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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40009988

JAKARTA – The United States and Indonesia have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on maritime cooperation, including on joint naval exercises and combating illegal fishing, a problem Jakarta has been grappling with due to reports of occasional encroachment of its waters by Chinese and Vietnamese fishing vessels, among others.

Both countries also signed two other MOUs to continue the Peace Corps programme, which involves the US providing social and economic development assistance, and to expand educational ties that have seen thousands of young leaders participating in exchange programmes.

The MOUs were signed on Tuesday (Dec 14) by Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, Education Affairs Minister Nadiem Makarim and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who was in Jakarta on the first leg of a four-day trip to South-east Asia.

Mr Blinken told a media briefing later the three agreements would bring cooperation between the two countries to another level.

Referring to the MOU on maritime cooperation, Ms Retno said that it would also cover conservation and fisheries management, as well as maritime safety and navigation.

“In order to strengthen our security cooperation, we agreed to establish a two-plus-two dialogue mechanism between senior officials from each ministry of foreign affairs and defence,” Ms Retno added.

The US has also offered to to work with Indonesia to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic and ensure a strong post-pandemic economic recovery.

“President (Joe) Biden asked me to come here to advance our work together on a number of critical issues that includes stopping the Covid-19 pandemic,” Mr Blinken said.

The US has donated more than 25 million doses of vaccines to Indonesia, and the latest shipment arrived on Tuesday. On top of this, the US is also providing US$77 million (S$105.4 million) in pandemic relief assistance.

Ms Retno said that Indonesia hoped both countries could also cooperate in the development of mRNA-based vaccine technologies.

Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna are among the companies that have successfully developed Covid-19 vaccines using this technology.

In Indonesia, Mr Blinken met President Joko Widodo at the Jakarta presidential palace on Monday, and expressed the US’ commitment to strengthen its partnership with Indonesia, including in economic development and infrastructure development.

During the meeting, which was described by Ms Retno as “warm and open”, Mr Widodo expressed his appreciation for the support given to Indonesia by the US amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

By Wahyudi Soeriaatmadja

Published : December 15, 2021

By : The Straits Times

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40009987

Statement says Indo-Pacific stability depends on following international law

In the wake of Monday’s summit between South Korea and Australia, President Moon Jae-in and Prime Minister Scott Morrison adopted a joint statement on territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

“As major maritime trading nations, Australia and South Korea recognize that the stability of the Indo-Pacific depends on adherence to international law in the maritime domain, including in the South China Sea,” said the joint statement signed by the two leaders.

The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. China claims most of the sea as its territory and strongly opposes outside intervention, despite objections from its neighbors and a court ruling against it in the Hague.

Tensions between China and the US have recently escalated as the US and the European Union are concerned about China’s violation of international law in the sea through high-level consultations. The US also warned that it could trigger a mutual defense treaty after China used water cannons on two Philippine supply boats heading into the sea.

The joint statement said the two leaders underscored that disputes must be resolved peacefully and in accordance with international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

“They also reaffirmed the importance of upholding freedom of navigation and overflight, and agreed to strengthen coordination to uphold these principles, which must not be undermined in the context of increasing risks of instability in the maritime domain.”

President Moon, who distanced himself from the diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics on Monday, appears to be on the side of Australia when it comes to the issue of the South China Sea.

Australia is the top US ally, participating in the AUKUS, Quad and Five Eyes, which the US leads to keep a check on China. Morrison said the member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations should be able to make their own economic decisions at a joint press conference Monday, speaking of the sea.

The two leaders also agreed to support peace on the Korean Peninsula.

“Leaders underscored their mutual commitment to the complete denuclearization and establishment of permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula, based on previous agreements including the 2018 Panmunjom Declaration, Pyongyang Joint Declaration and Singapore Joint Statement,” the statement said.

They also called for the full implementation of relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions by the international community, including North Korea.

In addition to security issues, the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Joint Statement includes expanding cooperation in economy, technology, health and promoting human exchange.

They agreed to work together to advance clean hydrogen cooperation, focusing on trade, supply chain development, support for infrastructure, expanding use in the transport and power sector, institutional agreements and enabling regulatory and skills reforms.

The two nations will increase cooperative efforts to ensure supply chain resilience for critical minerals and associated products. They also agreed to be close partners on earth observation and imagery captured from space.

By Shin Ji-hye

Published : December 15, 2021

By : The Korea Herald

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40009986

PETALING JAYA: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has revised its economic growth outlook for developing Asia down slightly to 7% this year and 5.3% next year, after renewed outbreaks of the Covid-19 led to slower growth in the third quarter.

ADB’s latest estimates, presented in a regular supplement of the Asian Development Outlook (ADO) 2021, compare with the bank’s September forecasts of 7.1% growth for 2021 and 5.4% for 2022.

