NewzIntel.com

Category: China

  • MIL-OSI China: China’s consumption boom presents opportunities for all countries: foreign ministry

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

    China’s consumption boom presents opportunities for all countries: foreign ministry

    BEIJING, Feb. 13 — China’s supersized consumption market provides enormous cooperation opportunities for countries around the world, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Thursday.

    Spokesperson Guo Jiakun made the remarks when asked to comment on 2025 economic outlooks released by many global financial institutions, which suggest that China’s high-quality development is gradually yielding fruits, and they expect higher proportions for consumption and the service sector.

    Guo said that during the Spring Festival of the Year of the Snake, China witnessed a burgeoning consumption market with record-setting sales revenues in “Guochao,” or trendy merchandise inspired by traditional Chinese culture, intangible cultural heritage experience, ice and snow economy, and consumer goods trade-in programs. New consumption models kept emerging driven by digital transition and technological development.

    “We saw strong supply and demand of imported products on the Spring Festival shopping lists. More Chinese people went abroad and more foreign travelers visited China,” he said.

    The prosperity of China’s consumer market signifies not only a recovery in demand but also improved confidence in China’s economic development, he said.

    Guo added that with a package of incremental policies being rolled out and implemented, China will inject stronger confidence and impetus to global economic growth through its high-quality development and high-standard opening up.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Number of intl wetland cities in China rises to 22

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

    Nine Chinese cities, including Dali in Yunnan province, Lhasa in the Xizang autonomous region, Fuzhou in Fujian province and Yueyang in Hunan province, were recently designated as international wetland cities, marking the third such set of cities announced after 2018 and 2022.

    At the 64th meeting of the Standing Committee of the Ramsar Convention, which was held in Gland, Switzerland, in late January, the addition of 31 cities to the Wetland City Accreditation program was announced. Currently, there are 74 accredited wetland cities around the world, with 22 of them in China.

    According to the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, wetlands are often referred to as “the kidneys of the Earth”, because they play a crucial role in purifying water, regulating climate and maintaining biodiversity.

    By prohibiting aquaculture to enable restoration of the wetland ecosystem, more than 55 percent of the Fujian Minjiang River Estuary Wetlands, located in Fuzhou’s Changle district, has recovered its ecological functions, making it an important habitat for the black-faced spoonbill, a globally endangered species, the administration said.

    Yueyang in Hunan initiated its wetland conservation efforts in the 1980s and established the East Dongting Lake Nature Reserve. The city has achieved a wetland conservation rate of 67 percent, with over 300 species of birds living there, including 18 species of first-class nationally protected birds, according to the local government.

    In the process of continuous improvement of the wetland environment, a series of bird-watching activities related to culture and tourism have also driven the area’s economic development, the local government said.

    Musonda Mumba, secretary-general of the Ramsar Convention, said last month that China has integrated wetland protection with urban development through scientific planning, providing replicable experiences for the world.

    Lei Guangchun, a professor of ecological protection at Beijing Forestry University, said China’s wetland protection has transitioned to a “new stage of high-quality development”.

    Data from the National Forestry and Grassland Administration shows that ever since China joined the Ramsar Convention in 1992, the country has improved laws and policies on protecting wetlands and achieved significant progress. China currently has 82 major wetlands, with a stable wetland area of 56.35 million hectares, ranking first in Asia and fourth globally.

