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Asia in Review

No. 37, September/2020, 3

Brought to you by CPG

 Dear Readers,

Welcome to your weekly brief on past week's events and developments in law and governance, international relations and geopolitics in Asia.

The Asia in Review team wishes you an enjoyable read and extends special greetings to readers in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Papua New Guinea and Saint Kitts and Nevis which all celebrate Independence Day this week.

With best regards, 

Henning Glaser 

Director, German-Southeast Asian Center of Excellence for Public Policy and Good Governance (CPG)

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: Pressure against Chinese government’s Uighur treatment in Xinjiang mounting

(dql) Accusing the Chinese government and Chinese senior official of crimes against humanity, torture and genocide, the “East Turkistan Government in Exile,” and the “East Turkistan National Awakening Movement”, two organizations of Uighurs, have filed a complaint with the International Criminal Court (ICC), in a historic first attempt to use international law to hold Beijing accountable for its alleged mistreatment of the minority group in Xinjiang. [NBC]

The Chinese government has been facing increasing pressure over its repressive policies and measures against the Uighurs in Xinjiang, in particular over internment camps in which more than one million Uighur Muslims are believed to be held for political and ideological indoctrination. In latest moves, over 130 British lawmakers condemned Beijing’s “ethnic cleansing” in Xinjiang in letter to the Chinese Ambassador to the United Kingdom, while more than 300 civil society groups have called on the United Nations to establish an international watchdog to address human rights violations by the Chinese government in Xinjiang, Hong Kong and  Tibet and beyond. [Bloomberg] [9 News]

China has consistently rejected these allegations, insisting that these camps are vocational training centers established to counter Muslim extremism and separatism. [Global Times]

For an account of growing criticism of China’s Xinjiang policy in Muslim and Muslim-majority countries in the Middle East and Southeast Asia see Nithin Coca in [Foreign Affairs] who argues that Beijing “has painted itself into a corner” by its actions in Xinjiang and risks to “bedevil its foreign relations with the Muslim world in the years to come.”

China: Xi Jinping critics detained and standing trial 

(dql) A prominent publisher who has expressed support for Xu Zhangrun, a Chinese legal scholar and outspoken critic of the President Xi Jinping, has been detained, officially over suspicion of running “an illicit business”. 

Critics, however, view the arrest as punishment for the publisher’s defense of Xu and as an attempt to deter support for regime-critical voices. [South China Morning Post] [AiR No. 27, July/2020, 1]

Meanwhile, construction tycoon and offspring of an important family of revolutionary leaders Ren Zhiqiang is standing trial over official charges of appropriation of public funds and abuse of power committed when he was serving as manager of a state-owned enterprise. Observers, however, believe that the real reason for his trial is his open critic of President Xi Jinping in an online article in which he alluded to the President as "power hungry clown,” and following which he was put under investigation in April.  [Asia News] [AiR No. 15, April/2020, 2]

China: Setback for LGBT movement

(dql) Shanghai Pride, China's longest-running and only major annual celebration of sexual minorities, last week announced that it will halt its parade, with the reasons not disclosed by the organizers. It is, however, believed that the organizing team members have been facing pressure from government authorities, signaling that, while homosexuality is not illegal in China and was dropped from the list of mental disorders in 2001, sexual minorities continue to experience persistent discrimination and prejudices from the Chinese government and the public. [South China Morning Post] [CNN]

China’s global lead in coronavirus vaccine development 

(dql) China has approved the phase I human testing for a nasal spray vaccine, the latest Covid-19 vaccine candidate and the 10th candidate from China to enter the stage of human testing, reflecting the country’s lead in the global vaccine development, with around 35 other candidates currently in human testing. [Bloomberg][Vox]

For an account on the major role of the military in the Covid-19 vaccine development in China see Dyani Lewis in [Nature], while Sui-Lee Wee in [New York Times] provides insights into China’s vaccine pledges to countries across the globe, in an attempt to send “powerful signal of China’s rise as a scientific leader” in the emerging post-Covid 19 global order.

China: Protests against reducing Mongolian as teaching language in Inner Mongolia quashed

(ef) The school strikes in the past weeks that were aimed against reducing Mongolian as teaching language in favor of Mandarin in schools in Inner Mongolia [AiR No. 36, September/2020, 2] have been successfully quashed by Chinese authorities, with parents sending their children back to school without further public complaints and the new textbooks being used. [Financial Times] [Manila Standard]

Japan: Chief Cabinet Secretary set to become next Prime Minister after winning LPD presidency election

(dql) As widely expected, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga won the race for the leadership of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) against his contenders: LDP policy chief and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, and former LDP Secretary general and former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba. 

At Monday’s election meeting, Suga secured 377 votes, compared with 89 and 68 for Kishida and Ishiba respectively. The victory paves the way his election as Japan’s next Prime Minister in an extraordinary session of the parliament this week as the LDP commands the majority in both chambers of the Diet. [AP] [AiR No. 36, September/2020, 2]

Following his election, Suga pledged to focus on tackling the coronavirus pandemic and the nation's economic woes and dismissed speculations about a snap election which had floated in the run-up to the election. [Nikkei Asian Review] [Mainichi]

Japan: New major party formed

(dql) The new Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan was formally launched on Tuesday through the merger of two parties, the Democratic Party for the People and the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, seeking to become an alternative political force to the long-dominant ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). 

The new party which took over the name of the larger of the two merging parties holds 107 seats in the House of Representatives and 43 in the House of Councillors, compared with 284 and 113 seats respectively for the LDP. [Mainichi] 

South Korea: Government to tighten discipline among civil servants to fight pandemic

(dql) The South Korean government announced that it is stepping up efforts to tighten discipline in fighting the pandemic among the country’s public servants by introducing "special inspection" measures to tackle possible corruption, negligence at work, evasion of responsibility and other misdeeds, as well as a breach of regulations aimed at preventing the spread of the virus. [Yonhap]

South Korea had been able to control the spread of the coronavirus very early, but was facing a surge in infections last month. 

Taiwan: Constitutional amendment committee to be set up

(dql) Taiwan's Legislature decided to establish an ad hoc committee in charge of revising the constitution, based on a consensus between ruling and opposition parties and comprising 22 ruling Democratic Progressive Party lawmakers, 14 main opposition Kuomintang legislators, as well as two of the Taiwan People's Party, and one of the New Power Party.

In the most recent parliamentary session (February to May), 11 drafts for constitutional amendments passed the first of three thresholds after receiving approval by least one quarter of the 113 lawmakers. These drafts could be reviewed by the new committee. 

There are high requirements for amending the constitution in Taiwan. Following the first threshold constitutional revisions require in a second step the approval of at least three-quarters of the lawmakers present at a meeting of the Legislature attended by a minimum of three-quarters of all lawmakers. In a third step approval by the half of the electorate in a public referendum is needed. [Taiwan News] [Focus Taiwan]

Taiwan: Backlash against government’s decision to lower pork import standards 

(ef) In response to the decision of the Taiwanese government to liberalize standards for pork imports to allow imports of American pork containing residues of ractopamine, an animal feed additive used to promote leanness and increase food conversion efficiency in livestock, to push for a trade agreement with the USA, the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) announced  that it would propose legislation against lowering such standards. [Focus Taiwan] [AiR No. 35, September/2020, 1]

In an earlier related move, Taiwanese civic groups also announced plans to form an alliance against the government's move and urged the Tsai administration to stop the policy, citing concerns over public health and undemocratic decision making. [Taipei Times]

Taiwan: KMT cancels visit to China 

(ef) After Chinese state media announced that the opposition Kuomintang’s visit to China to attend this year’s Straits Forum was aimed at “suing for peace”, the party announced that it would cancel the visit of the event scheduled to open this week, citing what it called “inappropriate comments”, damaging mutual trust.

The Straits Forum is an annual forum between Mainland China and Taiwan and the largest non-political platform aimed at fostering grassroots interaction in the areas economy, trade and culture across the Taiwan Strait. 

After uninterrupted attendance of the forum since its inception in 2009, this year’s boycott reflects the KTM’s current struggle to walk a thin line between upholding ties with China and coping with an increasingly China-skeptical public in Taiwan in the midst of a reform process of the party following the heavy defeat in the January presidential election. [Taipei Times] [Macau Business]

Law and Politics in South Asia 

India: Parliament reopens with the government bracing for debate over coronavirus, border-standoff with China

(lm) Indian lawmakers returned to the nation’s Parliament on Monday after a five-month absence, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, the nosediving economy and a tense border standoff with China setting the stage for a turbulent 18-day session. Opposition parties protested the cancelling of the question hour - in which lawmakers seek direct replies from ministers and hold them accountable for the functioning of their ministries - saying that the move takes away the opportunity to grill the government on its policies. [The Hindu] [The Straits Times] [Al Jazeera]

Against the backdrop of ongoing Chinese incursions in the northern region of Ladakh [see e.g. AiR No. 36, September/2020, 2], Defense Minister Rajnath Singh is expected to make a statement in Parliament on Tuesday. The session will also include rolling out measures to mitigate rising unemployment caused by an economy that contracted by 23.9 percent in the second quarter - the biggest contraction among major economies. [One India] [Hindustan Times] [NY Times]

India: Rights groups accuse Facebook of helping spread violent hate speech in India

(lm) In a letter addressed to Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg and his second-in-command Sheryl Sandberg, over 40 civil rights groups said the company had failed to address hateful content in India and demanded the head of the social network’s policy Ankhi Das to be sidelined pending the results of a civil rights audit. [South China Morning Post] [Al Jazeera]

