NewzIntel.com

Category: Asia

  • MIL-OSI: Rising Star of 2049: WEEX’s Journey from Bear Market Origins to $5 Billion Daily Trades

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SINGAPORE, Sept. 26, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — TOKEN2049 Singapore kicked off in full swing at the iconic Marina Bay Sands in Singapore. Just 3 minutes walk away from the TOKEN 2049 event venue. Attendees relished complimentary beverages and engaged in networking. Among them were influential figures poised to shape the destiny of multibillion-dollar ventures.

    What unfolded was the Crypto Millionaire Gala orchestrated by WEEX, an event where influencers, blockchain entrepreneurs, and crypto enthusiasts like ⓧ Cyphereus Prime, Crypto Banter and Chiitancoin came together to forge connections and network and explore wealth-building opportunities in 2024. WEEX served as a platform linking different resources, showcasing its growing reputation as a rising star in the crypto world.

    Celebrating WEEX’s Impressive Journey

    “At WEEX, the slogan ‘Where new wealth is made’ is not just words – it is exactly what WEEX doing.” said Andrew Weine, WEEX’s VP, during the gala. Since WEEX’s birth in 2018 , which was a significant year of bear market. WEEX has made significant progress.

    By 2022, the daily trading volumes of WEEX reached $5 billion, serving over 500,000 users globally, registering a monthly growth rate of 100%, and securing critical licenses, including U.S. MSB License, SVG FSA License and Canada MSB License.

    Today, WEEX safeguards 5 million portfolios, offers 400+ futures trading pairs, and has grown exponentially during tough market conditions. 88% of the population of the world are now able to use WEEX’s platform to make financial opportunities accessible to all.

    What Strives the Growth of WEEX?

    WEEX’s rise in six years is due to various factors, especially its platform token, WXT, which transforms traditional trading.

    WXT not only reduces trading fees but also includes the Protection Fund, Team Incentives, Brand Promotion, Partner Ecosystem Fund, and User Acquisition Campaign.

    Holders of WXT enjoy perks like free airdrops on WE-Launch with an impressive 88.71% APY. Holding WXT unlocks benefits such as 0% futures trading fees and increased profit sharing. WEEX ensures WXT’s value through regular buybacks and burns, reflecting our commitment to transparency and sustainable growth.

    Fostering Innovation through Partnerships

    At WEEX, it’s more than just an exchange; it’s about fostering innovation and growth for partners. Strategic partnerships are vital in advancing the mission. By providing project listing budgets, fostering a collaborative environment through community, and offering comprehensive promotion strategies, the success and visibility of projects listed on the platform are ensured.

    Embracing a Bright Future Together

    The Crypto Millionaire Gala marks a milestone in the development of the WEEX Exchange Empire. As the journey continues, building partnerships and creating wealth for users, the future of WEEX looks brighter than ever. WEEX is more than a platform; it’s a community of innovators, traders, and visionaries. With a commitment to growth, transparency, and partnership, lives are being changed globally by opening doors to financial opportunities.

    Whether a project owner, a seasoned trader, or someone aspiring to be a crypto success story, WEEX is here to support on this transformative journey. Together, the landscape of wealth creation is being reshaped.

    About WEEX

    Founded in the bustling metropolis of Singapore back in 2018, WEEX Exchange has emerged as a leading global cryptocurrency platform. In just half a dozen years, WEEX has cultivated a thriving user base surpassing 5 million and boasts a daily trading volume exceeding $200 million. Offering over 400 trading pairs and trailblazing zero trading fees for new token launches, WEEX has rightfully earned acclaim across the industry for its innovative approach and unwavering commitment to excellence.

    For more information:
    Website: https://www.weex.com/
    Media Inquiries: market@weexglobal.com
    Customer Support: support@weex.com
    WEEX Exchange WE-Launch: https://www.weex.com/WE-Launch

    Disclaimer: This content is provided by WEEX. The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the content provider. The information provided in this press release is not a solicitation for investment, nor is it intended as investment advice, financial advice, or trading advice. It is strongly recommended you practice due diligence, including consultation with a professional financial advisor, before investing in or trading cryptocurrency and securities. Please conduct your own research and invest at your own risk.

    Photos accompanying this announcement are available at
    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/dc93c429-4e65-4249-9f4c-634c02b9d34d
    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/aca6bf0d-4001-4b04-a048-161c99e57dd3
    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/37e8b1bf-b084-4067-b5a3-52dfcc044c72

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Congratulatory Letter from Prime Minister Kishida to President Dissanayake of Sri Lanka[Speeches and Statements]

    Source: Government of Japan – Prime Minister

    [Provisional translation]

    On September 25, Mr. KISHIDA Fumio, Prime Minister of Japan, sent a congratulatory letter to H.E. Anura Kumara Dissanayake, President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, following his inauguration on September 23 after the presidential election.

    In his congratulatory message, Prime Minister Kishida expressed his congratulations to President Dissanayake on his inauguration, commended the various efforts that Sri Lanka has been making to overcome the economic crisis, including economic reforms, and expressed his strong hope that Sri Lanka will return to the track of robust economic development as early as possible.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Japan: Acquittal of man who spent 45 years on death row pivotal moment for justice – Amnesty International

    Source: Amnesty International

    Responding to the acquittal of Japanese man Iwao Hakamada, who spent nearly five decades on death row, Amnesty International’s East Asia Researcher Boram Jang said:

    “We are overjoyed by the court’s decision to exonerate Iwao Hakamada. After enduring almost half a century of wrongful imprisonment and a further 10 years waiting for his retrial, this verdict is an important recognition of the profound injustice he endured for most of his life. It ends an inspiring fight to clear his name by his sister Hideko and all those who supported him.

    “As we celebrate this long overdue day of justice for Hakamada, we are reminded of the irreversible harm caused by the death penalty. We strongly urge Japan to abolish the death penalty to prevent this from happening again.

    “Japanese authorities must also review all existing death sentences, particularly when there are concerns of mental and intellectual disabilities. Only complete abolition of capital punishment will ensure that such grave errors are never repeated, and people not irreversibly and arbitrarily deprived of their lives. Amnesty International will continue to push for the abolition of the death penalty and for reforms that ensure fairness and justice for all.”

    Background

    On 26 September 2024, a long-awaited ruling was delivered by Shizuoka District Court to acquit Hakamada Iwao, described as the world’s longest-serving death row prisoner.

    During his first trial, Hakamada was convicted of the murder of his employer and his employer’s family, largely based on a forced “confession”. He “confessed” to the crime after 20 days of interrogation by police. Hakamada proceeded to retract the “confession” during the trial, alleging that police had threatened and beaten him. Hakamada was sentenced to death by Shizuoka District Court in 1968 and spent over 45 years held on death row.

    In March 2014, Hakamada was granted a retrial by Shizuoka District Court and was released from prison after DNA evidence surfaced which questioned the reliability of his conviction.

    The decision to open a retrial was based on more than 600 pieces of evidence disclosed by the prosecutor. This evidence undermined the legitimacy of earlier evidence.

    In June 2018, the Tokyo High Court overturned the decision of the lower court denying Hakamada’s retrial after an appeal from prosecutors. Hakamada’s lawyers appealed this ruling, which led to Japan’s Supreme Court reversing the High Court decision in December 2020 and asking it to re-examine the appeal. Eventually, the Tokyo High Court also ruled in support of the Supreme Court decision for retrial in March 2023.

    Hakamada’s retrial officially commenced in October 2023. The forced “confession” was excluded from the evidence. Prosecutors have since continued to voice their support for upholding the conviction and for Hakamada to be sentenced to death.

    Japan has continued to carry out executions − including of people who had judicial appeals pending, which is in violation of international safeguards guaranteeing protection of the rights of those facing the death penalty. The last execution in Japan was carried out on 26 July 2022. As of 31 December 2023, 107 out of the 115 people on death row had their death sentences finalized and were at risk of execution. Those on death row continued to be held in solitary confinement; and in the absence of effective safeguards or transparent regular psychiatric evaluations, persons with mental (psycho-social) and intellectual disabilities continued to be subjected to the death penalty, in violation of international law and standards.

    Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases without exception regardless of the nature or circumstances of the crime; guilt, innocence or other characteristics of the individual; or the method used by the state to carry out the execution.

    MIL OSI – Submitted News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: In a new manifesto, OpenAI’s Sam Altman envisions an AI utopia – and reveals glaring blind spots

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hallam Stevens, Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies, James Cook University

    Ryan Carter Images / Shutterstock

    By now, many of us are probably familiar with artificial intelligence hype. AI will make artists redundant! AI can do lab experiments! AI will end grief!

    Even by these standards, the latest proclamation from OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman, published on his personal website this week, seems remarkably hyperbolic. We are on the verge of “The Intelligence Age”, he declares, powered by a “superintelligence” that may just be a “few thousand days” away. The new era will bring “astounding triumphs”, including “fixing the climate, establishing a space colony, and the discovery of all of physics”.

    Altman and his company – which is trying to raise billions from investors and pitching unprecedently huge datacentres to the US government, while shedding key staff and ditching its nonprofit roots to give Altman a share of ownership – have much to gain from hype.

    However, even setting aside these motivations, it’s worth taking a look at some of the assumptions behind Altman’s predictions. On closer inspection, they reveal a lot about the worldview of AI’s biggest cheerleaders – and the blind spots in their thinking.

    Steam engines for thought?

    Altman grounds his marvellous predictions in a two-paragraph history of humanity:

    People have become dramatically more capable over time; we can already accomplish things now that our predecessors would have believed impossible.

    This is a story of unmitigated progress heading in a single direction, driven by human intelligence. The cumulative discoveries and inventions of science and technology – Altman reveals – have led us to the computer chip and, inexorably, to artificial intelligence which will take us the rest of the way to the future. This view owes much to the futuristic visions of the singularitarian movement.

    Such a story is seductively simple. If human intelligence has driven us to ever-greater heights, it is hard not to conclude that better, faster, artificial intelligence will drive progress even farther and higher.

    This is an old dream. In the 1820s, when Charles Babbage saw steam engines revolutionising human physical labour in England’s industrial revolution, he began to imagine constructing similar machines for automating mental labour. Babbage’s “analytical engine” was never built, but the notion that humanity’s ultimate achievement would entail mechanising thought itself has persisted.