Developing Asia refers to the 46 developing members of ADB. Prospects for this year have been revised slightly downward for all sub-regions except Central Asia.

“Developing Asia’s steady progress in dealing with the pandemic, through continued vaccination drives and more strategic application of containment measures, helped boost growth prospects in the early part of the year.

“However, new outbreaks in the third quarter muted gross domestic product growth and the advent of the Omicron virus variant is causing renewed uncertainty.

“Recovery efforts will have to take these developments into consideration,” said ADB acting chief economist Joseph Zveglich Jr in a statement.

The main risk to the growth outlook remains a resurgence in Covid-19 cases, the bank said. The average number of daily cases globally rose to almost 573,000 on Nov 30 from 404,000 on Oct 15.

Developing Asia’s vaccination rate has increased significantly to 48.7% (fully vaccinated) as of Nov 30, although the region still lags behind the United States at 58.1% and the European Union at 67.2%.

Rates of fully vaccinated people also vary widely within the region, from as high as 91.9% of the total population in Singapore to as low as 2.2% in Papua New Guinea.

Bucking the overall trend for developing Asia, ADB said Central Asia’s economy is expected to grow 4.7% this year, reflecting higher commodity prices and increased public spending.

The forecast for next year has also been raised to 4.4% from 4.2% in September.

East Asia’s growth outlook has been downgraded by 0.1 percentage points for both 2021 and 2022, to 7.5% and 5%, respectively, amid slight downward adjustments in the forecasts for China – the region’s largest economy.

The latter’s economy is now expected to grow 8% this year and 5.3% next year.

South Asia is forecast to grow 8.6% in 2021, compared with September’s forecast of 8.8%. The sub-region’s 2022 outlook remains at 7%.

India, South Asia’s largest economy, is now expected to grow 9.7% in fiscal year 2021, which ends March 31, 2022, ADB said.

The reduction of 0.3 percentage points comes amid supply chain issues that are affecting industry. India’s outlook for fiscal year 2022 is maintained at 7.5%, as domestic demand is expected to normalise.

South-East Asia’s 2021 outlook has been revised down by 0.1 percentage points to 3% as economies in the sub-region imposed targeted restrictions in the face of Delta variant.

Next year’s growth forecast is increased to 5.1% as economies are expected to continue easing overall restrictions and reviving economic activities, the bank said.

Regional inflation is expected to remain manageable at 2.1% in 2021 and 2.7% in 2022, allowing for a more accommodative monetary policy and supporting pandemic recovery efforts.

Published : December 15, 2021

By : The Star

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40009976

The number of Covid-19 cases crossed 14.44 million across Southeast Asia, with 24,780 new cases reported on Tuesday (December 14). New deaths are at 354, bringing accumulated Covid-19 deaths in Asean to 298,079.

The number of Covid-19 cases crossed 14.44 million across Southeast Asia, with 24,780 new cases reported on Tuesday (December 14). New deaths are at 354, bringing accumulated Covid-19 deaths in Asean to 298,079.

The Philippines received on Tuesday an additional batch of Sinovac vaccines donated by the Chinese government to help the country recover quickly from the Covid-19 pandemic. Majority of these vaccines will be distributed to far-flung areas, while many Filipinos are reportedly considering taking the Chinese vaccine as a booster shot.

To date, the Philippines has received more than 158.5 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines from different vaccine makers, with China being its biggest vaccine supplier.

Meanwhile, Indonesia’s government has warned that the public keep implementing health protocols and get vaccinated, particularly ahead of Christmas and New Year holidays after the country recorded 190 new Covid-19 cases on Tuesday. West Java, the country’s most populous province, dominated the total number of the newly-confirmed cases with 39 reports, followed by East Java with 27 cases and the country’s capital Jakarta with 20 cases.
 

Published : December 15, 2021

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40009948

A wooden replica of Toyota Motor Corp.’s Corolla sedan was driven Saturday on the premises of Aste, a public interest incorporated foundation in Toyota, Aichi Prefecture. More than 200 Japanese cypresses harvested from forest thinning went into making it and the car’s original interior, seats and design have all been meticulously reproduced.

Aste first made a wooden version in 2016 to mark the 50th anniversary of the Corolla’s launch and displayed it at an event. It was so true to form that many asked if the timbered reproduction could be operated.

Some modifications were made by installing an electric motor in the trunk and replacing the wooden tires with roadworthy ones to make the replica drivable.

During Saturday’s test run, the wooden car drove about 20 meters at walking speed in front of people from the foundation.

“We want to make further improvements to the car and have it run in front of many more people,” said an official of the foundation’s secretariat.

Published : December 14, 2021

By : The Japan News

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40009947

Chinese policymakers vowed to adopt more efficient fiscal measures to stabilize economic growth in 2022, while still reining in government debt amid regulations on financing and the property sector, experts said on Monday.

