The true cost of China’s hold on Indonesia’s nickel – Asia Times

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This content was originally published by Pacific Forum, and it has since been republished. Learn the original&nbsp, around.

During the 43rd&nbsp, ASEAN Summit in Jakarta on September 5-7, 2023, Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Vice President Kamala Harris discussed the potential for a US-Indonesia Critical Minerals Specific&nbsp, Free Trade Agreement&nbsp, ( CMS-FTA ).

In addition to the tax incentives for EV chargers, this FTA do allow Indonesia to benefit from the US’s Inflation Reduction Act, which the US Congress passed in 2022.

Achieving this CMS-FTA is a target for US-Indonesia relationships under the&nbsp, Comprehensive Strategic Partnership&nbsp, established in November 2023.

However, on October 24, nine US lawmakers sent out a&nbsp, republican letter&nbsp, addressed to the US business consultant, treasury secretary, energy minister, and commerce secretary expressing concerns regarding the CMS-FTA.

These include poor work protections in Indonesia, Chinese supremacy of its miners industry, economic implications, and absence of community engagement among Chinese and Indian workers.

Indonesian policymakers should consider this as a wake-up phone to recognize and address the lack of useful environmental, social, and management practices in its metal business, including accounting for the role of Chinese investments.

Unpacking Indonesia’s metal

Indonesia, an emerging middle energy in the Indo-Pacific, is a global hub for essential mineral reserves and generation, with different resources including copper, gold, tin, silver, metal, iron and nickel.

One major to Indonesia’s mining business is metal, with substantial reserves in the Kalimantan, Sulawesi and Maluku islands, soaring manufacturing rates and exports of various forms of nickel.

Nickel produced in Indonesia is suitable for EV chargers and stainless steel. From 2020 to 2022, Indonesia ranked first among global copper manufacturers, accounting for 20.6 % of the world complete. Indonesia was &nbsp, expected to produce&nbsp, nearly 2 million tons annually in 2023 and 2024.

Indonesian policymakers have changed their policies regarding exporting natural metal ore in response to the Covid-19 downturn of 2020 and have adopted “resource nationalism” policies.

The Minister of Trade of the Republic of Indonesia’s Rules, 96/2019, aimed to increase private control and increase the copper supply chain’s value by boosting local processing and increasing economic capacity.

The Indonesian government has acknowledged that the country’s full economic potential is limited by directly exporting raw nickel ore. Consequently, the regulation bans exports of raw mineral ore not first processed domestically.

Prior to the pandemic, raw nickel ore extracted in Indonesia was directly exported to foreign countries, with 90 % going to China whose robust supply chain could support their economy by producing innovative technology and industrial construction. Prior to 2019, Indonesia’s government had proposed a full export ban of raw nickel ore.

China’s direct access

However, China continued to have direct access to Indonesian nickel even with the export ban. In order to develop Indonesian smelters and processing facilities, then-president Widodo pushed for foreign direct investment.

Chinese companies quickly and vastly invested in nickel and critical minerals-processing facilities, equivalent to US$ 30 billion in Chinese investments and commitments in downstream Indonesian nickel, in a situation where they were in desperate need of immediate access to affordable Indonesian nickel.

As of July 2023, under China’s Belt and Road Initiative, 43 nickel smelters&nbsp, are operating, including Asia’s largest nickel processing park: Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park ( IMIP ). Due to a restrictive export ban and, consequently, substantial Chinese investments, Indonesia ‘s&nbsp, annual global total share&nbsp, in nickel production has skyrocketed from 16 % ( 2019 ) to 42.9 % ( 2024 ).

How much of Indonesia’s success, according to the Jakarta government, includes making the most of Chinese technology and capital to dominate the global nickel market while enhancing domestic processing capabilities? What are the true costs of China’s investments in Indonesia’s nickel industry?

Indonesia has ambitious goals to become a sustainable, developed nation by 2045, with a focus on transitioning to renewable energy. Indonesia’s position as the global hub for EV production depends on its success in this area. Unfortunately, the rapid shift toward renewable energy brings negative impacts as well.

Indonesia faces a paradox: it has the potential to succeed in the global EV market, but this success may amplify domestic inequalities. Also, Chinese-invested nickel smelters have dominated Indonesia’s nickel industry, leading to significant pushback from local communities and major environmental complications.

