After authorities issued the third-highest typhoon warning overnight as tropical storm Toraji scurried about 150 kilometers south of the financial hub, Hong Kong schools and many businesses were closed on Thursday morning ( Nov 14 ). According to the city’s station, Toraji is expected to become less powerful and leaveContinue Reading
To enhance the nation’s maritime claims and protect its territorial integrity, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed the Maritime Zones Act and the Archipelagic Sea Lanes Act into law last month. China had summoned the Philippines ‘ ambassador to make” grave images” shortly after the deeds were signed. Huang reaffirmedContinue Reading
The two countries launched their first shared sea and air guards in the South China Sea a few months after signing a strategic relationship in September 2023. For the first time in Australia this time, the Philippines participated in battle game. China claims about the whole South China Sea, aContinue Reading
With a number of green finance and money markets initiatives, bilateral economic cooperation will grow.
One tie-up between the central banks of China and Singapore aims to spur natural funding flows. By the end of this year, the Monetary Authority of Singapore announced in a press release on Monday that the practice would be finished.
This will make cross-border alternative loans, natural bond issuance, and account investments easier to compare the natural taxonomies of Singapore and China.
In an effort to expand the exposure to China’s bond market for foreign shareholders, MAS and the People’s Bank of China are even conducting a pilot project with the banks of both nations. It will utilize the existing “over-the-counter” bond business model in China.
Other projects include expanding the range of products on the Shenzhen and Shanghai bourses ‘ Exchange Traded Funds ( ETF ) Product Links, as well as facilitating financial institutions’ access to the Singapore and China markets.
In trade, Singapore and China reiterated their commitment to the China-Singapore Free Trade Agreement ( CSFTA ) Further Upgrade Protocol, which is set to enter into force on Dec 31, 2024, said Singapore’s Ministry of Trade and Industry ( MTI ) in a separate press release.
China’s primary extensive diplomatic free trade agreement with an Asian nation is the CSFTA. It became effective in 2009, and the most recent prepared improvements were unveiled at JCBC last year.
According to MTI, Singapore investors and service providers can anticipate “more democratic and open rules” that will allow them to conduct business with China.
The government added that Singaporean businesses will also gain greater access to China’s economy through a “negative listing” strategy, which means that all industries are automatically opened to investors except those that are exclusively listed.
” Importantly, China commits to not limiting foreign ownership restrictions for Singapore buyers in 22 areas such as design, shopping &, wholesale, and architectural &, urban planning service”, MTI said.
The Belt and Road Initiative is being promoted in a second deal. It aims to strengthen Singapore and China’s cooperation in places such as policy cooperation, network connectivity, bilateral deal and people-to-people markets.
“( This ) will provide clearer policy guidance for the next phase of high-quality Belt and Road development, further promoting the joint growth of China, Singapore, and regional countries”, said Mr Ding.
Since 2013, Singapore has been China’s largest foreign investment in terms of purchase travels, and China has been Singapore’s largest goods trading partner. Bilateral deal in 2023 amounted to US$ 108.39 billion, according to China’s international government.
The 20th Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC ) meeting, which is the apex platform for China’s vice-premier Ding Xuexiang, will take place from Sunday ( Nov. 10 ) until Monday ( Nov. 2 ).
The annual diplomatic appointment, which reviews the effectiveness of Singapore’s cooperation with China and charts the way of assistance, is co-chaired by him and Singapore’s deputy prime minister and minister for trade and industry, Gan Kim Yong.
They will also co-chair the 25th Suzhou Industrial Park Joint Steering Council ( JSC), the 16th Tianjin Eco-City JSC, and the 8th China-Singapore ( Chongqing ) Demonstration Initiative on Strategic Connectivity JSC meetings.
The JCBC will continue to chart the forward-looking cooperation between both sides, Singapore’s Prime Minister’s Office ( PMO ) said in a press statement on Saturday ( Nov 9 ).
” The JSCs will review the progress made on the three lineup government-to-government jobs and explain ways to further expand their advancement”, PMO added.
These three jobs are the China-Singapore Suzhou Industrial Park, Tianjin Eco-City and the Chongqing Connectivity Initiative.  ,
Mr. Ding may make his second trip to Singapore as evil premier and co-chair. However, it will be the first time that Mr Gan is co-chairing the diplomatic meeting, which is held periodically in Singapore and China.
Twenty-four deals were signed at last week’s JCBC meeting in Tianjin, covering areas such as ecology, training, industry, food safety and healthcare.
