Late last month, the US Senate and the House cleared the $280 billion CHIPS and Science Act to strengthen science and technology innovation in semiconductors, manufacturing and other technologies….reports Asian Lite News
US President Joe Biden on Tuesday signed the historic $280 billion CHIPS and Science Act into law that includes $52 billion to boost domestic semiconductor manufacturing.
The CHIPS and Science Act is the Biden administration’s bet to incentivise chipmakers to reverse course and build fabs in the US and cut the dependence on China.
“Today, I sign into law the CHIPS and Science Act. It’s a once-in-a-generation law that invests in America by supercharging our efforts to make semiconductors here at home,” Biden said in a tweet.
“Today represents a more secure economy, jobs, and a stronger future for our nation. America is delivering,” he said, adding that the future of the microchip industry is going to be ‘Made in America’.
Late last month, the US Senate and the House cleared the $280 billion CHIPS and Science Act to strengthen science and technology innovation in semiconductors, manufacturing and other technologies.
“The American people may not know it, but semiconductors are integral to their everyday experiences. They are microchips that are used in automobiles, consumer electronics, and washing machines,” Democrat Representative Frank Pallone Jr had in a statement.
The bill also creates a 25 per cent tax credit for semiconductor manufacturing, earmarks $1.5 billion for technology development for US firms dependent on foreign telecommunications, according to Forbes.
Meanwhile, South Korea is reviewing its possible participation in the US-led semiconductor alliance from the perspective of national interest and has no intent to build an exclusive grouping against China.
Industry Minister Lee Chang-yang made the remarks on Monday, amid concerns that South Korea’s possible joining of the “Chip 4” could cause friction with China, its largest trading partner, if it develops into an exclusive grouping against Beijing.
The Chip 4 is an envisioned alliance of semiconductor powerhouses tentatively involving the US, South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan, widely considered a grouping against China and aimed at countering Beijing’s influence in global supply chains.
US President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.(Photo_Instagram)
The upcoming military aid package, the 18th such tranche, brings U.S. commitment to about $9.8 billion and includes munitions for long-range weapons and armored medical transport vehicles…reports Asian Lite News
The Biden administration announced a $1 billion security assistance package for Ukraine on Monday, the largest weapons installment yet since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in late February.
The upcoming military aid package, the 18th such tranche, brings U.S. commitment to about $9.8 billion and includes munitions for long-range weapons and armored medical transport vehicles.
The package consists of additional ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems or HIMARS, 75,000 rounds of 155 mm artillery ammunition, 20 120 mm mortar systems and 20,000 rounds of 120 mm mortar ammunition as well as munitions for National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems or NASAMS.
The HIMARS, manufactured by defense giant Lockheed Martin, are designed to shoot a variety of missiles from a mobile 5-ton truck and have sat high on Ukrainian wish lists. Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Colin Kahl said that the U.S. was not sending HIMARS in this latest package, only ammunition for the system. Kahl declined to say how many rounds of ammunition would be in the next delivery.
The U.S. has thus far provided 16 HIMARS to Ukraine.
The Pentagon will also send 1,000 Javelins, hundreds of AT4 anti-armor systems, 50 armored medical treatment vehicles, anti-personnel munitions, explosives, demolition munitions and demolition equipment.
Until now, the largest Ukraine assistance package was announced on June 15 but that installment was a mixture of presidential drawdown authority and the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative. Monday’s package, solely a presidential drawdown authority, means the weapons come directly from U.S. stockpiles.
“We will continue to consult closely with Ukraine and surge additional available systems and capabilities carefully calibrated to make a difference on the battlefield and strengthen Ukraine’s eventual position at the negotiating table,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.
In recent days, Russia has been moving troops and equipment in the direction of the southern port cities to stave off the Ukrainian counter-offensive.
“At every stage of this conflict, we have been focused on getting the Ukrainians what they need, depending on the evolving conditions on the battlefield,” Colin Kahl, undersecretary of defence for policy, said.
While the US has already provided 16 HIMARS to Ukraine, Mr Kahl said the new package does not include additional ones.
He added: “These are not systems that we assess you need in the hundreds to have the type of effects needed.
“These are precision-guided systems for very particular types of targets and the Ukrainians are using them as such.”
He declined to say how many of the precision guided missile systems for the HIMARS were included in Monday’s announcement, but said the US has provided “multiple hundreds” of them in recent weeks.
US to train Ukrainian pilots
Last month the House of Representatives has approved an amendment for the defense budget bill for 2023 to train Ukrainian pilots on F-15 and F-16 fighter jets amid the reeling crisis in Ukraine, said the head of the Ukrainian presidential office, Andriy Yermak.
