Thailand and China to set up anti-scam centre

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China to launch a distinct activity in Mae Sot, which is located opposite the infamous Myawaddy&nbsp center of murder.

PUBLISHED: 24 Jan 2025 at 17: 58

Buildings in the Shwe Kokko “scam city” in Myawaddy Township are seen from the Thai side of the Moei River in Tak province.(Photo: Angshu2193 via Wikimedia Commons)
From the Thai part of the Moei River in Tak state, you can see the “scam area” of Shwe Kokko in Myawaddy Township. ( Photo: Angshu2193 via Wikimedia Commons )

Thailand and China will work up to stop the rapidly expanding improper call centers along the Thai-Bangladesh frontier with Myanmar and Cambodia, which are frequently run by undercover agents, and attempt to mislead people through phone and online frauds.

Thailand’s police announced on Friday that a synchronization center may be established at the Thai federal authorities hq in Bangkok, while Taiwanese authorities are planning a second operation in the Mae Sot area of Tak, across from Myawaddy in Myanmar, a major hub for the con call centers.

” This centre ( in Bangkok ) will work together ( with China ) to investigate and combat call centre gangs based in Myawaddy, Myanmar, and along the Cambodian border, which involve many Chinese and Thai nationals”, the Royal Thai Police said in a statement.

The cooperation center is scheduled to open in February, according to the statement, which was released following a Bangkok safety meeting between Thai and Chinese security officers.

Southeast Asia— particularly border areas between Thailand, Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia — has become a hub for telecoms and various online scam since the Covid-19 crisis, according to the United Nations, which says hundreds of thousands of people have been trafficked to work in con facilities.

In Thailand, increasing public pressure is being put in place to stop the scam factories where workers are drawn in from all over the world and are frequently treated viciously.

China, also, has become extremely concerned, particularly following the violence and cross-border recovery from Myanmar of Chinese professional Wang Xing.

At a gathering in the Chinese capital of Kunming on Tuesday, officials from China, Myanmar, and Thailand came together to discuss eradicating telecoms fraud centers in Myanmar.

A Thai defense group and Soe Win, the second-in-command of the Myanmar junta, met this week in Nay Pyi Taw to explore a crackdown on online scams and human trafficking, according to Myanmar state media.

The state-run Global New Light of Myanmar paper said this week that junta officials had sent up 55, 000 foreign immigrants, including about 53, 000 Chinese, from con materials to their home nations between October 2023 and January 2025.

Additionally, the report suggested that Myanmar’s neighboring nations supported fraud functions, a state that Thai Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai rejected on Thursday.

” This concern is not just about Thailand”, said Mr Phumtham. Myanmar and China also have to play a role in this.

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First flex of Trump’s peace through strength strategy – Asia Times

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With its “peace through power” method, which the new Trump administration has a muscular launch, the organization has previously impressed senior allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and India’s S. Jaishankar met briefly days into his new position to highlight the importance of Asia in Trump’s international plan.

In a phone conversation with Rubio’s rival in the Philippines, Rubio reiterated America’s “ironclad” responsibility to protect its South Asian mutual defense treaty alliance in the event of an armed conflict with China in the South China Sea.

In addition, Gilbert Teodoro Jr, the fresh US National Security Advisor, and Mike Waltz, the Philippine Defense Secretary, spoke privately to confirm the “enduring empire between the Philippines and the United States.” &nbsp,

Just days into company, the new Trump administration also convened the latest generation of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, better known as the” Quad”, which brought together top officials from Australia, Japan, India and the US.

In a shared speech, Rubio and his Triple rivals underscored their” shared commitment to strengthening a Free and Open Indo-Pacific where the rule of law, political principles, independence, and territorial integrity are upheld and defended”.

The Quad ministers&nbsp made it clear in a lightly veiled criticism of reactionary forces, most importantly China, that they” strongly resist any coercive behavior that seek to change the status quo by force or force.”

In contrast, President Trump’s second term saw a more logical approach by firing and criticizing Iran’s hawks and appointing pragmatists like Michael DiMino as the new top Middle East official for the Pentagon.

New important appointments will reinforce the message of so-called “prioritizers” led by Elbridge Colby, a candidate for under-secretary of security for policy who has emphasized the need for a more China-focused US foreign policy, in conjunction with Trump’s call for ending the “ridiculous war” in Ukraine and growing pressure on Western allies to make their own defense burdens.

The second Trump administration appears to be double down on its defense alliance and deterrence strategy in the Indo-Pacific by shifting America’s strategic focus from its old theaters in Europe and the Middle East.

Trump’s inauguration speech put his commitment to ending world wars to the test by setting the tone for his foreign policy. ” It will be my most cherished legacy to be one who makes peace and unites people.” That’s what I want to be – a peacemaker and a unifier”, he declared, directly taking credit for the newly implemented ceasefire in Gaza, which was largely negotiated by Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff.