The letter comes in the wake of a controversy over anti-Muslim remarks posted on the page of T. Raja Singh, a regional lawmaker for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that were not initially removed. Opposition parties said Facebook favors the BJP after The Wall Street Journal reported in August that Ankhi Das had intervened in internal communication to stop a permanent ban on Mr. Singh to protect the company’s business interests. The South Asian nation is Facebook’s and its messaging service WhatsApp’s biggest market in terms of number of users. [The Wall Street Journal] [The Hindustan Times]

On Saturday, the Delhi Assembly panel on peace and harmony summoned Facebook's India chief to answer the allegations. The panel - headed by Mr Raghav Chadha, a lawmaker with a party rivalling Prime Minister's Narendra Modi's BJP – also issued a notice to Mr. Ajit Mohan, the managing director of Facebook India, to appear before it on September 15 to determine the "veracity of allegations". [The Straits Times] [The Wire]

Maldives: Over 40 arrested at opposition rally

(lm) At a rally that was jointly organized by the two parties of the opposition coalition, the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) and the People's National Congress (PNC), police on Saturday arrested a large number of protesters, citing participants' failure to exercise social distancing measures and wear face masks. On Sunday, all individuals, except one, were released. [Avas] [The Edition 1]

Opposition protesters took to the streets their concerns over the incumbent administration "selling off Maldives", calling for the release of former President Abdulla Yameen who currently serves a five-year jail sentence on money laundering charges. Claiming that Mr. Yameen was the "solution" for the country's issues, demonstrators also called for incumbent President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih's resignation. [The Edition 2]

Nepal: Ruling party resolves differences between PM Oli and co-chairman Dahal

(lm) The Standing Committee of Nepal’s ruling Communist Party (NCP) passed on Saturday an agenda jointly prepared by the two co-chairmen of the party — Premier Minister KP Sharma Oli and Pushpa Kamal Dahal — to resolve the months-long infightings. Henceforth, Mr. Dahal will serve as an executive chairman of the NCP and be given full power to handle the party’s affairs. Moreover, while the party will not interfere in government affairs, on key governance policies and issues of national importance Premier Minister Oli will have to follow NCP guidelines. The decision clearly echoes the recommendations made by a six-member task force formed in August to end the stalemate between the two politicians [see AiR No. 34, August/2020, 4]. [The Kathmandu Post] [The Himalayan Times] [Business Standard]

Further, the 13-member panel decided to amend and subsequently endorse the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) agreement signed between Nepal and the US in 2017, thereby following the recommendations of a three-member task force led by former premier minister Jhala Nath Khanal. Under the MCC, the US government agreed to provide $500 million in grants to support infrastructure projects in Nepal, while Kathmandu would chip in $130 million. What’s more, many NCP members believe the MCC to be part of Washington’s Indo-Pacific Strategy and thus may be used for military purposes to counter Chinese influence in the region. [Onlinekhabar] [The Diplomat]

Following a decision made by the Standing Committee, the next NCP General Convention will be taking place between April 7 to 12 2021; the next Central Committee meeting is to be held between October 31 to November 2 this year.

Pakistan’s ex-president indicted; former PM declared absconder

(lm) Pakistan’s accountability court indicted former president Asif Ali Zardari and former Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani in corruption cases on Wednesday, while former premier Nawaz Sharif was declared in absentia an absconder over his prolonged absence from the proceedings. Mr. Sharif, who was jailed in a corruption case in 2018, has been residing in London since November last year after a court granted him indefinite bail to seek medical treatment. The court, after issuing the warrants, adjourned the hearing until September 24. [The Indian Express] [The Express Tribune] [South Asia Monitor] [The Straits Times] [The Nation]

In March, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had accused Mr. Zardari and Mr. Sharif of illegally retaining expensive vehicles gifted to them from foreign rulers and dignitaries instead of depositing them in the Toshakhana (state gift repository) during Mr. Zardari’s tenure from 2008 to 2013. The NAB had further maintained that Mr. Gilani, as then-prime minister, relaxed the procedure for the acceptance and disposal of gifts to the benefit of Mr. Zardari and Mr. Sharif – a move that caused a heavy loss to the national exchequer, according to the NAB. An arrest warrant had been issued against the co-chairman of the opposition Pakistan Peoples Party for failing to appear before court in June. [AiR No. 26, June/2020, 5]

Last month, the accountability court formally framed separate charges against Mr. Zardari for buying assets overseas from undeclared sources. He was accused of having dozens of bogus bank accounts - a charge he denies. The court also dismissed another application of Mr. Zardari that challenged the accountability court’s jurisdiction and sought transfer of the case to a banking court. [AiR No. 32, August/2020, 2]

Pakistan: Fresh session of National Assembly, Senate see tabling of Financial Action Task Force bill

(py) Fresh sessions of both National Assembly and Senate will likely carry the tabling of bills related to efforts by Prime Minister Imran Khan to have the country lifted from a Financial Action Task Force (FATF) rating list of countries tagged as prone to illicit financial activity. In June, the FATF plenary had given Islamabad another extension on the “grey list” until this October to report total compliance with the FATF’s 27-point action plan [see AiR No. 26, June/2020, 5]. [Asia Times]

Both FATF-related bills, the Anti-Money Laundering (Second Amendment) Bill and the Islamabad Capital Territory Waqf Properties Bill passed the National Assembly, where the ruling Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) holds the majority, on August 24 but were rejected by the opposition-dominated upper house a day later [see AiR No. 35, September/2020, 1]. In order for the bill to become law, both bills will now have to be passed in a joint sitting of parliament, where opposition political parties, including the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) enjoy a thin majority of nine votes. [DAWN]

Law and Politics in Southeast Asia 

Cambodian TikTok-user arrested for disparaging Angkor Wat

(jn) A young Cambodian man popular on the TikTok social media platform was arrested after posting a video that questioned the country’s reverence for its famed Angkor Wat temple, even though he quickly deleted it and posted an apology, the police said Thursday. 

In the video posted Tuesday, the man, Nhel Thearina who has more than 100,000 TikTok-followers, asked: “Why does everyone love posting about Angkor Wat temple? […] [I]t does not belong to Cambodians, so don’t post it […].”

The police chief in the eastern province of Tbong Khmum, said Thearina was arrested shortly after posting the video because it could cause chaos in society. [AP]

Cambodia: New round of arrests and sentencings of activists elicit condemnation by rights groups, UN

(jn) In recent days, several Cambodian dissidents have been sentenced or jailed on charges of incitement or attempts to overthrow the government, a culmination of a string of arrests since July that rights groups have decried as an authoritarian crackdown against government critics.

Activist and former official of the banned Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), Pen Mom (39) was sentenced to five years by a court in southern Cambodia for allegedly conspiring with exiled opposition party founder and leader Sam Rainsy to topple the ruling government in 2019. Pen Mom was among more than 100 party members arrested for mobilizing to welcome Rainsy’s planned return to Cambodia from self-imposed exile in Paris last November. However, the return was thwarted when Cambodian authorities barred him from entry [see AiR No. 42, October/2019, 3, AiR No. 46, November/2019, 2]. 76 of the aforementioned 100 people arrested in 2019 were since released on bail. 

Human Rights groups have called on the government to also release Pen Mom and to end its campaign of fear and repression against human rights defenders. [Bangkok Post] [Radio Free Asia 1]

In yet another arrest, Muong Sopheak (24), the brother of leader of a student opposition group, was detained on charges of “incitement to provoke social unrest” following a court warrant. Sopheak had taken part in a protest organized by youth activists on September 6 in a Phnom Penh park, and in petitioning the U.S. Embassy to intervene in the cases of other activists who are jailed on similar charges. Two other activists had been arrested that day in what seemed to be a retaliation for planning a demonstration to call for the release of labor leader Rong Chhun who himself had been arrested in July. He was charged with incitement after publicly claiming that Cambodia’s government had ceded land to neighboring Vietnam. For the same reasons, authorities had already arrested six activists over the weekend of September 4-6 [see also AiR No. 36, September/2020, 2].

On Friday, the repression tactics of the Cambodian government came into international spotlight when the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet issued a scathing indictment of the Cambodian government’s repression of its citizens, calling on its authorities to release those arrested for exercising their rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and association in the country.

In the statement, Bachelet said arrests of 24 human rights campaigners have been documented since Rong Chhun was taken into custody, including eight in September alone. While 13 were released after pledging to refrain from further rights activities, 12 remain in detention—most of whom face charges of “incitement to commit felony,” including three environmental activists.

The office also detailed numerous incidents of threats and intimidation against activists, of “unnecessary and excessive use of force” by security forces against protesters on multiple occasions as well as an ongoing crackdown against civil society organizations that has seen two groups shut down for “incitement”. The report called for the immediate release of political prisoners, and for an end of the violent crackdown and intimidation tactics against civil society actors. [Radio Free Asia 2] [Radio Free Asia 3] [OHCHR statement]

In extraordinary testimony, Myanmar soldiers confess atrocious crimes

(jn) Tapes with confessions of two deserted soldiers of the Myanmar military have been published by a human rights group in which they admit to their involvement in large-scale and state-sponsored massacres, rapes and other severe crimes against the Rohingya Muslim minority in Myanmar’s Rakhine state. In the recording, they explicitly recount the orders of their superiors to “[s]hoot all you see and all you hear”, including children. One of the privates said that “we indiscriminately shot at everybody, […] Muslim men in the foreheads and kicked the bodies into the hole.” They also said they marauded and wiped out about 20 villages and dumped numerous bodies in mass graves.

The two soldiers’ video testimony, recorded by a rebel militia, is the first time that members of the Tatmadaw, Myanmar’s military, have openly confessed to taking part in what United Nations officials say was a genocidal campaign against the country’s Rohingya Muslim minority. The two men were transported to The Hague last week, where the International Criminal Court (ICC) has opened a case to determine whether Tatmadaw leaders possibly committed crimes against humanity and genocide against the Rohingya. The soldiers are not under arrest, but in the custody of the ICC where they have been questioned extensively, before possibly being charged as well. Usually the ICC prosecutes high-ranking figures accused of committing crimes under the Rome Statute. The ICC’s Office of the Prosecutor said it would not comment on its ongoing investigations. 

