China fueling Pakistan-India stealth fighter race

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Pakistan is poised to take delivery of China’s Shenyang FC-31 Gyrfalcon fifth-generation fighter jets, a potentially pivotal moment in South Asia’s bristling arms race pitting India and Pakistan with China in the middle.

This month, Defense News quoted Pakistan Air Force (PAF) chief Zaheer Baber Sidhu saying that the Chinese-made fighters, also known as F-60s or J-21 Snowy Owls, are expected to enter service shortly, without indicating an exact timeframe.

Sidhu was speaking at an induction ceremony for new military equipment that included Chinese-made K-10C Firebird fighters, the Defense News report said. The PAF chief did not indicate how many FC-31s Pakistan would acquire.

China’s FC-31/J-35 lower-cost fifth-generation fighter program seeks to compete with the US-made F-35 and fourth-generation-plus European fighters in international markets.

But unanswered questions about the FC-31’s level of stealth achievable in practice, the sensors and sensor fusion in the aircraft when operational and the time taken for delivery will all determine how effective Pakistan’s acquisition will be in counterbalancing India’s evolving capabilities, the Defense News report said.  

The report also suggested that Pakistan’s JF-17, J-10 and F-16s are adequate for air superiority operations vis-à-vis India, raising questions about the need to procure FC-31s at a time Pakistan is particularly cash-strapped with the economy in a shambles.

Pakistan is a notable purchaser of Chinese fighter jets, one of a small group of countries along with Bangladesh, Myanmar, North Korea and a few African countries that have opted to procure Chinese military aircraft.

In March 2022, The Warzone reported that Pakistan had received its first Chinese-made J-10 multirole fighter jets, an acquisition that aims to enhance the PAF’s capabilities following the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) airstrike on an alleged terrorist training camp in Balakot, Pakistan, in February 2019.

The Warzone report said the PAF’s J-10 acquisition was also a response to India’s procurement of France’s Dassault Rafale multirole fighters. The J-10, equipped with advanced active-radar-guided PL-15 air-to-air missiles and active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, will fill at least some of the strategic gap with India.

Previously, Pakistan and China co-developed the JF-17 light fighter, a strategic tie-up that could eventually lift China’s fortunes in global fighter jet markets.

A China-made JF-17 Pakistani fighter. Image: Facebook

In a November 2022 article for Business Insider, Benjamin Brimelow notes that the JF-17, which first flew in 2003, is in service with only Pakistan, Myanmar and Nigeria with 145 airframes as of October 2021.

Brimelow notes that the number will increase to 185 airframes by the decade’s end, making the JF-17 the most used Chinese fighter jet worldwide.

He writes that while early JF-17s were made exclusively in China, Pakistan now hosts most of the production, with 58% of the aircraft made in Pakistan and 42% in China.

Brimelow mentions that the JF-17’s US$15 to $25 million price tag makes it cheaper than any fourth-generation fighter on the market, making it an attractive option for cash-strapped air forces in the developing world that cannot afford Western aircraft.

However, Brimelow notes that the JF-17 is not designed to compete head-on with fifth-generation fighters such as the US-made F-22 and F-35 but rather is better equipped for low-intensity conflicts such as insurgencies or basic air defense against similarly equipped adversaries.

China’s fighter jet sales to Pakistan are a bright spot in its otherwise dismal performance on world markets.

Asia Times noted in January 2022 that China’s scant fighter jet sales to date owe to Beijing’s hesitance to enter cost-sharing agreements, lack of major strategic partners and the reluctance of potential partners to enter strategic tie-ups with China via fighter jet purchases.

However, China may now be consolidating Pakistan into its military logistics supply chain through sales of sophisticated weapons.

Following the US’ example, China could use Pakistan as a model for marketing its weapons on the premise that buyers join a Chinese-dominated logistics train for technical support, better pricing and access to even more advanced weapons.

Pakistan’s long-running conflict with India has made it increasingly dependent on China for relatively cheap advanced weapons, a situation that some suggest could subjugate its foreign and defense policies to Chinese interests.

As such, Pakistan is diversifying its fighter jet sources. In February 2022, Asia Times reported that Pakistan and Turkey are collaborating to develop a fifth-generation stealth fighter to replace its aging US-made F-16 fleets.

The Turkish Fighter Experimental (TF-X) project is a twin-engine multi-role aircraft with air-to-air capabilities and air-to-surface roles. In November 2022, Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) released video footage of the TF-X in an early stage of construction. It’s unclear how the FC-31 acquisition will impact the collaboration, if at all.

A full-size TF-X mockup. Photo: TRT World

Pakistan’s China-powered air force modernization is ringing alarms in India, driving New Delhi to step up its indigenous fighter program.   

In an Eurasian Times article this month, Anil Chopra says that India’s Light Combat Aircraft Mark 1A (LCA Mk1A) is on course for induction this year while the companion LCA Mk2 will make its first flight around 2025.