    Lei, the professor, said that China is collaborating with African countries to develop a mangrove project that is expected to sequester 500,000 metric tons of carbon annually, making a substantive contribution to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

    In July, the 15th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention will be held in Zimbabwe. China will share technological achievements such as the smart wetland monitoring system and small-scale wetland restoration at the meeting, the National Forestry and Grassland Administration said.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Students embrace new semester with diverse ‘first lesson’ across China

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

    Students embrace new semester with diverse ‘first lesson’ across China

    Updated: February 14, 2025 08:45 Xinhua
    A teacher instructs students to interact with an intelligent robot at the No.1 Primary School in Boxing County, east China’s Shandong Province, Feb. 13, 2025. Primary and secondary schools, as well as kindergartens in some regions across China, welcomed the first day of the new semester on Thursday. Students began the term with diverse “first lesson” activities, marking the start of a fresh academic journey. [Photo/Xinhua]
    Students interact with an intelligent robot dog at a primary school in Wuhan, central China’s Hubei Province, Feb. 13, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
    Students practice roller skating during a physical education class at Zunhua No.6 Experimental Primary School in Zunhua City, north China’s Hebei Province, Feb. 13, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
    A traffic police officer explains traffic safety knowledge to students at Zunhua No.6 Experimental Primary School in Zunhua City, north China’s Hebei Province, Feb. 13, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
    Children try to perform dragon dance at a kindergarten in Liangxi District, Wuxi City of east China’s Jiangsu Province, Feb. 13, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
    A firefighter instructs students to use fire hose at Dachuan District Experimental School in Dazhou City, southwest China’s Sichuan Province, Feb. 13, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
    A firefighter introduces the use of fire extinguisher to students at Jiulong Experimental School in Hailing District, Taizhou City, east China’s Jiangsu Province, Feb. 13, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
    Students show their handmade works created during the winter vacation at Zigui Experimental Primary School in Yichang City, central China’s Hubei Province, Feb. 13, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
    Students pick strawberries in a garden of Yangcunqiao Central Primary School in Jiande City, east China’s Zhejiang Province, Feb. 13, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
    An aerial drone photo shows students dancing with an intelligent robot dog and a humanoid robot at a primary school in Wuhan, central China’s Hubei Province, Feb. 13, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Kremlin says Putin, Trump to meet in third country

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in an interview with local media on Thursday that Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump “agreed quite quickly to coordinate and hold a working meeting somewhere in a third country.”

    However, the final place of the working meeting has not been decided, he said, stressing that the meeting will happen prior to the exchange of visits of the two heads of state.

    Working team communication between Russia and the United States is expected to be established in the coming days to prepare the summit meeting, Peskov added.

    For the potential peace talks, the Kremlin spokesman noted that Ukraine will participate in a certain way.

    “One way or another, of course, Ukraine will participate in the talks. Of course, there will be both a bilateral Russian-American dialogue and a talk Ukraine will get involved in,” he said.

    Peskov underlined that the two presidents had confirmed their intention to settle the Ukraine conflict through negotiations “even facing most complicated problems.”

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: China ready to work with Britain to consolidate bilateral ties: FM

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    Visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Thursday that China is willing to collaborate with Britain to consolidate the positive momentum towards stabilizing and improving bilateral relations.

    Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said this during a meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

    Wang first conveyed the cordial greetings from Chinese President Xi Jinping to Starmer, saying the successful meeting between Xi and Starmer at the end of last year has launched the process of improving and developing China-Britain relations.

    Under the strategic guidance of the leaders of the two countries, the recent China-UK Economic and Financial Dialogue has produced fruitful results and exchanges at all levels have been resumed, Wang said.

    This demonstrates the huge potential of practical cooperation between the two countries, and also fully proves that the Labour government’s rational and pragmatic policy towards China is in line with the interests of the country and people and conforms to the trend of the times, he said.

    He said China stands ready to work with Britain to implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, deepen and expand cooperation in infrastructure, trade and investment, clean energy and other fields, bringing more benefits to the people of both countries.

    Wang noted that the world is becoming volatile and changes unseen in a century are unfolding at a faster pace. As permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, China and Britain should strengthen strategic communication, enhance mutual understanding and trust, demonstrate their responsibilities as major countries, and deepen cooperation in key areas concerning the future of humanity, including climate change, artificial intelligence, and green development, thus to contribute greater certainty and stability to the world, he said.