    According to Altman, we’re now (almost) at that mountaintop.

    Deep learning worked – but for what?

    The reason we are so close to the glorious future is simple, Altman says: “deep learning worked”.

    Deep learning is a particular kind of machine learning that involves artificial neural networks, loosely inspired by biological nervous systems. It has certainly been surprisingly successful in a few domains: deep learning is behind models that have proven adept at stringing words together in more or less coherent ways, at generating pretty pictures and videos, and even contributing to the solutions of some scientific problems.

    So the contributions of deep learning are not trivial. They are likely to have significant social and economic impacts (both positive and negative).

    But deep learning “works” only for a limited set of problems. Altman knows this:

    humanity discovered an algorithm that could really, truly learn any distribution of data (or really the underlying “rules” that produce any distribution of data).

    That’s what deep learning does – that’s how it “works”. That’s important, and it’s a technique that can be applied to various domains, but it’s far from the only problem that exists.

    Not every problem is reducible to pattern matching. Nor do all problems provide the massive amounts of data that deep learning requires to do its work. Nor is this how human intelligence works.

    A big hammer looking for nails

    What is interesting here is the fact that Altman thinks “rules from data” will go so far towards solving all humanity’s problems.

    There is an adage that a person holding a hammer is likely to see everything as a nail. Altman is now holding a big and very expensive hammer.

    Deep learning may be “working” but only because Altman and others are starting to reimagine (and build) a world composed of distributions of data. There’s a danger here that AI is starting to limit, rather than expand, the kinds of problem-solving we are doing.

    What is barely visible in Altman’s celebration of AI are the expanding resources needed also for deep learning to “work”. We can acknowledge the great gains and remarkable achievements of modern medicine, transportation and communication (to name a few) without pretending these have not come at a significant cost.

    They have come at a cost both to some humans – for whom the gains of global north have meant diminishing returns – and to animals, plants and ecosystems, ruthlessly exploited and destroyed by the extractive might of capitalism plus technology.

    Although Altman and his booster friends might dismiss such views as nitpicking, the question of costs goes right to the heart of predictions and concerns about the future of AI.

    Altman is certainly aware that AI is facing limits, noting “there are still a lot of details we have to figure out”. One of these is the rapidly expanding energy costs of training AI models.

    Microsoft recently announced a US$30 billion fund to build AI data centres and generators to power them. The veteran tech giant, which has invested more than US$10 billion in OpenAI, has also signed a deal with owners of the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant (infamous for its 1979 meltdown) to supply power for AI. The frantic spending suggests there may be a hint of desperation in the air.

    Magic or just magical thinking?

    Given the magnitude of such challenges, even if we accept Altman’s rosy view of human progress up to now, we might have to acknowledge that the past may not be a reliable guide to the future. Resources are finite. Limits are reached. Exponential growth can end.

    What’s most revealing about Altman’s post is not his rash predictions. Rather, what emerges is his sense of untrammelled optimism in science and progress.

    This makes it hard to imagine that Altman or OpenAI takes seriously the “downsides” of technology. With so much to gain, why worry about a few niggling problems? When AI seems so close to triumph, why pause to think?

    What is emerging around AI is less an “age of intelligence” and more an “age of inflation” – inflating resource consumption, inflating company valuations and, most of all, inflating the promises of AI.

    It’s certainly true that some of us do things now that would have seemed magic a century and a half ago. That doesn’t mean all the changes between then and now have been for the better.

    AI has remarkable potential in many domains, but imagining it holds the key to solving all of humanity’s problems – that’s magical thinking too.

    Hallam Stevens has previously received funding from the Ministry of Education (Singapore), the National Heritage Board (Singapore), the National Science Foundation (USA) and the Wenner-Gren Foundation.

    – ref. In a new manifesto, OpenAI’s Sam Altman envisions an AI utopia – and reveals glaring blind spots – https://theconversation.com/in-a-new-manifesto-openais-sam-altman-envisions-an-ai-utopia-and-reveals-glaring-blind-spots-239841

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Speech by SITI at event of “Unleashing Tomorrow, Today at InnoPark” (English only)

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    Speech by SITI at event of “Unleashing Tomorrow, Today at InnoPark” (English only)
    Speech by SITI at event of “Unleashing Tomorrow, Today at InnoPark” (English only)
    ******************************************************************************************

         Following is the speech by the Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Professor Sun Dong, at the event of “Unleashing Tomorrow, Today at InnoPark” today (September 26):Sunny (Chairman of Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTPC), Dr Sunny Chai), Albert (Chief Executive Officer of HKSTPC, Mr Albert Wong), honourable LegCo Members, Ivan (Commissioner for Innovation and Technology, Mr Ivan Lee), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,     Good morning. I am delighted to join you all today at the event of “Unleashing Tomorrow, Today at InnoPark”. It is my pleasure to witness the launching of the two notable initiatives in InnoPark, namely the High-Performance Computing Service in Tseung Kwan O and the Microelectronics Centre (MEC) in Yuen Long.      A complete innovation and technology (I&T) industry chain has to be backed by industries. We strive to attract and nurture more technology industries of strategic importance conducive to the real and digital economy and promote the development of “new industrialisation” in Hong Kong. Developing AI (artificial intelligence) and microelectronics industries are both our focus.     The Government has been adopting all-round strategy to develop the AI ecosystem. The new High-Performance Computing Service is expected to support the growth of around 300 companies working on AI and data technology in Science Park’s ecosystem and provides them with new insights and discovery in various fields. Together with the new AI Supercomputing Centre in Cyberport, with the first phase facility to start operating this year, the support to the strong local demand for computing power will be further strengthened.     Earlier this year, we obtained the LegCo’s approval for the establishment of the Hong Kong Microelectronics Research and Development Institute (MRDI). As the anchor tenant, the MRDI will make good use of microelectronics-specific infrastructure to be provided by the MEC, including the lightweight workshops and co-working spaces to be commissioned later this year. I also look forward to the timely commissioning of the remaining critical parts, before end of next year to bolster the full support for the microelectronics industry, from design to pilot run and beyond.      Taking this opportunity, I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to Hong Kong Science Park for launching these two meaningful initiatives. I look forward to the synergy to be created with other stakeholders to promote the development of emerging industries, including AI and microelectronics, in Hong Kong, and to build a vibrant I&T ecosystem, so as to contribute to the development of “new quality productive force” and high-quality development for our country and Hong Kong. Thank you very much.

     
    Ends/Thursday, September 26, 2024Issued at HKT 13:26

    NNNN

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Japan: Acquittal of man who spent 45 years on death row pivotal moment for justice

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Responding to the acquittal of Japanese man Iwao Hakamada, who spent nearly five decades on death row, Amnesty International’s East Asia Researcher Boram Jang said:

    “We are overjoyed by the court’s decision to exonerate Iwao Hakamada. After enduring almost half a century of wrongful imprisonment and a further 10 years waiting for his retrial, this verdict is an important recognition of the profound injustice he endured for most of his life. It ends an inspiring fight to clear his name by his sister Hideko and all those who supported him.

    “As we celebrate this long overdue day of justice for Hakamada, we are reminded of the irreversible harm caused by the death penalty. We strongly urge Japan to abolish the death penalty to prevent this from happening again.

    “Japanese authorities must also review all existing death sentences, particularly when there are concerns of mental and intellectual disabilities. Only complete abolition of capital punishment will ensure that such grave errors are never repeated, and people not irreversibly and arbitrarily deprived of their lives. Amnesty International will continue to push for the abolition of the death penalty and for reforms that ensure fairness and justice for all.”

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Jayapal Applauds More Than $10 Million to Help Older AANHPI Workers Get Job Training, Find Employment

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (7th District of Washington)

    SEATTLE, WA – U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) applauded an investment of $10,091,442 in federal funding for the National Asian Pacific Center on Aging (NAPCA) in Seattle, Washington. This funding will help NAPCA continue its work of assisting older Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) individuals in accessing community service programs that serve as a bridge to employment opportunities. 

    “Building up and expanding the Seattle area and our country’s workforce means ensuring that everyone has access to the training programs and resources necessary to find employment,” said Jayapal. “This funding is so important to our community and will help NAPCA continue their meaningful work of connecting our older, low-income AANHPI community with community service programs and job opportunities — helping to ensure long-term financial stability. The Biden-Harris administration’s Department of Labor, led by Acting Secretary Julie Su, continues to be a strong champion for all workers across the country.”

    “The funding we’re announcing today advances the Biden-Harris administration’s goal of promoting worker-focused training programs that incorporate industry and worker voices,” said Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su. “The grants will help enhance access to quality jobs for older workers.”

    “We greatly appreciate Congresswoman Jayapal and our partners in Congress for helping us secure funding for AANHPI older adults in this critical worker training program,” said Clayton Fong, President/CEO, NAPCA. “She brings a unique understanding to the challenges and barriers that many AANHPI older workers face in the workforce as a staunch advocate for immigrant rights.” 

    These funds come from the Department of Labor through the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP), which aims to provide training and career services to low-income older individuals who are seeking to enter or re-enter the workforce.

    This funding will assist NAPCA in their work to help older AANHPI individuals with lower incomes gain work experience and overcome barriers to employment. The program provides access to on-the-job training at community-based organizations and government agencies to assist older Americans in participation in both community service and employment.

    NAPCA serves more than 1,200 older workers across the country through the SCSEP every year.

    Jayapal wrote a letter of support for this funding request earlier this year.

    Issues: Jobs, Labor, & the Economy

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Translation: Working lunch of the leaders of the Paris Pact for People and the Planet on the sidelines of the UNGA.

    MIL OSI Translation. Government of the Republic of France statements from French to English –

    Acting unitedly to accelerate the implementation of the Paris Pact for People and Planet (4Ps) agenda in support of an ambitious reform of the international financial architecture

    Just over a year after the June 2023 Summit for a New Global Financial Deal, the UN General Assembly’s High-Level Week provided an opportunity for world leaders to reaffirm their support for the 4P agenda to reform the international financial system. They also expressed their commitment to establishing a 4P Senior Officials Group that will play a strategic facilitative role in delivering ambitious outcomes for the upcoming major events in 2024, ahead of the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development in Seville in 2025.