IMIP, located in Central Sulawesi, perfectly exemplifies this paradox. Due to its large site and workforce ( IMIP has approximately 120 000 workers, 90 % Chinese and 90 % Indonesian ), the company is highly efficient at processing nickel.

The majority of the workforce is made up of Indonesians, who hold managerial and technical positions. Indonesian workers report instances of exclusive and&nbsp, preferential treatment&nbsp, for Chinese employees, reflected in living conditions and salary scales, with Chinese managerial treatment further highlighting these inequalities.

Furthermore, working conditions at IMIP are unsafe, with numerous workplace fatalities and a lack of accountability. &nbsp, In 2023 alone, &nbsp, 34 workers died due to fires and explosions, with 39 others severely burned, resulting in disabilities.

Ironically, though intended to reduce the country’s overall carbon emissions, IMIP has a&nbsp, significant ecological footprint&nbsp, due to submarine waste disposal and air pollution from coal-generated power.

Local water quality is compromised by pollution and wastewater runoff, which causes a decline in fish and marine life populations. This has severely impacted fishers, causing them to lose their livelihoods. Additionally, power plant emissions cause toxic respiratory conditions and illnesses in the neighborhood.

A game of monopoly

These nickel processing plants have no reason to believe they harmed safety standards, let alone mitigated environmental effects. However, it seems as though neither the Indonesian government nor the companies have taken any steps to address these issues.

Tsingshan Group, &nbsp, due to assorted joint ventures with Chinese and Indonesian subsidiary companies, essentially owns 66.25 % of IMIP and&nbsp, Bintang Delapan&nbsp, Investment ( a domestic Indonesian firm ) holds 33.75 % of shares.

Smaller local Indonesian mining companies can no longer sell nickel to other foreign buyers because of Indonesia’s 2019 export ban on raw mineral ore and the significant influx of Chinese-invested industrial parks that have dominated Indonesia’s processed nickel markets.

These massive industrial parks, alongside the export ban, have resulted in an&nbsp, “oligopsony” market– where Chinese-concentrated buyers disproportionately influence a great extent of Indonesia’s nickel market, which is really only catered and sold to China.

This makes Chinese companies able to monopolize Indonesian nickel’s demand, forcing domestic miners to sell it for less than the market value. Indonesian businesses are forced to reduce costs in favor of environmental and safety practices as a result of this dramatic decrease in profit loss.

The Indonesian market’s monopolization and unequal distribution of shareholder stakes highlights the size and nature of the Chinese-controlled” Indonesian” nickel industry. One of the many nickel processing facilities that is experiencing similar issues is IMIP.

The BRI is profoundly entangled with positive connotations that boost Indonesia’s economy and create jobs, however, in reality, these smelters and processing facilities have induced more domestic issues.

Smelters primarily benefit a small group of individuals, largely centered within the government and conglomerates based in Indonesia’s capital city, Jakarta. Meanwhile, workers on the ground struggle to make ends meet.

Indonesian government officials should demand greater transparency regarding accidents and environmental harm from Chinese businesses.

Domestic stakeholders could develop strict regulations mandating full accountability for any harm caused and active involvement in remediation efforts.

Indonesia could turn to China for investment and/or accelerate ongoing investments from nations with higher labor and environmental standards, such as Japan, South Korea, and the US, if Chinese companies object to these demands.

Diversifying investments would help Indonesia combat its Chinese counterparts ‘ monopolistic influence, improve competition, and promote more fair and competitive markets while also improving labor and environmental practices.

Kayla Anandia ([email protected] ) is a research intern at Pacific Forum and is an incoming Master of Arts student, studying Political Science at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa.

Prior to joining Daniel K. Inouye Asia Pacific Center for Security Studies, she interned at the Indonesian Coordinating Ministry for Maritime and Investment Affairs, the President of Indonesia’s Executive Office, and the Indonesian Coordinating Ministry for Maritime and Investment Affairs. Her research interests are Southeast Asian Politics, Maritime Security, and Renewable Energy. &nbsp,

This content was originally published by Pacific Forum, and it has since been republished. Learn the original&nbsp, around.

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Thailand races to stop toxic waste shipment from Albania

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Described: 12 Aug 2024 at 16: 56

An Albanian Coast Guard vessel at the port of Sazan island, Albania, on July 27, 2024. Around 100 shipping vessels reportedly containing dangerous industrial waste from Albania are being blocked by Thai officials. (Bloomberg photo)
An Albanian Coast Guard vehicle at the interface of Sazan area, Albania, on July 27, 2024. Authorities in Thailand are rushing to stop about 100 shipping containers from reaching Albania’s ports, which are reportedly filled with dangerous commercial waste. ( Bloomberg photo )

Around 100 shipping vessels reportedly containing dangerous industrial waste from Albania are being blocked by Thai officials.