Meanwhile, India’s first indigenously-made fifth-generation fighter, the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), is scheduled for induction around 2028-29. Chopra notes that the AMCA has two variants, the partial stealth AMCA Mk1 and stealth AMCA Mk2, with the former set to fly by 2028-29 and the latter by 2032.

Chopra suggests that India may acquire around two squadrons of F-35s as an interim measure, join the Russian Su-57 or Su-75 programs, or join Japanese or European fifth-generation programs. He asserts India’s best option is to accelerate the AMCA program and acquire around 36 F-35 units.

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General Tso’s chicken to bento bowls: A food guide to Taiwan politics

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Poultry of General Tsoat Peng's Gourmet and BanquetBBC Chinese / Joy Chang
by Joy Chang and Grace Tsoi
Taiwanese BBC World Service

As Taiwanese restaurant Aeles stuffs meat into grain dumplings and wraps them in two different types of regional leaves, she says,” I wanted to find out who I am through meals.”

Aeles ‘ tribe, the Rukai, who have lived in these mountains of south-eastern Taiwan for years, reveres millet dumplings, also known as abai.

The foods of Taiwan’s indigenous nations was nearly impossible to find outside of the areas when the 61-year-old was growing up.

But as Taiwan’s personality develops, that has been altering, frequently in rebellion of Chinese assertions. Additionally, local restaurants like Aeles want to guarantee that their food is served on the disk.

With an vote approaching, Taiwan’s “roots” are once more under scrutiny. China views the political area as a piece of land it will eventually reclaim. However, surveys indicate that many Chinese perceive themselves as unique.

Foreign Patriots who escaped Mao Zedong’s Socialist forces in 1949 still reside on the island. However, they were n’t the first to show up.

Every influx of visitors brought their own food, always altering the Taiwanese table and producing recognizable, wildly popular dishes. The now-famous American dish General Tso’s poultry was created in Taiwan.

The region’s catching rich food today serves as a perfect primer on its contentious politics.

Aeles Lrawbalrate at her restaurant Dawana

BBC Chinese / Joy Chang

Body pork and smoked meat

In Taipei’s great class, Aeles was the only native student.

She detested it because the other students, the majority of whom were of Chinese descent, frequently teased her about having black skin. She claims that they referred to me as “black charm.”

She claims that her ancestors were compelled to cultivate territory in Taiwan by Japanese colonizers. Additionally, they were forbidden from speaking their mother tongue under the totalitarian law of China’s Patriots, which persisted into the 1980s. A fire that practically destroyed her tribe when she was a child forced many of them to look for work in places.

She did not want to leave when she went home for the holidays. She devoted a lot of her time to cooking. Finally, 40 years ago, she started her own restaurant and began serving food to her tribe on land they had long since inhabited.

Dawana is hidden away in the sleepy town of Jhihben, which is well-known for its warm waters.

Abai

BBC Chinese / Joy Chang

Aeles claims that she used the cafe as a means of returning home. ” I did n’t see it as a way for me to make money, but rather as an opportunity to maintain my tribe and share my food with others.”

Body pork and smoked meat honour the Rukai’s hunting culture on her menu. And a cheesecake tinged with the flavour of betel leaves nods to outside influence.

Aeles is not by himself. Akame, one of Taiwan’s most coveted restaurants, is three hours ‘ drive away and is located on Rukai land as well. It has been referred to as southern Taiwan’s “most obscure appointment” and calls itself a present grill; the Rukai term for it is akame.

Alex Peng, the chef and owner, claims that he wanted to combine the delectable simplicity of his people’s dishes with lessons from Chinese, Italian, and French eating, including local pineapples served with a mild mountain pepper-spiced ricotta and millet-topped bread, which acknowledge the importance of grains in indigenous career.

According to Mr. Peng, his wish was to open Akame, which he did in 2015 at the center of his clan in Pingtung County. Additionally, he enjoys the excitement of his customers about indigenous culture.

Alex Peng of Akame

Akame

Every little thing he does is a tender homage to his character. The sheets and tubs are inscribed with the group’s orbs, and the knives are smaller types of Rukai hunting knives.

One of the few fine-dining aboriginal locations on the island is Akame.

After centuries of being excluded from discussions about the island’s history and its future, Aeles claims that “our whole culture is beginning to recover and find the true essence of Being Japanese.”

Since ancient times “ignores the indigenous populace- the 16 nations that make up 2.5 % of the region’s 23 million people,” according to Aleles, China claims that Taiwan is an “inalienable part” of it.

” All of you pursued us. Who do you believe to be Japanese in reality? This is where my community has usually resided.

Poultry of General Tso

The Kuomintang ( KMT ) or Nationalists ‘ rule is largely responsible for the claims made by the modern Chinese state over Taiwan.

