Grasp the pattern, read the trend

No. 32, August/2021, 2

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Dear Readers, 

with greetings from the AiR-team, I wish you an interesting read. Special greetings go this week to our readers celebrating the National Day of Singapore and the Independence Day of Chad and Ecuador.

With best regards,

Henning Glaser

Editor in Chief

Webpage: www.cpg-online.de, Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CPGTU

Main Sections

• Law and Politics in East Asia

• Law and Politics in South Asia

• Law and Politics in Southeast Asia

• International Relations, Geopolitics and Security in Asia

• Announcements

Law and Politics in East Asia 

China: Court rejects Canadian's appeal against death sentence for drug smuggling

(lm) A Chinese court on August 10 upheld a death sentence against Robert Lloyd Schellenberg, a Canadian convicted of drug smuggling in China, in a 2018 case which many have labelled “hostage diplomacy” by Chinese authorities over an ongoing extradition hearing in Canada for a Huawei executive wanted in the United States. [The Guardian] [The Straits Times]

Schellenberg had been detained in China since December 2014, when he was accused of attempting to smuggle methamphetamine to Australia. In December 2018 he was sentenced to 15 years. But a high court ordered a retrial later the same month when the prosecution said they had uncovered new evidence to prove Schellenberg's principal role in the case. He received the death sentence just a month later. [CNN]

According to The Globe and Mail, the decision is expected to be reported to the Supreme People’s Court for approval. [The Globe and Mail]

Separately, Chinese courts are also expected to deliver a sentence against another Canadian, Michael Spavor, a businessman who was charged with espionage alongside former diplomat Michael Kovrig and tried in secret in March after more than 830 days in detention. Canadian diplomats were denied access to the trial. [AiR No. 11, March/2021, 3]

The arrest of the two men and the retrial of Schellenberg have been linked to Canada’s above mentioned arrest of Chinese Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou, who was arrested at Vancouver airport on a US warrant in late 2018 over allegations she committed bank fraud by allegedly concealing the company’s business dealings in Iran.

The detained chief financial officer appeared in court last week, with her lawyers making a final push to convince the court not to extradite her to the United States. A judgement is expected later in the year. [BBC]

Meng’s arrest – and China's subsequent detention of Spavor and Kovrig – has sent Canada-China relations plummeting, with Beijing condemning the arrest as a politically motivated move and as a violation of international law. [see latest AiR No. 28, July/2021, 2]

The issue was also raised in high-level discussions between senior US and Chinese diplomats in recent weeks, including a meeting in July between US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman and Chinese Vice-Foreign Minister Xie Feng [see AiR No. 30, July/2021, 4].

China: Campaign against ‘fake news’ and to limit role of algorithms in content distribution

(dx) China has launched a new campaign to crack down on “fake news”, putting further pressure on the country’s social media platforms to screen out unsanctioned information. [South China Morning Post 1]

Jointly carried out by ten government departments – including the General Administration of Press and Publications, the central propaganda department of Chinese Communist Party – the campaign will target “illegal news activities” as well as any individual, social organizations and communication platforms that help in the publication.

The campaign comes short after China last month accused British national broadcaster BBC of disseminating “fake news” over its coverage of devastating floods in central parts of the country. [AiR No.31, August / 2021, 1]

It also comes on the heels of a new policy push from the top state propaganda organs, which urged last week for better “culture and art reviews” in China, partly by limiting the role of algorithms in content distribution. [South China Morning Post 2]

According to analysts, the move is more than reactions to online public criticism over the authorities' handling of the flood disaster. There is a good case to believe, that is, that it is supposed to lay the groundwork for the 20th Party Congress in 2022 by strengthening controls on public speech, eliminating unwanted voices, and ensuring that only “authoritative information” can be heard. [Radio Free Asia]

China: Lawyers detained over courtroom video with prosecutor admitting errors

(dx) Two Chinese lawyers have apparently been detained over a courtroom video posted online more than a year ago showing a prosecutor admitting to several procedural errors. [Shangyou Xinwen, in Chinese]

The Public Security Bureau (PSB) in the country’s northeastern Liaoning province declared to have detained investigative journalist-turned-lawyer Zhou Xiaoyun as well as lawyer Nie Min on suspicion of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble”, an ill-defined crime frequently used by authorities to muzzle dissent.

Zhou’s detention is apparently connected to his role as a defense lawyer for a group of men accused by the PSB of being loan sharks. The case, which opened in June 2020, drew public attention after the prosecutor during the trial admitted several procedural errors. The statement was recorded and uploaded to the Chinese courts’ official website for live-streaming trials. [South China Morning Post]

China: Hong Kong leader Lam backs local version of anti-sanctions law

(dx/lm) Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Carrie Lam said on August 10 she supports the implementation of an anti-sanctions laws in the former British colony, sending the strongest signal yet that the financial hub is set to adopt the legislation. [South China Morning Post]

Beijing rushed through its own “antiforeign sanctions law” in June in response to sanctions imposed on the country by the United States and Europe. The legislation authorizes the Chinese government to take countermeasures against foreign individuals and entities in discriminatory restrictive measures that “violate international laws and basic norms”. [AiR No. 24, June/2021, 3]

Lam’s comments follow reports last month that China’s top legislative body, the National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, was preparing to formally declare that the anti-sanctions law applied to Hong Kong and Macau during a closed-door session next week. [AiR No. 31, August/2021, 1]

Speaking ahead of her weekly Executive Council meeting, Lam said she would opt for a local legislative process that sought to add the law to an annex of Hong Kong’s Basic Law, and thus, would allow for adaptations that would suit the city’s circumstances.

Using a similar language, Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng – who is one of several Hong Kong officials sanctioned by the United States over the implementation of the national security law – told a news conference on August 3 that the new law would only be used to counter unreasonable sanctions imposed on the city by foreign governments. [The Straits Times]

Separately, the US State Department on August 10 dismissed as inaccurate a report in The Global Times, a Communist Party newspaper, alleging that American diplomats in Hong Kong had pressured their country’s companies to withdraw from the city. [Global Times]

China: Hong Kong Election Committee nominations kick off

(dx/lm) Hong Kong last week entered a season of elections, with a one-week nomination period for candidates of the powerful Election Committee (EC) opening on August 6. Elections for the EC will mark the first polls since Beijing drastically reformed the city’s electoral system in March to ensure only “patriots” could run the territory.

Previously only tasked with selecting the city’s Chief Executive (CE), the EC has been expanded to 1,500 members under Beijing’s sweeping overhaul of the electoral system, and will for the first time also fill 40 seats in the city’s parliament, the 90-member Legislative Council (LegCo) [see AiR No.13, March/2021, 5].

The same expansion that granted the pro-Beijing groups their place at the table also saw the elimination of all 117 seats once held by district council members, among the few EC members directly elected by local voters. Those seats were to be replaced with appointed advisor bodies and groups representing people from Hong Kong in mainland China. [AiR No. 30, July/2021, 4]

Elections for the LegCo will be held in December, and the race for the city’s next CE is expected to kick off in March next year. Anyone who hopes to contest the LegCo polls will have to secure at least two nominations from each of the five sectors in the EC: business, social, professional, political, and patriotic. This allows the EC to act as a gatekeeper for any would-be lawmaker.

Together, these five sectors divide into 40 subsectors, each assigned a different number of seats. More than a third of these seats – 518 – will not be selected by election but will either be hand-picked by pro-establishment chambers or groups, or appointed as ex-officio members. The remaining number of about 1,000 seats will be filled via “contest”, in which only specified organizations or companies can vote for these representatives.

But there will also be drastic changes in this area: 300 seats have been reserved for the newly created “patriotic sector”, 110 of which will be filled with members from “national organizations” subsector, which includes previously little-known bodies such as the All-China Women’s Federation, All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce and the All-China Youth Federation.

By contrast, the remaining 190 seats reserved for the “patriotic sector” will be appointees chosen by elite members of the Chinese legislature – National People’s Congress – or another advisory body to Beijing. Yet, the line-up of voters for the subsector has taken some by surprise, upending the prevailing assumption it would be filled entirely with conventional pro-Beijing politicians. [South China Morning Post 1]

The overhaul has also vastly reduced the public vote. Previously, about 240,000 voters – already a mere fraction of the city’s 7.5 million residents — could choose EC members through a mix of individual ballots and ones cast by groups. Now, the number has been cut to below 8,000, as most individual votes have been eliminated.

Hong Kong’s business, professional and political leaders have vowed to pack EC with talents to push officials into solving some of the city’s most entrenched problems, including tackling the housing crisis, improving prospects for young people, and reforming the judicial system. [South China Morning Post 2]

But key players in the opposition camp have told the South China Morning Post that most of its members were unlikely to join the race not only due to the disadvantages they have to deal with, but also because they did not want to subject themselves to a vetting process, they believe is stacked against them. [South China Morning Post 3]

Any potential candidate will first be investigated by the national security department of Hong Kong’s police and the city’s national security committee, a body created by Beijing last year which includes the central government’s chief representative in Hong Kong. Their reports will be handed to the Candidate Eligibility Review Committee, a new vetting committee whose decisions on qualifying candidates are final and cannot be appealed in court. [Hong Kong Free Press]

Japan: Ruling LDP to decide date of leadership election on August 26

The 11-member election management committee of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) on August 3 agreed to decide the date of its next presidential election at a meeting on August 26. [The Japan Times 1]

Prior to the committee’s inaugural meeting, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga had announced his intention to seek re-election as President of his LDP, more than two months before his term expires on September 30 [see AiR No. 31, August/2021, 1]. Suga apparently hopes that the election will be held after the 49th general election of members of Japan’s House of Representatives, which is scheduled on or before October 22, as required by the Constitution of Japan.

Yet, some LDP executives favor to held the party poll ahead of the House elections, for they prefer to see Suga replaced as party chief before the general election, as they believe that the party might not contest the polls well under his leadership. In fact, support for the prime minister fell to new lows in three media polls, showing the Tokyo Olympics did little to shore up his approval. [Bloomberg]

As of now, no one in the party has come out and outright declared their intention to run for the presidency, including Suga’s two contenders in the previous poll last year: former Minister for Foreign Affairs Fumio Kishida and former LDP Secretary-General Shigeru Ishiba. But none of the seven LDP faction heads have explicitly thrown their support behind the prime minister either.

In his article for [The Japan Times 2], Michael MacArthur Bosack takes stock of the LDP presidential race.

Japan: Ruling LDP policy chief seeks Diet debate on COVID-19 lockdown

(dx) The policy chief of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has called for a debate in the country’s Parliament on legal revisions that would introduce lockdowns to better contain the spread of COVID-19.

The remarks of Hakubun Shimomura, a LDP politician and a member of Parliament’s lower house, came shortly after the National Governors' Association agreed to ask the central government to study ways to impose lockdowns to better contain the virus amid growing concern about the transmission of the more contagious Delta variant. [Kyodo News]

Prime Minister Suga, however, has appeared reluctant to introduce such measures, saying he believes legislation that would enable the government to impose hard lockdowns seen in many major cities abroad isn't suitable for Japan as they have not prevented the virus from spreading overseas. Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato said that Japan cannot impose a lockdown under the current system, noting it would be "a major restriction of individual rights." 

In a related event, revisions to the Coronavirus Special Measures law and the Infectious Disease Law were passed and enacted in February 2021. Though legislation covering measures against the novel coronavirus states that restrictions on individual rights must be kept to a minimum, it received backlash and criticisms on human rights violations prior to its enactment.

Legal experts, as well as the Japanese Communist Party, have expressed concerns that the bills will infringe upon privacy rights. The Japan Federation of Bar Associations warned that the bills would lead to social discrimination and damage the honor and privacy of individuals. [The Japan Times]

Japan: Court rules defunct eugenics law unconstitutional but denies damages

(dx) In a lawsuit filed against the Japanese government by five individuals who were sterilized under the now-defunct eugenics protection law, a court ruled the legislation unconstitutional but dismissed the plaintiffs’ claims for a total of $504,000 in damages.

The eugenics protection law was a legislator-led law enacted in 1948 for the purpose of preventing the birth of children who are "inferior" from a eugenics point of view. Its predecessor, the National Eugenic Law, was modelled after Nazi Germany's sterilization law, and is based on the eugenic thinking that the genes of highly competent people should be protected. [Mainichi Shimbun, in Japanese, $] [see AiR No.3, January / 2021, 3]

According to the ruling, the provisions on forced sterilizations violated three articles of the Constitution: Article 13, which guarantees the right to self-determination; Article 14, which states that all people are equal under the law; and Article 24, which stipulates that laws regarding families shall be enacted from the standpoint of individual dignity and the equality of the sexes. [Asahi Shimbun]

This was the sixth ruling in a series of similar lawsuits and the fourth declaring the law to be unconstitutional. Demands for compensation have been rejected in all the rulings on the grounds that the statute of limitations had expired 20 years after the forced surgeries. [Kyodo News]

South Korea: Presidential election update

(aml) Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung, leading presidential contender for the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) has outpaced ex-Prosecutor-General Yoon Seok-youl, contender for the People Power Party (PPP), and took the lead in the poll on presidential hopefuls. Lee currently is at 25 %, Yoon at 19 % and the third place takes Lee Nak-yon, the former chairman of the DPK with 11 %. [Korea Herald] On Sunday, Lee Jae-myun pledged to stop all smear campaigns against his contenders and rather concentrate on debates about competence and policies. Additionally, he reminded the party leadership to prevent unfounded allegations and mud-slinging, which he considered “a serious act that impairs democracy”. [Korea Times 1] Lee had been criticized after promising a basic income to every citizen and an additional allowance for young people aged 19-29 without indicating where the budget for this will come from. The PPP criticised the promise of support funds as being populist. [Korea Times 2] Meanwhile, Lee Jun-seok, youngest leader ever of the conservative PPP who has been seen as a sign of change, is currently questioned for lacking strength of leadership after only two months. At the party’s first campaign event, the big-name contenders Yoon Seok-youl, Choe Jae-hyeong, Hong Yoon-pyo and Yoo Seong-min had been absent due to personal reasons.  [Korea Times]

South Korea: Moon to replace high-level government officials 

(aml) President Moon Jae-in announced replacements for eight high-level officials on Thursday. Song Doo-hwan, a former Constitutional Court justice and human rights attorney was nominated as the head of the National Human Rights Commission of Korea. Koh Seung-beom, a member of the Bank of Korea’s monetary policy board, was nominated as the new head of the Financial Service Commission. Yeo Han-koo, former Secretary for New Southern Policies was proposed to be the new trade minister and Park Ki-young, the former head of the Industry Ministry’s planning and cooperation office as the new vice trade Minister. Ko Kyu-chang, the head of the Interior Ministry’s policy planning office was promoted to vice minister for interior and safety and Lee Seung-woo, head of the ministry’s disaster management cooperation policy bureau was promoted to vice minister for disaster and safety management. Moreover, Park Moo-ik, the Transport Ministry’s transportation logistics office chief was named as the head of the National Agency for Administrative City Construction and Hong Hyun-ik, the head of security and strategies studies at the Sejong Institute was suggested to become the head of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy. In primarily replacing heads of economy related organizations, Moon demonstrates his effort to restore Korea’s economy and tackle the damages that the pandemic has caused. A replacement for the chairman of the Board of Audit was not announced. The position remains vacant since former head Choe Jae-hyeong resigned to bid for the presidential campaign. [Korea Harald] [Korea Times]

South Korea: Samsung heir to be released on parole  

(aml) Samsung heir Lee Jae-yong will be released from prison on parole Friday. Lee was sentenced to five years in prison in 2017 after bribing former President Park Geun-hye to secure an uncomplicated transfer of managerial power from father to son. Since Lee completed 60 percent of his jail sentence last month, he had become eligible for a parole review under the ministry’s regulations. Beyond that, it had been speculated that he might be granted a presidential pardon on Liberation Day on August 15.          