The confessions could also be used in a separate genocide case that was brought by Gambia against Myanmar at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at the beginning of this year. According to investigations by the New York Times, details in their accounts fit descriptions of witnesses and observers, including Rohingya refugees, Rakhine residents, Tatmadaw soldiers and local politicians. The crimes involving the two soldiers led to the murder of some 150 civilians and the destruction of dozens of villages and were part of widespread military campaign against the Rohingya that expelled at least 730.000 people in the late summer of 2017. At least 6.700 Rohingya were killed only between August and September of that year, about 200 of their settlements were completely erased from 2017 to 2019.

Up to now, the Myanmar government led by Aung San Suu Kyi has denied any such concerted crackdown against the Rohingya, labeling it counter-terrorism measures and even blaming the Rohingya themselves for burning down their villages, and only a few soldiers have been punished for what were officially called isolated missteps.

Matthew Smith, the chief executive officer of Fortify Rights, the group that published the confessions, said in a statement that this was a “monumental moment for Rohingya and the people of Myanmar in their ongoing struggle for justice.” He also said that the confessions demonstrate that the Tatmadaw operated with a well-functioning, specific and centralized command structure. This is of relevance under the legal doctrine of command responsibility, that makes it possible to establish criminal responsibility of higher-ranking officers for heinous acts carried out by those serving under them.

The videos were filmed in July while the soldiers were in the custody of the Arakan Army, an ethnic armed organization in Rakhine State that is fighting the Myanmar government. According to several news outlets, it was not possible to verify the soldiers’ accounts or to ascertain whether they made their statements under duress. [New York Times] [AP] [CNN]

Myanmar election season kicked off amid undefeated pandemic

(jn) Myanmar’s leader and state counselor Aung San Suu Kyi officially started the election campaign for her party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), last Tuesday amid rising Covid-19 cases in Yangon and Rakhine State. Her party is widely expected to again win the most seats in the November 8 general election and Suu Kyi herself is likely to remain as state counsellor, the de facto head of state. The military-aligned Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) is the NLD’s main opponent.

The health ministry reported more than 3000 cases as of Monday and 32 deaths, a sudden spike after Myanmar registered months of relatively low numbers. The government imposed a lockdown order on Rakhine and parts of the capital Yangon and grounded all domestic flights.

The Union Election Commission (UEC) has not yet decided on a postponement of the election but has not allowed in-person campaign activities in areas where shutdown measures and other restrictions have been imposed. [AP] [VOA] [Department of Public Health Myanmar]

It has also been reported that Thailand’s security forces on the border to Myanmar are on high alert to prevent an influx of migrants who are reportedly seeking to escape the soaring Covid-19 infections in their country. [Asia Times]

Vietnam: Death sentences handed down despite torture allegations in Dong Tam trial

(jn) A court in Vietnam’s capital Hanoi on Monday sentenced two defendants to death, also handing down a life sentence amid other sentences, in the trial of 29 villagers over a deadly land-rights clash in January at the Dong Tam commune. 

The group faced charges of murder and obstruction for what prosecutors say was their role in a violent showdown over land rights when 3.000 security officers were deployed in a long-running dispute over a military airport construction site south of the capital that left three police officers and a protest leader dead.

Last week, nineteen defendants of the group had testified that they had been tortured by the police during interrogations following their arrest over the clash, with one saying he had been beaten with a rubber club for ten consecutive days. [Radio Free Asia 1] [Radio Free Asia 2]

Laos’ economic, and thus political, dependence on China growing  

(jn/py) The $6 billion China-Laos highspeed railway is on track for completion in just over a year, with the first train scheduled to arrive on December 2, 2021. However, as a partner in China’s Belt and Road Iniative (BRI) Laos seems to have become the latest victim to its so-called debt trap whereby nations are pressed into making sovereignty-eroding concessions after defaulting on their infrastructure-related debts owed to Beijing. Laos has borrowed heavily to invest in several Mekong River hydropower projects as well as the $6 billion high-speed rail project, a key link in China’s BRI design to connect its southern province of Yunnan with mainland Southeast Asia. Since the entailing financial obligations of the railway project seem to have become untenable, the Lao government is now being forced to sell state assets like the majority control of the national electric power grid to a Chinese state-owned enterprise.[The Lao Times ] 

Électricité du Laos (EDL), the state-owned power grid, and China Southern Power Grid  (CSG), one of China’s state-owned power grids, agreed on a joint venture, Électricité du Laos Transmission Company Limited (EDLT). [The Economist 1] Laos’ foreign exchange reserves have fallen below $1 billion, less than the country’s annual owed debt payments, putting the country on the verge of a sovereign default. News reports suggest that the Lao Finance Ministry has asked China, its biggest foreign creditor with around 45% of Lao’s foreign debt owed to China in 2019 [The Economist 2],  to restructure its debts to avoid defaulting.

Last month, Moody’s downgraded Laos to junk territory, from B3 to Caa2, and changed its outlook on the country from neutral to negative due to “severe liquidity stress.” [Asia Times]

Though Laos could approach the International Monetary Fund under its COVID-19 Financial Assistance and Debt Service Relief response, the government made clear that they preferably resort to China as IMF agreement would require greater financial transparency. [Bangkok Post]  In 2019, Laos was reported as a country with no significant progress in the 2019 Fiscal Transparency Report by the U.S. Department of State. [U.S. Department of State]

Indonesia: Revision of Constitutional Court Laws

(nd) On September 1, the House of Representatives (DPR) passed a law revision on the Constitutional Court (MK). The judicial term was prolonged to 15 years with the possibility of reelection while enabling the judges to hold office until the age of 70. The previous law set the maximum age to 60, with a single judicial term of five years and the possibility of reelection for another five years. The factual prolongation of terms of the nine incumbent justices was not supported with a higher level of supervision, opening the possibility of greater susceptibility to political interference, legal experts and activists considered. They also criticize the reform does not enhance transparency in the judicial selection process, with the new law — like the old — only stipulates the electoral process has to be transparent and publicly open, without giving a mandatory procedure.

Similarly, the deliberation process for the new law was criticized as non-transparent for it mostly occurred behind closed doors with some asking why this reform was prioritized without an obvious need. Also, the bill was one of the fastest to be deliberated, taking the legislature only eight days. 

Lawmaker Herman Hery of the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), chairing the House Commission III on legal affairs that finalized the bill, rebuffed the allegations, stating the speed was due to only a few substantive provisions being changed.  [Jakarta Post]

Thailand: Government to reduce number of teenage pregnancies

(nd) The Bureau of Reproductive Health aims to reduce teenage pregnancy from 31,4 % to 25 % by 2026. The blame was found in a difficult access to contraceptives, partly because state hospitals purchase only small amounts of supplies. A reluctance to use contraceptive could also stem from existing negative perceptions from service providers and society in general toward the topic. [Bangkok Post]

Planned parenthood and abortion remain sensitive topics in Thailand. A pregnancy can be terminated legally if (1) a woman’s physical or mental health are at risk, (2) the fetus has a high risk of a genetic disease, or (3) in cases of rape and (4) girls under the age of 15. Nevertheless, section 301 of the Criminal Code entails a prison sentence or a fine for seeking an abortion. Section 305 exempts the offense if one of the four circumstances is given. On February 19, 2010, the Constitutional Court of Thailand ruled the current abortion law as unconstitutional, violating the constitutionally granted equality between men and women, giving the government 360 days to amend it, no later than February 13, 2021. [Reuters]

Social stigma and the Buddhist opposition on abortion make reforms a tough subject. The estimated number of women seeking underground abortion is estimated at 200,000 a year. [Bangkok Post 2]

Thailand: Broader amendments to Constitution proposed

(nd) After the motion brought forward by opposition Kao Klai party to amend section 272 to mitigate the Senate’s influence on the election of the Prime Minister [See also AiR No. 36, September/2020, 2] lost necessary support by MPs, opposition Pheu Thai Party proposed four motions for further amendments, including section 272. [Thai PBS World]

The second motion aims to enable MPs, alongside senators as it is currently, to be involved in national reforms, the third aims to nullify section 279 that grants indefinite amnesty to the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO). The fourth bill shall amend the electoral system to use the 

system of the 1997 charter. The motions will be debated on September 23 and 24. [Bangkok Post]

Chapters 1 and 2 of the Constitution, that contain general principles and sections associated with the monarchy, shall remain untouched.

Thailand: Student protest ongoing

(nd) Labor Minister Suchat Chomklin warned that the ongoing protests and the demands to overthrow the government would hurt efforts to help the economy deal with the repercussions of mitigating the spread of Covid-19. [Coconuts Bangkok] Also, it remains a highly sensitive topic that some protesters demand the monarchy to be toppled, referring to the Lese Majeste laws in Article 112, which determines a jail sentence for insulting the king. After the protesters announce to rally at Thammasat University in Bangkok, the government sent letters to university heads to discourage the students from taking that step, warning this could lead to violence. [Chiangrai Times] They referenced the Black May 1992 and the Thammasat University massacre in 1976, both involving government protests that were followed by violent crackdowns by the armed forces. Since most universities are sponsored by the government, such orders are not unusual, according to Anusorn Unno, a lecturer at Thammasat University. 