A US-based non-profit called Basel Action Network, which formerly alerted Malaysia to improper e-waste shipments, next week informed the authorities that containers it believed were containing potentially harmful electrical arc burner dust were coming from.

One of the boats carrying the pots is no longer visible on coastal location monitoring services, which raises the concern even more. After Basel Action Network claimed to have alerted West African Government to the sale, it darkened as it approached Cape Town late last month. &nbsp,

Thai authorities, after receiving the idea that the vessels had been loaded onto boats in Albania in early July, say they are working with peers in Albania and&nbsp, Singapore, where the warships are expected to port later this month, to prevent the shipments.

The relevant government agencies “were n’t notified and have n’t given consent for these shipments” ,&nbsp, Thailand ‘s&nbsp, Department of Industrial Works, which oversees international waste management, said in an email. ” We are currently coordinating and monitoring this unlawful visitors.”

Garbage flow

Thailand and other Southeast Asian nations have seen an increase in business and commercial trash that is laced with toxins from developed nations. This includes everything from dirty plastic to commercial and electronic waste. Countries must consent for waste that comes their way under the United Nations Basel Convention, a worldwide alliance that some developed economies have signed up to. &nbsp,

The vessels are aboard A. P. Moller-Maersk’s A/S’s Campton and Candor vessels, according to the Basel Action Network. Two of its cargo ships, according to Maersk, are carrying vessels booked by another freight series that have arrived in Albania.

According to a representative Summer Shi in an email, none of the pots were identified as having toxic waste because Maersk would have refused to transport it.

Maersk may hand the vessels over to the shipping line that has booked and is in charge of the pots, she said, “due to the debate about the contents of these pots.”

Bloomberg News could n’t independently verify what the ships are carrying. The companies exporting and receiving these containers have n’t been identified. &nbsp,

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Thai lawyers to sue over tilapia invasion

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Over 250 producers sign up to join situation

Discussed: 12 Aug 2024 at 09: 20

A promotional activity was held in Bangkok last month to encourage public consumption of the invasive fish blackchin tilapia. (Photo: Apichart Jinakul)
Last month, a promotion campaign was held in Bangkok to stimulate the aggressive fish blackchin tilapia’s consumption. ( Photo: Apichart Jinakul )

The Thailand’s Lawyers Council intends to file a complaint against private companies and state organizations that are responsible for the unchecked spread of the invasive species, blackchin fish, which is fast sweeping the government’s waterways.

Residents of Samut Songkhram’s Amphawa region, where a group of government lawyers from the government can record to file a lawsuit or provide evidence of the harm that non-native fish species have caused, have set up a kiosk on Sunday.

At the hall in Tambon Yi San on Sunday evening, 214 fish producers had registered to file the complaint. On August 2, the crew had set up a booth in Phraek Nam Daeng for the same reason, and 57 fish farmers agreed to participate in the complaint.

The Office of Administrative Cases Commission and Samut Songkhram’s unit of the Lawyers Council of Thailand, according to Nitthrarat Paetwong, the country’s attorney general, may file a civil lawsuit against those who they believe caused the spread of blackchin fish. How many people are affected or how much of the damage is done is also undetermined.

He stated that the government anticipates having the event before Friday, noting that a decision may take at least six months. As for the damage, Mr Nitthrarat said the government may hire a solicitor to work out the settlement. However, the number will finally be decided by the court, he said.

The fish have taken the place of the country’s local tilapia species in some of its waterways, as well as other important business species that share the same habitat.

A producer in Phetchaburi, for example, said the bass has essentially wiped out the lobster shares at his farm, causing massive economic damage. Due to the spread of fish, some fish fields in the Pak Phanang and Hua Sai districts of Nakhon Si Thammarat even experienced significant losses.

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Work It Podcast: Will using more childcare leave affect your career progression?

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In: South-East Asia

Here’s an extract from the radio:

Gerald Tan:
How do control view a person who uses a lot of parental advantages or takes a protracted maternity or paternity keep? Did it affect their job progression?