Still, it is not certain yet whether Lee will return to his position as Samsung Electronics Vice chairman since under Korean law, people found guilty of “economic crimes” are not allowed to return to positions of responsibility for five years. Additionally, people who have been released on parole are not allowed to travel overseas, however, it is expected that justice minister Park Beom-kye will make an exception for business trips since the ministry’s parole commission took the country’s economic situation in to account when making their decision. Lee’s return to Samsung is expected to enable Samsung to make important decisions which require his approval. [Korea Times 1]

Last Tuesday, over 1,000 labour and activist groups issued a joined statement opposing a parole of Lee and stating that an amnesty for Lee, who “had committed a grave economic crime violates the value of fairness” and “would be an act denying the existence of the Moon Jae-in government”. [Korea Times 2]

South Korea: Activists charged with espionage for taking North Korean orders to stage anti-weapon protest 

(aml) Four activists, accused of violating the National Security Act, have been arrested in Cheongju. They will be charged for allegedly receiving orders from North Korea to campaign against South Korea’s plan to purchase American F-35A stealth fighters. 

The National Intelligence Service (NIS) had investigated them for years after two activists allegedly had been in contact with North Korean spies in 2017 and another one received $20,000 to build up an underground group to indoctrinate 60 politicians and other labour and civic group members to protest the purchase and eventually overthrowing the South Korean system in favour of Pyongyang. 

During a seizure of the activists’ homes in May, the police had found an USB flash, which contained documents they exchanged with North Korea. Punishment for violating the so-called espionage article ranges from imprisonment for 7 years, for sharing intelligence of lesser importance, up to life imprisonment and death penalty.   They main opposition, People Power Party (PPP) demanded a statement from president Moon Jae-in and accused him of acting negligently in this matter. Claims exist that the arrested activists had worked in an advisory body for Moon’s election campaign in 2017. [Korea Herald 1] [Korea Herald 2]

South Korea: Subway unions threatening with joint strike 

(aml) After Seoul Metro has proposed its restructuring plans, cutting about 10 % of its 16,700 workers, freezing wages and eliminating benefits due to its continuing financial losses, subway unions are considering a joint strike. From August 16 to 19, unions from Busan, Daegu, Daejeon, Incheon and Gwangju will vote on whether to join the strike in solidarity.

The main reasons for the financial problems are said to be low fares that haven’t increased in the past six years, discounts when transferring between modes of public transport and the free ride policy for citizens aged 65 and older. The Seoul subway union demands that the responsibility to solve this financial crisis should not be shifted to the employees and states that support from Seoul City and the central government is indispensable. [Korea Times] [Korea Herald]

South Korea: Chun Doo-hwan attends court hearing for libel suit 

(aml) This Monday, former president (1980 – 1988) Chun Doo-hwan attended an appellate court hearing on a high-profile defamation case at Gwangju District Court after having failed to come for two previous hearings. 

The defamation case dealt with passages in Chun’s memoir, published in 2017, where he had called a late Catholic priest a “shameless liar” and “Satan wearing a mask” after the priest (Cho Chul-hyun) described his eyewitness account of the military’s brutal suppression of the May 1980 Gwangju pro-democratic movement which lead to 200 dead and 1,800 wounded. Chun had received a death sentence in 1996 for treason and bribery but was released in 1997 on a presidential pardon. [Korea Herald] [Korea Times]

The Gwangju massacre was a historic turning point in South Korean history whose discussion still bears divisive potential. 

Law and Politics in South Asia 

India: Alleged rape and murder of Dalit girl sparks protests in New Delhi

(lm) Hundreds of people have protested in New Delhi for several days straight last week, as outrage built over the alleged gang rape, murder and forced cremation of a nine-year-old girl from one of India's most oppressed castes. [CNN] [The Wall Street Journal, $]

The girl’s parents have accused a Hindu priest and three crematorium workers of assaulting her when she had gone to the crematorium to fetch drinking water. The four men allegedly called her mother to the crematorium and told her the girl had been electrocuted.

The mother was told that if she reported the death to the police, doctors conducting an autopsy would remove her daughter’s organs and sell them. The child’s body was then cremated, which means a postmortem exam to confirm rape was no longer possible. [BCC]

The Chief Minister of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal, ordered a judicial review of the case, but did not disclose the reasons behind the move. [South China Morning Post]

The victim’s family belongs to the 200 million-strong Dalit community, the lowest rung of India’s caste system, formerly called the untouchables. Thus, the incident is drawing comparisons with last year's alleged gang rape and murder of a Dalit teen by four upper-caste men in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh. That incident had triggered days of demonstrations after police forcibly cremated her body despite her family's protests.

India: Separatists in Indian-administered Kashmir call for shutdown amid ‘Black Day’ protests

(lm) Hundreds of extra police and troops were deployed in Indian-administered Kashmir on August 5 as separatist groups called for a shutdown to mark a “black day” on the second anniversary of New Delhi imposing direct rule. [South China Morning Post]

On this day two years ago, India’s Hindu-nationalist government abrogated Article 370 of the Indian Constitution, breaking the state of Kashmir into two union territories – one comprising the Hindu-dominated Jammu region and the Muslim-majority Kashmir valley, known as Jammu and Kashmir, and the Buddhist enclave of Ladakh. [AiR No. 32, August/2019, 1].

Ahead of the second anniversary, security forces erected numerous new checkpoints and barricades across Srinagar, the summer capital of the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, with personnel in bulletproof gear checking vehicles and frisking residents. [TRT World]

Key Kashmiri separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani – under house arrest for most of the last 13 years – had called for a general shutdown to mark a “black day” in protest against “India’s naked aggression”. The call was supported by several smaller separatist groups who also challenge India’s rule over the region.

About 1,000 people marched in Muzaffarabad – the capital of Pakistan-administered Kashmir – where protesters chanted anti-Indian slogans and burnt the country’s flags. In Islamabad Pakistan’s President Arif Alvi and Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi led a rally of about 500 people while traffic was halted for a minute’s silence in other major cities. [The News International]

Pakistan: Security forces deployed in Punjab after Muslim mob attacks Hindu temple

(lm) Pakistan last week deployed paramilitary troops in a remote town in the country’s eastern Punjab province, a day after a Muslim crowd ransacked a Hindu temple there. [The Guardian 1]

The attack on the temple on August 4 took place after a court granted bail to an eight-year-old Hindu boy who allegedly desecrated of an Islamic religious school earlier in the week. The mob damaged statues, burned down the temple’s main door and briefly blocked a nearby road. At least 50 people have been arrested in connection with the attack. [South China Morning Post]

Prime Minister Imran Khan condemned the ransacking, saying he has ordered the provincial police chief to take legal action against anyone involved, including negligent police officers. He also promised the government would restore the temple.

Hindus constitute Pakistan’s largest non-Muslim minority, estimated at between two and four percent of the population, most of whom live near the Indian border in the southern province of Sindh. Discrimination and violence against religious minorities has been growing in Pakistan for the last five years, with at least seven reported attacks on places of worship within the past 18 months alone [see latest AiR No. 1, January/2021, 1]. [The Diplomat]

The Hindu boy, however, is currently being held in protective police custody after becoming the youngest person ever to be charged with blasphemy in the country. The charges filed against a child have shocked legal experts, who say the move is unprecedented. [The Guardian 2]

Insulting the Prophet carries a mandatory death penalty in the predominantly Muslim country where mere accusations of blasphemy have in the past incited mobs to vigilante violence and deadly attacks. In June, for example, a mob broke into a police station on the outskirts of the capital Islamabad in a bid to lynch two men accused of desecrating a mosque [see AiR No. 22, June/2021, 1].

Law and Politics in Southeast Asia 

Cambodia: New-found opposition parties likely to help CPP

(nd) Within last month, six political parties have been formed by former officials of the oppositional Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), which was banned in 2017. Parties have to meet certain criteria in order to be registered with the Ministry of Interior. Additionally, President Hun Sen would have to restore political rights of former CNRP members, who were suspended for five years as part of the ruling against the party by the Supreme Court.

While the party founders pledged to work towards restoring democracy in Cambodia and being a counterweight to Hun Sen’s ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP), analysts say the move is likely to help CPP. The newly found parties are likely to reduce CNRP’s influence, resulting in a fractured opposition and a notion that the solution of CNRP was legitimate. The recognition of CPP of the parties might suggest to outsiders that the country’s political system was healthy, while in fact continuing to lack essential liberties defining a rule of law-based democracy.

Observers added, the new parties’ success would depend on endorsement by CNRP’s leaders, Kem Sokha and Sam Rainsy, the first is still awaiting trial on unsubstantiated treason charges, and the latter in self-imposed exile in Paris for he was sentenced in absentia to 25 years for attempting to overthrow the government.

Elections are set for 2022 and a parliamentary vote in 2023. Newly found parties are Kampuchea Niyum Party, led by Yem Ponharith; Khmer Will Party, led by Kong Koam; the Khmer Love Nation Party, led by Chiv Kata; the Khmer Conservative Party, led by Riel Khemrin; the Kampuchea Reform Party headed by Pol Horm and Ou Chanrath; and the National Heart Party, founded by Siam Phluk.

The dissolution of the CNRP in 2017 by Cambodia’s Supreme Court marked the prelude to a wider crackdown by Hun Sen on the opposition, NGOs, and the independent media, enabling his CPP to win all 125 seats in parliament in the 2018 general election. [Radio Free Asia]

Cambodia: New committee to monitor journalists 

(nd) The creation of a committee by the government to promote “journalism ethics and professional standards” has caused worries abouts its presumptive use to intimidate media workers and disable criticism.

The committee is equipped with the power to discipline reporters. Nop Vy, head of the Cambodian Journalists Alliance Association (CamboJA), an independent network formed by former reporters of the Cambodia Daily and Phnom Penh Post, which were shut down, stressed that besides the Prime Minister himself most of the other 14 committee members were government representatives.

In the 2021 World Press Freedom Index, Cambodia ranked 144 out of 180 countries, with the media freedom watchdog Reporters Without Borders adding Cambodians only had access to information provided by major media groups directly linked to the government. Following the dissolution of the main opposition CNRP in 2017 by the Supreme Court, the government launched a broad crackdown on activists, NGOs and media by closing several newspapers, blocking webpages and arresting journalists. [Radio Free Asia]

Cambodia: Hun Sen to lay out Cambodia’s ASEAN chair plan

(nd) With respect to Cambodia taking over the ASEAN chair from Brunei in less than five months, Prime Minister Hun Sen laid out the challenges for ASEAN on the day that marks its 54th anniversary after its foundation on August 8, 1967, pointing to the global pandemic, as well as the rivalry between China and the US. 

Additional issues according to Hun Sen were the pace of societal transformation due to technology, climate change and degradation of the environment.

To achieve its goals, ASEAN, according the Cambodian leader, shall, after overcoming repercussion of the global pandemic, implement its five comprehensive recovery framework goals, including enhancement of health systems, strengthening of human security, maximizing the potential of the intra-ASEAN market, by broadening economic integration and improve digitalization. 

According to observers, key challenges are maintaining peace and stability amid geopolitical rivalry, as well as Mekong water issues, transnational crime and poverty. It will be the third chairmanship of Cambodia which became an ASEAN member state in 1999. [Phnompenh Post]

Indonesia: Website for faster investment proposals launched

(nd) In an effort to battle economic repercussions of the pandemic, Indonesia has launched a website to facilitate and process investment proposals more easily. Indonesian President Jokowi has pledged to overcome bureaucratic hurdles such as red tape, strict labor laws and poor infrastructure, also to compete for foreign investment with neighbors such as Vietnam and Thailand. The webpage grants more authority to the new investment ministry to intervene whenever local authorities do not act fast enough.

The webpage is part of the controversial Job Creation law, which was passed last year amid protests from unions, environmentalists and other critics, alleged it was too much in favor of business actors. Indonesia is Southeast Asia’s largest economy. [Reuters] [See also AiR No. 41, October/2020, 2, AiR No. 41, October/2020, 2]

Indonesia: Debating the military’s virginity tests

(nd) According to a military spokesman, female recruits of the Indonesian Armed Forces are still required to undergo a virginity test. This statement follows the army chief of staff’s indication that the rule shall be abrogated, testing all recruits only for their ability to follow basic military training.

The policy change was welcomed by rights activists, including Human Rights Watch (HRW), who referred to it in 2014 as “discriminatory and invasive” practice. Now, the military spokesman added that hymen examinations were also required for fiancées of military officers. 

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), so-called virginity testing has no scientific merit or clinical indication, urging the military spokesman to reiterate they were adhering “to our eastern value.” 

According to a HRW report from 2015, the tests happened in military hospitals across the country, with applicants being examined in large halls divided only by curtains into separate rooms. Those subjected to the tests later referred to them as traumatic, crying in the interview with HRW. Women make up about 15 percent of the Indonesian military. [Benar News]

Lao: National Assembly Opens First Extraordinary Session of the Ninth Legislature

(ct) The first extraordinary session of the National Assembly’s ninth legislature was opened on the morning of August 5th, 2021 under the chairmanship of President of the National Assembly Xaysomphone Phomvihane.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Lao National Assembly Chairman Saysomphone Phomvihane emphasized that the National Assembly deputies will consider and approve basic important issues of the country, including the Government’s report on the National agenda on address economic and financial difficulties, the Government’s report on the National agenda on drug issues ad. 

Moreover, they will consider and approve amendments to laws related to the national agendas including Law on Tax Management, Law on Value Added Tax, Law on Income Tax, Law on Excise Tax, and Law on Narcotic Drugs. [Laotiantimes]

Additionally, Prime Minister Phankham Viphavanh said the government had set the target to implement the national agendas within two and a half years or by the end of 2023. [Vientianetimes] The Lao Government will also report to the National Assembly on the situation of Covid-19 prevention and control and measures to deal with the impact on the economy due to the impact of the Covid-19 epidemic.

Malaysia: PM Muhyiddin denies immediate special parliamentary sitting amid opposition claims he lost majority support

(nd) Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s position remains shaky amid the most current challenge of his asserted majority support. The main bloc and a key ally of the unstable alliance, United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), withdrew support of further 8 members. It is the latest challenge in a series of conflicts with the premier, prompting Muhyiddin to assert his majority, which in turn was contested by the opposition, Pakatan Harapan, who called for an immediate vote of no confidence.

Muhyiddin said he would prove his majority support during September’s parliament session, a process which he claimed was agreed to by King Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah. Muhyiddin repeatedly claimed the conflict was triggered by "certain parties" whose demands he had refused to meet, referring to several UMNO lawmaker facing corruption charges, former premier Najib Razak and party president Hamidi. 

Malaysia’s largest party UMNO is internally split over whether to support Muhyiddin or not, which so far still serves to Muhyiddin’s benefit. This is reflected by 31 members of the alliance, led by UMNO, reassuring their support for Muhyiddin and saying it was irresponsible to cause the government to collapse but rather wait until the sitting in September.            

Opposition leaders, analysts and an election watchdog said it was better to call a special sitting than to keep the majority question in limbo. According to his critics, it is impossible he still has a majority: Out of 222 seats in parliament, he needs 112 to stay in power. Before the most recent support withdrawal, Muhyiddin said to have the support of 114 lawmakers. At least 8 withdrew their support after that, forcing Muhyiddin to have lost majority.