” We will build the strongest military the world has ever seen, just like in 2017,” he added. We will measure our success not only by the battles we win, but also by the wars that we end, and, perhaps most importantly, the wars we never get into”, he added, echoing his administration’s “peace through strength” mantra.

Trump has signaled a more pragmatic approach to adversaries, most notably Iran. He fired former Iranian envoy Brian Hook, who opposed a “maximum pressure” campaign against the Middle Eastern power that oversaw the Department of State’s most recent transition, just hours into his second term. &nbsp,

Meanwhile, Trump also publicly attacked his former national security adviser, John Bolton, as a “warmonger” who oversaw disastrous interventions in the Middle East. Both Bolton and former secretary of state Mike Pompeo, both of whom had pushed for confrontation with Iran, were removed from their security profiles.

Trump’s Middle East strategy will therefore be influenced by more pragmatic voices. Following his successful negotiation of the Gaza ceasefire, Witkoff has been appointed as Trump’s new Iran envoy.

” He’s certainly&nbsp, someone I would use. He has done a fantastic job. . . Trump praised his new Iran envoy and prospects for a new nuclear deal with Iran, saying that Steve has a wonderful way of him. ” It would really be nice if that could be worked out without having to go that further step]of military confrontation ] …Iran, hopefully, will make a deal”.

The Pentagon’s new Middle East top official Michael DiMino, who is known for his more critical stance on Israel and support for a more “offshore balancing” strategy in the Middle East, will complement Witkoff’s regional diplomacy.

” There are no vital or existential U. S. interests in the]Middle East ] region”, DiMino&nbsp, argued last year in a webinar, underscoring the need for a major reorientation in American foreign policy. He continued,” We’re really there to fight Iran, and that’s really at the behest of the Israelis and the Saudis,” instead of advocating for a more limited American military presence in an increasingly multipolar region.

That viewpoint tracks with the Pentagon’s incoming top policy official, Elbridge Colby, an influential strategic thinker who oversaw the formulation of the first Trump administration’s National Security Strategy.

In a major conference last October, Colby argued that we must give the potential for conflict with China a priori in order to avoid it. ” It is empirically true that China is getting ready for war, and we do have the potential for a multi-front war and a World War III in the upcoming years, and we’re not prepared.”

Similar to DiMino, Colby has also drawn on his own bitter experience in dealing with the Middle East, particularly when he was a member of the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq in 2003 and of the President’s Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission between 2004 and 2005 while serving under the George W. Bush administration. &nbsp,

Trump’s other top cabinet members have also expressed openness to a less confrontational policy in the Middle East in favor of focusing on the broader Indo-Pacific region, particularly China, while adopting more traditionally hawkish views on Iran.

Rubio made it clear during his confirmation hearing that he would support “any arrangement that allows us to have safety and stability in the region but one in which we’re clear-eyed” about threats posed by adversaries like Iran. The more pragmatic tone on Iran, coupled with a concerted push to end the conflict in Ukraine, underscores China’s centrality to the second Trump administration’s grand strategy.

Rubio has characterized China&nbsp, as” the most potent, dangerous and near-peer adversary this nation has ever confronted”, thus the urgency of doubling down the Quad and existing military alliances in the Indo-Pacific. National Security Adviser Waltz, who is also known as an Iran hawk, has also emphasized the need for America to “quickly wind up the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East to free up military assets to confront and deter China.”

Trump’s defense secretary nominee, Pete Hagseth, who, similar to Waltz, also served in America’s wars in the Middle East, has argued along similar lines and has criticized the outgoing Biden administration for not sufficiently decoupling from conflicts in the Middle East in favor of a China-centered strategy.

By and large, America’s top Asian allies seem optimistic about the second Trump administration’s signaled direction. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong referred to bilateral ties with Washington as “our most important strategic relationship” prior to her meeting with Rubio.

On the eve of the first Quad meeting, just hours into the new administration, she said,” It’s a demonstration of the collective commitment of all countries to the Quad, an ironclad commitment in this time when close cooperation in the Indo-Pacific is so important.”

Japan’s top diplomat was even more effusive about the new administration’s nuanced approach to foreign policy and sound pragmatism.

” I was very impressed that]Rubio’s ] explanation of the Quad didn’t mention China by name and antagonize it. I had thought of him as a hard-liner against China, but as we talked, I found he was a well-balanced individual”, Japan’s Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya&nbsp, said after the Quad meeting this week.

Follow Richard Javad Heydarian on X at @Rich Heydarian

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Move over CHIPS Act, Stargate is the future – Asia Times

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The US$$ 500 billion Stargate AI system project, which was announced by US President Donald Trump, has sparked media coverage and stoked industry, deflecting attention from the less attractive details of TSMC’s initial chip factory’s opening, and suffocate the more contentious debate over the future of America’s high-tech restoration.

