(July 1-15, 2016)
Pakistan
US Congress Committee Recommends To End Pakistan Aid
The 12th of July afternoon hearing in the US Congress -“Pakistan: Friend or Foe?”- produced more heat than expected and at some points came close to challenging the country’s very existence as a sovereign state, with a US congressional panel demanding cutting off all US assistance to Pakistan to persuade Islamabad to act against the Taliban groups allegedly using its territory to launch operations into Afghanistan.
Pakistan’s Foreign Affairs Adviser Sartaj Aziz however called this move motivated by “baseless concerns” of “a section of US lawmakers”. Additionally, some US lawmakers and witnesses also suggested declaring Pakistan a state sponsor of terrorism and imposing economic sanctions if Islamabad did not eliminate the terrorist safe havens on its territory. More than once Pakistan was called manipulative and accused of treating the United States like “chumps”.
“They see us we are being so stupid. It seems like paying the mafia,” said Congressman Matt Salmon, Chairman of the Asia and Pacific Subcommittee of House Foreign Affairs Committee. “If I may use an undiplomatic term, we have been patsies,” said former US Ambassador to Kabul, Baghdad and the United Nations, Zalmay Khalilzad. Mr Khalilzad, who is an ethnic Afghan, claimed that Pakistani leaders had tried to befool the American system for decades. He added, “My experience in dealing with Pakistan is that they will only give you something when they know that they are going to get something”.
Congressman Dana Rohrabacher too did not mince words in stating that Pakistan and Saudi Arabia created the Taliban and the Haqqani network and Pakistan was protecting them. He termed the continuation of US aid to Pakistan as “ridiculous” and urged the US administration to reach out directly to people of different Pakistani regions instead. The Congressman continued to state, “People of Balochistan should understand that the US is on their side for their independence and self-determination from a corrupt, viscous terrorist supporting regime. Same with the Sindhis, same with other groups in Pakistan”.
Congressman William Keating, a ranking member of the Subcommittee on Terrorism, Non-Proliferation and Trade, focused on Pakistani intelligence agencies and asked panelists if the agencies were “a state within a state”. Tricia Bacon, an Assistant Professor at the American University commented, “It is by no means a rogue institution within Pakistan. It does not operate independently or on its own. It is an instrument or an arm of the Pakistani army. It is implementing the policies of the Pakistani army. It is implementing on behalf of the Pakistani army.”
These comments which were broadcast live on the internet, prompted quick response from the Pakistani embassy in Washington which sought to clarify that the United States and Pakistan were still allies and there is “positive counterterrorism cooperation between the two countries”. The Pakistani statement also reemphasized the October 2015 joint statement of President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, in which the US leader “affirmed Pakistan’s role as a key counterterrorism partner and recognised the sacrifices that Pakistani civilians, military, and law enforcement personnel have made over the years as they confront terrorism and militant groups”. It also pointed out that following a recent visit to Pakistan, Senator John McCain, Chairman of the Senate’s Armed Services Committee in response to the results of military operations in North Waziristan, acknowledged that “he was impressed by the progress on ground”. The embassy’s spokesman Nadeem Hotiana further stated, “We need not remind the skeptics that no country has suffered more from terrorism than Pakistan. Pakistan’s resolve to fight back the menace of terrorism is second to none. The extraordinary success of operation Zarb-i-Azb is a testimony to Pakistan’s unwavering commitment to eliminate terrorism from its soil”.
Sartaj Aziz is quoted to have said that only a section of US legislators thought that Pakistan should be treated as a foe by the United States. “Their concerns about Afghanistan and Indian propaganda are behind some Congressmen’s views against Pakistan,” he told a news television channel. The adviser also said that Pakistan was acting against all sorts of terrorists according to its own anti-terror plan, and said that the whole Congress realized Pakistan’s importance in the Islamic world and South Asia and in resolving the Afghan issue, excepting some Congressmen who were “either not updated or have some baseless concerns” which “we are striving to address”.