Muhyiddin led an unstable alliance since he took power in March 2020. He was heavily criticized for his handling of the pandemic as well as the declaration of state of emergency, which critics said was a move to cling to power and avoid a vote of no confidence. Last week, after the King asserted Muhyiddin misleading lawmakers by revoking the emergency degree unilaterally, some 100 lawmakers were demanding his immediate resignation, claiming he disrespected the monarchy and acted unconstitutional. [See also AiR No. 30, July/2021, 4] [The Sun Daily] [Reuters] [Channel News Asia] [Benar News 1] [Benar News 2] [Asia Times]

Still, according to analysts, there is room maneuver for the embattled Prime Minister, as state vote in Sarawak has to be held within 60 days as of August 1, Sarawak MPs hold 18 seats in the national parliament, and the ruling Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) coalition in Sarawak has indicated support for Muhyiddin’s Perikatan alliance. [Channel News Asia]

Myanmar: Protesters mark pivotal 1988 uprising anniversary

(lm) Protesters took to the streets in cities across Myanmar on August 8 to mark the anniversary of the 1988 uprising against military rule that brought now Aung San Suu Kyi to prominence, with flash mobs and marches of defiance against the ruling military junta. [Deutsche Welle] [South China Morning Post]

Protesters remembered the thousands of people that revolted against military rule 33 years ago. That uprising was crushed in a bloody crackdown in late 1988. To this day the so-called "88 Generation" of students, who led that uprising, have a special status in Myanmar. Many of them spent up to two decades in prison, where deprivation and ill-treatment robbed them of their health, but not their fighting spirit.

The uprising also launched Aung San Suu Kyi — who had returned to Myanmar just before protests kicked off to care for her ailing mother – as a pro-democracy icon. She was known for being the daughter of General Aung San who had fought for independence from the British empire. After “the Lady” made her way to the top of the elected government, however, some of her former associates, accused her of having betrayed the 88 movement and its veterans. 

Myanmar: Junta expedites work on China-backed Kyaukphyu port

(mt/lm) Myanmar’s military junta has invited bids to provide legal services to two crucial infrastructure projects under the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor (CMEC), a 1,700-kilometer infrastructure route that promises to connect the Indian Ocean oil trade to China’s remote and underdeveloped Yunnan Province. [The Economic Times]

Theoretically designed to upgrade the deep-water port at Kyaukphyu, the CMEC passes through Myanmar’s major economic hubs — first Mandalay in central Myanmar, then east Yangon and west to the Kyaukphyu Special Economic Zone (KPSEZ) in Rakhine State.

The junta’s invitation to tenders comes as China is pressing Myanmar’s military junta to implement its ambitious infrastructure projects under the CMEC, despite the political turmoil created by the putsch and a surging number of COVID-19 cases. [The Irrawaddy]

Beijing considers the KPSEZ and the deep-sea port vital to its international infrastructure strategy known as the Belt and Road Initiative. For they both provide Beijing a direct access to the Indian Ocean, allowing Chinese trade to bypass the congested Strait of Malacca near Singapore, while boosting development in landlocked Yunnan Province, which borders Myanmar. Oil and natural gas pipelines are already functioning between Kyaukpyu and Kunming in Yunnan province.

The military regime’s governing body, the State Administration Council (SAC), has made several efforts to expedite work on China’s infrastructure projects in Myanmar since their takeover in February. In March, for example, the SAC reorganized three crucial committees related to the implementation of the CMEC [see AiR No. 21, May/2021, 4].

Myanmar: ‘Shadow’ defense minister urges rebel/resistance forces to unify under one flag

(mt/lm) In an interview with Myanmar Now the defense minister of Myanmar’s shadow National Unity Government (NUG) said his group had been in contact with most of the self-organizing armed groups fighting the junta across the country and was hoping to bring them under a unified command.

The NGU, comprised of activists, ethnic minorities and politicians from Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy announced the formation of a People’s Defense Force (PDF) earlier in May to protect its supporters from military attacks and violence instigated by the junta [see AiR No. 19, May/2021, 2]. Since then, civilian militia groups have mushroomed in all parts of the country, and some have launched deadly attacks on security forces with makeshift weapons and homemade hunting rifles [see AiR No. 20, May/2021, 3].

However, ties among the various PDF chapters have been unclear and remained unstructured. Many seemed to be acting independently, while others have more publicly aligned with the NUG.

Against this backdrop, NUG Defense Minister Yee Mon declared that efforts to unify the groups under one flag, a common structure and joint objectives and targets, and thus a chain of command have been underway. He has also joined junta soldiers to defect and join the ongoing revolution that, thanks to the multiple challenges the junta is facing with COVID-19 outbreak and international community’s pressure, is now apparently gaining momentum. [Myanmar Now]

Yet few analysts believe that even a unified PDF can pose an existential threat to the military, known locally as the Tatmadaw, as long as the officer corps remains united. As Peter Morris noted in his recent analysis for Asia Times, Yee Mon “is walking a fine line between satisfying an impassioned public’s desire for quick action and the practical challenge of a huge power imbalance between the Tatmadaw and the PDF in terms of weapons and soldiers.” [Asia Times]

Myanmar: Junta vaccinates hundreds of inmates amid surge in COVID-19 cases

(mt) Myanmar’s military junta has launched a drive vaccinate inmates in prisons and labor camps across the country against COVID-19, as it struggles to control a third wave of infections. [Reuters]

Myanmar received 3 million doses of the Chinese-made Sinopharm and Sinovac COVID-19 vaccines last month and has been inoculating inmates since July 28 [see AiR No. 30, July/2021, 4]. According to the Correctional Department, 5,042 prisoners from 13 jails and 1,218 labor camp inmates received jabs between July 28 and August 3.

Inmates inside Insein Prison in Myanmar’s commercial capital of Yangon staged a protest earlier this month over what activists said was a major COVID-19 outbreak in the colonial-era facility, where many pro-democracy protesters and journalists – including US journalist Daniel Fenster – are being held. The same week, a close confidante of ousted civil leader Aung San Suu Kyi – Nyan Win – died in hospital after becoming infected with COVID-19 during prison detention. [AiR No. 30, July/2021, 4]

Myanmar: Military junta offers amnesty to some protesters in hiding

(lm) Myanmar’s ruling military junta has offered to waive charges against some protesters involved in pro-democracy demonstrations or strikes if they hand themselves in to authorities, prompting a skeptical response from many of those currently in hiding and facing charges. [Reuters]

No amnesty would be offered to anyone wanted for crimes such as murder, arson or attacks on troops, the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar reported, blaming incitement by members of Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy for the civil disobedience campaign.

Myanmar diplomats alert UN to alleged military ‘massacre’

(mt/lm) Myanmar’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, who speaks for the country’s deposed civilian government and has defied junta orders to resign, has alerted the world body to a “reported massacre” by the military. [The Guardian] [The Irrawaddy]

In a letter sent to UN Secretary General António Guterres on August 3 Kyaw Moe Tun claimed 40 bodies had been found in various locations near a township in Myanmar’s Sagaing Region throughout July. The region has seen fierce fighting in recent months between security forces and self-organizing armed groups formed to resist crackdowns by the military [see AiR No. 27, July/2021, 1]. [The Diplomat]

The junta has denied the allegations – described by Kyaw Moe Tun as “clearly amounting to crimes against humanity” – while news agencies have not been able to independently verify the reports due to mobile networks being cut in the remote region.

In his letter, the ambassador also reiterated his call on the international community for an arms embargo on the ruling junta and “urgent humanitarian intervention” from the international community.

Philippines: VP to claim to unify opposition

(nd) Vice President Leni Robredo from the Liberal Party (LP) announced her aim to unite the opposition to support a single candidate for the 2022 elections. Robredo stressed the country could not endure another six years of the same kind of governance as the one established by President Rodrigo Duterte. 

Downplaying rumors about her own possible bid for the presidency run, Robredo reiterated the broader importance of the election, considering the mismanagement of the pandemic and economic repercussions. Ever since Duterte took office, him and Robredo were at odds, but her criticism grew louder amid the current health crisis. 

Besides Robredo, Manila Mayor Isko Moreno, Senators Panfilo Lacson, Grace Poe, Richard Gordon, and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio are rumored to run for office. So far, only Lacson has openly stated his political plans. 

Recently, Robredo talked with Lacson and Gordon for a possible unity coalition for 2022. Their talks, however, ended unfavorably with their inability to agree on a unification plan. Additionally, Robredo confirmed to be in "exploratory" talks with Senator and boxer Manny Pacquiao. Pacquiao used to be the president of the ruling PDP-Laban but was effectively ousted during a party assembly on July 17. In preparation for the 2022 elections, the faction of Energy Secretary Al Cusi declared all leadership positions in the party as vacant. Following, Cusi was elected to take over Pacquiao's post.              

Still, other key opposition figures, like LP vice chairman, Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, former Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales, are in favor of Robredo’s strategy in an effort to boost the opposition's chances of winning the upcoming election. [Inquirer] [Rappler]

Thailand: Civil Court grants injunction on media rights restriction and internet censorship

(pr) The Civil Court issued an injunction suspending the enforcement of Articles 1 and 2 of Regulation No. 29 issued by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha, which restricts freedom of speech and threatens internet censorship against the backdrop of the COVID-19 surge in the country. [International Commission of Jurists]

Last week, Prayut issued Regulation No. 29 under the Emergency Decree, which prohibits the distribution of "fake news" or information causing public fear. Internet Service Providers can be obliged to check on IP addresses and suspend services. 

In response, media outlets and human rights lawyers petitioned the court to nullify the order and grant a temporary injunction. They argue the order threatens press freedom and is unnecessary since the existing Computer Crime Act covers the areas targeted.  [see, AiR No. 31, August/2021, 1]           

The court reasoned that Article 1 prohibiting the dissemination of information carrying a risk of causing fear is not only aimed at misrepresentation or “fake news” as the stated purpose for the Regulation. Moreover, the phrase “information having a risk of frightening people” is ambiguous and enables a broad interpretation causing uncertainty and rendering the public and media unconfident about expressing their opinions. It unnecessarily restricts the rights and freedoms as guaranteed by the constitution.          

As for Article 2 on the suspension of internet services, the court ruled that the Emergency Decree does not give the Prime Minister such authority. for that. [Bangkok Post] [Court of Justice Facebook Page] Thailand has been under a state of emergency since March 2020, which has been repeatedly extended amid surging cases. The Emergency Decree has also been perceived as a tool used to suppress political protests. [Thai PBS World] 

According to a ranking by internet security and privacy site Comparitech, Thailand is in the third-lowest tier in the world for internet freedom. It said internet freedoms in Thailand are “73% restricted” scoring 8 out of 11, two positions lower than last year. Other countries in the same tier include Belarus, Qatar, Syria, Turkmenistan and the United Arab Emirates. The decline was due to increased censorship particularly of adult websites. [Chiang Rai Times]

Thailand: Man charged with royal defamation granted bail after 27 days in detention

(pr) Prasong Khotsongkhram, charged with royal defamation for online posts, was granted conditional bail after 27 days in pre-trial detention. The court required him to wear an electronic monitoring bracelet, not leave the country and not do anything that would tarnish the monarchy.

He was previously denied bail for three times. [see, AiR No. 29, July/2021, 3] The charge was filed by a royalist protester who was praised by King Vajiralongkorn for raising a portrait of the late King Bhumibol at a pro-democracy protest. [Prachatai English] Royal defamation is a criminal offense in Thailand which carries a maximum prison sentence of 15 years.

Thailand: NACC has duty to disclose assets information sought by public

(pr) In overriding the previous decision of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), the Official Information Commission (OIC) ruled that the NACC is obliged to reveal information on the assets of the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister when requested as the public has the right under the constitution to seek access to the information. The Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam voluntarily disclosed their assets to the NACC previously even though they were not legally required under anti-corruption law. However, when disclosure was requested, the NACC ruled that they could not make the information public. [Bangkok Post]

Thailand: Opposition parties disagree over transfer of $488 million to central emergency budget

(pr) The main opposition parties Pheu Thai (PTP) and Move Forward (MFP) disagree over the move to transfer $488 million from the national budget to the central budget, criticized as giving control of it to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha.
PTP supported the transfer to provide relief to the people affected by the pandemic, arguing there were objectives and regulations for its use, which would not equate to giving the Prime Minister a blank cheque. The party also brushed off allegations PTP approved the transfer because the party reached a deal to share the budget.
On the other hand, MFP argued moving the budget to the central budget hinders transparency. Additionally, the budget should have been allocated directly to the organizations that are providing relief as the Prime Minister has shown inefficiency in allocating and disbursing funds for COVID-19 relief measures. [Bangkok Post] [Thai Enquirer]

Thailand: Opposition to become more visible amid calls for PM to resign

(pr) Observers believe that the increased online public presence of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and the re-emergence of veteran red-shirt protest leader Nattawut Saikuar is more than a coincidence and is aimed at increasing concerted political pressure at the ruling establishment.

Nattawut Saikuar has been a key protest leader of the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD), referred to as red-shirts that demonstrated in parts in favor of Thaksin, in parts in favor of progressive reforms of the governance system. Observers believe Nattawut increased his activities after protests organized by a fellow UDD leader, Jatuporn Prompan, lost momentum in the wake of Jatuporn’s imprisonment for an old offense. [see, AiR No. 28, July/2021, 2]

Observers say, while the government is weakened, Thaksin receives support from the UDD and the Pheu Thai Party (PTP) constituted by many of his followers. Thaksin might speculate for a house dissolution in the end of the year and elections next February as the government is overwhelmed by the impacts of COVID-19 on the economy, society, politics. [Thaipost, in Thai]

At current, both establishment and opposition forces are likewise loosely allied. The ruling Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) and Move Forward Party are Thaksin’s main rivals. After a transfer of $488 million to the central emergency budget some observers see a rift between the two opposition parties [see article above] that might lead to an alliance between Thaksin’s PTP and the anti-Thaksin, ruling PPRP to bring the country out of the crisis. [Bangkok Post 1]. For the foreseeable future, such ascenario seems to be rather unlikely however, as the ruling party defines has defined itself as an anti-Thaksin party in a deeply moral sense. 

Meanwhile, the government is under heavy criticism for its mismanagement of the pandemic. The latest criticism came from leader of Kla Party, Korn Chatikavanij. also, a former finance minister. He named the centralization of bureaucratic power as the main obstacle preventing efficient and timely response to the crisis.

As to the stability of the government, observers see that there are undercurrents within coalition parties, the Democrat Party and Bhumjaithai Party. The move to appoint PPRP Secretary-General Thamanat Prompow for a coordination position in the south of Thailand was considered by the Democrats as an encroachment into their support base. The tensions were diffused when the appointment was overturned by Prayut. As for the government-coalition Bhumjaithai Party, its party leader and also the Public Health Minister Anuthin Charnvirakul was heavily criticized for sluggish vaccine procurement, which caused dissatisfaction between the party and its ally PPRP. It prompted the party registrar, Supachai Jaisamut to clarify to the public that the power to import vaccines was in the hands of the prime minister, who heads the Centre for Covid-19 Administration Centre. [Bangkok Post 2]

Thailand: Protest leader renewed calls to reform the monarchy

(pr) On 3 August, a prominent lawyer and leader of another protest movement, Arnon Nampa, reiterated at a rally a need to reform the monarchy, thus repeating the most sensitive demand of the youth centered pro-democracy movement that rose to prominence in 2020. 

The latest rally marked the one-year-anniversary of an entirely new level of assertiveness in demanding fundamental reforms of the monarchy, for many still a taboo subject in Thailand. The youth centered protests went on a hiatus, however, after the outbreak of the pandemic’s second wave in December 2020 and internal rifts of the various protest groups but regained momentum in the past month.

