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May
China and U.S. see need to stabilise relations
Written by Nur Yasmin
China's Foreign Minister Qin Gang said on Monday it is imperative to stabilise Sino-U.S. relations after a series of "erroneous words and deeds" threw ties back into a deep freeze.
Qin, in a meeting in Beijing with U.S. ambassador Nicholas Burns, stressed in particular that the United States must correct its handling of the Taiwan issue and stop the hollowing out of the "one China" principle.
The relationship between the world's two biggest economies sank to a low last year when then speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi paid an official visit to democratically governed Taiwan, angering China, which claims the island as its territory.
In response, Beijing severed formal communications channels with the United States including one between their militaries.
"The top priority is to stabilise Sino-U.S. relations, avoid a downward spiral and prevent any accidents between China and the United States," Qin told Burns, the Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement.
The tension between the two superpowers had eased last November when U.S. and Chinese leaders Joe Biden and Xi Jinping met at a G20 summit in Indonesia and pledged more frequent dialogue.
But tensions flared again in February when a Chinese high-altitude balloon appeared in U.S. airspace and in response U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken cancelled a visit to Beijing.
"A series of erroneous words and deeds by the United States since then have undermined the hard-won positive momentum of Sino-U.S. relations," Qin said.
"The agenda of dialogue and cooperation agreed by the two sides has been disrupted, and the relationship between the two countries has once again encountered cold ice."
'CHALLENGES'
Burns, in a post on Twitter about his talks with Qin, also spoke of the need to bring stability to the relationship.
"We discussed challenges in the U.S.-China relationship and the necessity of stabilising ties and expanding high-level communication," Burns said.
Last week, Blinken appeared to offer hope of a visit, telling the Washington Post that it was important to re-establish regular lines of communication at all levels.
Also last week, U.S. climate envoy John Kerry said China had invited him to visit "in the near term" for talks on averting a global climate crisis, further raising hope of resetting one of the world's most important state-to-state relationships.
Taiwan remains the thorniest issue in Sino-U.S. ties.
Last month, China staged war games around Taiwan after Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen met U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy in Los Angeles.
Since 1979, the U.S.-Taiwan relationship has been governed by the Taiwan Relations Act, which gives a legal basis to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself, but does not mandate that the United States come to Taiwan's aid if attacked.
As a part of the 2023 budget, U.S. Congress has authorised up to $1 billion worth of weapons aid for Taiwan using a type of authority that expedites security assistance and has helped to deliver arms to Ukraine. (Reuters)
May
At least 22 dead after tourist boat capsizes in India's Kerala
Written by Nur Yasmin
At least 22 people including children died when an overcrowded double-decker tourist boat capsized in an estuary in southern India, authorities said.
Some passengers managed to jump off and swim to safety when the converted fishing vessel overturned in the waterway near the town of Tanur in Kerala state late on Sunday, one survivor said.
But others among the estimated 40 people on board were trapped in the boat, officials said. The dead included 11 people from one family, Manorama News channel reported, though there was no confirmation of that from officials.
Rescuers called off a search on Monday when the last missing passenger, an eight-year-old boy, turned up alive in Calicut hospital, B. Sandhya, the chief of Kerala's fire and rescue services, told reporters.
Police said they were searching for the owner of the boat and a case of homicide had been registered against him.
The vessel had listed badly soon after it set off, a survivor identified only as Shafeeq told Manorama.
"Most of the people on the upper deck jumped into the river and swam to safety," he said.
According to initial estimates there were about 40 people, most believed to be domestic tourists, on board including several children, Tanur police official Jeevan George said.
Famous for its picturesque backwaters, Kerala is a major destination for domestic and international tourists.
Local residents said the cruise service had only been launched last month and lacked safety measures. One man said he and his brother had decided not to go on the cruise because the boat looked too crowded.
"The operators were asking more people to join saying it was the last trip of the day," the man, identified as Ibrahim, told Manorama.
The state's health minister, Veena George, said two survivors were discharged from the hospital after treatment while eight were still receiving medical care. (Reuters)
May
After opening borders, China presses Singapore for visa-free travel deal
Written by Nur Yasmin
China is hammering out details with Singapore on a bilateral visa-free travel arrangement, according to Beijing's embassy, a move that could boost arrivals in the city-state from what was its biggest pre-pandemic tourism market.
There were 3.6 million Chinese visitors to Singapore in 2019, more than any other country, who spent a combined S$4.1 billion ($3.09 billion).
Many Chinese have in recent years been keen to invest, move assets or relocate to Singapore, with some buying into luxury real estate.
Among Singapore's 4 million citizens and permanent residents, three-quarters are of Chinese ethnicity and many speak Mandarin, making it easy for mainland Chinese to navigate the country.