General Tso’s poultry, which is now a well-known food worldwide, was created under their dictatorship.

According to Pei Wei, a seasoned columnist who has written two dish books,” completely speaking, it was created by an Hunan restaurant in Taiwan who was missing home.”

In the 1950s, Peng Chang-kuei, the mind dinner restaurant of the KMT, was tasked with preparing a meal for an American admiral who was visiting. Mr. Peng was from Hunan, a province in southeastern China that was once Mao’s home. Its spicy food, which makes extensive use of clean chillies, is well-known.

The now-familiar sweet-and-sour flavour of Poultry of General Tsowas meant to woo a foreigner’s taste buds, Mr Pei says.

” He deep-fried the meat and added everything spicy, the essential component of Hunan cuisine.” He therefore added recipes. ” A dish that went viral thanks to the combination of oyster sauce, rice liquor, and dark vinegar.”

Pei Wei presents his version of General Tso's chicken

BBC Chinese / Joy Chang

However, Mr. Peng even made adjustments for the Chinese tongue, according to Mrs. Pei. He stirred in fruit and rock sugar to give the dish a sweetness that is unheard of in Hunan cuisine.

It’s difficult to determine how much of the food is from island China.

Chiang Kai-shek, the KMT’s supreme ruler, was a native of the state of Zhejiang. As a result, its gentle, southern cuisine became popular.

Soon after, more Chinese immigrants arrived, numerous from Hunan and Sichuan, another southeastern province renowned for the fiery, numbing flavors that its small but potent peppercorns produce.

Today, Taiwan’s streets are littered with advertisements for” Sichuan beef noodles” and” Wenzhou wantons.” These meals are n’t from these sites; rather, they are inspired concoctions that have a glimpse of their origins.

And Mr. Pei sees himself in this way:” I am Taiwanese.” He was born in Taiwan to parents from the northern province of Shandong.

The KMT is afraid of this attitude because it has been Taiwan’s main opposition party for the past eight years and is actively campaigning on the promise of improved relationships with Beijing in order to win the election next week.

egg of oysters

egg of oysters

BBC’s Joy Chang

Foodies swarm the island’s markets at night to eat oysters omelettes, crispy-fried Taiwanese popcorn meat, braised pork grain, and overwhelmingly fermented” stiffy” tofu.

This is the cuisine of Taiwanese immigrants who arrived after the 17th centuries. The majority of them originated in Guangdong and Fujian, respectively.

However, the flavors they brought have become regional.

Consider the oyster egg, which is made by combining pan-fried oysters, vegetables, eggs, and sweet potatoes flour to create a sticky dish that is served with sweet chilli beans or soy sauce.

While Guangdong’s type is crisper and dipped in fish sauce, the Fujian edition uses less flour.

The flour receives a lot of attention in the Chinese version. According to food writer Liz Kao, Chinese citizens adore it despite the fact that it tastes a little thick and sticky.

Meals were a unique address when Ms. Kao was growing up because her parents, who was born in China but grew up in Hong Kong, did not enjoy them. Chinese culture in the area was “looked down upon.”

However, her family adored them because her family had long since moved to Taiwan from China. She would take her mother’s favorite treats alone.

Just in the middle of the 1990s, when Taiwan became a democracy and local tourism began to soar, were Japanese snacks given much attention.

In 1996, it held its second votes, which the KMT won. However, the Democratic Progressive Party ( DPP ) defeated the KMT in the presidential election in 2000, ousting it for the first time in 50 years.

For the first time, Japanese snacks were served at the state dinner. According to” Ms. Kao,” the status of snacks had improved. It demonstrated the strengthening of the native personality.

The plate of bento

Beijing’s claims to the area have been vehemently rejected by the DPP, which has been in charge for the past eight years.

Taiwan has clearly gotten closer to the US and Japan under this administration.

But from 1895 to 1945, Japan even served as its colonizer. Although there was repression and oppression, some people also believe that the Japanese were responsible for modernizing the island’s railway system. And in more recent years, view has also been influenced by Japan’s support for Taiwan and its opposition to China.

Railway bento sold at Taipei Station

BBC Chinese / Joy Chang

According to author Clarissa Wei, this tumultuous relationship has left its mark everyday. She continues by saying that her parents also refers to her as Okaasan in Japanese.

Taiwan’s bento dish, which is made up of rice piled high with braised meats, eggs, tofu, or vegetables, is a reference to the renowned Japanese cleanly packaged meals. And without a bento, no train ride that is full. It used to be required for lengthy station rides, but now it’s just a treat for the past.

According to Wei’s most new cookbook, little grainrice—which the Chinese first grew—is still the preferred variety. Japanese influence on Taiwanese food is described as” subtle but fundamental.”