Stronger and more targeted fiscal actions are expected after the top leadership held the annual Central Economic Work Conference last week, including additional tax and fee cuts, and faster fiscal expenditure to boost infrastructure construction, they said.

Further easing of macro policy will cushion the economic slowdown in China in 2022, according to Andrew Fennell, senior director of Fitch Ratings (Hong Kong). He said he expected that fiscal policy will be supportive and the macro leverage ratio will rise modestly next year.

After strong revenue growth and lower-than-expected expenditures contributed to “an undershooting” of this year’s budget deficit target, Fitch’s projection of the general government deficit is at 6 percent of GDP in 2022, well above the pre-pandemic levels, he added.

The official annual fiscal budget plan will not be published until the annual session of the National People’s Congress, which is expected to be held in March, according to analysts.

Meanwhile, “widespread property-sector and financial-contagion risks should be averted,” said Fennell, as strategic adjustments to macro-financial regulations stabilize market confidence and refinancing conditions and translate into improved homebuyer sentiment.

Wang Tao, chief China economist at UBS, wrote in a research note that the official budget deficit ratio is likely to remain at 3.1 to 3.2 percent next year, and the new quota of local government special bonds might remain stable at 3.6 trillion to 3.7 trillion yuan ($565.8 billion to $581.5 billion) in 2022, compared with 3.65 trillion yuan this year.

According to a statement after the conference, policymakers emphasized growth stability as the priority of 2022’s economic work, adding that economic growth faces threefold pressure from shrinking demand, supply shocks and weakening expectations.

The conference also decided that infrastructure investment must advance moderately, the statement said.

A spokesperson from the Ministry of Finance confirmed earlier that the ministry was considering allocating the local government special bond quota in advance, but did not disclose the specific amount.

Policymakers may approve a new quota of special bonds in advance in the first half of next year, as well as accelerate the use of funds, said Wang with UBS, who added that the growth rate of infrastructure investment is expected to rebound slightly to about 4 percent, up from about 1 percent this year.

Lu Ting, chief China economist at Nomura, said that “there will be no 180-degree shift in existing property curbs for now”, noting that policymakers maintained a “hawkish stance” of resolutely preventing new additions to local governments’ implicit debt.

The conference required that ministries and local governments “share their duties on growth stability, roll out pro-growth policies” and implement supportive measures ahead of schedule, but ministerial and local government officials might still face conflicting restrictions and score cards, especially on tasks such as containing the pandemic, said Lu.

By CHEN JIA

Published : December 14, 2021

By : China Daily

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MANILA, Philippines — Despite the threat posed by COVID-19 and calls for a boycott in support of Palestinians, the 70th edition of the Miss Universe pageant pushed through as scheduled in Israel on Monday, with Miss India Harnaaz Sandhu besting 79 other contestants to win the crown.

The Bollywood actress who is also working on her master’s degree in public administration impressed the judges with her confidence in the final round of questions. Asked what advice she would give young women, Sandhu said, “Stop comparing yourselves with others and let’s talk about more important things happening worldwide. Come out, speak for yourself, because you are the leader of your life. You are the voice of your own.”

She followed two other winners from India: Sushmita Sen who won in the Philippines in 1994 and Lara Dutta who was crowned in Cyprus in 2000.

Another heavy favorite, Paraguay’s Nadia Ferreira, settled for first runner-up while South Africa’s Lalena Mswane, who advanced to the semifinals by garnering the most online votes, was named second runner-up.

Mswane, who holds a law degree, found herself in a quandary before departing for the global tilt when the South African government withdrew support for her participation to protest Israel’s apartheid and show support for Palestinians.

11-year finals streak

The global health crisis posed another threat to the international competition yet again, with the discovery of the Omicron variant in some countries, including Israel. This prompted the Israeli government to shut its borders to all international travelers in November although it granted special access to those involved in the pageant.

The Philippines’ Beatrice Luigi Gomez sustained the country’s streak of landing in the finals since 2010. The 26-year-old Cebuana finished in the Top 5, together with Colombia’s Valeria Ayos, who was crowned Miss Earth Water in 2018 in the Philippines.

Gomez, a Navy reservist and model from Cebu, was the first openly gay representative from the country in the Miss Universe pageant.

Miss Universe Philippines Creative Director Jonas Gaffud took to social media to congratulate her, saying, “I am very happy and so proud of you, [Gomez]! You fought hard and put the Philippines back in the Top 5 at Miss Universe.”

Malacañang also lauded Gomez with acting presidential spokesperson Karlo Nograles saying she brought joy to the people and honor to the country, and inspired many.

“A member of our Armed Forces, an athlete, and a youth advocate, Ms Gomez is an inspiring figure whose participation in Miss Universe allowed the world to see what we in the country witness every day: the strength, grace, and beauty of the Filipino woman,” he said in a statement.