    On this occasion, the United Kingdom, Mauritania, Togo, Seychelles, Gambia and Guinea Bissau joined the Compact, bringing the number of 4P member countries to 66. Just over a year after its launch, the 4P is now a vibrant network involving countries from all income levels and continents. It offers the international community a unique opportunity to work together in a spirit of solidarity and equality to develop constructive measures and overcome bottlenecks. Heads of State and Government welcomed the establishment of the Compact Secretariat (housed at the OECD as an independent body) and are committed to supporting its important role in implementing the 4P agenda.

    Numerous operational coalitions have been established under the Compact, enabling countries and interested stakeholders to work together in concrete ways to improve outcomes, including the Debt, Nature and Climate Review Process by International Experts, the Coalition for the Inclusion of Debt Suspension Clauses in the Event of Climate-Related Natural Disasters, the Global Solidarity Levies Task Force, the Global Roadmap on Biodiversity Credits, the Global Green Bonds Initiative, and the Coalition for Paris-Compliant Carbon Markets.

    Despite an increasingly difficult international context, encouraging results have been achieved, but greater efforts will be needed to accelerate progress. Accordingly, in the presence of the UN, WTO, OECD, and IMF, Heads of State and Government reaffirmed their commitment to work together, in accordance with the fundamental principles of the Pact and in synergy with other relevant initiatives, such as the Bridgetown Initiative.

    They have in particular:

    affirmed their commitment to accelerate efforts to increase the participation and representation of developing countries and emerging economies in the decision-making bodies of international development finance institutions and other international economic and financial institutions. They supported the ambition of the Brazilian G20 presidency to work towards a fairer system of global governance, in particular with regard to the reform of the international financial architecture; stressed the need to provide concrete solutions to alleviate the debt burden and vulnerabilities of developing countries, including through innovative instruments, such as debt-for-climate or environmental swaps or the adoption, based on good practices, of debt service conditions, including debt suspension clauses in the event of climate-related natural disasters, as well as solutions to address liquidity issues and a voluntary reallocation of Special Drawing Rights to increase fiscal space for countries most in need; affirmed their commitment to support the scaling up of concessional financing for the poorest and most vulnerable countries, including to ensure that the 21st replenishment of the International Development Association is successful; stressed the importance of cooperation to support multilateral development banks (MDBs) and international financial institutions in following the recommendation to achieve a “1:1” ratio for private finance mobilized by public resources, and they recognized the need to mobilize private financial flows for their common priorities by reducing the mismatch between real and perceived investment risks. To this end, Heads of State and Government recognized the need to work together to develop a roadmap and establish a constructive dialogue between regulators, rating agencies, private investors, States and other stakeholders to improve the transparency and accuracy of country ratings and risk assessments, including to maximize the risk reduction impact and the mobilization of private financing by MDBs, development finance institutions and bilateral donors; recalled the need to increase public financing from all sources, including by exploring the possibility of globally targeted levies and other measures to develop fairer and more efficient tax systems, and by further supporting capacity building and the sharing of expertise to increase domestic resource mobilization. To advance these priorities, Heads of State and Government will continue to coordinate their efforts with other members of the Compact and raise the level of ambition in all fora, in order to contribute to ensuring that the best possible outcomes can be achieved. be obtained at the COPs, the International Conference on Financing for Development and other major international events.

    List of signatories:

    Emmanuel MACRON, President of the French RepublicMacky SALL, Special EnvoyAziz AKHANNOUCH, Head of Government of the Kingdom of MoroccoLolwa AL-KHATER, Minister of State for International Cooperation of the State of QatarGabriel BORIC, President of ChileMohamed Ould EL-GHAZOUANI, President of the Islamic Republic of MauritaniaMoussa FAKI, President of the African UnionMette FREDERIKSEN, Prime Minister of DenmarkLuiz Inácio LULA DA SILVA, President of the Federative Republic of BrazilAmina MOHAMMED, Deputy Secretary-General of the United NationsLuís MONTENEGRO, Prime Minister of the Portuguese RepublicMia MOTTLEY, Prime Minister of BarbadosGustavo PETRO, President of the Republic of ColombiaWilliam RUTO, President of the Republic of KenyaPedro SANCHEZ, Prime Minister of SpainKeir STARMER, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland of Northern IrelandJonas Gahr STØRE, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of NorwayTo LAM, President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam

    EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is a translation. Apologies should the grammar and/or sentence structure not be perfect.

    MIL Translation OSI

  • MIL-OSI Translation: Joint statement by Emmanuel Macron, President of the Republic, and Joe Biden, President of the United States of America.

    MIL OSI Translation. Government of the Republic of France statements from French to English –

    It is time to reach a settlement on the Israeli-Lebanese border that guarantees security and allows civilians to return to their homes.

    The exchanges of fire that have taken place since October 7, and particularly over the past two weeks, threaten to widen the conflict and harm civilians.

    That is why we have been working together in recent days on a joint call for a temporary ceasefire to give diplomacy a chance to succeed and avoid further escalation on both sides of the border.

    The declaration we negotiated is now endorsed by the United States, Australia, Canada, the European Union, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and Qatar. We call for broad adherence and immediate support from the governments of Israel and Lebanon.

    EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is a translation. Apologies should the grammar and/or sentence structure not be perfect.

    MIL Translation OSI

  • MIL-OSI Banking: Lufthansa Group appoints Felipe Bonifatti as Vice President Asia Pacific & Joint Ventures East

    Source: Lufthansa Group

    With an aviation career that spans more than three decades, Lufthansa Group is delighted to announce the appointment of Felipe Bonifatti as Vice President Asia Pacific & Joint Ventures East. Based in the Lufthansa Group regional headquarters of Singapore, Felipe will lead all commercial activities, including Joint Venture sales, in the Asia Pacific region from November 1, 2024.

    Born in Mar del Plata, Argentina, Felipe Bonifatti is a dual national of both Argentina and Spain. A graduate of the German school in Mar del Plata, Felipe holds both a bachelor’s degree as well as a law degree from the National University. Felipe also holds a master’s degree in international relations from the University of Belgrano in Argentina.

    Felipe’s career in aviation began in 1992, and he has held various senior positions with Lufthansa Group across Latin America, Africa and the Caribbean. Appointed General Manager Equatorial Guinea & Sao Tome and Principe, Felipe was subsequently promoted to General Manager Colombia, Ecuador & Peru where he was awarded with the prestigious Order of Alexander von Humboldt by the Colombian Parliament.

    As the youngest executive of the Lufthansa Aviation Group in Latin America, Felipe Bonifatti was subsequently appointed General Manager Central America & the Caribbean where he successfully opened Lufthansa Groups’ first operation in Central America. During this time Felipe spearheaded the Group’s expansion into the Caribbean region, including pioneering operations of Group airlines including Austrian Airlines, Eurowings and Edelweiss. Further promotions led to Felipe assuming the positions of Senior Director, Head of Sales Mexico, Central America & Caribbean, as well as his current position of Senior Director South America & Caribbean, in Sao Paolo, Brazil.

    According to Frank Naeve, Senior Vice President Global Markets & Stations:

    Felipe Bonifatti brings a wealth of experience to the role of Lufthansa Group Vice President Asia Pacific & Joint Ventures East, and I am personally very excited to have him on board. As one of our most senior executives in the Americas I am confident he will deliver on our ambitious growth plans for the Asia Pacific region

    Felipe Bonifatti speaks German, English, Portuguese & Spanish, is married with two children and very much looks forward to growing the Lufthansa Group footprint in the dynamic Asia Pacific region.

    About Lufthansa Group

    The Lufthansa Group is an aviation group with operations worldwide. With 100,000+ employees, Lufthansa Group generated revenue of €35.4bn in the financial year 2023. Our largest business segment is Passenger Airlines while other key business segments include Logistics and Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO). Other companies and Group functions such as IT companies and Lufthansa Aviation Training form complimentary components of the Group. All airlines and business segments play leading roles in their respective markets.

     

    MIL OSI Global Banks –

  • MIL-OSI China: RMB, stocks rally amid stimulus

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    The renminbi rallied to its strongest level in more than a year and Chinese equities continued their rebound on Wednesday, after a potent policy package lifted investors’ confidence in the Chinese economy, which is expected to sail through headwinds.

    Economists, investment banks and asset managers said that policymakers’ more decisive stance to shore up the economy, a global interest rate cut cycle, and low asset valuations have combined to make it a potentially good time to invest in Chinese financial assets, which are expected to attract more foreign inflow in the months ahead.

    However, they cautioned that the forecast may be contingent upon the implementation of further policy support to address economic challenges, with the most urgent priorities being additional fiscal spending to bolster domestic demand and direct funding to alleviate property sector woes.

    On Wednesday, the renminbi, or Chinese yuan, rose to 6.9951 against the US dollar in the offshore market, up 158 basis points from the previous close and past the 7-per-dollar milestone for the first time in 16 months.

    Guan Tao, global chief economist at BOCI China, said that the renminbi’s rally is attributable to both Tuesday’s policy release, which strengthened investors’ confidence in China’s economy, and the US Federal Reserve’s interest rate cut last week, which narrowed the yield spreads between US and Chinese bonds.

    Looking ahead, Guan said the renminbi is likely to register two-way fluctuations against the dollar, with limited possibility of one-sided, drastic appreciation because uncertainties remain surrounding the Fed’s pace of rate cuts, including that the Fed might even reconsider rate hikes if the US economy turns out to be overheated.

    Moreover, the People’s Bank of China, the country’s central bank, is expected to take measures to prevent any renminbi exchange rate overshooting if needed, and has accumulated rich experience in this regard, said Guan, who had served as head of the Balance of Payments Department at the State Administration of Foreign Exchange.

    Guan added that in the base case scenario, in which the United States achieves a soft landing while the Fed continues rate cuts, foreign institutions may continue to boost holdings in renminbi-denominated bonds, especially treasury bonds.

    As of August, overseas institutions’ holdings in China’s interbank bond market had risen for 12 consecutive months, an increase in foreign holdings of as much as 1.34 trillion yuan ($190.7 billion), according to the PBOC’s Shanghai head office.