    Starmer asked Wang to convey his sincere greetings to Xi, noting that the current cooperation between Britain and China in various fields has made positive progress. He added that he looks forward to candid and constructive dialogues between the two countries to promote the sustained and stable development of Britain-China relations.

    During his visit to Britain, Wang also met with Jonathan Powell, British prime minister’s national security adviser, and co-chaired the 10th China-UK Strategic Dialogue with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Trump signs plan to impose ‘reciprocal’ tariffs on trading partners

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday signed a memorandum directing his administration to determine “the equivalent of a reciprocal tariff with respect to each foreign trading partner.”

    “I have decided for purposes of fairness, that I will charge a reciprocal tariff – meaning whatever countries charge the United States of America, we will charge them no more, no less. In other words, they charge us a tax or tariff and we charge them the exact same tax or tariff. Very simple,” Trump said at the White House.

    U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a press conference at the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States, Feb. 4, 2025. (Xinhua/Hu Yousong)

    According to the memorandum, “it is the policy of the United States to reduce our large and persistent annual trade deficit in goods and to address other unfair and unbalanced aspects of our trade with foreign trading partners.”

    Under the so-called “Fair and Reciprocal Plan,” the administration will work “strenuously” to counter non-reciprocal trading arrangements with trading partners by determining the equivalent of a reciprocal tariff with respect to each foreign trading partner. “This approach will be of comprehensive scope, examining non-reciprocal trade relationships with all United States trading partners,” it said.

    Under World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations, “reciprocity” meant overall balance, in terms of concessions given and concessions received, between each country on the one hand and all its trading partners on the other hand, but Trump has redefined the meaning of “reciprocity” to apply on a line item basis, country by country, rather than overall balance, Gary Clyde Hufbauer, a nonresident senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, told Xinhua.

    “With reciprocity, as defined by Trump, U.S. tariffs would probably on average 10 to 15 percentage points higher. In my opinion, tariffs actually hurt the U.S. economy, so while they would raise revenue … they would reduce GDP growth,” Hufbauer said.

    Observers believe that this logic undermines the traditional principle of overall balance under the WTO framework, potentially leading to trade frictions and negotiation deadlocks, and prompting other countries to take countermeasures in response to U.S. tariff increases.  

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Murray: Trump Blocking Funding Will Kill Good-Paying Energy Jobs and Raise Families’ Energy Bills

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray

    Murray: “In choking off tens of billions of dollars in energy investments, Trump is threatening to kill thousands of good-paying American jobs and raise energy costs for households across the country.”

    Senator Murray hosts press call to detail how Trump blocking energy investments is hurting communities in every part of the country

    ***WATCH: PRESS CALL HERE***

    Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and Ranking Member of the Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee, hosted a press call to underscore how President Trump continuing to block key energy investments threatens to raise families’ energy bills, derail key energy projects, and kill good-paying jobs in communities across the country. Senator Murray was joined by David Turk, former Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy, and Joe Nguyen, Director of the Washington state Department of Commerce.

    “The guy who swore up and down on the campaign trail that he would lower people’s energy costs is now working to raise them. And an administration that says it wants to ‘restore energy dominance’ is now working to kill domestic energy projects and the thousands of American jobs they are creating,” said Senator Murray. “This funding freeze—which may very well not be a freeze but a permanent rollback—is bad for families and it’s bad for workers. And it is also bad for American businesses who have inked contracts to create new battery plants, produce sustainable aviation fuel, lay down new transmission lines, construct new energy plants, and so much more—and who are now left wondering whether the federal government is going to honor its commitments.”

    “Another estimate said that the average American consumer is going to pay almost $500 more per year if these kinds of programs—the tax incentives to the loan programs—don’t go forward. And I think that’s a conservative estimate,” said David Turk, who recently served as Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy. “I really want to underscore that chaos and confusion and uncertainty is not our friend. If you talk to any investor, if you talk to any CEO, the last thing they need—the last thing they want—is chaos, confusion, uncertainty about what should be no brainers. If the government makes a commitment, if we get to conditional commitment with a loan program recipient, that’s the government’s credibility. That’s the American people’s credibility on the line to follow through and make sure that we are providing that certainty for investment.”