The food was made sweeter by their sugars factories, which for many years supplied Japanese exports. and rice wine and soya sauce are made using Chinese, no Chinese, foods.

The Japanese disk is much more difficult to pin down due to this jumble of flavors and influences, but it has so far managed to stay together.

Food is” the most delicate medium for forging a common personality in Taiwan,” according to Ms. Kao.

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Behind wrong recession calls, election polls: GIGO

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Artificial intelligence ( AI ) is a topic that everyone is discussing, and rightly so. about its numerous and terrifying threats. regarding its benefits, which are numerous and seductive.

AI has the potential to significantly increase humankind’s capacity to get data and transform it into knowledge, among the benefits. But as 2024 approaches, I start to question the extent of the knowledge and information we now possess.

Our reliance on data appears to be getting worse. It frequently seems doubtful that we are able to view data or information and turn it into information.

The US economy offered a worrisome illustration of how inaccurately we perceive data in 2023. Economists were concerned as the year got underway because of a number of indicators, including quickly rising interest costs and the housing market’s decline. The data’s meaning was obvious to the majority of experts: a crisis was on the horizon.

It always arrived. And even though it might also happen in 2024, some pessimists from last year now speculate that the Federal Reserve does have pulled off a unicorn-like” soft landing.” The S&amp, P 500 ended the month up 24 %.

There are generally two possible causes when an author’s predictions are incorrect, which they frequently are. One is the structure of the design used by economists. The calculations of any model include presumptions regarding the significance of several indications and their cause-and-effect relationships. It’s amazing that economists ‘ models often come close to being accurate given the complexity of the market and the seemingly limitless number of potential surprises the future may hold.

GIGO, or garbage in, is the other root of issues. If the information, or the data fed into the equations, is incorrect, the unit cannot produce the correct response. Additionally, the data’s value is becoming more and more debatable.

The US Department of Agriculture’s information on issues like offer, demand, and ending companies have long been criticized in the agricultural community for their poor data quality. I have no doubts about the honesty or skill of the individuals who created these reports, and I am aware that the accounts have the power to influence areas. However, DTN researchers and other farmers and business analysts frequently make the convincing case that reports are false.

The DTN Six Element Market Strategies were introduced almost 20 years ago due to concerns that farmers were extremely reliant on USDA reviews. The Six Elements make buy-sell recommendations based on market data rather than state data.

While there have been long-standing issues about USDA reports, non-agricultural federal data has recently been affected by a different, more current issue.

Some of the most significant information comes from surveys. However, Americans are becoming less and less likely to pick up the phone or respond to requests to take written or electronic research these times. Answer rates have been falling, often sharply. Lower response rates also raise the possibility of error, even though they do n’t always imply inaccurate results.

Even when the calls come from a respected institution like the Pew Research Center, whose historical response rate is shown in this chart, Americans aren't answering. Other pollsters are experiencing similar declines in responsiveness. This puts the quality of survey data at risk. (DTN graphic of Pew Research Center data)
Americans are n’t returning calls, even when they come from a reputable organization like the Pew Research Center, whose traditional response level is displayed in this table. Similar falls in responsiveness are being seen in different experts. This jeopardizes the reliability of review information. (DTN graphic of information from the Pew Research Center )

Covid- 19 exacerbated the situation. Some government organizations, like the Bureau of Labor Statistics, gather some of their information by visiting entrepreneurs in-person. Some of the businessmen are no longer in their workplaces due to the pandemic. They are home-based workers. The organization is making changes quickly.

Because costs for many items are higher than they were a few years ago, some people believe that the BLS’s consumer price index, which last year showed fast declining prices, must be flawed. However, the CPI is comparing prices to previous month and last year, no a number of years ago, so there is no cause for concern.

Personal experts have also noticed a decline in response rates. Researchers are still debating whether and to what extent this reduction was to blame for the missed names in the 2016 and 2020 presidential primaries.

What is known is that polls have been forced to wonder whether some types of voters are less likely to react and are therefore represented in surveys as a result of lower response rates. For instance, the majority of elections in 2020 predicted Biden did win but grossly overestimated his margin of victory. Could there have been a lack of Trump supporters?

The majority of researchers who create surveys, both public and private, are intelligent individuals who put a lot of effort into realizing their errors and fixing them. However, making the necessary changes is both challenging and cheap. Despite experts ‘ best efforts, there is no assurance that they will be successful.

You’ll see a lot of press reviews of elections because this is an election year. Check out what the poll has to say about the survey’s methodology, the margin of error, and any example corrections before taking the benefits very seriously. This data and more will be disclosed by the top experts.

Had AI aid experts in increasing their precision? Keep an eye on.

Urban Lehner&nbsp, a lifelong writer and editor for the Wall Street Journal Asia, is the director professor of DTN/The Progressive Farmer.