    Upbeat sentiment

    The upbeat sentiment was seen in the A-share market as well. The Shanghai Composite Index went up 1.16 percent to Wednesday’s close of 2,896.31 points, extending a jump of 4.15 percent on Tuesday, the biggest rise in about four years.

    “I believe that this may be a good time to revisit Chinese stocks,” said David Chao, global market strategist for the Asia-Pacific region (excluding Japan) at Invesco, a global investment management company.

    Chao said China has fired off a meaningful monetary stimulus salvo, which may potentially usher trillions of renminbi in liquidity if fully implemented, sending a strong signal that the government is responding to economic headwinds.

    Major package

    On Tuesday, China’s top financial regulators unveiled a set of measures that some analysts said might be the country’s biggest monetary stimulus package following the pandemic.

    This includes a 20 basis point reduction in the seven-day reverse repo rate, a key policy benchmark of interest rates, as well as a 50 basis point cut to rates on existing mortgages and another 50 basis point cut to the reserve requirement ratio, apart from other steps supportive of the property and stock markets.

    The PBOC started to put the package into action by lowering the one-year medium-term lending facility rate, a policy rate, by 30 basis points to 2 percent on Wednesday.

    A Goldman Sachs report said on Wednesday that the latest stimulus package would be strong enough to catalyze a policy-induced rally in shares listed in Hong Kong and on the Chinese mainland, though it would be unlikely to “turn things around fundamentally”.

    The report said a relending program unveiled on Tuesday will allow listed companies to borrow inexpensive money to shore up stock prices and boost investor sentiment, while the stock stabilization fund that is under policy study, if launched, might help fend off systemic risks in the stock market, as indicated by experiences in other markets.

    While the PBOC introduced two new policy tools aimed at boosting stock market liquidity, the China Securities Regulatory Commission released a guideline on Tuesday to encourage mergers and acquisitions and a draft rule to strengthen listed companies’ market capitalization management.

    Yet more could be done, with Goldman Sachs saying that “we would turn more aggressive on A shares when signs of property market stabilization emerge or policy momentum further strengthens”.

    Ding Shuang, chief economist for Greater China and North Asia at Standard Chartered Bank, underlined the importance of beefing up fiscal support, as “monetary easing would be less effective without proactive fiscal policy”.

    It is likely that the government will increase bond issuance to accelerate government spending, Ding said, adding that investor sentiment could improve if policymakers decide to broaden the use of bond proceeds, especially to reduce home inventory.

    Ding said that Standard Chartered Bank analysts retain the base case forecast that the renminbi will stay within the range of between 7 and 7.1 against the dollar by the end of the year.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Digital trade in spotlight at global expo

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    The exhibition area of humanoid robots is pictured at the third Global Digital Trade Expo in Hangzhou, east China’s Zhejiang Province, Sept. 25, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

    Greater efforts are needed to strengthen international cooperation in digital trade and to collectively formulate international rules related to such business activity, a sector which has injected new impetus into world economic growth, officials and experts said.

    China is willing to work with other nations to support the deeper application of cutting-edge technologies, promote the balanced development of digital trade in all fields, and help small and medium-sized enterprises worldwide achieve sustainable development through digital and intelligent transformation, said Zheng Jianbang, vice-chairman of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People’s Congress, the country’s top legislature.

    Zheng made the remarks at the launch ceremony of the third Global Digital Trade Expo, which opened in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, on Wednesday.

    He said China has attached great importance to the development of digital trade, which is regarded as one of the three pillars supporting the development of a strong trading nation, alongside trade in goods and services.

    Zheng stressed the need to deepen dialogue and cooperation with other countries in the aspect of governance and to actively take part in the formulation of multilateral, bilateral and regional rules concerning digital trade, so as to create an open, fair, just and nondiscriminatory environment for the development of global digital trade.

    Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao said his ministry will strengthen the construction of digital trade mechanisms, promote high-standard opening-up, and work with all parties to build digital trade into a new engine for common development, ultimately injecting new momentum into global economic growth.

    Wang said more than 400 new products and technologies are being showcased during the expo, while a future-oriented industry exhibition area has been set up for the first time, demonstrating cutting-edge technologies in fields such as artificial intelligence.

    Featuring Kazakhstan and Thailand as guests of honor, the expo, with the theme of “Digital Trade, Global Access”, has attracted more than 1,500 companies from 32 countries and regions, with more than 30,000 professional buyers having registered for the event, including over 6,000 overseas buyers.

    Digital trade in China has made remarkable progress in recent years. Data from the Ministry of Commerce showed that China’s import and export of digitally-delivered service trade rose 3.7 percent year-on-year to 1.42 trillion yuan ($202.2 billion) in the first six months of 2024, a record-high.

    Moreover, the country’s cross-border e-commerce imports and exports reached 1.22 trillion yuan in the first half of the year, an increase of 10.5 percent year-on-year, according to the General Administration of Customs.

    Yi Lianhong, Party secretary of Zhejiang province, said the province will accelerate the building of industrial chains of digital trade, vigorously develop new business models such as digital product trade and digital service trade, ease market access in the digital domain, and bolster safe cross-border data flows.

    Zhaslan Madiyev, minister of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry of Kazakhstan, said the expo provides an unique opportunity to showcase innovative technologies, products and ecosystems in global digital trade, while offering an open forum for exploring new markets and fostering opportunities for economic and trade collaboration.

    Kazakhstan has established strong cooperation relations with major Chinese e-commerce platforms like Alibaba and JD, further strengthening its role in the global digital trade arena, while Chinese delivery company YTO Express is partnering with Kazakhstan to build the largest e-commerce logistics center in Central Asia, he noted.

    He added that his country looks forward to further deepening its collaboration with China in areas such as logistics, digital trade and the creation of new technological hubs.

    This photo taken on Sept. 25, 2024 shows the China Pavilion at the third Global Digital Trade Expo in Hangzhou, east China’s Zhejiang Province. [Photo/Xinhua]

    People visit the Silk Road E-commerce Zone during the third Global Digital Trade Expo in Hangzhou, east China’s Zhejiang Province, Sept. 25, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

    People visit the Kazakhstan Pavilion at the third Global Digital Trade Expo in Hangzhou, east China’s Zhejiang Province, Sept. 25, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

    People visit the Thailand Pavilion at the third Global Digital Trade Expo in Hangzhou, east China’s Zhejiang Province, Sept. 25, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Forging Partnerships: U.S. and Thai Forces Collaborate on Stryker Readiness

    Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

    CHON BURI, Thailand  –  

    The partnership between the 1st Battalion, 205th Regimental Training Institute, Washington National Guard and the 112th Stryker Regiment, Royal Thai Army, grew a little stronger during a recent Stryker Maintenance Exchange in Chon Buri, Thailand, Sept. 7 – 19, 2024. This initiative is part of the State Partnership Program, which aims to enhance military capabilities and foster collaboration between the two forces.

    Since the Royal Thai Army fielded the Stryker combat vehicles, the 205th Regiment launched the Stryker Leader Course in Thailand. The course focuses on operational effectiveness and tactical maneuvers. As the course progresses, the emphasis is increasingly shifting to maintenance and logistics, which are critical components for maintaining unit readiness.

    “Operational training is important but having a solid maintenance unit is equally vital for Stryker operators,” said Chief Warrant Officer 4 Ricky Thomas, the exchange team lead. “We’re working with their leadership and maintenance managers to identify ways to streamline operations. They currently lack some basic repair tools, and we are looking at ways to speed up parts acquisition and provide relevant training for fiscal year 2025.”

    Training sessions have uncovered gaps in maintenance protocols and logistics, prompting discussions between Washington National Guard and Royal Thai Army leaders. The collaboration seeks to establish best practices in vehicle upkeep and supply chain management to improve overall efficiency.

    The Washington National Guard is closely working with Thai soldiers, delivering hands-on equipment maintenance and inventory management training.

    “Our goal is to provide the tools, training, and knowledge necessary for the NCOs and officer corps of the Royal Thai Army at the 112th Stryker Regiment and their support battalion,” said 1st Sgt. Jacob Harrington, chief instructor for the 1st Battalion, 205th Regimental Training Institute. “If they require specific training, we can tailor our approach. Ultimately, it’s about meeting their needs.”

    As the Stryker Leader Course continues, both nations hope that this partnership will enhance military readiness and strengthen the longstanding relationship between the United States and Thailand.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Secretary-General of ASEAN delivers remarks at the China-ASEAN Young Leaders’ Roundtable

    Source: ASEAN

    Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, today delivered remarks at the China-ASEAN Young Leaders’ Roundtable Dialogue in Nanning, China, where he commended the youth for their commitment to building connections and engaging in meaningful discussions about the future of ASEAN-China relations. The Roundtable Dialogue also featured the presentation of certificates to the participants in the China-ASEAN Young Leaders’ Growth Program.

    Download the full remarks here.

    The post Secretary-General of ASEAN delivers remarks at the China-ASEAN Young Leaders’ Roundtable appeared first on ASEAN Main Portal.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Premier US Army CBRNE Command hosts South Korean counterparts for exercise

    Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

    ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Maryland  –  

     American and South Korean military leaders held a tabletop exercise to strengthen their combined counter Weapons of Mass Destruction posture, Sept. 25.

    The U.S. Army’s 20th Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives (CBRNE) Command hosted the Republic of Korea Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear (CBRN) Defense Command for Exercise Liberty Shield.

    Leaders from the 20th CBRNE Command welcomed their South Korean counterparts to their headquarters on Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, in Northeast Maryland’s science, technology and security corridor.

    American Soldiers and U.S. Army civilians from 20th CBRNE Command deploy from 19 bases in 16 states to confront and defeat the world’s most dangerous hazards in support of joint, interagency and multinational operations.

    The 20th CBRNE Command is home to 75 percent of the active-duty U.S. Army’s CBRN specialists and Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) technicians, as well as the 1st Area Medical Laboratory, CBRNE Analytical and Remediation Activity, Weapons of Mass Destruction Teams and Nuclear Disablement Teams (Infrastructure).

    Established in 2002, the ROK CBRN Defense Command incorporates personnel from all branches of the South Korean Armed Forces.

    The ROK CBRN Defense Command and 20th CBRNE Command routinely train together in the U.S. and South Korea.