    “It was 27 degrees in West Seattle this morning, and even colder in other parts of the state. The hundreds of millions of dollars threatened today by Trump’s political games hurts already overburdened communities the most, especially low-income families, rural towns, and our small businesses. Washingtonians deserve better than the games the Trump administration is playing,” said Joe Nguyen, Director of the Washington state Department of Commerce.

    On his first day in office, President Trump signed an executive order to illegally halt funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) from going out the door to communities and recipients counting on the funding. Hundreds of billions of dollars are still being held up under Trump’s directives—and it’s jeopardizing all manner of energy projects and programs communities are counting on.

    In the years since the IIJA and IRA were signed into law, over $211 billion in private sector investment in clean energy and tech manufacturing has been announced nationwide—with 232k+ jobs announced and nearly 80% of those investments made in Republican-held districts. The president’s freeze puts all these gains at serious risk.

    Senator Murray’s remarks, as delivered, are below:

    “Thanks everyone for joining this call today. I’m really glad to be here with David Turk, who recently served as Deputy Energy Secretary, and Joe Nguyen, Director of Washington state’s Department of Commerce, to talk about how President Trump and Elon Musk are holding up tens of billions of dollars in energy investments nationwide—putting jobs at risk and raising energy costs for families.

    “We are now well into the fourth week of President Trump’s illegal—and deeply harmful—funding freeze.

    “Trump is still blocking funding that we secured in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act, among much else, from going out the doors. It is, of course, illegal for a president to unilaterally decide to block funding.

    “As I’ve said many times: presidents don’t just get to pick and choose what laws they feel like following.

    “But Trump blocking funding is not merely illegal. It also devastating for communities like the ones I represent—who are counting on these resources, who’ve hired folks, are relying on this funding to, for example, lower their monthly energy bill, and who, in many cases, have already inked contracts.

    “Today, we are talking about the energy investments Trump is blocking—and I want to say from the outset this is just one slice of the vast pot of funding he is holding up.

    “Trump’s freeze is holding up funding for: rebuilding roads and bridges, new clean school buses, wildfire prevention efforts, assistance for farmers, replacing old water pipes, investments in our national security, and so much more.

    “But today I wanted to zero in on what’s going on at the Department of Energy.

    “Because make no mistake: in choking off tens of billions of dollars in energy investments, Trump is threatening to kill thousands of good-paying American jobs and raise energy costs for households across the country.

    “When Congress passed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act, we made historic investments to—among a whole lot else—create good-paying clean energy jobs, spur innovation, strengthen American manufacturing, and lower energy costs for families.

    “We provided funding for families to upgrade their homes and save big on their energy bills. We delivered resources to build new battery manufacturing plants, construct cutting-edge hydrogen hubs, boost our nuclear power capabilities, and increase domestic production of critical minerals we absolutely need.

    “As you can imagine, a lot of good new jobs have been created in the process—and we’re really just beginning to feel the full benefits.

    “A quarter of a million clean energy jobs have been created since we passed the IRA and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. In Washington state, the new Pacific Northwest Hydrogen Hub alone is set to create 10,000 jobs. The Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office awards alone will support at least 50,000 good jobs across the country.

    “But Trump is putting these domestic jobs at risk—which plays right into the hands of our competitors, like China.

    “And he is simultaneously threatening to rip up programs we’ve created that are lowering people’s energy costs.

    “Right now, Trump is putting funding for the Home Energy Rebates Program in serious jeopardy. We are talking about funding for families to make upgrades that save them on their monthly energy bill. Funding for you to buy energy efficient appliances and to retrofit your home so that cold air stays out in the winter and hot air stays out in the summer. These programs aren’t just important in tackling the climate crisis—they are saving families money.

