Maharang Baloch, a prominent advocate for Baloch rights, declared the upcoming event as the Baloch National Assembly, slated to commence on July 28…reports Asian Lite News
In a bold and defiant move against what they term as ongoing Baloch genocide and exploitation, Baloch rights activists have announced plans for a monumental gathering and resistance initiative in Gwadar, Balochistan.
Maharang Baloch, a prominent advocate for Baloch rights, declared the upcoming event as the Baloch National Assembly, slated to commence on July 28.
“The Baloch National Assembly will be a historic public referendum against Baloch genocide, exploitation of Baloch coast and resources in the form of so-called mega projects and turning Balochistan into a prison in the name of security and will also be the beginning of a powerful public resistance,” Maharang Baloch asserted in a statement on X.
The announcement comes amidst escalating tensions over what activists describe as decades-long oppression akin to colonial rule imposed on Balochistan. The region, known for its rich natural resources, has been a focal point of development initiatives such as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). However, local inhabitants decry these projects, alleging minimal benefits and widespread deprivation.
“Balochistan has endured seven decades of atrocities and oppression reminiscent of a colonial regime. Despite being indigenous to this land for millennia, the Baloch people live under constant threat, facing disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and economic marginalisation,” Baloch Yakjehti Committee, said, in a post on X.
Criticism also targets the development claims made by the Pakistani state, particularly focusing on Gwadar, which has been heralded as the linchpin of CPEC. Residents of Gwadar, however, contend with severe infrastructure deficiencies, including scarce access to clean drinking water and erratic electricity supply amidst scorching temperatures.
“Development touted by the state has only exacerbated our plight, converting our homes into prisons while our ancestral lands are exploited for economic gains,” the post added, underscoring the paradox between state-promoted development narratives and ground realities.
The upcoming Baloch National Assembly aims to galvanise widespread public support against what activists perceive as state-sponsored repression and economic exploitation. The event seeks to unify Baloch voices in a collective demand for justice, autonomy, and recognition of Baloch national rights.
“We refuse to remain silent amidst our people’s suffering and the systematic erosion of our cultural and economic heritage. The Baloch Solidarity Committee invites all Baloch nationals to join us in Gwadar to launch a unified movement against oppression,” the post read. (ANI)
The Ministry did not specify the types of aircraft or vessels involved in the incident but assured that the situation was under close surveillance…reports Asian Lite News
Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence has reported a surge in activity by China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) near the Taiwan Strait, with 22 Chinese aircraft, nine People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) vessels and one official ship detected as of 6 am local time on Wednesday.
According to the Ministry, 12 of the PLA aircraft breached the median line, entering Taiwan’s southwestern Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ). Taiwan’s military closely monitored the situation and responded promptly to the incursion.
In a post on X, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence said, “22 PLA aircraft, 9 PLAN vessels and 1 official ship operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 12 of the aircraft crossed the median line and entered Taiwan’s southwestern ADIZ. We have monitored the situation and responded accordingly.”
The Ministry did not specify the types of aircraft or vessels involved in the incident but assured that the situation was under close surveillance. Incursions by PLA military aircraft and vessels into Taiwan’s ADIZ are not uncommon but have escalated tensions in the region, reflecting ongoing geopolitical tensions between Taiwan and China.
The Taiwan Strait, separating Taiwan from mainland China, has been a frequent area of contention, with Beijing viewing Taiwan as a breakaway province and asserting sovereignty over the island.
The latest incident comes amid heightened regional security concerns and underscores Taiwan’s ongoing vigilance in defending its airspace and territorial integrity against Chinese military activities.
As tensions persist, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence remains on high alert, prepared to respond to any further escalations in the region.
Amid the growing threat, Taiwan, starting Monday, began military exercises to test its war-fighting capabilities.
Amid rising tensions across the Taiwan Strait, China has increased its military presence and conducted frequent drills in the region. The manoeuvres are seen as part of Beijing’s ongoing pressure campaign against Taiwan, which China views as a renegade province. (ANI)
During the event, Robert Joseph Wittman, a US lawmaker, elaborated on the dubious tactics used by China, which include human rights abuses and market manipulation….reports Asian Lite News
The US-based Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (SCCCP), during its third meeting, explored policies to reduce dependence on entities involved in forced labour violations around the world and highlighted opportunities for the US and its allies to collaborate on the issue.