"It is something that citizens of both countries are eagerly awaiting, and is also a shared concern for the leaders of both countries," a spokesperson for China's embassy in Singapore said.
Singapore's foreign ministry did not respond to Reuters request for comment.
Chinese travellers at present are required to apply for visas to visit Singapore.
Singaporeans were allowed 15-day visa-free visits prior to the pandemic. That arrangement has yet to be reinstated, which has led to lengthy queues, some overnight, at the Chinese visa application centre in Singapore.
The Chinese ambassador to Singapore Sun Haiyan wrote in a Facebook post last month: "Hope that the competent authorities of the two sides can achieve positive results as soon as possible." (Reuters)
May
New Zealand defence spending set to increase by around $472 million
Written by Nur Yasmin
The New Zealand Defence Force will get an additional NZ$748 million ($472.14 million) over four years, as the government tries to stop the loss of military personnel and ensure the country’s military can operate alongside allies and partners.
Andrew Little said in a statement that the government would invest a further NZ$419 million in defence force salaries and NZ$328 million to upgrade assets and infrastructure over four years.
"With climate change and an increasingly contested geostrategic environment, including in our Pacific neighbourhood, it is important that New Zealand has the personnel and equipment to play our part in supporting global peace and security,” Little said.
Chief of Defence Force Air Marshal Kevin Short said in an email that the new funding was the most meaningful funding allocation the military had received in many years, and was great news.
The defence force has been struggling with high staff attrition, which has led to the idling of three ships and the early retirement of the P-3 Orion aircraft fleet, leaving New Zealand with limited air surveillance capability. The challenges come as competition is increasing in the Pacific, climate change is adding to the number of natural disasters and New Zealand is providing support to Ukraine.
The infrastructure investment will upgrade the country's frigates and Bushmaster protected mobility vehicles, as well as build a new fuel precinct at Ohakea air force base on the North Island. The salary increase will mean 90% of NZDF personnel are paid at or near market rates.
In the last two years, the Regular Force - full-time military personnel - has lost 29.8% of its personnel, excluding those who have served less than two years. That number is expected to hit 32.6% by June 30 if nothing is done as the defence force has struggled to match private-sector wages. (Reuters)
May
Key issues up for discussion at ASEAN Summit include code of conduct on South China Sea
Written by nuke
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summits -
As Indonesia hosts the first of two Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summits this year in Labuan Bajo on Tuesday (May 9), key issues on the agenda include the acceleration of negotiations on the text of a code of conduct with China.
The code seeks to serve as a guideline for conduct to prevent military incidents and manage conflict in the South China Sea.
Despite the ongoing negotiations, “we are not optimistic that there will be a signing this year”, said Ms Sharon Seah, senior fellow and coordinator at the ASEAN Studies Centre at ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute.
“The train may have already left the station because of events that are happening on the ground,” she said.
The conversation on the code of conduct is in addition to the eradication of human trafficking, preparation of a roadmap for Timor Leste’s full membership in ASEAN and signing of the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon Free Zone Protocol.
On the cards are also strengthening health architecture, energy security, regional food and financial stability, and digitisation of the economy and the tourism sector. The three pillars of Indonesia’s chairmanship based on its theme are ASEAN matters, epicentrum of growth, and the ASEAN outlook on the Indo-Pacific. Experts expect Jakarta to show its leadership in tackling some of the region’s most sensitive issues.
“Particularly in the areas of political security issues, people tend to look up to Indonesia, and that's where Indonesia has a special expertise,” said research professor Dewi Fortuna Anwar.
The first ASEAN summit was hosted by Indonesia, which came up with “the most important document”, the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia, noted Prof Anwar from the Research Center for Politics, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) in Jakarta.
The document forms the regional code of conduct for Southeast Asia, she said. Experts said the road ahead will be challenging. There is a “sharpening of grip” multilaterally by the United States and China, with potential flashpoints likely in Taiwan and South China Sea, said researcher at the Centre for Strategic & International Studies Muhammad Waffaa Kharisma.
“There's a pressure for ASEAN to be relevant in that sense. And then internally, for example, (for it to deal with) the economy and development issues (and) how ASEAN can stay resilient in the middle of crises like the climate,” he said.
The issue of ASEAN unity and centrality will be “foremost in the minds of the leaders”, said Ms Seah.
Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said in a press conference in Jakarta previously that it is important to strengthen ASEAN’s capacity and ensure the bloc works more effectively to overcome future challenges.
“It is important to continue to maintain the unity and centrality of ASEAN so that ASEAN is able to continue to be a locomotive for regional peace and stability,” she said//VOI-CNA
May
Chinese state tabloid criticises South Korean protest letter
Written by Nur Yasmin
China's hawkish state media tabloid, the Global Times, criticised on Monday a letter of protest by South Korea's embassy in Beijing, the latest public spat amid worsening ties between the Asian neighbours.