Posters Urging Army Chief Sharif For Military Coup Raise Eyebrows
Banners urging army chief General Raheel Sharif to take control of the government have appeared ‘mysteriously’ in cities across Pakistan, with some quarters alleging that the military’s public relations wing may have been behind the move. This is the second time in a year that such posters and banners have appeared, following deterioration in relations between the civilian leadership and the military high command. The banners were put up in Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, Quetta, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Sargodha and Hyderabad by the ‘Move On Pakistan’ party, a little-known political party of the Punjab province. Its leaders urged Gen Sharif to impose martial law and form a “government of technocrats”. Ali Hashmi, chief organiser behind Move on Pakistan, is quoted to have told media persons, “Dictatorship is much better than this corrupt government. The way General Raheel Sharif has dealt with terrorism and corruption, there is no guarantee that the next man would be as effective as him,” he said.
The Inter-Services Public Relations, the military’s media arm, said that the Pakistan Army or any of its affiliated organizations had nothing to do with the activity. Despite such responses, suspicions were bound to be raised given the context of the country which has been ruled by military forces for more than half of its 69-year old history and till date, the armed forces are widely seen as controlling the defense and foreign policy.
Ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz was cautious in its comment. On a private TV news channel, Minister of State for Privatisation, Mohammad Zubair said the army chief had already expressed his intention not to seek an extension in tenure. “He (Gen Sharif) is the head of a great institution. I’m sure the person who will replace him will be equally professional and competent,” he said.
The week before, Chairman of US Senate's Armed Services Committee, Senator John McCain, who recently visited Pakistan, sparked a controversy when said that he is deeply impressed by the Pakistan Army’s Chief General Raheel Sharif's leadership skills, and hopes that the General continues to lead Pakistan.
McCain termed the situation in Waziristan satisfying and lauded the Pakistani armed forces for clearing Miranshah off terrorists. He added, "I and my fellow senators spent several hours there in Miranshah and met the military leadership. We were surprised to know that 6,000 Pakistani soldiers lost their lives and 16,000 were injured, which is a very heart breaking number”.
Washington, however, distanced itself from the debate on granting an extension to army chief General Raheel Sharif. When the State Department spokesperson was asked about it during Thursday’s (14th July) press briefing, he did not offer a comment on the proposal, however, went on to add that Washington remains engaged with Islamabad on combating terrorists.
India Responds To Pakistan For The Latter’s Interference In Kashmir
India came out strongly against Pakistan over the latter's comments on the Kashmir situation in the wake of killing of militant Burhan Wani and also for taking the issue at the United Nations. In a sharp rebuke to Pakistan for raising the Kashmir issue at the UN, India denounced it as a country that uses terrorists and provides them sanctuary and said Islamabad's cynical efforts to internationalise the dispute have fallen flat. Calling its reference to Kashmir as an "attempt at misuse" of the UN platform, India's Permanent Representative Syed Akbaruddin added, "The attempt came from Pakistan, a country that covets the territory of others; a country that uses terrorism as state policy towards that misguided end; a country that extols the virtues of terrorists and that provides sanctuary to UN-designated terrorists".
He was responding to the comments made by Pakistan's Permanent Representative Maleeha Lodhi, at a high-level General Assembly debate on 'Human Rights at the Centre of the Global Agenda'. She accused India of human rights violations in Kashmir and of carrying out an "extra-judicial killing of a person" she described as a "Kashmiri leader". Later, MEA spokesman Vikas Swarup asserted that as the Wani issue was internal to India, Pakistan had no locus standi in the matter and asked it to refrain from interfering in it. Swarup was equally dismissive of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) that issued a statement on Wani's killing by security forces. "No locus standi and we don't need any gratis advice from anyone."
