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It was he first time since the survey began that people in ASEAN picked China over the US if forced to take sides.
The ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore released its annual report titled "State of Southeast Asia 2024" in April, after surveying opinions from nearly 2,000 people representing five groups across the 10 ASEAN countries. The report revealed that in a survey on the economic influence of major powers on ASEAN, 70.6% of Thai people believed that China had the most economic influence on ASEAN, behind Laos, where 77.5% expressed the same opinion. Laos and Thailand are the only two ASEAN countries that attributed more than 70% of economic influence to China, significantly outpacing other major powers in terms of economic influence in the region, such as the US, Japan, and the European Union. The US is perceived to have an economic influence of only 8.1% and 11.4%, respectively. While similar views were held in other ASEAN countries, the exception was the Philippines, where China’s economic influence was seen at 30.7%, slightly ahead of the US at 27.9%. Even though the sample group in Thailand believes that China has the greatest economic influence on ASEAN by a wide margin, when asked about their "approval/concern" regarding this influence, 80.3% of Thais expressed concern compared to 19.7% who expressed approval. This sentiment aligned with Laos, where the proportions were: 72.7% “concerned” and 22.6% approve. When asked about their decision if they were forced to choose between China and the US, 50.5% of respondents chose China and 49.5% the US. This is the first time in five years since the inception of the annual report that China has edged out the US in the response to this question, the institute said. The survey, conducted between January and February of this year, also represents a significant shift in ASEAN public opinion compared to the previous year, when 61.1% of respondents chose the US and only 38.9% chose China. One of the main factors driving most ASEAN countries to increasingly turn towards China is Beijing’s large-scale policies, investment projects, and economic cooperation agreements in the region, the report said. In 2022, oublethink Lab, in collaboration with the “China in the World” network, unveiled the results of the China Index, which found that "Thailand ranked fourth among countries most influenced by China globally, behind Pakistan, Cambodia, and Singapore, out of a total of 82 countries/economic regions. The index was based on surveys of experts regarding various Chinese activities in each respective country." In the "Indo-Pacific Power" report for 2023 by Lowy Institute, an Australian think tank, it was found that since 2018 the US has consistently lost influence to China in four key areas in the Indo-Pacific region. They include economic relations, military networks, diplomatic, and cultural influence. In that year, China led the US 52:48. By 2022, China had widened the lead to 54:46. The Blog Tags Widget will appear here on the published site.
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China may have built the world’s first “dedicated” drone carrier, military website Naval News reported, citing satellite imagery and an expert. The new aircraft carrier, the building of which has not been publicised by Beijing, could underline China’s aims to advance the military use of drones and their deployment in battle. Video from the first sea trial earlier this month of the Chinese navy’s third and most advanced aircraft carrier, the Fujian, also showed another giant warship under construction – the Type 076 amphibious assault ship believed to serve as both a helicopter and drone carrier. Naval News reported on Wednesday that satellite imagery from the Jiangsu Dayang shipyard on the Yangtze, far upriver from the major yards of Shanghai, suggested that China had secretly built a new aircraft carrier to specifically host fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). It said the features of the mystery ship, “launched in December 2022 but not reported until now”, were different from regular US or Chinese aircraft carriers. This includes a smaller size – around one-third the length and half the width of a US or Chinese supercarrier – and an “anachronistic” straight deck arrangement that would not allow aircraft to take off and land at the same time. It would be possible to operate fixed-wing aircraft from the vessel, which is wide enough to host aircraft or drones with a wingspan of around 20 metres (about 66 feet), the report said. However, the vessel’s low flight deck suggested insufficient space for an aircraft hangar below to support high tempo or prolonged flight operations, it said. This would limit the number of aircraft supported by the ship but “make sense” as a drone carrier. It is immediately apparent that it is, in general arrangement, an aircraft carrier of some sort. It has a marked runaway running along the port [on the left side] with an island superstructure on the starboard [right] side,” the Naval News report said. “Beyond this, it is unusual in every respect. The hull is a widely spaced catamaran. While catamarans are often featured in aircraft carrier concepts because they allow a large deck area, no one has actually built one before.” Navies around the world have been running trials to operate UAVs from regular aircraft carriers as drones become a key part of warfare, with frequent usage in the ongoing wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, Some countries, such as Iran and Türkiye, are also said to be working on plans to build carriers specifically designated to host drones.