Recently, Arnon was granted conditional bail, which requires that he not create unrest or defame the monarchy. He faces more than 10 criminal charges of royal defamation which carries a maximum prison sentence of 15 years. [Khaosod English]

Meanwhile, ahead of their planned rally, at least 11 protest leaders were detained and hundreds pf police deployed Tuesday. Last weekend, the protest returned as so-called “car mob” in an effort to continue protests despite rising case numbers. [See also AiR No. 31, August/2021, 1] [Reuters] [Voice of America]

Thailand: Protest leader detained, revocation of bail granted to other leaders sought

(pr) Parit "Penguin" Chiwarak, a co-leader of the youth centered, pro-democracy Ratsadon group, and fellow member Nutchanon Pairote were detained when they reported to the police after being summoned. They were charged with a violation of the gathering ban and the Communicable Disease Control Act. Parit told supporters to join the rally scheduled for Tuesday 10 August without him. He was denied bail. [Bangkok Post 1] [Thai PBS World] 

Parit was summoned for a graffiti, which appeared on a police bureau office after he went there to urge the release of protestors from the Talu Fah group (Pierce the Sky) detained last week. [see article below] He did not join the rally on August 7 as the police was waiting in front of his house. [Prachatai English]

The Criminal Court also revoked Parit’s bail, as requested by the prosecution, for violating his bail conditions. The prosecution also requested bail revocation of other protest leaders, Anon Nampa and Panusya "Roong" Sitthijirawattanakul. The court will rule on those requests in September. [Bangkok Post 2]                 

Parit, Anon, and Panusaya are leaders of the anti-government protests released on conditional bail from pre-trial detention for various criminal charges such as sedition and royal defamation. The latter carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in jail. [see, AiR No. 20, May/2021, 3] The conditions require that they do not tarnish the monarchy, incite unrest, or join political rallies. [see, AiR No. 20, May/2021, 3] [ AiR No. 19, May/2021, 2] [AiR No. 22, June/2021, 1]

Thailand: Street Protest continued, police to crackdown on protesters

(pr) On August 7, street protests continued, as the police used tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannons to disperse anti-government protesters while the latter retaliated with firecrackers, ping pong bombs, and stones.

The protestors three demands include the resignation of Prime Minister Chan-ocha, the reduction of military and palace budgets, and the procurement of mRNA type COVID-19 vaccines.

They originally planned to march to the Grand Palace, the official residence of the King, changed the destination to the Government House, and subsequently to the residence of Prayut. Due to police intervention, the protestors could not reach the destination and the protest was called off in the evening. [Bangkok Post 1] 14 people were detained charged with arson, injuring the police, inter alia. [Bangkok Post 2]        

Previously, on August 5, Chief of the Defense Forces Chalermpol Srisawat issued an announcement under the Emergency Decree banning gatherings ahead of the planned rally. [Bangkok Post 3] Meanwhile, a royalist group petitioned the army to intervene and protect the monarchy from anti-democracy protestors.  [Thai PBS World]

Anti-government rallies have intensified in the past few weeks, focusing on the mishandling of the pandemic as COVID-19 infections and deaths continue to rise. Last week, protestors organized a “car mob”. 32 protestors of the Talu Fah group (Pierce the Sky) were arrested for using force against officers and violating the gathering ban for spraying police shields with paint after confrontation. Once in detention, they covered the detention room with graffiti. [see, AiR No. 31, August/2021, 1]  [Prachatai English]

Thailand: Reporters to file lawsuit against police

(pr) Two reporters filed a lawsuit against the Royal Thai Police, after they were injured with rubber bullets while covering the July 18 protest with visible press identification. They demanded compensation for injury and public apology from the police. The Human Rights Lawyers Alliance said the police violated press freedom and human rights, which is protected by the Thai Constitution and international law. [Prachatai English] 

On that day, the protestors demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha for the mismanagement of the pandemic, military and palace budget reductions, and the procurement of mRNA vaccines. They clashed with the police on their way to the Government House. The police fired water cannons, rubber bullets, and tear gas at protestors to prevent protestors from bringing down the barricades. [see, AiR No. 29, July/2021, 3]

Thailand: Reshuffle of high-ranking officials in the Interior Ministry

(pr) In a reshuffle of officials in the Interior Ministry, Suthipong Juljarern, the director-general of the Department of Community Development was promoted to Permanent Secretary of the Ministry. Meanwhile, incumbent Pathum Thani provincial governor Chaiwat Chuenkosum, who reportedly has close ties to Interior Minister Anupong Paojinda, will be transferred to serve as Deputy Permanent Secretary. In addition, there were shifts of provincial governors to different provinces. [Bangkok Post]

Thailand: Immunity bill for medical personnel, activists seek to lift state monopoly on vaccine imports

(pr) An executive decree granting immunity from liability to all levels of medical personnel for COVID-19 related treatment is underway while opposition believes the bill aims to shield policymakers from liability stemming from mismanagement of the pandemic. Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said the bill will allow medical personnel to work without having to worry about legal action if they acted in good faith and not by gross negligence. The pandemic has put a strain on the workforce and resources. It will help restore their diminished morale. He also said the bill protects officials responsible for negotiating and procuring vaccines if they acted in good faith relying on available scientific information at the time.   

Opposition lawmaker Wiroj Lakkhanaadisorn of the Move Forward Party believed amnesty should not be automatically granted to the policymakers. He cited the failure to diversify risks in vaccine procurement, slow vaccination rollout, lack of systematic database management, and ineffective disbursements of budgets by the management as factors for the failure to bring the pandemic under control. [Bangkok Post]           

Meanwhile, The Thai Mai Thon (Impatient Thais) political group petitioned the administrative court to issue an injunction against state monopoly for vaccine imports and to allow the private sector and local administration to be able to import alternative vaccines. Currently, only five state-related organizations in Thailand are authorized to import vaccines from abroad namely, the Government Pharmaceutical Organization, the Disease Control Department, the National Vaccine Institute, the Thai Red Cross Society and the Chulabhorn Royal Academy. [Thai PBS World]

Vietnam: Party Central Committee officials and business leaders punished 

(ct) The 20th session of the Anti-Corruption Steering Committee decided to particularly focus on the draft report on the progress and results of the implementation of the work program of the Central Steering Committee for the prevention and fights against corruption.          

The Party Central Committee's Inspection Committee has proposed punishment for seven centrally-managed officials as well as multiple other leaders and officials of State enterprises in the first half of this year. According to the Central Steering Committee on Anti-Corruption, more than 70 Party committees, over 8,000 Party members had been punished in the first half of this year. Furthermore, 27 public security officials and 16 military officials were punished for corruption and other wrongdoings. [Vietnamnews] These actions follow the direction, tasks and solutions for socio-economic development for the five years 2021-2025, the document of the XIII Congress has set forth radical policies and solutions on anti-corruption. The guidelines include preventing and handling corrupt acts in order to protect the legitimate interests of the State, agencies, organizations and citizens. Hence, making an important contribution to maintaining socio-political security, preserving the regime and ensuring the country's socio-economic development sustainably.

International Relations, Geopolitics and Security in Asia

Brunei diplomat appointed ASEAN special envoy to Myanmar

(mt/lm) Foreign ministers of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on August 4 appointed Brunei Second Foreign Minister Erywan Yusof as their special envoy to Myanmar, after a months-long delay in diplomatic efforts to resolve the coup crisis.

The 10-nation bloc has been under increasing international pressure to act on violence and instability in Myanmar, an ASEAN member. The regional group is hamstrung by its bedrock policy of non-interference in the domestic affairs of member nations and by its consensus decision making, meaning just one member state can shoot down any proposal.

In a joint statement published two days after a fraught five-hour online meeting, the ministers also reiterated their concerns about the situation in Myanmar, including reports of fatalities and violence. But they stopped short of calling for the release of political detainees, saying only they “heard calls” for their freedom, in a reflection of the sensitivity of the issue. According to reporting in the South China Morning Post, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore had “pushed for tougher language” in the communique, but some of it was vetoed by the junta representative Wunna Maung Lwin. [South China Morning Post]

Erywan was among at least four candidates proposed by ASEAN, and Myanmar was believed to have preferred Virasakdi Futrakul, a former Thai Deputy Foreign Minister and Ambassador to Yangon [see AiR No. 31, August/2021, 1]. But Indonesia, which traditionally holds significant sway on regional matters, wanted its former Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda to be appointed.    Thus, the appointment of Erywan is seen as a compromise by Brunei, which currently holds ASEAN’s Rotating Chair. [The Irrawaddy]

Further, the junta’s decision to yield to the bloc’s pressure may be seen as an indication that its military rulers are still hoping to rely on ASEAN support as they face international condemnation. For last week’s discussions were held just a day after Myanmar’s ruling State Administrative Council announced it had become a “caretaker” government, with its current chairman Senior General Min Aung Hlang taking the title of Prime Minister [see AiR No. 31, August/2021, 1]

Some ASEAN lawmakers responded warily to Erywan’s appointment, noting that he led a delegation to Myanmar in June and met only with the junta [see AiR No. 23, June/2021, 2]. The special envoy must ensure “he does not become a pawn in the junta’s game” of using ASEAN to gain international legitimacy while it continues its oppressive rule, said Kasit Piromya, a former Thai foreign minister and board member of ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights. [Nikkei Asia] [The Washington Post]

According to one report, the special envoy will fly to Myanmar this week to begin talks with the various contending parties, including ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners. He will also oversee the delivery of a humanitarian aid package, with the communique calling for the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance to begin work on “policy guidance.” [The Diplomat]

US Deputy Secretary of State Sherman speaks with Myanmar’s shadow government

(lm) US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman spoke on August 4 with a representative of Myanmar's National Unity Government (NUG), marking the first announced contact between a senior US official and the shadow government formed by civilian lawmakers deposed by the military junta. [The Straits Times]

Sherman had visited Indonesia, Cambodia and Thailand in late May and early June, as part of a diplomatic tour aimed at signaling that Washington was finally turning its diplomatic focus to Southeast Asia to counter a rising Chinese clout in the region. [AiR No. 23, June/2021, 2]

Her virtual encounter last week with Zin Mar Aung, the acting foreign minister in the NGU, came just hours after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met virtually with counterparts from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and called on them to take joint action to urge the military to end violence. [see article in this edition]

Unlike many of its neighbors, Myanmar has not received COVID-19 vaccines from the United States, despite a vaccine diplomacy push from the Biden administration. Washington has imposed sanctions on the military and some of its business interests and has had little contact with the military-led government.

Two arrested in alleged plot to kill or oust UN ambassador from Myanmar

(lm) Two men have been charged with conspiring to injure or kill Myanmar’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, federal prosecutors in the United States said on August 6.

Myanmar’s military leaders have repeatedly tried to replace Kyaw Moe Tun – who speaks for the country’s deposed civilian government and has defied junta orders to resign – and charged him with treason. But he continued to be recognized at the UN and cast a vote on behalf of his country in June in favor of a resolution condemning the military coup and calling for an arms embargo. [AiR No. 25, June/2021, 4]

Tun said earlier this week that the United States had increased his security because of a threat against him, according to a Reutersreport, which also detailed how Tun has been painted as a traitor on state television in Myanmar. [Reuters]

In the charges announced last week, prosecutors did not accuse Myanmar’s military leadership of involvement in the plot. But the scheme described in court papers involved an unnamed Thai arms dealer who sold weapons to the Burmese military and allegedly contacted one of the two defendants. 

After being contacted by the arms dealer, one of the men agreed to “hire attackers” to injure the ambassador, in an effort to compel him to leave his post, according to court documents. If the ambassador refused to step down, the dealer proposed the attackers kill him, prosecutors said.   The two also agreed that the man would hire people to tamper with the tires of the ambassador’s car to cause a crash while driving, according to the documents. [The New York Times, $]

The United States on August 7 condemned the thwarted plot, saying it fits a "disturbing pattern" of authoritarian leaders and their supporters seeking to persecute opponents around the world. [Voice of America]

India deploys warships in South China Sea to expand security ties with friendly countries

(lm) India is sending four warships into the South China Sea on a two-months deployment that will include exercises with friendly countries, signaling New Delhi’s intent to play a bigger role in regional efforts to counter China. [Reuters]

The task force, which includes a guided-missile destroyer, guided missile frigate, anti-submarine corvette and guided-missile corvette, will depart India early this month, the country’s Defense Ministry announced on August 2, without giving a specific departure date. [CNN]

As part of their deployment, the warships will take part in the annual Exercise Malabar, along with the United States, Japan and Australia. The four countries make up the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue a loose strategic coalition that is increasingly seen as a potential counterweight to growing Chinese influence and alleged assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific. [South China Morning Post]

In other bilateral exercises during the deployment, the Indian warships will work with naval units from South China Sea littoral states, including Singapore (SIMBEX), Vietnam, Indonesia (Samudra Shakti), and the Philippines. [Voice of America]

The South China Sea has become a hotbed of naval activity in recent weeks. Earlier this month, a British aircraft carrier strike group led by HMS Queen Elizabeth transited the disputed waterway, while an American surface action group, and forces from China's People's Liberation Army staged exercises in it. [AiR No. 30, July/2021, 4]

Last week, Germany also sent a frigate to the South China Sea for the first time in almost two decades, as part of efforts by Berlin to show an “increased presence” in the region and demonstrate solidarity with allies and “like-minded” partners. [AiR No. 31, August/2021, 1]

Chinese Foreign Minister Wan Yi urges Southeast Asian counterparts to safeguard peace in South China Sea

(lm) China’s desire to expand its influence in Southeast Asia was on display last week at the region's latest ministerial talks, where State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi warned against “external interference” in the South China Sea. [South China Morning Post] [The Straits Times]

Addressing virtually the ASEAN Regional Forum – which gathers foreign ministers from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and its partners, including the United States, China and Japan – Wang said interference by countries outside the region constituted the biggest threat to peace and stability in the South China Sea. [Nikkei Asia]

While Wang did not name the United States outright, his warning came as Washington tries to rally European allies into a coalition to isolate China. Ahead of the meeting, the British Royal Navy's aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth arrived in the disputed waterway, while Germany deployed one of its frigates to the Indo-Pacific region. [AiR No. 31, August/2021, 1]

Wang also played up his country’s readiness to conclude a “code of conduct” for the South China Sea, announcing that both sides had completed the preamble for the nonaggression pact the two sides have been negotiating since 2017. He also said China would never make further claims in the disputed waterway and promised that his country would not take any unilateral moves to intensify disputes in the region.

After wrapping up his virtual encounter with his ASEAN counterparts, Wang held talks with foreign ministers from four Southeast Asian countries – Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines – over three days in the southern city of Nanping. [Associated Press]

Japan to deploy missile units near Taiwan 

Japan plans to deploy missile units to the island of Ishigaki, located 300 kilometers off the coast of Taiwan, to counter China's growing military presence in the region and defend against a possible Chinese attack. [Taiwan News]

The Japanese defense ministry plans to deploy missile units of the Ground Self-Defense Force (GSDF) and send new units of 500 to 600 Japanese Self-Defense Forces (SDF) soldiers. in addition, Japan is reportedly planning to install an electronic warfare unit on Yonaguni Island by the end of 2023 and build a new SDF base on Mageshima Island. [Taiwan News]

Beijing regularly sends its military to the Miyako Strait, between the islands of Okinawa and Miyako. Recently, 28 Chinese warplanes flew near Taiwan. At the closest point, they were 110 km from Japan. It has led Japan to review its defense strategy. [Taiwan News]

In its Defense Report 2021, Japan addressed the issue of stability around Taiwan for the first time, concluding that in light of China's military activities around Taiwan, "stabilization of the situation around Taiwan is important for Japan's security and the stability of the international community.  Japanese Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso went a step further and warned: "If a major problem were to occur in Taiwan, it would not be an exaggeration to say that it could relate to a situation that threatens [Japan's] survival.  It would justify Japanese military intervention. 

