Singapore to increase investment in sport science to boost athletes’ performance
Dr. Marcus Lee, a game scientist, pointed out that Chen’s leg movements were slower on one side, which might hinder her entire rate.
” Without ( Dr Lee’s ) second pair of eyes, I would not have been able to pick that out so quickly”, said coach Lee.
He also gave some suggestions for how to enhance that relationship and schedule, which I will pay close attention to when I coach.
As the country strives to provide an atmosphere where athletes can thrive, this partnership between coaches and activity science professionals is becoming more and more crucial in Singapore’s activity landscape.
LACK OF Game Researchers IN SG
Now, the ratio of sport scientists to wealthy athletes in Singapore is 39 to one.
Surprisingly, Japan has a ratio of about one sport scholar for every 13 sportsmen, while Hong Kong has one for every 13.
Singapore’s game authorities hope that more money is being made into sport science, which will result in more targeted training and, in the end, better athletic performance.
The country is set to create an expanded game research and sports medicine centre in Kallang, with state-of-the-art labs and facilities.
All Team Singapore players will be able to access the facility, which will attempt to give them a major competitive advantage.
National athletes who pursue activities science degrees at local or international universities will also be covered for the total cost of their education.
Dr Marcus Lee, who heads the heart, called game research a” sun business”, especially in Singapore where the expertise swimming is still playing catch-up with other countries.
Sports technology is a need rather than a need, according to the article to be able to thrive on an worldwide stage. We may conduct everything we do with a clear focus on achieving our objectives, he said, and be truly academic in everything we do.
Because we have a pretty educated people, Singapore is primed to capitalize on this.
SPORT SCIENTISTS Would How?
Sports technology experts make use of information, knowledge, and technology to help maximize sports ‘ stamina and performance while lowering their risk of injury.
They evaluate each athlete from the amount of lactic acid the brain produces to the resting beat, and assist coaches in developing training plans.
” Every game and every sportsperson is special. Even in the same sport, two athletes might be very different, and therefore the interventions ( will ) be different”, said Dr Lee.  ,
They also help educators in understanding the technology behind restrictions, which can help break through barriers.
” ( Sport science ) gives me many perspectives which I may not, as a coach, understand. For instance, if an athlete rotates more on one side of the body, the biomechanist will be able to explain why one part has limitations while the other does not, according to mentor Lee.
” This gives me new ideas to support and assist the athletes in overcoming challenges that they are facing,” he said.
Athletes are frequently under a lot of intense pressure to perform, which makes philosophy a critical component of sport science.
” Mentally, game knowledge goes a long way towards supporting players. It once more affirms to the athletes that whatever effort they put in may be evaluated,” said manager Lee.
” At the end of the day, it’s not just about the physical features, but the psychological game that will make the change. They will gain advantage in this regard thanks to game research.
HOW SPORT SCIENCE HELPS
Some Team Singapore athletes have benefited from sports science.
A lower resting heart rate may be useful for Paralympic performer Nur Syahidah because it would improve her ability to execute her archer maneuvers.
To increase her aerobic capacity, she also trained by placing an eager gym in a designated area.
Dr. Lee claimed that sports researchers managed to lower her resting heart rate by about 7 seconds per second.  ,
” Where she’s looking is also really important. We perform quite a bit of attention recording to look at where she’s looking at, how much she’s looking at the various places, and optimise that”, he noted.
” The coach wanted to make sure that her elbow is n’t leaking too much,” the coach said. But using our 3D action capture technologies, we were even allowed to fine-tune that”.
Sports technology experts broke down Shanti Pereira’s run from the smallest details, including the length between her feet and the earth, for the world’s jump queen. They should not be in the air for very long, according to sport science experts.
They finally suggested training that may increase her efficiency.
Kayaking former Chen said that soccer technology uses numbers to measure education and performance, enabling athletes to know for sure if they are on the right path.
” Sport science bolsters your 98 %, which are the training and the hard work. It provides you with that 1 % of the support you need to gain advantage,” she said.
” Like with nutrition, sufficient physio, rehab and everything, 1 per cent seems like a small number but it makes a difference … when it comes to high performance”.
Australian singer-rapper The Kid Laroi performing in Singapore in November
This November, The Kid Laroi, an American rapper, may play a concert in Singapore. The Stay obtains, whose real name is , Charlton Kenneth Jeffrey Howard, is set to electrify the level at Singapore Expo Hall 7 on Nov 1.
On Wednesday ( Aug 28 ), LAMC members can attend a presale session at 10am. To get in on this, you’ll need to file via LAMC’s established site.
Therefore, starting at 12 p.m. that morning, general profits will begin via Sistic. Tickets may be released at a later time.
Singapore para swimmers eye medals in upcoming Paris Paralympic Games
” I have been working very hard for the past few years to try to reduce that fourth-place end, especially in the caterpillar,” he said, adding that there is a good chance of me winning a medal.