The participants of the meeting held on Tuesday, included Peter Mattis, President, of The Jamestown Foundation, Emily De La Bruyere, Senior Fellow, at the Foundation for the Defence of Democracies and co-founder of Horizon Advisory, and Jennifer Hinton, Group Manager, ESG, at Jervois.
During the event, Robert Joseph Wittman, a US lawmaker, elaborated on the dubious tactics used by China, which include human rights abuses and market manipulation.
“We know that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been manipulating the world marketplace. And their human resources, we know their human rights abuses. The efforts that they have unfortunately made against Uyghurs and also the other places around the world, where for the most part they used enslaved labour. They exploit populations and nations for their benefit,” he said.
“We don’t see any kind of economic relationship to the benefit of the host nation. Instead, they are always for the benefit of China, and they are always unfortunately exploiting, the human beings in the country and their natural resources close to the determent of those countries,” Wittman added.
Stating that people are “intimidated” by China because of which they don’t speak out, the US lawmaker termed the situation “problematic.”
“The challenge is that people are so intimidated or co-opted by China, rarely do they speak out, or rarely do they take actions that have a meaningful impact on China, which is problematic from our standpoint. China is what I call a transactional coercionist. If you look at what they do and how they structure agreements with other countries, it’s always to their benefit and it’s always to the detriment of the countries, and the people of those countries,” he added.
The SCCCP, during the third meeting, also highlighted the Uyghur Forced Labour Prevention Act (UFLPA) and the Forced Labour Enforcement Task Force (FLETF), an entity led by the US Department of Homeland Security dedicated to monitoring the enforcement of the prohibition on importing goods made wholly or in part with forced labour into the US.
While highlighting loopholes and the limitations of the same, Peter Mattis, President of The Jamestown Foundation, said the human-forced labour challenge is a problem, the US is not prepared for.
“The state of human-forced labour is a challenge that we are not prepared for. Initially, we thought that maybe it is an individual factory, or maybe it’s a few bad apples but it is not necessarily the whole system. But now law enforcement is on the side of the abusers, not on the side of people who are interested in rooting out these kinds of problems. So I think this requires a legal response that goes much further than what we had previously done. And this is made worse because of the asymmetries that exist,” Mattis said.
He added, “During the hours and hours we work with companies for UFLPA, it became clear that companies don’t know their supply chains beyond who they have to write contracts with. Even the best ones may know one or two tiers ahead but nothing more than that. It was informal in the early days but it became formalised in the PRC this year. There has been a deliberate effort to prevent people from knowing what is going on in the factories and companies that use forced labour. As they have been classified as state secrets. So even if a company starts digging things you are violating the classification rules.”
While referring to China’s furious response over intrusions into ‘state secrets’, Mattis stressed the need to have a level playing field, but also warned that Beijing doesn’t play by the same rules.
“Companies reported that as early as 2018, their investigators who do billables for them are being detained or arrested and sometimes simply disappearing for doing what could be called routine business for their clients. There were lots of companies that had made the report to the US government and the Department of Labour to say ‘something is going on’,” he said.
“We want a fair playing field, but we also need to recognise that what we’re dealing with in the PRC is someone who’s not playing by those same rules. And we’re pretending, like, if we just spend a little time in the practice field, if we just study a little bit more film, we can wander out and prepare ourselves beyond that field. But none of that matters if you’re walking down the tunnel and someone breaks your knee with a crowbar. And in many cases, that’s what the PRC is doing” Mattis added. (ANI)
Jaishankar met his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, with the two leaders highlighting the need to resolve the four-year-old military stand-off at the LAC with “purpose and urgency”…reports Asian Lite News
For the second time this month, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, with the two leaders highlighting the need to resolve the four-year-old military stand-off at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with “purpose and urgency”.
The meeting was among the first few bilateral meetings the External Affairs Minister had after landing in Vientiane, Laos for a number of ASEAN-related meetings (July 25-27), and comes three weeks after the two Ministers held talks on the sidelines of the SCO summit in Kazakhstan, in a signal that New Delhi and Beijing are fast-tracking their efforts to resolve the LAC issue.