On January 21, the day after his inauguration, Donald Trump made an appearance with Oracle’s Larry Ellison, Softbank’s Masayoshi Son, and OpenAI’s Sam Altman to make an announcement that artificial intelligence will be the “largest AI system job by much in story… creating over 100, 000 National work about immediately,” as Trump put it. Given some of the responses it has generated, the film went “viral” – a suitable information.

In Abilene, Texas, 10 properties measuring half a million square foot are currently under construction, with additional 10 more on the drawing board, and additional ones will be constructed at locations that are being evaluated nationwide. These data locations may be full of machines equipped with Nvidia’s fresh Blackwell AI chips, which are made by Taiwan’s TSMC, the world’s top silicon manufacturer.

” I’m gonna support, a bit, through emergency pronouncements”, said Trump, “because we have an emergency, we have to get this thing built”.

” They have to make a lot of power, and we’ll make it possible for them to get that generation done pretty easily”, he added, “at their personal crops if they want”.

In other words, Trump intends to supersede power regulations that may put off the project, leading to a significant increase in power generation capacity driven by the purchase intentions of a select few big high-tech companies.

Oracle’s Ellison said,” Thank you, Mr President. We certainly couldn’t do this without you”. Altman and Son shared the sentiment. And they probably couldn’t, at least not as quickly and efficiently.

If Joe Biden or Kamala Harris had been attempting the project in the White House, it would likely have been hampered by attempts at social engineering and unionization of the workforce. For the same reason, Stargate is based in Texas, not California.

Masayoshi Son said,” We wouldn’t have decided, unless you won. Yesterday, we agreed. We signed. To achieve this, we would immediately begin deploying 100 billion dollars with the intention of making 500 billion dollars within the next four years, within your mandate.

As explained by OpenAI, the initial equity investments in Stargate will come from SoftBank, Oracle, OpenAI and MGX, the technology fund based in Abu Dhabi. The lead partners are SoftBank and OpenAI, with OpenAI acting as the company’s operational manager and SoftBank as its financial advisor. Softbank’s Son will be the project’s chairman.

Nvidia, Arm ( the British semiconductor design company owned primarily by Softbank ), Microsoft, Oracle and OpenAI are the project’s technology partners. Oracle, Nvidia and OpenAI will build and operate the computing system.

OpenAI has long-standing relationships with both Nvidia and Microsoft. In Japan, Softbank and Nvidia have partnered to set up a nationwide AI grid.

Following Trump to the podium, Ellison, Son and Altman talked about healthcare-related applications from AI-enabled cross-referencing of health records and procedures to cancer detection and treatment, including the development of mRNA cancer vaccines.

But there are other possibilities, including factory automation and national defense. The name Stargate, of course, is reminiscent of Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite company.

The stock market approves of the concept. Oracle’s share price was up 7.2 % on Tuesday and another 4.6 % in after-hours trading. The share price of Softbank Group increased by more than 10 % on Wednesday and by another 5 % on Thursday in Japan ( across the International Date Line ). The share prices of Nvidia, TSMC, Microsoft and server maker Super Micro also rose.

Stargate is pitched as a made-in-America-for-America project, but the Nvidia AI processors at the core of the data centers will be made by Taiwan’s TSMC, at first entirely in Taiwan, then partly in the US.

At its new factory in Arizona, where TSMC is most likely to manufacture integrated circuits, on January 10, TSMC began producing integrated circuits for Apple. AMD and Nvidia are likely to be its new customers. For the first time in our country’s history, our country’s leaders are producing cutting-edge four-nanometer chips on American soil, making American workers on par with Taiwan in terms of yield and quality, according to incoming commerce chief Gina Raimondo.

TSMC Chairman and CEO C C Wei, speaking to investors on the company’s 2024 earnings call on January 16, confirmed this:

” We were able to pull ahead the production schedule of our first fab in Arizona, building on the successful result of our earlier engineering wafer production. Our first fab, using N4 process technology and yield comparable to those of our fabs in Taiwan, has already entered high-volume production in 4Q ’24. We anticipate a smooth beginning of the manufacturing process because we are confident that our factories in Arizona and Taiwan will offer the same level of manufacturing quality and dependability.

Wei added that “our plans for the second fab and third fab in Arizona are also on track.” Based on the needs of our customers, these fabs will use even more advanced technologies like our N3, N2, and A16.

In plain English, this means that TSMC will be making 4nm chips in Arizona starting this year and progress to 3nm, 2nm and 1.6nm ( 16-angstrom ), probably by the end of the decade. In terms of 3nm production, TSMC is already ahead of Samsung and Intel, who are both likely to be 1 nm and smaller. TSMC currently makes Nvidia’s Blackwell AI processors using its 4nm process.