That’s the assurance I need to send to the future Games, I believe. I have to think, I have to think that I can complete it and it is possible.
And I have to carry that spirit everywhere, from here to the stones, from the moment I place my hand on the wall.
Toh won three gold and one magic at the Asian Para Games held in Hangzhou, China, last October, making him the most embellished Singapore sportsman.
His next award pull of the year came in. He set fresh event information and a fresh national record while winning three medals and two silvers at the 2023 ASEAN Para Games, which were held in Cambodia in June.
He added that he spent two weeks in Australia working with practitioners and mentors in the lead up to the Games this year, and that he is looking forward to putting into practice methods he has been working on for the past few months.
Toh has also had to balance his athletic aims with his studies.
On Friday, he will graduate from the National University of Singapore with a degree in philosophy, elections, and economy.
” It’s been a long voyage, and I’m happy that I can move on to something else in my life, “he added.
Former Malaysia PM Muhyiddin charged with sedition over alleged remarks on royalty, lawyer says
Malaysia’s opposition leader and former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin is facing sedition charges for allegedly insulting the nation’s former king, according to his lawyer on Tuesday ( Aug 27 ). Malaysia’s king is generally royal, and it is held in high regard. A colonial-era Insurrection Act allows for inappropriate remarksContinue Reading
No, the world isn’t heading toward a new Cold War – Asia Times
Over the past ten and a half has there been revolution across the globe. The 2008 financial problems and its consequences, the Covid-19 crisis and big local wars in Sudan, the Middle East, Ukraine and abroad have left remaining confusion. Added to this is a angry, growing rivalry between the US and its perceived critics, especially China.
In response to these unsettling days, commentators have often reached for the quick comparison of the post-1945 time to discuss geopolitics. The planet is, we are told regularly, entering a “new Cold War”.
These links to a fight that pitted the West against the Soviet Union and its allies and the effects the Cold War had had on other countries are inaccurate as a writer of the US’s place in the world. The universe appears to have changed more than the ruthless collapse of world attempt that occurred during the 1930s, according to a critical eye.
The “low selfish generation”
In 1939, the writer W H Auden referred to the past 10 years as the “low rude generation” – a moment that bred confusion and fight.
From the perspective of nearly a century of reality, the time from the Wall Street Crash of 1929 to the beginnings of World War II may be distorted by filled words like “isolationism” or “appeasement”. The decade is depicted as a morality play about the rise of famous people like Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini and appeased by simple tales of agress.
But the era was much more complicated. Powerful forces in the 1930s reshaped economies, societies and political beliefs. Understanding these dynamics can help to explain the muddled recent events.
Greater and lesser depressions
The 1930s were defined by the Great Depression throughout the world. It was not, as it is often remembered, simply the stock market crash of 1929. That was merely a rehash of a lengthy, painfully long global economic collapse.
Persistent economic problems impacted economies and individuals from Minneapolis to Mumbai, India, and wrought profound cultural, social and, ultimately, political changes. The laissez-faire approach to economics and the liberal capitalist states that supported it were discredited by the length of the Great Depression and its resistance to standard solutions, such as letting market forces “purge the rot” of a massive crisis.
The” Lesser Depression” that followed the 2008 financial crisis caused something similar: it shook the world’s and domestic economies, caused billions to become insecure, and discredited a liberal globalization that had ruled since the 1990s.
In both the greater and lesser depressions, people around the world had their lives upended and, finding established ideas, elites and institutions wanting, turned to more radical and extreme voices.
It was n’t just Wall Street that crashed, for many, the crisis undercut the ideology driving the US and many parts of the world: liberalism. In the 1930s, this skepticism bred questions of whether democracy and capitalism, already beset with contradictions in the form of discrimination, racism and empire, were suited for the demands of the modern world. Over the past decade, we have similarly seen voters turn to authoritarian-leaning populists in countries around the world.
American essayist Edmund Wilson lamented in 1931 that” we have lost… not just our way in the economic labyrinth but our conviction of the value of what we are doing.” ” Why liberalism is bankrupt” was a claim made by writers in major magazines.
Figures on the left and right can today concur with the viewpoint presented in the conservative political scientist Patrick Deneen’s book,” Why Liberalism Failed.”
Ill winds
The ideology of liberalism, which is largely based on the individual freedoms and the rule of law as well as a belief in private property and the free market, was praised by its supporters as a means of promoting democratization and economic prosperity in the world. But recently, liberal “globalization” has hit the skids.
Similar effects were experienced by the Great Depression. The optimism of the 1920s – a period some called the” first wave” of democratization – collapsed as countries from Japan to Poland established populist, authoritarian governments.
The rise today of figures like Hungary’s Victor Orban, Vladimir Putin in Russia, and China’s Xi Jinping remind historians of the continuing appeal of authoritarianism in moments of uncertainty.
Both eras have their own growing fragmentations in the global economy, where nations like the US attempted to stop economic bleeding by imposing tariff increases to protect domestic industries.
