| Sreemoy Talukdar brings you the essential cheat sheet on foreign affairs covering India and the world |  | | China's simmering discontent over Covid restrictions, that show no end in sight (pic above), is boiling over. We kick off this edition with unrest at an iPhone factory in Zhengzhou. We also track news of Australia's FTA ratification with India, Rajnath Singh's summitry in Cambodia, Pakistan's new army chief and Malaysia's new prime minister. | | TOP FIVE NEWS UPDATES | | China hit by record Covid cases as people's rage boils over; Chinese iPhone factory workers beaten up | | The Chinese people are fed up with 'zero-Covid' policy, but the Chinese Communist Party is relentless even as cases are rising across the country despite knee-jerk and sustained restrictions. On Thursday, reports CNN, China a record rise in "number of daily Covid infections" due to a "nationwide surge". Quoting China's National Health Commission (NHC), the report says 31,444 locally-transmitted cases were recorded on Wednesday – surpassing the previous peak of 29,317 on April 13 during Shanghai's months-long lockdown. "The surge is being fueled by outbreaks in multiple cities and comes despite a refusal by authorities to end tight infection controls" and "unprecedented backlash" against the "hardline approach of incessant lockdowns, quarantines and mass testing mandates." A "trickle of Covid-related fatalities has added further pressure to the mix. Beijing on Wednesday recorded its fourth Covid-related death since last weekend, alongside 1,648 local infections – its third consecutive day of more than 1,000 local cases." BBC reports that "faced with a renewed surge in cases in Beijing, as well as the first deaths from the virus in months, officials have already implemented some restrictions in several districts, with shops, schools and restaurants closed. It follows violent protests at a vast industrial complex belonging to iPhone manufacturer Foxconn." The Foxconn incident drew global headlines and underlined the simmering discontent in China. On Tuesday, police thrashed workers in Zhengzhou city who were protesting over a pay dispute at the biggest factory for Apple's iPhone, Foxconn, the biggest contract assembler of smartphones and other electronics. Police beat workers protesting over a pay dispute at the biggest factory for Apple's iPhone, whose new model is delayed by controls imposed as China tries to contain a surge in COVID-19 cases, reports Associated Press. The protests continued through Wednesday. Bloomberg reports that "workers streamed out of dormitories in the early hours of Wednesday, jostling and pushing past the white-clad guards they vastly outnumbered. Several white-suited people pummeled a person lying on the ground with sticks in another clip. Onlookers yelled 'fight, fight!' as throngs of people forced their way past barricades. At one point, several surrounded an occupied police car and began rocking the vehicle while screaming incoherently." A day later on Thursday, to placate irate workers who were also hit by a "technical glitch" that made it seem like some staff were paid less than promised, Foxconn begun offering 10,000 yuan ($1,400) to any workers who choose to leave. Meanwhile, Chinese internet censors clamped down on a social media post that questioned China's Covid policies. The post, that asked "audiences at the Qatar World Cup are not wearing masks or required to have PCR test results available with them -- aren't they on the same planet we live?" was quickly removed and the author blocked after it went viral on the country's WeChat platform Tuesday. | | Australian Parliament ratifies FTA with India; ECTA may create 10 lakh jobs, says minister Goyal | | The Australian Parliament Tuesday in a landmark agreement ratified a free trade agreement (FTA) with India. The deal will need to be cleared by the Indian Parliament to take effect, but the interim FTA is already raising high expectations. The trade pact will "significantly open up opportunities" for many Indian business sectors, Union minister for commerce and industry Piyush Goyal said on Tuesday. Speaking at a press conference, Goyal welcomed the bipartisan support extended by Australia to the Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA) that was signed by India with the previous Australian administration under former prime minister Scott Morrison. He said the FTA will create job opportunities for Indian youth to the tune of around 10 lakh. The minister said duties on 100 percent tariff lines would be eliminated by Australia and the FTA will give a "big boost to several sectors of the economy, especially textiles, gems and jewellery and pharmaceuticals. Annual Visa quota of 1800 is to be instituted for India Yoga teachers and Chefs," said Goyal, according to a commerce ministry release. Along with ECTA, the Australian parliament has also approved an amendment to the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) - a long-standing tax issue for Indian companies operating in Australia, reports Livemint. Reuters reports that India