Responding to the Pakistani’s cabinet, which in a special meeting chaired by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, “condemned” India for declaring Wani a terrorist and announced that Pakistan would play a role in “awakening the conscience” of the international community against India’s actions in the Kashmir valley, Spokesman Swarup stated, “Continued glorification of terrorists belonging to proscribed terrorist organisations makes it amply clear where Pakistan’s sympathies continue to lie”. He also condemned Pakistan’s decision to declare July 19 as a day of mourning for the slain Hizbul militant Burhan Wani.
Afghanistan
Warsaw Summit Discusses World Commitments To Afghanistan:
The 2016 Warsaw Summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was the 27th formal meeting of the heads of state and heads of government of NATO, held on the 8th and 9th of July 2016. While the NATO bases in Central Europe were the priority agenda for the summit, in the context of Afghanistan, the nations contributing to the Resolute Support mission reaffirmed their mutual commitment to ensure long-term security and stability in the country.
The Summit Declaration on Afghanistan lauded the nation’s progress in strengthening democratic processes and bettering education, healthcare, human rights including those of women, and free media. But despite such developments, the Declaration was cognizant of the challenges faced by the country in areas as electoral reforms, combating corruption, countering narcotics trafficking, and creation of a stable security environment, for which, further efforts were needed to consolidate the achievements thus far.
NATO and its operational partners thus committed to sustain the Resolute Support mission beyond 2016 through a flexible, regional model, to continue to deliver training, advice and assistance to the Afghan Security Institutions including the police, the air force and special operations forces. They also agreed to continue national contributions to the financial sustainment of the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces, including until the end of 2020 and urged the wider international community to remain engaged in the financial sustainment of the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces.
Afghanistan, also committed to strengthen further the Afghan Security Institutions and forces; increase its contribution to the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces, with the aim of assuming financial responsibility for its security forces by the end of the Transformation Decade in 2024 in accordance with the 2012 Chicago Summit Declaration; pursue reforms, including to root out corruption; promote transparency and accountability; and foster economic development.
The statement also welcomed the role played by the Istanbul Process in supporting the Heart of Asia region which includes Afghanistan and reaffirmed the organization’s belief that an inclusive Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace and reconciliation process, which respects the Afghan constitution and human rights, including notably the rights of women, is the pathway to a sustainable resolution of the conflict.
President Ghani Meets Senator John McCain
President Ashraf Ghani, met with the US Senator, John McCain at the Presidential Palace on the 4th of July 2016. According to the statement issued by the Office of the Afghan President, both sides discussed enhancement of the US-Afghan bilateral relations, fighting terrorism, regional cooperation, and America’s long-term support and commitment for Afghanistan. President Ghani expressed his gratitude for the continued US support to Afghanistan. Notably, both the President and Senator McCain termed terrorism and extremism as a threat to stability of Afghanistan, region and the world, and stressed on continuation of the efforts to fighting it.
Taliban attack repulsed in Farah
According to a statement issued by the Afghan Ministry of Interior, a Taliban attack was repulsed by the Afghan security forces in Western Farah province. According to the statement, a group of Taliban insurgents conducted a coordinated attack on a police check post in the village of Karez located in central areas of Farah Province. Afghan forces responded to the Taliban fire killing at least 10 Taliban insurgents and 7 others were wounded. The Afghan National Police (ANP) forces did not suffer any casualties.
Bangladesh
Terror Attack Debate & Incidents Continue:
In what could have been yet another major terror attack just a week after the Holey Artisan Bakery incident in Dhaka, a group of seven militants, on July 7, attacked a police check point at Sholakia near the Eid congregation venue where more than 200,000 people had assembled for the Eid prayer. Two policemen were killed and at least 12 others including policemen were injured in the exchange of fire between the terrorists and the security forces. One suspected attacker was also killed in a blast. Panic gripped the ground. Four of the attackers who bombed the check point were caught after a gun battle. Had these attackers reached the congregation ground, hundreds of people could have been killed.
