China making plans to build and ship EVs from Thailand – Asia Times

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BANGKOK – China’s imported electric vehicles ( EVs ) are severely depressing Thai car sales, leading Chinese manufacturers to invest more than a billion dollars to build their own electric vehicles close to Bangkok to increase domestic sales and bolster exports.

Thailand makes a strong case for its long-established car manufacturing sector as” The Detroit of Asia.” Toyota, Isuzu, Mitsubishi, Honda, Ford and other companies dominate a swelling home business for conventional internal combustion vehicles fueled by gas, gasoline or LPG.

Thailand is Southeast Asia’s biggest producer of those cars, rolling out 2.5 million annually.

As China expands its facilities in Thailand to build EVs and trade them across the region, those numbers are anticipated to increase.

If the US, Europe and elsewhere maintain strict limits limiting goods of” Made in China” cars, potential Chinese cars” Made in Thailand” could provide an alternative market entry level.

China’s great EV advantage is its east southern port Shenzhen, from where Foreign EV manufacturers can access difficult precision sensors, computer chips, batteries and other higher- tech hardware and components.

Now, China’s BYD, which produces most of the world’s EVs, and Great Wall Motor have reportedly agreed to spend US$ 1.4 billion in new EV production and assembly facilities in Thailand.

By displaying a$ 24, 000 Dolphin EV, which reportedly travels 300 miles on a single battery charge, and a$ 44, 000 Seal, which cruises 360 miles, BYD, or Build Your Dreams, at the Bangkok International Motor Show in March.

China’s Chery Automobile, meanwhile, is also constructing a factory in Thailand to produce vehicles for the domestic market and export.

Chery expects to begin churning out 50, 000 EVs and hybrids in 2025, Thailand’s Board of Investment ( BOI ) said on April 22. Chery is China’s third- biggest car maker and is owned by the government.

” EV sales in Thailand reached 76, 314 units in 2023, 7.8 times the previous year”, Tokyo- based Nikkei reported in February.

” BYD ranked first, making up around 40 % of EV sales. Chinese companies accounted for 80 % or so of EV sales, while Japanese brands were at less than 1 %”, Nikkei reported, using statistics from Autolife Thailand.

The Atto 3 SUV is BYD’s most well-liked vehicle in Thailand.

” Agile and fun, BYD Atto 3 provides an engaging driving experience”, BYD boasts on its website. The “positive and vivacious attitude toward life is reflected in the vibrant and streamlined central console.”

According to BYD, driving an Atto 3 SUV with the accelerator reaches 100 mph in 7.3 seconds.

” BYD sold 30, 650 EVs in Thailand last year, followed by 12, 777 sold by Neta– a brand of Chinese electric vehicle maker Hozon Auto which is based in eastern China’s Zhejiang province”, the Associated Press reported.

Tesla, British automaker MG, and Chinese automaker Great Wall Motor led them in this regard. Most of those sales were imported EVs, however.

Much of the new investment to boost Thailand’s EV sector is being funneled into constructing custom- built, high- tech facilities and assembly line infrastructure.

Great Wall Motor purchased a former General Motors plant in Rayong, east of Bangkok, as a base for its expansion into Southeast Asia, according to AP.

Neta hopes to produce 20, 000 EVs a year in Thailand.

In 2023,” BYD announced that it would construct a passenger electric vehicle factory outside of China” in Rayong province in eastern Thailand.

That same year,” China’s Changan Automobile announced that it would invest ($ 270 million ) in an EV plant in Thailand”.

Chinese investors were recently welcomed by Thai government officials at the prestigious Smart Park Industrial Estate in the Map Ta Phut economic zone of Rayong port in the Gulf of Thailand.

” Svolt Energy Technology, a Chinese manufacturer of batteries and energy storage systems, is spending ($ 34.7 million ) to build an EV battery factory in Thailand’s east to serve both Chinese and Japanese carmakers”, China Global South’s analysis site reported.

In December, Tesla executives toured an industrial state, escorted by Prime Minister and then- Finance Minister Srettha Thavisin.

An extended family who pool their savings and defaults in Thailand frequently purchases vehicles that are strong enough for monsoons, heat, and rural roads.