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US President Joe Biden’s cabinet has made a major policy mistake by driving Russia and China into a strategic partnership,
Heritage Foundation fellow Michael Pillsbury said on Thursday. Pillsbury spoke to Fox and Friends as Russian President Vladimir Putin met with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing on his first foreign trip since inauguration. “To draw, to push together two nuclear powers, Russia and China, it’s really a blunder of the highest order,” he told Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade. According to Pillsbury, China spent much of the past 75 years in conflict with the Soviet Union, “so to see them come together like this to me is just shocking.” Pillsbury has helped Washington formulate its China policy since the 1970s. He held a variety of posts at the Pentagon and as a staff member for the US Senate, before settling at China-centric desks at the Hudson Institute and later at Heritage. It has long been a policy objective of Washington to keep China and Russia apart, starting with President Richard Nixon’s detente with Beijing in the 1970s. This policy was in effect as late as 2020, with President Donald Trump trying to use tariffs to pressure China into working with the US, noted Pillsbury. “This would never happen under Trump,” he said. “This was one of Trump’s goals never to allow this to happen.” When Kilmeade suggested that China “needs” the US and EU markets, so the West has leverage over Beijing, Pillsbury pointed out that this “simply isn’t happening under Biden.” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also commented on the US attempts to split China away from Russia. In an interview on Thursday, he said that China was “strong enough” to resist the “brazen” attempts at pressure. China and Russia both “defend the principles of fairness and the democratic world order based on the multipolar realities and international law,” Putin said on Thursday, adding that relations between the two countries “are not aimed against anyone.” Putin described the Russo-Chinese cooperation as “one of the main stabilizing factors on the international stage.” Xi agreed, arguing that ties between Beijing and Moscow are a “model of relations between large powers and neighbouring states, characterized by mutual respect, trust, friendship and mutual benefit.” The Blog Tags Widget will appear here on the published site.
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Today it's Buddha’s Birthday5/15/2024 In Hong Kong, Buddha’s Birthday is celebrated on the eighth day of the fourth lunar month, which this year lands on May 15.
Hong Kong declared it a public holiday in 1998; Buddhism is a major religion in the city, with more than 1 million followers among the population of roughly 7.5 million. To mark the occasion, thousands of worshippers visit Buddhist temples and monasteries throughout Hong Kong, with some eating only vegetarian meals as a way to “cleanse” their digestive systems. Lanterns are lit to symbolise the Buddha’s enlightenment, while altars are decorated with incense and offerings. Who was the Buddha? Buddha’s Birthday, marked on different days around the region, is a celebration of Siddhartha Gautama, who was born in a kingdom just below the Himalayan foothills sometime during the sixth or fifth century BC. The philosopher and spiritual teacher founded Buddhism, now the world’s fourth-largest religion with more than 500 million followers globally. Siddhartha’s spiritual journey started when he left his family’s lap of luxury, determined to break free of his privileged life and fully understand suffering. He fasted for long periods while engaging in meditation, and is believed to have achieved enlightenment while sitting under a Bodhi tree. This was when Siddhartha became the Buddha, the word derived from the Sanskrit word budh, which loosely translates as “one who is awake”. What rituals does Buddha’s Birthday include? Buddha’s Birthday is sometimes referred to as the Bathing of the Buddha Festival because a key ritual is for worshippers to use a ladle to pour water over a statue of Buddha, an act that symbolises the purification and cleansing of the soul. The ritual also involves bowing and the offering of prayers. For centuries, Buddha recognised the need to respect all living things. But one ritual carried out on his birthday, the practice of mercy release – freeing captured animals in the belief the act brings a person good karma – has come under fire from animal welfare groups. Many of the animals are weak and sick when bought for mercy release and are often caught from the wild just for the purpose of the