Global Reactions Over Deadly Dhaka Terror Attack:
The Holey Artisan Bakery incident in Dhaka drew attention of the entire world. Japan, India, EU Italy, US, UK France, Germany, Malaysia and Nepal expressed deep concern over the incident and pledged to be at Bangladesh’s side in the battle against terrorism. They all condemned the attack in separate statements expressing deepest condolences to all the victims and injured and their families, including those law enforcement officers who bravely lost their lives while seeking to thwart this awful crime. Secretary General of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) also expressed support to Bangladesh in its fight against terrorism and extremism.
New Video Threatens More Attacks in Bangladesh:
The ‘Islamic State’ video released in SITE intelligence, on July 6, said to have been shot in Raqqah, the so called capital of the Islamic State in Syria, has gone viral on social media among Bangladeshis still recovering from the shock of the Holey Artisan Bakery slaughter of July 1-2. “It was a glimpse … will repeat”, tweeted Rita Katz, director of SITE intelligence. The video begins with Islamic State propaganda messages, with captions in Bangla, and boasts of death tolls from numerous attacks claimed by IS.
PM Hasina Apprehends More Terror Attacks:
Speaking to officials and eminent citizens through video conferencing, on July 13, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina shared her concern that ‘people related to war criminals, Jamaat-e-Islami and BNP were plotting attacks’. She urged the people to remain alert, keeping in mind that it would not stop here. The Prime Minister said that there were different conspiracies and the government was gathering intelligence reports from domestic and foreign sources. She asked them to launch campaign to sensitise the people about terrorism. She also urged the armed forces to be on the guard in their work places and launch anti-terrorism campaign.
Monks and Priests Continue to be Targeted:
A monk of Rakhain temple was attacked and injured by a group of miscreants in Cox’s Bazar town on July 13. The injured monk of the ethnic community from Arakan of Myanmar was identified as Open Bita. In another instance on July 7, two members of a Hindu temple committee received death threats separately through letters from unknown sources at Arongghata area in Khulna. It was stated in the letter that killing of priests would continue. Meanwhile, another letter with similar threat was left at Shalua Nimtala Sarbajanin Puja Mandir around the same time by unknown people.
Bangladesh Cancels Peace TV Down Link:
Bangladesh government has now cancelled the downlink permission of controversial preacher Zakir Naik’s Peae TV. Information ministry issued an order in this regard on July 11. The Bangladesh government has also started enquiry to find out about the schools which are being operated with the world ‘Peace” in their names. The Dhaka education board authorities said they only approved temporarily an English medium school at Lalmatia to operate under the name Peace School. The others do not have any such permission.
Plots Allocated to War Criminals Cancelled:
The government has cancelled all plots allocated to war criminals during the last BNP-Jamaat tenure. Housing and Public Works Minister Mosharraf Hossain made the announcement to the press, on July 13. The Minister said that developers, who were working in the allocated plots or building apartments, would be given their share. The rest of the property would be state owned. He also said that if any war criminal had already sold his allocated plot, government would act accordingly after reviewing the situation.
External Relations:
India Gives Land Ownership Right to Bangladeshi Minorities:
Indian, on July 12, approved a number of facilities to residents from minority communities of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, namely Hindus, Sikhs, Budhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians staying on Long Term Visa in India. These included permission to purchase land, opening of bank account, permission for purchase of property for self occupation and suitable accommodation for carrying out self-employment, permission to take self employment, issue of driving license, PAN Card and Aadhar number, allowing free movement within the state/UT where they are staying, transfer of Long Term visa papers from one state to other, waiver of penalty on non-extension of short term visa/Long Term visa on time, permission to apply for Long Term visa from the place of present residence when the applicants have moved to the place without permission.
Nepal
Political Developments:
CPN (Maoist Centre) Withdraws Support To Oli Govt:
CPN (Maoist Centre withdraw support to the UNP led government of K P Sharma Oli on July 12 and asked him to step down to pave the way for formation of a new government. In a letter addressed to the Prime Minister, Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal referred to the promulgation of new constitution and past agreements and said his party always saw the need for national consensus. He said that KP Sharma Oli-led coalition was reluctant to implement the past agreements — the gentleman’s agreement for the change of guard and nine-point agreement made earlier. Therefore, ‘it would be politically inappropriate for our party to remain in this government and hence we withdraw our support from this government’.