Derrick Teo:
Also, I guess most corporate managers understand that this is a part of the deal when we employ someone. I suppose that’s true.

That a man does transition into a distinct phase of life naturally as they continue to work for the company. They will go through additional stages of life, including those with older kids and other commitments.

I would say most firms worth their salt, they would already be preparing, or they now had prepared, perhaps even aspects like work makeover, about how they are able to help parents or caregivers.

They can help them through this approach while keeping up their work-related KPIs.

Tiffany Ang:
When I spoke with a supervisor, she said it was difficult for her because her children are older, but she suddenly realized that her crew was full of families and young children.

She was understanding that everyone was only taking their time off, but ultimately she had to handle the workload because everyone was simply taking their care left. I mean, that’s a pretty true situation, right?

Derrick: 
Obviously, and I completely concur with you, and I’ve seen this happen in my customers ‘ businesses as well, where there are many parallel people living in the same age group and having children of the same age group.

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Council to sue over tilapia invasion

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In: South-East Asia

Over 250 producers sign up to join event

Described: 12 Aug 2024 at 06: 20

A promotional activity was held in Bangkok last month to encourage public consumption of the invasive fish blackchin tilapia. (Photo: Apichart Jinakul)
Last month, a promotion campaign was held in Bangkok to inspire the aggressive fish blackchin tilapia’s consumption. ( Photo: Apichart Jinakul )

The Thailand’s Lawyers Council intends to file a petition against private companies and state organizations that are responsible for the unchecked spread of the invasive species, blackchin fish, which is fast sweeping the government’s waterways.

Residents of Samut Songkhram’s Amphawa region, where a group of government lawyers from the government can record to file a lawsuit or provide evidence of the harm that non-native fish species have caused, have set up a kiosk on Sunday.

At the hall in Tambon Yi San on Sunday afternoon, 214 bass producers had registered to file the complaint. On August 2, the crew had set up a booth in Phraek Nam Daeng for the same reason, and 57 fish farmers agreed to participate in the complaint.

The Office of Administrative Cases Commission and Samut Songkhram’s tree of the Lawyers Council of Thailand, according to Nitthrarat Paetwong, the country’s attorney general, may file a civil lawsuit against those who they believe caused the spread of blackchin fish. How many people are affected or how much of the damage is done is also undetermined.

He stated that the government anticipates having the event before Friday, noting that a decision may take at least six months. As for the damage, Mr Nitthrarat said the government may hire a solicitor to work out the settlement. However, the number will inevitably be decided by the court, he said.

The fish have taken the place of the country’s local tilapia species in some of its waterways, as well as other important business species that share the same habitat.

A producer in Phetchaburi, for example, said the carp has essentially wiped out the lobster shares at his farm, causing massive economic damage. Due to the spread of fish, some fish farms in the Pak Phanang and Hua Sai districts of Nakhon Si Thammarat even experienced significant losses.

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5 firms deny exporting invasive fish

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B450m is thought to have caused the damage to the tuniapia.

Invasive blackchin tilapia fish caught from Sanam Chai and Khok Kham canals in Samut Songkhram are cooked to serve people at the BKK Food Bank activity held at Bang Khunthian district office in Bangkok on July 19. (Photo: Apichart Jinakul)
At the BKK Food Bank event held at the Bangkok district office on July 19th, people will be served with aggressive blackchin fishes fish that has been caught in Sanam Chai and Khok Kham rivers. ( Photo: Apichart Jinakul )

Five firms have denied exporting blackchin fish, while the House Committee on Science, Technology, Research and Innovation estimates the aggressive bass has caused up to 450 million ringgit of destruction to farmers and the atmosphere.

On Thursday, Praphan Leepayakhun, assistant director-general of the Department of Fisheries, was invited to attend a House committee meet chaired by Takorn Tantasith.

Another participants included members from five businesses: Thai Qian Hu, Advance Aquatic, Samitra Aquarium Limited Partnership, P&amp, P Aquarium World Trading and Asia Aquatics.

Three additional businesses did not respond to a demand for their attendance.

According to the Department of Fisheries, 11 manufacturers sent 326, 240 blackchin fish as elegant fish to 17 states, including Pakistan, Turkey, Kuwait, Azerbaijan, Australia, the United Arab Emirates and the United States between 2013 and 2016. Bass imports were at the time regulated by the Animal Epidemics Act.

Manufacturers were only required to have a health certificate or billing before the fish had to be shipped.