All of these process technologies were and are being developed and produced in Taiwan, close to the company’s R&amp, D, and where the procedure is well-established and the capacity is much larger. This suggests that regardless of any agreement Trump has with China, he won’t want to disrupt Stargate’s main production.

A retired Silicon Valley executive and advisor to the US government on the subject of high-tech competitiveness said,” The game with the current administration is zero-sum,” in response to the three executives ‘ praise for Trump.

And that it is given that Trump has already replaced and exceeded$ 500 billion in government funding after cutting more than$ 300 billion from the Inflation Reduction Act and Department of Energy loan programs under his administration, which were then replaced by$ 300 billion from the private sector.

A West Coast venture capitalist who is not a fan of Trump wrote in an email that” It’s all part of the mad scramble for more computing power and energy to fuel it… Remember Trump’s first term. He enjoys planning big announcements, which credit him with making investments that were already planned or that never occur. Everyone tries to ingratiate themselves with Dear Leader, but it’s all part of that. Because that’s what you have to do in an autocratic state” .&nbsp,

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, wrote on X,” They don’t actually have the money. SoftBank has well under$ 10 billion secured. I have that on good authority”. However, if there is one thing Son excels at, it’s raising money. In 2017, Softbank launched the Vision Fund, a technology-focused venture capital fund with more than$ 100 billion in capital – the world’s largest such fund at the time.

For Musk, whose xAI competes with OpenAI and has taken it to court, Stargate is a powerful new competitor. And perhaps worse than that, Ellison, Son and Altman – high-tech moguls like himself – now also have Trump’s ear.

If the build-out of Stargate’s data centers proceeds according to plan, Microsoft, Google and Amazon are likely to lose their first-mover advantage and oligopolistic profit margins in AI-related cloud computing. Oracle, which offers cloud computing services in 25 countries around the world, has a significant opportunity in this regard.

Another critic, physician and biochemist Robert Malone, has published an essay entitled” AI, mRNA, Cancer Vaccines and” Stargate”: Reality check. Curb your enthusiasm, and beware of grifters”.

He writes:” I can’t believe that we are being spoon-fed this hype from the likes of Oracle’s Larry Ellison… Having this guy lecture us on mRNA vaccines for cancer is over the top. &nbsp, This is so amazingly ( and dangerously ) naive that I can hardly believe I am hearing it”.

Maybe so, but Ellison, Son and Altman were delivering a pitch for AI infrastructure, not explaining the technology roadmaps of companies that will use their data centers. They may be overly optimistic, but they are genuinely interested in healthcare and think AI can contribute significantly to the analysis of sizable amounts of medical-related data.

Malone also criticizes “banking some brand-new” cancer moonshot” television programs named after science fiction TV shows.” So, is Stargate a wise use of money or a reckless boondoggle? In reality,$ 500 billion is nearly ten times the$ 52.7 billion in grants and loans provided by the CHIPS Act. Only time will tell.

Follow this writer on&nbsp, X: @ScottFo83517667

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Bank of Japan hikes rates with a wary eye on Trump – Asia Times

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Tokyo – Kazuo Ueda, the government of the Bank of Japan, is struggling to understand that a man who lives seven thousand miles away is in charge of making the decision.

US President Donald Trump ‘s&nbsp, business war&nbsp, risks are distracting the whole world market like a low-grade but prolonged pain. The throbbing wasn’t enough to derail this Friday’s ( January 24 ) rate hike in Japan, one that had been in the works for weeks.

The BOJ increased its benchmark rate by a third point to 0.5 %, its highest levels since 2008. The japanese gained as much as 0.7 % to the money to 155.01 in early day trading. Despite increasing three days in less than a month, the BOJ also maintains the lowest benchmark rate in the world, tied with the Swiss National Bank.

However, Ueda’s glass to, as his staff put it,” continue to raise the plan interest rate and adjust the degree of financial hotel” depends on its assumptions about the outlook being ruled out.

It’s the same verbiage that the BOJ used when it last tightened in July. That, nevertheless, was again when Tokyo politicians thought Trump 2.0 may never materialize.

Then, all bets are down as Trump threatens to wreck&nbsp, Asia’s 2025&nbsp, with a storm of taxes, charges that may surely bang Japan’s business.

For now, Trump is holding his flames on the 60 % income he&nbsp, threatened&nbsp, on Chinese products. No one is likely to be more amazed than Chinese leader Xi Jinping, whose country has been gearing up for Trump’s retaliation journey.

Trump is showing that his business war is still going by promising to establish 25 % taxes on American and Hispanic products on February 1.

Trump also seems to be firing a killed off Beijing’s spear. The concept, it seems, is that China can&nbsp, prevent tariffs&nbsp, if Xi’s Communist Party starts making great agreements.

As Trump told the audience in Davos this month:” All we want is justice. We simply want a level playing field. We don’t want to get benefits. We’ve been experiencing significant shortfalls with China. Joe Biden allowed it to “get out of hand.”