The training program for the Ukrainian pilots will cost 100 million US dollars, Yermak said, adding that the draft law must be passed by the US Senate and later signed by US President Joe Biden to come into effect. Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States, Oksana Markarova said that the US defense budget bill for 2023 envisages allocating Ukraine 1 billion dollars in security aid in the 2023 fiscal year which runs between Oct 1, 2022, and Sept 30, 2023.
US security assistance to Ukraine has turned out to be more than USD 6.1 billion since Russia launched its “brutal, unprovoked, full-scale invasion” of Ukraine on February 24.
Earlier, condemning Russia’s “premeditated, unprovoked, unjustified, and brutal war” on Ukraine, Blinken had said that the US will continue to provide Ukraine with the arms to defend itself and the steady flow of US security assistance from the coalition of more than 40 Allies and partners will continue to bolster Ukraine’s defenses as well as improve its ability to defend its sovereign territory and secure hard-fought victories on the battlefield.
“We have imposed swift and severe sanctions on Russia’s economy and the elite of President Putin’s regime. We have enhanced NATO’s ability to deter and defend against any aggression by Russia on its Eastern Flank. And we will continue to deliver crucial military capabilities to Ukraine’s brave defenders,” he stated in the official statement.
Moreover, Washington through the US Agency for International Development (USAID) in coordination with the US Department of the Treasury also contributed USD 1.7 billion as part of budgetary aid to Ukraine under President Joe Biden’s commitment to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
This contribution was made possible with generous bipartisan support from Congress. These resources have helped the Ukrainian government continue carrying out core functions – for example, keeping gas and electricity flowing to hospitals, schools, and other critical infrastructure, supporting the provision of humanitarian supplies to citizens, and continuing to pay the salaries of civil servants and teachers.
Biden hailed the passage of the bill, highlighting the work that went into it — and acknowledging that not everyone is happy with the final result…reports Asian Lite News
After 18 months of arduous negotiations and a marathon night of debate, the US Senate on Sunday passed Joe Biden’s ambitious climate, tax and health care plan — a significant victory for the president ahead of crucial midterm elections.
Voting as a unified bloc and with the tie-breaking vote cast by Vice President Kamala Harris, Democrats approved the $430 billion spending plan, which will go to the House of Representatives next week, where it is expected to pass before being signed into law by Biden.
The plan, crafted in sensitive talks with members on the right wing of his Democratic Party, would include the biggest US investment ever on climate — $370 billion aimed at effecting a 40 percent drop in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
That would give Biden a clear victory on one of his top agenda items and go some way toward restoring US leadership in meeting the global climate challenge.
Biden hailed the passage of the bill, highlighting the work that went into it — and acknowledging that not everyone is happy with the final result.
“It required many compromises. Doing important things almost always does. The House should pass this as soon as possible and I look forward to signing it into law,” the president said in a statement.
The bill — officially known as the “Inflation Reduction Act” — passed the Senate with no Republicans voting in favor.
Conservative lawmakers have criticized the bill as wasteful spending, with top Republican Senator Mitch McConnell accusing Democrats of voting to “double down on their economic disaster.”
The bill would provide Americans with a tax credit of up to $7,500 when purchasing an electric car, plus a 30 percent discount when they install solar panels on their roofs.
It would also provide millions to help protect and conserve forests — which have been increasingly ravaged in recent years by wildfires during record heat waves that scientists say are linked to global warming.
Billions of dollars in tax credits would also go to some of the country’s worst-polluting industries to help their transition to greener methods — a measure bitterly opposed by some liberal Democrats who have, however, accepted this as a least-bad alternative after months of frustration.
Biden, who came to office with promises of sweeping reforms, has seen his hopes dashed, then revived, then dashed again.
Democrats’ narrow edge in the Senate has given a virtual veto to moderates like Joe Manchin of West Virginia, who earlier had used that power to block Biden’s much more expansive Build Back Better plan.
But in late July, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer managed to engineer a compromise with the West Virginian, whose state’s economy depends heavily on coal mining.
“This bill is gonna change America for decades,” Schumer said after its passage, while Manchin tweeted that it “will lower the inflation taxes that have been so hurtful for West Virginian and American families.”
Senators finally opened debate on the text on Saturday, with final passage not until Sunday afternoon.
Late Saturday, they began working through a marathon procedure known as a “vote-a-rama,” in which members can propose dozens of amendments and demand a vote on each one.
That allowed both Republicans, who view Biden’s plan as too costly, and liberal Democrats, who say it does not reach far enough, to make their opposition clear.
Influential progressive Senator Bernie Sanders used that platform through the evening to propose several amendments aimed at strengthening social planks in the legislation, which were considerably weakened during the months of negotiation.
The bill would provide $64 billion for health care initiatives and ensure a lowering of some drug costs — which can be 10 times more expensive in the United States than in some other rich countries.
