Author: Arif ArifArman

INTERNATIONAL DESK: America is seeing more and more of its most fertile land snapped up by China and other foreign buyers, yet problems with how the US tracks such data means it is difficult to know just how much. Foreign ownership and investment in US farmland, pastures and forests jumped to about 16.2 hectares in 2021, up 40 per cent from 2016, according to United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) data. But an analysis conducted by the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) – a non-partisan watchdog that reports to Congress – found mistakes in the data, including the largest land…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: China’s population fell by 2 million people in 2023 in its second straight annual decrease, as births dropped for the seventh straight year and deaths jumped following the end of COVID-19 restrictions, the government said Wednesday. The number of deaths rose by 690,000 to 11.1 million, more than double the previous year’s increase. Demographers said the rise was driven by the aging of the population and the widespread COVID-19 outbreaks that started in December 2022 and continued into February of last year. The total population stood at 1.4 billion, the statistics bureau said. China, long the most populated country…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: On the eve of Taiwan’s presidential election, with Taipei residents hotly debating who to vote for, one particularly interesting argument was overheard between an old man and a young woman. Among the most heard words in their conversation were, surprisingly enough, Xi Jinping, the name of China’s powerful leader. The man, in his 60s, sounded like he was a former senior official of the Kuomintang (KMT), Taiwan’s main opposition party. “I think young people will all vote for Ko Wen-je,” he said, referring to the presidential candidate for the Taiwan People’s Party, the third largest party. He cited…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: China’s population fell again last year, having experienced its first decline in six decades in 2022, as the birth rate hit a new low and the number of deaths climbed. The overall population in mainland China fell by 2.08 million last year to 1.4097 billion, down from 1.4118 billion in 2022, according to official figures released on Wednesday. Amid a plummeting interest in having children, 9.02 million babies were born last year, down by 5.6 per cent from 9.56 million in 2022, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. The falling number of new babies resulted in the…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: The Chief of the Filipino military has announced plans for significant development activities in the South China Sea, specifically on Philippine-controlled land features. This move is expected to escalate tensions with China over disputed areas. General Romeo Brawner made this announcement after a crucial meeting with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr at the headquarters of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in Camp Aguinaldo. “We aim to enhance the development of all nine land features, particularly the islands we currently occupy,” he stated, referring to Thitu Island, the second-largest naturally-formed land feature in the Spratlys, as well…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: China’s troubled property market ended last year with the worst declines in new home prices in nearly nine years, despite government efforts to prop up the sector that was once a key driver of the world’s second largest economy. New home prices in December logged their steepest drop since February 2015, while property sales measured by floor area fell 23% in December from a year earlier, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed on Wednesday. At the same time, property investment by developers in December fell year-on-year at the fastest clip since at least 2000, according…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: A compliance officer at a London brokerage has claimed he was ordered by bosses to obtain a Visa for an employee who turned out to be a Chinese spy. The agent, who has since been Deported, was sponsored by the Now-Closed foreign exchange brokerage Goldenway global investments, according to a tribunal ruling. The allegations were detailed in a successful Whistleblower suit brought by Bharat Bhagani, who said he was fired for blocking the appointment of two directors. Goldenway, which is controlled by a Hong Kong-Based company, faced multiple restrictions by the financial conduct authority before it closed last…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Japanese firms in China expect economic prospects in the world’s second-largest economy to remain grim this year, according to a report from the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry in China released on Monday. About three-quarters of the 1,700 respondents in a survey said they expected the Chinese economy to worsen or to remain the same. Uncertainty about China’s economic prospects and pessimism about weak demand were cited as top reasons why 48% of the companies surveyed said they did not invest in China or reduced their investment in 2023 compared to a year earlier. The companies also…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: The PLA Marine Corps (PLANMC) is a vital cog in Xi Jinping’s dream of establishing a Sino-centric world order as he builds the strongest military