Party leader Krishna Bahadur Mahara later revealed to the press that his party had already reached an agreement with the Nepali Congress to form the new government under the leadership of CPN (Maoist Centre) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal. “As per the agreement, our party will lead the government first. Then the leadership of the government will be transferred to Nepali Congress after some time,” said Mahara. However, as per press briefing by the Prime Minister’s Press Advisor, Promod Dhal the Prime Minister would not step down, but would rather face no-confidence motion at the parliament.
Prior to withdrawal of support, leaders from NC and the Maoist reached a seven-point agreement including immediate withdrawal of its support to UML-led government, recall its ministers from the government and initiate all necessary procedures for the election of prime minister. The seven-point agreement was signed by NC President Sher Bahadur Deuba and Maoist Centre Chairman Dahal. Besides seven-point agreement, the two leaders reached an understanding to lead the government by turns. As per this understanding, Dahal will lead the government for the first nine months and then hand over the government leadership to NC president Deuba, who will lead the coalition for next nine months. This understanding allows Dahal-led government to hold elections for the local bodies and the next government headed by Deuba will conduct polls for provincial levels and central parliament.
No Trust Motion Tabled Against Oli:
A day after on July 13, Nepali Congress Party, CPN (Maoist Centre), and CPN (United), , tabled a vote of no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Oli at the Legislature-Parliament. The motion was signed by Pushpa Kamal Dahal, on behalf of 284 MPs. PM however, informed the Speaker Onsari Gharti Magar through CPN-UML Chief Whip Bhanu Bhakta Dhakal that he would not tender his resignation but would face vote of no-confidence.
Support of 298 members is needed to elect new prime minister from the existing 595 Parliament members. NC with 206 seats and the CPN Maoist Centre with 82 members, will fall short of the final target but this should not be difficult as the alliance has so far, garnered support from 13 political parties, including the United Democratic Madhesi Front. Thus, unless there are dramatic political twists Dahal’s taking over as 39th prime minister appears to be a certainty. Parliamentary debate on the motion will open on July 21 and probably the motion will be put to vote by July 23. The president will then call on parties to form a consensus government under Article 298(2) which deals with formation of transitional government. However, media reports suggest that the process may not be all that smooth as provided for in the constitution. Oli has ‘dug his heels in’ and is likely to resort to methods that could lead to opening of judicial reviews etc. That would delay the whole process.
Sushila Karki Becomes First Woman Chief Justice:
The first woman Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Sushila Karki, assumed responsibility formally from July 11, creating history in the country. The Parliamentary Hearing Special Committee had, on July 10, approved the name of Karki recommended by the Constitutional Council on April 10 for her appointment to the post. Karki, who is the 25th Chief Justice, took oath of office and secrecy from President Bidya Devi Bhandari, on July 11.
Sri Lanka
Chinese Foreign Minister Visits Sri Lanka:
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi accompanied by a nine member delegation arrived in Sri Lanka on July 8 at the invitation of Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera. Chinese Foreign Minister appreciated the resumption of Port City Project, and assured that Sino-Sri Lanka cooperation does not target any third country nor will it affect their respective relationship with other countries, as ‘ there was a consensus between the two countries regarding the relationships with other regional countries.’ The main aim of his visit was to further enhance bilateral relationships and to facilitate mutual visits by the leaders in 2017 to celebrate 60th year anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. China has been more than vocal in underlining its strategic partnership with Lanka, as the country forms an important link of China’s brainchild, ‘the Maritime Silk Route’. Sri Lanka, too, wants to use this opportunity to become the hub of the Indian Ocean. The two countries already set to work closely on blue economy, marine technology and maritime security.
