Commentary: Joe Biden’s unsung shift on China

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As Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, this week pointed out: “High-level and repeated interaction is crucial to clear up misperception … and to arrest downward spirals that could erupt into a major crisis.” 

Nothing fundamental has changed about US-China rivalry. Chinese vessels and aircraft continue to intimidate others in its vicinity. America is tightening curbs on outward investments to China, and further restricting Chinese investments in the US.

Xi could cross the line by supplying Russia with military materiel in its war on Ukraine. With some reason, Xi continues to think that America wants to keep China down.

The more they can converse, however, the lower the existential risk. By my count, Sullivan has spent about 20 hours talking to Wang in Vienna and Malta during the past few months, which is as much time as a patient might spend with their therapist.

It is harder to read bad faith into your adversary when they are objecting civilly to you in private.

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Commentary: For everyone’s sake, companies must stop manipulating their emission reports

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THE ONE, TWO, THREE OF CARBON ACCOUNTING

Scope One emissions refer to direct emissions produced by the company. It accounts for emissions that are released into the atmosphere as a direct result of the companies’ activities, much like cooking dinner in your kitchen, where you’re fully aware of the amount of gas you’re using and the smoke you’re producing.

Scope Two emissions are indirect emissions from purchased electricity consumed by the end-user. Take, for example, the electricity that powers the fans and lights in your kitchen.

Scope Three emissions are also indirect, but they comprise emissions that occur throughout the company’s value chain, including upstream, like transport and distribution, and downstream emissions, like end-of-life waste disposal.

This is akin to emissions from the supermarket where you shop for ingredients to cook. While the supermarket doesn’t belong to you, you’re partially responsible for the emissions from the delivery trucks that bring your ingredients to the store.

Ideally, companies should report emissions across all three scopes, which would ensure a clear picture of companies’ carbon footprint and allow regulators to hold them accountable.

OMITTING SCOPE THREE REPORTING

In reality, companies report Scope One and Two emissions, falling short of Scope Three. Scope Three emissions are difficult to track and trace, especially for companies with complex webs of global supply chains. Some companies, particularly those in polluting industries, also intentionally avoid reporting Scope Three emissions to evade scrutiny.

Missing one out of three reporting scopes may not seem like a big deal – but it is. Carbon Disclosure Project, a non-profit that provides a system for investors, companies and governments to disclose their environmental impact, estimates that Scope Three emissions account for about 70 per cent of a company’s total emissions. This figure rises to nearly 90 per cent for oil and gas companies.

In this context, leaving out Scope Three emissions reporting is akin to solving a jigsaw puzzle without the largest piece – the picture is never complete.

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Commentary: The challenge for Malaysia opposition party PAS in going mainstream

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REFORMS A WORK IN PROGRESS

In his writings and speeches, Abdul Hadi has been critical of secularism and liberalism. PAS is arguably the strongest party in the country after solid victories in the November 2022 general election (GE15) and August 2023 state elections.

It now holds the largest party block in Parliament with 42 seats out of 222 (originally 43, before Election Commission nullified the Kemaman seat in Terengganu). Its presence in Parliament is even bigger than Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s Parti Keadlian Rakyat (PKR), the Democratic Action Party (DAP), and the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), the other older and bigger parties in Malaysia.

In the state elections in August, PAS won 126 out of 245 seats it contested, making it the best performing party. It is now in control of Terengganu, Kelantan, Kedah, and Perlis. However, it struggled to garner votes from non-Malays and urban Malays.

As solid as PAS’ recent political gains, the question is whether an old warhorse like Abdul Hadi would be the stumbling block for PAS to make further electoral gains. To be sure, he may have put in place the ingredients for a progressive-Islamist PAS in future.

In his speech, Abdul Hadi reiterated his right to articulate the so-called 3R issues: Race, religion and royalty. On the other hand, the unity government has signalled it would not tolerate those who polarises the country. Abdul Hadi has been questioned several times by the police for sedition.

His recent comments on the current humanitarian crisis in Gaza may further alienate the more moderate Muslims (or Malaysians). It is understandable that he sympathises with the Palestinians in Gaza, given Malaysia’s political climate and that Kuala Lumpur does not have any diplomatic ties with Israel.

But he has inaccurately described the militant Hamas’ behaviour against Israel as legitimate in the eyes of Islam. He could have unequivocally condemned the loss of any innocent lives, both Palestinians and Israelis, while being more sympathetic to the former in the name of Muslim solidarity.

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Myanmar military junta formally accused of alleged war crimes before Philippines’ justice department

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Lawyer Michael Tiu Jr, an international humanitarian law expert from the University of the Philippines, said the alleged war crimes may be covered by universal jurisdiction under the Act, if they were perpetrated in the Philippines or against Filipinos.

“A strict reading (of the law) will mean that there are parameters to the exercise of jurisdiction which may limit the seizing of jurisdiction in this particular case,” he told CNA.

However, he added that the same Act makes international customary law applicable, which could be interpreted to mean a Philippine trial is indeed possible, regardless of the perpetrators’ nationality.

“So, one may also read in the Geneva Conventions and other laws to posit that ‘regardless of nationality’ means anybody can be tried in the Philippines if war crimes of this nature had been committed,” he explained.

Cases against the Myanmar army have also been filed in Indonesia, the United Kingdom and Türkiye.

Myanmar, Indonesia and the Philippines are members of regional grouping the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which has a policy of non-interference into each member state’s domestic affairs.

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Israeli envoy says Taiwan a good friend, China’s response to Hamas attacks ‘disturbing’

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TAIPEI: Israel’s envoy in Taipei said on Thursday (Oct 26) that Taiwan has been a “good friend” whose support Israel has appreciated, but China’s response to the attack by Hamas militants has been “disturbing”. Israel, like most countries, has no formal diplomatic ties with Chinese-claimed Taiwan. But Taiwan views IsraelContinue Reading