Economic nationalism, although hotly debated and opposed, became a dominant force globally in the 1930s. This is reflected in recent appeals for protectionist measures in many nations, including the US.
A world of grievance
While the Great Depression sparked a” New Deal” in the US, where the government assumed new responsibilities in the economy and society, elsewhere saw the rise of regimes that shifted enormous power from the hands of the central government.
The appeal of China’s model of authoritarian economic growth and the strongman embodied by Orban, Putin, and others in parts of the” Global South” as well as parts of the West, echo the 1930s.
The Depression intensified a set of what were called” totalitarian” ideologies: fascism in Italy, communism in Russia, militarism in Japan and, above all, Nazism in Germany.
Importantly, it gave these systems a sense of legitimacy in the eyes of many people all over the world, especially when compared to liberal, doddering governments that appeared unable to provide solutions to the crises.
Some of these totalitarian regimes had preexisting conflicts with the world that emerged following World War One. And they set out to reshape it on their own terms after the demise of a global order founded on liberal principles that provided stability.
The prospect of a large-scale war and the challenge it presents to global stability may be felt by observers today. However, it bears a striking similarity to the depression years.
Countries like Japan began to forcefully reform the world system in the 1930s, which is why they were known as “revisionists.” Slicing off pieces of China, specifically Manchuria in 1931, was met — not unlike Russia’s seizure of Crimea in 2014 — with little more than nonrecognition from the Western democracies.
As the decade progressed, open military aggression spread. China gained international support for its anti-imperial war against Japan, which haltingly led to its bellwether. This analogy may be well understood by modern Ukrainians.
Ethiopia, Spain, Czechoslovakia and eventually Poland became targets for “revisionist” states using military aggression, or the threat of it, to reshape the international order in their own image.
Ironically, by the end of the 1930s, many living through those crisis years saw their own” cold war” against the regimes and methods of states like Nazi Germany. They used those very words to describe the breakdown of normal international affairs into a scrum of constant, sometimes violent, competition. French observers described a period of” no peace, no war” or a “demi guerre”.
Figures from the time made it clear that the event was more of a crucible for new relationships and norms. Their words are in line with those who see the creation of a new multipolar world and the rise of regional powers seeking to expand their own local influence today.
Taking the reins
Comparing our current situation to a previous one with a global war as its terminus is sobering.
Historical parallels are never perfect, but they do invite us to reconsider our present. Our future should not be a repeat of the “hot war” that ended the 1930s or the subsequent Cold War.
One is reminded that historical actors evolve and change as a result of the rising power and capabilities of nations like Brazil, India, and other regional powers. However, acknowledging that our own era, like the 1930s, is a complicated multipolar period, buffeted by serious crises, allows us to see that tectonic forces are again reshaping many basic relationships.
Comprehending this gives us a chance to rein in forces that once caused catastrophe.
David Ekbladh is professor of history, Tufts University
The Conversation has republished this article under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Chinese military’s airspace violation is utterly unacceptable, Japan says
The top Japanese government official said on Tuesday ( Aug 27 ), a day after Japan flew jets and summoned a Chinese embassy official in Tokyo, that the violation of Japan’s airspace is “utterly unacceptable.” According to Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, the aircraft contravention” not only a serious infractionContinue Reading
AUKUS submarine deal exposed as monumental folly – Asia Times
Coastal metaphors are attractive, I’m afraid, when talking about Australia’s apparently endless underwater story. But as investigative journalist Andrew Fowler makes clear in” Nuked: The Submarine Fiasco that Sank Australia’s Sovereignty”, his excellent and excoriating analysis of the genesis of the AUKUS pact, there is n’t much room for levity otherwise.
People who doubts the correctness of former Labor giants like Paul Keating and Gareth Evans, who have argued that AUKUS is” the worst deal in all history,” should read this book.
The plan for Australia to acquire eight nuclear-powered submarines, built locally in partnership with the United States and the United Kingdom, is projected to cost up to A$ 368 billion ( US$ 249.4 billion ). However, it is not just the AUKUS project’s price that is stunning.
While some people may sigh in shame, Scott Morrison is the main designer of this gigantic folly. His reputation will be rightly diminished by the revelations made in Fowler’s meticulous analysis.
The terrible value of political authority in this country, especially on the conservative side of politics, is one issue the reserve does not address in depth.
Whatever the causes were, the end result was that
A Christian conservative past tourism marketing manager with no prior experience in corporate or foreign affairs, who was the hatcher of the huge shift in Australia’s international policy alignment, created a great gift for secrecy and deception.
The issue was the decision to renounce an agreement that sought to purchase much less expensive, probably much more appropriate, and product submarines from France in an effort to “weld Australia’s military to the United States.” In the end, it is difficult to feel how misled the French were or how foolish the switch’s justification was.
In Fowler’s see, buying the European boats would have been a “remarkable success”. It would have given Australia “more freedom and a more significant position in the world.”