However, given that Trump is a Trump, Team Xi would need to win over Washington by promoting trade with China and the US to avoid tariffs, which some believe Xi would ever do.

Many investors are also worried about Trump’s imposing tariffs, which would likely stir the world’s largest trading country at the worst possible time.

The negative pressures that China carried into 2025 may get even worse if Trump’s policies walk a crucial development website: exports. Already, China ‘s&nbsp, property crisis&nbsp, and weak household demand have economists buzzing about a Japan-like “lost decade”.

It’s something&nbsp, officials in Tokyo&nbsp, know all too much about. Despite all the excitement over the BOJ’s decision to raise rates another step closer to zero, the benchmark’s previous peak of 0.5 %, 17 years ago, didn’t go so well.

Back then, Toshihiko&nbsp, Fukui was in Ueda’s chair. Fukui’s board managed to end quantitative easing in 2006 and start announcing official rates for the first time since 1999, when the BOJ initially reduced them to zero.

In 2007, he tightened further. But the recession that followed enraged the political establishment. By 2008, &nbsp, Fukui’s successor was resurrecting QE and pushing rates back to zero.

It’s an open question whether Ueda can avoid Fukui’s fate. Trump is likely to offer the solution in some way or another. As Trump begins&nbsp, tossing tariff after tariff&nbsp, at the globe, Japan’s export-reliant economy will be at the very center of the collateral-damage zone.

These are just indirect risks, to be precise. If Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba isn’t sufficiently subservient for Trump’s liking, Japan might face its own tariffs.

The 100 % taxes Trump plans for Mexico-made automobiles could easily come Japan’s way. Ishiba, for example, hasn’t even been able to secure a meeting with Trump, though&nbsp, Trump&nbsp, has made time for virtually every other world leader imaginable.

Japan could be in harm’s way even if Trump doesn’t slap huge taxes on China. &nbsp, Officially, Japanese lawmakers claim they’re ready to cooperate with the Trump 2.0 White House. In private, however, they worry Trump might strike a bilateral trade deal with Beijing that excludes Japan.

Either way, the&nbsp, BOJ’s path forward&nbsp, is a cloudy one.

” The outlook is subject to significant policy uncertainty at home and abroad — US President Trump’s promise of higher tariffs is bound to shake up global trade and supply chains”, says&nbsp, Stefan Angrick, head Japan economist at&nbsp, Moody’s Analytics.

Thing is, Japan has been here before. In 2008, the global financial crisis complicated the BOJ’s tightening plans. Today, &nbsp, US turbulence&nbsp, may again be standing in the way of the BOJ normalizing 25 years of zero rates.

Whether or not Ueda understands the yen’s and Japanese rate movements better than Trump’s.

Follow William Pesek on X at @WilliamPesek

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Judicial independence better protected under previous 3 governments, say 9 ex-Malaysian Bar presidents

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General JUSTICE’S SPEECH

Tengku Maimun had stated that he had concerns about the lack of transparency and potential executive interference in judicial appointments when Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim was the opposition’s leader prior to the establishment of the Judicial Appointments Commission ( JAC ).

She claimed that Anwar’s observation from the time immediately addressed the underlying problem with judicial independence. &nbsp,

Anwar reportedly claimed at the time that the “power to nominate and eliminate is so strictly and strongly handed to the prime minister’s discretion.”

Tengku Maimun asserted that the Judicial Appointments Commission Act 2009 ( JACA ) remained in effect despite the numerous criticisms it received during the debates prior to its passage. &nbsp,

I have a steadfast support for the nomination of magistrates, as well as the freedom of the court. Therefore, I have firmly adhered to all the concepts that are embodied in the Federal Constitution and the JACA 2009,” she was quoted as saying by Bernama.

The JACA was established to ensure that the Prime Minister’s thought of criminal candidates was made in an impartial manner.

No one other than the JAC and the prime minister could propose candidates for appointments to magistrates ‘ content in the superior authorities, according to Tengku Maimun, citing the legal rules governing the nomination of judges. &nbsp,

She continued, noting that young candidates may apply to the JAC for appointments as judicial commissioners. The commission also evaluates the performance of sitting better court judges and recommends elevation or promotion of those who are promoted.
 
She claimed that appointments have always been made by a lot vote, usually by secret ballot, if there isn’t a consensus, and that any attempt to circumvent the provisions could result in illegal or unlawful appointments.

” In all my time as a member of the committee, I have not once interfered in the process. According to Tengku Maimun, who is also the fee chairman, the choice is ultimately the Chief Justice’s choice, not the individual choice but the majority’s choice or the JAC’s shared choice. &nbsp,

According to her, the titles of the candidates chosen are forwarded to the prime minister for visit in accordance with the terms of the Federal Constitution. &nbsp,

” The JAC Act 2009 does, however, allow the prime minister to not take the prospects recommended by the JAC for meetings. In such cases, the primary chancellor may ask for two more applicants”, she added.

