AsiaWatch - 5 Oct 2020
Vietnam reacts to China's military drills; India's COVID-19 death toll exceeds 100,000; PhilHealth officials implicted in conspiracy
Shinzo Abe and the leaders of the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam in November 2019. Photo credit: Reuters
Good morning.
The world watches as the White House announced that President Trump and a number of his aides had test positive for COVID-19. Leaders from Asia, notably President Xi and Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un, were quick to send well-wishes to the President.
Vietnam protested China’s military drills in the South China Sea. In Cambodia, Deputy Prime Minister Tea Banh announced that a US-funded defence facility was taken down as a naval base continued to be expanded on Chinese aid. Following investigations, PhilHealth officials were found to be involved in a P2.7 Billion conspiracy. In India, the pandemic death toll passed a dire milestone of 100,000.
Today in Asia
(7 min read)
Vietnam says China military drills could harm maritime code talks
Vietnam said on Thursday (Oct 1) that military drills conducted this week by Beijing in the South China Sea will hurt negotiations on a regional maritime code of conduct (COC) for the disputed waters.
Cambodia confirms US-funded defence facility has been razed
Cambodia has razed a US-funded defence facility on its southern coast, Deputy Prime Minister Tea Banh confirmed Sunday, the latest move in the ongoing controversial expansion of a strategically crucial naval base being developed with Chinese aid.
PhilHealth officials in P2.7-billion conspiracy, NBI concludes
PhilHealth officials were involved in a conspiracy to pay more than P2.7 billion to 139 hospitals and other health-care institutions (HCIs) in the National Capital Region (NCR), many of them maternity clinics and dialysis centers, in violation of the state insurer’s own guidelines for supporting medical responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the National Bureau of Investigation.
China taps Japan's gachapon toy machines for digital yuan tests
China is turning to a playful tool for testing its digital currency, deploying Japanese-style gachapon capsule toy vending machines that accept cashless payments in Beijing at venues linked to the 2022 Olympics.
Former Hong Kong-Australia free trade negotiator officially named next top envoy to the city
A chief negotiator for the Australia-Hong Kong Free Trade Agreement has been appointed as the country’s next top envoy to the city amid strained ties between Beijing and Canberra exacerbated by the national security law.
India opens tunnel route to tense China border
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday opened a Himalayan tunnel that will drastically reduce the time needed to rush troops to the country’s remote Chinese border as tensions grow between the Asian neighbours.
India risks losing its military hold on Maldives
On September 12, the Patriotic Youth Movement of Maldives organized a peaceful motorbike rally – the second such event in recent weeks – to protest against India’s military presence on Maldivian soil.
As Kim wooed Trump with ‘love letters,’ he kept building his nuclear capability, intelligence shows
Exactly how many new bombs North Korea has built since the Singapore summit is not publicly known, but analysts calculate that the country’s nuclear weapons complex currently generates enough fissile material for up to seven new bombs each year — meaning that Kim’s nuclear stockpile has possibly expanded by about 15 warheads since the two leaders first met.
COVID-19 Quick Look
A man wearing PPE carries the body of a three-month old baby who succumbed to the virus. Photo credit: Reuters
India’s death toll reaches 100,000, with no signs of abatement. New Delhi also sought to secure 500 million doses of the vaccine by Jul 2021. Myanmar receives another shipment of tests, surgical masks, and hand santisers from Singapore as it struggles to contain the most recent outbreak. In Vietnam, consumer confidence plummeted to 20-year lows on the pandemic’s persistent impact.
Opinion
We share what experts and insiders are saying about key issues in Asia.
US human rights bill risks pushing Duterte closer to China
A new bill introduced in the U.S. Congress aims to suspend American aid to Philippine security forces unless Manila commits to human rights reforms. The Philippine Human Rights Act, if passed, risks pushing the Philippines closer to China and potentially rupturing the alliance between the U.S. and its once colony.
Australia-Japan-India Trilateral Sets Sights on Supply Chain Resilience
Recently, the trade ministers of Australia, Japan and India agreed to develop a supply chain resilience program for the Indo-Pacific region.