    “They provide households up to $14,000 in rebates to make upgrades and lower their energy bills—and they are saving American households up to $1 billion every single year.

    “The Weatherization Assistance Program, for example, saves households $372 on average each year! But again—Trump has put it on the chopping block.

    “There’s no need to dance around it: the guy who swore up and down on the campaign trail that he would lower people’s energy costs is now working to raise them.

    “And an administration that says it wants to ‘restore energy dominance’ is now working to kill domestic energy projects and the thousands of American jobs they are creating!

    “This funding freeze—which may very well not be a freeze but a permanent rollback—is bad for families and it’s bad for workers. And it is also bad for American businesses who have inked contracts to create new battery plants, produce sustainable aviation fuel, lay down new transmission lines, construct new energy plants, and so much more—and who are now left wondering whether the federal government is going to honor its commitments.

    “That uncertainty alone risks jobs and investments—and will hurt local economies everywhere.

    “It was recently reported, for example, that Trump and Musk are looking at cancelling even finalized loans provided by the Energy Department’s Loan Programs Office. That, of course, puts jobs at risk and puts workers’ livelihoods and businesses’ bottom lines in jeopardy.

    “But what we are seeing is also a situation rife with potential conflicts of interest and corruption—which is another huge part of the story when it comes to Trump and Musk blocking funding.

    “Just one example: back in 2010, when Tesla wasn’t doing too hot, Elon Musk secured a half billion-dollar loan from the Department of Energy. That loan boosted the company—and Elon Musk—and helped them become what they are today.

    “Fast forward to now—Elon Musk is raiding agencies, cutting off funding, cancelling contracts, and the Energy Department is apparently looking to cancel loans it has made to his electric vehicle competitors.

    “The obvious question then is Elon Musk going to cut off loans that are helping Tesla’s competitors create jobs and build their business right here in America?

    “There is so much at stake—and what is painfully clear is that Trump’s illegal funding freeze is causing chaos and confusion. It’s putting these projects and jobs at risk—and will take money out of families’ pockets—and it has got to end.

    “The court decisions we’ve gotten so far have affirmed what we have known all along: Trump does not have the power to steal approved funding from the American people.

    “But the relief the orders should provide is, for now, only temporary—and in many cases, the funding is still frozen.

    “Now, DOE may say they’ve just developed a new process for thoroughly reviewing all programs and payments but make no mistake: this process is meant to have the same effect—it is a freeze by a different name and the funds remain frozen.

    “What needs to happen is Donald Trump and Elon Musk must end the freeze and revoke their orders to choke off these investments.

    “As I’ve said before: if Donald Trump wants to roll back programs that are lowering people’s energy bills, he can come to Congress and win the votes he needs to do it.

    “If Donald Trump wants to gut funding that is creating good-paying energy jobs all across the country, he can come to Congress and win the votes he needs to do it.

    “That’s why I am here today to sound the alarm and protect critical programs American families rely on and support. You don’t just get to rip up contracts and block funding owed to the American people.

    “Now, I want to turn it over to David Turk, who I’m so glad could join us, to talk a bit more about what this freeze is doing.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI China: China to adjust intensity, timing of monetary policies as appropriate

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

    BEIJING, Feb. 13 — China’s central bank will utilize a variety of monetary policy tools and adjust the intensity and timing of policies as appropriate, based on domestic and international economic and financial conditions, as well as financial market operations, according to a report released by the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) on Thursday.

    The aim is to maintain ample liquidity and ensure that social financing and money supply growth align with the country’s goals for economic growth and overall price levels, according to the PBOC’s fourth-quarter 2024 monetary policy report.

    China’s monetary policy toolkit is enriched continuously, and the scope of its monetary policy functions is expanding, the report said.

