AsiaWatch - 16 Sep 2020
Asia embarks on the long road to recovery; Report highlights SEA opposition persecution; India talks tough on China conflict and cuts MP salaries
Asia cautiously relaxes pandemic restrictions and opens up economy. Photo credit: SCMP
Good morning.
The Asian Development Bank forecasted recovery in 2021, but warned that tougher measures to fight COVID-19 could undo any progress in the region. In Southeast Asia, a recent report highlighted the plight of opposition parliamentarians, which the report indicated were facing increased persecution. India’s parliament, the Lok Sabha, met on the second day and heard the Defence Minister’s brief to the House on the “big challenge” at the India-China border, while also passing a bill to cut salaries of members of parliament by 30%. In the Philippines, President Duterte criticised pharmaceutical companies for asking for advance payment for future COVID-19 vaccines.
Today in AsiaWatch (7 min read)
Asian economic recovery in 2021 under threat: ADB
Coronavirus-ravaged economies across the Asia Pacific will make a “swoosh-shaped” recovery next year, the Asian Development Bank forecast Tuesday, but it warned that further restrictions to combat the contagion could derail the region’s return to growth.
Tencent expands in SE Asia amid US, India tension with China
Chinese tech giant Tencent said Tuesday it was opening a new Singapore office to serve as a Southeast Asia hub, as the firm reels from setbacks in the US and India.
Southeast Asian Parliamentarians Face Chilly Political Climate
According to a new report from ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights, opposition parliamentarians in a number of Southeast Asian nations have been subject to intensifying pressure from the region’s governments as part of their “broader attempts to suppress dissent and attain unchecked power”.
China, Indonesia sea dispute hot and getting hotter
Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) cutter 5204’s intrusion on the fringes of Indonesia’s 200-nautical-mile Economic Exclusion Zone (EEZ) on 12 Sep raised suspicions that Beijing was trying to stake out the limits of Beijing’s nine-dotted line of historically claimed sovereignty over the South China Sea. Indonesia has issued a formal protest to Chinese Ambassador Xiao Qian.
Prawit: Govt ready for out-of-town protesters at Sept 19 rally
The government is prepared to handle an influx of protesters travelling from other provinces to join the planned anti-government demonstration by students and supporters on Saturday at Thammasat University's Tha Phrachan campus in Bangkok, Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon said on Tuesday.
Thailand’s Energy for All is still on the cards
Energy policymakers have insisted they will not scrap the Energy for All renewable power scheme, denying a report that it cannot be implemented because of a legal problem.
Duterte slams Western drug makers for being all for ‘profit, profit, profit‘
President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday night slammed pharmaceutical companies in Western countries for asking advance payment for their yet-to-be-developed COVID-19 vaccines.
China locks down city on Myanmar border
China has locked down a city on the border with Myanmar and will launch a mass coronavirus testing program, officials said Tuesday, after a handful of infections were detected there.
Activists want UN to probe 'genocide' of China's Uighur minority
Nearly two dozen activist groups have said a genocide is taking place against mostly Muslim Uighurs in China's remote Xinjiang region, where a reported one million people are held in camps.
Culture war: Inner Mongolia seethes as China presses Mandarin at school
Tens of thousands took part in demonstrations and school boycotts in Inner Mongolia to protest against an edict mandating Mandarin-language teaching, over fears it will wipe out their language.
Pope Francis gives green light for extension of accord with Beijing
Pope Francis has signed off on a two-year extension of a deal with China on the appointment of bishops that critics have condemned as a sell-out to the communist government.
Japan Defense Chief Gives Order What to Do on UFO Sightings
Japanese Defense Minister Taro Kono on Monday instructed the Self-Defense Forces, who are in charge of protecting Japan’s airspace, to record on camera any such phenomenon they may detect and to analyze it as much as possible.
In an important speech to India’s parliament earlier today, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh termed the ongoing India-China crisis in eastern Ladakh a “big challenge,” laying the blame for it squarely on China. The Lok Sabha passed the Salary, Allowances and Pension of Members of Parliament (Amendment) Bill, 2020, to reduce for one year the salaries of MPs by 30 per cent “to meet the exigencies” arising out of the Covid-19pandemic.
Pakistan’s Fight Against COVID-19 Has Made Imran Khan Stronger
With Pakistan’s anti-COVID-19 actions and Khan’s smart-lockdown policy being lauded, the country’s prime minister finds himself in a much better position than he was earlier this year.
Opinion
We share what experts and insiders are saying about key issues in Asia.
Why the EU and China can’t agree on a deal
European leaders were left a little dazed after Beijing started pumping out propaganda and disinformation as the pandemic swept through the continent in March, with many Chinese diplomats keen to mock what they saw as weak European responses to the virus.
Xi loses a friend as US envoy’s term cut short
Washington’s top representative in Beijing is packing to leave as the world’s most important relationship hits a new low and needs an “old China hand” more than ever to stop tensions from spiraling out of control.
Wuhan film captures horror and humanity at COVID-19 ground zero
"In the beginning I was angry with the Chinese government - I really wanted to find out who's at fault, what caused this," said Wu. But once the pandemic spread - with exponentially greater tragedy - to other countries like the US, the desire to place blame was replaced by a desire to document how "as human beings live through this, how we can share this experience."
The Vagaries of Crime and Punishment in China
The ongoing repression of mainland Chinese protesters against injustice continues to raise many questions about the Communist Party’s punishment systems. Who gets detained? When? After what kinds of warnings and preliminary “education”? What type of detention is chosen and why?
Modi's supply chain fantasies will not save India's failing economy
“Has Modi forgotten India's recent experience, where freer trade with Japan, South Korea and the ASEAN bloc has resulted in more imports than exports?… India has had a similar experience in Southeast Asia, where its trade deficit with ASEAN has risen from $5 billion in 2011 to $24 billion last year.”
Coronavirus India timeline: Tracking crucial moments of Covid-19 pandemic in the country
From the first Covid-19 case — a 20-year-old medical student who came back from Wuhan in China — to Prime Minister Narendra Modi announcing a ‘ Janata curfew ’ followed by one of the longest and stringent lockdowns, here we track some of the crucial moments of the coronavirus pandemic and where we stand presently in our fight against the virus.
Bangladesh’s Long Road Ahead in Countering Terrorist Fundraising
Bangladesh faces two key challenges in countering terrorism financing activities in the country. First, there is a general lack of institutional capacity to adequately investigate and prosecute such cases. Here, a lack of manpower with appropriate technological and investigative skill sets are the main hindrance. Second, there is no agency with specific jurisdiction to monitor and respond to the economic ecosystem that benefits terrorists.
Tea Time
The humble tea leaf is one of Asia’s best known exports, best shared in the company of those who love it. With Tea Time, we take a break from politics to share the stories that give a glimpse into the lives of peoples of Asia.
Chinese students have been flooding Western Universities. Be it for bragging rights or a desire to expose their children to a global worldview, the emerging middle class in China are more than eager to send their children abroad. It’s well known that it is often difficult for Chinese students to assimilate well in Western countries, yet many do so anyway. According to this piece by Quartz, by 2018, over 660,000 of them were attending universities in Australia, the UK, and the US. In the US, international tuition fees from Chinese students have become a cash cow, with these students contributing US$15 billion to the US economy in tuition fees. The University of Illinois has a nickname in China. But this is all set to change. And young Chinese students have good reasons to stay in China.