“Their talks focused on finding an early resolution of the remaining issues along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) to stabilise and rebuild bilateral relations,” the External Affairs Ministry said in a statement.
Stressing the “exceptional significance” of India and China as the “two most populous nations and among the two key economies of the world”, Mr. Jaishankar said stable bilateral ties were necessary between them.
“Our ability to ensure that they are stable and forward-looking is essential both for the prospects of Asia and that of the multipolar world. There are also issues on which our interests converge,” Jaishankar told Wang in preliminary comments before their talks.
Both sides decided that an “early meeting” of the Working Mechanism on Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) that includes External Affairs Ministry, border, and military officials would take discussions forward, the External Affairs Ministry said in its statement.
The two Ministers met for the fourth time in the past 12 months, and have been making a concerted push for complete disengagement of troops.
While the two sides had earlier achieved disengagement on several flashpoints from 2020-2022, several rounds of WMCC and border commander talks have yielded no further breakthrough, which hinges on the PLA withdrawing from positions at the Demchok and Depsang sectors. In March, the WMCC grouping held its 29th meeting in Beijing.
Jaishankar said he hoped the meeting on Thursday would allow them to “give stronger guidance” to officials to complete the disengagement process which had “cast a shadow” over India-China ties.
He also said that both sides must ensure respect for the LAC and for past agreements, indicating that agreements from the 1990s on managing the boundaries are still relevant for India in resolving the military stand-off that began in April 2020, when the Chinese PLA transgressed along the LAC, leading to deadly clashes in Galwan.
The talks came amid speculation that the government is considering relaxing some of its economic restrictions on Chinese companies, fuelled by the Economic Survey released before the Budget this week that specifically favoured encouraging more Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) from China.
On Thursday, the Chinese Embassy in Delhi also posted a video on its social media handles calling for India to take steps towards easing economic and business ties, citing falling FDI numbers, tourist footfall, as well as the lack of direct flights between the two countries.
Jaishankar meets counterparts from Norway, Cambodia
Earlier, Jaishankar held meetings with counterparts from Norway and Cambodia on the sidelines of ASEAN meetings in Laos.
During the meeting, Jaishankar and Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide spoke about the geopolitical situation. The two leaders expressed commitment to implementing European Free Trade Association (EFTA) to the betterment of India and Norway.
In a post on X, Jaishankar stated, “Good to meet Foreign Minister @EspenBarthEide of Norway today. The India – Nordic partnership in clean energy and trade continues to deliver. Committed to implementing EFTA to the better advantage of both countries. Also spoke about the geopolitical situation.”
Jaishankar also met Cambodia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sok Chenda Sophea and noted the progress in bilateral ties.
Taking to X, Jaishankar stated, “Glad to meet DPM & FM Sok Chenda Sophea of Cambodia. Noted the progress in our bilateral ties, including air connectivity, defence and heritage conservation. Looking forward to further building on it.”
Jaishankar, who arrived in Vientiane, Laos earlier in the day, held a meeting with Philippines Secretary for Foreign Affairs Enrique Manalo on Thursday and discussed strengthening the collaboration between the two nations and partnership in the Indo-Pacific.
In a post on X, Jaishankar stated, “Delighted to meet my friend @SecManalo of Philippines today in Vientiane. Discussed the strengthening collaboration between our two democracies and partnership in the Indo-Pacific, especially in upholding the rule of law and ASEAN centrality.”
Jaishankar also held a meeting with Timor Leste counterpart, Bendito Freitas, on the sidelines of ASEAN meetings. The two leaders exchanged views on shared priorities in the Indo-Pacific.
The incident underscores evolving dynamics in Arctic security, where traditional players like Russia are joined by newer entrants such as China…reports Asian Lite News
The North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD) intercepted a group of bombers near Alaska, marking the first instance of joint Russian and Chinese operations prompting such a response from the United States, CNN reported, citing, a US defence official.
NORAD confirmed that the aircraft, comprising two Russian TU-95 Bear bombers and two Chinese H-6 bombers, were flying within the Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ) over Alaska, strictly in international airspace and were “not seen as a threat”.