    From peninsula-wide exercises in South Korea to field training exercises at the National Training Center on Fort Irwin, California, the allied commands have forged an enduring partnership, much like the enduring alliance they support.

    U.S. Army Brig. Gen. W Bochat, the commanding general for 20th CBRNE Command, met with her counterpart, ROK Army Brig. Gen. Jaehoon Yoo, the commanding general of the ROK CBRN Defense Command.

    Yoo said the relationship between the two highly specialized commands continues to strengthen the counter Weapons of Mass Destruction posture on the Korean Peninsula.

    Bochat emphasized the importance of the annual meeting to the ROK-U.S. Alliance and the CBRNE forces that serve in it.

    Bochat previously served as the first female chief of staff in the 107-year history of the storied South Korea-based 2nd Infantry Division/ROK-U.S. Combined Division.

    “The relationships that I have had personally and professionally both on and off the peninsula cannot be overstated,” said Bochat.

    The ROK-U.S. Alliance was officially established by the Mutual Defense Treaty that was signed on October 1, 1953.

    The ROK-U.S. Alliance has provided the security on the Korean Peninsula and stability in Northeast Asia that enabled the meteoric rise of South Korea from the ashes of war to become one of the world’s leading economic and cultural powers.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Joint statement by President  Biden and President  Macron

    US Senate News:

    Source: The White House
    It is time for a settlement on the Israel-Lebanon border that ensures safety and security to enable civilians to return to their homes. The exchange of fire since October 7th, and in particular over the past two weeks, threatens a much broader conflict, and harm to civilians. We therefore have worked together in recent days on a joint call for a temporary ceasefire to give diplomacy a chance to succeed and avoid further escalations across the border. The statement we have negotiated is now endorsed by the United States, Australia, Canada, European Union, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and Qatar. We call for broad endorsement and for the immediate support of the Governments of Israel and Lebanon.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: The common raupō once kept NZ’s wetlands and lakes thriving – now it could help restore them

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rewi Newnham, Professor in Physical Geography, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington

    Shutterstock/Sketchart

    With about 90% of New Zealand’s natural wetlands drained or severely damaged during the past decades, we need to understand the role of native plants in the restoration of these important habitats.

    Raupō is a resilient plant and acts as an ecological buffer.
    Wikimedia Commons/Grapeman4, CC BY-SA

    Our new research details the history of raupō (bulrush) from the time before people arrived in Aotearoa. It shows this resilient, opportunistic plant – and taonga species – can play an important role restoring wetlands and freshwater quality.

    An unexpected finding was that the decline of freshwater quality in many lakes did not really kick in until the mid-20th century with intensification of agriculture. Until then, lake water quality indicators generally showed these ecosystems remained healthy. The prolific expansion of raupō after Aotearoa was first settled may have helped.

    Thriving on material washed from disturbed catchments, raupō acted as an ecological buffer, intercepting nutrients and sediments, and reducing potentially harmful effects on freshwater ecosystems.

    From the mid-20th century, as water quality began to deteriorate, raupō populations – and any buffering effects – were generally in decline as wetlands and lake shallows were drained for grazing land and better access to water supply.

    Lessons from this plant’s past can be put to good use today as we strive to bring back the mauri (life force) of our freshwater systems.

    Survival strategies for hard times

    Before settlement, when dense forest covered most of the country, raupō was surviving on the fringes. As a wetland plant, it likes its roots submerged, but needs light to grow.

    Its preferred niche is the shallow margins of lakes, ponds and streams or nutrient-rich swamps. Before people, these places were much less common. Forests typically grew right up to the water’s edge and extended across some swamps.

    Under these conditions, raupō evolved strategies for survival: aerated roots to cope with water logging; tiny, abundant seeds that spread far and wide on the wind; rhizomes (underground stems) that extend from the mother plant and store carbohydrates to keep the plant alive in lean times.

    Raupō has several attributes that allow it to grow on disturbed land. 1. large, resilient structures; 2. small, wind-dispersed seeds; 3. long-lived seed bank; 4. flowers produce abundant pollen; 5. aerated roots; 6. rhizomes store energy over winter; 7. rhizomes anchor in substrate, trapping sediment; 8. aggressive clonal propagation; 9. floating rhizome mats.
    Author provided, CC BY-SA

    Raupō can even build floating root mats, from sediment trapped by its rhizomes, that extend out across open water and even detach from the shoreline to become mobile raupō islands.

    With these survival strategies, raupō could wait for better times which, in Aotearoa’s dynamic environment, duly arrived.

    Episodic agents of disruption – storms, floods, earthquakes, landslides, volcanic ashfall – created opportunities. Local forest damage allowed light to penetrate to ground level, and slips and floods brought nutrient-rich sediment from soils.

    Raupō would seize these opportunities to expand. But they were typically short-lived as the inevitable process of forest succession returned the environment to stability – and raupō back to a state of patient hibernation.

    Hitting the jackpot

    Then people arrived, with fire and hungry mouths to feed. This time, the disturbances persisted. Forest clearances endured, sediments rich in nutrients flooded wetlands and lakes, and raupō, supremely equipped for just this scenario, spread across swamps and lake shores as wildfires spread on land.

    Our tūpuna (ancestors) observed this behaviour, as well as what was happening around raupō. Insects and birds were feeding and nesting. Freshwater fish, crays, shellfish and eel spawned among its fertile beds.

    This new-found abundance also offered a range of resource opportunities. Raupō’s flax-like leaves were woven into mats, rope and string. Leaves and stems were used like thatch to cloak the roofs and walls of whare.

    This graphic shows how raupō responded to environmental changes during the past millennium (upper panels), informed by pollen analysis of lake sediments (lower panels).
    Author provided, CC BY-SA

    Traditional poi were often made from raupō leaves. Some iwi, particularly in the south, used the stems to build lightweight boats for navigating rivers and lakes. Flower stalks, shoots and young leaves were eaten, and the rhizomes and roots, when cooked, provided edible carbohydrates. The most cherished raupō kai, however, were cakes baked using the copious raupō pollen.

    Unsurprisingly, for many iwi raupō remains a taonga species today, treasured for this array of resources and for its ecological and even spiritual roles in maintaining the mauri of freshwater habitats, upon which so much depends.

    For some iwi, raupō are seen as kaitiaki (guardians) watching over a lake or wetland, and signalling its health. In these ways, raupō also connects us with other Indigenous communities. Although raupō is native to this country, the same species is found in Australia and parts of East Asia, while relatives in the genus Typha (Greek for marsh) occur naturally on all continents, except Antarctica.

    Similar practices occurred wherever raupō and its relatives are found.
    This connection between cultural and ecological roles is one of the fascinating findings from our research. We describe raupō as a “human-associated species”, not just because of its taonga status, but because its fate seems so closely linked to people.

    More work needs to be done, but history tells us raupō has an important role in restoring the health of our freshwater ecosystems. Not only can it soak up nutrients and contaminants, but as both a native and taonga species it can assist remediation solutions that are ecologically and culturally supportive and sustainable.

    This research was funded by the New Zealand Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment research programmes – Our lakes’ health; past, present, future (C05X1707) and Our lakes, Our future (CAWX2305).

    – ref. The common raupō once kept NZ’s wetlands and lakes thriving – now it could help restore them – https://theconversation.com/the-common-raupo-once-kept-nzs-wetlands-and-lakes-thriving-now-it-could-help-restore-them-238887

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: September 25th, 2024 Zuni Indian Tribe and Navajo Nation Rio San José Stream System Water Rights Settlements Bills Receive Key Committee Hearing

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Mexico Martin Heinrich
    Before legislative hearing, Heinrich’s bipartisan Indian Buffalo Management Act also advanced out of Senate Committee
    WASHINGTON – Today, the Zuni Indian Tribe Water Rights Settlement Act and the Navajo Nation Rio San José Stream System Water Rights Settlement Act, bills sponsored by U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), received a key hearing before the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs.