North Korea to condemn Britain’s deployment of warships in Asia 

(nds) The North Korean authorities blamed Britain for its plan to permanently deploy two warships in the Asia-Pacific region. [CNA]

British defence minister Wallace announced to his Japanese counterpart Nobuo Kishi that the UK would permanently deploy two patrol ships in the Indo-Pacific region. Defence cooperation between the two countries has deepened in the face of Chinese activity in the Taiwan Strait. Wallace recently suggested that North Korea and China were threatening freedom of navigation in the region by attempting to isolate South Korea and Japan, angering Pyongyang. North Korean authorities perceive those remarks as a provocation and an excuse for Britain to increase its involvement in the region. [CNA]  [Nikkei Asia]

According to the North Korean authorities, the British presence can only lead to strong resistance from the local countries and thus worsen the latent regional tensions. This latest development shows that relations between London and Pyongyang are deteriorating. Although the two countries have had diplomatic relations since 2001, North Korean nuclear ambitions and British support for sanctions have strained their ties. [CNA]

UNSC Open Debate on Maritime Security

(nd) At the virtual United Nations Security Council (UNSC) high-level debate on “Enhancing Maritime Security – A Case for International Cooperation”, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized the necessity of a global solution to maritime security. He suggested to setup a network of initiatives and mechanisms on regional maritime security, including a mechanism on information sharing, which shall be coordinated by the UN. Inter alia, he pointed to the importance of having a comprehensive rule-based approach, referring to international law, the UN Charter and the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) 1982.

Narendra Modi, the first Indian Prime Minister to preside over a UNSC Open Debate, called maritime routes “the lifelines of international trade”, emphasizing free and uninterrupted maritime trade for the global economy and development. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned that “Conflict in the South China Sea, or in any ocean would have serious global consequences for security and for commerce”, referring to “dangerous encounters […] and provocative actions to advance unlawful maritime claims […that] intimidate and bully other states from lawfully accessing their maritime resources.” The open debate shall help to facilitate international maritime cooperation, and respond to natural and manmade, traditional and non-traditional threats to maritime security, such as environmental changes, maritime disputes, piracy and terrorism. [Hanoi Times] [Voice of Vietnam]

Vietnam demands China to stop violations in Paracel islands

(ct) Vietnam urged China to stop and not repeat military drills on its Hoang Sa (Paracel) Islands, asserting that they violate Vietnam's sovereignty. The Maritime Safety Administration of China's Hainan Province has announced plans to hold military exercises near Vietnam's Paracel (Hoàng Sa) archipelago and southeast of Hainan Island from 6 August to 10 August. In their response, the Foreign Ministry asserting drills on Vietnam’s Paracel Islands violate Vietnam’s sovereignty over the islands, which is in violation of the Declaration on the Conduct of the South China Sea (DOC), further creating tensions, also with respect to current negotiations between China and ASEAN on the Code of Conduct for the South China Sea (SOC), as well as the maintenance of peace, stability and cooperation at the SEA. Moreover, the Foreign Ministry reiterated that Vietnam has full legal basis and historical evidence to assert its sovereignty over the Paracel and Spratly (Truong Sa) islands in accordance with international law. Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi last Tuesday claimed during the ASEAN-China session, which is part of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting and related meetings, that the situation in the East Vietnam Sea has been stable thanks to the joint efforts of China and ASEAN.  [Vietnamnews] In March this year, the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs had handed over a diplomatic note demanding China to respect its sovereignty over Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagoes, also opposing China’s live-fire drills and construction plan in Hoang Sa. [Vietnamnet]

South Korea, US to conduct military exercise despite North Koreas warning 

(aml/nd) South Korea has decided to conduct the planned military exercise together with the US, though only in a scaled-back manner due to the pandemic. The decision on whether and how the exercise should take place had been widely discussed, after a warning of Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, that the exercise would undermine the peace efforts of Kim Jong-un and South Korean president Moon Jae-in. [Korea Herald 1] More than 60 lawmakers from the leading Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) had released a statement on Thursday urging the government to postpone the regular joint military exercise with the US to not endanger the inter-Korean relations that just seemed to improve after North Korea reopened the inter-Korean hotline after 13 months. The statement clearly demonstrated the internal divide concerning the topic in the government. [Korea Times][See also AiR No. 31, August/2021, 1] The exercise will start with a four-day preliminary staff training [Korea Herald 2], the main exercise will be a computer-simulated combined command post training from August 16-26. Because these exercises are regular defensive peace-keeping exercises, especially members of the People Power Party (PPP) had demanded to not delay them despite North Koreas warning, which had been considered a bullying tactic.[Korea Herald 3] Upon the South Korean announcement, Kim Yo Jong again responded, saying South Korea and the US will now face even greater security threats, referring to the exercise as "unwelcome, self-destructive action". She added that North Korea’s only security strategy could be "absolute deterrence", including a "strong pre-emptive strike capability", in the light of an ever-increasing US military threat. Just recently, the two Koreas announced to reopen direct communication lines. As a legacy of the 1950-1953 Korean War, the US stations around 28,500 troops in South Korea. With respect to facilitating reconciliation and possibly motivate North Korea to scale back its nuclear missile program, the exercises have been reduced in recent years. The latest round of negotiations collapsed in 2019. [Channel News Asia]

South Korea, US to further engage with North Korea 

(nds/aml) On August 6, South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-Yong attended the 28th meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum. It was held online with 27 member countries and organizations as part of the 54th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Conference and its related conferences. Also present were North Korea, Japan, China, and the United States. At the meeting, Chung Eui-Yong asked ASEAN to support Seoul's efforts to promote lasting peace on the Korean peninsula after restoring inter-Korean communication lines. For the second consecutive year, the North Korean ambassador in Indonesia, An Kwang-il, was presented to this forum instead of Foreign Minister Ri Son-Gwon. 

The restoration of communication channels between the two Koreas last week has raised hopes of resuming nuclear diplomacy with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un and prompting South Korean authorities to strengthen this fragile understanding. [Korean Herald] 

With respect to that, the South Korean Unification Ministry refutes a claim made by the country's intelligence chief Park Jie-won. The latter said that the two Koreas had decided to restore the communication lines following a unilateral request from Pyeongyang.  In truth, it was done by mutual agreement. Park Jie-won, head of the National Service, said this to the National Assembly's intelligence committee during a briefing. Lawmakers who attended the meeting said he inserted his "personal" views in his remarks. The committee met at the urgent request of the intelligence services. But some lawmakers complained that the spy agency chief did not focus on sharing concrete intelligence instead.[N.K. News]

South Korea’s foreign minister Chung Eui-yong and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken agreed to continuous efforts to engage with North Korea to foster lasting peace on the Korean peninsula. After the restoration of the inter-Korean communication, they agreed on substantive diplomatic efforts to reach the goal of complete denuclearization. [Korea Herald 1]   Still, it is not clear what these combined efforts will look like. Song Young-gil, chairman of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, suggested to reopen the inter-Korean Kaesong industrial complex to rebuild trust between the two Koreas. The complex where South Korean companies employed North Korean workers was closed by South Korea in 2016 after nuclear tests in North Korea. [Korea Times] . [Reuters]

US to possibly reduce North Korean sanctions 

(nds) US government is reportedly considering partial sanctions relief in exchange for North Korea's denuclearization efforts, according to Congressional Research Service (CRS) report. [Korea Herald]

Such relief would be nearly impossible to implement without Congressional support because the sanctions address many issues. In addition to nuclear programs, the United States blames North Korea for human rights violations, money laundering, international terrorism, and cyber operations. However, members of Congress would be willing to discuss the merits of such an initiative if denuclearization discussions between the United States and North Korea were to resume. In addition, Congress announced that it would also consider whether and how to push the executive branch to protect humanitarian aid to North Korea from sanctions more effectively. [Korea Herald]

Earlier this week, US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said the US is open to offering humanitarian assistance to North Korea. However, she also stated that current sanctions would remain in place. While the US supports improved inter-Korean relations, she said Washington has a vital interest in maintaining a deterrence policy against the North. [Nikkei Asia]

North Korea continues to develop its nuclear programs

North Korea conducted tests at the Yongbyon nuclear complex between December 2020 and February this year, according to a UN report. The draft report was submitted to the commission on 5 August and will be officially released in September. However, the final report will be issued only after discussion and amendment by the Security Council. [Nikkei Asia]

A group of experts from the UN Security Council's North Korea Sanctions Committee show in the report that the North Korean authorities have continued to develop their nuclear and ballistic programs despite the economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The report also shows that North Korea is pursuing several illicit activities to counteract the negative effects of international sanctions. In an effort to improve the dire economic situation, Pyeongyang does not hesitate to use diversionary means, including smuggling, theft of funds, and online technology to counteract the negative impact of economic sanctions. The report highlights this and shows that illegal activities continue even in times of global pandemics. Although there has been a slowdown in these activities, it is expected that the North Korean government will intensify them after the end of the pandemic if there is no progress in the dialogues with the international community, especially the United States. 

According to South Korean lawmakers, before the nuclear talks with Washington, North Korea would like to see an easing of international sanctions, especially on imports of luxury goods such as alcohol. In addition, the North also wants sanctions lifted on its metal exports and imports of refined fuel and other necessities. An easing of sanctions could have the effect of reducing North Korea's illicit activities. [The Guardian] [See also AiR No. 31, August/2021, 1]

Evidence points to India building secretive base on Mauritian island

(lm) Evidence is emerging of a secretive Indian naval facility being built on a remote Mauritian island in the Indian Ocean, at a time when fortifying its own maritime operational points in the region has invariably become part of New Delhi’s attempt to counter China’s expansion. [ABC News]

Satellite imagery, financial data and on-the-ground evidence obtained by Qatar-based broadcaster Al Jazeera have revealed that the sparsely populated island is currently seeing the construction of a major airfield and port developments reportedly worth $87 million. [Al Jazeera]

Reports of a new military base on the island of Agaléga first surfaced in 2018, but both Mauritius and India have denied the construction project is for military purposes, insisting the infrastructure is only to benefit the islanders.

The alleged infrastructure construction on Agaléga comes after India and Mauritius in 2015 agreed on “setting up and upgradation of infrastructure for improving sea and air connectivity at the Outer Island of Mauritius” and improving the facilities used by the Mauritian coastguard. A 2016-17 budget document showed the Indian government allocated $4.4 million for experts from the Ministry of Defence to conduct a survey of Agaléga to strengthen the country’s maritime surveillance capacity. [TRT World]

Located about 1,100 kilometers from Mauritius' main island, the base is likely to facilitate maritime patrols over the Mozambique Channel — now a popular passage for large commercial ships, particularly oil tankers. The strategic outpost would also allow India's Navy to monitor shipping routes around southern Africa, which now account for a significant portion of China's energy imports.

Located more than 1,000 miles southwest of India, it is part of the web of strategic locations from which the United States monitors Chinese and Iranian maritime aggression and that factors into U.S. plans to maintain “over-the-horizon” counterterrorism capabilities in Afghanistan after the U.S. troop withdrawal.

The largest of the Chagos islands, Diego Garcia was leased to the United States by Britain more than five decades ago, specifically for the construction of an American military base that has served ever since as a crucial component of Washington’s global power projection. A naval logistics, communications and refueling hub overlooking the edge of South Asia, it includes a runway that has launched long-distance bombers to Afghanistan and Iraq. [The Washington Post]

China, India to disengage from third friction point along LAC

(lm) China and India have withdrawn troops from another friction point along their disputed Himalayan border after a meeting of top military commanders from both sides last week, Bloomberg reported, citing senior Indian officials familiar with the discussions. [The Straits Times]

On August 4 and 5, soldiers pulled back from Patrolling Point 17A – Gogra Post – located in the Galwan Valley area where at least 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers were killed in June 2020 in one of the deadly brawls between the two neighbors in more than 40 years [see AiR No. 24, June/2020, 3]. A demilitarized zone will be created after the troops and artillery withdraw and the area will not be patrolled by either side to prevent rival soldiers from coming face to face. [The Indian Express]

The agreement was reached during the 12th round of Corps Commander-level talks, which both sides in a joint statement described as “constructive”, suggesting the rivals had found some common ground after more than a year of tensions. However, there is no statement from Beijing relating to the troop disengagement. [South China Morning Post]

The pullback from the Gogra Post is the third friction area from which soldiers of the Indian Army and the People’s Liberation Army have disengaged so far to end the military standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). [The Diplomat]

In July of last year, both sides completed disengagement at the site of the clash, albeit deploying additional weapons and troops to other strategic locations along the LAC [see AiR No. 30, July/2020, 4]. In February, then, soldiers pulled back from their positions on the southern and northern banks of Pangong Lake, marking out a zone that neither side patrols [see AiR No. 8, February/2021, 4].

But China is yet to show inclination to withdraw from other newly occupied areas, namely Patrolling Point 15 at Hot Springs, and the Depsang Plains in eastern Ladakh, both of which did not feature in the piecemeal disengagement process [see AiR No. 45, November/2020, 2].

With China as its door, India plans to upgrade air operations capability in eastern Ladakh

(lm) India is reportedly considering expanding its capability to operate its fixed-wing aircrafts from at least three facilities near its unsettled border in the Himalayas with China. [mint]

Reports about New Delhi’s plans come after news reporting earlier this month suggested that China was upgrading an airbase in its Xinjiang autonomous region, which borders India’s union territory of Ladakh, for fighter aircraft operations.

While the People's Liberation Army Air Force significantly outnumbers its Indian counterpart, the Indian Airforce enjoys a distinct terrain advantage in combat potential. For all existing Chinese airbases facing India are located at high-altitude, which severely limits the weapon and fuel-carrying capacity of the fighter jets. [The EurAsian Times]

Last month, eight new Rafale fighter jets were formally inducted at the Hasimara Air Force Station, the closest Indian air base to the tri-junction between the Indian state of Sikkim, Bhutan and the Tibet Autonomous Region.

Since March, the first squadron comprising 18 omni-role fighters has been fully operational at the Ambala Air Force Station [see AiR No. 12, March/2021, 4]. The remaining 10 of the overall 36 planes, contracted under a $9.2 billion deal inked with French defense manufacturer Dassault Aviation in 2016, are expected to arrive in batches before the deadline of April next year.

String of Sino-Russian military exercises to follow on pandemic-induced lull

(lm) Joint military exercises between China and Russia are poised to get back into full swing, according to announcements that observers say indicate that ties between Beijing and Moscow have matured to the point of a “de-facto military alliance.” [Financial Times, $] [South China Morning Post]

Earlier in June, the two countries celebrated the 20th anniversary of their Treaty of Good Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation, with Presidents Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping hailing the close relationships between their countries as “an example of intergovernmental cooperation in the 21st century,” and as “model example of a new type of international relations”. [AiR No. 26, June/2021, 5]

More than 10,000 troops from both countries will be taking part in a major exercise, West-Interaction 2021, in China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region from August 9 under the theme of jointly safeguarding regional security and stability. The joint exercise is meant to test, validate, and augment their capabilities to undertake joint reconnaissance, early warning, electronic information attack, and joint strike capabilities, according to China’s Defense Ministry. [The Diplomat]

The drills assume added significance, for they mark the first joint exercise hosted by China since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. But even during the pandemic, the People’s Liberation Army managed to participate in the Kavkaz 2020 strategic command-post exercise in Astrakhan in southern Russia last September [see AiR No. 38, September/2020, 4], the third high-profile Russian military maneuver joined by China, after Vostok 2018 and Tsentr 2019.

Later this month, the Chinese military will host some events under the Russian-run International Army Games, a form of military Olympics in which various national militaries engage in contests profiling specialized skills. Next month, then, China is expected to participate in the joint military anti-terrorist command and staff exercise of the member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization PEACE MISSION-2021, which is scheduled to take place at Russia’s Donguzsky training ground in the Orenburg Region in the Urals.