expects total bilateral trade with Australia of around $45 billion to $50 billion over the next 5 years, quoting a trade ministry official. Annual goods and services trade between the two countries stand at $31 billion at present. "The Ind-Aus ECTA goes beyond merchandise trade and the Indian services sector also gets a major boost as it makes wide-ranging commitments in around 135 service sectors. The Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status will be granted in about 120 sub-sectors covering key areas of India's interest such as IT, ITES, education, health and audio-visual," writes analyst Rakesh Mohan Joshi in Indian Express. | | Rajnath returns from Cambodia after boosting India-ASEAN ties, meeting US defsec Austin on sidelines | | Union defence minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday described transnational and cross-border terrorism as the gravest threat that the world is facing, and called for urgent and resolute intervention by the international community, reports ANI via Hindustan Times. Singh was speaking as an invitee to the 9th ASEAN Defence Ministers' (ADMM) Plus meeting at Siem Reap, Cambodia. The minister added that "the gravest threat requiring urgent and resolute intervention by the international community is transnational and cross-border terrorism. Indifference can no longer be a response, as terrorism has found victims globally." During his stay in Cambodia, Singh also took part in the maiden India-ASEAN Defence Ministers' meeting (that preceded ADMM gathering) to commemorate the 30th anniversary of India-ASEAN relations in 2022. At this meeting on Tuesday, the Indian defence minister made two proposals for expanding the scope and the depth of the India-ASEAN defence ties — an initiative for women in United Nations Peace Keeping (UNPK) operations and an initiative on marine plastic pollution, reports The Hindu. More details on this can be found in the Indian defence ministry readout. Singh also squeezed in a bilateral on the sidelines with US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin in Cambodia on Tuesday. Singh "highlighted India's growing expertise in aircraft Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) and ship-building, repairs and refits and suggested specific areas where US defence companies can look for technology cooperation and manufacturing opportunities with Indian partners in India. Secretary Austin welcomed the suggestions and assured Raksha Mantri of cooperation in this regard," says a readout. | | Pakistan names Asim Munir as new army chief in a move perceived as setback to Imran Khan | | Pakistan on Thursday announced the name of a new army chief. Prime minister Shahbaz Sharif said the country's former spy chief, Lt. Gen. Syed Asim Munir, will now become the head of Pakistan's powerful military. Munir, who was promoted to four-star general and whose planned retirement was postponed, replaces Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa, whose extended six-year term ends on November 29, reports Associated Press. Munir begins his new role amid feuding between Sharif and his predecessor, former prime minister Imran Khan, who has publicly accused Bajwa of playing a role in his ouster. According to a report in Pakistani newspaper Dawn, "Gen Sahir Shamshad Mirza, another infantry officer with an enviable career, has been appointed as the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff committee. A statement by the presidency notifying the new military leadership said Pakistan president Arif Alvi made these 'promotions and appointments under Article 243(4) (a) and (b) and Article 48(1) of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan read with Sections 8-A and 8-D of the Pakistan Army Act 1952'." Bloomberg says "Khan, who as prime minister had removed Munir from the role of intelligence chief, would see the appointment as a possible obstacle to his attempt to force early elections. The new chief and the core military leadership "will likely be struggling to manage Khan's populism and popularity because it could return him to power in the 2023 elections," the report quotes Kamran Bokhari, director analytical development at the Washington-based New Lines Institution for Strategic & Policy, as saying. For India, Munir's appointment holds special significance since "he was head of the ISI when tensions between India and Pakistan escalated following the Pulwama suicide attack in February 2019 that resulted in the death of 40 CRPF personnel. Munir was among the military decision-makers involved in shaping Pakistan's response and security policies at that time, according to people familiar with the matter," reports Hindustan Times. In an editorial, Indian Express says "while the appointment of Munir to succeed Bajwa is expected to bring a degree of calm to Pakistan's deeply divided polity, much will depend upon how Munir conducts himself, particularly in dealing with the polarised political situation." | | Longtime Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim named Malaysia's new PM, but political