It may take a different book to properly explain American policymakers ‘ reluctance to pursue strategic and foreign policy democracy. But what evidently emerges from Fowler’s consideration is how careless and self-serving Australia’s method to national surveillance became under Morrison. The death of the American people, not to mention the eternally addressed “national interest”, was of less issue than short-term social advantage.
” The fact that the increasing US military presence in the Indo-Pacific could bring Australia into a conflict”, writes Fowler,” seemed of little effect in Morrison’s want to hammer Labor on federal security”.
Of course, being painted as “weak” on security, and the US empire in particular, was the stuff of hallucinations for the Australian Labor Party. It still is.
In response, the ALP’s administration has gone to extraordinary lengths to persuade voters, as well as its own growing ranks and record, that they are equally committed to national security and that the AUKUS agreement is the best way to achieve this.
High costs, major challenges
One might have hoped that the Albanese authorities could have at least conducted a flimsy cost-benefit research given that AUKUS was the founder of a disgruntled conservative prime minister who, according to Fowler, “believed he was on a holy goal.”
After all, AUKUS is the largest single military purchase the nation has ever made. Recent defense acquisitions have come under fire for massive cost blowouts and failed to operate or arrive as planned.
But the Labor Party has not only walked into Morrison’s trap, it has willingly, even enthusiastically, “embraced a decision taken after a deeply flawed process”. Even more consequentially, as Fowler points out,” with the major parties in lockstep on AUKUS, the most complex and expensive spend in Australian military history would never be publicly investigated”.
At the very least, this is an astounding failure of good governance and accountability. Perhaps even more remarkably, it also demonstrates a singular lack of political judgement, driven by short-term political concerns rather than long-term strategic interests.
” Labor lost the one chance it had to be self-assured and courageous, and it prioritized the country’s interests over its justifiable desire to have a government,” claims Fowler. The fear that compelled the ALP leadership to embrace AUKUS without even a second thought will be with them for many years.
Serves them right. Voters, especially those of the younger generation, may be depressed about their futures when there is little discernible difference between the major political parties regarding issues of profound national significance.
Even if the fragile, unpredictable, and polarized nature of US politics is left out, it is not incontrovertible to say that the US alliance has some potential flaws and significant costs. Fighting in conflicts that have no clear strategic relevance for Australia is not the least of them.
AUKUS will further complicate Australia’s relationship with China, our major trading partner. However, there are additional significant risks. This not just because, as Opposition Leader Peter Dutton says, it is “inconceivable” that we would not fight alongside the US in any conflict with China over Taiwan.
If the Naval Base at Garden Island, off the coast of Fremantle, is not already a nuclear target, it will undoubtedly be once US and UK nuclear-powered submarines start operating there regularly. It is a mystery that has n’t been solved whether my neighbors realize they stand a chance of being taken advantage of as part of our commitment to the alliance and a “great nation-building project.”
Local politicians, universities and defense representatives certainly recognize the short-term benefits that may flow from new investment. However, as a result of this, there is likely to be next to no informed discussion about the AUKUS pact, much less any opposition, no matter what the ultimate costs might be for a country that ca n’t even provide adequate housing for its own citizens. The least notable aspect of the sorry submarine saga is perhaps the lack of discussion, to say outrage, about the sheer cost of the AUKUS project.
And that is before we get to the growing doubts about the reliability, deliverability or strategic relevance of nuclear-powered submarines. Perhaps people find technical discussions stupefyingly dull or incomprehensible.
Perhaps they do n’t realize that if we spend all that money on submarines, not only will our ability to act independently be significantly eroded, as Keating and Malcolm Turnbull have claimed, but we wo n’t be able to spend the money on more immediate and tangible threats, like fixing our rapidly degrading natural environment, for example.
I am not convinced Australia needs to buy any submarines. This will no doubt strike those in Canberra’s strategic bubble as heretical, ill-informed and irresponsible. However, it is worth noting that the Collins class submarines, which were out of service for four years, did not appear to have had a negative impact on our overall security.
Even Hugh White, a widely respected expert on these subjects, has questioned the viability of AUKUS. According to White, “long delays and cost overruns are certain.” Outright failure is a real possibility”.
Drunken sailors
Fowler has written a lot of pages for a book on strategic policy.
His account occasionally makes people laugh, especially when they are confused about how the Morrison government and its group of carefully chosen, like-minded advisors, many of whom are government employees who are likely to get paid for their services, act.
Through the revolving door between government and business, many former Morrison ministers and Morrison themselves have taken lucrative positions in the defense sector. Who would have thought?
It is worthwhile to read Nuked to fully understand how Fowler comes to his damning conclusion:
the level of incompetence in the government of Australia was breathtaking, as were the repercussions. The United States would be calling every last word regarding the types of submarines that would be sold to Australia, how old they would be, how many there would be, when they would be delivered, and even if they would be sold at all.