In his report for the [Center for Strategic & International Studies], Richard Weitz reviews the evolving Chinese-Russian military exercises, assesses their purposes and results, forecasts their future evolution, and evaluates the policy implications for United States’ military planners.

Writing for the [U.S. Naval Institute], Alec Blivas in his report argues that these Sino-Russian military exercises signal a growing military-to-military alliance.

As a sidenote, Russia has released its new S-500 surface-to-air missile system, an advancement of its state-of-the art S-400 around three weeks ago. 

US concerned about China’s growing nuclear ambitions, Secretary of State to Asian counterparts

(lm) US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Asian counterparts on August 6 that the United States had “deep concerns” over China’s growing nuclear arsenal. Speaking virtually at the annual ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) foreign ministers’ meeting, the American top alleged that Beijing had “sharply deviated from its decades-old nuclear strategy based on minimum deterrence”. [U.S. Department of State]

Blinken’s remarks came against the larger backdrop of two reports by the Federation of American Scientists suggesting that Beijing appears to be constructing two nuclear missile silo fields, marking the most significant expansion of the Chinese nuclear arsenal ever. [South China Morning Post]

The US official also called on China to “abide by its obligations under the international law of the sea and cease its provocative behavior in the South China Sea”. He also urged all ARF member states to press Myanmar’s military government to end violence and support the people of the country as they work to return to democratic governance. [Bloomberg]

The meeting was one out of five virtual encounters between the American top diplomat and his counterparts of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) last week, seen as a coordinated effort by the Biden administration to show the region is a priority while also addressing the ongoing crisis in Myanmar. [AiR No. 31, August/2021, 1]

Pakistan’s NSA says Afghans must compromise for peace settlement

(lm) Pakistan’s National Security Advisor Moeed Yusuf last week echoed warnings from the United States that a military victory for the internationally recognized government in Kabul or the Taliban was simply not realistic, saying that a compromise between both sides was “inevitable”. [The Straits Times]

Wrapping up a week of talks in the United States, the Pakistani official acknowledged that other nations’ leverage to press the Taliban for a political solution is rapidly disappearing. But he also played down the level of influence on the Taliban played by his country, which has long faced criticism for sheltering elements of the insurgent group. [Voice of America]

Yusuf also said that his American counterpart, Jake Sullivan, and others in President Joe Biden's administration did not make specific requests of Pakistan but discussed "how quickly we can get all these actors in one room to have a sincere conversation."

Yet, Yusuf reserved his sharpest criticism for the government of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, accusing it of trying “to shift the entire blame for their failures” on Pakistan. [Bloomberg]

India’s new aircraft carrier INS Vikrant starts sea trials

(lm) India’s first indigenously built aircraft carrier began its maiden contractor sea trials on August 4, a landmark achievement experts say will allow New Delhi to achieve some sea control at a time when China is quickly making inroads in the Indian Ocean. [Naval News] [The Indian Express]

The INS Vikrant (or IAC-1), which was first sanctioned by the Indian government in 2003, is expected to be fully operational in the first half of 2022. Once commissioned, it will be India’s second aircraft carrier, adding to the INS Vikramaditya, which was acquired from Russia for $2.35 billion in 2004 and entered service in 2013.

The procurement of the INS Vikrant was always intended to be followed by a second indigenous carrier, sometimes called INS Vishal (or IAC-2). A three-carrier fleet including INS Vikramaditya, INS Vikrant, and INS Vishal was proposed to allow the Indian Navy to station one carrier on each of its western and eastern seaboard, with a third carrier to cycle through maintenance. However, a proposal by the Navy for a third carrier is yet to get the initial “acceptance of necessity” approval from the government. [AiR No. 27, July/2021, 1] [The Diplomat]

China’s new mystery submarine: what we know

(lm) The People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN)’s newest submarine has created lots of analysis, and some wild speculation, for it could potentially be used to insert and extract special operation forces. [South China Morning Post]

The Type-039 class and derivatives are also known as the Yuan-class. The first of the class, the Type-039A, first made its appearance in a Chinese shipyard in 2006 and caught many naval experts by surprise. Since the class’s introduction into PLAN service, several variants have subsequently been introduced with the most significant external difference between them being the sub’s sails.

The new variation, tentatively dubbed the Type-039D or -D, features a distinctively stealthy sail – an angled upper section with an angled chine running along it – and was first pictured and posted on Chinese social media platforms on May 12, days before its launch at a shipyard in the city of Wuhan.

One potential application for a submarine with a “stealthy” sail could be special operation forces insertion and extraction when a submarine on the surface would be particularly vulnerable, though this remains somewhat speculative. Given the dearth of information, experts say it may be too early to say if the new submarine represents the new Yuan-class standard, a one-off design, or a research platform for testing new technology.

Taiwan to massively produce missiles soon

(nds) Taiwan will soon produce an extended-range version of the successfully tested Tien Chien II "Sky Sword" missile. The Taiwanese Air Force has ordered 250 to 300 upgraded Tien Chien II missiles at the cost of US$1.07 million each, and they will be mounted on the 129 Air Force's Indigenous Defense Fighter. These aircraft have been modified to carry four Tien Chien II missiles instead of two, significantly increasing their firepower. [Focus Taiwan 1]

According to a source of Focus Taiwan, the purpose of the new acquisition is to deter China from violating the Taiwanese ADIZ effectively, most recently this week [Taiwan News]. The Taiwanese military is far less powerful than China's, and much of its weaponry is aging or even obsolete. Therefore, it is necessary to modernize the Taiwanese army. [Focus Taiwan 2]

Meanwhile, the Tawainese authorities are also multiplying military exercises. The government plans to deploy 292 Kestrel anti-armor rockets to the two territories it controls in the South China Sea to bolster its defense against increasing Chinese military incursions. In addition, the Coast Guard Administration has scheduled two rounds of live-fire exercises on Pratas Island in the South China Sea in September. Besides, they will also test an indigenous anti-tank rocket. The live-fire practices will be held from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on 5 and 12 September. [Focus Taiwan 3]

US administration to approve arms deal with Taiwan  

(nds) On 4 August, the US State Department approved a deal to sell arms to Taiwan for $750 million. The agreement includes 40 M109A6 155mm medium self-propelled artillery systems.

The Taiwanese foreign ministry thanked the United States and stated it was the first significant arms sale since Joe Biden took office in January. [Reuters]

Meanwhile, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on the United States to immediately cancel the deal to not further damage Sino-US relations.  According to the Chinese authorities, this agreement is contrary to the "one China" principle and would undermine the country's sovereignty. In addition, Beijing criticizes Washington for interfering in what it considers to be its national affairs. [Taiwan News 1]

The Biden administration has yet to respond to the Chinese statement. However, it is expected that this agreement will become a reality if Congress approves it, as it represents a US strategic interest. The tactical objective of this agreement is to thwart a possible invasion of China by allowing the Taiwanese army to fire directly at troopships and raids on the beaches. The Chinese air force has recently increased incursions into Taiwan's airspace, and the People's Liberation Army has also conducted manoeuvres to simulate an invasion of Taiwan. At the Aspen Security Forum, US Indo-Pacific Command Commander Admiral John Aquilino reiterated that the Indo-Pacific region is the most important to the United States and is Washington's most significant security challenge. While Aquilino believes the US can defend Taiwan, this arms deal could allow the Taiwanese military to act faster to deter the People's Liberation Army before American intervention. [Taiwan News 2]

China conducts large military exercise, according to observers

(lm) Observers say they found references to a large exercise in southeast China, which involves thousands of troops, including special operations forces. These troops are practicing amphibious landings and the exercise is described as a joint exercise. [Breaking Defense]

Experts say they were unable to find any reference to fixed wing aircraft, which would normally be required to consider an exercise as truly joint. But there is a good case to believe that the People’s Liberation Army is muddying the waters on the scope and scale of the exercise to make it more difficult for observers.

US national security veterans warn Senate panel of pervasive Chinese influence

(lm) Veteran national security officials warned a key Senate panel on August 4 that the Chinese Communist Party had gained alarming influence over the United States’ private sector and graduate schools, with one former top official describing the situation as “an existential threat”. [The Hill]

The rare public hearing of the Senate Intelligence Committee featured two hours of discussions between Senators and former officials about just how much influence the Chinese government has managed to gain over certain sectors of US society. [The Washington Times]

The threats, according to the officials, include Chinese counterintelligence activities such as cyberattacks against US companies and critical organizations, malign influence and stealing billions of dollars in American intellectual property.

The committee leaders noted that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been able to influence American companies and policies due to the desire by US companies to have access to the Chinese market, and due to the CCP’s tendency to pressure Chinese students and researchers in the States to steal data and research.

The hearing was the latest sign not only of the unusual bipartisan agreement on Capitol Hill on China policy, but also rare sense of continuity on the issue from the Trump era to the administration of incumbent President Joe Biden. [South China Morning Post]

Germany charged wife of alleged German double agent for also having spied for China

(lm) Federal prosecutors in Germany have charged a German-Italian woman with espionage, alleging she assisted her husband, a semi-retired think tank head, in feeding information to Chinese intelligence for years. [South China Morning Post] [Generalbundesanwalt, in German] [The Washington Post, $]

The man was arrested last month on suspicion that he conducted “intelligence agent activities” for China for almost a decade, starting in 2010.

At the time of his arrest, however, the man had also been an informant for Germany’s foreign intelligence agency, the Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND), for half a century, leading a “double life.” He was well-connected with senior officials in the spy agency and worked for the BND as an "intelligence liaison", according to German public broadcaster ARD.

Publicly, the man was a political scientist, working for the Hanns Seidel Foundation — a political research foundation closely associated with the Christian Social Union, the Bavarian sister party of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union — from the 1980s until retirement. He has also run a think tank since 2001, according to the indictment filed in May.

German authorities allege the pair was recruited members of a Chinese intelligence service while on a lecture tour in Shanghai in mid-2010. Between mid-2010 and November 2019, both of them regularly provided Chinese secret service officials with information in the run-up to or after state visits or multinational conferences, prosecutors allege, adding they also offered information on pertinent “current issues.”

The couple procured this information from their numerous “high-level political” contacts obtained through the think tank, prosecutors said. The couple were financially compensated, prosecutors allege, and received paid-for trips to meet with Chinese intelligence employees.

The fact that the man was only formally charged this year is a sign of how complex the case is, the ARD report said – he apparently did not deny that he was spying for China, but instead insisted that he informed his BND handlers at the time of his recruitment by Chinese agents.

North Korea: High-ranking officials undergoing traineeship with China 

(nds) High-ranking officials of North Korea's Ministry of Social Security are undergoing training on the operational-level systems of China's Ministry of Public Security, according to a Daily NK source. Initially scheduled in China, this formation is now taking place online due to the COVID-19 pandemic and is expected to end on 15 August.

The training is centered around two main themes: the Chinese Ministry of Public Security's criminal justice system and disaster response strategy. China teaches North Korea its law enforcement systems, suppression of illegal acts and investigation, arrest, detention, and trial of criminals. Also, North Korea is often affected by natural disasters like China. Beijing has the experience, means, and resources to respond effectively and quickly to such incidents, which is why North Korean cadres receive intensive training in rescue operations during disasters such as typhoons, monsoon rains, and fires.

The recently amended Anti-Reactionary Thought Law is said to be the reason for the Ministry of Social Security's Judicial System reform. This law codified means of controlling people and intensified punishments. In addition, the Ministry of Social Security is responsible for enforcing the law. The North Korean authorities are reportedly planning to implement parts of the Chinese legal system into their system. [Daily NK] [The Diplomat]

Indonesia, US to announce “strategic dialogue” 

(nd) Upon the start of an annual joint military exercise, Indonesia's foreign minister Retno Marsudi during her visit to the US said Indonesia has entered a "new era of bilateral relations" with the US. After meeting Retno, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced the launch of a "strategic dialogue" with Indonesia, involving cooperation with respect to trade, investment, public health and security. With respect to the latter, it was specifically referred to defending freedom of navigation in the South China Sea. Retno welcomed US engagement in the region and emphasized Indonesia’s central position to their strategic goals. This move comes amid the latest US diplomatic efforts, with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visiting Singapore, Vietnam and the Philippines, and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken meeting virtually with his counterparts of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), as the Biden administration seeks to show the region is a priority, countering China’s growing influence. [See also AiR No. 31, August/2021, 1] Indonesia entertains good relations with China, on whom they were heavily dependent for their vaccination campaign. The annual "Garuda Shield" joint exercise will run between August 1-14 and with more than 3,000 soldiers will be the biggest ever joint exercise between the two nations. [Reuters 1] [Benar News] [Reuters 2]

China to recall its ambassador to Lithuania over Taiwanese representative office

(nd) China has recalled its ambassador to Lithuania, and demanded the Lithuanian government in turn to recall its ambassador to China. China was thereby responding to Lithuania’s decision to allow Taipei to open a representative office in Vilnius, bearing the name “Taiwan”. In an announcement by China’s foreign ministry, it said the decision “brazenly violates the spirit of the communique on the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Lithuania and severely undermines China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity” and therefore the “Chinese government expresses its categorical opposition to this move.” The announcement continued urging the “Lithuanian side to immediately rectify its wrong decision, take concrete measures to undo the damage, and not to move further down the wrong path” and continued to “warn the Taiwan authorities that ‘Taiwan independence’ is a dead end and any attempt at separatist activities in the international arena is doomed to fail.”

According to its one-China policy, China claims Taiwan as part of its territory. The diplomatic outpost in Lithuania would be the first such de facto embassy in Europe to have the name “Taiwan”. Lithuania also plans to open a representative trade office in Taiwan by the end of the year.

Lithuania’s foreign ministry commented to regret China’s decision but was determined to continue bilateral relations with Taiwan. This most recent decision forms part of a year-long development of Lithuania to move away from China and towards Taiwan. [see also AiR No. 31, August/2021, 1] Earlier, Lithuania left the China-led “17+1” group to engage Central and Eastern European countries by funding infrastructure and other projects. The Lithuanian ambassador to China said this move was because their expectation for an improved access to the Chinese market did not materialize, saying imports from China continued to noticeably outweigh exports to China, leaving a negative trade balance. According to the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, trade value between China and Lithuania was US$1.35 billion in 2019. [South China Morning Post] [Taiwan News]

US senators plan to reintroduce sanctions against Cambodian officials

(nd) Democratic Senators Ed Markey and Dick Durbin and Republican Marco Rubio announced to work to reintroduce sanctions on Cambodian officials, for undermining democracy, engaging in corruption, or otherwise violating human rights. Sanctions include freezing of assets of senior Cambodian officials, and visa restrictions. The edited version of the already existing Cambodia Democracy and Human Rights Act would require US president Joe Biden to submit a report to Congress whether China's activities in Cambodia have caused a deterioration of democracy and human rights. The senators have been vocal in their criticism of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, who Rubio referred to as a "dictator". In his crackdown following the dissolution of the main opposition party CNRP, US radio station Radio Free Asia was affected inter alia. During her visit to Cambodia in June, Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman expressed concern about China's military presence, which was in regard to the demolition of US-funded buildings, allegedly housing Chinese military bases. [See also AiR No. 23, June/2021, 2, AiR No. 24, June/2021, 3] [Reuters]

Taiwan to ban all Chinese I.T. and communications products 

(nds)The Cabinet has asked all government agencies in Taiwan to phase out all Chinese-made information and communication technology products by the end of the year to protect the country's national security. [Taiwan News] The Taiwanese authorities had initially planned to establish a blocklist of Chinese products to be banned. However, the complexity of defining and updating information on these products made the government decide to ban such products by 2021. Undercover a prior approval, the establishments that do not respect the deadline can postpone it. Huawei devices will be banned because of the company's links with the Chinese army. Hikvision could be subject to the same measures. [Taiwan News]

It has been several years since the Tsai administration began this fight against telecommunications products. In January 2019, the Taiwanese authorities had already decided to prohibit state organizations from using Chinese technological products because of the risk for national security. [Taiwan Info in French ]

Cambodia, Chinese dam construction dire consequences, says HRW report 

(nd) According to a recent Human Rights Watch (HRW) report, Cambodia's largest hydropower project, a China-backed joint venture and part of the Belt and Road Initiate (BRI), has caused mayor social and environmental destruction. The Lower Sesan 2 dam in northern Cambodia is supposed to generate 400 megawatts at peak capacity and about 1,998 gigawatt hours per year, just over 15% of Cambodia's annual electricity production. The HRW report said capacity was likely just a third of that. Also, the construction had reduced fish catches and taken away agricultural land vital for the mostly indigenous ethnic minority communities living in the area, according to interviews with the affected between 2019 and 2021. Some families were compensated, but far from adequate, according to HRW HRW linked the issues with Sesan 2 to the other five large China-funded hydropower dams, as well as the global perspective of BRI, suggesting more similar problems to arise from those infrastructure projects, infamous for their poor human rights protections.