Some owners complained that electric charging stations are frustratingly difficult to locate outside of Bangkok, but electric vehicles are starting to gain popularity there.

Southeast Asia is prone to floods, which is EV’s nemesis, which may detract from the 600 million plus residents of the Southeast Asia region’s enthusiasm.

EV motorcycles, three- wheel scooters and public buses may prove more popular within cities where recharging, often by swapping batteries at designated centers, is easier and faster.

Since 1978, Richard S. Ehrlich, an American foreign correspondent reporting from Asia and the recipient of Columbia University’s Foreign Correspondents ‘ Award, has been based in Bangkok. Excerpts from his two new nonfiction books,” Rituals. Killers. Wars. &amp, Sex. — Tibet, India, Nepal, Laos, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka &amp, New York” and” Apocalyptic Tribes, Smugglers &amp, Freaks” are available here.

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Indonesia’s ‘murky’ spyware imports raise rights fears: Amnesty

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Amnesty International reported on May 2 that Indonesia, the country’s most popular Muslim-majority state, has released spyware tools made of from Israel, the European Union, and Malaysia, raising concerns about protection and freedom of expression. Rights groups are now voicing concerns about online restrictions in Southeast Asia’s largest market, whichContinue Reading

Modi’s baffling pitch to woo Muslim voters – Asia Times

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With this year’s elections in progress, every minority vote that the Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP) puts in its column adds to the chance for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s National Democratic Alliance ( NDA ) coalition&nbsp, to move past 400 seats&nbsp, in the Lok Sabha elections. &nbsp, Therefore Modi, despite being a confessed member of the Hindu nationalist organization Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh&nbsp, ( RSS), has made an unlikely pitch to win the hearts of India’s nearly 200 million Muslims.

The fact that India’s majority areas no longer vote in lockstep is what is boosting his prospects. Through the creation of the Hindutva 2.0  voting bloc, Hindu-majority events resurrected that previous desire to their benefit years ago. Hindutva, a form of social patriotism, locations on a unified approach to Indian personality, but it now has been supplemented with a second spike: a heavy reliance on India’s economic development.

However, BJP strategists have come to the conclusion that the alliance partnership needs to do more than merely duplicate its election performance. It may exceed in southwestern states such as Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh, where the BJP has had&nbsp, extremely limited success in the past. That means creating a constrained but conscious appeal for India’s large Muslim population. In an effort to influence the public in its favor, the BJP is attempting to bridge the gap between cultural and economic issues.

Taking Kerala as an example. The only Muslim candidate in the country, M. Abdul Salam, was recalled in a report from The Economic Times, who had trouble establishing ties with Arab voters, especially in a district where the Indian Union Muslim League is very well-known and where 70 % of the 4 million people live there.

The BJP’s large tent may now be a result of its braided cultural and economic roots. Salaam praises Modi’s development progress, while women show preference as a result of Modi’s support for the ban on” triple talaq” quick divorces, a practice that unfairly harmed Muslim women. &nbsp,

However, Indian Muslims should be wary of this political strategy because it comes as a result of the deliberate campaign of the Hindu-nationalist ideology, which was prevalent prior to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and continues to this day.

Remember that there was a lot of emphasis on “hyper-nationalalism” after the terrorist attacks in Jammu and Kashmir, where anti-Muslim sentiment was promoted, as evidenced by right-wing BJP members of Parliament, including comedian and former MP Paresh Rawal, who begged media outlets not to help” Indian terrorist supporters to hurl poison against our dear country” and to “let those worms die in their own filth.” Eventually, the hyper- patriotism was condensed into a presumably softer cultural allure through the now- modified&nbsp, ideology termed Hindutva 2.0.

His latest comments in Rajasthan, a state where the BJP recently won all 25 seats, give cred to the claim that Modi’s Muslim attractiveness is only political manipulation. The primary minister was &nbsp, accused of reactivating pro- Muslim tropes&nbsp, as he labeled Muslims “infiltrators” and accused the Congress Party of aiming to disperse India’s money to” those who have more children”, referring to the Muslim people he had spoken of earlier in his target.