ritual, according to Hong Kong’s Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden (KFBG). “It is a sad irony that many wild animals are captured specifically to be released later,” a KFBG spokesman says. “Many are injured or die during capture and during transportation, due to shortage of food and water. Many are already sick and very weak, with minimal chance of survival.” Where to celebrate Buddha’s Birthday in Hong Kong? The Buddha’s Light International Association of Hong Kong is hosting a series of family-friendly events in Victoria Park in Causeway Bay on May 15. Celebrations include a vegetarian food fair, flower show, arts and crafts, and a kids’ entertainment zone. Purifying rituals such as bathing the Buddha, wish-making and meditating will also be held. The Hong Kong Buddhist Association is holding a three-day celebration at the Hong Kong Coliseum in Hung Hom Bay, Kowloon, from May 15-17. The programme includes ceremonies for bathing, lantern lighting and chanting, as well as talks. One of the major celebrations in Hong Kong takes place at the Po Lin Monastery on Lantau Island, near the Tian Tan Buddha statue. Also referred to as the Big Buddha, the 34-metre-tall (112ft) bronze statue, completed in 1993, is the world’s largest seated Buddha statue. On May 15, a Buddha bathing ceremony will be held in the monastery’s Hall of the Great Hero. The Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery (Man Fat Tsz) in Pai Tau Village, Sha Tin, in the New Territories, is one of Hong Kong’s most famous Buddhist temples and most popular tourist attractions. On May 15, Buddha bathing ceremonies will take place, along with the serving of complimentary vegetarian noodles. The Cheung Chau Bun Festival also coincides with the celebration of Buddha’s Birthday. Also known as the Cheung Chau Da Jiu Festival, it is believed to have originated in the 18th or 19th century to celebrate the end of a plague. Highlights include the Piu Sik (“floating colour”) Parade and the bun-snatching competition, which sees participants scramble up bamboo towers to grab as many hanging buns as possible. The Blog Tags Widget will appear here on the published site.
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Unpacking China’s GDP5/14/2024 Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is a key indicator of a nation’s overall economic size and power. GDP is generally defined as the total market value of all the finished goods and services produced within a country’s borders in a specific time period. GDP is by no means a perfect economic indicator. It lacks the complexity needed to provide a richer picture of economic health and productivity, and China’s official economic figures are known to be distorted. Nevertheless, GDP is among the most cited macroeconomic datapoints and warrants tracking. When it comes to GDP, China is a global outlier in many respects. Its economy is far larger than that of developing countries, and it has sustained decades of rapid economic growth. Yet China’s economy also differs in many respects from the world’s leading, advanced economies. This ChinaPower tracker includes 10 charts with up-to-date data to help break down and compare key aspects of China’s GDP. Measuring China’s GDP For centuries, China and India each accounted for between one-fourth and one-third of global GDP, thanks in large part to their sprawling populations. This changed abruptly in the 19th century as industrialization enabled rapid increases in productivity in the United States and Europe. China and India correspondingly saw their relative share of the global economy shrink. This persisted until the late 1970s when China began initiating market-based reforms and opening to the outside world, which helped kickstart and sustain economic growth. Today, China’s share of global GDP stands at over 18 percent when adjusted for price differences—the largest of any country. The methods used to measure and compare GDP can significantly alter the outcomes. One method, nominal GDP, measures the goods and services produced in each country and converts them to a common currency such as the U.S. Dollar. This method is the most straightforward, but it allows for distortions resulting from price and currency fluctuations. Another method measures GDP at Purchasing Power Parity (PPP), which accounts for price level differences between countries. Measuring based on PPP has a large impact when comparing wealthy countries to developing countries. China’s nominal GDP is the second-largest after the United States, but measured at PPP, China’s GDP is larger than that of the United States by a considerable margin.1 In many respects, China is an outlier among the world’s