South Korea's recent diplomatic push towards Japan and the U.S. would "induce and aggravate the ... collapse of the situation in northeast Asia" the paper said, a day after Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's landmark visit to Seoul.
The editorial comment followed a letter published by the embassy on its website on Friday that "expressed strong regret over a series of unreasonable slanderous articles" by the paper.
The articles used "sensational, provocative and inappropriate vocabulary to denigrate not only our leader but also the Korean government's foreign policy," the embassy added.
In turn, the Global Times criticised the embassy's "brutal interference in (its) independent reporting".
Foreign embassies in China rarely offer public criticism of reporting by Chinese state media.
South Korea's embassy in China did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
China's foreign ministry distanced itself from the state-affiliated tabloid at a daily briefing on Monday.
"The relevant media viewpoint does not represent the position of the Chinese government, but reflects current Chinese public opinion," said its spokesperson, Wang Wenbin.
"It is crucial to manage the original cause in order to avoid negative public opinion."
Known for its nationalist rhetoric, the Global Times has repeatedly attacked South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol for "blindly following the U.S." after his visit there late last month.
It has accused Seoul of bringing further tension to the Korean peninsula by building security ties with Japan and the United States.
Sunday's visit by Kishida, the first by a Japanese leader in 12 years, is a sign of warming relations as both U.S. allies look to close a chapter on historical disputes that have dogged relations for decades.
In a similar incident last December, China's ambassador in South Korea criticised Korean media for stoking anti-China sentiment. (Reuters)
May
Joint Philippines-U.S. patrols in South China Sea may begin by third quarter - envoy
Written by Nur Yasmin
Joint patrols between the Philippines and the United States in the South China Sea may begin later this year, a top diplomat said on Monday, just days after Washington clarified its commitment to defend Manila from an attack at sea.
Discussions were continuing on the joint maritime patrols, which were announced in February, said Philippine ambassador to the United States, Jose Manuel Romualdez.
"An estimate would be no later than the third quarter of this year. We should have that in place," he told CNN Philippines.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced in February he and his Philippine counterpart, Carlito Galvez, have agreed to restart joint maritime patrols in the South China Sea, which former President Rodrigo Duterte, who sought warmer ties with China, had suspended after he took office in 2016.
But Philippine Defense Secretary Galvez told reporters on Monday there were no formal discussions on the joint patrols with the United States and Australia.
Ties between the Philippines and the United States are seeing a reinvigoration under Duterte's successor, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, who last week met President Joe Biden on a four-day visit to Washington.
During the visit, the Pentagon issued guidelines that laid out in clear terms the extent of U.S. defence treaty commitments to the Philippines that refer specifically to attacks in the South China Sea, including on its coast guard.
When asked about the timing of the joint patrols, a spokesperson at U.S. Embassy in Manila, Kanishka Gangopadhyay, said on Monday: "Our conversations on combined maritime activities with the Philippines are continuing, and our military planners are working hard on specific issues like logistics".
Australia may also participate in the combined maritime activities, Romualdez said.
China claims most of the South China Sea, through which more than $3 trillion of world trade is shipped every year. Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines and Taiwan have rival claims. (Reuters)
May
Republican leaders of Australia and New Zealand to pledge allegiance to king
Written by Nur Yasmin
The leaders of Australia and New Zealand will pledge their allegiance to King Charles at his coronation in London on Saturday even though both are life-long republicans who do not shy away from making their positions clear.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his New Zealand counterpart, Chris Hipkins, have travelled to London where they are due to meet Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Friday.
They met the king earlier in the week.
King Charles is head of state in Australia, New Zealand and 12 other Commonwealth realms outside the United Kingdom, although the role is largely ceremonial.
The two countries are holding events to celebrate the coronation, from tree-planting to military fly-pasts, though there is expected to be less pageantry than after the death of Queen Elizabeth last year.
The death of the queen reignited debate in Australia about the need to retain a distant constitutional monarchy.
Australia held a referendum in 1999 on becoming a republic with 55% of voters opposed. Polls in recent years have shown varying support for a republic, with most showing a small majority of Australians in favour.
But neither Albanese nor Hipkins are actively campaigning for the British monarch to be replaced as head of state despite their republican convictions.
"I haven't changed my position on that and I've made that very clear. I want to see an Australian as Australia's head of state," Albanese said in an interview with state broadcaster ABC on Friday.
"That doesn't mean that you can not have respect for the institution, which is the system of government that we have."
Albanese said would take the oath of allegiance to King Charles at the ceremony.
"People expect me to not come to the king's coronation in order to create a controversy," he said.
Hipkins told a news conference on Monday he was on "record as being a Republican" but that "it's not something I intend to push".
"I don't regard it as a priority," he said. "The constitutional arrangements that we have are working quite soundly at the moment."