Joint Opposition Fears ETCA Being Push Forth Without President’s Knowledge:
The joint opposition has claimed that an attempt was being made by the Government to finalise the proposed Indo-Lanka Economic and Technology Cooperative Agreement (ETCA) without President Sirisena’s knowledge. Former MP G.L.Peiris told the media that ETCA would be finalized before October by whatever means despite overwhelming opposition to the agreement. The Joint Opposition has always tried to argue that ETCA favours India and even Sri Lankan courts would not be in a position to hear any cases filed against the contents of the trade pact. One of the former Ministers has even called for a referendum to seek public approval for the ETCA. President Sirisena, on his part, has assured that no international trade agreement with any country would be finalised without upholding a national framework, even if the country was facing severe difficulties economically or politically. He was clearly pointing at ETCA and said that he would not give his approval to any international agreement if it harmed the sovereignty, economy and cultural identity of the country.
Joint Opposition’s ‘Shadow Cabinet’ Experiment Fails:
The Joint Opposition announced its ‘Shadow Cabinet’ during a meeting in Parliament of July 7.Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa was appointed Prime Minister. Some of the other appointments to the 'Shadow Cabinet' were:
- Education - Dullas Alahapperuma
- Finance - Bandula Gunawardana
- Foreign Affairs – Namal Rajapaksa
- Highways – Chamal Rajapaksa
- Local Government and Provincial Council – Ranjith de Zoysa
- Ports and Shipping – Kumara Welgama
- Labour – Gamini Lokuge
- Rural Industries – S. M. Chandrasena
The idea of ‘Shadow Cabinet’ as in UK, turned out to be something that had been done without proper understanding about the subject as well as without the consent of many members of the group. The 50 member Shadow Cabinet flopped within a day, with Mahinda Rajapaksa distancing himself from it and several other ‘ministers’ of it also expressing reservations of the concept itself. Now that the prime minister of the Shadow Cabinet had resigned the Shadow Cabinet too stands dissolved. It seems that the move was ill- conceived and had not been unanimously endorsed by the group.
Maldives:
Foreign Minister Resigns as Political Crisis in Maldives Intensifies:
Maldives Foreign Minister Dunya Maumoon resigned in the first week of July in protest against the reintroduction of capital punishment. Maumoon’s resignation came three weeks after the Maldives Supreme Court upheld the death sentence of Hussein Humaam, convicted for killing Afrasheem Ali, a high-profile parliamentarian in October 2012. The court rejected a plea by family members of the murdered MP to delay the death penalty because of significant unanswered questions about the investigation into the murder. Political opponents of the government allege that the Maldives judiciary is biased.
In her resignation statement, Maumoon said she had “profound differences of opinion” over the reintroduction of the death penalty and that there were serious questions about “the delivery of justice in Maldives.” It appears that the former foreign minister, who voiced no opposition to Yameen’s restoration of the death penalty in May 2014, is responding to criticism by the US and the EU.
Maumoon’s resignation also underscores an increasing rift between her father, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, head of the ruling Maldives Progressive Party (PPM), and President Yameen. The PPM leader has publicly criticised constitutional changes made by the Yameen government in July 2015 to authorise foreign freeholds in the Maldives. So far thirteen cabinet ministers have quit the Yameen government since it came to power in November 2013.
Meanwhile, United Nations urged Maldives to hold off execution of Hussain Humam after Humam’s father sent a letter to UN Human Rights Committee alleging violation of International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), as Humam had no psychological evaluation done on him despite requests by his family, his murder confession was made under duress and no investigation had been carried out to determine if he was threatened. He had also not been allowed to have witnesses speak in his defense.
Meanwhile, President Yameen has appointed Dr. Mohamed Asim as the country’s Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Myanmar
Towards Peace and Reconciliation
State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and the United Nationalities Federation Council’s (UNFC) Delegation for Political Negotiation (DPN) led by N’Ban La are expected to hold talks to work out ways for non-signatory ethnic-armed organisations to join the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement and participate in the Union Peace Conference. Earlier Suu Kyi reversed the erstwhile policy of not inviting the ethnic armed groups that did not sign the nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA). This is being seen as a positive step for peace and reconciliation efforts.
