All posts by RWZ - 2. page

Primary Taiwanese news agency Central News Agency (CNA) recently reported on the territorial dispute between China and India.

“The territorial dispute between China and India has intensified. After India recently reaffirmed its sovereignty over Arunachal Province in southern Tibet, the Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs announced another batch of 30 names to be used for locations in southern Tibet.

Indian Prime Minister Modi visited Arunachal Pradesh, a province known in China as ‘South Tibet.’ He presided over the opening ceremony of the Sela Tunnel (the world’s longest bi-lane tunnel). This triggered dissatisfaction and protests in China.”

The Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs announced name changes in the Chinese and Tibetan languages for these 30 places. “It also listed the name category, administrative region, and longitude and latitude for each location. Most of these 30 locations are located on mountain peaks and rivers, and only 11 of them are residential areas.”

“Prior to this, China issued three batches of official name changes for locations in southern Tibet. … However, this batch made the most changes.”

The Indian government immediately issued a statement refusing to accept the name changes, emphasizing that the relevant areas were part of India’s “indivisible” territory. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson then responded that southern Tibet is part of China’s territory and that the name changes “are completely within the scope of China’s sovereignty.”

Source: CNA, March 30, 2024
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202403300217.aspx

Radio Free Asia (RFA) recently reported that Beijing’s influence in the South Pacific is growing as China increases its investment and diplomatic relations in the region. This situation has caused concern in Fiji. Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka stated recently that he has asked the Chinese police stationed in his country to leave, and that he will review the police cooperation agreement signed with China. He said that the judicial systems and police investigation methods of the two countries are not the same, and that he is uneasy about China’s deployment of public security in the Fiji police force.

Fiji is retaining its police cooperation agreement with China for the time being, allowing senior police officers to continue to receive training in China. The agreement will be under review, however. Rabuka said Chinese diplomats have accepted his decision.

China’s recent investment in the Solomon Islands has attracted attention across the region, and leaders of many South Pacific Island countries are worried that China’s growing influence will lead to the erosion of their democracy and values. Rabuka reminded leaders of relevant countries to be vigilant and consider the price they will have to pay for accepting Chinese investment. Fiji’s decision will likely lead neighboring countries to examine their options in the geopolitical tussle between the United States and China. It appears that China’s policy of using economic aid to promote influence has begun to show cracks.

Source: RFA, March 29, 2024
https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/junshiwaijiao/ec-03292024033831.html

Xinhua recently reported that the United States and Japan are planning to counter China by implementing the biggest upgrade to their security alliance since they signed a security treaty in 1960. According to five people familiar with the matter, U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will announce plans to reorganize the U.S. military headquarters in Japan during Kishida’s visit to the United States in April. The goal is to strengthen combat planning and joint military exercises.

Currently, the Japan Command of the U.S. Forces, based at Yokota Base, does not have command authority over the U.S. Navy’s Seventh Fleet or the Marine Corps stationed in Okinawa. The command of these forces lies with the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command in Hawaii. It is expected that after the planned upgrade, command authority of the aforementioned forces will still be retained by the Indo-Pacific Command, but authority of the Japan Command will increase. It will gain more authority in U.S.-Japan joint military exercises, intelligence sharing, supply dispatching, and coordination with the Unified Operations Command of Japan’s Self-Defense Forces.

In recent years, the United States and Japan have been promoting military cooperation between the two countries, publicly stating that the move is aimed at countering China. U.S. Defense Secretary Austin claimed in June of last year that the U.S. and Japan were working hard to further modernize military relations in order to prevent China’s so-called “coercive behavior.”

Source: Xinhua, March 25, 2024
http://www.news.cn/mil/2024-03/25/c_1212345412.htm

Singapore’s primary Chinese language newspaper Lianhe Zaobao recently reported on data released by South Korea’s Ministry of Finance showing that South Korea’s 2023 new direct investment in China dropped by 78.1 percent year-over-year, falling to US$1.87 billion. This is the largest decline in South Korean direct investment in more than 30 years, and it is the first time since 1992 that China has failed to rank among South Korea’s top five destinations for investment. The manufacturing sector  led the decline in investment.

The declining numbers reflect China’s changing role in South Korea’s economy as Washington seeks to reduce Beijing’s influence on global supply chains. The United States is about to replace China as South Korea’s largest export destination, importing products ranging from semiconductors to automobiles. South Korean companies have extensive exposure to key sectors in the U.S. and have been seeking to increase investment there to take advantage of the United States’ market scale and  government subsidies.

According to statistics from the Korea International Trade Association, China’s imports from South Korea last year were US$162.5 billion, a sharp drop of 18.8 percent from the previous year. This led to a US$18 billion trade deficit between South Korea and China, the first trade deficit seen during the 31 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and South Korea.

Source: Lianhe Zaobao, March 15, 2024
https://www.zaobao.com.sg/realtime/world/story20240315-3160390