Many Cebuanos watched the pageant on television while some gathered in hotels to cheer for Gomez.

Proud mother

Her mother, Ping Gallarde Gomez, said in a media interview that she was so happy over her daughter’s achievement. “Win or lose, we love her very much,” she said.

“She did everything she could for our country. I believe that if the crown was really for her, then she would get it. If not, it’s all right. She already achieved a lot in her life,” she added.

Gomez’s creative team leapt for joy when she made it to the Top 5. Her stylist, Edward James Castro, said they were so proud of the beauty queen.

For Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama, “the important thing is Bea made it to the Top 5. That is already an accomplishment.”

During the pageant, Gomez was asked by Miss Universe 2016 Iris Mittenaere on her opinion of mandating a universal vaccine passport given the ever-changing COVID-19 situation.

“I believe that public health is everyone’s responsibility, and to mandate vaccine inoculation is necessary. If mandating vaccine passports would help us in regulating the rollouts of the vaccine, and mitigate the situation of the pandemic today, then I would agree on mandating the necessary passport of vaccination,” she replied.

By: Armin P. Adina

—WITH REPORTS FROM ADOR VINCENT MAYOL, NESTLE SEMILLA, LEILA B. SALAVERRIA AND JULIE M. AURELIO

Published : December 14, 2021

By : Philippine Daily Inquirer

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40009945

SEJONG — South Korea on Monday has expressed its commitment to joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, which is aimed at multilateral free trade agreements in the Asia-Pacific region.

In addition, the nation has unveiled a policy to push for bilateral FTAs with more countries, including Mexico.

In a ministerial meeting, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki said that the government “is seeking to collect public opinions and reach social consensus” over the entry to the CPTPP.

The government seeks the CPTPP accession to expand trade and investment and bolster the status of Korea as a major trader in the global stage, Hong said.

The CPTPP is the renegotiated version of the Trans-Pacific Partnership initiated by the former US Obama administration. In 2017, his successor Donald Trump withdrew from the TPP, widely seen as a key move to counter China’s growing economic clout.

The multilateral trade pact, launched in December 2018, has been signed by 11 countries — Japan, Brunei, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Canada, Mexico, Peru, Chile, New Zealand and Australia.

Korea’s willingness toward the pact came three months after China submitted an application to accede to the CPTPP in a surprising move, with Taiwan following suit.

The collective trade volume by the 11 nations participating in the CPTPP had reached about $5.7 trillion as of 2019, making up 15.2 percent of the total global trade figure.

Korea’s potential accession to the CPTPP could be a major boost to expand its trade portfolio in addition to its planned implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.

The RCEP, which was inked in November 2020, will take effect in February 2022, as Korea’s legislative body ratified the trade deal early this month.

RCEP, which covers Korea, China, Japan, Australia and New Zealand and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, is the world’s biggest FTA as its 15 member countries combined take up around 30 percent of the global gross domestic product.

The CPTPP requests high levels of market openness. Korean farmers had actively protested the government’s bid, highlighting the huge potential damage it could pose to the local agricultural sector.

Meanwhile, the accession could also have a similar effect of signing FTAs with Japan and Mexico, both of which have yet to make a bilateral FTA with Korea.

Minister Hong also said in the meeting that Korea will prepare to resume talks for free trade deals with Mexico, which is one of the world’s 15 largest economies, and the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council, which includes Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

By Kim Yon-se

Published : December 14, 2021

By : The Korea Herald

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40009944

HÀ NỘI — The People’s Committee of Hà Nội’s Đống Đa District has ordered the temporary halting of on-site dining at restaurants, outdoor exercise, and in-person study, from 12pm December 13.

The move was made after the district ’s pandemic risk level was raised to Level 3 – high risk.

Under Resolution 128, the four levels of pandemic risk are: Level 1, low-risk (new normal) – labelled green; Level 2, medium-risk – labelled yellow; Level 3, high-risk – labelled orange; and Level 4, very high-risk – labelled red.

Restaurants and food and beverage establishments are still allowed to open for delivery and must close before 9pm.

Local authorities also banned gatherings of more than 20 people in a room and more than 10 people in public places. Participants are required to be fully vaccinated or have recovered from COVID-19 and tested negative for the virus within 72 hours.

All culture, sport and entertainment activities at public places and operation of temporary markets are required to stop.

Online learning will be applied at all local schools until further notice.

Hà Nội recorded more than 7,400 new community transmission cases of COVID-19 over the past two weeks, equivalent to 44 community cases per 100,000 residents per week.

Eight districts and communes in Hà Nội are ranked Level 1 of pandemic risk, 21 others ranked at Level 2, with only Đống Đa District ranked at Level 3. — VNS  

Published : December 14, 2021

By : Vietnam News