Abe's 'Indo-Pacific' legacy forces Suga to walk a fine line
At his first press conference as Japan's new prime minister, Yoshihide Suga vowed to "strategically advance the 'free and open Indo-Pacific' concept to protect our nation's interests." To read the outlook for Suga's diplomacy, it is necessary to understand the evolution of this concept that he has pledged to carry on.
Japan must be open for business to both US and China: Nidec CEO
With export-dependent Japan caught in the middle, outspoken billionaire Nagamori told Nikkei in a recent interview that Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's new government needs to take the same even-handed approach to the two countries that his predecessor Shinzo Abe did.
The politics behind Xi’s big green promise
The announcement gives China – the world’s biggest polluter and second-largest economy – an opportunity to show environmental leadership at the same time as the United States retreats from the issue under climate change sceptic Donald Trump. But if the global direction of travel is away from coal and towards cheap renewables and green tech, China could put itself at the forefront of a new economic order.
China’s geopolitics are pumped up by its economic success
Beijing’s increased assertiveness abroad is only to be expected, and more is coming
Canadian warship sails near Taiwan amid heightened China tensions
Taiwan’s defence ministry said the Canadian corvette had sailed into the Taiwan Strait from the South China Sea and was heading in a northerly direction after leaving the waterway.
What Forced Labor in Xinjiang Means for Supply Chain Due Diligence
The global audit profession has grown to include large testing and monitoring firms, specialized companies, industry associations, certification programs of all types, multi-stakeholder not-for-profit initiatives, and even the U.N.’s International Labor Organization.
What Should Be on the Agenda for US-Korea Relations?
When asked what issues the United States and South Korea should cooperate on a majority of Americans support the allies working together on peacekeeping, global health, the development of international trade rules, and technology infrastructure.
Australia and South Korea Can and Must Deepen Defense Industry Cooperation
South Korean giant Hanhwa Defense had been selected as the sole preferred bidder for the Australian Defense Force’s LAND8116 Protected Mobile Fires requirement. Under the contract, Hanhwa will provide 30 K-9 Thunder self-propelled howitzers and 15 K-10 armored resupply vehicles to Australia for around AU$1 billion. While at face value this seems a relatively minor development, the awarding of the contract to Hanhwa could lay the foundation for expanded bilateral defense industry collaboration.
Geopolitical forces pushing Russia, China closer together
In the Russian narrative, the main reason was the failure of the Soviet macro-economic policy. It is easy to see why President Vladimir Putin appeals to China’s experience of reform and opening.
Timor-Leste’s Costly Oil and Gas Ambitions Grind to a Halt
The insinuation behind this question is that some of Timor-Leste’s political leaders may be so desperate to build an onshore plant to process the oil and gas to be extracted from the Greater Sunrise gas field that they will turn to China for the funds.
US preps for ‘Irregular Warfare’ with China, Russia
Irregular warfare refers to conflict with enemies like the Islamic State group that have less-advanced technology than the US, are generally not part of formal state-run militaries, and that sow disinformation and propaganda to achieve their goals, the report said.
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.
Science fiction. Isaac Asimov calls this unique branch of speculative fiction “the reaction of human beings to changes in science and technology”, and I find it curious to see Chinese writers venturing into the genre and making an impact. In Asia, most science fiction was left to Japanese imaginations, bringing forth some of the most iconic and influential fictional worlds with Ghost in the Shell, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Metal Gear, and many others (there’s a whole bunch of classic anime experiencing a renaissance in memedom).
I like to think of science fiction as an awakening of sorts. It’s a medium that allows us to contemplate the impact of allowing ambition and technology outpace humanity’s ability to make sense of it. This is why the Asian voice in science fiction is very much welcome. Not just from a standpoint of diversity in the genre, but as an alternative to share its perspectives with the world apart from resorting to sharp power. As the world settles into the fourth industrial revolution proper, Asia will have a large share of the world’s growth, and stories that it tells about itself will be an important way for Asia to be heard and understood.