Copyright 2024 DTN/The Progressive Farmer is the title of this article, which was first published on January 2 by the latter news business and is now being republished with authority by Asia Times. All right are reserved. Urban Lehner on X @urbanize&nbsp, follow@nps,

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Govt expects 8 million Chinese tourists this year

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Published on January 5, 2024, at 15:37.

Govt expects 8 million Chinese tourists this year
The Temple of the Emerald Buddha, also known as Phra Si Rattana Satsadaram church, is a popular tourist destination in Bangkok. ( Image: Wichan Charoenkiatpakul )

After agreeing to completely waive visa requirements for each other’s individuals starting in March, a government spokesperson said on Friday that Thailand anticipates 8 million visitors from China in 2024.

According to Chai Wacharonke, the visa exemption may raise travel between the two nations, lower solution prices, and increase Chinese arrivals in Thailand.

In September, Thailand’s market periodically lowered the visa requirements for Chinese visitors. Out of a total of 28 million visitors, it recorded 3.51 million from China last month.

In contrast, there were 39 million visitors prior to the ebola, 11 million of whom came from China.

According to government data, tourism, a major economic driver, brought in 1.2 trillion baht ($ 34.63 billion ) in revenue in 2023.

Thailand’s most recent effort to increase visitors involves loosening access requirements. A tax reduction on alcoholic drinks and amusement venues was approved by the government this year. Additionally, it extended the starting time for bars from 2am to 4am.

Thai tourism companies, however, view the president’s ambition of 40 million foreign visitors as a problem due to high travel costs, low demand in populated markets like China and Russia, and neighboring country competition. &nbsp,

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Nvidia chips for China dumbed-down but lean and mean

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In the second quarter of this year, Nvidia, the largest supplier of graphic chips in the world, is reportedly going to mass produce three reduced artificial intelligence ( AI ) chips for China’s customers.

The California-based business originally intended to release three AI chips—H20, L20 and L2—for Chinese industry last November, but it postponed that release until 2024 in order to verify that the chips complied with US export restrictions. &nbsp,

According to an essay published by the American tech news website Wccftech, the three cards will be produced by Taiwan’s Wistron Corp in the second quarter and are fully compliant with US export regulations.

According to the report, the first shipment of H20 bits will likely be delivered to customers in the middle or late next quarter of 2024.

According to a Chinese author for Shenzhen Xinbang Information Technology Co Ltd., H20’s efficiency density and computing power adhere to US export policies in terms of parameters.

In FP8 Tensor Core operations, he claims that H20 has a speed of 296 trillion floating point operations per second (teraflops or tflop ) when compared to H100’s 1, 979, and H200’S 3, 958, respectively. The H200, the most potent Artificial device in the world, is 13 times faster than the H20, according to him.

The H20 is a relatively lean and mean system, according to published transactions. In a piece that was published in November, analyst Dylan Patel from Semianalysis.com claims that the H20 performs large language model ( LLM) reasoning, which can be used to produce content using very large datasets, over 20 % faster than the M100.

He claims that when evaluating the performance of the H100, people should take into account the MFU ( model FLOPs utilization ) rate, also known as the actual utilization rate. &nbsp,

The H20 performs close to 50 % of as well in actual multi-GPU connection conditions as the H100 does because its MFU is just 38.1 % while its may reach 90 %. &nbsp,

According to other technologies writers, H20 consumes less power than H100 because its thermal pattern power is 400 watts. In addition, &nbsp,

Foreign markets and nbsp,

The A100 and H100 chips from Nvidia and AMD as well as the MI250 device from AMD were prohibited from being exported to China and Russia in August 2022 due to their high connection bandwidths—600 gigabytes per minute or higher—by the Biden administration. &nbsp,

The A800 and H800 computers, which operate at 400 and 300 terabytes per minute, between, were eventually unveiled by Nvidia with a focus on the Chinese marketplaces. According to IT professionals, the A800 and H800 have efficiency rates that are roughly 70 % of those of an A100 and an H100, respectively.

The Bureau of Industry and Security ( BIS ) of the US Commerce Department announced on October 17 that restricted chips would now be categorized using “performance” and”performance density” as new criteria. The new regulations forbid the shipment of Nvidia’s A800, H800s, L40S, and RTX 4090 bits to China. Nvidia wants to ship H20 to the nation to close the resulting distance.

According to some experts, this new chip may be appealing to Chinese consumers if it can reach 50 % of H100’s speed while using 43 % less power than that.