But progressive Democrats long ago had to give up their ambitions for free preschool and community colleges and expanded health care for the elderly.
“Millions of seniors will continue to have rotten teeth and lack the dentures, hearing aids or eyeglasses that they deserve,” Sanders said from the Senate floor. “This bill, as currently written, does nothing to address it.”
But fellow Democrats, eager to pass the legislation ahead of November midterms when control of Congress is at stake, have rejected any change in the text.
To help offset the plan’s massive spending, it would reduce the US deficit through a new 15-percent minimum tax on companies with profits of $1 billion or more — a move targeting some that now pay far less.
That measure could generate more than $258 billion in tax receipts for the government over the next 10 years, by some estimates.
Biden, 79, first tested positive for the coronavirus on July 21 before receiving negative testing results earlier this week, Xinhua news agency reported…reports Asian Lite News
US President Joe Biden tested positive for Covid-19 in a “rebound” case, days after ending isolation and treatment, according to his doctor.
White House physician Kevin O’Connor wrote in a memo on Saturday that the President “has experienced no reemergence of symptoms, and continues to feel quite well” but will reinitiate strict isolation procedures.
“This being the case, there is no reason to reinitiate treatment at this time,” he added.
“But we will obviously continue close observation.”
Biden, 79, first tested positive for the coronavirus on July 21 before receiving negative testing results earlier this week, Xinhua news agency reported.
Fully vaccinated and twice boosted, the President took Paxlovid, an antiviral therapy produced by Pfizer and given to patients with Covid-19.
There is potential for so-called “rebound” Covid positivity observed in a small percentage of patients treated with Paxlovid, according to O’Connor.
One person briefed on planning for the call said the Biden administration thinks leader-to-leader engagement is the best way to lower tensions over Taiwan….reports Asian Lite News
President Joe Biden and China’s Xi Jinping may hold their fifth call as leaders as soon as today, as concerns rise over a possible visit to Chinese-claimed Taiwan by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
White House officials have said the long-planned call will have a broad agenda, including discussion of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which China has yet to condemn.
At its core, US officials see the exchange as another chance to manage competition between the world’s two largest economies, whose ties are increasingly clouded by tensions over democratically governed Taiwan, which Xi has vowed to reunite with the mainland, by force if necessary.
Beijing has issued escalating warnings about repercussions should Pelosi visit Taiwan, a move that would be a dramatic, though not unprecedented, show of US support for the island, which says it is facing increasing Chinese military and economic threats.
Washington does not have official relations with Taiwan and follows a “one-China” policy that recognizes Beijing, not Taipei diplomatically. But it is obliged by US law to provide the island with the means to defend itself, and pressure has been mounting in Congress for more explicit support.
“This is about keeping the lines of communication open with the president of China, one of the most consequential bilateral relationships that we have, not just in that region, but around the world, because it touches so much,” White House national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Wednesday.
US President Joe Biden, when he was the vice president, with China’s President Xi Jinping during a visit to Beijing in 2011. (File Photo White House_IANS)
One person briefed on planning for the call said the Biden administration thinks leader-to-leader engagement is the best way to lower tensions over Taiwan.
Xi has an interest in avoiding a tense confrontation with the United States as he seeks an unprecedented third term in office at a congress of China’s ruling Communist Party, which is expected in October or November, some analysts believe.
Biden also wants to discuss climate and economic competition issues, the person briefed said, as well as the idea of placing a price cap on Russian oil to punish Moscow for its war in Ukraine, an issue Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen raised with Chinese counterparts earlier in July.
The Biden administration has been debating whether to lift some tariffs on Chinese goods as a way to ease soaring inflation, but US officials have said a decision was not expected ahead of the call.
When Biden last spoke to Xi in March, he warned of “consequences” if Beijing gave material support for Russia’s war, and the US government believes that that red line has not been crossed in the months since.
The White House has reiterated that its “one-China” policy has not changed despite speculation over a possible trip by Pelosi, which the speaker has yet to confirm.
The last time a speaker of the US House of Representatives visited Taiwan was in 1997, and as a co-equal branch of government, the US executive has little control over congressional travel.
China has grown more powerful militarily and economically since, and some analysts worry such a visit at a time of fraught ties, could spur a crisis across the 160km-wide Taiwan Strait waterway separating China and Taiwan.
“The relationship is in such a toxic state. Mutual distrust is really at an all-time high. I think people don’t realize how dangerous this particular moment is,” said Bonnie Glaser, a China expert at the German Marshall Fund of the United States.
She said Biden and Xi needed to focus their call on de-escalation, including possible mechanisms to reduce the risk of mishaps.
Kirby said the administration has been in touch with Pelosi’s office to make sure she has “all the context” she needs to make decisions about her travel.
China has given few clues to specific responses it might take if Pelosi, a long-time critic of China, particularly on human rights issues, does go to Taiwan.
