China held a record number of military exercises with ASEAN states in 2023. What’s fuelling the spike?

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US Struggle- NAVIGATION OF THE Chinese

The US has been acting in a similar manner to China as it intensifies its regional defense activities.

Cope Thunder, a battle training workout with the Philippines, was revived last year after more than three decades. Cobra Gold and Garuda Shield, two diplomatic training with Thailand and Indonesia, between, have since developed into significant international endeavors. &nbsp,

The US has even pushed for new initiatives, such as the first seafaring practice between ASEAN and the US in 2019.

In either case, South Asian countries gain, though spectators claim that the benefits vary.

According to Dr. Hoo,” The devil lies in the information, it’s what kind of commitment and here we see for Southeast Asian nations, the range and breadth of their commitments with the US tend to be deeper and more substantive.”

However, Dr. Huang from NUS noted that interactions with the Army “go a long way to improving confidence.”

To allow the other party to gain some understanding of the Chinese military’s strengths and natural weaknesses, he continued, “is a ability building mechanism.”

Having said that, Dr. Hoo from NTU is confident that how China handles its maritime claims will not be impacted by how frequently or extensively the joint activities are conducted.

Instead, he continued, “it conveys the very clear message that the Army is the regional superpower and has the right to work in the area, especially the South China Sea.”

” Increasing trust is not a guarantee for errors and mishaps.”

According to Dr. Storey, the trend of increasing Chinese defense engagements in the area is expected to continue because it sees these as a means of advancing an international security order led by China that finally excludes the US.

Dr. Storey stated to CNA, citing a new idea China unveiled in February of last year on enhancing global security,” Strripped to its bare bones, that is obviously the goal of President Xi Jinping’s Global Security Initiative.”

” China is attempting to demonstrate that it can be an other company of local security products to the United States by conducting military exercises with Southeast Asian nations.”

As the US and China compete for local control, experts anticipate that ASEAN countries will maintain their juggling act.

Indonesian President Joko Widodok frequently emphasized that ASEAN does not act as a go-between for any energy and will work with anyone to promote peace and prosperity during his tenure as the bloc’s chair next year.

According to Dr. Hoo,” this means that ( Southeast Asian nations ) must strike a balance between their relationships with both major powers, and harmony means not only in terms of economic connections, but also of security.”

Therefore, even if it is n’t as significant as the US, to the extent that ( China ) can engage in some kind of military activity is still something the Chinese would like to have and something that is advantageous for these Southeast Asian nations themselves.

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Is de-risking the beginning of the end for made-in-China goods?

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According to Julio Bello, the company’s vice president and general manager in Hermosillo area, its earnings growth has doubled in five years as a result of many of those clients moving some of their manufacturing businesses from China to Mexico.

We’re going to add some lines and increase our ability over the next six months. That will help our growth plans for 2024 and 2025.

Collectron International Management, which aids foreign businesses in moving to Mexico, is another benefactor. According to Maria Elena Gallego, president and chief executive officer of Collectron Group, the team head matter has increased from 8, 000 to 10, 000.

European investment is pouring into her nation in addition to the 2018 start of the US-China business war. Another is the crisis. She added,” And of course, it has gotten worse ( as a result of the fight between Russia and Ukraine ).

It helps that Mexico’s labor force is experienced and prices are competitive. Bello remarked,” We’re lucky to be in a region with many institutions nearby and an extremely talented and skilled workforce.”

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Indonesia Elections 2024: How AI has become a double-edged sword for candidates and election officials

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IN THE BATTLE OF IDEAS&nbsp, AMMUNITION

However, AI can even make the election process easier. &nbsp,

Local media reported in December that the General Elections Commission (KPU) company in Sukoharjo Regency, Central Java, intended to use AI to speed up its voting calculating process.

Data processed by the engineering, the department said, will help determine if there are errors and anomalies, even though the formal outcome of the presidential and parliamentary elections did still rely on mechanically counting the ballot on each ballot paper.

Another KPU offices, such as its Jakarta office, have not stated that they will adhere to the Sukoharjo company’s strategy.

More than 204 million Indonesians did cast their ballots on February 14 to choose members of the nation’s national, regional, and city-level governments in addition to electing the next president.

More than 20,000 positions are up for grabs overall, demonstrating the difficulty of what election officials may encounter on the ground when the votes are cast.

More than 300,000 people are vying for seats in the legislature. Not everyone has access to information and files. Entrepreneur Jose Rizal told CNA that even if they did, no everyone would be able to analyze this data and information and create a plan strategy.

One of the reasons Mr. Jose started Pemilu is because of this. AI in April of last year.

In order for congressional candidates to identify issues related to their constituents, develop a plan method, and come up with an elaborate execution plan, the company is using AI to analyze publicly accessible information, such as those from the Central Bureau of Statistics, as well as quantitative data from face-to-face interviews.

” We may also determine what populations the applicant should be targeting with the aid of Artificial.” According to Mr. Jose, AI may even come up with strategies to draw these target groups in from activities they may find fascinating, all the way to battle slogans and social media posts.

So far around 700 parliamentary candidates are using Pemilu.AI’s services, the firm’s founder said, spending IDR29 million (US$1,838) for every city and regency level candidates, IDR 99 million for provincial level MP hopefuls and IDR 149 million for national level parliamentary candidates.

Artificial technology still has its shortcomings, despite the fact that the price is a small portion of what applicants may pay if they sought the advice of an experienced political consultant.

Can AI actually take the place of a consultant? Obviously no. People have knowledge and intuition. AI can conceptualize a plan, but how it is carried out also depends on the prospects, how they are able to communicate their ideas, and how well they interact with their constituents, according to Mr. Jose.

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