Meanwhile, the US embassy in Bangkok issued the following response to what it calls “a blogsite dedicated to purveying disinformation”: “The US government is not funding or otherwise providing support to any of the protests in Thailand.” [US Embassy Bangkok]

Thailand: Newly appointed deputies of the Lord Chamberlain

(nd) To fill the newly created positions of deputies of the Lord Chamberlain, his Majesty the King has appointed retiring army chief Gen Apirat Kongsompong and Corrections Department director-general Naras Savestanan, both coming from Class 20 of the Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School. Their status will change to palace officials after they retire, on September 30. The Bureau Royal Household is an agency of the monarchy and has a range of administrative and ceremonial responsibilities. [Bangkok Post]

Philippines: Marcos’ Birthday anniversary fuel petitions against ATA

(nd) Amid plans of declaring Sept. 11 a public holiday in the Ilocos Norte province, in honor of the the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, civil rights groups have petitioned the Supreme Court to nullify the 2020 anti-terrorism act (ATA) on the basis that it violates basic rights and harms democratic discourse.

The law allows enforcement agencies to detain suspects of terrorism for up to 24 days without a court charge. This allegedly contravenes the Constitution, which allows holding for 3 days. 

Many groups fear the ATA will lead to forced confessions, torture, and abuse of power, and the latest petition joins 30 others previously filed to the Supreme Court.

The late Ferdinand Marcos is still a controversial figure in Philippine politics. He ruled the country for close to two decades, until a 1986 military-backed uprising. Previous Philippine governments have held him responsible for widespread human rights abuse, with thousands of people killed and tortured. President Duterte, however, is understood to hold Marcos in high regards, supporting the controversial decision to give the late dictator a hero’s burial with military honors in 2016. [Rappler] [Philstar] [The Guardian] [Manila Standard]

Philippines: SC rejects request of SALN against Justice Leonen

(nd) Unanimously, the Supreme Court in an en banc decision a request to obtain Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) of Associate Justice Marvic Leonen. The request was brought by the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) in order to prepare a Quo Warranto petition, which is a legal action to determine whether a person is legally entitled to hold the public office he or she does. Leonen is a consistent dissenter in the Court, scolding colleagues when deciding in favor of president Rodrigo Duterte. In a SC decision from 2018 to remove former chief justice Maria Lourdes Sereno via an unprecedented Quo Warranto petition, Leonen dissented, stressing the Constitution allows removal of justices trough impeachment only. With the SC denied the request, voices say the decision could put an end to Quo Warranto threats against the judiciary.  [Rappler]

Philippines: Withdrawal of ABS-CBN frequencies

(nd) The Duterte administration withdrew the frequencies of the country’s biggest broadcasting network. Two months ago, the National Telecommunication Commission (NTC) recalled the frequencies after ABS-CDN’s franchise application was denied on July 10. The franchise renewal bills have been pending since 2014. A petition challenging the decision by NTC was dismissed by the Supreme Court August 25. [GMA network] The 25-year franchise ended on May 4. ABS-CBN has since shifted its focus on businesses to free-to-air broadcast, which does not require a legislative franchise to operate such as streaming and digital business. [Manila Times] [GMA network 2]

International Relations, Geopolitics and Security in Asia

China: Reusable spacecraft successfully tested

(dql) China successfully completed the launch of a reusable experimental spacecraft after it safely landed after two days in space. China’s media outlets celebrated the flight as a major “breakthrough” in reusable spacecraft research paving the way to “offer convenient and low-cost round-trip transport for the peaceful use of space.” [Space] [Xinhua]

China-USA relations: Washington to block products from Xinjiang

(dql) In a move further escalating already high running Sino-US trade tensions, the USA is about to block the import of cotton and tomato products from China’s western region of Xinjiang over suspicion of forced-labor involvement in the production of these goods, as the US Customs and Border Protection is preparing withhold release orders.

Under President Trump, Washington has steadily stepped up its pressure on Beijing over its treatment of Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang, where China is accused of running internment camps with more than one million Muslims believed to be held there and put to work. China rejects these claims and calls the camps vocational training centers needed to fight extremism.

In a strongly worded response, China accused the USA of using the orders as a pretext to “oppress Chinese companies, destabilize Xinjiang and slander China’s Xinjiang policy.” [Reuters]

Meanwhile, defying US President Donald Trump’s threats of US-Chinese decoupling and of sanctions against US companies, which outsource jobs to China, US firms operating in China are overwhelmingly not considering to leave China, with more than 90% of more than 340 firms saying that the plan to remain in the country, responding to a survey conducted by the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai. [CNN]

Observers argue, that while at least partial decoupling from China is not only rhetoric, but a real policy option for President Trump to stop reliance on China – esp. in the area rare earths, medical equipment and technology – Beijing will not give in and will develop its own systems of trade, finance and technology to defend its interests. [CNBC 1]

For an assessment of China’s chances to build up its own semiconductor industry see Arjun Kharpal in [CNBC 2]

China-USA relations: Tensions over visas restrictions deepen 

(dql) The United States has revealed that it has so far revoked over 1,000 student visas of Chinese nationals it believes are linked to the Chinese military, since the implementation of President Trump’s proclamation in May to restrict the entry of certain Chinese students and researchers to the USA suspected of being used by Beijing for stealing sensitive U.S. technologies and intellectual property. [Reuters]

China decried the move, accusing the USA of “outright political persecution and racial discrimination.” [NBC].

In retaliatory move, Beijing announced that it will impose restrictions on all American diplomats in China. [Aljazeera]

The announcement comes also on the heels of new regulations introduced by the US government under which senior Chinese diplomats are required to obtain State Department approval before visiting US university campuses or holding cultural events with more than 50 people outside mission grounds. [AiR No. 36, September/2020, 2]

China-Australia relations: Diplomatic dispute over Australian journalists 

(dql) Sino-Australian relations continue to spiral downwards, after the Chinese government has accused Australian consular officials of obstructing and disrupting the normal law enforcement activities of Chinese authorities by providing shelter to two Australian journalists last week.

The two China correspondents, working for the ABC and the Australian Financial Review respectively, were flown out of China following a diplomatic standoff after Chinese state security services sought to interview them on another Chinese born Australian journalist detained in August over charges of endangering national security. [The Guardian] [AiR No. 36, September/2020, 2]

Canberra, meanwhile, confirmed that four journalists working for Chinese state media were raided in June by Australian security agencies. The raid was revealed by Beijing in response to criticism of the treatment of the above mentioned two Australian journalists. [Aljazeera]

Chinese and Russian forces to join Caucus 2020

(dql) In a latest sign of ever-growing military cooperation between China and Russia, the Chinese Defense Ministry announced that Chinese and Russian forces will conduct joint military exercises in the frame of "Caucasus 2020" in southern Russia from 21-26 September, with a focus on defensive tactics, encirclement and battlefield control and command.

Further countries taking part in these drills include Armenia, Belarus, Iran, Myanmar, Pakistan and others. [CBS News]

China-EU agreement on geographical indications signed amid differences over Xinjiang

(dql) On Monday China and the European Union announced the signing of an agreement on the mutual protection of 100 European Geographical Indications (GIs) in China and 100 Chinese GIs in the European Union against usurpation and imitation. The announcement was made during a virtual conference which replaced the China-Germany-EU leaders' meeting – originally planned to be held in Leipzig but cancelled due to the pandemic – and which was attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, EU Council President Charles Michel, and European Commission Chief Ursula von der Leyen.

At the conference, both sides agreed on the conclusion of a trade agreement, with Brussels demanding that Beijing opens the Chinese market for foreign investments and Xi Jinping confirming to speed up negotiations. 

In response to demands to allow investigations of China’s treatment of minorities in Xinjiang, Xi appeared less conciliatory, calling criticism of Beijing’s Xinjiang policies an interference in domestic affairs and insisting that “Europe could find good solutions to its own problems.” China, however, “doesn’t accept a lecturer on human rights.” [Deutsche Welle] [Bloomberg Quint]

China-Germany relations: German government adopts policy guidelines on the Indo-Pacific region

(lm) On Wednesday, Germany’s Federal Foreign Office unveiled a major strategic shift by announcing an Indo-Pacific strategy that suggests a reassessment of Berlin’s traditionally Beijing-friendly foreign policy. Germany is the second European nation to use the term ‘Indo-Pacific’ as a geographical and strategic construct in foreign and security policy discourse, following France which adopted its Indo-Pacific strategy in May 2019. The new guidelines foreground maritime security cooperation, human rights, and the diversification of the country’s economic partnerships in the region in order for it and its regional partners to “avoid unilateral dependencies.” [Federal Foreign Office] [full document (in German) Federal Foreign Office].

Context and timing of the announcement are noteworthy. On July 1, Germany assumed the EU Council’s six-monthly rotating presidency, putting it in a position to shape the bloc’s approach to the Indo-Pacific throughout the remainder of its term. In light of Germany’s Foreign Minister Heiko Maas call for a unified European approach to China [see European Council on Foreign Relations], the EU is expected to come out with its Indo-Pacific vision soon [see e.g. The Economic Times]. On September 14, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who is currently chairing the European Union Council, together with European Council President Charles Michel, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Joseph Borrell, met with China’s President Xi Jinping for a summit through video link. [Council of the European Union]

The announcement further comes in the wake of a five-nation European tour by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi [see e.g. South China Morning Post 1]. His colleague Yang Jiechi, the head of the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Foreign Affairs Commission, was also visiting Spain and Greece last week [see AiR No. 35, September/2020, 1] [South China Morning Post 2].