    VIDEO: U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich testifies in support of the Zuni Indian Tribe Water Rights Settlement Act and the Navajo Nation Rio San José Stream System Water Rights Settlement Act during a hearing before the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs onSeptember 25, 2024.
    “The failure of the United States to work with Tribal Governments to ensure that they could use the water they have always owned has reverberated through generations,” said Heinrich. “It has a direct impact on the well-being of Tribal members today. It’s time we make this right for Zuni and the Navajo Nation.”
    Heinrich and U.S. Representative Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.) introduced the Zuni Indian Tribe Water Rights Settlement Act in July. The bill would unlock federal funding to support a trust for sustainable water management and infrastructure development that upholds the federal government’s trust responsibility while protecting the sacred Zuni Salt Lake. The bill ratifies the settlement between the federal government, State of New Mexico, and Zuni Tribe that affirms their water rights for irrigation, livestock, storage, and domestic and other uses. During the hearing, Zuni Tribe Governor Arden Kucate testified in support of the legislation.
    Heinrich and U.S. Representative Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.) introduced the Navajo Nation Rio San José Stream System Water Rights Settlement Act earlier this month to approve the water rights settlement for the Navajo Nation as well as participating non-Tribal parties in the Rio San José watershed. During the hearing, Navajo Nation President Dr. Buu Nygren testified in support of the legislation.
    Heinrich and Leger Fernández previously introduced the Rio San José and Rio Jemez Water Settlements Act, which would implement the water settlements agreed to by the Pueblos of Acoma and Laguna, the United States, the State of New Mexico, and non-Tribal parties, in the Rio San José watershed. That bill received a hearing and was reported out of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee in December. The House version of this bill received a legislative hearing in the House Water, Wildlife and Fisheries Subcommittee in July. The bill introduced this month and heard today in the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs would further resolve Tribal water claims in the Rio San José basin by settling the Navajo Nation’s claims.  
    Before the hearing on Tribal water rights settlements legislation, the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs also held a business meeting in which members voted to advance Heinrich’s Indian Buffalo Management Act. That legislation received a hearing before the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs in June.
    “This legislation will further foster growth of Tribal bison herds, and I am grateful for the committee’s support,” said Heinrich.
    The Indian Buffalo Management Act, which Heinrich introduced last year alongside U.S. Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), provides secure, consistent funding for Tribes and Tribal organizations that have established buffalo herds, as well as provides resources for Tribes that would like to establish new herds.
    The bill creates a permanent buffalo restoration and management program within the Department of Interior to:
    Promote and develop the capacity of Tribes and Tribal organizations to manage buffalo and buffalo habitat;
    Protect and enhance buffalo herds for the maximum benefit of Tribes; and
    Ensure that Tribes are directly involved in the Interior Department decision-making regarding buffalo.
    The bill has been endorsed by the InterTribal Buffalo Council, the National Bison Association, The Nature Conservancy, the National Wildlife Federation, and the National Parks Conservation Association.
    Full video of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee Business Meeting and Legislative Hearing can be found here.
    Heinrich’s full remarks as prepared for delivery are below: 
    Chairman Schatz and Vice Chairman Murkowski, I want to first thank you for considering the Indian Buffalo Management Act a few minutes ago. 
    This legislation will further support growth of Tribal bison herds, and I am grateful for the committee’s support. 
    Turning to the hearing agenda, I want to thank you for holding this hearing on the Zuni Indian Tribe Water Rights Settlement Act and the Navajo Nation Rio San José Stream System Water Rights Settlement Act, two bills of critical importance for the water future of New Mexico’s Tribes. 
    I am happy to welcome the Governor of Zuni Pueblo, Arden Kucate, who is here today to provide testimony on the Zuni Water Rights Settlement Act.?
    The Zuni people have been stewards of the Zuni River Basin for millennia. 
    Their traditional agricultural practices and careful stewardship of water sustained the tribe over thousands of years. 
    Unfortunately, the United States has failed to protect Zuni’s water rights and has allowed their water to be diverted to other purposes. 
    Overuse of water in the Zuni Basin has caused the Zuni people to suffer from a lack of water for their community, their businesses, and their traditional agricultural practices.  
    This injustice continues today. Without reliable access to clean water, it is difficult for Zuni to attract new businesses that create jobs and revenue for the Tribe. 
    This legislation would not only fully settle Zuni’s water rights claims in the Zuni River Basin; it would also provide funding for several key water infrastructure projects.  
    It is an opportunity for the United States to make the Zuni Tribe whole for the water that they have always been entitled to. 
    And it will support Zuni’s traditional irrigation practice, their people, and their future business development, in a manner that builds resilience in the face of a drying climate. 
    This piece of legislation would also protect the Zuni Salt Lake, a sacred place of great cultural significance to the Zuni Tribe and others in the region.
    I am also happy to welcome the President of Navajo Nation, Dr. Buu Nygren, who is here to provide testimony for the Navajo Nation Rio San José Stream System Water Rights Settlement Act.
    This legislation would settle the water rights of the Navajo Nation in the Rio San José basin – it is the final step in an adjudication process that began more than forty years ago. 
    In that time, we’ve seen aridification in the Southwest further strain water resources for Tribes, including the Navajo Nation, that don’t have the resources to fully use their water rights.
    This settlement is an important step towards giving the Navajo Nation an equal voice amongst water users in the southwest. 
    Today, there are more than 200 Navajo households within the Rio San José and Rio Puerco Basins without access to running water. 
    These households instead have to rely on hauling water. 
    The lack of reliable drinking water systems in these communities contributed to the widespread health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Navajo Nation, which took the lives of far too many. 
    I am committed to working with the Navajo Nation to build a future where they have full access to their water rights. 
    This access to water will facilitate the preservation of Navajo culture and tradition.
    Both of these pieces of legislation would implement settlement agreements that have been carefully negotiated between the Tribes, the State of New Mexico, neighboring water users, and the United States. 
    I want to thank all of the parties for their tireless work in reaching settlements for these basins, and Senator Luján for cosponsoring these settlements along with me. 
    The failure of the United States to work with Tribal Governments to ensure that they could use the water they have always owned has reverberated through generations.
    It has a direct impact on the well-being of Tribal members today. 
    It’s time we make this right for Zuni and the Navajo Nation.
    Thank you to the committee for your consideration today, and I yield back the remainder of my time. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Chinese publishers shine at Indonesia International Book Fair

    Source: China State Council Information Office 3

    People visit the booth of China Publication during the 2024 Indonesia International Book Fair at Jakarta Convention Center in Jakarta, Indonesia, Sept. 25, 2024. A delegation of Chinese publishers on Wednesday showcased more than 700 volumes of premium Chinese books at the 2024 Indonesia International Book Fair (IIBF), held from Sept. 25-29 in Jakarta. Organized by China National Sci-Tech Information Import & Export Co., Ltd, the collection featured over 400 types of books, covering topics such as traditional Chinese culture, Mandarin learning, literature, social sciences, children’s books, and traditional Chinese medicine. (Xinhua/Xu Qin)

    A delegation of Chinese publishers on Wednesday showcased more than 700 volumes of premium Chinese books at the 2024 Indonesia International Book Fair (IIBF), held from Sept. 25-29 in Jakarta.

    Organized by China National Sci-Tech Information Import & Export Co., Ltd, the collection featured over 400 types of books, covering topics such as traditional Chinese culture, Mandarin learning, literature, social sciences, children’s books, and traditional Chinese medicine.

    The delegation set up a digital reading stand showcasing Chinese history, culture, and advancements in fields like economics and ecology. The stand’s interactive photo feature allowed visitors to capture memorable moments.

    A highlight of the event was a signing ceremony between China’s publisher Higher Education Press and Indonesia’s PT Legacy Utama Kreasindo, which secured the Indonesian language rights for “Experiencing Chinese for Primary Schools (International Version).” This comprehensive series, designed for overseas elementary students, will be published in Indonesia later this year.

    IIBF Chairperson Wedha Stratesti remarked that the 2024 event, featuring publishers from 15 countries, represents a milestone for the fair. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: International film festival in north China to screen movies from 22 countries, regions

    Source: China State Council Information Office 3

    Visitors are seen at the eighth Pingyao International Film Festival in the ancient town of Pingyao in north China’s Shanxi Province, Sept. 24, 2024. (Xinhua/Chen Zhihao)

    The eighth Pingyao International Film Festival opened in the ancient town of Pingyao in north China’s Shanxi Province on Tuesday evening, with nearly 60 movies from 22 countries and regions to be screened.

    All the works, from countries such as the United States, France, Portugal, Brazil, Italy, Mexico, Japan, Argentina, Columbia, Uruguay and Denmark, will make their debut on the Chinese mainland’s big screen, and nearly half of them will premiere globally at the festival with the theme of “Earth.”

    “In an era of technological transformation, looking back at our journey on earth will empower us to move forward,” Jia Zhangke, founder of the film festival and a renowned Chinese director, said while interpreting the theme.

    By screening excellent films from around the world, the festival focuses on discovering and promoting exceptional works by young directors, especially from emerging and developing countries.

    The festival will run until Sept. 30.

    Founded in 2017, the Pingyao International Film Festival is held annually in Pingyao, a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: China’s Lingnan cultural show held in New Zealand

    Source: China State Council Information Office 3

    An opera artist from south China’s Guangdong Province presents a performance showcasing the charm of China’s Lingnan culture at the National Museum of New Zealand in Wellington, New Zealand, Sept. 25, 2024. This cultural promotion event was jointly held by the China International Cultural Association, the Chinese Embassy in New Zealand, the Guangdong Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, the China Cultural Center in Wellington, and co-organized by the Federation of the Chinese Association of New Zealand. It aims to promote exchanges and mutual learning of civilizations between China and New Zealand. (Photo by Meng Tao/Xinhua)

    Artists from Guangdong Province, southern China, showcased the charm of China’s Lingnan culture to New Zealanders at the National Museum of New Zealand in Wellington on Wednesday evening.

    This cultural promotion event was jointly held by the China International Cultural Association, the Chinese Embassy in New Zealand, the Guangdong Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, the China Cultural Center in Wellington, and co-organized by the Federation of the Chinese Association of New Zealand. It aims to promote exchanges and mutual learning of civilizations between China and New Zealand.

    At the beginning of the event, five inheritors of intangible cultural heritage from Guangdong presented a unique performance, including the Lingnan school of Guqin art, Chaozhou Kung Fu tea art, Canton Porcelain, and art of Dongguan agarwood incense.

    The performances also featured Chinese folk musical instrument performance, Chinese folk song and dance, attracting more than 200 people. At the final of the show, the audience cheered and applauded in ovation for the artists’ performance.

    A Wellington citizen who named herself only as Barbara told Xinhua that this has been the largest Chinese cultural event ever held in Wellington since COVID-19, and the whole show was “amazing” and “impressive”. The programs about Chinese tea especially broadened her horizon as a tea lover.

    “China is the hometown of tea and the birthplace of the tea culture in the world,” she said, “I truly immersed in the profoundness of Chinese tea culture in this event.”

    Zhang Yimin, deputy director of the Guangdong Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, said it is exciting to be here to engage in friendly exchanges by enjoying tea and artistic performances.

    He hoped this event will help New Zealanders gain a deeper understanding of Guangdong’s culture and tourism, further promote cultural and tourism exchanges and cooperation between Guangdong and New Zealand, and inject vitality into the long-term friendly exchanges and mutual learning of civilizations between China and New Zealand.

    Guangdong Province is the heart of Lingnan culture, the starting point of the Maritime Silk Road, and a pioneer in China’s reform and opening-up. The province is working together with Hong Kong and Macao to build the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) into a world-class tourism destination, Zhang added. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Trade – UAE Trade agreement: High-quality and comprehensive dairy outcome

    Source: Dairy Companies Association of New Zealand (DCANZ)

    The Dairy Companies Association of New Zealand (DCANZ) welcomes the announcement of a trade agreement between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and New Zealand. The deal will deliver the complete elimination of all dairy tariffs from day one.
    “New Zealand exported approximately NZ$ 700 million worth of dairy products to the UAE in the last year, making it our 10th largest dairy market. Eliminating all dairy products provides important certainty to continue growing this trade,” says DCANZ Executive Director Kimberly Crewther.
    “DCANZ congratulates Trade Minister Todd McClay and New Zealand trade negotiators on this outstanding achievement. They have demonstrated that high-quality agreements that eliminate all dairy tariffs are still possible even in an increasingly complex international environment.”
    A 2023 report from Sense Partners estimated that New Zealand dairy tariffs were subject to over NZ$ 1 billion of tariffs across all markets and that 86% of global dairy consumption occurred behind tariff barriers of 10% or more. This included ongoing tariffs in some markets where New Zealand has trade agreements, such as the European Union and Japan.
    “The UAE agreement is a positive step towards a less protectionist international environment for New Zealand dairy products. We strongly encourage the Government to continue pursuing such high-quality outcomes with other negotiating partners, including upgrading existing trade agreements that have not yet secured dairy tariff elimination.”