Martin Chorzempa, a senior research fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, said playing up the Taiwan issue could serve Xi as a domestic distraction from China’s slowing economy, but “any reaction strong enough to trigger US sanctions would create massive damage to China and the world economy.”
The President tested negative for the coronavirus on Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning, according to a memo from White House physician Kevin O’Connor….reports Asian Lite News
US President Joe Biden made the first in-person appearance at the White House after testing negative for Covid-19.
“My symptoms were mild, my recovery was quick and I’m feeling great,” Biden said on Wednesday in remarks from the Rose Garden.
He told a crowd that Covid-19 “isn’t gone” in the US but serious illness can be avoided with vaccines and treatments, Xinhua news agency reported.
The President tested negative for the coronavirus on Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning, according to a memo from White House physician Kevin O’Connor.
O’Connor added that Biden, 79, will discontinue isolation measures but will wear a mask for 10 more days while increasing testing cadence.
Fully vaccinated and twice boosted, the President took Paxlovid, an antiviral therapy produced by Pfizer and given to patients with Covid-19, after testing positive last week.
Speaking about fear of recession in US ahead of announcement on the nation’s GDP on Thursday, Biden said that in his view the United States will not experience a recession…reports Asian Lite News
US President Joe Biden on Monday told reporters that he anticipates having a conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping this week.
Asked whether the long-awaited call would take place this week, Biden told reporters, “That’s my expectation, but I’ll let you know when that gets set up.” Biden added that he will let the media know about the conversation once it is set up.
Last week, Xi sent a message of sympathy to Biden, wishing him a prompt recovery after acquiring the novel coronavirus, media reported.
White House National Security Council Strategic Communications Coordinator John Kirby confirmed that Xi sent the message to Biden.
On Thursday, Biden tested positive for novel coronavirus and is experiencing mild symptoms. The US president is currently working from his residence and will continue to do so for at least five days or until he receives a negative test, the White House said.
Biden is likely infected by highly contagious Omicron subvariant BA.5.
“Our preliminary sequencing results have returned. The President’s causative agent is most likely the BA5 variant. This is the SARS-CoV-2 variant which is responsible for 75-80 per cent of infections in the United States at this time,” said President Biden’s physician Dr Kevin O’Connor in a memo.
Speaking about fear of recession in US ahead of announcement on the nation’s GDP on Thursday, Biden said that in his view the United States will not experience a recession.
“We’re not going to be in a recession, in my view,” said US President Joe Biden, further adding, “the unemployment rate is still one of the lowest we’ve had in history. It’s in the 3.6 per cent area. We still find ourselves with people investing…”
“My hope is we go from this rapid growth to steady growth, so we’ll see some coming down. God willing, I don’t think we’re going to see a recession,” Biden added.
It is pertinent to note that US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Sunday that US economic growth is slowing and she acknowledged the risk of a recession.
Moreover, US gross domestic product, a broad measure of economic health, shrank at a 1.6 per cent annual rate in the first quarter.
Traditionally, recession is defined as a slowdown or a massive contraction in economic activities.
US data last week suggested that the labour market was softening with new claims for unemployment benefits hitting their highest point in eight months. (ANI)
This comes as polls show Democratic voters may want an alternative to the incumbent who publicly insists he will seek a second term in the White House…reports Ashok Nilakantan
Speculation is rife in the US media about the presidential hopefuls for the 2024 run as polls suggest that young voters, who constitute a bulk of both the ethnic and White electorate, prefer to have a fresh face in the White House and are done with both Donald Trump and Joe Biden after revelations in the Jan 6 hearings and Democrats’ handling of the country’s economy with high inflation and unemployment.
Even as both Trump and Biden have suggested they will seek re-election in 2024, both Democrats and the Republicans are faced with a Hobsons’ choice. Republicans feel Trump announcing his candidacy before fall and before the Jan 6 panel’s report on the Capitol Hill’s insurrection could divert attention from the campaign they have been building against Biden’s “inept” governance in tackling the nation’s economic problems such as inflation, unemployment, soaring gas prices and raw materials shortage and the danger of the country sinking into recession soon.
Republicans feel 20 million prime time TV viewers watching the proceedings of the Congressional committee on Jan 6 insurrection has done enough damage, rattling the traditional and practical-minded funders of candidates for the November 8 elections and the subsequent 2024 presidential run. Public opinion rejects both Trump and Biden as being too old to be in sync with the nation’s current problems.
Both Vice President Kamala Harris and California Governor Gavin Newsom have started lobbying with Democrat donors that they would throw their hats in the ring if Biden chooses not to contest. Florida’s Republican Governor Rino De Santis and Trump’s former Vice President Mike Pence are the Republican hopefuls.
US President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence at Republican National Convention.
