Month: March 2024

Losing Candidates Challenge Indonesian President-Elect’s Victory 

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The two losing candidates in Indonesia’s presidential election appealed to the country’s highest court Wednesday to overturn the results and stage a new election. Former Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan and former Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo filed separate complaints to the Constitutional Court after Defense Minister Prabowo was declared the winner of the February 14 election last week. The electoral commission said Prabowo Subianto won nearly 60% of the vote, more than enough to avoid a runoff election. During his appearance before the court, Baswedan alleged that outgoing President Joko…

Mainland China says it will watch Taiwanese military exercises closely for signs of ‘provocation’

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Taiwan is planning a series of offshore live-fire military drills throughout April around its offshore islets, including Quemoy, a Taiwanese-held outpost which is a short distance from the mainland city of Xiamen. On Wednesday, Chen Binhua, a spokesman for mainland China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, said Beijing is closely monitoring the movements of the Taiwanese army, and warned that “any provocations” or “rash” actions are doomed to fail. “Whether it is ‘routine’ training or a ‘targeted’ provocation, the DPP authorities know better than anyone in their hearts,” Chen told a press…

Yellen to Warn China Against Flood of Cheap Green Energy Exports

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The Biden administration is growing increasingly concerned that a glut of heavily subsidized green technology exports from China is distorting global markets and plans to confront Chinese officials about the problem during an upcoming round of economic talks in Beijing. The tension over industrial policy is flaring as the United States invests heavily in production of solar technology and electric vehicle batteries with funding from the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, while China pumps money into its factory sector to help stimulate its sluggish economy. President Biden and Xi Jinping,…

China to woo belt and road partners at ‘digital silk road’ forum in April amid an increasingly divided cyberspace

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China will host a forum next month to promote its digital-economy growth model and facilitate the development of digital infrastructure in partner nations of its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Beijing’s plan to grow global trade. The Digital Silk Road (DSR) Development Forum will open on April 16 in Xian, capital of western Shaanxi province, co-organised by the World Internet Conference (WIC) and the Shaanxi provincial government, WIC secretary general Ren Xianliang announced at a news conference in Beijing on Wednesday. China launched the DSR initiative in 2015 as the…

China faces US$50 billion shortfall in Southeast Asia as belt and road funds miss their mark

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A sizeable sum of infrastructure funding China has allocated to Southeast Asia has gone unfulfilled thanks to political instability in recipient countries, poor engagement with local stakeholders and a declining appetite for energy projects powered by fossil fuels, a new study from the Lowy Institute has found. The gap between what Beijing has committed to and what it has delivered has raised “uncertainty” about the future of the China-led Belt and Road Initiative, where Southeast Asian nations are key participants, the Australian think tank said on Wednesday. “This difference amounts…

Junta helicopter crashes during training exercise in Myanmar

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A junta-owned military helicopter crashed in northern Myanmar, according to a statement by officials on Wednesday.  The accident was caused by mechanical failure during a training exercise in Mandalay region’s Meiktila city on Tuesday, the press release stated, adding that the pilot and trainee onboard were not injured during the crash. Meiktila is home to the junta’s Air Force Central Command. Former junta air force sergeant Zayya told Radio Free Asia crashes have become more frequent because military aircraft are constantly in use by junta officials.  “We have seen more…

China calls for ‘critical’ IMF reforms to mirror economic prowess, a collective Asian voice

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China holds 6.09 per cent voting power in the Washington-based fund, far lower than the 16.5 per cent share held by the United States, which effectively gives it veto power, with major decisions at the IMF requiring 85 per cent to be in favour for a motion to be approved. The quota reform is critical to the IMF’s governance representation and legitimacyPan Gongsheng, PBOC The quota is far lower than China’s share in the global economic output, which stands at about 18 per cent. “The quota reform is critical to…

Alibaba’s logistics unit Cainiao to double year-end bonus for employees, in morale-boosting move after scrapped IPO

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Hangzhou-based Cainiao will launch an “entrepreneurship incentive plan” that will double the bonus pool allocated for the financial year ending March 31, 2025, according to company chief executive Wan Lin in excerpts from an internal letter seen by the South China Morning Post. That means employees will receive their standard year-end bonus in April 2025 and another bonus equivalent to that amount in August 2025. This plan will cover all full-time employees who are active at that time and eligible for the regular year-end bonus, according to the internal letter…

Thaksin’s Presence Shows Political Influence, Say Analysts

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Bangkok —  Since Thaksin Shinawatra’s late-February parole from a police hospital in Bangkok, public support for Thailand’s former prime minister has been evident. The 74-year-old received a hero’s welcome Tuesday when he visited the headquarters of Pheu Thai, the party he founded, which now leads Thailand’s government. But his return to Thailand after 16 years in self-imposed exile has only added to questions about how much political power Thaksin now holds. Pheu Thai lawmakers have insisted Thaksin’s appearance at party headquarters — which follows a visit to his hometown of…

China condemns Pakistan suicide bombing that killed 6, pledges to continue belt and road projects despite attacks

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“China and Pakistan are all-weather strategic cooperative partners and ‘ironclad’ brothers, and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has made significant contributions to Pakistan’s economic and social development,” the Chinese foreign ministry said on Wednesday. “Any attempt to undermine China-Pakistan cooperation will never succeed.” 01:54 Five Chinese engineers killed in suicide bomb attack in Pakistan Five Chinese engineers killed in suicide bomb attack in Pakistan A suicide bomber rammed a vehicle into a convoy of Chinese engineers working on a dam project in northwest Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Tuesday, killing…