As the coronavirus pandemic has brought to the fore afresh the importance of diversification away from trade and supply chain dependence, India, Japan, and Australia are all reconsidering their dependence on China in strategic sectors, in many ways mirroring the debate in Europe. In August, the three nations agreed to move towards a “Supply Chain Resilience Initiative”, after Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry had first broached the idea with the Indian government. [AiR No. 34, August/2020, 4]

While some observers have argued that the new policy paper “unmistakably signals Europe’s growing reassessment of its approach to China” [see The Diplomat or Nikkei Asian Review] or even a potential convergence of German and US foreign policy towards the Asia-Pacific [see Global Times], in his commentary, Andreas Fulda notes that Berlin’s Indo-Pacific strategy offers no critical self-reflection about existing shortcomings of Berlin’s previous China engagement. Acknowledging that diction and focus of Germany’s Indo-Pacific strategy varies significantly from the US approach, he finds the new guidelines lacking a tentative clue as to how Germany aims to address existing power imbalances in the region. [RUSI]

China bans import of pork from Germany

(dql) Following Germany’s first case of African swine fever, China has banned pork imports from Germany, third-largest exporter of pork to China. The ban is likely to considerably hit Germany's pork industry, with exports to China worth amounting to around 1.2 billion USD annually. 

In response to the ban, the German government confirmed that it is in talks with China over a ban only on imports of pork coming from the region in which an ASF case was found, replacing the blanket national import ban. [Deutsche Welle]

Japan-India relations: Military logistical support agreement signed

(dql) Japan and India have signed a military agreement on the exchange logistical support, including providing each country’s military forces with supplies and services such as food, fuel and spare parts, as well as transportation and the use of each other's facilities in joint exercises and U.N. peacekeeping operations. [Kyodo News]

The agreement is the latest signal of increasingly close security cooperation between both countries under the Abe administration which started with the “Japan and India Vision 2025 Special Strategic and Global Partnership” announced by Abe and Modi during the former’s visit to India in December 2015. See for the major points and steps of this development Mark S Cogan and Vivek Mishra in [Deccan Herald].

Japan-United Kingdom relations: Trade agreement concluded

(dql) Japan and Britain last week reached agreement in principle on a trade deal that is expected to increase bilateral trade by 15 billion pounds annually. To be formalized in October, the deal replicates most of the existing Economic Partnership Agreement between Japan and the EU of 2018, maintaining the removal of tariffs and other trade barriers, while adding new digital provisions such as a ban on data localization. 

For the UK, the agreement – Britain’s first post-Brexit deal – comes at a critical moment as London and Brussels are amidst a bitter dispute about new British legislation which breaches parts of the EU-UK withdrawal agreement, making a no-deal Brexit possible. [CNN] [AP]

Cross-strait relations: China’s large-scale exercises in Taiwan’s air defense identification zone

(ef) Last week, China conducted large-scale joint air and naval exercises in Taiwan's air defense identification zone, as two dozen Chinese military aircraft and naval ships operated in an area between Pratas and Taiwan’s south-western coast, prompting Taiwan to denounce the move as a “severe provocation,” and to warn that China “should not overlook the Taiwanese people’s will to preserve their freedom and democracy.”  

The move has been called the most serious threat to Taiwan’s security since the 1996 crisis in the wake of a series of missile tests conducted by China in the waters surrounding Taiwan and believed to be an attempt to intimidate the Taiwanese electorate in ahead of the 1996 presidential election. 

Analysts view the exercises as an attempt to broaden the Chinese operating space, thus squeezing the Taiwanese buffer zone. Such air defense buffer zone is unilaterally declared and their standing under international law is unclear. Entry into such zones is not illegal under international law, however it is politically condemned.

The operation confirms concerns that the People’s Liberation Army would increase military pressure, once the pandemic was under control in China. Unlike other recent Chinese provocations, this one was not a response to any US military activity, therefore potentially indicating a more serious threat as China becomes more aggressive. [Financial Times] [The Diplomat ($)] [Focus Taiwan 1]

In addition to the exercises, a reconnaissance vessel of the People’s Liberation Army was spotted off the Taiwanese east coast for the second day in a row. The occurrence takes place just as Taiwan’s National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology is testing missiles. [Focus Taiwan 2]

Taiwan-USA: Upcoming visit of US Undersecretary angers China 

(ef) A visit of the US Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment, to visit to Taiwan for economic talks scheduled for later this week, has prompted fierce opposition by China, warning that the planned meeting would cause “serious damage” to Sino-US relations as well as to peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and calling on Washington to halt official exchanges with Taipei. [Associated Press]

Signaling improving and strengthening US-Taiwan relations, the visit will come shortly after the one by US Health Secretary Alex Azar last month, marking so far the highest-level U.S. Cabinet official to visit Taiwan since the USA ended formal ties with Taiwan and established diplomatic relations with China in 1979. [AiR No. 32, August/2020, 2]

In a related development, Taiwan’s 2021 Defense budget proposal submitted to the parliament reveals that visits of Taiwan defense officials to the Pentagon’s Strategic Capabilities Office are scheduled for next year, with the aim to discuss closer military and strategic cooperation to develop innovative ways to counter emerging threats. Originally, the visit was scheduled for 2020, but cancelled due to the pandemic. [Focus Taiwan]

South Korea: Joint naval drills with USA, Japan and Australia

(dql) South Korea’s Navy last week joined the multinational maritime exercise Pacific Vanguard, led by the USA and participated also by Japan and Australia. The three-day exercise was held in waters near Guam and included live-fire, surface warfare, combined maneuver, anti-submarine warfare and replenishment-at-sea drills. The 7,600-ton Aegis destroyer Seoae Ryu Sung-ryong and the 4,400-ton Chungmugong Yi Sun-shin were dispatched by Seoul to the exercise. [KBS] [Stars and Stripes]

South Korea: Advancing military capabilities

(dql) South Korea has revealed plans to invest 2.3 billion USD over the next ten year in the development drones for military use, including surveillance and firing grenades and rifles. [Yonhap]

Seoul is also set to develop an indigenous engine for its K-9 self-propelled howitzer, as the Defense Acquisition Program Administration and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy are about to sign a memorandum of understanding on the joint research and development of local weapons, to be launched in 2021. [Aju Business Daily]

South Korea set to enter talks with Uzbekistan on free trade agreement

(dql) South Korea is set to begin formal negotiations with Uzbekistan by the end of this year to sign a bilateral free trade deal, with Seoul completing domestic procedures this month. 

The central Asian country is an important partner for South Korea's New Northern Policy which aims at deepening South Korea’s partnerships with countries located north of the peninsula. [Korea Herald]

Pakistani Taliban reunification might pose threat to China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)

(lm) While peace negotiations between the Afghan Taliban and the government in Kabul are still underway [see e.g. The Straits Times, The Diplomat], Pakistan’s leading Taliban group, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), has announced its reunification with three formerly estranged factions – a move that analysts say could pose a security risk to projects linked to the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in northwestern Pakistan. [Nikkei Asian Review 1] [News Live TV]

Founded in 2007 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the TTP is a designated foreign terrorist organization (FTO) that draws its ideological views from al-Qaida. Until they splintered in 2014 over internal rifts within the TTP leadership, the Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, the Hizb ul-Ahrar and Hakeemullah Mehsud group were the three major factions in the TTP. Last month, it was announced the militant outfits would reunite, and also being joined by a faction of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, a banned terror group operating in the western province of Balochistan. [The Straits Times]

The group’s initial footprints were in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and in semi-autonomous tribal regions bordering Afghanistan, where Pakistan’s army has conducted a series of operations since 2014, forcing the group to take sanctuary over the border in Afghanistan. Islamabad claims the terrorist network has now set up command and control structures in both Kunar and Nangarhar provinces in eastern Afghanistan to attack Pakistani security forces. Experts say it is possible the TTP will use its sustained militant presence along the border to create a buffer zone between Afghanistan and Pakistan to, once again, declare a state of the Pakistani Taliban, which hosts Islamist foreign fighters. [Voice of America] [The Diplomat]

Pakistan’s military on Sunday claimed to have killed a key militant commander along with his three accomplices near the Afghanistan border, describing it a major breakthrough in ongoing security operations against suspected terrorists. [Anadolu Agency]

The TTP’s reunification has put China in a tight spot, given the fact that they were pressing Pakistan to crack down on ethnic separatist groups in Balochistan and Sindh due to projects linked to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which is a part of the BRI. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province’s remote areas, Chinese companies are involved in several development projects, mainly in the field of hydro-electricity generation and infrastructure, such as the Karakoram Highway Phase II. To advance Beijing’s interest in the Afghanistan-Pakistan belt, Chinese officials have reportedly stepped up contacts with Afghan Taliban representatives, offering to build a road networks in Taliban-controlled territories as well as energy projects, provided the militants can ensure peace in Afghanistan after the US military withdrawal. [Financial Times] [Nikkei Asia Review 2]

Maldives, US sign defense agreement

(lm) Representatives of the US and the Maldives signed on September 10 the “Framework for U.S. Department of Defense-Maldives Ministry of Defence Defense and Security Relationship” which sets forth an “intent to deepen engagement and cooperation in support of maintaining peace and security in the Indian Ocean”, according to a US Defense Department press release. Although it does not contain too many operational details but rather provides broad strokes on the areas of convergence, the bilateral US-Maldives framework agreement brings the archipelago firmly into the ‘Indo-Pacific’ side of the emerging geopolitical maritime fault line pitting the US and its allies against China. [Department of Defense] [South Asia Monitor]

India had opposed Washington’s proposal to sign a Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) with Maldives in 2013, in an effort to curb attempts by extra-regional powers to extend their strategic footprint in parts of the Indian ocean that New Delhi considered its distinct sphere of influence. There has been no official response from India yet, but, in a sign of the changed dynamics in the region, New Delhi reportedly welcomed the agreement. Noteworthy, Washington’s decision to deepen military ties with the Maldives was reportedly taken in consultation with New Delhi, which has also recently strengthened its strategic ties with the Maldives, pledging $500 million towards funding the largest civilian infrastructure in the island nation this August [see AiR No. 36, September/2020, 2]. [The Diplomat]