New Zealand's defence force will fire off two 21-gun salutes on Sunday, while the Australian air force is planning a fly-past over Parliament House in Canberra.
Various prominent buildings including Auckland’s Harbour Bridge and Skytower and parliament buildings in both capitals will be lit up - but not Sydney's famous Harbour Bridge and Opera House. (Reuters)
May
IMF to wrap up Pakistan bailout review once financing in place
Written by Nur Yasmin
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is working with Pakistan to conclude a ninth review of a bailout programme, its mission chief said on Friday of the funding critical for the cash-strapped nation to avert an economic collapse.
Pakistan and the IMF have been discussing fiscal policy measures in the review since February, aiming to resume stalled funding of $1.1 billion due in November from a $6.5-billion programme agreed in 2019.
The measures have fuelled highest ever inflation, posted at 36.4% in April.
The IMF funding is crucial for Pakistan to avert default on its external payment obligations during a balance of payment crisis, in which foreign exchange reserves have shrunk to just four weeks of controlled imports.
"The IMF continues to work with the Pakistani authorities to bring the ninth review to conclusion once the necessary financing is in place and the agreement is finalised," mission chief Nathan Porter said in a statement to Reuters.
"The IMF supports the authorities in the implementation of policies in the period ahead."
This included technical work to prepare the budget for fiscal year 2024, set to be passed by the National Assembly before end-June, he added.
As part of the conditions, Pakistan has given an assurance that its balance of payments gap this fiscal year, which ends in June, is fully funded.
Pakistan has announced pledges worth $3 billion in financing support from Saudi Arabia and UAE, but the funds have yet to come through. Longtime ally China has rolled over and refinanced its loans.
Islamabad and the IMF have had differences over the gap. It was not clear if the Saudi, UAE and Chinese financing would be sufficient, or if more external support would be needed.
It was also not immediately clear why the lender wanted to work on the technical preparation of the budget, which is not covered by the programme.
The step could be linked to a possible new IMF lending plan, said Yousuf Nazar, an economist and former head of equities and investments at Citigroup.
"I think it is unavoidable that they would like to ensure the government will meet its commitments particularly, when it is in no position to repay the debt, which will inevitably need a new programme," he told Reuters.
Pakistan's finance ministry and the IMF did not immediately respond to a request for a comment.
The current IMF programme aims to disburse an additional $1.4 billion for Pakistan before it concludes in June. (Antaranews)
May
India, Russia, Pakistan urge Taliban to respect rights of all Afghans
Written by Nur Yasmin
The foreign ministers of India, Russia and Pakistan on Friday called for a representative government in Afghanistan and the protection of women's rights, almost two years after the Islamist Taliban swept to power in Kabul.
They were speaking at the day-long meeting of foreign ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in the Indian coastal resort state of Goa, just ahead of a meeting scheduled over the weekend in Pakistan between the foreign ministers of Pakistan, China and Afghanistan.
"The unfolding situation in Afghanistan remains at the centre of our attention. Our efforts should be directed towards the welfare of the Afghan people," Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said.
"Our immediate priorities include providing humanitarian assistance, ensuring a truly inclusive and representative government, combating terrorism and drug trafficking, and preserving the rights of women, children and minorities," he said.
No country has recognised the Taliban who took over Afghanistan in August 2021, after a 20-year insurgency against U.S.-led forces, with a speed and ease that took the world by surprise, following which President Ashraf Ghani fled the country.
Russia's Sergei Lavrov said Moscow expected the Taliban leadership to "deliver on their promises to come up with an inclusive government".
"The assurances that were given in regards of human rights, security in the territory of Afghanistan, and the eradication of terrorist threats, drug trafficking, we are keeping an eye on this," Lavrov said.
Pakistan's Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said the situation in Afghanistan presents new challenges as well as opportunities.
"After being the playground for great powers, time and time again, we owe it to the people of Afghanistan to not repeat the mistakes of the past," he said.
"A united international community must continue to urge the Afghan authorities to adopt universally accepted principles of political inclusivity, and respecting the rights of all Afghans, including girls’ right to education."
Concerns over the stability of Afghanistan are growing as the country struggles with its economy and humanitarian crises under Taliban rule.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres this week warned of a severe shortfall in financial pledges for its humanitarian appeal this year, which is just over 6% funded, short of the $4.6 billion requested for a country in which most of the population lives in poverty.
The Taliban have also tightened controls on women's access to public life, including barring women from university and closing girls' high schools.
The SCO is a political and security union of countries spanning much of Eurasia, including China, India, Pakistan and Russia, and is seen as a counterweight to Western influence in Eurasia.
The meeting in Goa is expected to finalise the expansion of the group to include Iran and Belarus.
It will also prepare the ground for an SCO summit in India in July that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping are expected to attend. (Reuters)