However, a recent investigation revealed that there were mistakes in entering data into import records for 212 of the 24 000 orders that involved the period’s elegant fish exports. The department claimed that different species of fish were mistaken for Sarotherodon melanotheron ( blackchin tilapia ).

At the time, there was no record on black fishes exports. It was only an mistake in filing knowledge”, he said.

Despite the fact that the document was incorrect, House committee chairman Mr. Takorn also questioned why the department was focusing on export records rather than looking for the source to investigate farmer complaints about blackchin tilapia spread.

The five businesses ‘ representatives at the conference also reaffirmed that they never exported the fish and that they had presented the council with receipts and purchase orders from that time.

A committee formed to resolve the problem has been told to compile a record for the House committee to assume the problem, including the harm caused to farmers, people’s livelihoods and the atmosphere, which is estimated at about 450 million ringgit, he said.

To provide emergency cash to those in need, the House committee did send the document to Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin and the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives.

However, Suwat Wongsuwat, Fisheries Department official, said a venture to approach blackchin fish as wet biofertiliser, has apparently produced 155 tonnes of manure from 168 tonnes of fish.

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IN FOCUS: It’s the halfway mark of China’s roadmap to lead the world in AI by 2030. How is it faring?

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Open supply is where the source code is freely available, allowing people to apply, change, and deliver it. In comparison, closed source is where access to the source code is restricted, preventing additional modifications and additions.

Both have their virtues. Open-source models allow for the use, development, and learning of them by other scientists and designers. However, the amazing character of closed-source versions reduces the risks of use or abuse, and also allowing for more crowdfunding opportunities, reports have stated.

However, both even have their disadvantages. Open-source models frequently rely on volunteers, but closed-source models offer limited power and customization due to restrictions on the teaching data and domestic architecture.

According to some analysts, the current environment in China is divided between t players who favor the open-source approach and those who favor closed-source. CNA was unable to locate any information about the local situation as a whole.

At the current World AI Conference in Shanghai, Mr Robin Li, chairman and CEO of Baidu, argued that the open-source design may be outdated. He claimed that Baidu’s Wenxin 4.0 design, which was more affordable, provided better performance and resilience than open-source designs, and produced better results.

However, this view is contested within the Chinese Artificial area. According to Mr. Fu Sheng, chairman and CEO of Cheetah Mobile and president of Orion Starry Sky, “open-source communities had finally emerge over closed-source types.”

He argued that open-source designs were more useful, saying:” More businesses and companies do not need expensive closed-source 100 billion feature designs, 10 billion feature types are enough”.

Late in April, Alibaba and Baidu were among the first Chinese tech companies to add large language models ( LLMs) from Meta’s open-source LLaMA family to their cloud computing platforms. Immediately, Tencent followed match.

The discussion even revolves around translation and uniqueness. Chinese tech fairy 01 AI was in dispute last year over using LLaMA designs without making it clear. The business apologized and claimed it had no intention of concealing the Artificial model’s source.

There are possible drawbacks, according to experts, even though using existing models to build new ones is a common practice. &nbsp,

It might be dangerous if businesses are unable to comprehend or change these concepts, according to Associate Professor Wai Kin Kong of the Nanyang Technological University’s (NTU) College of Computing and Data Science.

Prof. Li noted that the local community frequently lacks the vision to make designs that bring together the community to solve challenging programming problems, despite Chinese AI players actively using open-source versions and creating their own from scratch.

A champion of the open-source motion, he emphasised the importance of adhering to open-source rules and contributing back to the community.

” We do n’t need 100 large models, a few well-contributed and shared models would be ideal”, Prof Li said.

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Private 5G network deployed at Petronas LNG Complex Bintulu to accelerate digital innovation

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  • Gobind, a minister of modern, takes note of the ongoing efforts to accede to 5G adoption in businesses.
  • 5G-enabled brilliant techniques such as business IoT, uavs, robotics, XR

Gobind Singh Deo (seated), Minister of Digital, Malaysia at the 5G enabled Petronas LNG Complex in Bintulu, Sarawak with senior executives from Petronas, DNB, MyDigital, his Digital Ministry and the Sarawak State Government.

The oil and gas ( O&amp, G ) sector plays a vital part in Malaysia’s economy, contributing approximately 20 % to the nation’s gross domestic product ( GDP ), according to the Malaysia Investment Development Authority.