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Sinema Introduces Sharad Desai, Nominee for U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona to the Senate Judiciary Committee

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Kyrsten Sinema (Arizona)
    Sinema worked directly with the White House to nominate Sharad Desai to serve as a U.S. District Court Judge 

    For a broadcast-quality HD clip, click HERE.
    For an MP3 soundbite, click HERE.WASHINGTON – Arizona senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema introduced Sharad Desai, nominee to the U.S. District Court Judge for the District of Arizona to the Senate Judiciary Committee. Sinema recommended Mr. Desai and worked directly with the White House on his nomination to the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona.  “Sharad Desai represents the best of the Arizona legal community. He possesses the experience, integrity, and intellect to serve honorably as a federal judge in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona,” said Sinema.  Earlier this year, Sinema applauded Sharad Desai’s nomination to serve as a U.S. District Court Judge for the District of Arizona. Mr. Desai is a native Arizonan and, if confirmed by the U.S. Senate, he would be Arizona’s first South Asian federal district judge. Mr. Desai currently serves as Vice President and General Counsel for Honeywell’s Integrated Supply Chain and Information Technology groups, where he manages legal risk, ensures compliance with laws and regulations across the globe, resolves disputes prior to litigation, and more. At Honeywell, Mr. Desai has served in numerous roles, including as Litigation Counsel for Honeywell’s Aerospace division and Chief Litigation Counsel for the Safety and Productivity Solutions division. In these roles, Mr. Desai managed a docket of federal and state court matters and arbitrations – including commercial, qui tam, product liability, and toxic tort matters. Mr. Desai also selected outside counsel, developed the litigation strategy, and coordinated discovery efforts. He was also responsible for handling government subpoenas and civil investigatory demands, as well as subpoenas received in connection with civil and criminal matters. Mr. Desai also worked almost for a decade at the Arizona law firm Osborn Maledon, becoming a partner in the litigation group where he represented clients – including individuals, small business, and Fortune 100 companies – in commercial litigation and appellate matters. In this role, Mr. Desai regularly appeared in both federal and state courts, mental health court proceedings, and lawyer ethics matters. After graduating from New York University Law School in 2006, Mr. Desai clerked for Arizona Supreme Court then-Vice Chief Justice Rebecca White Berch. Mr. Desai earned a Bachelor of Science in Molecular and Cellular Biology, Magna Cum Laude, and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, Magna Cum Laude, from the University of Arizona in 2003, where he was a Flinn Scholar. Sinema has a track record of earning broad bipartisan support for judicial nominees. Earlier this year, Sinema celebrated the Senate confirmation of Arizona’s Angela Martinez and Krissa Lanham as federal judges for the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona – which Sinema personally ensured both nominees earned a broad bipartisan vote. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Quality Jobs and the Future of Work in Asia and the Pacific: Impacts of a Triple Transition—Demographic, Digital, and Green

    Source: Asia Development Bank

    The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is committed to achieving a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific, while sustaining its efforts to eradicate extreme poverty. It assists its members and partners by providing loans, technical assistance, grants, and equity investments to promote social and economic development.

    Headquarters

    6 ADB Avenue, Mandaluyong City 1550, Metro Manila, Philippines

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Funding Developing Asia’s Old-Age Needs: Challenges and Opportunities

    Source: Asia Development Bank

    The paper also finds that labor income will play a smaller role in funding the region’s old-age needs, while public and private transfers will play a larger role. While expanding public transfers will contribute toward old-age economic security, the region must carefully plan such expansion and avoid unsustainable generosity to safeguard the macroeconomic stability that underpinned its rapid economic growth and development.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Stockland and Supalai’s acquisition of Lendlease MPC projects not opposed, subject to divestiture

    Source: Australian Competition and Consumer Commission

    The ACCC will not oppose Stockland and Supalai’s proposed acquisition of 12 Lendlease (ASX: LLC) residential masterplanned community projects after accepting a court-enforceable undertaking.

    The undertaking requires Stockland to divest the Forest Reach masterplanned community project in the Illawarra region of New South Wales.

    Lendlease, Stockland, and Supalai are developers of masterplanned community (MPC) projects. Lendlease has 16 masterplanned community projects in NSW, Queensland, Victoria, and Western Australia, 12 of which Stockland and Supalai are proposing to acquire.

    “Without the divestment, the proposed acquisition would bring together the two largest masterplanned community projects in the already concentrated Illawarra market,” ACCC Commissioner Dr Philip Williams said.

    “This could have resulted in increased prices, delayed supply, or reduced quality of housing lots in the Illawarra region, to the detriment of prospective homeowners.”

    The ACCC’s investigation found that there were few alternative masterplanned community projects to constrain Stockland in the Illawarra and that prospective entrants faced challenges, including delays in the availability of essential infrastructure such as sewer and water services.

    To address the ACCC’s concerns, Stockland offered an undertaking to the ACCC to divest its Forest Reach masterplanned community project near Dapto in the Illawarra.

    “The ACCC considers that the divestiture undertaking given by Stockland addresses the competition issues that would arise from Stockland owning both Forest Reach and having an interest in Lendlease’s nearby Calderwood Valley project as a result of the proposed acquisition,” Dr Williams said.

    The ACCC is also satisfied that the proposed acquisition is unlikely to cause serious competition concerns in other areas.

    Accordingly, with the undertaking, the ACCC considers the proposed acquisition is not likely to have the effect of substantially lessening competition in any market. This includes markets for the supply of residential masterplanned community housing in North West Perth, Ipswich, and Moreton Bay, where the ACCC considers there are sufficient alternative developments available to constrain Stockland and/or the joint venture.

    Further information, including the undertaking accepted by the ACCC, can be found on the ACCC’s public register: Stockland Supalai Residential Communities Partnership Pty Ltd – Lendlease Group.

    Notes to editors

    Masterplanned community projects are residential property developments on greenfield land which are typically delivered in phases over multiple years. They are characterised by access to amenities with a focus on ‘community living’, such as open spaces, recreational facilities, education and community hubs, as well as commercial or retail centres.

    “Greenfield” is a term that refers undeveloped land.

    Background

    Stockland Supalai Residential Communities Partnership Pty Ltd (SSRCP) (a wholly-owned subsidiary of a special purpose acquisition vehicle owned by Stockland Communities Partnership HoldCo Pty Ltd (Stockland) and Supalai Australia Holdings Pty Limited (Supalai)) proposes to acquire 12 masterplanned communities from Lendlease Group (Lendlease).

    The masterplanned communities are located in greenfield growth areas across Greater Sydney, South East Queensland, Greater Melbourne and Greater Perth.

    The ACCC Statement of Issues, published on 4 July 2024, raised preliminary concerns with the proposed acquisition in relation to the supply of residential masterplanned community housing in four regions – the Illawarra, North West Perth, Ipswich and Moreton Bay.

    In the Illawarra region, SSRCP proposes to acquire Lendlease’s Calderwood Valley project.

    Stockland is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Stockland Corporation Limited (Stockland Group) (ASX: SGP), an ASX-listed diversified Australian property group that owns, funds, develops and manages portfolios of investment properties. Stockland Group has interests in 30 masterplanned communities developments across NSW, ACT, Queensland, Victoria and Western Australia.

    Supalai is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Supalai Public Company Limited, which is listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand. Supalai Public Company Limited principally operates as a property developer. Supalai has investments in various masterplanned communities in Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia through joint ventures with other developers, including Mirvac, Stockland, Satterley, Peet and ICD Property.

    Lendlease is an ASX-listed global real estate business.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Closer China-ASEAN cooperation boosts regional high-quality development

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    NANNING, China, Sept. 25 — Visitors arriving at this year’s China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO) will encounter an intriguing blend of fresh innovations and familiar attractions. A new section spotlights emerging industries such as artificial intelligence and lithium batteries, while longstanding crowd favorites, like durian, longan, and rice, continue to draw attention.

    This evolving landscape mirrors the deepening partnership between China and ASEAN. China’s commitment to expanding high-standard opening-up and the rapid industry upgrading in ASEAN nations has fostered stronger economic ties between the two sides. Together, these efforts drive regional high-quality development while sharing China’s development opportunities with ASEAN.

    EMPOWERING ASEAN SMES

    Stepping into the Thai Pavilion at CAEXPO, visitors are greeted by the distinct aroma of durian mingling with the herbal scent of Zam-buk, a popular Thai remedy for insect bites. A booth showcasing the collaboration between TOPTHAI and China’s e-commerce leader, JD.com, drew significant interest.

    TOPTHAI store on leading e-commerce platforms is an initiative launched by the Thai Department of International Trade Promotion this year. It aims to help Thai small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) expose their products to more overseas markets, among which the Chinese market is a crucial destination, said Dr. Nisachol Thaithong, a Thai trader and researcher in China-Thailand cross-border e-commerce.

    For SMEs and small-scale farmers in ASEAN countries, participating in e-commerce with China has transformed their businesses.

    “It (CAEXPO) is moving forward dynamically in terms of the more areas of cooperation, in terms of engaging wider stakeholders,” said Kao Kim Hourn, secretary-general of ASEAN, in an interview on the sideline of CAEXPO and China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit (CABIS). “Now they are involved in the Micro-, Small, and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs), for example. MSMEs are really the backbone of the economy on both sides. We have to get them involved, in addition to the big cooperations. I think this is the right direction that we are taking.”

    Frequent exchanges between China and Malaysia leadership have set a positive tone for SMEs, said Ravenna Chen, the CEO of TusStar Malaysia, an innovation and entrepreneurship platform.

    Huang Aimin, chairman of the first council of the Guangxi Cross-border E-Commerce Association, said cross-border e-commerce has the potential to be a critical platform for promoting in-depth economic and trade cooperation between China and ASEAN.

