Day: February 9, 2024

Activists Protest as Alleged Suspect in Atrocities Eyes Indonesian Presidency

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Jakarta, Indonesia —  Side stepping with spins on the stage, Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto looks his age of 72 as he dances, but the presidential candidate’s social media posts have helped endear him to Indonesia’s young voters. “He seems so friendly,” said 19-year-old Putri Ayu Ramadianti on her way to a Prabowo campaign event. It’s quite a turnaround for the former three-star army general who once led Indonesia’s special forces and is accused of committing atrocity crimes. With Indonesia’s presidential election just days away, he’s the front-runner. Analysts point…

Indonesia’s Popular President Accused of Undermining Democracy

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Jakarta, Indonesia —  As Indonesians prepare to go the polls for the country’s presidential election on Wednesday, the popular incumbent is coming under fire. Critics accuse President Joko Widodo, who can’t run for reelection due to term limits, of undermining democracy to extend his legacy. “He’s creating an unfair playing field,” said Yoes Kenawas, a research fellow at Atma Jaya Catholic University in Jakarta. Widodo, widely known as Jokowi, is popular, with approval ratings often topping 70%, according to Philips Vermonte, dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at Indonesian…

UK-India trade deal talks hit impasse over social security payments

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Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. India’s attempts to claw back social security payments worth tens of millions of pounds for its workers in the UK have become a sticking point in trade talks between the two countries. Kemi Badenoch, Britain’s trade secretary, is said by allies to be “keen to avoid” such a sensitive concession, which would benefit Indian workers, notably in the IT sector, who come to the UK on temporary contracts. In a…

China funds clean energy for belt and road partners, fuelling green transition and salving chafed feelings

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Despite misfires during previous infrastructure endeavours in Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia, China is now making substantial green energy investments in those regions – and finding eager takers. Companies are making strides in power generation and crafting solar energy equipment with support from a range of host countries, including Egypt, Mauritius, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. In dollar terms, last year Chinese-backed projects grew at a singularly speedy clip. In Africa, China’s work in “alternative” power reached a historic high in 2023 of about US$2.7 billion, said…

Will US-Philippines dialogue only worsen South China Sea tensions?

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The Marcos administration has attempted to strengthen its hand in South China Sea disputes with China, primarily by trying to involve other countries in its protests against Beijing while negotiating with it at the same time. The more robust the ties that the Philippines builds with foreign powers, the more leverage it has in negotiations. Therefore, a reinforced relationship with the US via the “2+2” dialogue would be beneficial to Manila’s negotiations with Beijing. Second, the US intends to bolster the Marcos administration’s stance towards China by offering substantial support.…

China’s lunar new year travel set to hit ‘historic’ levels

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Stay informed with free updates Simply sign up to the Chinese economy myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox. China’s annual lunar new year travel rush is expected to reach “historic” levels this year, as policymakers hope the country’s festive season will help lift the world’s second-largest economy out of deflation. Chinese travellers have made more than 230mn “cross-regional” trips as of Tuesday, the most recent figures available, for the new year break, the ministry of transport said on Friday. This was up 5.8 per cent compared with the…

US, Japan Accelerate War Drills to Deter China 

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washington —  The U.S. and Japan wrapped up a joint command post exercise late this week that analysts said was aimed at improving the coordination of their capabilities in dealing with threats from China. The Keen Edge 24 computer simulation exercise was intended “to practice responses in the event of a crisis or contingency,” said the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command as it began the exercise on February 1 and ended Thursday. It is part of an annual bilateral exercise that alternates with field training exercises Keen Sword. The Australia Defense Force…

As China ties warm, US military resumes search to bring WWII ‘fallen heroes’ home from southern provinces

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“We are committed to finding our fallen heroes and bringing them home with dignity, honour and respect,” US ambassador to China Nicholas Burns wrote on X on February 1. DPAA scientific recovery expert Dr Willa Trask examines a piece of metal with local workers during a site survey in China on January 7, 2024. Photo: US Army Zach Fredman, an associate professor of history at Duke Kunshan University in Jiangsu province in China’s east, said the latest surveys in China were “unambiguously good news”. “Locating missing remains would help to…

Critics dismiss Vietnam’s clemency for death row inmates as ‘progress’

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Vietnam’s President Vo Van Thuong recently commuted the sentences of several inmates on death row to life in prison as part of a general amnesty, but rights campaigners and legal experts said the move should not be seen as a sign that the country is improving its rights record. Instead, they said, Vietnam’s liberal use of the death sentence is part of a bid by the government to keep its citizens in line and burnish its international image through regularly announced acts of clemency. On Dec. 27, Thuong granted amnesty…

Tibetan tourists flock to Lhasa amid easing travel rules aimed at jolting economy

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Tibet’s regional capital of Lhasa is seeing a flurry of Tibetan visitors for Losar, the Tibetan New Year, thanks to a relaxation in travel restrictions announced by Beijing in an effort to revive the slumping economy, three sources from inside Tibet said. Most of them are coming from Sichuan and Qinghai provinces – known as Kham and Amdo provinces in Tibetan – to visit Lhasa, a key pilgrimage destination with a host of major sites, including the Potala Palace, Barkhor Street, the Jokhang Temple and Norbulingka Palace, the sources said.…