Pence may seek revenge on Trump for calling him a wimp and endorsing Oath Keepers and Proud Boys’ call to “Hang Pence” for not falling in line with Trump’s call not to certify the election process of 2020 that declared Biden as President.
De Santis is a popular figure among Republican voters and he is already racing up in the Gallup polls with a 44 per cent rating, close to Trump’s 51 per cent. But GOP donors’ decision not to back Trump might change the equation, upping the Santis ratings further as the 2nd strongman in the party to correct America’s fractured economy and cultural ethos.
On the other hand, both Newsom and Harris will inherit Biden’s legacy of an inept administration that failed to solve the country’s economic problems unless the Jan 6 panel’s possible indictment of Trump for his alleged involvement in the Capitol Hill’s insurrection sticks strongly in the minds of Americans.
The events are unfolding now before the November 8 elections to all of the 435 seats of the House of Representatives, wherein Democrats have a wafer-thin majority and Trump hopes to retake it to dissolve the Jan 6 panel, whose findings have dented his image.
Trump’s policies go down well with noted economists like Paul Erdman and the Republicans but not the persona of Trump who did nothing to stop the riotous mob from invading Capitol Hill.
Harris, Newsom and Colorado Governor Jared Polis are engaging with donors as possible 2024 bids loom if Biden doesn’t run. A Wall Street executive who fund-raised for Biden’s 2020 campaign said he has heard from both Newsom and Harris in recent weeks, according to media reports.
This comes as polls show Democratic voters may want an alternative to the incumbent who publicly insists he will seek a second term in the White House.
Harris has purportedly been in touch with a small group of allies who helped to organise her successful California campaigns for District Attorney, Attorney General, and US Senator, and has held private meetings of at least three supporters in her residence, according to a person briefed on the matter. Harris has said in interviews that she plans to run on Biden’s ticket in 2024.
She is said to have been in touch with at least two wealthy friends: Vanessa Getty, a model and wife of Billy Getty, an heir to the billionaire Getty family, as well as Laurene Powell Jobs, a billionaire businesswoman and widow of the late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs. Both have been close to Harris throughout her political career.
The Vice President’s Press Secretary declined to comment and so did a spokesperson for Powell Jobs. Vanessa Getty did also not respond to requests for comment, as per media reports.
Newsom, meanwhile, has said he has no White House ambitions. He says he believes Biden should run for President again, and that he would not run against him.
Meanwhile, Polis has said he is not running for President, and plans to serve his full term as Governor, if re-elected.
A New York Times/Siena College poll found 64 per cent of Democrats surveyed want someone else to head the presidential ticket in two years. The findings were not all bad for Biden: The same survey found a plurality of voters, 92 per cent of Democrats, would choose the incumbent if he faced Trump in a 2020 rematch.
Biden will be 81 by November 2024. Trump, who will be 78 by then, is reportedly aiming to launch his next run for the White House in September. He told New York Magazine in a recent interview that he has already decided to run again, and that he only needs to settle whether he launches a campaign before or after the 2022 midterm elections.
Biden, delivering a speech at a former coal-fired electricity plant in Massachusetts, said his administration would do whatever necessary, with or without lawmakers on board…reports Asian Lite News
President Joe Biden, thwarted by lawmakers and the Supreme Court, sought Wednesday to revive his ambitions to tackle climate change as heat waves batter the United States and Europe.
Rocketing summer temperatures have highlighted the growing threat, with 100 million people in the United States currently under excessive heat alerts and devastatingly hot conditions causing misery across Europe.
“Climate change… is literally, not figuratively, a clear and present danger,” Biden said, announcing executive actions including $2.3 billion in investments to help build US infrastructure to withstand climate disasters.
“The health of our citizens and our communities is literally at stake… Our national security is at stake as well… And our economy is at risk. So we have to act.”
Biden, delivering a speech at a former coal-fired electricity plant in Massachusetts, said his administration would do whatever necessary, with or without lawmakers on board.
Our children and grandchildren are counting on us to confront climate change.
The world is counting on us.
This is the United States of America. When we put our hearts and minds to it, there’s nothing beyond our capacity. pic.twitter.com/3g6IOBYgqO
“Congress is not acting as it should… This is an emergency and I will look at it that way. As president, I’ll use my executive powers to combat the climate crisis,” he said.
But he stopped short of declaring a formal climate emergency, which would grant him additional policy powers. Upon his return home, when asked about the emergency designation, Biden told reporters: “I will make that decision soon.”
Biden began his term last year promising to fulfill campaign pledges to tackle the global climate crisis, but his agenda has faced blow after blow.
His first day in office, Biden signed an executive order to bring the United States back into the Paris climate agreement, followed later by an ambitious announcement that he was targeting a 50-52 percent reduction from 2005 levels in US net greenhouse gas pollution by 2030.
