VIF Information Alerts - 25 Jan 2018

Asean and India: 25 Years and Beyond
25 Jan 2018
Op-ed by Lee Hsien Loong, Prime Minister of Singapore
Published: Strait Times

While we commemorate 25 years of Asean-India relations, India's ties with South-east Asia date back more than 2,000 years. Ancient trade between India and countries such as Cambodia, Malaysia and Thailand is well-documented.

South-east Asian cultures, traditions and languages have been profoundly influenced by these early linkages. We see Indic Hindu-Buddhist influences in historical sites such as the Angkor Temple Complex near Siem Reap in Cambodia, the Borobudur and Prambanan temples near Yogyakarta in Indonesia, and the ancient candis in Kedah in Malaysia. Click here to read... [2]

China to establish court for OBOR disputes
25 Jan 2018
Published: Asia Times

China is planning to establish a brand new dispute settlement mechanism, so as to provide legal protections including litigation, mediation and arbitration solutions for business along the Belt and Road Initiative, Yicai.com reported. According to the design plan, the Supreme People’s Court will set up an international commercial court in Beijing, Xi’an and Shenzhen. Click here to read... [3]

Japan displays documents to defend claims to disputed isles
25 Jan 2018
Published:The Statesman

The Japanese government opened a small museum on Thursday displaying maps and documents to defend its territorial claims against neighbors South Korea and China. The Japanese minister in charge of territorial issues, Tetsuma Esaki, said it was important for Japan to improve how information about disputed islands “is transmitted both internally and externally, so as to ensure as widely as possible that our claims are understood correctly. Click here to read... [4]

China in ‘takeover’ of Tibetan Buddhist monastery, rights group says
25 Jan 2018
Published: South China Morning Post

Chinese officials are engaging in a “takeover” of one of the world’s largest Tibetan Buddhist monasteries with a plan to put Communist Party officials in charge of its administration, Human Rights Watch said on Wednesday.

Larung Gar, a sprawling Buddhist centre of learning and prayer in the mountains of southwestern Sichuan province, has already been reduced in size through an eight-month programme of demolition and expulsion that ended in April, HRW said. Click here to read... [5]

US congratulates India on joining Australia Group
24 Jan 2018
Published: Economic Times

The US has congratulated India on joining the Australia Group saying it underscores New Delhi's excellent non-proliferation credentials and commitment to preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. India last week gained entry into the Australia Group (AG), an important non-proliferation regime which seeks to ensure that exports do not contribute to the development of chemical or biological weapons. Click here to read... [6]

Chinese M&As in OBOR countries grow tenfold
24 Jan 2018
Published: Asia Times

The mergers & acquisitions conducted by Chinese enterprises in One Belt One Road countries has seen explosive increases in both the number and the amount of deals, China News Service reported. According to the latest report released by PwC, the number of Chinese enterprises’ overseas M&A has increased to 135 in 2017, compared to 22 in 2016. Click here to read... [7]

US may upset Beijing after it backs Indonesian claim on South China Sea near Natuna islands
24 Jan 2018
Published: South China Morning Post

China has previously objected to Indonesia’s decision to rename a section of the South China Sea as the North Natuna Sea.

US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis accepted Indonesia renaming an area previously considered part of the South China Sea during his visit to the country – potentially upsetting China. He also expressed a readiness to embrace the name newly assigned by Indonesia to waters around the Natuna Islands. Click here to read... [8]