More than 20 000 attorneys in Malaysia are regulated by the Malaysian Bar, a legal figure. &nbsp,

The nine ex-Malaysian Bar presidents, who especially spoke about the JAC, said it was impossible to emphasize enough the importance of the payment and its burdensome task of selecting the best judges to serve.

Not everyone has the necessary qualifications to be a prosecutor. The Chief Justice remarked that judges have a higher asking that calls for a specific temperament, the ability to hand down assessments without fear or favor, and the ability to do so without clinging to pressure.

” It goes without saying that it also requires a gold character, dignity and fortitude,” they added. &nbsp,

The original Bar members continued that Tengku Maimun’s reference to the offence of interference in the criminal appointments process was of “utmost concern,” and that this was a serious matter that needed to be investigated immediately.

The first victim is frequently the liberation of the judiciary in nations where authoritarianism thrives. Why? Because they are the organization that keeps the people safe from any acts of power abuse by the State, keeping them in check.

Any government that has such leanings would probably objective them, they said,” so it’s no question.” &nbsp,

Given that Tengku Maimun’s talk is now internationally recognized for its freedom, which places the nation in the best position to attract investment, it was clear that there was a need to be diligent to protect the independence of the judiciary.

” This is the result of years of meticulous reconstruction of its crumbling foundations. Any deviation from the terrible past may be instantly corrected, they argued, in order for the country and its citizens to pay the price once more.
 

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From innovation to production of new US defense systems – Asia Times

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At all ranges of implementation, the US is in constant flux with global competition for significant security technologies. The US Department of Defense will implement new initiatives to increase the competitive range and level of British defence techniques.

The success of these initiatives will be evaluated by the rapid, better development that can outsmart the competition. In this regard, advanced manufacturing processes that create technology systems are of special value.

The issue is frequently delivering exceptional techniques within budget, but there is rarely a shortage of innovative ideas. Working within the restrictive technological and financial constraints of these programs calls for the skilled blending of numerous resources.

And the end result may be powerful systems that can be used in a variety of settings.

It has, of course, been done earlier. The remarkably successful NASA Apollo program, for instance, which brought the first people to the moon, is a perfect example. In response to the Soviet Union’s pioneering satellite systems, President John Kennedy launched the system.

Success came from a sizable pool of skills. And there were no buttons. Numerous cooperative programs forged a bridge between innovative research and pioneering professional development and production, which helped lead to the success of Apollo.

These well-executed cooperative programs enabled the transfer of novel ideas from facilities to practical use. These were not only ordinary goods; they had to conform to the strictest consistency requirements for spacecraft carrying astronauts.

The program’s extraordinary accomplishment was the rapid transition from ideas to space-qualified products that couldn’t fail without causing life to be lost.

I was involved in the creation and development of the solid-state microwave that served as the radio for the pilots ‘ landing on the moon to talk to the spacecraft that was orbiting the moon, and where they had to return and port once they reached the planet’s surface.

The system in the radio may not fail, and to maintain its reliability, fresh test and manufacturing techniques were developed. The sky landing vision was a flawless success for the micro television. It was all fresh, and individuals rose to the challenge.

This type of work was carried out frequently by many members. In this instance, the initial development was at a RCA&nbsp, labs where I worked, but the conversation game’s prime contractor did the full stereo design and production.

You never know where new thoughts will come from, so the purpose of this account is to emphasize the importance of including undiscovered entrepreneurs in engineering programs.

What made this example stand out as extraordinary is that my invention was the result of a conversation I had by chance with a NASA engineer to find out whether I needed a new device to remove a flawed one.

In a short period of time, NASA became aware that a trustworthy radio could be constructed, and revenue for my project almost arrived immediately. The soft transfer to a top-notch radio product manufacturer was what eventually made the new radio possible. This near connection is important.

What resources are available right now that will enable massive new defence projects? The most accomplished citizens work together, second, to put it another way. DARPA ( Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency ), which is funded by the Department of Defense, provides funding for technological studies in important areas.

The initiatives supported by DARPA have had amazing effects when supported by various organizations, including the success of artificial intelligence and the Internet.

The DARPA programs ‘ results are simply system enablers for military projects, which companies with the assets can use to fund weapons and systems production follow.

Now, there is a major concern. The number of top US defence companies has decreased from 51 to just five since the early 1990s. This means fewer assets involved in security plans, fewer entrepreneurs and less opposition.

Additionally, there are fewer business labs working for the DOD. The big corporate lab, like those of AT&amp, T, RCA and Xerox, have disappeared. Companies that once had a high level of entrepreneurs with significant innovative contributions have seen a drastic decline in number.

This issue is likely to prevent the development of significant new initiatives that require the highest level of technology. The answer is that more businesses may participate in the DoD purchasing method, while organizations like DARPA must continue to work together. And the best US skill may join.