But his signature Build Back Better legislation, which would have included $550 billion for clean energy and other climate initiatives, is all but dead after failing to receive the necessary backing in Congress as fellow Democrat Joe Manchin said he would not support the bill in a evenly divided Senate.
And last month, the conservative-leaning Supreme Court ruled that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) cannot issue broad greenhouse gas regulations without congressional approval.
“When it comes to fighting climate change, I will not take ‘no’ for an answer,” Biden said.
“I will do everything in my power to clean our air and water, protect our people’s heath, to win the clean energy future… Our children and grandchildren are counting on us. Not a joke.”
Among the new executive orders was funding to promote efficient air conditioning, and an order to advance wind energy development off the Atlantic Coast and Florida’s Gulf Coast.
The Biden administration has framed climate policies as a job creation project — and as a national security issue, made more urgent by soaring fuel prices in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The White House said in a statement that Biden was seeking “to turn the climate crisis into an opportunity, by creating good-paying jobs in clean energy and lowering costs for families.”
His speech on Wednesday was at a shuttered coal-fired power plant that will be used for a cable manufacturing factory to supply offshore wind facilities.
State Department spokesman Ned Price this week pointed to the extreme heat wave tormenting Europe this week — with Britain recording a temperature of 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius) — as more proof that climate action cannot wait.
“We are committed to taking advantage of this moment and doing everything we can, including on the world stage,” Price told reporters, “to ensure that this decisive decade does not go by without us taking appropriate action.”
“The United States is invested in building a positive future in the region, in partnership with all of you, and the US is not going anywhere,” said President Biden at the historic Jeddah summit of GCC Plus 3. The invisible presence of Israel, Turkey and India make the conference a landmark event in the history of Arabia…. A special report by Anasudhin Azeez from Jeddah
“We are optimistic that this summit will lead to setting a comprehensive framework for a new phase in which we give hope to the young men and women of the region for a bright future in which they can realize their hopes” said Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the historic Jeddah Security and Development Summit of 10 powerful leaders of the world.
The youngest (Just 36) among the Arab leaders is telling 79-year-old US president Joe Biden that the Kingdom is now ready to take the lead in the regional politics. This is Arabia @2. The mighty America has become an equal partner with a new alliance of GCC plus three – Egypt, Jordan and Iraq. The new alliance also includes Israel and India through I2U2, a summit President Biden presided during the historic visit. They can also count the support of Turkey through NATO and the recent bilateral visits by Turkish President Tayip Erdogan to the UAE, Saudi Arabia and the visits of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed to Turkey. The invisible presence of Israel, Turkey and India make the conference a landmark event in the history of Arabia. The echoes of Abraham Accord and the call for the creation of independent Palestine through two-state solutions were also felt at the venue.
America was forced to sit along with Jordan, Iraq and the rulers of GCC to find out solutions for the economic and political mess they are in. The Arabs buried their hatchets and ready to embrace changes. Jeddah, the historic port city in the Red Sea coast, reflects the changes taking place in the Arab society. Women are driving, the cane wielding Muttawas (religious police) were disappeared from parks, malls and public places. The new Arabia has arrived. The era of blockades, disputes over territories are over. The leaders agree to work for some common goals to uplift the economy and stem the rise of new axis of evil.
“There are so many issues at stake, I want to make clear that we can continue to lead in the region and not create a vacuum, a vacuum that is filled by China and/or Russia,” President Biden said just before the summit. That was the core of his agenda.
“It has been almost 80 years since the founder of my country, King Abdulaziz, met with President Franklin D. Roosevelt to lay the foundation for a post-war Middle East,” said Princess Reema bint Bandar, Kingdom’s ambassador to Washington. “Since that day, our two countries worked together to defeat Soviet communism, guarantee global energy security, contain a revolutionary Iran, repel Saddam Hussein from Kuwait and, more recently, destroy Al-Qaeda and Daesh,” she wrote in Politico.
The sentiment was echoed in the statements of other leaders attended in the summit.
“We are all aware of the size of challenges that the region and the world are facing, and from that arises a need to align and enhance global efforts to achieve our peoples’ aspirations of further progress and prosperity,” said Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the newly appointed President of the United Arab Emirates.
“Historical events have proven that the only way to end conflicts and tensions is utilising wisdom, abiding by international law and using diplomatic means and solutions to resolve problems, thus protecting the interests of everyone involved and preventing further war- and conflict-induced human suffering,” the UAE leader continued.
He explained that overcoming challenges is achieved through international cooperation in enhancing advanced education opportunities, fostering innovation, focusing on the future prospects of technology, supporting scientific research and bolstering economic ties.
Furthermore, the UAE President affirmed that the UAE will remain a main and trusted partner in the global drive to achieve stability and prosperity, adopting an approach that is developed around the pillars of achieving peace and development for all world nations.