Former prime minister Manmohan Singh and the opposition Indian Congress have long accused the BJP and Modi of treating Muslims improperly. It’s not exactly the massive redistribution of wealth that Modi claims it to be, but the idea of a universal basic income for the poorest 20 % of households is. &nbsp,

Modi’s Hindu nationalist drive has come at the expense of the Muslim population. A string of setbacks started with the&nbsp, revocation of autonomy in Jammu and Kashmir. The Citizenship Amendment Law, which granted some religious minorities entry into India from neighboring Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan before December 2014, was passed.

International human rights groups denounced the law as discriminatory&nbsp, as Muslims were specifically excluded from its benefits. The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights&nbsp, also expressed concern, saying the law is “fundamentally discriminatory in nature and in breach of India’s international human rights obligations”.

Late last year, as Modi switched India’s foreign policy decidedly toward Israel after the October 7 Hamas attack, anti- Muslim sentiment jumped. Extremists on the right are using the same cultural and religious symbolism to flood social media with hateful messages by exploiting the grievances of Hindu nationalists against nearby Pakistan.

Right- wing accounts sharing misleading videos are often&nbsp, connected with hate toward Islam. More recently, &nbsp, fake news videos circulating on YouTube have praised Modi while proliferating conspiracy theories. For instance, Kerala’s Muslims are accused of attempting to delegate the state to an” Islamic State.”

The dual messages, one divisive and cultural and the other nationalist and predatory, continue in a delicate balance until the end of the Lok Sabha elections. It’s important for the BJP to contest seats in states like Rajasthan, while the BJP knows it is dominant, &nbsp, the 2023 Assembly election revealed&nbsp, that the Congress’s share of the vote did not precipitously decline despite a loss.

The BJP may also profit from intra-party issues by attempting to win votes from the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh, which aims to outnumber members of other castes who have shifted more closely to the BJP in recent years.

It can also take advantage of the Indian Congress’s tactical mistakes, such as in Maharashtra in India’s west where&nbsp, it nominated no Muslim candidates&nbsp, out of a total of 48, which could depress Muslim turnout. &nbsp, &nbsp,

A genuine BJP appeal to Muslim voters in India remains both perplexing and dishonest despite the electoral strategies being used. Some have argued the 2024 elections are an opportunity to move beyond the&nbsp, “politics of negativity” while ignoring the incandescent hate that drives the right- wing electorate. The audacity on India’s right beggars belief. &nbsp,

At Kansai Gaidai University in Osaka, Mark S. Cogan is an associate professor of peace and conflict studies. Prior to joining the UN as a communications specialist, he worked in Middle Eastern, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Southeast Asia.

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Thammasat picks new rector

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PUBLISHED: 1 May 2024 at 04: 50

According to the Thammasat University Student Union ( TUSU), Prof. Supasawad Chardchawarn has been appointed as the new rector of Thammasat University. He will succeed Assoc. Prof. Gasinee Witoonchart.

According to the TUSU Facebook page, Prof. Supasawad’s visit was approved by the Thammasat University Council during its most recent collection large yesterday at 9am. He succeeds Assoc Prof. Gasinee, who has been the dean since 2018.

The student union said the government will forth the mayor’s session of the new pastor to the Higher Education, Science, Research, and Innovation Ministry. The government will then send it to the cabinet secretary office before presenting it to the King for royal approval.

Supasawad: Wants to boost value

Prof. Supasawad received a second-class honors education from Thammasat University in 1996 with a bachelor’s degree in politics and government. He obtained a master’s degree in regional management from the University of Birmingham, England, in 1998 and a degree in social science from Kobe University, Japan, in 2004.

He was made headmaster of Thammasat University’s University of Political Science in 2013. He even held the position of deputy pastor in charge of administration until 2020 at the school’s Tha Prachan and Pattaya campuses. Prior to becoming rector, he held the position of school deputy dean in human resource management.

Through the implementation of a current curriculum and excellent analysis in every branch of education, Prof. Supasawad told the school’s Rector Selection Committee that his goal is to make the university a top institute in Southeast Asia.

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China birthrate, robots to move factories to Africa – Asia Times

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The development of efficient technology has once more brought attention to American manufacturing.

In February, African rulers submitted a proposal to the UN, calling for the responsible use of nutrients essential for production “green” products, for as solar panels and batteries. The frontrunners argued that because these nutrients are found largely in Africa, Africa may gain more from their oppression, by integrating them into the country’s industrialization.