Washington’s behavior in its own best interests was anticipated. The possibility that Morrison truly believed that what was best for America and Australia was the best was extraordinary. Just as extraordinary is the fact that the Labor Party, perhaps fearful of history, embraced the deal that made Australia so vulnerable, undermining its independence and sovereignty.
Another nautical metaphor for spending like drunk sailors comes to mind. If the country’s political leaders were n’t using our money or had other goals besides gaining quick political advantage or avoiding being wedged, it would n’t be as galling.
The good news, perhaps, is that it is difficult to imagine the nuclear-powered submarines will ever arrive. The bad news is that in the interim, we will still have to pay the Americans and the British to help them maintain their overburdened and underperforming shipyards. With friends like these, who needs to make new enemies?
It beggars belief that a nation with unmatched geographical advantages and no obvious enemies would consider it wise to invest A$ 368 billion in offensive military capabilities, which may or may not work or be delivered.
Nuked explains how this circumstance developed. However, we might have to ask psychologists why our political leaders have made us into what diplomat Alan Renouf famously called a “frightened country” and allowed such absurdities to flourish.
University of Technology Sydney adjunct professor Mark Beeson.
The Conversation has republished this article under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
China’s influence over Iran limited by teapot refineries – Asia Times
The Houthis, supported by Iran, are putting more pressure on ships as they attack the Bab al-Mandab islands at the edge of the Arabian Peninsula, which is causing significant disruption to international trade. All eyes are on China, which is portraying itself as the negotiator of the Middle East. It is anticipated that Iran will be under stress to control its surrogate in Yemen.
According to some, Beijing may have a lot of influence over Tehran because it is Iran’s largest trading partner, accounts for a fourth of Egyptian industry, and is one of the few nations to continue purchasing Iranian fuel despite American restrictions.
Prior to the Red Sea issue, a third of global maritime industry, and 40 % of trade between Europe and Asia passed through the Bab al-Mandab Islands. Foreign trade has suffered a strike, despite the crisis leaving Chinese shipping unaffected. Company representatives in Shanghai complained that the Cape of Good Hope is required to divert goods from Europe, which would add costs and day.
However, due to the difficulty in discerning send possession, with most boats registered in the Bahamas, Bermuda, Panama and various places, it is only a matter of time before a Chinese-owned fleet or a ship carrying Foreign sailors is hit.
With a lot to gain and little to acquire, China has repeatedly attempted to put an end to the issue. Iranian officials claimed that if the Houthis do n’t repress and Chinese interests are endangered, Sino-Iranian trade will suffer.
But, Beijing’s instructions to Tehran fall on deaf ears, and the Houthis continue to wreak havoc in the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
the difficulty in controlling the “dark ships”
Tehran ignores Beijing’s reminder because it is meaningless.
Much of Iranian oil is sold to private Chinese “teapot” refineries – referred to as such because of their small scale compared with the large refineries owned by state-owned enterprises ( SOEs ).
Teapots account for 90 % of Iran’s total oil exports, despite their modest status. Chinese SOEs stopped purchasing Iranian oil out of fear of American extraterritorial jurisdiction in 2018, after the US withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA ) and launched the “maximum pressure campaign” against Iran. But, vases are undeterred.
There are several causes of this:
Second, the reimposition of sanctions against Iran came at the same time as the start of the Sino-American business conflict. In the same year, management of Shandong Dongming Petrochemical Group – the state’s largest mug – stated that, as China imposed tariffs on American fuel in a display of tit-for-tat, the business was ending order of British oil, which would be replaced by Iranian oil instead.
Next, “high risk means higher profit.” Iranian crude was once 13 times less expensive than the regular price on the market.
Third, some of the smaller vases do not do business with any other nation beside Iran, and they pay Iran in renminbi instead of US cash, thus granting them immunity from British extrajudicial control. Chinese SOEs, which do not benefit from this breadth, are unable to afford to do business with Iran lest they run the risk of losing their investments in other parts of the world.
Beijing would have much easier times deciding to stop purchasing Iranian oil if state-owned refineries had been doing so. Teapots working with Iran to smuggle Iranian oil into China make it difficult for Beijing to carry out regulation – not to mention that Beijing is reluctant to exert too much pressure on Tehran, fearing it would damage Sino-Iranian relations.
Iran discovered that fighting asymmetric warfare is the only way it can overcome the difference in weight class when it is squared off against the vastly superior American-Israeli alliance. Thus, urging Tehran to establish its position as the” axis of resistance” would effectively disarm Iran. It would cast doubt in Tehran on whether Beijing is really as neutral as it claims.
Teapots ‘ purchase of Iranian oil is difficult to regulate. Iranian oil is carried by an Iranian ship that enters the Persian Gulf or travels to the Strait of Malacca, where it turns its automatic identification system off and lowers its national flag. This allows the Iranian ship to stop broadcasting its location and identity.