The firm’s habitat comprises more than 3, 500 O&amp, G firms in Malaysia, including global oil firms, support and service providers, as well as producers.

Even a traditional business like the O&amp is seeing an increase in online adoption as players use 5G to accede to their electronic change and competitiveness in line with the rising adoption and sophistication of Malaysia’s modern economy.

Gobind Singh Deo, the minister of modern, has urged the O&G sector to raise its game by supporting the use of 5G technology in businesses.

“5G is among the important technology that is gaining significance. The technology, which offers ultra-high rate coupled with low latency connection between power hubs, production sites and vessels, helps to simplify the growing complexity in administrative activities”, Gobind said.

” Increased use of 5G-enabled intelligent systems such as industrial IoT, drones, robotics, extended reality (XR ), and artificial intelligence ( AI ) enhances operational efficiency and safety”.

At a meeting held to officially launch the private 5G system at Bintulu, Sarawak’s Petronas LNG Complex, Gobind said this. Petronas and Telekom Malaysia ( TM) collaborate on the deployment, which is supported by Digital Nasional Bhd ( DNB).

The fresh Bintulu blog is one of four places equipped with the technologies following Petronas ‘ Regasification Terminal Sungai Udang (RGTSU) Melaka’s traditional launch of Malaysia’s first private 5G network for business in 2022.

The event was attended by the Sarawak Deputy Minister of Utilities and Telecommunications, Liwan Lagang, Abang Yusuf Abang Puteh, Senior Vice President, LNG Assets, Gas and Maritime Business, Petronas, Mohamed Syazwan Abdullah@Laga Jenggi, Managing Director and CEO, Petronas Malaysia LNG Group of Companies, Amar Huzaimi Md Deris, TM Group CEO, and DNB Chief Strategy Officer, Ahmad Zaki Zahid.

With a production capacity of 29.8 million tonnes per year, Petronas LNG Complex has the third-largest liquefied natural gas ( LNG ) plant in one location. The 5G network’s deployment is anticipated to increase productivity, operational efficiency, and safety across crucial production processes.

Gobind added that the global O&G sector’s adoption of 5G technology is growing steadily.

” According to a ResearchAndMarkets .com report, while specific adoption rates can vary, the global market for 5G in oil and gas is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of nearly 26 % from 2023 to 2030. Energy companies around the world are racing to modernise their operations, and I applaud Petronas, TM and DNB for taking the lead in digitalising Malaysia’s energy sector”.

Gobind added that Malaysia’s digital transformation is dependent on the ongoing efforts to promote 5G adoption in various businesses.

” I’m pleased to see that more and more Malaysian businesses, from large multinational corporations to SMEs, are discovering how 5G can facilitate a variety of digital solutions to improve productivity and improve operational efficiency and safety across critical production processes,” he said.

” We are seeing the development of private 5G networks and use cases undergoing proof-of-concept trials within the manufacturing, transportation and logistics industries, among others. Smart city solutions are also being supported by 5G in towns and municipalities like Putrajaya.

Through collaborations with industry associations like the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers and international technology and telecommunications companies, DNB, an agency under the Ministry of Digital, continues to actively advocate for the adoption of 5G technology in businesses.

According to him,” these efforts truly align with the MADANI government’s and the Ministry of Digital’s goals of making Malaysia a digital nation.”

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Bob Neff focused reporting on Japan ‘revisionists’ – Asia Times

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Robert C Neff, who was at the middle of America’s discussion about a fast rising Japan in the late 1980s, died on July 31, 2024, at his house in Hayama, Japan, north of Tokyo, after a lengthy illness. He was 77 years older. He is survived by his family of more than 40 times, Fumiko Sekizawa.

Neff was born on July 22, 1947, in St. Louis, Missouri. His relatives, who were missionaries, were sent to Asia. Spending little of his youth in Japan, where he attended the American School in Japan, Neff developed tribal competence in the Chinese language, which is exceptional among&nbsp, gaijin&nbsp, – immigrants.

Neff’s BusinessWeek support account,” Rethinking Japan,” was most well known for its August 1989 publication, which addressed a contentious debate between the United States and the magazine about whether Japan may switch to an economic and political model more Western-style.

Americans were debating whether Japan’s political and economic model would overthrow American industries or whether it would forego its post-World War II model in favor of a wide opening.