Lower Sesan 2 was part of a 1999 Asian Development Bank-funded report and deemed "unattractive for investment due to its marginal financial viability" and "heavy environmental and social impacts" in a 2009 report. The project went ahead initially led by state-owned electricity giant Electricity of Vietnam (EVN), which was taken over by China's Hydrolancang International Energy later, which holds 51% ownership. The local partner, Cambodian conglomerate Royal Group, owns 39% and EVN retained 10%. For now, the dam is privately run but will return to government ownership after 40 years. Hydrolancang is a subsidiary of state-owned China Huaneng Group. Upon its operation start in 2017, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen claimed the project would lower electricity prices, dismissing environmental concerns. [Nikkei Asia] [Asia Times]

Vietnam not to 'join forces with one country in opposition of another', Foreign spokesperson

(ct) The spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs underlined Vietnam's consistent foreign policy of not "joining forces with one country in opposition for another." When questioned about frequent visits by high-ranking US officials during a news conference held online from Hanoi, she emphasized Vietnam's stance of “independence, self-reliance, multilateralism, diversification, and promoting ties with partners, especially key partners” and that “Vietnam always attaches great importance to consolidating and strengthening relations with China and the US, which are two of Vietnam’s biggest partners in many fields.” In April, the Chinese Defense Minister paid an official visit to Vietnam at the invitation of his counterpart. After that, on June 8, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Vietnamese Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son in Chongqing [Vietnamplus]. Last week, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin also visited Vietnam during his Southeast Asia tour and just a short time afterwards, the White House announced that Vice President Kamala Harris would visit Vietnam and Singapore in August. [See also AiR No. 31, August/2021, 1] [Nikkei Asia]

The US provided 5 million doses of vaccine (Moderna), China donated 500,000 doses of Sinopharm, with any assistance and support from partners declared as “valuable and very appreciated.” The Vietnamese diplomat also noted that in order to increase the quantity of vaccinations available in the country, Vietnam would diversify its vaccine supplies and is in active negotiations with many countries, partners, and vaccine manufacturers across the world. [Vietnamnews]

China aims to provide 2 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses to world in 2021, President Xi says

(lm) Chinese President Xi Jinping said his country would provide two billion COVID-19 vaccine doses to the world this year, matching commitments by Group of Seven nations amid warnings about inoculation shortages in the developing world. [The New York Times, $] [The Straits Times]

President Xi made the announcement on August 5 in a written message to an international COVID-19 vaccine forum chaired by the Chinese government. But he did not specify whether the two billion doses were donations or sales, or whether they consisted of new supplies or included those already sold.

The pledge would represent a huge increase in the pace of Chinese exports, with the Foreign Ministry telling reporters on August 6 that the country had sent delivered 770 million doses to foreign countries since September of last year, mostly under bilateral deals. [Associated Press]

Xi also promised to donate $100 million to COVAX, a global initiative backed by the World Health Organization to provide vaccines to low- and middle-income countries. The donation would give the organization much-needed financing to strike deals with vaccine makers at a time when it has been struggling to close a funding gap of $16.6 billion. [World Health Organization]

The provision of both vaccines and money would give Beijing an opportunity to rebuild international prestige, which has taken a beating in the West in the aftermath of the first outbreak in the city of Wuhan. They also place Beijing in direct competition with Washington, which earlier last week said it had sent 110 million doses abroad and purchased another 500 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine— worth about $3.5 billion — to be distributed globally through COVAX. [Bloomberg]

Taiwanese President talks about a mechanism for dialogue on East Asian security

(nds) In an interview with the Japanese magazine Bungei Shunju, President Tsai Ing-wen spoke of the need to establish a mechanism for dialogue on security affairs in East Asia. Tsai explained that China had demonstrated grand ambitions in the Asia-Pacific region in recent years, creating uncertainties regarding regional stability and peace. Therefore Japan, the United States, or other countries worried about the Taiwan Strait issue are sending a "signal" to China to continue its military expansion. The greater the concerns, the more cooperation there is, the more China must be careful in its policies, especially concerning military activities. Faced with these challenges, Tsai reaffirms Taiwan's desire to develop its relations with its partners. On the other hand, the Taiwanese authorities will continue to improve its military self-defence capability. [Taiwan News] 

Philippine representative to Taiwan to explain top priorities

(nd) The recently appointed Philippine representative to Taiwan, Gilberto Lauengco, announced his top priorities for his position, naming the promotion of the welfare of Filipino workers and enhancing trade and agricultural development between the two countries. 150,000 Filipino workers are in Taiwan currently. Lauengco has been active in speaking for Filipinos living abroad, urging the Taiwanese government to include them in the national vaccination scheme after a cluster of 123 infected Filipinos was uncovered, a call which was later joined by his counterparts of Indonesia and Thailand. With respect to bilateral trade, Lauengco aims to simplify investment procedures, and streamline the visa application process in an effort to attract Taiwanese investment to the Philippines. Additionally, he wishes to implement Taiwanese agricultural technologies in the Philippines and have student exchange programs to learn agricultural skills. Upon a question, Lauengco clarified he was granted significant leeway to navigate the official constraints of Manila’s "one China" policy. [Taiwan News]

EU to support Lao exports to European market

(ct) Through training sessions for government officials and related parties, the EU is assisting in the export of Lao commodities to the European market. On August 2, the political officer at the EU in Laos, Francois Pravongviengkham, and Saysana Sayakone, director-general for Foreign Trade Policy at the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, co-chaired a training session in Vientiane. The training was designed to improve officials' understanding of market trends as well as Laos' export potential. [Phnompenhpost] [The Star] It forms part of a  2019 initiate when the EU aimed to support Laos through The ASEAN Regional Integration Support-Lao PDR Trade-Related Assistance (ARISE Plus). [European Commission] The program, worth €5 million, provided trade-related assistance to promote more sustainable, broad-based and inclusive growth, increase climate change resilience while fostering job creation, and sets out to match the priorities put forward by the Lao government. 

South Korea wants to strengthen commitment to Mekong subregions 

(aml) Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong has stressed South Korea’s commitment to cooperate with the Mekong subregion during the virtual “Friends of the Mekong” ministerial meeting this week. Chung affirmed South Korea’s support in climate change, health care, infrastructure and other areas in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam and Thailand. 

The friends of the Mekong include the US, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, the European Union, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank. The topic of the meeting was “Recovery and Resilience” after Covid-19 and Chung stressed that they will closely cooperate to strengthen their abilities to prevent and manage diseases. [Yonhap News]

South Korea, US agree to expand cooperation on cybersecurity 

(aml) South Korea and the US have agreed to strengthen their cooperation to act on increasing global cybersecurity threats. In the first meeting of the US-South Korean ICT Cooperation Committee, the defence ministries agreed on setting up information sharing systems to enhance combined combat capabilities. The working group was a result of the Moon-Biden Summit in May and is supposed to take place once a year. [Korea Herald]

South Korea, Japan diplomat to return home after vulgar remarks 

(aml) Japan’s No.2 diplomat in South Korea, Hirohisa Soma, has returned to Japan after calling president Moon Jae-in’s effort to improve relations between the two nations an equivalent to “masturbating”. His remarks were criticised both in Seoul and Tokyo and was named one of the reasons for Moon’s absence during the Tokyo Olympics, worsening the already tense relation between the two nations due to historic, economic and diplomatic issues [AiR 13 July/2021]

There has been no confirmation that the call to come home has been a disciplinary measure in response to the remark. However, Japan’s diplomats are relocated every two year and after serving in Seoul, they usually get appointed and in recent personnel reshuffles in Japan’s foreign ministry, Soma has not been included. [Korea Herald]

South Korea, Israel to agree on further cooperation 

(aml) Last Wednesday, foreign minister Chung Eui-yong and his Israeli counterpart agreed on further cooperation in their fight against Covid-19, an early effectuation of the bilateral free trade agreement, which was signed in May and collaboration in trade, investment and technological innovation. Due to their vaccine exchange agreement, Israel had given 700,000 doses of Pfizer’s vaccine to South Korea, which will return that in the future. Israel had also asked for South Korea’s support in the “Working Definition of Antisemitism” by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance whereupon Chung assured the support of South Korea and condemned racial discrimination under any circumstances. [Korea Herald]

ASEAN to grant "dialogue partner" status to Britain

(nd) In an important step in Britain’s post-Brexit mission to build strong bilateral diplomatic ties with the region, it was granted "dialogue partner" status by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Upon its exit of the European Union in 2020, Britain aimed to shift its market from Europe to Asia and the Indo-Pacific. This grants Britain high-level access to ASEAN summits, furthering hopes to build cooperation with respect to climate change and security. For a deeper economic cooperation, Britain has also applied to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. The decision marks the end of a 25-year moratorium to award third parties the bloc’s highest institutional partnership. [Reuters] [The Diplomat] [Jakarta Post]

Swiss VP to travel to Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam

(ct) Switzerland’s Vice President, Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis is on an official visit to Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam, as part of the Swiss Foreign Policy Strategy 2020-2023, aiming to expand its engagement in Asia and step up cooperation. Switzerland aims to achieve this objective through bilateral exchanges and a dialogue partnership with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). In Thailand, Mr Cassis held talks with Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai focused on the COVID-19 pandemic, cooperation in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), human rights and the crisis in Myanmar. Also, he met with the minister of health and environment to discuss the challenges posed by the pandemic and climate change. The visit marked the 90th anniversary of bilateral relations between the two countries [FDFA] [Bangkok Post] The main focus of the visit to Laos was development cooperation. At the signing ceremony on August 4 in Vientiane, the Lao government signed a cooperation agreement with the Swiss Government in the fields of technical, cultural, economic and financial and new humanitarian aid worth 65 million USD. Mr Cassis also inaugurated a new consular agency in Vientiane. [FDFA] [Vientiane Times] In Hanoi,  Mr Ignazio Cassis met with the vice president, prime minister, foreign minister and three other members of the Vietnamese government. He emphasized the significance of the diplomatic connections between Switzerland and Vietnam in the past 50 years, which extends beyond the political and the multilateral sphere to technical and economic cooperation, trade and investment, research and science, culture, tourism and people to people contacts. The two Ministers agreed to increase delegation exchanges and visits between high-ranking leaders, ministries, sectors and localities to enhance mutual understanding and trust and further cooperation post-COVID-19. 

Switzerland is supporting the transition process in Vietnam and the country’s effort to develop its economy. Negotiations on a free trade agreement between the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), of which Switzerland is a member, and Vietnam has been underway since 2012. Therefore, during talks in Hanoi, he called for a speedy conclusion to negotiations on the free trade agreement between EFTA and Vietnam. [VOV 1] Minister Son thanked Switzerland for their donation of medical equipment and further asked for their support in that realm. [VOV 2]. Furthermore, in a ceremony virtually to announce a cooperation program for 2021-2024 between Vietnam and Switzerland, the Swiss government has decided to grant CHF 70 million (nearly US$80 million) to assist Vietnam to improve its business and enhance the competitiveness of the private sector. [VOV 3]

Vietnam: President to pay an official visit to Laos 

(ct) President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his wife visited Laos August 9-10 at the invitation of General Secretary of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party and President of Laos Thongloun Sisoulith. During the visit, President Phuc held talks with Party General Secretary and President Thongloun, meet with Prime Minister Phankham Viphavanh and National Assembly Chairman Saysomphone Phomvihane, receive several senior leaders, and visit several former senior leaders of Laos. During these talks and meetings, both sides announced to discuss measures to deepen their bilateral relationship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Laos. [Vietnamnews] In June, a high-ranking delegation of the Lao Party and State also paid an official friendship visit to Vietnam. It was the first foreign visit of Mr Thongloun Sisoulith as General Secretary and President of Laos for the 2021-2026 term. President Phuc and Lao Party General Secretary and President Thongloun agreed to closely coordinate to promote cooperation between the two nations more comprehensively and practically. [see Asia in Review No. 25, June/2021, 6]

U.S. passes bill regarding Taiwan's participation in WHO as an observer 

(nds) On 6 August, the Senate passed a bill regarding Taiwan, requesting the Secretary of State to enact legislation allowing Taiwan to "regain observer status at the World Health Assembly (WHA).  The Secretary of State shall report annually to Congress on relevant developments.

 The bill was approved by "unanimous consent" after being approved by a voice vote by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on 28 July. Last March, the House Foreign Affairs Committee passed a similar bill. Therefore, once both houses of the U.S. Congress agree on a unified version of the final bill, it will be forwarded to President Joe Biden for signature.

From 2009 to 2016, Taiwan participated as an observer in the WHA under "Chinese Taipei." It was possible because Taiwan recognized the 1992 consensus that led to the One China principle. When the Tsai administration came to power in 2016, it rejected the consensus and has not participated in the WHO since then. As early as 2017, the United States led bills to restore Taiwan's observer status. The successful handling of Taiwan's health crisis has accentuated this trend. This new bill also shows the closeness between the two countries in recent months. [Focus Taiwan]

Australia-Taiwan Relations: Taiwan received the Australian representative in Taipei

(nds) On August 5, Taiwan's Vice President, Lai Ching-te, received the new Australian representative to Taiwan, Jenny Bloomfield. It was an opportunity for both countries to recall their good economic and security relationship.  Lai Ching Tai expressed her intention to see the two countries continue security cooperation and trade development in the Indo-Pacific region. In July, Taiwan and Australia discussed bilateral cooperation in clean energy, including hydrogen-based technologies, and agreed to expand trade and investment efforts in these areas. The Taiwanese vice president expects that the "Memorandum of Understanding on Energy and Mining Cooperation between Taiwan and Australia" will be renewed. [Taiwan News]

Taiwan, Slovakia to sign judicial treaty 

(nds) On August 3, Taiwan signed a judicial treaty with Slovakia, strengthening their mutual legal assistance. Both countries aim to use this agreement to fight crime more effectively. In Taipei, a ceremony was held with the Taiwanese Ministers of Justice and Foreign Affairs, Tsai Ching-Hsiang and Joseph Wu. Slovak Minister of Justice Michal Kotlárik attended the event from a distance, but the Slovak envoy to Taiwan, Martin, was present. 

The agreement allows the two governments to share their practical experience in law enforcement and cooperate in the extradition of criminals. It is the sixth such agreement that Taiwan has signed with a European country. Taiwanese authorities have concluded agreements in the judicial and criminal field with Germany, the United Kingdom, Poland, Denmark, and Switzerland.