I anticipate that new initiatives may require new businesses that value the development of high-performance technology under DoD contracts and the fact that such initiatives’ spin-offs will have significant effects on the sales of goods. This has been demonstrated over time, and it is likely to continue.

Henry Kressel is a technician, engineer, publisher and entrepreneur. He was in charge of directing the development of numerous significant, novel electronic equipment. He was the director of RCA Laboratories ‘ electronic research division and has long held private equity investments in technology businesses.

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Why China’s port play has Trump so up in arms – Asia Times

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Chinese President Xi Jinping and Colombian President Dina Boluarte met to actually inaugurate a new US$ 3.6 billion deepwater mega-port in Peru, called Chancay, on their way to the G20 conference in Rio de Janeiro in November.

China’s state-owned Cosco shipping giant had purchased a 60 % stake in the port for$ 1.6 billion, which gave the company exclusive use of the port for 60 years. Weeks later, the first fleet departed for Shanghai loaded with strawberries, bananas and materials.

China’s plan for a maritime Silk Road in the 21st century that may better join its manufacturing hubs with its global trading partners includes Chancay. The West is concerned about China’s growing influence over global transport routes because of the high investments in ships in many nations.

Donald Trump, the just re-elected US president, made clear these issues when he claimed that China was “operating” the Panama Canal and that the US intended to retake it. China does not run the river, nevertheless. Instead, a Hong Kong organization runs two ships on either side.

Port growth growth

The maritime Silk Road has a remarkable scope and scale. China has invested in 129 ships in lots of countries through its state-owned companies, mostly in the Global South. Seventeen of these ships have majority-Chinese rights.

According to one estimate, Taiwanese firms invested$ 11 billion in international port advancement from 2010–19. Leading Chinese companies today own direct stakes in stations where more than 27 % of the world’s container industry is currently conducted.

China has entered Latin America violently, becoming the country’s leading trading partner. Its interface approach has evidently signaled a long-term aim to get the exports important to its food and energy security: soybeans, corn, beef, iron ore, copper and battery-grade lithium.

Last season, for instance, Portos do Paraná, the Portuguese state-owned organization that functions as the port authority in the state of Paraná, signed a letter of intent with China Merchants Port Holdings to develop Paranaguá Container Terminal, the second-largest switch in South America. Due to the 22 stations scheduled to be auctioned before the close of 2025, China may participate in even more Portuguese ships.

In Africa, Chinese purchase grew from two ships in 2000 to 61 infrastructure in 30 countries by 2022. Additionally, the Belt and Road Initiative in Europe is led by Chinese companies that own two significant ports in Belgium and Greece, which are the so-called “dragon’s brain” of the program.

Hard-driving interface strategy

Xi’s goal of having a global economic hegemony is largely driven by its rise as a sea and delivery power.

For one, China requires steady access to important trading routes in order to continue meeting both the exports Beijing needs to keep its market strong and the need for Chinese exports abroad.

China can establish economic zones in other nations that grant terminal owners and operators unrestricted access to goods and products by controlling ports as well. Some feared that this might cause China to stifle the supply of some goods or even have an impact on the political or economic policies of various nations.

The metal and minerals needed to power China’s rise as a technology superpower are another important component of this technique. Beijing has focused its interface investments in those areas with the most important resources.

For example, China is the world’s largest supplier of copper ore, primarily from Chile, Peru and Mexico. It is also one of the country’s major lithium hydroxide manufacturers, primarily from Chile and Argentina. Additionally, its terminal agreements in Africa give it access to unique rocks and other nutrients.

Latin America’s expansion also helps to resolve China’s recent industry disputes with Europe. Additionally, it eliminates worries about potential US taxes Trump might impose on Chinese products.

Military problems

Washington is concerned about these actions because it makes sense that China is challenging US effect in its own neighborhood.

China maintains that its port geopolitics is market-oriented. However, it has established a naval base in Djibouti, a country in Africa that is carefully placed. Additionally, it is alleged that Equatorial Guinea is developing a new naval foundation.

According to a recent review by the Asia Society Policy Institute, plan experts believe China is seeking to “weaponize” the Belt and Road Initiative. One way it does this is by requiring that the business ships it invests in be able to serve as naval foundations as well.

Foreign businesses own a 23.5 % play in the west African port of Djibouti. &nbsp, Photo: Elias Messeret / AP

14 of the 17 ports where it holds a majority of the stakes have the potential to be used for marine purposes so much. These ports may then fulfill a dual purpose: they support the Taiwanese military’s logistic network and help Chinese naval vessels to travel farther away from home.

US officials worry that China might use its influence on private companies to stifle business during a time of conflict.

American response

While China’s assets are raising concerns, the West’s determination to invest in ships at this level is limited. The US International Development Finance Corporation, for example, has a little slower, comprehensive approach for its investments, which usually leads to better outcomes for both investors and host nations.