in the world. He is striving to develop a world-class Marine Corps that will be an elite force capable of full spectrum multidomain operations in all dimensions, including during emergencies at all times. The success or failure of China’s global ambitions depends heavily on the growth of this force. As the PLANMC expands, the PLA assumes the nature of a capability-based force instead of a task/threat-based force. It becomes a critical capability for…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Taiwan lost one of its few remaining diplomatic allies Nauru to China on Monday, just days after it elected a new president, and accused China of attempting to pressure it while it affirmed the will of Taiwanese to go out into the world. China claims Taiwan as its own territory with no right to state-to-state ties, a position Taiwan strongly disputes, and the two have for years traded accusations of using “dollar diplomacy” as they compete for diplomatic recognition. Taiwan security officials told Reuters before Saturday’s election that China was likely to continue to whittle away at the…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: House church pastors in China are getting increasingly heavy prison sentences, as a result of Xi Jinping’s instructions to compel all Protestant churches to join the government-controlled Three-Self Church, cracking down on those that refuse. On January 12 , 2024, Dalian’s Pastor Kan Xiaoyong was sentenced by the Ganjingzi District People’s Court to fourteen years in prison. His wife Wang Fengying was sentenced to four years, and co-worker Chu Xinyu to ten years. Other three defendants received three-year verdicts. These were heavy penalties, which the prosecutor obtained by adding to the charge of “illegal business practices” the “use…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: The Chinese embassy in Japan said on Sunday that it “resolutely opposed” Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa’s statement congratulating Taiwan’s new president-elect Lai Ching-te. In a statement published on the Japanese foreign ministry’s website on Saturday, after the results of the Taiwan presidential election were announced, Kamikawa congratulated Lai on his victory, calling the self-ruled island claimed by Beijing “an extremely crucial partner and an important friend.” In response, the Chinese embassy in Japan, without mentioning Lai or acknowledging his victory, described Kamikawa’s comments as “a serious interference in China’s internal affairs”, according to a statement published on…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: After 17 years as the top source of imported goods in the United States, China will likely move into second place for 2023, ceding the first position to Mexico, according to data released by the U.S. Commerce Department this week. The shift is the result of a yearslong trend that has seen a gradual decline in China’s share of the U.S. import market, driven primarily by continued U.S. tariffs on a broad array of Chinese goods. However, other contributing factors include a broader reshuffling of global supply chains in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic and a push…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: China is considering reimposing tariffs on more Taiwanese imports under a landmark cross-strait free trade agreement, a prospect that has taken on a political dimension as the presidential election draws near, and which analysts warn could wrought damage to the Taiwan economy in the long term. There is also uncertainty about China’s next step, which is likely to differ based on who Taiwan elects as president on Saturday (Jan 13). The three contenders – Mr Lai Ching-te of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), Mr Hou Yu-ih of the Kuomintang (KMT) and Dr Ko Wen-je of the Taiwan…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Montana Sen. Jon Tester renewed his demands for the White House to clamp down on sales of U.S. farmland to China following a report this week that a Chinese billionaire is among America’s biggest landowners. Tester, a Democrat, issued a statement Friday calling for Congress to block “foreign adversaries” from buying U.S. farmland and agribusinesses. The Land Report on Monday listed Chinese billionaire Chen Tianqiao as the country’s 82nd-largest land owner and second-biggest foreign owner. Chen, 50, who made his fortune from a company that made online video games, owns 198,000 acres of Oregon timberland that he purchased…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Hundreds of thousands of people attended final pre-election rallies in Taiwan on Friday ahead of critical presidential and parliamentary polls, as China’s defence ministry warned it would “smash any Taiwan independence plots”. Taiwan, a neighbouring island China claims as its own, has been a democratic success story since holding its first direct presidential election in 1996, the culmination of decades of struggle against authoritarian rule and martial law. The ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which champions Taiwan’s separate identity and rejects China’s territorial claims, is seeking a third term in office with its candidate, current Vice President Lai…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: China’s consumer prices fell in December for the third straight month. Across the whole year of 2023, they rose by the lowest level in 14 years. The data highlight mounting deflationary pressures in the world’s