China
Geopolitical chess game: Why India has no interest in serving as a western pawn
Canada’s accusation against India over a citizen’s murder highlights the West’s empty rhetoric on democracy, as India maneuvers strategically, prioritizing its interests over Western expectations amid rising regional tensions with China.
Canada’s deepening divide with India following its accusation that the Indian government was responsible for the murder of Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar has revealed a cynical truth: the West’s interest in democracy and rules-based international order is largely empty rhetoric.
Canada’s western allies have offered some support in its confrontation with India. However, this support is extremely limited. India is too important to American efforts to contain China.
India understands this and is taking full advantage of its position in this ongoing geopolitical chess game by getting what it can from the West while keeping a clear focus on its own interests.
India is a regional rival of China. It may have passed China as the world’s most populous country and is, by purchasing power parity, the world’s third largest economy.
The United States is trying to redirect global resources and supply chains from China to India. Supposedly, India is “safe” because it shares “democratic values” with the West.
Modi regime
However, India’s so-called liberal democracy has been severely damaged by the Hindu-supremacist policies of the Narendra Modi regime.
In modern India, religious minorities, especially Muslims, are regularly victims of mob violence, including lynching and sexual assault.
A rabid nationalist media pumps up government policies. Critical journalists are brutalized and silenced. The judiciary and parliament have been cowed.
Indian author Arundhati Roy argues that India is well on its way to becoming a fully fascist state. Roy was recently charged by the Modi regime for supposedly “provocative” statements she made in 2010.
A journalist pins a small Free the Press placard on the dress of writer and activist Arundhati Roy during a protest at the Press Club of India in New Delhi on Oct. 4, 2023. Police arrested her a few days later for comments she made in 2010.
(AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
The western world knows all of this, but its actions towards India aren’t motivated by “shared values.” The West, led by the U.S., is driven only by the desire to contain China.
India has rejected Canada’s accusations, but has also flagged western hypocrisy. Indian MP Shashi Tharoor has alleged the U.S. and Israel are the “two foremost practitioners of extra-territorial assassinations in the past 25 years.” American drone warfare has killed thousands of people the U.S. accuses of terrorism and thousands of innocent bystanders in the Global South.
India may be following the West’s lead, but on a much smaller scale. Also, it allegedly acted in a western state, which seemingly expect to be exempt from the kind of violence they have unleashed on the Global South.
Read more:
India’s accusation of ‘terrorism’ is a ploy to hide its own human rights abuses
Not an American pawn
India is happy to accept western economic, military and technological support to help it close its enormous gaps in wealth, infrastructure and overall development with China. The West, meantime, needs India to maintain its global domination.
But India has no more interest in perpetuating western dominance of the global system than China does. It is not an American pawn.
India is pursuing its own interests, as its continuing relationship with Russia indicates.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi pose for a photo prior to their talks at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Uzbekistan in September 2022.
(Alexandr Demyanchuk, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
India and China have a major border dispute and are militarily at odds. They view each other with mutual suspicion and, often, contempt.
But they understand that they will be neighbours forever and their relationship can be mutually beneficial if they can find diplomatic resolutions to their conflicts. This may be easier said than done, but the two countries have improved relations in the past and enjoy a growing economic relationship today.
Most Indians accept that making an active enemy of China is not in India’s best interests.
The more aggressive the U.S. becomes towards China, the more leverage it gives to India to use against both the Americans and the Chinese. India can extract benefits from the U.S.; simultaneously, American aggression provides China with incentives to improve its relations with India.
Choosing a side
But there is a point — perhaps fast approaching — at which regional states will feel forced to make a choice between China or the U.S. There’s a limit to how far both sides can be played off against the other.
Tensions between India and China benefit U.S. interests. If India and China resolve their differences and choose to work together — or, at least, not to work against each other — it would complicate those interests. As unlikely as this may seem now, harmonious relations between China and India are a real long-term possibility.
India is far from posing a threat to American power the way China is now. Nonetheless, if the U.S. succeeds in elevating India at China’s expense, it will eventually have to contend with challenges from India. It’s already clear that India doesn’t see itself as a western subordinate and has its own regional aspirations.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House in June 2023.