However, some Western companies are acquiring stakes in established and newly built ports in other countries, albeit not to the extent of Chinese enterprises.

The French shipping and logistics company CMA CGM’s global port development strategy, for example, includes investments in 60 terminals worldwide. In 2024, it acquired control over South America’s largest container terminal in the Port of Santos, Brazil.

Trump has threatened to impose tariffs as a means of limiting China’s position on the world stage. A member of his transition team’s advisor has suggested a 60 % tariff on any product passing through Peru’s Chancay port or any other Chinese-owned or controlled port in South America.

Rather than making nations reluctant to sign port deals with Beijing, however, this kind of action just erodes Washington’s regional influence. Additionally, China is likely to take retaliatory measures, such as outlawing the US’s export of crucial minerals.

Host nations like Peru and Brazil, meanwhile, are using the competition for port investment to their advantage. They are increasingly asserting their autonomy and adopting a strategy of using ports to “play everywhere” on the global stage, drawing attention from both the West and China.

Claudio Bozzi is lecturer in law, Deakin University

This article was republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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Bangkok ranked 4th among most polluted cities worldwide

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In: South-East Asia

At 23rd place, along with three different East Asian cities in the top ten, Chiang Mai.

PUBLISHED: 24 Jan 2025 at 10: 37

Bangkok high-rises are obscured by hazardous smog as they were seen from atop of Golden Mount on Thursday. (Photo: Jetjaras Na Ranong)
As seen from the top of Golden Mount on Thursday, Bangkok high-rises are obscured by risky dust. ( Photo: Jetjaras Na Ranong )

According to the most recent data from Swiss-based IQAir, Bangkok was ranked as the fourth worst city in the world for air quality as dangerous cloud continues to engulf the country’s funds and other regions.

The air quality index in Bangkok reached 188 as of 9.40am.

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration ( BMA ) declared 48 of its 50 districts as red ( hazardous-to-health ) zones, with particulate matter 2.5 micrometres and less in diameter ( PM2.5 ) levels averaging 88.4 microgrammes per cubic metre (µg/m³ ).

Nong Khaem was the most afflicted area, with PM2.5 rates at 108 as it recorded PM2.5 at 108µg/m³, followed by Khan Na Yao, Min Buri, Thawi Watthana and Lak Si.

City Hall reiterated to all people to avoid outside actions at this time because they could cause health risks and to work from home as much as possible.

Chiang Mai, in the northeastern province of Chiang Mai, even experienced pollution problems, ranking 23rd with an air quality index of 127g/m3.

The government-set secure level is 37.5µg/m³.

Just Ho Chi Minh City in Southeast Asia has worse pollutants than Bangkok. Another cities in the region that made the top 10 include Phnom Penh, ranked second, and Hanoi, ranked seventh.

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NetApp appoints Kenneth Poh as country manager for Singapore and the Philippines

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  • Does lead NetApp’s businesses &amp, go-to-market strategy&nbsp,
  • Over 20 times of IT expertise with experience in store, AI &amp, large data

NetApp appoints Kenneth Poh as country manager for Singapore and the Philippines

NetApp®, the intelligent data infrastructure company, has appointed industry veteran Kenneth Poh ( pic ) as country manager for Singapore and the Philippines. Poh will be in charge of operations and go-to-market plans, with an emphasis on fostering business expansion and increasing companion and customer relationships in both markets.

As AI increasingly integrates into daily life, nearly half ( 49 % ) of technology executives in Singapore prioritise investment in data management and infrastructure, according to NetApp’s 2024 Data Complexity Report released in December.

But, long-term victory in AI requires organisations to tackle important challenges, including data difficulty, security, and conservation, with greater commitment and resources.

” I am delighted to welcome Poh to NetApp. His remarkable track record of guiding businesses and helping organizations harness the power of information makes him the ideal leader to unlock the full potential of our customers. With his command, I am confident we can scale our activities and reach our progress ambitions in Southeast Asia”, said Henry Kho, place vice president and general director for Greater China, ASEAN, and Korea, NetApp.

” It is a pleasure to meet NetApp, a consistent president in the data backup industry”, said Poh. With the introduction of Singapore’s National AI Strategy 2.0 and the Philippines ‘ National AI Roadmap, the location is at a new chapter in its development. Leveraging NetApp’s 30 years of technology and knowledge, I look forward to helping companies become more innovative and tenacious in today’s age of data and knowledge”.

Poh brings over 20 years of IT industry practice, specialising in store, AI, and great information. Prior to joining NetApp, he spent time at Dell Technologies as city director for the public and corporate segments, where he oversaw a strong sales team and encouraged business expansion. Poh has even held management roles at foreign IT companies, including Dell EMC, Oracle, HP, and Sun Microsystems.

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