This renewed attention on industrializing natural resources only serves as a reminder of how poorly American manufacturing has developed since mining in the past. Africa contains half of the world’s iron and chromium, as well as 20 % of its metal and silver. However, the majority of these minerals are raw and are exported, with 85 % of their control occurring in China alone.

It is no wonder, then, that China’s manufacturing business benefits largely from the American nutrients the country processed. However, since the 1960s, African production has gradually declined as of the world full, while that of East Asia, and China in particular, increased in combination. &nbsp,

African leaders have gathered on numerous occasions to voice their desire to collaborate with outsiders to improve the country’s manufacturing industry. This phone has been received positively by the Chinese government.

In particular, in August 2023, the Taiwanese authorities announced its intention to start the Initiative on Supporting Africa’s Modernization. To support Africa expand from its dependency on agriculture and the extraction of natural resources, this initiative makes targeted investments in American manufacturing. &nbsp,

However, China is shifting its manufacturing to Africa even without the government’s approval. Chinese companies are increasingly looking to Africa to try to overtake them in the local market as a result of tight competition at home and in European markets. Data from August 2023 demonstrate that 12 % of Africa‘s production now has Chinese presence, representing one- second of all Chinese commercial activities on the globe. &nbsp,

Reduced appeal of” Made in China”

The rapid decline in China’s community is one of the main causes of Taiwanese manufacturers leaving for Africa. After losing 850, 000 people in 2022 for the first minimize since 1961, the state lost another 2 million in 2023.

According to estimates, people will continue to decline dramatically, reaching 1.4 billion in 2080 and 800 million in 2100. The nation will soon have a lack of consumers who will continue to purchase everything produced by its sizable manufacturing industry, which accounts for 38 % of China’s GDP and 28 % of the world’s total. &nbsp,

Additionally, concerns about disrupted industry have decreased international interest in China-made products as a result of talk of Western decoupling from China-centered supply chains. In 2023, Chinese imports experienced their first decrease in seven years, and they significantly underperformed projections in March 2024.

The outlook for Chinese exports to its biggest countries is not looking promising, with Trump requesting a 60 % tax on all Chinese exports if he travels to the White House and the Euro looking into ways to respond to alleged Chinese dumping. &nbsp,

With China’s people receding and Western attempts at decoupling intensifying, China is looking less appealing as a main center for manufacturing. For manufacturers, the position of China as a “growth” business comes under risk as the country’s working- time people continues to decline. The Chinese market for manufacturing goods may soon become a drag on the profit-focused due to the country’s persistent consumer pessimism. &nbsp,

China’s robotics- first manufacturing can be easily shifted to Africa

Of course, manufacturing in China has a lower attractiveness than manufacturing in Africa. Because of its projected double to 2.5 billion by 2050, Africa’s population may have a large potential market for manufactured goods. However, it lacks the ready production expertise needed to entice manufacturers out of China with only 1.9 % of the current global manufacturing output.

This industrial “know-how gap” may be quickly addressed by an emerging trend within Chinese manufacturing.

China’s factories are rapidly shifting from labor- intensive to robot- intensive, as the number of available factory workers declines. By 2035, China’s population of working-age people is projected to reach nearly a third of the total, up from its 2011 peak, which was also predicted. By then, the remaining workers will need to work doubly hard to look after the retired elderly and perform the tasks they left behind.

In response to this population trend, in 2022 alone China installed more than 290, 000 industrial robots, accounting for more than half of those installed around the globe. China is making an effort to prevent future labor shortages by increasing the stock of industrial robots by an average of 25 % annually since 2017. &nbsp,

In this context, consider Nio, a darling of the Chinese electric vehicle industry, who is widely touted by the Chinese government as guiding the next-generation of the nation’s manufacturing sector. Through its second factory, Nio has already demonstrated that 100 % automation is possible, while committing to reducing 30 % of the global workforce through technology.

By expanding its business overseas beyond its factory in Hungary and using robotics, it could quickly enter markets like Africa with no production know-how but robust sales.

Manufacturers are less dependent on the legions of trained Chinese factory workers than they were before with the advent of cheap and plentiful industrial robots.