    Collaborating with China has sped up modernization in Laos. For instance, working with China to digitize businesses and develop e-commerce skills has been advantageous for both businesses and young individuals in Laos, according to Thanongsinh Kanlaya, Vice President of the Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

    UPGRADING AGRIBUSINESS

    At a durian orchard in Thailand’s Chanthaburi province, Kosai, the 32-year-old owner and a Chinese social media influencer, was promoting durians to Chinese netizens through the live streaming e-commerce platform Tmall.

    Kosai is proud that his orchard is a smart orchard jointly built by the Commercial Association for Sustainability of Agriculture in Thailand and the Foreign Economic Cooperation Center of China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.

    The Internet of Things installed by the Chinese side in Kosai’s orchard, which includes meteorological, water level, and soil moisture monitoring, could provide data support for the scientific cultivation of durian and the improvement of fruit quality.

    Modern farming is a sector with a promising future for cooperation between Malaysia and China, said Low Kian Chuan, president of the Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia.

    Despite the difference in size and population between Brunei and China, CAEXPO and CABIS have offered a platform for Brunei enterprises to conduct win-win cooperation with Chinese peers, said National Chamber of Commerce and Industry Brunei Darussalam President Haji Abdul Saman bin Haji Ahmad.

    Platforms like CAEXPO and CABIS incentivize Brunei SMEs to grow “more resilient and more proactive” by exposing their products and services to the Chinese market, said Saman, adding that he sees particularly promising opportunities for Brunei’s halal food.

    GREEN TRANSITION

    Leading Chinese renewable energy firms are working closely with ASEAN enterprises and investing in new facilities to produce innovative, locally adapted products, thus actively contributing to ASEAN’s green transition.

    In July, BYD opened an electric vehicle plant in Thailand, the automaker’s first Southeast Asian factory, a fast-growing regional EV market. The same month Eve Energy announced a plan to build a new factory in Kulim, Kedah state, Malaysia to meet the fast-growing demand for energy storage and consumer batteries in the South East Asia region.

    In August, Gotion High-tech announced that a battery assembly plant project in Malaysia is under negotiation, in addition to its assembly plants in Indonesia and Thailand. The battery manufacturer’s Vietnam factory is expected to begin production in October this year.

    Malaysia’s East Coast Rail Link under the Belt and Road Initiative is expected to drive economic development in the east coast areas and promote more balanced development among regions within the countries, said Anthony Loke Siew Fook, the minister of transport of Malaysia.

    As outlined in the National Automotive Policy 2020 and National Energy Transition Roadmap, Malaysia is developing its renewable energy battery sector and welcomes leading battery manufacturers to invest in it, said Loke.

    Malaysia encourages Chinese companies to form partnerships with local companies to further promote the use of electric and hybrid vehicles in Malaysia, not only in terms of car manufacturing but also in the entire ecosystem, from charging networks to battery manufacturing, said Zalina Zainol, deputy chief executive officer of investment development at Malaysian Investment Development Authority.

    Malaysia highly encourages such cooperation to further create high-skilled jobs in engineering, research and development, and advanced manufacturing, thereby boosting economic growth here, Zainol added.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI USA News: Readout of President Joe  Biden’s Meeting with General Secretary Tô Lâm of  Vietnam

    Source: The White House

    President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. met today with General Secretary Tô Lâm of Vietnam in New York. President Biden celebrated the one-year milestone of our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and reinforced the United States’ commitment to a strong, prosperous, resilient, and independent Vietnam. Both leaders reflected on the lasting legacy of the late General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng and his indelible mark on the U.S.-Vietnam bilateral relationship.

    The two leaders underscored our joint commitment to the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and expressed enthusiasm for bringing momentum into its second year – especially as we prepare to mark important bilateral milestones in 2025,including 50 years since the end of the war in Vietnam and 30 years since the normalization of ties.

    President Biden raised opportunities to advance cooperation on a range of  economic, technology, security, and diplomatic issues. President Biden underscored the important work under the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework; progress in our cooperation on cybersecurity including for undersea cables, next steps toward building secure and resilient semiconductor supply chains and strengthening our technology partnership. The two leaders discussed the importance of working together to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific, and combatting environmental and non-traditional security challenges across the Mekong sub-region. The two leaders reaffirmed the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific – especially in the South China Sea. President Biden also emphasized the United States’ commitment to ASEAN centrality and respect for human rights.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: World Vision – New report reveals ‘distress migration’ on the rise as children and families in Southeast Asia leave their homes due to climate change

    Source: World Vision

    • ‘Distress migration’ is becoming more common as children and families flee their homes due to climate change
    • There are up to 2.5 million migrant children in Thailand living without domestic legal status
    • Migrating children, especially girls, are at risk of exploitation and abuse
    • Climate change has been identified as the root cause of issues facing migrants including hunger, missing school, and anxiety over mounting debts
    • Northern Viet Nam identified as a likely climate out-migration “hotspot” by 2050.

    A new report from World Vision reveals how the escalating climate crisis is disproportionately affecting children across Southeast Asia and causing children and families to flee their homes.
     
    The report, Climate Change, Vulnerability, and Migration: Impacts on Children and Youth in Southeast Asia, paints a harrowing picture of climate-induced migration and its impact on the region’s most at-risk children.
     
    Drawing on nearly 100 first-hand accounts from child migrants, children who stayed behind, parents, and caregivers, along with insights from local leaders and experts, the report documents the severe repercussions of climate change.
     
    Dr. Olivia Yates, World Vision’s Advocacy Policy & Research Advisor, International Partnerships, says the report highlights the urgent need to protect the rights and interests of young migrants in Southeast Asia.
     
    “The climate crisis is one of the greatest forces shaping our world – both present and future. None of us are immune to this fact, however, the reality is most acutely felt by those families already living precariously close to the edge, just one drought or flood away from the tipping point.
     
    “As climate change worsens, driving increasing migration, it’s vital that we safeguard the rights of children who are particularly at risk. Their health, education, livelihoods and economic prospects are all at stake. We must support these children and do what we can to help prevent their exposure to exploitation and abuse.”
     
    The findings of the report offer a stark portrayal of the way in which climate change is deepening poverty, deprivation, and debt that force families to leave their homes. Daily struggles include hunger due to low crop yields or crop failures, missed schooling as children face increased responsibilities, and mounting anxiety over financial instability caused by a lack of stable work.
     
    Many parents view migration as a long-term investment in their children’s future. Other economically insecure households are selling their land to pay off debts and even cover the costs of migration.
     
    Every year in Southeast Asia, countless families choose to migrate with their children, and many children also migrate on their own.
     
    According to the latest figures, there were about 1.27 million international child migrants in the region as of 2020 – about 40% in Thailand. However, given the high prevalence of irregular migration, the number of migrant children in Thailand living without domestic legal status has been estimated be between 1 – 2.5 million.
     
    Terry Ferrari, World Vision International’s Regional Leader for East Asia says the emotional impact of forced migration on children is huge.
     
    “Children told us they feel sad, isolated and miss their family and friends. Moreover, the disruption to their education, exposure to hazardous working conditions, and other factors could have long-term consequences for children’s personal development and future opportunities,” Ferrari says.
     
    Ferarri adds that many children are also left behind when their parents migrate because many migration settings that focus on employment do not allow migrants to bring their dependents.
     
    The interviews revealed profound emotional impacts on children left behind, particularly when the mother migrated. Caregivers were often overwhelmed, and some grandparents felt that they could not provide the support children needed. Many households struggled financially, and some children did not have enough to eat. In some cases, the absence of parents was associated with worse educational outcomes and school dropouts.
     
    Ferrari says if families want to take their children with them, they can be forced to migrate through irregular channels, which can be dangerous. Irregular migrants also remain vulnerable at their destination and must hide from the authorities.
     
    The report finds that for many migrant parents, whether they stayed in their country or crossed the border,  the financial benefits fell short of their expectations. Often, they could not send as much money as they wished – or send it consistently.
     
    With the UN estimating 10.6 million international migrants in Southeast Asia as of 2020, the urgency for targeted, effective action is clear. The report calls on national governments, donors, and international organisations to prioritise the needs and rights of children in the face of a rapidly changing climate. The report provides a series of detailed recommendations aimed at mitigating climate-related impacts, including enhancing community resilience through infrastructure and disaster preparedness, supporting sustainable livelihoods, protecting migrating families, caring for caregivers and children who stay behind, and empowering youth to build a brighter future.
     
    World Vision’s report also underscores the need for child-responsive and mobility-sensitive climate finance. With climate finance set to be the focus of talks at COP29 climate summit, this is a critical opportunity for the New Zealand Government to stand with children and advocate for effective climate finance that meets the scale of need in lower-income countries, ensuring children and their families need not turn to migration to meet their basic needs.
     
    Terry Ferrari, World Vision International’s Regional Leader for East Asia, says: “Urgent steps need to be taken to address the root causes of climate-related migration and protect the future of these young lives. We want all nations to commit to supporting safe, orderly and dignified migration that upholds the rights, well-being and opportunities of migrants, particularly vulnerable children.”

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Oil and gas is alive and well, Minister Wilkinson: Minister Jean

    Source: Government of Canada regional news

    “It is a shame that the federal energy minister is so misinformed when it comes to the future of oil and gas in Canada and around the world.

    “Wilkinson falsely claimed that oil and gas will be peaking this year, that the market is inevitably declining and that making more investments in this industry, supporting it and defending it will allegedly make Canada poorer.

    “We shouldn’t be surprised that this comes from a government whose anti-energy and anti-development policies broke Canada.

    “Let us be absolutely clear, Alberta’s government remains committed to increasing oil and gas production. Small, medium and large companies are actively investing in oil and gas growth all across our province to reach this target.

    “The demand for Alberta’s oil is only growing and reached record production in July. Alberta has recently developed new markets in Asia. Millions of people die every year from energy poverty. To kill the oil and gas industry would be to condemn developing countries to energy poverty.

    “It is Alberta’s responsibility to meet this demand.

    “All reputable international forecasters predict this growth to continue for years to come. Alberta’s oil and gas sector is driving Canada’s economy, and we will continue to defend the sector by any means possible.”

    MIL OSI Canada News –