The magazine’s include read:” The US still has a$ 52 billion trade deficit with Japan, and Chinese culture continues to be tightly knit. As a result, a dramatic shift in US thinking about Japan is afoot. This revisionist view assumes that conventional free trade strategies wo n’t work for Japan because it is truly different. Again, such sights would have been dismissed as ‘ Japan-bashing,’ but now they have an academic base”.

Neff was credited with primary applying the word “revisionists” to speak to the academic leaders of this school of thought, whom he identified as Clyde Prestowitz, Chalmers Johnson, James Fallows and Karel van Wolferen.

In an email, Prestowitz wrote,” I would like to express my undying gratitude for [Neff’s ] clear understanding of the reality of US-Japan trade relations in the 1980s. He was the only journalist who could see what was happening, out of all the big newspapers. I will miss him tremendously” .&nbsp,

In the early 1990s, the Japanese monetary bubble lost popularity, and some critics claimed that revisionists had misled it. China’s rise in some ways overshadowed the Chinese issue. However, Japan maintained its political and business models.

Neff was portion of a golden era of mag media. He circled the world with messages in Honolulu, Los Angeles, Tokyo, London and New York. Neff was one of the most admired and likeable practitioners in the country, and American news organizations had substantial networks of foreign correspondents.

Steven Shepard, who was the editor-in-chief of Business Week from 1984 to 2005, was emphatic in his praise of Neff. ” A great journalist, a beautiful man”, Shepard posted. I recall seeing him in Tokyo and absorbing some of his vast knowledge of the nation. I cherished our friendship”.

Neff was even known for supporting the advancement of reporters with little experience, both those who worked for him and those who did not. He mentored several fresh reporters who arrived in Japan in the 1980s to tell the stories of Japan’s economic increase, the value of its currency, the yen, its technical prowess and, ultimately, its trade conflicts.

Neff attended the University of Michigan between 1965 and 1969. He met Urban Lehner, who did turn out to be both a literary rival and a longtime friend. Lehner became the Wall Street Journal’s Tokyo bureau captain, while Neff held the position of BusinessWeek magazine’s Tokyo writer.

Neff served in the Vietnam War as a conscientious objector, and he spent two years performing medical care. After that, he attended the University of Missouri School of Journalism. Before being hired by BusinessWeek in its Los Angeles office in 1977, he began his career at Pacific Business News in Honolulu. The McGraw-Hill Businesses owned BusinessWeek as well as niche industry journals and a cable company, McGraw-Hill News.

In 1979, McGraw-Hill benefited from Neff’s ability to speak Japanese and transfer him to the Tokyo information service. He rose to the position of bureaucrat.

Neff relocated to New York in 1987 as the director of BusinesssWeek’s global release after working there for a while editing International Management publication. He moved up to Tokyo in 1989 as that publication’s bureau chief, a job he held until the mid-1990s. He afterwards served as managing director of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan while also editing and writing for various publications, including Forbes and Fortune.

A big Neff success was his author of&nbsp, a prominent link to the best among Japan’s plenty of&nbsp, onsen, or warm baths, entitled&nbsp,” Japan’s Hidden Hot Springs”. Neff and his wife Fumiko took friend Lehner and his family on a trip to some hot springs, which Lehner did feature in his Eastern Wall Street Journal article.

Lehner claimed that Neff was a master at discovering onsen that were quirky and cheap and frequently featured mountain views from the hot hot tubs. The leading Japanese-owned English-language paper, the Japan Times, wrote that Neff was” a sensitive bather”.

Neff even was known for his encyclopedic knowledge of Tokyo’s vibrant nightlife. He adored music, a traditional Japanese evening ritual that was often performed over drinks. Leslie Helm, a Neff employee in the BusinessWeek commission, recalls how many Chinese contacts commented on how well Bob was speak those songs and how much they enjoyed having drinks with him.

Neff was a member of Japan’s Foreign Correspondents Club. He was secretary in 1981-82 and leader in 1998-99. He and the other co-chair, the late Bob Kirschenbaum ( they were known as the Two Bobs ), also co-chaired the club’s food and beverage committee, which required them to taste all food and beverages before including them on any menu.

Neff also served on various commissions. Toshio Aritake, a friend and fellow journalist, recalls that Neff was” a device at the reporters ‘ tables and always at the middle of the most heated disputes.”

On August 2, a Hayama home funeral was held. A memorial hour will be held in September at the Foreign Correspondents ‘ Club of Japan.

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