Foreign buyers continue to be very interested in the H20 chip, according to Kuo Ming-Chi, a Chinese tech researcher at the Hong Kong-based TF International Securities Group Ltd.” Despite having less computing authority than the HP100, it will be priced more affordably, and it supports Nvidia’s unique features like NVLink and CUDA platforms.”

shrinking advantages over Chinese rivals

In an article published on December 30, a Liaoning-based blogger claims that while H20 still outperforms Chinese AI cards in terms of performance and efficiency, this benefit is eroding. &nbsp,

According to him, many Chinese chip manufacturers are expanding rapidly thanks to Beijing’s policy and financial assistance, and they will eventually overthrow Nvidia in the market for AI chips. &nbsp,

In fact, some Chinese technology companies have already switched to using local chips, such as the 910B and BR100 chips from Huawei and Biren, because they do n’t want to wait for Nvidia’s arrival.

The strain on Nvidia might increase. In a conference on December 2, United States Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo stated that the US government will take control of any US company if it redesigns its chip to fit into the specific split line that allows Chinese firms to use AI the very next day.

It is possible that Raimondo will strengthen the trade restrictions even more if H20 achievement is able to match that of H100s by 50 %. &nbsp,

Read: Raimondo criticizes Nvidia for supplies to China

At&nbsp, @jeffpao3 is Jeff Pao’s Twitter account.

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Japan earthquake casts cloud over push to restart nuclear plants

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Korea: The significant earthquake that struck Japan’s eastern coast on January 1st has brought attention to the nations vulnerability to natural disasters and raised new questions about efforts to restart its nuclear power. Due to its location on the seismically active” Ring of Fire” around the Pacific Ocean, mountainous Japan,Continue Reading

Sudden layoffs at Lazada left people crying, baffled, say employees

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” Strategic Adjustments” ARE MADE BY COMPANY.

The organization is “making strategic adjustments to change our workforce, to better position ourselves for a more efficient, simplified way of working to fulfill potential business needs,” according to an official statement released on Wednesday evening.

The spokesperson continued,” Lazada has continuously changed over the past few years to make sure we maintain a green business development model.”

To better position Lazada to future-proof our company and people, this change necessitates that we reevaluate our workforce requirements and operating structure.

There are still unresolved questions regarding the size of the cuts and the rationale behind this round of downsizing. According to an individual, the shipping team and between 8,000 and 10,000 people are employed by the company in Singapore.

According to CNA, Lazada Singapore had laid off some employees last year, but it was typically only a small number of people or one department that was impacted. This day, it has had an impact on employees at all levels of the business. &nbsp,

The three people claimed to have witnessed star players and also recently promoted individuals being fired, and it was “baffling” because they had no way of knowing who would be fired next.

Additionally, they claimed that the compensation deal was worse than what other tech firms like Shopee and Grab had provided to their laid-off workers the previous year.

This was the biggest downsizing practice, according to one interviewee, and it was “demoralizing.” All claimed that because so many of the collaborators had been fired, they were unable to function.

According to the respondents, the management’s lack of transparency and communication has been a significant issue. Additionally, they claimed that the procedure was objective and could be more “humane.”

One worker remarked,” We all have debts to spend and people to take care of.”

Another worker claimed that during a 20-minute appointment, she was informed that she had been fired. She was asked to sign an agreement and given a compensation offer. &nbsp, According to her, the company did not offer any counseling or other help, nor did it offer to buy back their investment options. &nbsp,

ASSISTANCE IS GIVEN, nbsp,

Digital Industry Singapore, a government agency that promotes the development of the local tech sector, andnbsp announced that it is collaborating with Lazada and other government organizations to provide damaged workers with other job opportunities.

Lazada, which Rocket Internet founded in 2012, was purchased by the Alibaba Group in 2016. The provincial office of Alibaba’s e-commerce operations in Southeast Asia are located at &nbsp, Lazada Singapore.

It is present in six of the region’s nations, including Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. The staff claimed to have heard of layoffs from coworkers in different nations.

They speculated on a number of causes for the latest cuts but claimed it was impossible to know for sure because they had not been informed of the bigger picture.

Alibaba announced a major restructuring in March and divided into six business groups. Along with other e-commerce programs AliExpress, Trendyol, and Daraz, Lazada then falls under the umbrella of Alibaba International Digital Commerce.

Additionally, Alibaba Group announced an extra US$ 634 million funding in Lazada on December 14 of last year.

It is up against fierce opposition from SEA’s Shopee and TikTok, which has launched e-commerce activities in a number of businesses, in the Southeast Asia market. ByteDance-owned TikTok just invested US$ 1.5 billion in Tokopedia, the largest e-commerce app in Indonesia.

Alibaba Group had 235, 000 employees as of March of last year.

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China to play starring role in coming US election chaos

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Japan- US Republicans intensified their calls for President Joe Biden to maintain a strict stance on China in the final weeks of 2023.

Of course, Biden is far ahead of the group that Donald Trump, his father, hopes to win in November. Beijing’s access to technology essential to sharpening its financial and security activity has been constrained by Biden since January 2021.

However, the renewed attention on China serves as a sobering reminder of the crucial responsibility that Asia may play—and not in the best way—in the upcoming US elections.

