AsiaWatch - 21 Sep 2020
Asian financial leaders pledge to fight COVID-19; Thailand's protesters claim a victory; AsiaWatch's bumper opinion section
Passengers with face masks at a station in Tokyo Japan (Photo credit: REUTERS )
Good morning.
While COVID-19 continues to stymie efforts to control it, Asia’s financial leaders pledged at the close of last week to commit to helping the region recover from the pandemic, while defending multi-lateral trade and investment. In Thailand, protesters claim victory by laying a plaque outside the Grand Palace, making its demands to the king’s council. China sent military aircraft into the Taiwan Strait, with a warning for both Taiwan and the US. In our bumper opinion section, we selected a number of pieces covering recent events around surveillance technology, tensions over Sabah, and climate diplomacy.
Today in AsiaWatch (8 min read)
Asian financial leaders agree to make 'all policy efforts' to fight COVID-19 pandemic
Financial leaders from China, Japan, South Korea and Southeast Asia vowed on Friday (Sep 18) to redouble their efforts to help the region recover economically from the novel coronavirus and to defend a multilateral system of trade and investment.
In Southeast Asia, COVID-19 Slowly Tightens Its Grip
The coronavirus pandemic is taking a turn for the worse in Southeast Asia. As total COVID-19 cases pass 30 million, and the world closes in on its millionth death from the contagion, a region once viewed as a success story is seeing persistent and accelerating infections in several nations, including the region’s two most populous.
Thailand protesters claim victory with letter to the king's council
In a ceremony laden with historic symbolism, Thai student leaders laid a plaque outside the Grand Palace in Bangkok and delivered a list of demands to the nearby Privy Council Chambers.
LGBT Community Targeted by Police in Indonesia
Human rights groups have said the law discriminates against LGBT people and that the recent raid highlights the threat to the rights of LGBT people in the country.
Top diplomats of S. Korea, Vietnam hold talks on easing of COVID-19 entry curbs, bilateral ties
The top diplomats of South Korea and Vietnam held talks in Hanoi on Friday to discuss the easing of coronavirus entry restrictions for essential business travelers, bilateral ties and regional issues.
Japan's PM Suga says agreed to coordinate closely with Trump after first talks
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and US President Donald Trump discussed the importance of their countries' alliance in phone talks on Sunday (Sep 20), their first since Suga took over as Japan's new leader.
No plans to talk to Japan's new PM: Taiwan president
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen said on Sunday that there was no plan for her talk by telephone with new Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, after a Japanese envoy had told Tsai that Suga might be open to it, prompting concern in Beijing.
China sends more warplanes as Taiwan honours Lee Teng-hui
Multiple Chinese military aircraft approached Taiwan for a second consecutive day on Saturday as the island's leader, government officials and a senior United States envoy bid farewell to the late Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui, dubbed "Mr Democracy" for ending autocratic rule in Taipei in favour of free elections.
Foreign judge quits Hong Kong's top court, cites national security law concerns
One of the 14 foreign judges on Hong Kong's highest court said he had resigned due to concerns over a sweeping new national security law imposed by Beijing on the former British colony, Australia's national broadcaster reported.
India police arrest local journalist alleged to be spying for China
On interrogation, journalist Rajeev Sharma has disclosed his involvement in procurement of secret/sensitive information and further conveying the same to his Chinese handlers, said Delhi's Deputy Commissioner of Police Sanjeev Kumar Yadav in a statement.
India passes farm bills amid uproar by opposition in parliament
India's parliament has passed new bills the government says will make it easier for farmers to sell their produce directly to big buyers, despite growing protest from opposition parties and a longtime ally of the governing party, who call the laws “pro-corporate” and “anti-farmer”.
India to loan virus-hit Maldives US$250 million
The bond takes New Delhi's total pledged financial assistance to the Maldives to over US$2 billion since Maldives President Solih came to power.
Opinion
We share what experts and insiders are saying about key issues in Asia.
Big Tech and COVID-19 are fueling networked authoritarianism
We have a chance to respond collectively to these problems in a way that promotes human flourishing, rather than systems of technological control and racialised violence, and that values solidarity over surveillance. We cannot let COVID-19 be a greenlight for the border industrial complex to take hold. Now is the time to imagine an alternative future.
What's behind Thailand's protests and what comes next?