large economies. Most leading economies are in open, democratic societies, but China is an authoritarian state that significantly curtails individual freedoms. One way of showing China’s outlier status is by plotting GDP against Freedom Scores, a measure devised by Freedom House to assess political rights and civil liberties around the world. In 2022, China received a Freedom Score of 9—one of the lowest in the world, indicating “not free.” The other top-five largest economies (the United States, Japan, Germany, and the United Kingdom) all had scores above 80, indicating “free.” The next largest economy to share a similar Freedom Score with China—Saudi Arabia—has a GDP of $1.1 trillion—just 6 percent of the size of China’s. China is also an outlier among many other leading economies in that it still labels itself a developing economy and seeks the accompanying benefits in international organizations. Yet the developing country label belies the more complex reality that development is highly uneven within China. Many of its coastal provinces are far wealthier than inland and western regions. In 2022, China’s wealthiest region, Beijing, boasted a per capita GDP of about $28,300, which is on par with many high income, advanced economies. However, China’s poorest province, Gansu, has a per capita GDP of less than $6,700, which is approximately equal to that of Libya.
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Do you still eat Dogs?5/13/2024 Have you ever heard the chant that Manchester United (MANU) fans used to sing when Park Ji-Sung played for MANU in England?
One of the lines went, “Wherever you may be, you eat dogs in your country.” Although MANU fans sang it to support Park Ji-sung, it repeatedly tarnished South Korea’s image. A well-known French actress also criticized Korea’s dog meat culture. While the practice of eating dog meat has largely disappeared, it persists in some parts of the country. Now that K-pop, K-food, and K-dramas are sweeping the world, the image of Korea as a country that consumes dog meat remains. To address this, Korea’s National Assembly passed a special law in January banning the breeding, slaughter, and sale of dogs for consumption. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs began accepting declarations from dog meat business owners. The implementation plan for phasing out dog meat must be submitted to the sanitation departments of public health centers by Aug. 5. Failure to report by the deadline will result in exclusion from the transition and closure support program and fines. However, some dog meat sellers have been pushing back. South Korea is now home to 15 million pets. Changing the country’s image and improving public perception of animal welfare is crucial. The Blog Tags Widget will appear here on the published site.
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Race heats up 4th round in India5/13/2024 The fourth phase of India's seven-phase elections are underway, with people headed to vote in 96 constituencies across 10 states and union territories. Rising temperatures could affect an already low voter turnout.
In the first election after the state of Jammu & Kashmir lost its semi-autonomous status, voters are expected to express their displeasure over the state of affairs. "What we're telling voters now is that you have to make your voice heard," said former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who has campaigned for restoration of Article 370 which gave Kashmir its special status. The Modi government has maintained that the peace and security situation has improved in the Muslim-majority state. But experts say the move was unpopular. Political analyst and historian Sidiq Wahid told AFP news agency that Kashmiris saw the vote as a "referendum" on Modi's policies. This is an important phase for Modi's BJP as some of its strongholds like Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh are set to vote. Most polls say the BJP led by Modi is set for victory. Bihar and Maharashtra are crucial states as well, where the BJP rules in coalition with regional parties. Modi spoke at a rally in Bihar's Muzaffarpur, thanking constituents for their support. Voters in Bihar's Samastipur city told AP news agency that their main concerns were rising food prices, unemployment and economic development. Asaduddin Owaisi, a politician in the southern city of Hyderabad said Modi's divisive politics could cost him votes. "An individual cannot be bigger than the country. So, Modi is not the country, a country is way bigger than any politician," he said. The Blog Tags Widget will appear here on the published site.
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