The only issue that Biden’s Democratic Party and Trump-supporting Republicans can agree on is blaming China and Asia in general for the financial problems facing America.

As a result, the area will become the political focal point of choice for progressives, conservatism, and the dwindling number of reformers in Washington this time.

According to David Kelly, a worldwide planner at JP Morgan Asset Management, all of this raises significant economic difficulties. His “base case forecast” for the US in 2024 states that there will be” 2 % growth, 0 % recessions,” 2 % inflation, and 4 % unemployment.”

However, Kelly adds,” It should be acknowledged that there are numerous possible threats to this outlook.”

The “lagged effects of higher interest rates and very important political pressure” are among “many possible risks to this perspective,” Kelly adds, in addition to the US vote. Any of these problems, or something completely different, could lead to a US economy’s slow-growing crisis.

Before the November 5 vote, that something else might be social body sport.

With his Republican party’s fresh” axis of evil” tale, which has been expanded from the previous Iran, Iraq, and North Korea gathering to contain China and Russia, Trump threatens everything from trade restrictions to military activity to even the cancellation of US debt held by people of those countries.

Trump has stated that he will “enact extreme new restrictions on Chinese possession” of a wide range of US assets, prevent Americans from investing in China generally, and gradually phase in the importation of important Chinese-made goods, such as electronics, steel, or pharmaceuticals.

At a new campaign rally, Trump declared,” We will impose harsh sanctions on China and all other countries as they abuse us.” Additionally, he just vowed to enact” a daring series of measures to totally eradicate dependence on China in all crucial areas.”

Trump has threatened to impose more sanctions on China’s business. Photo: YouTube

When then-presidential candidate Trump said to CNBC in May 2016,” I would use, knowing that you could make a deal if the business crashed,” he shook the world’s debt markets. And it was fine if the business was strong. Therefore, you ca n’t lose.

Trump’s team hurried to clean up after claiming that the debt supporting the reserve currency was n’t something he was thinking about defaulting on. However, the Washington Post detailed in May 2020 how Trump’s inner group wanted to put pressure on the China trade conflict by using Treasury stocks.

After Japan, China holds the second-largest amount of US Treasury stocks worldwide. Critics point out that Biden himself crossed a fiscal red line by freezing some of Russia’s foreign exchange reserves in response to the so-called “weaponization” of the money, which was the invasion of Ukraine by Moscow.

However, Team Trump has already begun describing how chaotic his upcoming management might be in a second name that may start in January 2025. This might involve a power grab by the professional unit that strips Congress of control over American finances.

Additionally, a Trump 2.0 administration do make sure to scale back Biden’s work to limit Chinese access to US technologies, including high-end electronics, to 11. Additionally, Trump may try to make amends with businesses that resisted his first-term policies.

Economists at Union Bancaire Privée contend in a note to clients that “big tech could face heightened scrutiny, while industries like conventional power may benefit from swings in revenue and regulatory responsibilities.”

Biden, also, might stir up the anti-China sentiments to rekindle his depressing surveys figures and deflect criticism of his son Hunter.

Republicans are adamant about proving their claims that Biden’s home engaged in influence-peddling and shady dealings involving Chinese businesses in addition to conducting business in Ukraine. The US House Oversight Committee&nbsp held a number of sessions about Hunter Biden starting in February 2023.

According to this theory, Republicans are conducting an formal impeachment investigation. The Communist Party of President Xi Jinping is President Biden’s best line of defense against this China-profiteering conversation, according to experts in Washington.

Following Biden’s much-anticipated conference with Xi in San Francisco in November, their first conference in a year, doing so would run any hope for an Sino-US detente. After the US allegedly shot down a Chinese detective bubble in February, relations soured.

Biden and Xi vowed to resume military-to-military connections in the midst of rising conflicts over Taiwan and China’s reassuring of Russia.

To prevent “vital miscalculations on either side” that could result in accidents, Biden stated that “open, clear, strong communications” should be the top priority. Xi pledged to maintain” secure, healthy, and green” ties with Washington at the time.

As the island holds presidential and parliamentary elections andnbsp on January 13, democratic elections that are putting Beijing’s compassion with talk of freedom to the test, the Taiwan issue may take center stage.

According to Rick Waters, an scientist at the Eurasia Group,” US-China relations remain necessarily competitive, and stabilizing work will continue to be vulnerable to both near and unexpected stresses in the year forward, including presidential&nbsp, election&ndspp, elections in Taiwan and the US.”

Perhaps the last thing China wants is more industry tension. Foreign direct investment in China soared for the first time in years in 2023. Some of the unfavorable sentiment stems from worries about the ability of investors and international companies to respect audits and other fundamental due diligence.