The bilateral relations between Taiwan and Slovakia are good. They established representative offices in each other's countries in 2003. They have signed several essential agreements in recent years, including the 2011 Agreement on Avoidance of Double Taxation of Income Tax and Prevention of Tax Evasion. It is expected that the two governments will continue to work closely together in the future. [Taiwan News]

Announcements

Upcoming Online Events 

11 August 2021 @ 06:00 p.m. (GTM+2), The Heritage Foundation, Washington DC

Policy Pulse: Unlawful Eviction Moratoriums

This online event will deal with US president Biden’s order for the Centre for Disease Control to extend a national moratorium on evictions despite a Supreme Court ruling that such an extension would require approval from Congress and how the economic ripple effects of these policies could prove harmful for landlords and tenants alike. 

Please see [Heritage Foundation] for more information.

11 August 2021 @ 12:00 p.m. (GMT-4), Atlantic Council, USA

The future of data, oceans, and international affairs

This online webinar will cover current oceanic data gaps, how and when these data gaps may be filled, and the implications of filling such data gaps. It will further touch upon the intersection between the oceans and international affairs, and how data is transforming this relationship.

For more information, please visit [Atlantic Council].

11 August 2021 @ 10:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. (GMT+8), Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) - Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, Singapore

IPS Spotlight on Cultural Policy Series Thirteen: Roundtable on Singapore’s Television Industry: The View Ahead

This roundtable discussion is on the development of and prospects for Singapore’s television industry from the perspective of government policy.

If you want to know more about the event, go to [IPS].

11 August 2021 @ 3:00-4:30 p.m. (GMT+2), SA Institute Of International Affairs, South Africa

The Macroeconomic Impact of COVID-19 in Africa

This webinar will share empirical evidence of the impact of COVID-19 on Africa’s two largest economies, South Africa, and Nigeria. 

For more information, please see [SAIIA].

11 August 2021 @ 5:00-5:45 p.m. (GMT+10), Australian Strategic Policy Institute, Australia

Withstanding Terror in Afghanistan: A conversation with Afghanistan's Minister for Foreign Affairs, H.E. Mohammad Haneef Atmar

This webinar promises to offer a fascinating insight from one of Afghanistan’s most prominent leaders, about troubling events which continue to engage Australia’s strategic interests.

If you are interested in this event, please visit [ASPI] for more information. 

11 August 2021 @ 2:00-3:00 p.m. (GMT-4), Atlantic Council, USA

Exploring humanitarian frameworks for Venezuela: Learning from Iraq’s UN program failure

This virtual discussion will complement the ongoing analysis by the Venezuela Working Group on how Iraq’s UN-backed humanitarian program could help to inform a potential humanitarian framework for Venezuela.

Find more about event details at [Atlantic Council].

11 August 2021 @ 4:00-5:00 p.m. (GMT+1), Royal United Services Institute, UK

Nation to Nation: Scotland’s Place in the World

In this webinar, Professor Gethins will set the scene for one of the most important debates and dialogues that Scotland is likely to face for a generation. 

If you are interested in this event, please see [RUSI] for more information and registration.

11 August 2021 @ 12:00-12:30 p.m. (GMT-4), The Heritage Foundation, USA

Policy Pulse: Unlawful Eviction Moratoriums

This event is the Policy Pulse discussion with Heritage economic expert Joel Griffith and legal scholar GianCarlo Canaparo on the legal implications and real-world consequences of unlawful orders. 

For more information, please see [Heritage].

11 August 2021 @ 1:00-2:00 p.m. (GMT-4), Center for Strategic & International Studies, USA

Prospects for Democracy in Cuba

The Covid-19 pandemic combined with an economic crisis and deteriorating living conditions has resulted in widespread protests in Cuba against the regime and the lack of basic goods and services, specifically access to healthcare. This virtual public event will discuss the prospects for the democratic movement in Cuba. 

For more information, please visit [CSIS].

11 August 2021 @ 5:00-6:00 p.m. (GMT+10), Australian Institute of International Affairs - Tasmania, Australia

Locating Cooperation in Response to COVID-19: The Past, the Present, and the Future

What does the COVID-19 pandemic tell us about the past, present and future of international and global health cooperation? 

To answer this question, this talk will examine three cases of global cooperation during the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic: human rights, science, and surveillance.

For further details, see [AIIATAS].

12 August @ 11:00 p.m. (GTM+2), The Heritage Foundation, Washington DC

A celebration of the 40 Year Anniversary of the Reagan Tax Cuts

This virtual event celebrates the 40th anniversary of US president Reagan’s landmark singing of the Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981 which unleashed American prosperity and re-invigorated a struggling economy. Heritage and the Committee to Unleash Prosperity will also discuss how to continue to invigorate the economy in the 2020s. 

For more Information, please see [Heritage Foundation].

12 August @ 8:00 a.m. (GTM+2), Philippine Institute for development studies

Local Governments’ PDP and SDG Localization Efforts as Contribution on National Development

This virtual event will feature the PIDS-DILG study titled “Assessment of the Provincial/NCR Local Government Unit Result Matrices (P/NCR LGU RMS) in the Localization of the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2017-2022 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)” authored by PIDS Research Fellow Justine Sicat, and PIDS Research Analysts Angel Faye Castillo and Ricxie Maddawin.

Please see [Philippine Institute] for more information. 

12 August @ 07:00 p.m. (GTM+2), Berggruen Institute, Los Angeles

The Politics of Breathing: From Subsistence Diving to Respiratory Pandemics

In this online event, anthropologists Elizabeth Chin and Josh Berson will discuss the physiology, culture and politics of breathing and other overlooked skills. 

For more information, please see [Berggruen Institute].

12 August 2021 @ 2:00-4:30 p.m. (GMT), Philippine Institute for Development Studies, Philippine

Local Governments' PDP and SDG Localization Efforts as Contribution to National Development (Available on Facebook Live)

This virtual event will feature the PIDS-DILG study titled “Assessment of the Provincial/NCR Local Government Unit Result Matrices (P/NCR LGU RMS) in the Localization of the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2017-2022 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)”.

For further information, please click [PIDS].

12 August 2021 @ 10:00 a.m. (GMT-7), Berggruen Institute, USA

The Politics of Breathing: From Subsistence Diving to Respiratory Pandemics

Breathing: what could be more basic, but if the past eighteen months have demonstrated anything, it’s how fragile this most basic of animal activities is in the face of the network effects of biospheric capitalism. This event will bring a wide-ranging discussion of the physiology, culture, and politics of breathing and other overlooked skills.

More event details are provided at [Berggruen].

12 August 2021 @ 12:00-1:15 p.m. (GMT-4), Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs Harvard Kennedy School, USA

A Policy of Public Diplomacy with North Korea [Report Launch]

This online session will be a report launch for "A Policy of Public Diplomacy with North Korea: A Principled and Pragmatic Approach to Promote Human Rights and Pursue Denuclearization." This report is based on the insights of a working group of ten members that convened throughout the spring of 2021 to produce policy recommendations on North Korea for the Biden Administration.

For more information, please see [Belfer Center].

12 August 2021 @ 10:00-10:45 a.m. (GMT-4), Wilson Center, USA

Hindsight Up Front: Afghanistan | Ambassador Mark Green in Conversation with H.R. McMaster

This event will assess nearly 20 years of the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan, focus on the U.S. withdrawal and its implications, and consider options for future U.S. policy. The discussion will also explore immediate policy recommendations for the Biden administration, and what can be done to ensure that U.S. interests in Afghanistan continue to be advanced.

More event details are provide at [Wilson Center].

12 August 2021 @ 10:00 a.m. -12:30 p.m. (GMT+8), ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, Singapore 

Digital Disruptions – Panel III: Contentious Relationship Between State and Society in Digital Ecosystem 

This online session will examine the contentious relationship between the state and internet users regarding the control of the digital ecosystem, primarily looking at how digital technologies have demonstrated its importance to social movement and how the state’s control over the internet threatens internet freedom in Indonesia. 

Click [ISEAS] for more information about the Conference.

12 August 2021 @ 1:00-4:30 p.m. (GMT+8), ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, Singapore

Digital Disruptions – Panel IV: The Implementation of Digital Governance

This session will focus on digital governance and examine the associated problems that arise with its implementation such as lack of necessary infrastructure, scepticism to government, and inefficient bureaucracy.

If you want to join the event, you can register at [ISEAS].

13 August 2021 @ 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. (GMT-4), The Dialogue, USA

Data for Change – The Use of Official Information in the Educational Community

The online event identifies the barriers that limit the access and use of official data and to present initiatives and mechanisms that exist to make it more friendly and useful for civil society in general and for the educational community, specifically. 

If you want to know more about the event, go to [The Dialogue].

13 August 2021 @ 6:30 p.m. (GMT -5.30), Observer Research Foundation, India

Book Discussion | India 2030: Rise of a Rajasic Nation

This book captures the many aspects of a future that will culminate in India becoming the world's third-largest economy and a regional power before the decade gets over.

For more information on the book discussion, please visit [ORF].

13 August @ 01:00 a.m. (GTM+2), Centre for Indonesian Policy Studies, Jakarta

Indonesia Policy Dialogue – The role of private sector in economy recovery

In this Zoom Webinar Mr. Arsjad Rasjid will discuss the challenges faced by the private sector after more than one year of the COVID-19 pandemic. It will also explore strategies and initiatives made by Kadin to increase the private sector contributions to boosting Indonesia’s economic growth and recovery. 

Please see [Centre for Indonesian Policy Studies] for more information. 

13 August @ 9:30 a.m. (GTM+2), National University of Singapore

Dept Sustainability – an International Perspective

This online Zoom event will deal with the controversial debate around public debt and fiscal risks. Dr. Schuknecht presents the facts, arguments and scenarios for public debt dynamics in the future. He finds record public debt and high fiscal risks at the global level and in the largest countries, with potential for important international spillovers and spillbacks (including in Asia). He will discuss the options to bring down debt and risks, which he considers a prudent approach, though perhaps not the most likely scenario.

For more information, please see [National University of Singapore].

14 August 2021 @ 6:00 p.m. (GMT -5.30), Observer Research Foundation, India

Negotiating China: India’s Long Game

This book explores the dynamics of negotiation between the two countries, from the early years after Independence until the current times, through the prism of six historical and recent events in the India-China relationship. 

For more information on the book discussion, please see [ORF].

16-20 August 2021 @ 9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. (GMT+5.30), ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, Singapore

ASEAN-India Development Partnership Programme

The online programme will bring together a panel of leading experts from the fields of policy, academia, law and industry to deliver lectures and conduct interactive sessions on various topics and subjects that are critical towards forging mutually beneficial collaborations and deeper regional cooperation between ASEAN countries and India.

Find out more at [ISEAS].

16 August 2021 @ 9:00-10:30 a.m. (GMT-4), The Center for Global Development (CGD), USA

Why Sustainable Food Systems Are Needed in a Post-COVID-19 World

In this online session, Nicoletta Batini will open the panel with a presentation of her new edited book “The Economics of Sustainable Food”. The presentation will be followed by a panel discussion featuring sustainable agriculture and food security economists and sustainable development experts.

More event details are provided at [CGD].

16 August 2021 @ 2:30-4:00 p.m. (GMT-4), Center for Strategic & International Studies, USA

A New Agenda for the Hemisphere: Perspectives from Ambassadors

Six decades after the launch of the Alliance for Progress, the hemisphere is in need of a transformational initiative for regional reengagement; one that is based on cooperation and mutual commitment. This webinar will discuss how to foster a constructive and diverse dialogue around priorities of interest to the entire hemisphere.

Please see [CSIS] for more information.

16 August 2021 @ 9:00–10:30 a.m. (GMT+9), Asian Development Bank Institute, Japan

ADBI-Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Webinar on Sanitation and Development: Strategies to Increase Adoption of Welfare-Improving Technologies (like Toilets)

This session will explain the importance of understanding the sources of behavioural and structural barriers to new technology adoption to devise policies and marketing strategies for addressing these barriers. 

More information about the event is provided at [ADB].

17 August 2021 @ 10:00-11:00 a.m. (GMT+8), ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, Singapore

Vietnam’s Ageing Population and Socio-Economic Implications

This webinar will address the following key questions: What is Vietnam’s current population mix and how will it evolve? What are the advantageous aspects of this mix for Vietnam’s socio-economic development and what are the challenges on the horizon? How has the Vietnamese government responded to these challenges and what more should be done?

Please register at [ISEAS] to join the webinar.

17 August 2021 @ 9:00 a.m. - 18 August @ 1:30 p.m. (GMT+8), Institute Of Strategic & International Studies, Malaysia

34th Asia-Pacific Roundtable – DISRUPTION REDUX

The 34th APR focuses on the theme of “Disruption Redux”, underscoring the ongoing disruptive impact(s) of the global pandemic on various spheres of the evolving architectures and mechanisms underpinning the Asia Pacific, and its long-term ripple effects.

More information about the event is provided at [ISIS].

17 August 2021 @ 10:00–11:00 a.m. (GMT+9), Asian Development Bank Institute, Japan

ADBI Featured Speaker Webinar: United States Patent and Trademark Office’s Peter Fowler on IP Protection and Enforcement for Trade, Competition, and Innovation in Asia and the Pacific

This webinar will describe USPTO partnership with the region’s national intellectual property offices in building intellectual property protection and enforcement. Also, it explains how an intellectual property-friendly economy could facilitate job creation and innovation in Asia and the Pacific, and the need for greater capacity building in related areas such as technology transfer and commercialization.

See [ADB] for further information.

17 August 2021 @ 8:30-9:15 a.m. (GMT-4), Center for Strategic & International Studies, USA

What’s Next for Cross-Strait Relations? Trends, Drivers, and Challenges

This event is a discussion on the future opportunities and challenges that confront cross-Strait relations with Chiu Chui-cheng, Deputy Minister of Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council.

If you want to attend the event, find out how to register at [CSIS].

17 August 2021 @ 2:00-3:15 p.m. (GMT-4), Center for Strategic & International Studies, USA

Rethinking Homeland Defense: Global Integration, Domain Awareness, Information Dominance and Decision Superiority

This online event will discuss the recently completed Global Information Dominance Experiment 3 (GIDE3), executed in collaboration with all eleven U.S. combatant commands, as well as NORAD and USNORTHCOM's focus on Global Integration, Domain Awareness, Information Dominance, and Decision Superiority for the defence of North America.

Further event details are available at [CSIS].

17 August @ 03:00 a.m. (GTM+2), Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia

34th Asia-Pacific Roundtable – Disruption Redux

This event will focus on the theme of “Disruption Redux”, underscoring the ongoing disruptive impact(s) of the global pandemic on various spheres of the evolving architectures and mechanisms underpinning the Asia Pacific, and its long-term ripple effects.

Please see [ISIS Malaysia] for more information. 

18 August 2021 @ 5:30-6:30 p.m. (GMT+10), Australian Strategic Policy Institute, Australia

ANZUS at 70: The past, present and future of the alliance

This publication encompasses the historical foundations of ANZUS, its evolution in the post-war world, as well as contemporary and emerging challenges to the alliance from different perspectives including geopolitical trends in the Asia-Pacific region. 

If you want to attend the event, find out how to register at [ASPI].

18 August 2021 @ 10:00-11:30 a.m. (GMT+8), ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, Singapore

Archaeological Evidence of Bagan and Arakan in Early 2nd Millennium AD

This presentation will explore the different types of architectural remains and Buddhist iconography through the age in Bagan and introduce the archaeological evidence of trade, communities, landscape, religious and urban architecture of early modern Mrauk U.

For more information on the webinar, click [ISEAS].

18 August 2021 @ 05:15-06:30 p.m. (GMT+8), Institute of Water Policy (IWP), Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy - NUS, Singapore 

Reflections on a Public Policy Approach to a Green, Inclusive and Resilient Recovery

The Covid-19 pandemic and the climate change crisis represent existential threats. This online session will reflect on a public policy approach building on four integrated themes. 

If you want to know more about the event, go to [IKY].

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