crisis may persist | | Malaysia has a new prime minister after days of post-election crisis. Longtime Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim was sworn in as prime minister on Thursday, capping a three-decade political journey from a protege of veteran leader Mahathir Mohamad to protest leader, a prisoner convicted of sodomy and opposition leader, says Reuters. The report adds that though Anwar's appointment ends five days of uncertainty, but it could usher in further instability with his rival, former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin, challenging him to prove his majority in parliament. Both men's coalitions failed to win a majority in a Saturday election, but Malaysia's constitutional monarch, King Al-Sultan Abdullah, appointed Anwar after speaking to several lawmakers. Washington Post says "the naming of Anwar as prime minister brought a halt to a chaotic election season in Malaysia that has seen the fall of political titan Mahathir Mohamad, surprising gains by a far-right Islamic party and endless infighting among supposed allies, caused in large part by the conviction of former prime minister Najib Razak on charges including money laundering and abuse of power. 'This is a unity government,' Anwar said on Thursday evening at his first news conference as prime minister. Alternating between Malay and English, he pledged to stamp out the corruption that has sullied Malaysian politics in recent years and expressed gratitude to the supporters who have stood by him over decades." "Anwar will have to appease the majority Malays and UMNO while keeping traditional coalition allies happy. That could see a bloated cabinet as he seeks to ensure that the different parties each have roles though Anwar has insisted it will be smaller," reports Bloomberg. | | | | | | | | | | TOP ANALYSES OF THE WEEK | | West should treat India as a partner, not cheerleader | | India is a pivotal power in the Indo-Pacific and beyond, with an ability to help tackle security, climate and other challenges of global consequence. Western powers must, therefore, treat India as a partner rather than as a cheerleader, writes professor Happymon Jacob in The Hindu. | | Chinese people are angry and fed up with Covid lockdowns | | In a country that's paranoid of protests and protesters, the frequency of anger and frustration fuelling public outbursts, even clashes, over stringent Covid-19 control rules in China is worth noting, argues Sutirtho Patranobis in Hindustan Times. | | Biden's conciliatory stance will serve to only embolden Xi | | The Biden-Xi agreement in Bali to empower senior officials to engage in a sustained effort to manage bilateral differences is scarcely going to stabilize US-China relations, given that Beijing is a revisionist power. Biden's conciliatory approach may only embolden Xi, writes geostrategist Brahma Chellaney in Nikkei Asia. | | Political oomph missing in India-US ties | | Summitry and public statements aside, the picture behind the scenes in India-US relations is more complex. There is a sense on both sides that political oomph is missing, writes Seema Sirohi in Economic Times. | | Deepening India-Taiwan ties making China anxious | | The budding relationship between India and Taiwan seems to be ruffling quite a few feathers in Beijing, writes ORF fellow Antara Ghosal Singh. | | India must intensify focus on Southeast Asia | | As G20 president, India must strengthen trade and investment ties with Southeast Asia if it wants to enhance its overall status in the Indo-Pacific, argues professor Anita Inder Singh in The Tribune. | | India's G20 presidency must deliver for global South | | India's G20 presidency, with its emphasis on the needs and claims of the global South, has to deliver a G20 development deal that addresses the concerns of weak and poor nations with no seat at the table, argues professor Sreeram Chaulia in Hindustan Times. | | Why Russia withdrew from Kherson | | Professor Edward Luttwak argues in Unherd that Russia announced a surprise withdrawal from Kherson in his fight with Ukraine because Putin is gambling on a debilitating counter-offensive. | | Olaf Scholz is undermining western unity on China | | German chancellor Olaf Scholz, who recently paid a visit to China, is embarking on a go-it-alone approach that has alienated domestic, EU, and international partners, argue analysts Fergus Hunter and Daria Impiombato in Foreign Policy. | | Khan is the greatest threat for Pakistan's establishment | | Imran Khan is the greatest threat Pakistan's establishment has ever seen and that this unstable year in Pakistani politics has not yet reached its denouement, argues Madiha Afzal of Brookings Institution in Foreign Affairs. | | PODCAST | | What are the corruption allegations against Qatar? | | We recommend this episode of NPR's podcast where Scott Simon talks with New York Times reporter Ken Bensinger about the corruption allegations surrounding Qatar's selection as the host country for the 2022 FIFA football World Cup. | | | | Copyright © 2022.Firstpost - All Rights Reserved. | |