The intercept, carried out by US F-16 and F-35 fighters alongside Canadian CF-18 jets, remained focused on ensuring the aircraft did not breach US or Canadian sovereign airspace. NORAD emphasised that such encounters are not uncommon with Russian TU-95s, which have made routine flights into Alaska’s ADIZ, as witnessed in a previous incident involving four Russian aircraft in May.
However, the inclusion of Chinese bombers in this scenario represents a notable development. The H-6 bombers, modernised versions of older Soviet models, were identified entering Alaska’s ADIZ for the first time during this event, according to CNN.
The Chinese have shown increasing interest in expanding their presence into the Arctic region, said Gen Gregory Guillot of US Northern Command during a Senate hearing earlier this year. He had anticipated such developments, citing China’s strategic moves northward and their growing involvement in Arctic affairs, often under the guise of scientific or technical missions but with clear military implications.
“What I have seen is a willingness and a desire by the Chinese to act up there,” Guillot told a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee. “We have seen them in the maritime. We have seen them under the cloud of a technical or scientific research, but we think it is certainly multi-mission, to include military. And then I expect to see air activity in the Alaska part of the Arctic as soon as this year, potentially.”
“It is a very big concern of mine,” he said.
The incident underscores evolving dynamics in Arctic security, where traditional players like Russia are joined by newer entrants such as China, whose strategic ambitions extend beyond maritime activities into aerial operations.
While NORAD reiterated that the recent intercept did not escalate into a security breach, it highlights ongoing vigilance in monitoring international airspace near sensitive zones, CNN reported. (ANI)
Responding to the medical emergency, a Sea King helicopter was launched from the Indian Navy Air Station Shikra at 0550 hours on Wednesday…reports Asian Lite News
Braving challenging weather conditions, the Indian Navy on Wednesday successfully evacuated a critically injured Chinese mariner from Bulk Carrier Zhong Shan Men, 200 nm (approximately 370 km) from Mumbai.
The Indian Navy said that its Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Mumbai received a distress call on Tuesday night from the bulk carrier, requesting immediate evacuation of a critically injured 51-year-old mariner who had suffered heavy blood loss.
Responding to the medical emergency, a Sea King helicopter was launched from the Indian Navy Air Station Shikra at 0550 hours on Wednesday.
“Challenging weather conditions with winds over 45 knots and heavy rolling of the ship were compounded by non-availability of continuous deck. The patient was successfully airlifted from the bridge wing of the vessel and transported back to the air station and subsequently shifted to hospital for further medical management,” the Indian Navy spokesperson posted on X.
Indian Coast Guard Ship (ICGS) Samrat was also diverted to render assistance.
“The safe and timely evacuation of the patient was a result of joint operation coordinated by MRCC (MBI) with the Indian Navy,” the spokesperson mentioned.
BRICS is presented as a significant player in this multipolar scenario, while NATO is depicted as a Cold War leftover, excessively aggressive, and a source of global instability, writes Dr Rajesh Sharma
The Chinese government is actively trying to undermine NATO as the defence alliance shifts its focus towards the Asia Pacific, addressing the menace posed by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Following the recent NATO summit, China Military Online, the PLA’s official English news portal, stated, “Despite US Secretary of State Blinken describing the NATO Summit held on July 9 in Washington, D.C. as ‘the most ambitious summit since the end of the Cold War’, the organization, which has been around for 75 years, is facing significant internal and external challenges.”
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is employing tactics of misinformation to sway public sentiment towards the BRICS, led by China, and against NATO. Their objective is to contest the supremacy of the West and establish their own global order. BRICS, an international body consisting of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, has expanded its membership to include Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as of 2024.
Influencers of the CCP, state-regulated media, the “wumao” or 50 Cent Army, and automated bot accounts are vigorously disseminating propaganda on social media platforms. Their objective aligns with the CCP’s goal to supersede the United States as the leading economic, military, and diplomatic force. Lately, there has been a noticeable increase in efforts to portray BRICS as wealthier, more influential, and stronger than the Group of Seven (G7) and NATO.