India-Maldives relations have grown considerably warmer since President Ibrahim Solih took power following an electoral victory over hitherto-President Abdulla Yameen in November 2018, with India’s “Neighborhood First” policy finding afresh resonance in the Maldives’ return to its traditional “India First” policy [see AiR No. 33, August/2020, 3]. Still, the Maldives government is currently facing a sustained campaign from the opposition Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM)-People's National Congress (PNC) alliance, to corner it on defense relations with India. Last Sunday, the Maldives chief of defense forces held a press conference where he categorically asserted that “no foreign armed forces are present” in the archipelago. [The Edition] [The Hindu] [The Wire]

India, Pakistan: New Delhi denies Islamabad’s request to allow Indian lawyer in Jadhav case

(py) Tensions between Pakistan and India over the case of a former Indian naval officer, who currently sits on death row in Pakistan [see AiR No. 28, July/2020, 2], continue to rise, as Islamabad denied New Delhi’s request to allow an Indian lawyer to represent its citizen in his appeals. [Times Now News]

According to the Pakistani government, only locally registered lawyers would be allowed to appear before the bench in Mr. Jadhav’s trial. In keeping with the 2019 International Court of Justice (ICJ) verdict, Islamabad further claimed to have provided India “uninterrupted and unimpeded” consular access to Mr. Jadhav and said it would continue to do so in the future. [Daily Pakistan 1] [Daily Pakistan 2]

Previously, Islamabad had inquired New Delhi about the appointment of a legal representative for Mr. Jadhav after the Islamabad High Court (IHC) had directed the federal government to give India another change to appoint a lawyer for Mr. Jadhav and adjourned the hearing until October 3. [AiR No. 36, September/2020, 2]

Indian Air Force formally inducts Rafale fighter jets

(lm) On Thursday, the Indian Air Force (IAF) formally inducted five newly acquired Rafale fighter aircrafts at its airbase in Ambala, around 200 km from New Delhi. A part of the IAF's 17 Squadron, the Rafale jets are considered a potential game-changer in the ongoing border tensions between India and China in eastern Ladakh. [Hindustan Times] [The Indian Express] [Zee News] [The Straits Times]

The inducted Rafale fighter jets are part of a total of 36 fighter jets and had arrived in India on July 27. Contracted from France under a $9.4 billion Inter-Governmental Agreement signed in 2016, the deal has been shadowed by corruption allegations levelled by the opposition Congress party, though Prime Minister Narendra Modi has fenced off the claims. [AiR No. 30, July/2020, 4]

In June, India also sought an early supply of a Russian anti-aircraft missile defense system – hitherto set for December 2021 – and asked Russia to fast-track the delivery of 21 Russian MiG-29 and 12 Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter aircrafts. [AiR No. 26, June/2020, 5]

India, China: External Affairs Minister Jaishankar meets Chinese counterpart

(lm) Indian and Chinese troops were facing off on Wednesday, barely a few hundred meters apart in at least four locations south of the Pangong Tso lake. Both countries had previously accused each other’s soldiers of firing warning shots on the Line of Actual Control (LAC), violating a 1996 no-fire agreement and further escalating military tensions in the Himalayan border region. The same day, Indian and Chinese military representatives met to amicably de-escalate the tension along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh but the talks were "inconclusive". [South Asia Monitor] [AiR No. 36, September/2020, 2] [The Straits Times 1]

Against this backdrop, Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar met with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit on Thursday. Upon noting that “the current situation in the border area is not in the interests of both sides,” India and China pledged to de-escalate tensions along their disputed Himalayan border. The meeting was followed by a luncheon meeting of the foreign ministers of the Russia-India-China (RIC) grouping. [South China Morning Post]

On Sunday, Beijing released five Indian nationals it detained earlier this month in a region bordering Tibet, with China’s state-backed Global Times saying that the five were Indian intelligence agents dressed as hunters, disputing claims that they had been kidnapped. On June 5, the Indian Army used a military hotline designed to help defuse border tensions to inquire about allegations that five men had been abducted by the People’s Liberation Army from the Indian border state of Arunachal Pradesh, which is also claimed by China (South Tibet) [see AiR No. 36, September/2020, 2]. [The Straits Times 2]

Pakistan: Army Chief stresses importance of protecting nation’s interests

(lm) While presiding over the Corps Commanders’ Conference held at Pakistan army’s general headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi on Wednesday, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa stressed afresh the need to enhance the military’s combat readiness to better respond to 5th generation and hybrid warfare tactics [see AiR No. 36, September/2020, 2]. The previous day, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) briefed the military’s leadership about the situation on the Line of Control (LoC). [Ukranian News] [The News]

Increased ceasefire violations committed by the Indian military along the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir, which is divided between India and Pakistan and claimed by both in its entirety, as well as human rights violations in the disputed territories were noted as major causes of concern for regional peace and stability.

On Sunday, Pakistan’s military said a Pakistani girl was killed and four other villagers critically wounded by Indian troops firing into the Pakistan-administered part of the disputed region of Kashmir. A senior Indian diplomat was summoned the following day to lodge a protest over the “unprovoked” firing. [Daily Sabah] [The Guardian]

Pakistan: Foreign Minister Qureshi meets Russian counterpart in Moscow

(lm) Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Wednesday and Thursday joined his counterparts from member countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Moscow.

During a meeting with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, Mr. Qureshi underscored that Islamabad aimed to establish a long-term partnership with Russia and extended an invitation to Mr. Lavrov to visit Pakistan. Before leaving for Moscow, Mr. Qureshi said the completion of the North-South liquefied natural gas (LNG) pipeline (NSGP) was a priority for both countries. Signed in 2015, the $2.25 billion project that stretches from Lahore to the port city of Karachi is facing delays due to US sanctions against the Russian state conglomerate Rostec and a dispute over transport fees. [Profit Pakistan Today 1] [Profit Pakistan Today 2] [The News]

Islamabad will also be participating in the Russia-organized multilateral Kavkaz 2020 exercise (to be held between 15 September and 26 in Astrakhan in southern Russia). [The Express Tribune]

On Saturday then, while virtually participating in the 27th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Region Forum (ARF) Mr. Qureshi reaffirmed Islamabad’s support for the ongoing negotiations of Code of Conduct (CoC), which aims to regulate actions in the South China Sea. A single draft of the CoC was first put forth in August 2018, with an agreement reached in November 2018 by China and ASEAN to finalize the CoC within three years, starting from 2019 [see AiR (2/11/2018) AiR (3/11/2018)]. Last month, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called on ASEAN member states to resume the CoC talks. [DAWN]

Sri Lanka: Government pledges to increase maritime security to prevent poaching

(lm) Sri Lanka’s government announced on Thursday it would take measures to increase security in the Northern seas to prevent Indian trawlers from poaching in Sri Lankan territorial waters. The previous day, fishermen in the Tamil-majority Northern Province had launched a protest demanding Fisheries authorities to take actions against intruding Indian trawlers. [Colombo Page]

Sri Lanka: Foreign Ministry to order back diplomats from ten overseas missions

(lm) Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Foreign Relations has taken steps to recall ambassadors and high commissioners from 10 diplomatic missions for reasons of age. Other suitable ambassadors and high commissioners will be appointed in the future to fill the vacant missions, according to the Foreign Ministry.

Meanwhile, former Minister Milinda Moragoda has been nominated as Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to India and former Foreign Secretary and former Permanent Representative to the United Nations Dr. Palitha Kohona has been nominated as Sri Lanka’s ambassador to China. [Colombo Page]

Sri Lanka: Former PM Ranil Wickremesinghe, 15 others summoned to appear before the Presidential Commission

(lm) The Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) investigating allegations of political victimization re-issued summons on former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on September 7 to appear before the commission on October 19. The three-member Presidential Commission was appointed by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in January 2020 to investigate allegations of political victimization of public servants during the tenure of the past regime from 2015-2019.

In particular, the PCol currently investigates the Anti-Corruption Committee Secretariat (ACCS) which was established in 2015 under the Wickremesinghe-led government to investigate frauds and corruption cases of the previous regime. Last week, Mr. Wickremesinghe, who was then chairman of the committee, testified that the ACCS was not a legal entity and thus had no legal capacity to file a lawsuit or file a complaint against a natural person or an institution. [Colombo Page] [South Asia Monitor]

Vietnam: U.S., Mekong ministers meet amid latest rivalry with China 

(jn) U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun and foreign ministers from five Southeast Asian countries along the Mekong River held the first Mekong-U.S.-Partnership Ministerial Meeting on Friday, discussing ways to deepen their partnership amid the latest frictions with China over the 4,350-kilometer river. Mr. Biegun announced $153 million in US funds for the region, among other things $55 million for the purpose of combating transboundary crime and $1.8 million to support data sharing on Mekong River water resources.

During the group's inaugural meeting, Mr. Biegun claimed that the current drought suffered in the Mekong downstream area during the past two years has been caused by China that has built 11 dams in the upstream area. A report published in April by the U.S.-based Eyes on Earth shows that China's upstream dams have been holding back 47 billion cubic meters of water, likely being the cause for severely disrupting a river that feeds more than 60 million people. [Kyodo News] [Nikkei Asian Review]

Indonesia: Chinese Vessel driven off EEZ 

(nd) The Indonesian Maritime Security Agency reported to have driven off a Chinese coast guard vessel from Indonesia’s exclusive economic zone in the North Natuna Sea. The agency claims that the ship insisted it had the right to patrol the so-called nine-dash line. The line is meant to denote Chinese territorial claims, in particular regarding fishing grounds, in the South China Sea. It is, however, disputed by most countries in the region, including Indonesia, and a frequent source of tension between China and her Southern neighbors. 