Under the cover of darkness, Iranian ships can literally and figuratively hide in the dark and help Iran obfuscate the source of its oil while Omani, Malaysian, or Indonesian ships are waiting at the predetermined destination.
These nations knowingly ignore the world for a few reasons:
- Being a middleman in this field is a lucrative business.
- htey are sympathetic to Iran, a neighboring Muslim nation.
- They are unsatisfied with American extraterritorial authority.
The US claims that Al Habsi used a$ 16 million loan from American financial institutions to buy an oil tanker later known as M/T Oman Pride. The ship used ship-to-ship transfer, which obfuscated the oil’s origin with the aid of deceptive documents, to transfer Iranian oil to third-party ships.
The oil was then sold to Chinese refineries. US dollars were used to pay the Iranians. Before being transferred to an Iranian front company, the money was washed through several shell companies. Over$ 100 million worth of Iranian oil was sold this way before the US caught wind of it.
Iranian-based organization United Against Nuclear Iran reported earlier this year that a ship transferred Iranian oil from another ship off Kharg Island, Iran, to a ship-to-ship transfer before sending it to Sohar, Oman.
The author is aware that this is not an isolated case because she has lived in Oman for a long time and has connections to the country’s oil industry. Hundreds of millions of US dollars ‘ worth of Iranian oil, passed off as Omani oil, have been shipped to Chinese refineries in Shandong province, as well as to Liaoning and Shanghai in recent years.
Oman has a reputation for acting as a mediator between hostile powers in the region and those with significant presence there, including Iran and Saudi Arabia and Iran and the US, despite never declaring itself to be neutral.
Oman can act in this way because it is on the positive side of all nations. In order to avoid bringing down the wrath of either Iran or the US, Oman resorted to feigning ignorance of its citizens conducting illicit trade with Iran, whether on a large or small scale.
An Omani enclave south of the Strait of Hormuz is known as Musandam Governorate. Because of its isolation, Muscat frequently overlooks the governorate when it comes to economic development.
In order to stave off poverty, the local populace resorts to smuggling. Smugglers traverse the strait with speedboats, or” shooties” as they are known locally, carrying everything from clothing to electronics.
A 2011 report from Mehr News Agency revealed that Iran receives approximately$ 5 billion worth of goods annually. A member of the Royal Omani Police’s Coast Guard, quoted on the condition of anonymity, said they are told by decisionmakers to turn a blind eye to the smuggling.
Iranian oil disguised as Malaysian oil surpasses Malaysia’s own crude oil production, so much so that it positions it as the fourth-largest oil exporter to China, behind Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq. US Treasury Department representatives arrived in Kuala Lumpur in May of this year to talk with Malaysian counterparts about how to stop Iran from evading sanctions.
Malaysian Communication Minister Fahmi Fadzil responded that while Malaysia is willing to comply with UN sanctions, Malaysia will not follow in the footsteps of the United States ‘ unilaterally imposed sanctions.
Iranian oil is mistaken for Omani, Malaysian, and Indonesian oil, among other names after entering China.
China’s empty promise
Officials at the Iranian embassy in China have repeatedly complained to this author that despite Tehran’s having signed onto the Belt and Road Initiative and, in 2o21, the China-Iran 25-year Cooperation Program, Chinese investment in Iran has been minimal.
China has only made a small portion of the$ 400 billion pledged. The National Development and Reform Commission ( NDRC ), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and other departments have received numerous complaints from Iranian embassy officials without success.
Indeed, whereas China last year received$ 64.3 billion worth of imports from Saudi Arabia, and$ 5.24 billion worth from Israel, China imported only$ 4.6 billion worth. Although it is undoubtedly true that China has severely underinvested in Iran, many of its imports from Iran are still unaccounted for.
Following Washington’s withdrawal from JCPOA, China canceled one of the two investment agreements that China had signed with Iran in the previous ten years. There are several reasons for China’s weak record of investing in Iran:
First, in response to President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani’s encouragement, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps ( IRGC ) began to” contribute to the country’s reconstruction” in the wake of the Iran-Iraq War.
Since that time, IRGC has built a business empire. Both President Mohammad Khatami and President Hassan Rouhani tried to stop the IRGC’s encroachment on key economic sectors to no avail. Currently, there are IRGC-affiliated businesses operating in every economic sector, from construction to telecommunication.
This led to widespread corruption, crony capitalism, and nepotism. Foreign investors are expected to bribe government officials for their services, and may have their licenses revoked or lose their contracts, only for them to be awarded to IRGC affiliated companies.
Chinese businesses have frequently complained that foreign investors are being prejudiced by Iran’s business environment. Numerous Chinese companies have chosen to remain anonymous, and their intention is to avoid doing business with Iran as a result of the corrupt business environment.
It is unlikely that the situation will improve anytime soon. The IRGC, which is Iran’s most elite military unit, has a monopoly over Iranian export and import, only answering to the supreme leader and enraging over 80 % of the country’s economy along with the Quds Force. Any politician would have to pause before proposing reform because the IRGC has effectively taken over as the “kingmaker” in Iranian politics.