BRICS, essentially a tool for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to bolster its influence and challenge the US, is portrayed in pro-BRICS messaging as a symbol of a multipolar world. In this depiction, power is shared among various global centres, unlike the Western-dominated NATO. BRICS is presented as a significant player in this multipolar scenario, while NATO is depicted as a Cold War leftover, excessively aggressive, and a source of global instability. NATO acknowledges being targeted by CCP’s disinformation campaigns aimed at undermining its unity. Conversely, BRICS is portrayed as a peaceful, cooperative group that respects sovereignty.
The Global Times, a CCP-backed outlet, claims NATO’s involvement in the Russia-Ukraine conflict could spark a global war. The CCP’s propaganda paints NATO’s actions as disturbing regional peace and meddling in Russia’s affairs. This narrative is tied to the international support for Taiwan, seen by the CCP as a breach of China’s sovereignty.
Propaganda often emphasizes BRICS for its economic collaboration and potential to establish a financial system alternative to the IMF and World Bank, dominated by the West. However, due to economic disparities and hesitance to relinquish national currencies, BRICS is merely a coalition without a free trade agreement or shared currency. It lacks a central bank, crucial for a common currency, and its only institution is the New Development Bank, a predominantly dollar-denominated development bank steered by China.
While the CCP encourages nations to distrust the US and NATO, recent wumao activities assert that BRICS possesses a stronger military than NATO. This claim is paradoxical as BRICS lacks defence agreements, unlike NATO, a defence alliance. The US, on its own, has greater military strength than either Russia or China, and its alliance with NATO nearly doubles this power. The US also maintains military bases in Saudi Arabia and the UAE and is enhancing its defence cooperation with India, a participant in the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue aimed at countering China’s aggression in the Indo-Pacific. These realities question BRICS’ portrayal as a military and diplomatic powerhouse.
NATO’s strength lies in its close ties with the G7 and the European Union. Many NATO countries are also part of the EU, enhancing its diplomatic and economic influence and expanding common interests. The G7, comprising some of the world’s largest economies, facilitates joint economic strategies and sanctions against China, Russia, and Iran. This alliance, coupled with the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy, bolsters NATO’s military prowess and promotes cohesive responses to security threats, including those from the CCP. The combined diplomatic influence of NATO, the G7, and the EU covers a vast global area. The CCP’s efforts to undermine these Western alliances indicate Beijing’s awareness of BRICS’ comparative insignificance.
The CCP’s disinformation campaigns aim to sway public sentiment towards BRICS and away from NATO, especially in strategically crucial regions like Africa, Latin America, and Asia. This is evident in China’s emergence as a leading arms supplier to Africa and its growing influence in Latin America. The CCP employs military diplomacy to discourage nations from aligning with or supporting NATO, with the goal of curbing the alliance’s expansion into Asia. China is already a significant arms provider to heavily sanctioned Asian nations such as Burma (Myanmar) and is striving to increase arms sales to countries like Indonesia and other current and potential U.S. allies to create discord and undermine the cohesion of Western alliances.
Xi Jinping with Russian President Vladimir Putin.(photo:instgaram)
This social media activity is part of a broader geopolitical rivalry in which the CCP seeks to challenge Western dominance and promote its governance models. This use of social media is a key component of modern information warfare, in which winning hearts and minds is as crucial as traditional military engagements. By leveraging these tactics, the CCP aims to erode trust in Western institutions and reshape the global balance of power to its advantage.
The strategy highlights the need for more ground-based sensors, space-based sensors and long-range radar to better pick up on activity by US adversaries…reports Asian Lite News
The new Arctic Strategy 2024 of the US called for expanding the types of surveillance and intelligence capabilities and strengthening cooperation with allies in the region to prevent Russia and China from exploiting the cold and icy northern region at America’s expense, reported Voice of America (VOA).
The mandate, part of the Pentagon’s just-released 2024 Arctic Strategy, comes as US defence officials warned climate change is melting Arctic ice that used to keep adversaries at bay, and there are indications of growing Russian-Chinese cooperation in the region.
Deputy Defence Secretary Kathleen Hicks, while briefing reporters at the Pentagon, said, “In the Arctic, the strategic can quickly become tactical.”
“Ensuring that our troops have the training, the gear and the operating procedures for the unique Arctic environment [may] be the difference between mission success and failure,” she added.