In Huaibei area, in the Anhui province of east China, a clerk counts economy banknotes. Asia Times Files / AFP image

Xi and Premier Li Qiang have increased their efforts to reform the private business as a result of the flows. However, as 2024 approaches and Beijing announces a new crackdown on China’s digital economy, foreign investors are unsure of how to feel about the rise of Asia.

This also applies to Washington. No world president, according to Biden, may enjoy switching areas with Xi. After all, the president of China must deal with a weakening economy, an intensifying housing crisis, high rates of adolescent poverty, and difficult Taiwanese policy. Additionally, Biden questions whether these competing pressure may produce Xi’s gathering more dangerous.

Others believe that a more intense monetary policy is possible. Kelvin Wong, an analyst at OANDA, advises keeping an eye out for potentially more generous fiscal and monetary policy trigger actions that may lift good creature ghosts in the small to medium term for nbsp, China&nBSP, and Hong Kong stock markets.

If China is given an even bigger composite position prior to the November elections, that becomes more difficult. Eastern exchange costs will undoubtedly take the lead in this situation. And this also applies to Japan.

The japanese performed the worst among the 10 wealthy countries in 2023, falling 9 % for the next year in a row.

The Treasury Department of Biden came to the conclusion that no significant buying companions were influencing exchange rates in November. That was true even though China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, and Vietnam were added to the Treasury’s waitlist.

The loss of Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to criticize China’s monetary system infuriated some Republicans. Of course, one may counter that a weaker renminbi is entirely consistent with economic underpinnings given China’s problems. Maybe Yellen was concerned about the implications of attacking China without specifically targeting US supporter Japan.

However, if Biden wants to support his anti-China bella credentials, all bets might be off here as well. Particularly as Trump, the presumed Republican candidate, changes his strategy to more directly challenge Biden’s Asian history.

The worst problem of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida might be this. Shinzo Abe’s international minister at the time the later Japanese head bowed to Trump was Kishida. Abe was the first earth president to rush to Trump Tower in New York in November 2016 to speak with the incoming US leader.

Trump imposed onerous taxes on steel and other essential commodities, giving Abe nothing in return—not perhaps a pass for Japan. Socially, Abe was hurt by the imbalance in their “bromance.” The fact that the erratic US president essentially had three friends in international management lines: Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un, and Abe infuriated the Tokyo creation. Speak about a poor appearance.

In fact, Kishida has courted Biden, endorsing Washington’s strict stance on China and Russia and providing support to Ukraine, including traveling to Kiev to join with President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The possibility of a Trump lost in November has Kishida’s group somewhat hedging its wagers. As a result, Kishida took time out of his busy schedule in April to match with Florida governor Ron DeSantis, who was trying to out-Trump Trump.

In the Covid era, Kishida and Biden hug. Online Screengrab photo

The Tokyo creation, however, has little interest in a Trump 2.0 White House after witnessing the panic of his first name and how it strengthened Pyongyang’s nuclear ambitions.

Yet, both Biden and the Republicans may be careful not to overextend themselves. The US federal debt reached a record high of$ 34 trillion in 2023.

That dubious breakthrough occurred just weeks before Congress’s deadlines to approve new federal funding plans and 51 times after Moodys ‘ Buyers Service threatened to remove Washington from its final AAA credit rating.

Whatever the outcome, experts at Goldman Sachs predict that” US votes could result in a more financially expansionary results,” another possible catalyst for higher bond yields.

Unchecked governmental spending, as well as more deficit growth, could” cause a rise of inflation, challenging the Fed’s control over the economy,” according to analysts at UBP.

A judgement on the Trump tax cuts is “one option Congress may encounter at the end of 2025,” according to Bank of America academics. Congress did not stretch the Trump tax cuts if it is sincere about reversing the exceedingly unsettling path of debt to gross domestic product.

BofA claims that while this “would n’t get enough fiscal adjustment to correct the current trajectory,” it” will likely be the first real test of Congress ‘ handle around the increasingly untenable fiscal path.”

All of this is reaching a nose as concerns about the US dollars continue to rise. It might not get much to enrage Xi’s people in Beijing into selling their holdings in the US Treasury.

Chaos would ensue if industry learned that China was selling sizable chunks of its$ 860 billion in debt to the United States. Markets could be destroyed by even word that Tokyo is refusing to increase its$ 1.1 trillion in Treasuries.

But, as the next 306 days go on, Asia will undoubtedly be dragged more and more into the most contentious US election in history, critically and uncomfortably at a time of greatest worry for the world economy.

Following William Pesek on X, previously Twitter, at @WilliamPess

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East Ventures consistently races in the perfect storm: 2023 recap & 2024 outlook

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90% of growth-stage startups: 30% on path to profitability, 60% profitable & 10% adapting
Anticipate SEA digital economy is well-positioned to excel in the next economic recovery cycle

The tech industry weathered an intense “perfect storm” of crises these past two years. The global economy is in a complex state characterised by uncertainty, making caution…Continue Reading