Second, the study of national character – the belief people belonging to a nation are predisposed to behave in a certain way, a concept that has been debunked as stereotype and largely abandoned in Western academia, remains popular in China. It is crucial to General Secretary Xi Jinping’s plan to achieve” the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.”
For instance, a statement made by Southern Daily, the official newspaper of the Communist Party of China’s Guangdong Province, compares Chinese national character to that of the West, saying that” cultures of the orient are introverted, while cultures of the occident are extroverted” ( p. 2 ).
According to Chinese scholars, Iranian’s national character is grounded in contradiction. Iran lost to colonialism and imperialism while the successes of the subsequent Persian Empire gave its heirs, the Iranians, a sense of national pride. In recent years, Iran’s isolation from the international community gave them the mentality of victimhood. Thus, Iranians are both proud and insecure.
Iranians ‘ contradictory national character demonstrates that, despite suffering from a myriad of exogenous and endogenous issues, Iran still refuses to compromise, according to Chinese scholars. This is an alien idea in a nation like Iran, which frequently overlooks long-term interests in favor of short-term interests.
Recently, under orders from Tehran, Iranian companies manually hiked up the price of oil sold to China. Iranian oil was sold to China in previous years for$ 10, which was 13 less than the Brent Crude benchmark. The discount is currently only$ 4.50 to$ 6.50.
A representative from a teapot doing business in Shandong province complained that” the new price is too high” and said the Chinese “have been working day and night to lower the price, but Iranians have been very tough, and there is little room for negotiation“.
Iranians were unable to comprehend that Russia is not sanctioned in the same way that Iran is, according to a representative from another teapot, saying that” Iran wants China to purchase Iranian oil at the same price as Russia does, which is$ 1 less than the market average.”
In other words, Iran does not comprehend that Chinese refineries will only accept the risk of purchasing Iranian oil if the price is affordably low. Iran’s Energy Press News Agency even goes so far as to describe the decision to raise the price of oil as a “wise move“.
Third, Chinese goods have a bad reputation in Iran because of it. You get what you pay for, the idiom goes. There are both high-quality, expensive goods, and low-quality, cheap goods made in China.
However, rising inflation and declining income in recent years have made Iranians increasingly unable to purchase expensive, high-quality goods. In Iran, as a result, Chinese goods have come to be associated with poor quality.
Chinese companies complain that they have to contend with Iranian skepticism of China’s high-quality, expensive goods. The Iranian people view them as being excessively expensive. Iranians also turn their backs on cheap, low-quality Chinese goods, only purchasing them when they are absolutely necessary.
With few sticks and even fewer carrots in the toolkit, there is very little Beijing can do. Tehran, which has endured decades of sanctions, is unlikely to buckle under Chinese pressure, even if Beijing puts more pressure on Tehran. The phrase “neither east nor west” from the revolutionary era still applies today.
Iran’s” Look to the East” policy does not mean replacing American hegemony with Chinese hegemony. Should Beijing ever choose to put too much pressure on Tehran, it could quickly backfire because Beijing has so little to offer.
Yang Xiaotong works as an assistant researcher for the Beijing-based think tank SIGNAL Group. This article is republished with permission. The original can be read here.
Canada to impose 100% tariff on China electric vehicle imports
Following similar announcements from the US and the European Union, Canada says it will impose a 100 % import tariff on imports of Chinese-made electric vehicles ( EV ).
Additionally, the nation intends to establish a 25 % work on Chinese aluminum and steel.
Canada and its European allies accuse China of subventioning the EV sector, giving its automobile manufacturers a competitive edge.
China has called the shift” business corporatism” which “violates World Trade Organization guidelines”.
” We are transforming Canada’s automotive industry to be a world leader in building the cars of tomorrow, but players like China have chosen to give themselves an unfair advantages in the world marketplace,” said Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Canada’s duties on Chinese Batteries are due to come into effect on 1 October, while those on steel and metal may be implemented from 15 October.
The US announced in May that it would double its tariffs on Chinese EV goods to 100 %.
The EU followed that with announcing plans to levy duties on China-made Batteries of up to 36.3 %.
Tesla’s Shanghai stock will also be subject to tariffs from Canada on Foreign electric vehicles.
Foreign car manufacturers are still not a common view in Canada but some, like BYD, have taken steps to provide the government’s business.
Israel-Hezbollah step back from war, but for how long? – Asia Times
Israel had been anticipating a significant harm from Hezbollah for months in retaliation for the group’s arrest of Hezbollah chief Fuad Shukr in Lebanon at the end of July.
That attack suddenly occurred early on Sunday, and Israel appeared to be prepared. What the Israelis claim to have prevented a significant Hezbollah abuse could have been launched. At the same time, Hezbollah even claimed victory.
