Asia-Pacific

Photo: India's External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj hosted the G4 Foreign Ministers Meeting of Japan, Germany and Brazil to discuss progress on early reform of the Council, including the expansion of both permanent and non-permanent categories of membership. Credit: Twitter MEA India

India Hosts G4 Meeting Pressing For Security Council Reform

By J Nastranis

NEW YORK (IDN) – Brazil, Germany, India and Japan – also known as the G4 – have reiterated the compelling need for a protracted reform of the United Nations Security Council and restated their support for Africa's appropriate representation in a reformed and expanded Council, which under the UN Charter bears primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security.

A Joint Press Statement, issued after a meeting on the first day of the General Assembly's high-level General Debate on September 25, 2018, said: "The G4 [Foreign] Ministers reaffirmed the need for an early reform of the Council including the expansion of both permanent and non-permanent categories of membership to enhance its legitimacy, effectiveness and representativeness."

: J Nastranis; UN INSIDER; 26 September 2018

Photo: Prime Minister meets Xi Jinping, President of China on the sidelines of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit 2018 in Qingdao on June 9. Credit: India's Ministry of External Affairs.

India-U.S. Strong Partnership Not Endorsement of Washington-led Regional Order

Viewpoint by Jagannath Panda

The writer is a Research Fellow and Centre Coordinator for East Asia at the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA), New Delhi. He is also the Series Editor for Routledge Studies on Think Asia. This article was first published in East Asia Forum on September 23, 2018.

NEW DELHI (IDN-INPS) – Despite U.S. President Donald Trump's cold approach, the strategic partnership between India and the United States is deepening. The civil nuclear agreement signed in October 2008 marked a new beginning. And both the 2016 Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement and the 2018 Communication, Compatibility, Security Agreement have strengthened the relationship further. The U.S. decision to rename the Pacific Command the Indo-Pacific Command also gave a symbolic nod to India’s centrality in the region.

: Asia Editor; OPINION; 26 September 2018

Photo: Chinese President Xi Jinping (right) talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Hubei Provincial Museum in Wuhan city, Central China's Hubei province, April 27, 2018. Credit: XU JINGXING / chinadaily.com.cn

India's Stance on the Indo-Pacific Not Exclusionary of China

Viewpoint by Prateek Joshi

The writer is a Research Associate with the Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) India, a New Delhi-based public policy think-tank. This article was first published in East Asia Forum on September 21, 2018.

NEW DELHI (IDN-INPS) – In a move that heralds greater bilateral cooperation, Chinese Defence Minister Lieutenant General Wei Fenghe paid his first visit to India in August 2018. The visit was precisely a year after both sides decided to withdraw their forces following the two-month standoff at the Doklam trijunction. The det ails from the defence ministers' meeting point towards an adherence to greater confidence building measures to avoid Doklam-like situations from resurfacing.

: Asia Editor; OPINION; 25 September 2018

Photo: Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta (left) with the Chinese President Xi Jinping (right) at the Great Hall of the $3.8 billion cost of the Naivasha-Kisumu phase of the Standard Gauge Railway to be provided as part of grant financing. Credit: Xinhua/Yin Bogu.

African Countries Seek Relief from Burgeoning Chinese Loans

By Allan Olingo

In the past 15 years, Beijing has written off more than $2 billion worth of debt advanced to African countries, says Allan Olingo, an accomplished business journalist from Kenya. This article first appeared in The East African on September 17, 2018.

NAIROBI (IDN-INPS) – Some African countries are now seeking to write off their loans from China while others are offering concessions using their natural resources and assets to manage their ballooning debt.

A new report by the U.S.-based Centre for Global Development shows that China’s loans to Africa, currently standing in excess of $14 billion, continue to rise, putting a strain on borrowers and posing the risk of default.

: Africa & ME Editor; THE WORLD; Africa; 20 September 2018

Japan and China Boost Connectivity in Southeast Asia

Prime Minister Abe is reported to be keen to reach an agreement on specific cooperation project during his planned official visit to China this October.