This strategy further calls for expanding the types of surveillance and intelligence capabilities that the US military employs elsewhere in the world to the far north, where frigid temperatures can interfere with their operation, VOA reported.
Moreover, the strategy highlights the need for more ground-based sensors, space-based sensors and long-range radar to better pick up on activity by US adversaries.
US-China flag
America is also focusing on increasing its unmanned aerial reconnaissance capabilities and its communication capabilities.
Hicks said the US has already invested tens of millions of dollars in such capabilities, however, more is needed, as reported by VOA.
“The Arctic’s vast distances, especially in North America, make supporting infrastructure vital for Arctic operations and presence,” according to the new strategy.
“However, much of the legacy Cold War-era infrastructure has declined over time due to the harsh environment, lack of investment, and climate change-driven permafrost thawing and coastal erosion.”
According to US defence officials, one bonus for the new Arctic strategy is the accession of Sweden and Finland to NATO, which means every Arctic nation except for Russia is now part of the Western alliance, reported VOA.
Notably, US officials have repeatedly praised Swedish and Finnish capabilities in the Arctic, and the strategy envisions additional joint exercises and cooperation, which could be required to counter an uptick in Russian and Chinese activities in the region.
“It’s very noticeable and concerning,” Hicks said.
“The Russians, of course, have, even as they’ve continued their operation, their war in Ukraine, they’ve been continuing to invest in their infrastructure throughout the Arctic region that they can access,” she said, adding, “And then we’ve seen much more PRC (People’s Republic of China) activity, both in terms of so-called research, but because of their civil fusion, we always have concern that there’s a military aspect to that.”
Furthermore, there have also been indications of increased cooperation between Russia and China.
Last August, the two countries conducted a joint naval patrol near Alaska’s Aleutian Islands, prompting the US to deploy four naval destroyers and patrol aircraft as a precaution, according to VOA.
Deputy assistant secretary of defence for the Arctic, Iris Ferguson, however, told reporters on Monday that those types of Russian and Chinese efforts are just the tip of the iceberg.
Notably, Arctic is warming faster than anywhere else on the planet. Sea routes that sailors and explorers have dreamed about for centuries are starting to open. The promise of Arctic riches–oil, minerals, trade routes, even fish–has started to draw interest from far outside the northern latitudes.
“We’ve seen an uptick in their cooperation over the last couple of years,” Ferguson said. “We see China investing in a lot of Russian energy in order to not only have them supply that energy to the PRC, but also to help embolden some of Russia’s activity in Ukraine.”
China has declared itself a “near-Arctic state,” a designation it invented to push for a greater role in Arctic governance. It has dispatched research expeditions, sought to establish mining and gas operations, and envisioned a network of shipping routes crossing the Arctic, a “silk road on ice.” It describes itself as an “active participant, builder, and contributor in Arctic affairs,” one that has “spared no efforts to contribute its wisdom to the development of the Arctic region,” according to RAND Corporation, an American nonprofit global policy think tank, research institute, and public sector consulting firm
Ferguson sought not to overplay the threat, saying Russian-Chinese cooperation in the Arctic is “somewhat superficial in nature still, especially from a military perspective.”
However, Pentagon officials expect the Russian-Chinese military relationship to evolve, noting the increasing level of Chinese military research in the Arctic and Beijing’s attempts to “internationalise” and influence the region as a whole, reported VOA.
“We have seen them operating more regularly in the last several years from a military perspective. Even just a couple of weeks ago, there were several Chinese warships off the coast of Alaska,” Ferguson said. “They are our long-term pacing challenge and I think that includes the Arctic.”
However, the Russian and Chinese embassies in Washington have not yet responded to requests for comment.
The United States sees China as a potentially destabilising force, with the economic and military power to try to bend the established order to its liking. The Pentagon considers China its “pacing challenge” of the foreseeable future. (ANI)
Affected by the typhoon, parts of the two provinces will experience gale and rainfall….reports Asian Lite News
China’s State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters have activated a Level-IV emergency response to flooding and a typhoon in the provinces of Fujian and Zhejiang.
Typhoon Gaemi, the third typhoon of this year, was located 710 km southeast of Taiwan’s Yilan County at 5 a.m. on Tuesday, and is expected to make landfall on the coast of Fujian and Zhejiang before moving north toward inland regions, Xinhua news agency reported.
