by Nur Yasmin
Vanuatu's parliament elected Sato Kilman as the Pacific Island nation's new prime minister on Monday.
Kilman was elected 27 votes to 23 in a secret ballot on Monday after a court upheld the results of a no-confidence motion in Ishmael Kalsakau. (Reuters)