In 2016, an international tribunal dismissed the nine-dash line as legally baseless. In 1982, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) rejected the nine-dash line and granted Indonesia sovereign rights to the natural resources in its EEZ. Based on the convention, an arbitral tribunal ruled in 2016 China had no historic rights to these waters.[Jakarta Post]

Philippines: “Fast lane” for Chinese workers 

(nd) The governments in Manila and Beijing agreed to a “fast lane” for Chinese personnel working in projects under the Duterte administration’s Build, Build, Build (BBB) program.

At the moment, there are 70 projects fully or partly financed by China through its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), mainly infrastructural and transportation projects, involving roads and bridges, airports, seaports, railways, communication and flood control. [Manila Times]

Thailand: Hold on KraCanal

(nd) After the second postponement of submarine purchases from China [See also AiR No. 36, September/2020, 2], the Thai government announced it would shelve the project and replacing it with an own project. [Thailand News] Since the water levels in the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand differ, a land bridge carrying dual tracked railways and highways connected with deep sea ports in Chumphon and Ranong was said to be a better solution to shorten travel time.[Thailand News]

The plan to build the KraCanal was neither officially approved not promoted as as BRI project by China. [Today Online] Thoughts about a canal cutting through the Isthmus of Kra in Southern Thailand date back centuries. The 120-km canal cutting through from East to West would bypass the Strait of Malacca, through which currently up to 40 % of the world’s trade passes through and reduce shipping distances and time. China first showed interest in the Canal in 2005, making it part of its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) since it improves accessing the Indian Ocean and connectivity with southern China. The Canal has the possibility to alter the geopolitical landscape. Together with other Chinese projects in the region, including the Kyaukpyu Deep Seaport in Rakhine and the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor, it can help to manifest and legitimate China’s presence in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). Thai security establishment stressed the issue of a partition of the country by the Canal, suggesting it would increase the threat of separatism. [Irrawaddy]

ASEAN foreign minister meeting held virtually with focus on South China Sea Dispute, pandemic and Rohingya crisis

(jn/nd) ASEAN’s foreign ministers conducted their annual summit by video on Wednesday to discuss how to overcome the immense challenges presented by the pandemic, rising tensions by the US-China rivalry in the South China Sea dispute while also touching on the continuing plight of the Rohingya refugees. The ministers were also scheduled to meet Asian and Western counterparts, like China and the US. The talks kicked off a four-day string of ASEAN meetings that were delayed by a month and were now held online to avoid COVID-19 exposure. Vietnam hosted the talks as this year’s chairman of the group. 

Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc opened the conference with a speech pointing out the repercussions of the pandemic on people and businesses while also acknowledging the “growing volatilities that endanger peace and stability” in the South China Sea, all of which required regional solidarity. Indonesia's foreign minister Retno Marsudi addressed US and China representatives to not trap Indonesia in a regional struggle between the two. [Jakarta Post] Tensions between the two powers rose recently, not only with respect to trade and sanctions but because of the status of the South China Sea. Having become not only one of the world’s busiest commercial waterways, these waters are also subject to various territorial claims with Chinese military maneuvers establishing facts on the ground. [See also AiR No. 35, September/2020, 1]

China accused the US of becoming “the biggest driver of militarization” in the resource-rich waters. [Manila Times] This year, the US intensified "freedom of navigation" operations in South China Sea, including bringing two aircraft carriers into the region for the first time since 2014 and lifting submarine deployments and surveillance flights.

In fact, Marsudi referenced a joint statement given last month by all 10 ASEAN foreign ministers, showing they are united in their focus on peace and not taking sides as China-US relations are deteriorating. The latter fact was earlier emphasized by Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. He was promoting an inclusive regional structure, with important regional powers such as Japan and India on the rise, and emphasized the importance of strong ASEAN cooperation, despite inward looking tendencies of the member countries. Because of its own claims and ethnic involvement, China was not able to fulfill the security role of the US. Still, the Belt and Road Initiative, he stressed, if carried out with financial prudence, is a step towards needed multilateral cooperation and to develop connectivity and infrastructure, which was neglected before. [Foreign Affairs]

In another virtual meeting on Thursday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged ASEAN leaders to reconsider deals with Chinese companies that have been blacklisted by the US for building island outposts which he said Beijing was using to “bully” rival claimants in the disputed South China Sea. [South China Morning Post] The Philippines referred to their need of Chinese investments, despite the two nation’s dispute over one of the region’s richest fishing grounds, Scarborough Shoal. [Manila Standard]

In their communiqué, the ministers reaffirmed the importance of maintaining and promoting peace, security and freedom of navigation in, and overflight above, the South China Sea and underscored the need for giving effect to the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC). They also commended the progress in negotiations with China on an effective and substantive Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC) consistent with international law, including the 1982 UNCLOS. First COC talks occurred in 2002 but have so long been without a result. [Hanoi Times] The text also mentions the concerns by some ministers on land reclamations, activities and serious incidents in the South China Sea which, it states, have eroded trust, increased tensions, and may undermine peace and security in the region. [AP] [Al Jazeera] [ASEAN FM Communiqué] [Bangkok Post] [Nikkei Asian Review] [The Diplomat]

Another key project was establishing a COVID-19 response fund to help ASEAN member states buy medical supplies and protective suits. A regional stockpile of medical supplies has also been approved, and a study to be financed by Japan will research the possibility of establishing an ASEAN center on public health emergencies. The communiqué also calls for “enhanced collaboration and sharing of experience with ASEAN’s partners in research, development, production, and distribution of vaccines, providing access to medicines for COVID-19 and other diseases in future public health emergencies, and making them available and affordable to all as global public goods.”

Referring to diminished regional movement and trade due to the pandemic, the statement also noted that members encouraged “the maintenance of necessary interconnectedness in the region” by facilitating a resumption in the cross-border movement of people.

ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. During the last meeting, ASEAN reached a consensus agreement with four more states, France, Italy, Cuba and Colombia. [VN Express]

Announcements

Upcoming Online Events

15-18 September 2020 @ 9:00 am – 5:00 pm IST, Centre for Policy Research, India

Delivering for Nutrition in India: Insights from Implementation Research

At this virtual conference, participants will deliberate on ways of tapping into new insights from implementation research to help strengthen the maternal and child nutrition initiatives in India.

Details are available at [CPR India].

15 September 2020 @ 10:00 am EDT, Center for Strategic & International Studies, USA

Venezuela on the Brink of Famine: The Impact of Covid-19

This event will shed light on the gravity of the situation in Venezuela and how the pandemic has deepened the humanitarian crisis. 

To access the discussion, please register here: [CSIS].

16 September 2020 @ 10:00 am EDT, Middle East Institute, USA

Is a Plan B Needed to Save Afghanistan?

The webinar will examine whether Afghanistan pull itself together and whether Afghans and their international partners should think about a Plan B to save the republic. 

Registration details are available under [MEI].

16 September 2020 @ 1:00 pm EDT, Council on Foreign Relations, USA

Trust and Distrust in the American Political System

This virtual panel discussion will focus on the intersection of US politics and the theory of the “deep state” and the effect the devolution of public trust has.

Details are accessible at [CFR].

16 September 2020 @ 10:30 am JST, Sasakawa Peace Foundation, Japan

Migration and Reinforcement of Social Protection

This webinar will examine the experiences and challenges of migrant workers in countries of origin and destination. and how responsible migration can be promoted.

Details are accessible under [SPF].

16 September 2020 @ 12:30 pm CEST, Bruegel, Belgium

The Sound of Economics Live: The State of the Union Going Forward

This webinar will evaluate the State of the Union address that Ursula con der Leyen will deliver on September 16.

Please find the details here: [Bruegel]

16 September 2020 @ 8:00 pm HKT, Asia Society, Hong Kong

The Path Forward: Effective U.S. Foreign Policy for the 21st Century

This virtual panel discussion will explore the question as to how de-escalation and de-risk of the US-China conflict could look like.

If you are interested in joining the webinar, please find further details at [Asia Society].

16 September 2020 @ 6:30 pm CEST, DiploFoundation, Belgium

Round Table on The Future of Internet Governance in Geneva

This roundtable discussion will discuss the issues and challenges of Internet governance and the role that Geneva could play.

See [Diplo] for additional information.

16 September 2020 @ 8:30 am EDT, Heritage Foundation, USA

Japan’s New Leader Faces China Threat and Other Challenges

This webinar will examine how Japan’s new leader will respond to US demands for greater security contributions while balancing competing economic demands of Washington and Beijing.

If you are interested in joining the webinar, please find further details at [Heritage].

16 September 2020 @ 3:00 pm EDT, Heritage Foundation, USA

Riots in the Streets: Lessons from the 1960s for 2020

This webinar will compare today’s protests in America to the ones in the 1960s and discover notable lessons on how to respond to today’s protests.

Details are accessible under [Heritage].

16 September 2020 @ 11:00 am EDT, Center for Strategic & International Studies, USA

The Eisenhower Legacy in Space

This discussion with Susan Eisenhower will focus on her grandfather’s decision to separate military and civil space programs to the simultaneous competition.

If you are interested in joining the webinar, please register under [CSIS].

16 September 2020 @ 10:30 am JST, Sasakawa Peace Foundation, Japan

Migration and Reinforcement of Social Protection

This event is part of the webinar series “Enhancing Responsible Business in Southeast Asia”. This episode will examine the experiences and challenges of migrant works in countries of origin and destination, and explore the businesses’ role in promoting responsible migration.

For more information and registration, kindly follow [SPF].

16 September 2020 @ 10:00 am PDT, Pacific Council on International Policy, USA

Changing Course: US Policy in the South China Sea

This webinar will explore the impact shifting US policy will have on South China Sea claimant nations as well as China’s approach to the resource-rich region.