“We are working to establish frameworks for dialogue and joint work, and are confident of our ability, as a region, to take initiative and bear our responsibilities towards our issues, as well as play a key role in dealing with global issues that affect all of humanity, including climate change and food and energy security, Sheikh Mohamed noted, adding that the partnership between the US and countries in the region is a strong foundation for fruitful cooperation, especially in issues relating to regional and global development.
King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein of Jordan; King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, King of the Kingdom of Bahrain, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Emir of the State of Qatar; Sheikh Mishaal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Crown Prince of the State of Kuwait; Sayyid Asaad bin Tariq Al Said, Deputy Prime Minister for International Relations and Cooperation Affairs and Special Representative of His Majesty the Sultan of Oman; Abdel Fattah El Sisi, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt; and Dr. Mustafa Al Kadhimi, Prime Minister of the Republic of Iraq were also spoke.
President Biden mentions the role of China and Russia in the new global crisis. He urged the Arab leaders to join the US efforts to stem the rise of new era communism.
“Around the world, we’re seeing efforts to undermine the rules-based order: with China’s increasingly coercive actions in the Indo-Pacific and beyond; with Russia’s brutal and unprovoked war against its neighbouring Ukraine; and with Iran’s destabilizing activities,” he said.
President Biden promised to address the key issues threatening the region.
“We will turn our attention and our resources to supporting our partners, strengthening our alliances, and building coalitions to solve the problems facing this region and the world — and the world today. The United States is clear-eyed about the challenges in the Middle East and about where we have the greatest capacity to help drive positive outcomes. Our objectives are focused realistic, and achievable so that we can target our resources, rebuild trust, and deliver real results. And we will operate in the context of the Middle East as it is today: a region more united than it has been in years. The GCC is a prime example of that. Former rivals have reestablished diplomatic and economic ties. New memberships are being forged. And increasingly, the world is seeing the Middle East through the lens of opening and opportunity. Let me state clearly that the United States is going to remain an active, engaged partner in the Middle East.”
The President reasserts his decision to challenge the threats of new axis of evil.
“As the world grows more competitive and the challenges we face more complex, it is only becoming clearer to me that — how closely interwoven America’s interests are with the successes of the Middle East,” he said. “We will not walk away and leave a vacuum to be filled by China, Russia, or Iran. And we’ll seek to build on this moment with active, principled American leadership. Our new framework for the Middle East has five key principles.
“First, the United States will support and strengthen partnerships with countries that subscribe to the rules-based international order. And we will make sure that these — those countries can defend themselves against foreign threats. The United States and each of the countries around this table are an essential part of that order because we reject the use of brute force to change borders. When the entire GCC, plus Egypt and Jordan, voted in the United Nations General Assembly to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, it was a watershed moment. It showed that the core values of sovereignty and territorial integrity are truly universal.
“And I want to be clear: Supporting a rules-based order doesn’t mean we always have to agree on every issue, but it does mean we align around core principles that allow us to work together on the most pressing global challenges. For example, on food security, we are collectively committing billions of dollars to alleviate the crisis here in the region, with more than $1 billion coming from the United States.
“On energy security, we agree on the need to ensure adequate supplies to meet global needs. Energy producers have already increased production, and I look forward to seeing what’s coming in the — in the coming months.
“And on the climate crisis, we’re collectively investing hundreds of billions of dollars in clean energy initiatives, increasing our climate ambition, and working together to diversify supply chains and invest in critical infrastructure. And we’re looking forward to Egypt and the UAE hosting the next two major U.N. climate conferences.
“Second, the United States will not allow — will not allow foreign or regional powers to jeopardize the freedom of navigation through the Middle East’s waterways, including the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab al-Mandab. Nor will we tolerate efforts by any country to dominate another in the region through military buildups, incursions, and/or threats. The free flow of commerce and resources through the Middle East is the lifeblood of a global economy. That’s as true today as it been — as it has been for decades. And when nations adhere to international rules, it works. So my administration has made it a priority to protect those vital waterways. We’ve established a new naval task force to work in partnership with many of your navies to help secure the Red Sea. That includes the first naval task force to use un-manned surface vessels and artificial intelligence technology to enhance marine — maritime awareness. We’re also integrating air defenses and early warning systems to ensure that we can defeat airborne threats.