(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
India’s alleged murder of a Canadian citizen may be a taste of how India will handle its relations with the West as it rises in power. India will be demanding privileges the West extends to itself and its allies, for whom “rules-based international order” is a meaningless facade.
Canada has asked India to co-operate in its investigation of Nijjar’s murder. The investigation will probably go nowhere and be quietly buried. There are suspicions that India may be threatening other Sikh activists and may have committed another murder in the U.K.
India has recently eased some visa restrictions on Canadians even as it has expelled 41 Canadian diplomats, threatening to revoke their diplomatic immunity.
India will walk away untouched from its spat with Canada. It is too important to western strategies against China. But India has its own game to play and that does not necessarily accord with what the West wants.
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Business
Fosun in Negotiations to Sell Club Med Stake to CapitaLand of Singapore
CapitaLand Investment is negotiating to acquire a 20-30% stake in Club Med from Fosun International, outbidding competitors. Ongoing talks have resulted in stock price increases for both firms.
CapitaLand Investment in Talks to Acquire Stake in Club Med
Singapore’s CapitaLand Investment is reportedly in advanced negotiations to purchase a minority stake in luxury resort chain Club Med from its Chinese parent company, Fosun International. Sources familiar with the matter indicate that CapitaLand is looking to acquire between 20 to 30 percent of the hotelier, with the anticipated investment amounting to several hundred million euros.
Competitive Bidding and Market Reactions
CapitaLand has emerged as a leading contender for the stake, successfully outbidding various private equity rivals. Following news of these discussions, shares of CapitaLand Investment rose by 2.4 percent, reaching their highest point since early February. Meanwhile, Fosun Tourism’s stock also saw a notable increase, jumping as much as 9.3 percent during the trading session.
Fosun’s Strategic Asset Management
Fosun International has been actively working to reduce its debt through asset sales and limited borrowing. These strategic moves have contributed to a renewed global investor confidence, distinguishing Fosun as one of the few Chinese conglomerates to successfully navigate recent economic challenges.
Source : China’s Fosun in talks to sell stake in Club Med to Singapore’s CapitaLand
China
China Demonstrates Expertise in Influencing Global AI Governance
The World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai (July 2024) advanced global AI governance, featuring the ‘Shanghai Declaration’ which emphasizes AI safety, ethics, international cooperation, and China’s unique governance approach and initiatives.
World Artificial Intelligence Conference 2024
The World Artificial Intelligence Conference, held in July 2024 in Shanghai, was pivotal in redefining global AI governance. During this gathering, the Shanghai Declaration on Global AI Governance was presented, aimed at advancing principles from China’s Global AI Governance Initiative. This Declaration prioritizes AI safety and ethics, laying out strategies for multilateral cooperation among diverse stakeholders.
China’s commitment to AI governance is further illustrated through its position papers, which delve into specific areas such as ethical governance and military applications of AI. These documents not only present a comprehensive framework for AI regulation but also demonstrate China’s approach to merging broad governance principles with targeted policies. This integration captures both overarching and niche aspects of AI governance, particularly in relation to autonomous weapons.
In the global landscape, China seeks to balance its role as both a rule developer and solution provider in AI governance. By actively engaging in UN-led initiatives and proposing resolutions that enhance international cooperation, China aims to create a cohesive framework. Their Global AI Governance Initiative proposes tailored solutions, including a risk-level testing system and agile governance, underscoring the benefits of AI for societal advancement.
Source : China shows deep learning in shaping global AI governance
China
View from The Hill: China-Australia relations head back to room temperature, with Albanese’s November visit
Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will visit China from November 4-7, engaging in discussions with Xi Jinping to mend relations and address trade issues, particularly wine export restrictions.
The defrost in China-Australia relations started cautiously after the change of federal government last year. It then sped up, with developments culminating in the formal announcement at the weekend of the date for the much-anticipated visit by Anthony Albanese.
The bilateral relationship is fast heading back to room temperature.