Let’s say a sufficient portion of the Chinese industrial supply chain relies on robotics to perform a significant portion of the manufacturing tasks. In that situation, it is no longer possible to shift the supply chain and a few “robot managers” to Africa, a large and expanding consumer market with a much better chance of growing in the future than China’s. &nbsp,

Made in China’s advantages less insurmountable with technology

Of course, it should be made clear that having factory automation everywhere does not guarantee that Africa will quickly erect a sector the size of China’s.

The Chinese consumer market is the second-largest in the world after the US despite declining consumer confidence and a shrinking population. The country also has reliable electricity, smooth highways, fast- moving customs and efficient worker recruitment processes. These cannot be easily replicated in Africa without significant financial investment, policymaking, and changes in working culture. &nbsp,

However, it is also important to point out that these benefits of Made in China date back only a few decades and are only made possible by personnel’s slow learning and training. In January 1981, China exported goods worth little more than$ 1.5 billion. Compare that to the nearly$ 300 billion that the nation exports each month.

As recently as 2004, China’s entire manufacturing output was a little more than 600 billion USD, a fraction of the more than 5 trillion USD today. China’s factory labor has grown from as little as <a href="https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2005/07/art2full.pdf”>53 million in 1978 to more than 200 million in 2022 as a result of the manufacturing boom. In other words, China’s industrialization started at a much weaker foundation than Africa’s today.

A new industrial economy with a focus on automation may significantly lessen the opportunities for the slow process of human training and knowledge transfer required for scalable manufacturing. With sufficient electricity and internet access, the software behind industrial robots that uses artificial intelligence can plug and play anywhere in Africa. The ability of African nations to catch up with China will significantly increase as the focus of manufacturing shifts from largely immovable human labor to highly mobile robots and software. &nbsp,

It will be more financially viable for Chinese companies to set up automated facilities in Africa as industrial robot fabrication and maintenance become more affordable. Exporting from automated factories in China becomes more illogical as the Chinese consumer market shrinks and the West turns away from Made in China for political reasons. The Chinese are working on industrial robots at home, and they will eventually export them to Africa, enabling automated manufacturing in the Chinese to flourish where they are not yet practiced.

Currently based in Malta, Xiaochen Su, PhD, is a business risk and education consultant. He previously worked in Japan, East Africa, Taiwan, South Korea and Southeast Asia.

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Herbert Smith Freehills hires partner in Thailand; six make counsel in Asia | FinanceAsia

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Law firm Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) has appointed Pariyapol Kamolsilp as a partner in Bangkok. Kamolsilp (pictured) will join the firm on May 2, according to a company announcement. 

In Thailand, HSF is led by managing partner Warathorn Wongsawangsiri. The practice handles large litigation, class actions and arbitration matters for Thai, regional and international clients.

Kamolsilp has over 16 years of experience in domestic and international arbitration, with expertise in construction disputes and insolvency and bankruptcy matters. He began his legal career in 2007, focussing on commercial disputes, including securities matters and M&A.

“Thailand’s economy is growing and Bangkok is also a business hub for Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam investment, so client demand for our services is rising,” said Wongsawangsiri in the announcement. “Pariyapol’s skills will help us meet that demand, particularly in construction, energy, consumer goods and TMT disputes.”
 
Asia managing partner Graeme Preston added: “Bangkok is essential to the growth of our Southeast Asia business, as it attracts investors across sectors and is a hub for onward investment.” 

Six promotions 
 
HSF has also promoted six of their team to counsel in Asia as part of a global promotion of 34 new counsel at the law firm, according to another company announcement. 

The six lawyers are: capital markets lawyer Maisie Ko, who is based in Hong Kong; commercial litigation laywer Saornnarin Kongkasem in Bangkok; Chee Hian Kwah, a specialist in financial services regulation at HSF’s network partner Prolegis in Singapore; Junyeon Park, who is a corporate crime and investigations lawyer based in Tokyo; Hong Kong-based Marcus Wong, who works in debt capital markets; and Yida Xu, also based in Hong Kong, who works in energy. 

They will all be promoted from May 1 and the move follows the promotion of six HSF lawyers in Asia to partners, also from the beginning of May. 


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