Out of the thirteen ethnic armed groups that have not yet signed the NCA, nine groups are members of UNFC. These are Kachin Independent Organization (KIO), New Mon State Party (NMSP), Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP), Shan State Progressive Party/Shan State Army (SSPP/SSA), Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), Lahu Democratic Union (LDU), Wa National Organization (WNO), Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (Kokang) (MNDAA) and Arakan National Council (ANC).
Aung San Suu Kyi also stated that she would not only work for the reconciliations between the government and ethnic armed groups, but among the ethnic groups themselves, too. She will chair the government peace negotiation body, the National Reconciliation and Peace Center (NRPC), as part of her stated prioritization of peace and national reconciliation.
Suu Kyi to Attend ASEAN Foreign Minister Conference
Aung San Suu Kyi will visit Laos this month to attend the 49th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ meeting from July 21 to 26 in Vientiane. “We will only discuss regional issues. Some ASEAN foreign ministers are newly elected and they will meet Suu Kyi,” said the deputy director general in Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
China & Taiwan
95th anniversary of the Communist Party of China (1921-2016)
China celebrated 95th anniversary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee on 1 July 2016. Reviewing the political situation in an 80 minute long speech President Xi Jinping highlighted ideological purity, reinventing CPC legitimacy and anti corruption. He stressed on the fact that until now China has progressed on “socialism with Chinese characteristics” and party members should not deviate from it. He identified corruption as the biggest threat to the party and vowed to keep the pressure and maintain “zero tolerance of corruption” and to “investigate all cases and punish those who are corrupt”. He stressed the need for “discipline and rules” within the party in the run up to a major leadership reshuffle next year.
Showing concern on the economic slowdown he said, “the economy should be developed in a more efficient, equitable and sustainable fashion and with higher quality”. He laid emphasis on fostering an atmosphere in which the principles of innovation, coordination, green development, openness and sharing are maintained to expand economic power as well as national strength.
On foreign policy goals, President Xi Jinping sopke about China’s firm stand on maritime issues and warned against any threat to China’s security and Taiwan independence. As the speech was coming ahead of the PCA award, he defended China’s stand on the SCS. He mentioned “China doesn’t covet other countries interest, nor does it envy other countries development but we won’t give up our rightful interest”. He mentioned that China would never let go of its core interest, sovereignty or development plans. He mentioned, “other countries should not expect us to trade away our core interest”. With reference to the US frequent patrolling he said” China will adhere to the military approach of active defence. We will not resort to threats of military force or show of military strength at another’s doorstep”. China had no intention of running a “one man show” or creating its “own backyard” in the region but it would not compromise on its national interest”, “China will not seek to cast a long shadow over Asia but will also not succumb to threats of military force”. This was a kind of reassurance for the Asian neighbours.
Ever since President Tsai Ing wen assumed power, for the first time President Xi Jinping spoke about Taiwan Independence. He categorically said no splitism can be accepted. He further took this opportunity to remind Chinese citizens to speed up the process of building of a “moderately well-off society” and prosperous society by 2020.
Premier Le Keqiang visit to Mongolia and Asia Europe Meeting Summit (ASEM)
Premier Li Keqiang visited Ulan Bator on 13 July 2016 on an official visit to Mongolia. China-Mongolia relations have come out of the shadow of Sino-Russian relations and now are at the “best ever” times. The Mongolian President visited Beijing last year to attend the 70th anniversary of the victory of China over Japan. The current visit was the first by the Premier Le Keqiang to Mongolia which is important for China for its neighbourhood policy and the success of the overland Silk Road Economic Belt. China shares a border of 4788 km with Mongolia and has been able to solve the boundary dispute. In 2014 the bilateral relations was upgraded to “comprehensive strategic partnership”. On the economic front, China is the largest trading partner of Mongolia and over last two decades the bilateral trade has expanded 50 times. The two countries reached consensus to link the China’s Silk Road Economic Belt with Mongolia’s Steppe Road Program. The main emphasis of this linkage is to enhance connectivity and step up industrial capacity cooperation in mining, energy and animal husbandry. Clearly, the thrust of this meeting was to further consolidate mutual trust and boost bilateral cooperation between the two countries.