According to PMO, Mr. Gan will host a delightful dinner on Sunday in addition to a bilateral meeting with Mr. Ding.
Mr. Ding may speak with Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and President Tharman Shanmugaratnam during his two-day attend. Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security, Teo Chee Hean, may also serve as the evil top of China.
In addition, Mr. Ding and Mr. Gan will take part in a tree-planting meeting at the Singapore Botanic Gardens to honor the China-Singapore Suzhou Industrial Park’s 30th celebration.
Holmes said that Trump’s economic policies will help to strengthen the dollar and could prompt the US Federal Reserve to prevent cutting interest rates or at least halt its easing cycle.
“That’s going to hurt places where they’re especially concerned about their forex- Indonesia, for instance. ( In ) Japan, the yen has sold off amongst a strong dollar, ” he said.
In South Asia, places like Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the Island may be affected, but India will likely be spared, he added.
“India seems to be somewhat isolated. It appears to have good relations with Trump, and its GDP ( gross domestic product ) is not significantly impacted by additional business. ”
As for US-China relations, Assoc Prof Chong said it depends on what Beijing meant when it called for a “peaceful co-existence ” following Trump’s victory.
They previously proposed that the US influence extends to Guam and other places in the Pacific, and that Beijing should have some sort of influence over everything two points west, ” he said.
It is up to Trump and the other players in the area to decide how they want to live together, deal with, or deal with a prospective situation in such a way. ”
Additionally, according to Assoc Prof. Chong, the world today is much more protectionist than in the beginning of Trump, with China being more concerned with preserving and growing its own business.
He added: “( In ) 2016, there was a lot more trust that China- and even Europe- would be more available to trade, to economic liberalisation. That has now established that it is not the situation.
Asia is today, in some ways, much less cozy than it was in 2016. ”
MANILA:  , Joint naval exercises held frequently by the Philippines, United States and other Western powers are helping rein in “aggressive” Chinese actions in the South China Sea, a Filipino military official said on Wednesday ( Nov 6 ). Beijing has long sought to increase its appearance in the contestedContinue Reading
According to Jason Tower of the United States Institute of Peace,” Beijing has now made clear its purposes for the Myanmar war to thrive.” Since the coup, China has been reluctant to provide a clear display of standard reputation, according to Crisis Group’s Horsey, but that may change. China hasContinue Reading
Manila: On Monday ( Nov. 4), the Philippine military held two weeks of combat training that would include capturing an island in the contested South China Sea and probably drawing criticism from China. More than 3, 000 Filipino military, military, and air force workers may participate in the maneuvers, whichContinue Reading
Mr Greg Dingle, a researcher and educator focusing on sport and climate change at La Trobe Business School, questioned the sustainability of indoor ski resorts especially amid China’s climate pledges.
“Producing temperatures indoors that are cold enough for ski activities requires energy, lots of energy,” Mr Dingle said.
“Given the energy-intensity and likely tourist visitation of indoor ski resorts, my assessment is that they are likely not environmentally sustainable.”
Other experts like Mr Liu Daizhong, East Asia director at the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP), noted severe environmental impacts which come with indoor ski resorts that use significantly higher energy and water consumption as compared to traditional outdoor ski lodges and resorts.
“Climate change has a significant impact on the ski tourism industry,” Mr Liu told CNA, adding that indoor resorts were expected to operate all year round and “rely entirely on artificial snowmaking and cooling systems” which could lead to substantial electricity and water consumption.
“Without effective energy-saving technologies, large-scale energy-intensive facilities like this could weaken China’s efforts to achieve its carbon neutrality goals,” Mr Liu said.
Citing the example that if Chinese skiers are required to commute in a carbon-neutral manner to the resort, and stay in carbon-neutral accommodations, Mr Dingle believes it “perhaps is possibly consistent with the 2030 and 2060 climate commitments.”
When asked how L+SNOW resort could serve as a model for sustainable tourism, the operator told CNA that consumers in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai previously had to fly to snowfields in Northeast China or even farther abroad, which “generated considerable carbon emissions during the trip.”
“But now, they don’t need to travel far to go skiing, making it more economical and energy-saving.”
Mr Ma, the ski instructor, says he sees a bright future for winter sports in China.
“Indoor ski resorts will have a positive impact … it’s not limited by seasons or weather, allowing more people to experience the joy of skiing at any time,” he said.
“Skiing should focus more on popularising and promoting the sport to encourage greater participation, while simultaneously raising public awareness about environmental protection, contributing collectively to the preservation of our planet.”