The PM will visit from November 4 to 7. He’ll have talks with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang, and he’ll also attend the China International Import Expo in Shanghai.
The last days of preparation have seen major steps. First came the release of Australian journalist Cheng Lei, detained in China for three years (but writer Yang Hengjun is still there). This was followed at the weekend by the expected breakthrough on China’s restrictions on Australian wine, which prompted Australia to commence action at the WTO in 2021.
China will review, over five months, its duties on the wine; Australia will suspend its WTO action. A statement from Albanese said that “if the duties are not removed at the end of the review, Australia will resume the dispute in the WTO. We are confident of a successful outcome.”
Breaking the impasse on wine is a big deal for producers. Before the duties, China was Australia’s largest wine export market.
The lack of access to China has been devastating for many in the industry, with exports to that country falling from $1.1 billion in 2019 to $16 million in 2022. Unlike some commodities that China hit, for which alternative markets were found, wine producers have had trouble selling elsewhere.
Overall, China is our largest trading partner, representing nearly a third of our total trade. At their height China’s trade restrictions on Australia amounted to some $20 billion. They are down to about $2 billion.
Albanese’s trip will come 50 years after then PM Gough’
Whitlam’s historic visit, which was the first by an Australian prime minister.
Whitlam told a banquet in Peking on October 31, 1973: “In China today we see a great modernising force, capable of exerting profound influence in the world. Close co-operation and association between our two peoples is both natural and beneficial.”
The Whitlam trip “laid the ground work for the diplomatic, economic and cultural ties that continue to benefit our countries today,” Albanese said on Sunday.
Over the decades the relationship has, for Australia, been enormously important economically, but at times very rocky. Albanese’s visit will be the first by an Australian prime minister since Malcolm Turnbull’s in 2016.
An already downward spiral in relations, driven by various issues, worsened dramatically when Australia led international pressure for an inquiry into the origins and early handling of COVID, which began in Wuhan.
The bilateral thaw has been considerably driven by China’s perception of its wider foreign policy interests, with last year’s change of government greatly facilitating the recalibration.
But Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong have remained cautious, against the background of China-United States tensions, the Taiwan issue, China’s courting of small Pacific countries, and the speed with things can change. They are keen to say the government will disagree with China where it must and always act in Australia’s national interest.
Meanwhile Mike Burgess, head of ASIO, has called fresh attention to China’s unrelenting spying activities, last week revealing an attempt to “infiltrate a prestigious Australian research institution”.
Among the topics for discussion during Albanese’s visit will be co-operation in economic areas, climate change and people-to-people links.
Albanese will be accompanied by Trade Minister Don Farrell, who has done much of the detailed trade negotiations to unlock the restrictions.
Speaking to journalists before leaving on Sunday for his visit to the United States, Albanese said, “It is important that we stabilise our relationship with China. That is in the interests of Australia and China, and it is indeed in the interests of the world, that we have stable relations, and that is what this visit will represent.”
Asked whether he would hope Xi would visit Australia, Albanese said, “we’ll have discussions about that”, noting Xi has been here a number of times.
Albanese said that in Washington this week he would be having discussions about progressing the legislation needed under the AUKUS agreement.
He’ll also be canvassing the potential benefits for Australia from the US Inflation Reduction Act. Among its objectives, this act seeks to drive clean energy. “As we move to a clean energy global economy, Australia is in a strong position to benefit because of the critical minerals that we have,” Albanese said.
The Prime Minister will be given a state dinner. This is the ninth time he has met President Biden, formally or informally, since becoming PM.
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
- Fosun in Negotiations to Sell Club Med Stake to CapitaLand of Singapore
- China Demonstrates Expertise in Influencing Global AI Governance
- View from The Hill: China-Australia relations head back to room temperature, with Albanese’s November visit
- Exploring Opportunities for Foreign Companies in China’s Emerging and High-Tech Industries
- Understanding the Causes of China’s Economic Downturn and Its Implications for Australia – The Guardian
- Geopolitical chess game: Why India has no interest in serving as a western pawn