But, what can we generate of the latest tit-for-tat between the two sides, and where does the place go from here?
At this point, it is obvious that both Hezbollah and Israel have resisted any further motion. Hezbollah has justified this by stating that this is only the start of its reaction to Shukr’s murder and that it has the right to pursue further action once the operation’s success has been evaluated.
Israel claimed to have witnessed preparations for the launch of probably a thousand rockets across the borders and that it had intercepted around 100 aircraft in southern Lebanon and targeted 270 goals, including rocket launchers. If a full-fledged war were to break out, it is believed that Hezbollah would be able to launch 3, 000 weapons a day.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the activity as a victory, but added that Israel will continue to attack if necessary.
Hezbollah denies Israel’s attacks did little harm, saying it only fired into “empty rivers”.
Hezbollah also retaliated by launching numerous Katyusha missiles into northern Israel at the same time. Because of their limited range, which is up to 40 meters, these rockets are not the largest in its arsenal, making them suitable for use only on north Israeli targets. He claimed that the missiles were intended to obliterate Israel in exchange for a flood of robots. In the assault, one Jewish Navy sailor was killed.
In his speech by video on Sunday ( August 25 ), Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, seemed to be apologizing to the Lebanese people for putting them in this position. Hezbollah is both a political and military force, and it needs to make sure it stays in the Palestinian political system to continue to win support.
However, Nasrallah claimed that Hezbollah had succeeded in achieving its goals and that the organization was encouraging Lebanese who had fled the country to return. However, that may be a little early, because it is still unclear how this will all enjoy out.
What is Iran wondering?
Most economists had assumed that the shooting of Shukr in Beirut and Ismail Haniyeh, the death of Hamas chief, would result in a planned retaliation. This might have included Iranian weapons and missiles, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and perhaps Shi’a radical parties in Syria and Iraq as well as the Houthi rebels in Yemen.
But that did n’t happen. And that could suggest a few things.
First, Iran at this stage is good trying to work out the best way of responding to Haniyeh’s shooting. In retaliation for the bombing of an Iranian diplomatic building in Damascus that resulted in the deaths of several Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps ( IRGC ) members, it launched more than 300 missiles, drones, and rockets into Israel in April. However, almost all of them were shot along without doing any significant harm.
A repeat of that would show Iran does n’t have the capacity to seriously pursue Israel’s interests.
Iran would not want to build a larger hostile hit because it might lead to a bigger conflict at the same time. Tehran also opposes the Americans and Israelis as justifications for launching a coordinated invasion on its nuclear facilities.
Iran is probably trying to find a middle ground between its April reach and a significantly stronger response. It is obvious that this will take some time.
It may also indicate that there is a heated debate between those in Iran’s newly elected president, Masoud Pezeshkian, who is known to be a bit moderate ( in Iranian terms ), and the IRGC, which has been threatening an extremely hard-line response to Israel for some time.
Iran may have simply chosen to solely launch offensives against Israel through its proxies because it is currently only ready to launch offensives against Hezbollah and the Houthis. This does n’t mean the danger is over, though, because there is always the potential for misinterpretation between such hostile antagonists.
Netanyahu under stress
Even though this is a really challenging job, Netanyahu is still facing pressure from his cabinet’s right, which has long pushed for removing the Hezbollah danger from Israel’s northern border. Israel tried it once before in 2006 and largely failed.
Around 60, 000 Israelis are currently residing in temporary lodging in northeastern Israel as a result of the Hezbollah risk, along with about 60, 000 others. They want Netanyahu to make their gain safer.
It is challenging for Israel to support military threats on two sides. Israel’s government has now been fighting Hamas in Gaza, and to some degree, protecting northeastern Israel from Hezbollah assaults for almost 11 weeks.
The continuous Israeli military is not that large either. It only has about 169, 000 regular army, meaning it may depend on up to 300, 000 conscripts to meet its present needs.
And the issue with hiring reserve personnel is that it hurts the business because they leave their jobs. The Fitch Ratings agency downgraded Israel’s rating from A to A minus in just the past few weeks, reflecting both the increased geopolitical risks and the fact that the country’s economy is n’t functioning as it should be. The defense wants to take a crack because the nation is perpetually at war.
Netanyahu is afraid of any kind of pause in the conflict, fearing it may cause his coalition to revolt and result in an election that he would likely lose.
Since the Hamas assault on October 7th, his whole approach has been to restore his security credentials. To regain the trust of the public, he must be able to demonstrate that he can deal with any risk to Israel. He has also put an end to Hezbollah attacks and restore the trust of those who reside in northern Israel.
Hezbollah has even stated that it will stop its problems if there is a ceasefire in Gaza, which appears to be going on for a while. In that context, we are stuck in a loop that wo n’t end until the ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas are resolved.
And with the challenges that are still abound, it’s unlikely to be happening immediately.
Ian Parmeter is exploration professor, Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies, Australian National University
This content was republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original content.