second-largest economy. Official figures show CPI dropped 0.3 percent last month from a year earlier. Major factors behind this were a significant fall in prices of items including pork, as well as a drop in prices of automobiles and smartphones. Prices of furniture and home electronics products also fell on the back of sluggish home sales. The producer price index fell 2.7 percent,…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday, held a bilateral meeting with his Czech counterpart, Petr Fiala, and reviewed bilateral relations between the two countries. The leaders held discussions covering various sectors, including new and emerging technologies, automobiles, climate change, and defence in Gandhinagar. “Deepening India-Czech partnership! PM @narendramodi held a fruitful meeting with PM @P_Fiala of the Czech Republic in Gandhinagar. The two leaders reviewed bilateral relations and held discussions covering various sectors, including new and emerging technologies, automobiles, climate change, and defense,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal posted on X. Earlier in the day, speaking at the Vibrant…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: India and the Czech Republic expressed satisfaction with the development of their bilateral relationship and affirmed commitment to further strengthen cooperation in various areas including science, innovation, defence, health and green energy. In a joint statement on Wednesday, the two countries expressed commitment to deeper engagement within the Indo-Pacific region based on an open, free inclusive and rules-based approach with respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity and recognizing the promotion of effective rules-based multilateralism as a way to achieve global prosperity and commitments of the UN 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals. The two countries said they are…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Lauding the historical ties between India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Union Minister of State (MoS) V Muraleedharan said that the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between the two nations is a model for any country to engage with India. The MoS for External Affairs further said that Vibrant Gujarat has shown the crucial role, the state of Gujarat is playing in the growth of India. Speaking to ANI, Muraleedharan said, “The presence of the UAE President and many dignitaries across the world show the importance of Vibrant Gujarat as well as the role Gujarat is playing…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: The US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) on Tuesday announced it will be a “partner organisation with the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2024 and lead a delegation of over 35 Fortune American companies. These companies have plans to increase their investments in Gujarat, USISPF said. “USISPF is honoured to lead a delegation comprising over 35 Fortune American companies, including Salesforce, Abbott, Blackstone, HSBC, UPS, Micron, Cisco, SHRM and others,” the forum said in a statement. The focus areas include leveraging India’s burgeoning momentum in the hi-tech manufacturing space, particularly in avenues of semiconductors and chip manufacturing, as well as…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: The recent podcast by Michael Rubin, a Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, with Shukri Hilowle for the Brown Pundits has reignited the debate surrounding the Khalistan movement in North America. Rubin asserted that this movement, advocating for an independent Sikh homeland, lacks organic legitimacy within India and is instead manipulated by external forces, primarily Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). Pakistan’s Shadow: A Puzzling Connection Rubin’s claim stems from observations of seemingly coordinated activities and suspicious economic backing of some proponents in Canada. He argues that this movement, far from being a grassroots campaign, exploits the open arms…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: China threatened new trade measures against Taiwan on Tuesday, piling on pressure ahead of weekend elections, as Taipei complained of more Chinese balloons and the ruling party’s presidential candidate warned against “fake peace” with Beijing. Saturday’s presidential and parliamentary elections are taking place against a backdrop of a ramped up war of words between Taiwan and China, which views the island as its own territory despite the strong objections of the Taiwanese government. Taiwan’s government has accused China of an unprecedented campaign of election interference, using everything from military activity to trade sanctions to sway the vote towards…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: From November 28 to 30, Prague hosted the International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance (IRFBA) conference, which followed similar inter-ministerial meetings in Washington DC and London. It was hailed throughout the democratic world as one of the largest and most successful gathering of governments to promote freedom of religion or belief and denounce its violations. As reported on the website of the U.S. Department of State, IRFBA gathers 37 countries, with others in process of joining and five participating as “friends.” The United Nations attends IRFBA meetings as an “observer” through the U.N. Special Rapporteur on Freedom of…