A pro-democracy movement led by student groups has gathered pace across Thailand for the last couple of months, with some activists openly calling for reforms of the kingdom's unassailable monarchy. Discontent has been simmering since February when the leaders of an opposition party, popular among young people, were banned from politics.
Can Cambodia fill the gap left by EU sanctions with China FTA?
The trip, which came about a week before the EU decided to scrap part of its preferential tariff treatment for Cambodia, triggered speculation that Beijing and Phnom Penh would sign a bilateral trade deal as early as August -- perhaps the very day that the EU sanctions would take effect. This is Cambodia's first bilateral trade deal, but it is based in large part on an FTA that took effect between China and ASEAN that removed tariffs on shipments on about 10,000 items, or 94% of those exported to China.
US smear campaign against Mekong River dams riddled with loopholes
Chinese Foreign Ministry has repeatedly slammed the US for hyping issues of the Mekong River water resources that was aimed to sow discord between Mekong regional countries, after David Stilwell, the assistant secretary of state for East Asia and the Pacific, claimed China was manipulating water to fill its reservoirs, which US-funded "Eyes on Earth" says have a combined capacity of more than 47 billion cubic meters.
Will the Philippines risk war with Malaysia over Sabah?
But while the Philippines chief diplomat is scoring patriotic points at home, he has recklessly undermined hard-earned and much-needed solidarity and strategic cooperation with Malaysia in the face of ongoing threats from ISIS and China.
Rise of the Minilaterals: Examining the India-France-Australia Trilateral
The Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), in a statement, said that the trilateral meeting was an effort at strengthening cooperation among the three countries in the Indo-Pacific region. The statement also noted that the three countries plan to meet on an annual basis. Tweeting about the meeting, the MEA said, “We agreed to build convergences in our approach to the Indo-Pacific region and to explore ways to strengthen trilateral cooperation, particularly in the maritime domain.”
Many commentators argue that despite growing tensions between the United States and China, it’s essential to preserve diplomatic space to cooperate on climate change. Unfortunately, that will be much harder than it sounds. China’s leaders are likely to be receptive to the idea of climate cooperation with Washington – but not necessarily on terms that are favorable to U.S. foreign policy interests, and almost certainly not on terms that equal the scale of the climate crisis.
The Real Strategic End Game in Decoupling From China
“The evidence is unmistakably clear — the transatlantic economy is where values, supported by the rule of law, contribute to true long-term wealth creation. The most fundamental economic enablers are mature and supportive for continued economic successes. Its vibrancy outshines the rest of the global economy and this is where we should be intensifying our investments and doing business.”
Russia, China, and the Indo-Pacific: An Interview With Dmitri Trenin
The Russo-Chinese relationship can be described as an entente – half-way between a partnership and an alliance. Russia still leads China in advanced military technologies, and cooperation in that area partially offsets China’s economic superiority. With the border issue long resolved, and the political relationship cordial at the top level, the two militaries have cooperated closely for over a decade and a half. The recent emergence of the United States as a declared adversary of both China and Russia has given such cooperation a new impetus. Yet, a peacetime alliance between the two would be awkward: neither Beijing nor Moscow would want to tie its hands too much.
Taiwan's hopes for US visit 'wishful thinking', to get nothing
The China-US relations in 2020 are facing an unprecedented challenge, as Washington is giving up its announced neutrality on the Taiwan question, and openly provoking China's sovereignty. Some Chinese mainland scholars had suggested that the Chinese government remain patient and restrained, as any reaction could be used by the Trump administration to gain greater domestic support for his reelection in November. They suggested that China not be used by the Trump administration.
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.
What is life like in one of the most surveilled states in the world? Following the 2009 Urumqi riots, life in the capital of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) is under the scrutiny of multiple layers of security. Apart from the presence of armed military and multiple pat-downs a day, the region employs some of the most advanced surveillance technology deployed in any form today. Such technology was behind catching criminals in minutes, and travellers in the city note that apart from daily annoyances, it feels “completely safe”. That is, until you talk about politics for more than 30 minutes on a phone. To be sure, there are human rights concerns here, as the piece from the Wall Street Journal and many western media outlets have highlighted time and again. Which only makes the Chinese viewpoint even more interesting. If you have a perspective on modern-day smart city surveillance, tell us more in the comments!