“Third, the United States will not just aim to deter threats of regional — to regional stability; we will work to reduce tensions, de-escalate, and end conflicts wherever possible. This approach is already reaping dividends. As was mentioned: In Yemen, working closely with Saudi Arabia, Oman, the UAE, and the U.N., we forged a truce that is now in its 15th week. We’ve welcomed the leadership Of Iraqi Prime Minister Kadhimi to bring countries from the nei- — from the neighbor- — from the region together for talks in Baghdad. Thanks to the months of quiet, persistent diplomacy, we helped finalize an agreement to remove international peacekeepers from Tiran Island in the Red Sea, and transform an area that once sparked wars into a future hub of peaceful tourism and economic development. And as we continue to work closely with many of you to counter the threats posed by — posed to the region by Iran, we’re also pursuing diplomacy to return constraints on Iran’s nuclear program. But no matter what, the United States is committed to ensuring that Iran never gets a nuclear weapon.
“Fourth, the United States will build political, economic, and security connections between the United States — between the U.S. partners wherever possible, while respecting each country’s sovereignty and independent choices. Integration, interconnection — these are the underlying themes of our meeting today. How many years have we been trying to connect Iraq’s electricity to the — to the G- — to the GCC grids? I remember being briefed on it in 19- — in 2016, when I was Vice President of the United States. I said, “Let’s get it done.” Well, today, finally, after years of failed efforts and false starts, thanks to the efforts of so many around this table, it’s done. New energy projects linking the region, a new free trade deal and investments between neighbors, like the Saudi investments in Egypt and Jordan. The more we build these connections, the more we’ll see the benefits that return to our peoples and will grow.
Fifth, the United States will always promote human rights and the values enshrined in the U.N. Charter. Foundational freedoms are foundational to who we are as Americans. It’s in our DNA. But it’s also because we know that fai- — that the future will be won by the countries that unleash the full potential of their populations, where women can exercise equal rights and contribute to building stronger economies, resilient societies, and more modern and capable militaries; where citizens can question and criticize their leaders without fear of reprisal. I’ve gotten plenty of criticism over the years. It’s not fun. But the ability to speak openly and exchange ideas freely is what unlocks innovation. Accountable ins- — accountable institutions that are free from corruption, that act transparently, and respect the rule of law are the best way to deliver growth, respond to people’s needs, and, I believe, ensure justice. And no country gets it right all the time — even most of the time — including the United States. But our people are our strength. Our countries, with the confidence to learn from their mistakes, grow stronger. So let me conclude by summing all this up in one sentence: The United States is invested in building a positive future in the region, in partnership with all of you, and the United States is not going anywhere.
The leaders welcomed US President Biden’s emphasis on a permanent US commitment to the security of its partners, as well as recognition of the region’s central role in connecting the Indo-Pacific with Europe, Africa and the Americas.
The discussions were also aimed to address collectively environmental challenges and confront climate change, including the Saudi Green and the Middle East Green Initiatives, announced last October by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, in addition to the development of renewable energy sources.
With regard to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the Jeddah summit affirmed the participants’ commitment to the principles of international law and the UN Charter, respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states, non-use of force or the threat of force, in addition to the support for mediation efforts, a political solution to the crisis through negotiations, provision of humanitarian and relief assistance.
On the matter of the Yemen conflict, the leaders condemned Houthi terrorist attacks against civilians, landmarks and energy facilities, and welcomed the formation of a Presidential Leadership Council in Yemen.
The final statement expressed support for a negotiated solution between the Yemeni government and the Houthis, welcomed the extension of the truce, and underscored the importance of commitment to continue supporting the humanitarian and relief needs of the Yemeni people.
Among other things, the summit voiced support for Iraq’s security, stability and prosperity, as well as political solutions to all crises in the region, in accordance with the relevant UN resolutions and principles.
The leaders discussed Syria and said efforts must be intensified to reach a political solution to the crisis in a manner that maintains the country’s unity and sovereignty, and fulfils the Syrian people’s aspirations. The final statement underscored the importance of Lebanon’s stability and the independence of its political decision.
With regard to the situation in Libya, the leaders renewed their call for unifying military institutions under UN supervision, and voiced the necessity of holding parliamentary and presidential elections.
As far as Sudan is concerned, the leaders reaffirmed their support of efforts aimed at achieving stability and encouraged a consensus among the various parties
Addressing the issue of Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, the leaders called for a diplomatic solution that achieves the interests of all parties concerned — mainly Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan — and contributes to regional prosperity.
The summit affirmed the importance of close cooperation and common visions on a number of issues and situations in the region, including affirming the GCC stance supporting the two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in accordance with the UN resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative,
On Afghanistan, the leaders noted that efforts must continue to provide humanitarian aid to the country and deal with the threat of terrorists. The leaders also thanked Qatar for supporting the security and stability of the Afghan people.
The final statement said that “holding the summit confirmed the Kingdom’s global economic weight, in addition to its regional and international responsibility and its pivotal role in the security and stability of the region. So, the real winner of this summit is Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman. The future of Arabia and the four billion population in the region is now hinges on the decisions he make. As long as the global economy rely on fossil fuels, the rulers of Arabia will call the shots.