The official bilateral meeting was followed by the 11th ASEM summit on 15-16 July. ASEM is an intergovernmental forum aimed at fostering political dialogue and boosting cooperation on various issue across Asia and Europe. The theme of this year’s summit was “20 years of ASEM: Partnership for Future through Connectivity”. The meeting was attended by the head of State and Government from 53 European and Asian countries, the President of the European Council, the president of European Commission and the Secretary General of ASEAN. During the summit the Chinese premier made first open statement on the SCS at any international forum following the PCA award. He also made a tough statement towards Japan which, according to China, was involved in the arbitration judgment. In an informal meeting during the summit Premier Le Keqiang specifically mentioned that the SCS should not be subject to multilateral discussions from the very beginning, or be included in the summit’s agenda.
Thermal High Altitude Area Defence in the Korean Peninsula
On 8 July 2016, South Korea and the US officially announced that they will deploy US interceptors on the South Korean soil as a part of its defence arrangement with South Korea. Later the exact location of deployment in the south-eastern county of Seongju was disclosed. THAAD is designed to defend against short- and medium-range ballistic missiles by intercepting them high in the atmosphere, or outside it. The US already has a THAAD system on the island of Guam. South Korea has deployed THAAD because it has no interceptors and it is “potentially safer when dealing with nuclear missiles”.
Tensions have been rising in the Korean Peninsula after North Korea conducted its fourth nuclear test in January followed by a satellite launch and a series of test launches of various missiles.
Both China and Russia have reacted to the THAAD deployment because the system can grab ballistic missiles launched from eastern China and the Far East region in Russia before they enter outer space. This would be like installing a monitor at the doorstep of China and Russia and considerably squeeze the two countries' strategic space. The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang reacted to the development by saying “China will resolutely take the necessary steps to protect our reasonable interests”; Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the deployment was “unjustified”. China is opposing the deployment as it will reinforce Washington’s rebalance to the Asia- pacific region. The US has responded to the entire development by saying that deployment of the THAAD in the South Korea is solely to protect its forces and its ally- South Korea.
President Tsai Ing wen maiden oversea visit to Latin America and stopover in the US
President Tsai Ing wen made her first overseas visit to Latin America after taking office. She visited Panama and Paraguay from 24 June-2 July 2016. Latin American countries are amongst few that recognise Republic of China (ROC Taiwan). During this visit she transited through two US cities Miami and Los Angeles.
The stated official purpose of the visit was to attend the opening ceremony of the extension of 1914 Panama Canal. This is the first largest expansion of the waterways since its construction. The visit helped Taiwan to increase its status as a sovereign and independent state. Additionally, personal meetings with the head of the state provided Taiwan an opportunity to pursue these countries to push its case in various international forums. Hence, increasingly the overall international profile of the Island nation.
The visit gave President Tsai an opportunity to make a transit stop in the US. The stopover visit was symbolic of the smooth US-Taiwan relations. Transit stopover has become institutionalized in US –Taiwan unofficial relation, President Lee Teng hui was the first one to make a transit visit to the US in 1994. During her 24 hour transit stop in Miami she met with AIT Managing Director Joe Donovan and other high officials. She had telephonic conversation with former US President Bill Clinton and current Speaker of the US house of Representative Paul Ryan during her stopover in Los Angeles. She thanked Ryan for backing US arms sales to Taiwan and emphasised the importance of congressional support for Taiwan joining the Trans Pacific and other multilateral trade blocs. At the time when the President Tsai was in Miami there was meeting with the US and Taiwanese defence officials related to their annual US-Taiwan Defence development. Overall, the visit was high on symbolism but no major agreements were signed.