For registration details, please visit [Pacific Council].

16 September 2020 @ 6:30 pm CEST, DiploFoundation, Malta

Round Table on The Future of Internet Governance in Geneva

This roundtable discussion will assess the issues and challenges of Internet governance and the role that Geneva could play in this area.

See [Diplo] for additional information.

16 September 2020 @ 2:00 pm JST, Asian Development Bank, Japan

Protecting Aging Societies in Asia from the COVID-19 Pandemic

This webinar will examine the effects of the pandemic on aging societies in Asia and the Pacific. 

For further details, please see [ADB].

17 September 2020 @ 10:30 am EDT, United States Institute of Peace, USA

India’s Foreign Policy Outlook: An Inflection Point

This webinar will feature Former Indian Foreign Secretary and Ambassador Nirupama Rao who will discuss how India defines its foreign policy outlook in a changing global and regional order.

Please check [USIP] for registration details.

17 September 2020 @ 9:00 am EDT, German Marshall Fund, USA

In Belarus and Other Autocracies: The Power of Digital Resistance

This webinar will explore the power of the digital in facing up to authoritarianism and the double-edged sword it may pose.

Please find the details here: [GMFUS].

17 September 2020 @ 9:00 am EDT, Center for Strategic & International Studies, USA

Schieffer Series: US Trade and Economic Leadership in the Next Decade

This event will discuss what the US needs to do to prepare itself for the economy of 2030 and how the Covid-19 pandemic impacts US trade leadership and current issues in global trade and supply chains.

Please find the details here: [CSIS].

17 September 2020 @ 1:00 pm EDT, Center for Strategic & International Studies, USA

A Conversation with Rep. Joaquin Castro and Rep. Will Hurd on “Information Warfare: US Competition with China”

The congressmen will explore Chinese disinformation attempts relating to the US, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, as well as maintain a welcoming space for foreign talent and education while maintaining national security.

Event information is accessible at [CSIS]

17 September 2020 @ 11:00 am EDT, American Enterprise Institute, USA

‘Remember the ladies’: Reflections on a centennial of women’s suffrage

This virtual lecture will examine the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution as its centennial is marked.

If you are interested in joining the webinar, please find further details at [AEI].

17 September 2020 @ 8:30 am EDT, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, USA

India in the Indo-Pacific: New Delhi’s Theater of Opportunity

This virtual panel discussion will seek to answer what role India envisions for itself in the Indo-Pacific.

For more information and registration, kindly follow [Carnegie]

17 September 2020 @ 9:30 am EDT, Center for a New American Security, USA

Protecting Democracy: Foreign Interference, Voter Confidence, and Defensive Strategies in the 2020 Elections and Beyond

This symposium will engage discussants from the public and private sector as well as academia and focus on patterns of foreign election interference and voter attitudes.

Please find registration details here: [CNAS].

17 September 2020 @ 3:00 pm CEST, European Council on Foreign Relations, Germany

Turkey’s role in the Eastern Mediterranean: Threats of Conflict and Prospects for Dialogue

This virtual talk with Ibrahim Kalin, the Spokesperson and Senior Advisor to Recep Tayyip Erdogan, will focus on Turkey’s position in the current Eastern Mediterranean conflict, the risks of military escalation and prospects for a dialogue with Europe.

Please find more details here: [ECFR].

17 September 2020 @ 10:00 am EDT, Atlantic Council, USA

Should Europe go its own way?

This webinar will examine whether Europe should go its own way for the first time since 1945.

See [Atlantic Council] for additional information.

18 September 2020 @ 9:30 am EDT, Atlantic Council, USA

Belarus and democracy in Europe

This event will discuss how the European Union could help to mediate the crisis in Belarus.

See [Atlantic Council] for additional information.

18 September 2020 @ 10:00 am UTC+8, East Asian Institute, Singapore

The South China Sea Dispute: US-China Rivalry, Lawfare and the Prospects for a Code of Conduct

This virtual panel discussion will examine how the US-China Rivalry in the South China Sea and how the conflict could possibly be appeased.

Details are accessible under [NUS].

18 September 2020 @ 3:00 pm CEST, Clingendael Russia & Eastern Europe Centre, The Netherlands 

The Non-Proliferation Treaty: US and Russian Perspectives

This webinar will discuss the Non-Proliferation Treaty from a US and a Russian perspective, respectively and will seek to examine if the NPT is still relevant to those states.

Please visit [Clingendael] for details about the event.

18 September 2020 @ 6:30 pm IST, The United Service Institution of India, India

Dynamics of India-China-Pakistan: Contestations and Implications

The webinar will discuss the dynamics of India-China-Pakistan relations in conversation with the Director of the United Service Institution of India.

For more information, please visit [USI].

21 September 2020 @ 10:30 am EDT, Chicago Council on Global Affairs, USA

Defense Priorities for a New Decade

This discussion will evaluate where the US should prioritize defense spending and the deployment of troops and other military assets.

See [Chicago Council] for additional information.

21 September 2020 @ 6:00 pm EDT, Belfer Center, USA

The US-Australia Alliance Including the Importance of Allies

In this seminar, the Ambassador of Australia to the US will discuss the relationship between the US and Australia.

Follow [Belfer] for further details.

22 September 2020 @ 5:00 pm EEST, Carnegie Middle East Center, Lebanon

Security and Freedoms: Rising Concerns in Lebanon

This webinar will examine where Lebanon stands on its Centennial and the opportunities and challenges for the new century.

See [Carnegie Middle East] for additional information.

22 September 2020 @ 6:00 pm AEST, Australian Institute of International Affairs, Australia

Does Australia have a policy towards the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict?

This webinar will discuss whether the Australian government has a policy towards the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and what such a policy looks like.

See [AIIAAC] for additional information.

22 September 2020 @ 7:30 pm EDT, Ash Center, USA

Confronting Disinformation: A Conversation with Audrey Tang

The Ash Center will have a conversation with Audrey Tang, Taiwan’s Digital Minister, about confronting disinformation.

For further details, kindly refer to [Ash Center].

22 September 2020 @ 10:00 am UTC+8, Yusof Ishak Institute, Singapore

Between State Responsibility and ASEAN Principles: A Perspective from Malaysia on Resolving Transboundary Haze Pollution

This event will focus on how best Malaysia can strategize intra-regional policy to address the transboundary haze pollution caused by forest fires.

Please find registration details here: [Yusof Ishak Institute].

22 September 2020 @ 12:30 pm CEST, The Swedish Institute of International Affairs, Sweden

Japan’s Leadership in East Asian Security Multilateralism

This virtual book talk will feature Paul Midford who will explore the reason for Japan proposing East Asia’s first multilateral security forum in the 1990s.

Further details are available at [UI].

Recent books & articles

Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, The India Way: Strategies for an Uncertain World, Harper Collins India, September 4, 2020, 240 pages, with a review at [Medium].

Brittany K. Barnett, A knock at Midnight: A Story of Hope, Justice, and Freedom, Crown, September 8, 2020, 336 pages. For a review, see [Kirkus].

Jinghan Zeng, Slogan Politics: Understanding Chinese Foreign Policy Concepts, Palgrave Macmillan,September 13, 2020, 164 pages. [Palgrave]

Nina Jankowicz, How to Lose the Information War: Russia, Fake News, and the Future of Conflict, July 9, 2020, I. B. Tauris, 288 pages, reviewed in [Digital Trends]

Cass R. Sunstein, and Adrian Vermeule, Law and Leviathan: Redeeming the Administrative State, Belknap Press, September 15, 2020, 208 pages, with a brief review at [Harvard Magazine].

Calls

Vernon Press invites to submit book proposals for the new series in East Asian Studies. This series will be of interest to scholars and students as well as independent researchers with an interest in East Asian studies from an interdisciplinary perspective. Submissions (two pages monograph proposal) should be sent until September 15, 2020, to submissions@vernonpress.com or victoria.echegaray@vernonpress.com, including a summary, a short biographical note and (if applicable) a list of similar titles. For more details, see [Vernon]

Humanities and Social Sciences Online is announcing a call for book or book chapter proposals on the topic of Energy Policy Advancement, Climate Change Mitigation and International Environmental Justice. This interdisciplinary edited volume investigates recent energy policy advancement and development. Applicants may sent the CV and abstract to dkurochkin@fas.harvard.edu and eshabliy@tulane.edu. Closing date is September 28, 2020. More detail at [Humanities and Social Sciences].

Vernon Press has opened a call for book proposals for Monographs or edited volumes on the politics of vulnerability. All proposals focused on exploring different manifestations of vulnerability from the inevitable such as childhood, illness, ageing to the preventable and unexpected (natural disasters and economic recessions) from any academic discipline are encouraged to be submitted. For more information about submitting a proposal, or to discuss your idea, please contact Victoria Echegaray, victoria.echegaray@vernonpress.com. For more details, see [Vernon]

The 3rd International Conference on Advanced Research in Social Sciences (ICARSS), March 11-14, 2021 in Oxford, United Kingdom, is seeking submissions related to the following conference topics: Social Sciences, Humanities, Language and Literature. Other related tracks and topics will also be considered. Paper submission deadline is February 12, 2021. More details at [ICARSS]

Jobs & positions

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) invites to submit applications for the position of a Consultant on Communications for Business and Human Rights to  support UNDP in implementing the regional project, “Business and Human Rights in Asia: Promoting Responsible Business Practices through Regional Partnerships.” Deadline for applications is September 18, 2020. For more details, see [UNDP]

The Department of Social Anthropology, University of Oslo, invites to submit applications for a permanent position as Associate Professor in Social Anthropology. Closing date for applications is October 19, 2020. Further information are available at [Jobbnorge].

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