AsiaWatch - 17 Sep 2020
Suga is elected PM of Japan; Tensions escalate in the Korean Peninsula; India COVID-19 cases exceed 5 million
Photo credit: Nikkei Asian Review
Good morning.
Yoshihide Suga was elected Japan’s 99th prime minister on Wednesday, bringing over about half of his predecessor’s cabinet along with him. Suga will need to grapple with a pandemic-hit economy, while also persuading sceptics that he is more than a caretaker leader. ASEAN leaders were quick to congratulate the new PM, calling for greater Japanese involvement in the region. Meanwhile, tensions escalate across the Korean Strait, as the hermit kingdom continues to develop its missile capability.
Today in AsiaWatch (6 min read)
Suga elected prime minister, opening new chapter for Japan
Yoshihide Suga was elected Japan's prime minister in a parliamentary vote on Wednesday, marking a new chapter in the nation's politics after a record seven years and eight months under Shinzo Abe. Suga, 71, will confront the immediate challenges of keeping COVID-19 under control, jump-starting the economy and paving the way for Tokyo to host the delayed Olympics next year.
Japan's Suga crafts 'continuity cabinet' after voted prime minister
About half of the new cabinet are carryovers from Abe's administration. Only two are women and the average age, including Suga, is 60. Among those retaining their jobs are key players such as Finance Minister Taro Aso and Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, along with Olympics Minister Seiko Hashimoto and Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, the youngest at 39.
European powers weigh wading into South China Sea
Major European powers are weighing how to step up their presence in China’s adjacent waters, including the contested South China Sea, as tensions rachet up in what some see as the dawning of a new Cold War.
US does not want to force ASEAN to choose sides: Official
The United States is not trying to push ASEAN countries to choose sides in its strategic rivalry with China, a senior US foreign policy official has insisted, as the Western superpower continues to call out Beijing’s aggressive “bullying” in the South China Sea.
House bill stops evictions, provides other relief for home renters in the Philippines
Albay Rep. Joey Salceda has filed a bill to provide relief to around 100,000 families who face eviction for being unable to pay rent after their breadwinners lost their jobs or livelihoods during the prolonged quarantine.
China's Communist Party demands private sector's loyalty as external risks rise
China's ruling Communist Party is demanding a show of greater loyalty from the sprawling private sector as the world's second-largest economy grapples with growing external risks, from open US hostility to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hong Kong’s No 2 defends national security law as ‘vital’ in statement to UN Human Rights Council
Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung Kin-chung defended the city’s Beijing-drafted national security law at the UN Human Rights Council on Tuesday, saying it had been effective in curbing violent anti-government protests and was aimed at preserving residents’ freedoms.
S. Korea to invest 2.7b won to develop drones for military use
South Korea plans to invest 2.7 trillion won ($2.3 billion) in the next 10 years to develop drones for military use, the arms procurement agency said Tuesday.
N. Korea continues missile development: defense minister nominee
Yonhap North Korea is continuing to develop its missile capabilities, defense minister nominee Gen. Suh Wook said Wednesday, vowing to sternly respond to any provocations.
Kim Jong Un pushes for swift flood recovery as economic pain grows
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has pledged to quickly restore flood-devastated areas of the country, fearing that a slow disaster-recovery in a nation already battered by sanctions and border closure with China could fan public discontent.
US and India Hold Defense Technology Cooperation Meeting Amid Diminished Expectations
The United States and India virtually held the 10th edition of the Defense Trade and Technology Initiative (DTTI) Group Meeting on September 15. Currently, there are four working groups under the initiative, “focused on land, naval, air and aircraft carrier technologies,” the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) press release noted.
Indian Army fully geared to fight full-fledged war in eastern Ladakh: Northern Command
Asserting that it is fully prepared to fight a full-fledged war even in winters in eastern Ladakh, the Indian Army on Wednesday said if China created conditions for war, they will face a better trained, better prepared, fully rested and psychologically hardened Indian troops.
India virus cases top 5 million, pandemic 'worse than sci-fi'
Coronavirus infections in India soared past five million on Wednesday, as a WHO envoy warned the pandemic was "still at the beginning".
India plans to ban crypto trading: Bloomberg
The government plans to introduce a new law banning cryptocurrency trading, a move that is decidedly out of step with other Asian economies, which have chosen to regulate the nascent financial sector.
Opinion
We share what experts and insiders are saying about key issues in Asia.
Dream state: Jokowi struggles to build his vision for Indonesia
The dream of constructing Indonesia's very own Brasilia, Canberra or Naypyitaw embodies the president's best -- and worst -- traits. On the one hand, he is ambitious, focused on building much-needed infrastructure and good at charming foreign investors. On the other hand, Jokowi is impulsive, impatient with experts and prefers launching headline-grabbing initiatives rather than pushing tough reforms.
Suga must expand Abe's assertive Indo-Pacific vision
Japan's incoming Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga faces no shortage of domestic challenges following his landslide victory to head the country's ruling Liberal Democratic Party. But as the low-profile, self-made politician readies to succeed Shinzo Abe, he must also prepare not just to continue his predecessor's assertive brand of foreign policy, but to expand it, and in Southeast Asia in particular.
The moral case for China to fight a war
Hu Xijin, like Mozi and unlike Sunzi, is not concerned here with actual military success, but with a very important and delicate point that helps to lead to military success: how to build a moral case justifying a military intervention.
The three bills related to agriculture introduced by the Modi government in Parliament will boost production and help farmers get better prices for the produce, BJP president J P Nadda said on Wednesday.
With respect to India’s cyber capabilities, it is very surprising to see India ranked the lowest in the Cyber Capability Index on both information control and surveillance. For rankings on these two objectives under intent, India ranks significantly higher for surveillance but is at the bottom of the ladder in information control.
The Taliban’s political moment
Yet despite the heady rhetoric, uncertainties cloud the proceedings. For starters, violence persists in the country, while Talib fighters insist that their jihad will continue until Afghanistan is governed by Islamic law. This is prompting some to question whether the Taliban are even ready to be part of the political solution. Despite their presence in Doha, the answer is not as straightforward as many might think.
Rohingya are being left to die at sea. Does anyone care?
Ahead of another sailing season when refugees will once again take their chance on the high seas, South and Southeast Asia's leaders must make a collective decision to choose lives over politics.
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.
The stone carvers in Ubud, the cultural capital of Bali, hammer incessantly at volcanic rock, turning them into fascinating works of mythical art. Some majestic, some menacing, but always enchanting, these stone carvings are absolutely iconic. They decorate the gateways of almost every building in Bali. Here’s a peek at the lives of the carvers, who lightly chip away at intricate designs of magnificent structures. Along the way, cigarettes are smoked, barbs are traded, and cocks are fought. All in the day’s work for a stone carver.