Affected by the typhoon, parts of the two provinces will experience gale and rainfall.
The headquarters, the Ministry of Emergency Management and other government departments on Tuesday deployed joint typhoon and flood relief measures in 12 provinces, urging all-out preparation efforts ahead of the typhoon and torrential rains to avoid casualties.
A Level-IV response is the lowest level in China’s four-tier emergency response system.
Taiwan braces for Typhoon Gaemi
Despite the looming threat of Typhoon Gaemi making landfall on Wednesday, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence has assured that the armed forces are fully prepared to face the storm while moving ahead with their scheduled annual war games Han Kuang exercises.
Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (ROC) took to its official X handle and said, “Typhoon Kaemi approaches. ROC Armed Forces are ready to respond the potential disasters and continue our drills.”
It added, “If Penghu’s weather is safe for drills, we will have a live broadcast at tomorrow morning at 05:30. Welcome, join us.”
Earlier in the day, the Ministry of National Defence had said, “ROC Armed Forces have set up contingency runway, conducted tactical manoeuvre for force protection. As a typhoon approaches, we will continue our drills while ensuring our safety.”
Notably, Typhoon Gaemi is expected to make landfall on Wednesday on the northeastern coast of the island, along with strong winds and heavy rainfall, Taiwan’s weather administration said, according to VOA.
Defense Ministry spokesman Sun Li-fang told reporters that “the impact of the typhoon” on the east coast has prompted the military to cancel some air and sea exercises, VOA reported.
The Han Kuang exercises are pivotal for Taiwan’s defence strategy, encompassing both live-fire drills and computerised simulations designed to enhance combat readiness amidst regional tensions.
It is also important to note that the rural workforce in China falls under a completely different retirement system….reports Asian Lite News
China, in a move to counter its rapidly ageing population and a severe pension funding crisis, has expressed its intent to raise its statutory retirement age, as reported by CNN.
However, the move planned by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been receiving severe backlash from its citizens within days of its announcement.
In the current scenario, men in urban areas could retire at age 60, receiving a pension from the state. Similarly, the retirement age for females in urban settings is around 50 or 55, depending on their respective occupations.
But, it is also important to note that the rural workforce in China falls under a completely different retirement system.
“In accordance with the principles of voluntariness and flexibility, [we] will steadily and orderly advance the reform of progressively delaying the statutory retirement age,” CCP announced during its Third Plenum, according to CNN.
Reportedly, the country has been suffering from a rapidly ageing population for over a decade. And notably, this has increased the number of people who depend upon the state’s pension system for their survival.
The CNN report claimed that in 2013’s plenum, the Communist Party said that it has become necessary to “study and formulate” a policy to delay the retirement age. Previously, in December, a report by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences estimated that the retirement age would be increased to 65 years soon. But the same think tank from China, in another report released in 2019, predicted that China’s state fund for pensions would finish by 2035.
Additionally, the strict pandemic-related restrictions had made the situation of the state funds even worse.
The CNN report also claimed that, last year, while raising their voice against the same issue of reducing pensions, thousands of elderly people in China organised protests in major cities complaining about cuts in their payments of medical benefits.
A similar outrage among China’s populace was noticed on social media platforms. With many expressing their discontent over the prospect of delayed access to their pensions. Moreover, the youngsters in China also complained that they would have fewer jobs if older workers stayed in the labour force longer, the CNN report added.
On Weibo, a social media platform in China, “advancing the reform of delaying retirement age” has been noted as a top trending hashtag.
According to CNN, one of the most liked comments was, “Please be aware: delaying retirement age only means you can’t receive a pension until very late. It doesn’t guarantee you would still have a job before that.”
Similarly, Xiaohongshu, China’s equivalent of Instagram, has also noticed 100 million views for posts that have the hashtag “retirement age.”
A user had mentioned on the platform, “Delaying retirement age on a ‘voluntary basis’? Just like the elder generation was ‘voluntarily’ forced to have only one child or laid off from state enterprises?”
The unemployment rate in China had seen a severe rise after the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, employers in China have continued to reduce their hiring despite the lifting of COVID restrictions in the nation. (ANI)