Viewpoint by Zhao Hong

The author is Professor at the Research School for Southeast Asian Studies, Xiamen University, China. This article was first carried in EastAsiaForum on 15 September 2018. It is being reproduced in view of its relevance beyond Southeast Asia.

SINGAPORE (IDN-INPS) – Southeast Asian countries still face major challenges in regional market integration and connectivity. ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) plans to strengthen connectivity through the development of a series of rail, road and water links offering regional powers not only the opportunity to secure overseas investment contracts but also to shape Southeast Asian infrastructure in their favour.

: Kalinga Seneviratne; OPINION; 20 September 2018

Photo: Chinese President Xi Jinping with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Credit: PTI

Afrophobia and Racism Keep India Trailing Behind China

By Shastri Ramachandaran

The author is an independent journalist writing on political and foreign affairs. This article first appeared in NewsClick that claims to be an alternative to the corporate media in India on July 27, 2018, and is being reproduced by the permission of the author who give editorial support to IDN-INPS editor. – The Editor.

NEW DELHI (IDN-INPS) – Prime Minister Narendra Modi's current outreach to Africa, including his participation in the 10th BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, is perhaps the right juncture to take a close look at India-Africa relations since he assumed office in 2014.

: Shastri Ramachandaran; THE WORLD; Asia-Pacific; 18 September 2018

Photo (left to right): North Korea's Kim Jong-Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

A Rapper Accompanies South Korean President to Pyongyang

By J Nastranis

NEW YORK | SEOUL (IDN) – South Korean President Moon Jae-in will visit Pyongyang, the capital city of North Korea from September 18-20, 2018 with a view to encouraging Kim Jong-Un to break the deadlock in nuclear talks between North Korea and the United States. Moon played a crucial role in President Donald Trump and Kim coming together for the summit meeting in June.

Moon's office said on September 16 that the President will be accompanied by 52 government officials, politicians, business leaders and selected representatives from various other fields, according to the South Korean Yonhap News Agency.

: J Nastranis; THE WORLD; Asia-Pacific; 17 September 2018

Photo: The UN Human Rights Council meeting room in Geneva. Credit: ohchr.org

Sri Lanka Apparently Target of an Undeclared War

Viewpoint by Kalinga Seneviratne

SINGAPORE (IDN) - In June this year, announcing U.S. withdrawal from the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), Ambassador Niki Haley said, "We take this step because our commitment does not allow us to remain a part of a hypocritical and self-serving organisation that makes a mockery of human rights."

U.S. is leaving because the council members voted to probe Israeli killing of scores of protestors in the Gaza Strip. However, its labeling of the UNHRC as "hypocritical" and "making a mockery of human rights" would ring a bell in many Asian and African countries.

: Kalinga Seneviratne; THE WORLD; Asia-Pacific; 15 September 2018

Photo: President Kagame meets Chinese President in Beijing. Credit: Paul Kagame's website.

African Critics Warn of Dark Side to China's ‘Charitable' Loans

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) – There are two sides to every coin and two widely opposing views on China's offer of generous loans and grants to African countries announced at the recent China-Africa Cooperation Forum in Beijing.

At the conference, with representatives from 53 of 54 African countries, sky-high numbers were bandied about. Chinese President Xi Jinping announced $60 billion in funds for eight initiatives over the next three years, in areas ranging from industrial promotion, infrastructure construction and scholarships for young Africans.

: Global Information Network; THE WORLD; Africa; 12 September 2018

Image: Writing hands (reformatted) Credit: The Buddhist Channel

The Time Has Come for 'Right Mindfulness' in Journalism

By Kooi F. Lim

This article is being moved in association with the Buddhist Channel (Malaysia).

KUALA LUMPUR (IDN) – Who? What? Where? When? Why? and How? – also called the six sigma of information gathering are the tools taught at basic journalism schools. Every budding reporting cadet is drilled to probe issues and to deeply investigate using these methods.

But like any other tools, it is the intent of its use that decides the outcome of the application. In many cases, "intent" is the agenda of the tool owners. The intent masks what is known as media bias, which includes (but is not exclusive to) conservative bias, corporate bias, liberal bias and mainstream bias.