    Since 2013, the central bank has reduced the reserve requirement ratio (RRR) 29 times, decreasing the average RRR from 20.1 percent to 6.6 percent.

    Outstanding relending loans, including medium-term lending facility loans, stood at 11.4 trillion yuan (1.59 trillion U.S. dollars) at the end of 2024, representing 28.8 percent of the PBOC’s total assets.

    In 2024, the PBOC conducted net purchases of government bonds worth a total of 1 trillion yuan, which, in combination with other monetary tools, maintained a reasonably ample level of liquidity.

    Next, the PBOC will adopt a moderately loose monetary policy and increase financial support further to drive technological innovation and promote consumption, according to the report.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Tongchuan tunnel along Xi’an-Yan’an high-speed railway drilled through

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

    Tongchuan tunnel along Xi’an-Yan’an high-speed railway drilled through

    Updated: February 14, 2025 07:16 Xinhua
    A ceremony is held to mark the drill-through of the Tongchuan tunnel along the Xi’an-Yan’an high-speed railway in Tongchuan, northwest China’s Shaanxi Province, on Feb. 13, 2025. The Tongchuan tunnel was drilled through on Thursday, which marked that all 47 tunnels along this 299-kilometer high-speed railway have been drilled through. Once accomplished and operational, the new railway will allow trains to run at the speed of 350 kilometers per hour, and shorten the trip between Xi’an and Yan’an from 2.5 hours to around one hour. [Photo/Xinhua]
    Workers operate at the construction site of the Tongchuan tunnel along the Xi’an-Yan’an high-speed railway in Tongchuan, northwest China’s Shaanxi Province, on Feb. 13, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: China confirms ‘in-depth exchange’ with Cook Islands as New Zealand faces criticism for bullying

    By Caleb Fotheringham, RNZ Pacific journalist in Avarua, Rarotonga

    China has confirmed details of its meeting with Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown for the first time, saying Beijing “stands ready to have an in-depth exchange” with the island nation.

    Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told reporters during his regular press conference that Brown’s itinerary, from February 10-16, would include attending the closing ceremony of the Asian Winter Games in Harbin as well as meeting with Premier of the State Council Li Qiang.

    Guo also confirmed that Brown and his delegation had visited Shanghai and Shandong as part of the state visit.

    “The Cook Islands is China’s cooperation partner in the South Pacific,” he said.

    “Since the establishment of diplomatic ties, the two countries have respected each other, treated each other as equals, and sought common development.”

    Guo told reporters that the relationship between the two countries was elevated to comprehensive strategic partnership in 2018.

    “Our friendly cooperation is rooted in profound public support and delivers tangibly to the two peoples.

    ‘New progress in bilateral relations’
    “Through Prime Minister Brown’s visit, China stands ready to have an in-depth exchange of views with the Cook Islands on our relations and work for new progress in bilateral relations.”

    Brown said on Wednesday that he was aware of the strong interest in the outcomes of his visit, which has created significant debate on the relationship with Cook Islands and New Zealand.

    He has said that the “comprehensive strategic partnership” deal with China is expected to be signed today, and does not include a security component.

    Cook Islanders are divided over Brown’s decision to keep Aotearoa in the dark about the contents of the agreement it intends to sign with Beijing.

    While on one hand, the New Zealand government has been urged not to overreact, on the other the Cook Islands opposition want Brown and his government out.

    Locals in Rarotonga have accused New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters of being a “bully”, while others are planning to protest against Brown’s leadership.

    A local resident, Tim Buchanan, said Peters has “been a bit bullying”.

    He said Peters had overacted and the whole issue had been “majorly” blown out of proportion.

    ‘It doesn’t involve security’
    “It does not involve our national security, it does not involve borrowing a shit load of money, so what is your concern about?

    “Why do we need to consult him? We have been a sovereign nation for 60 years, and all of a sudden he’s up in arms and wanted to know everything that we’re doing”

    Brown previously told RNZ Pacific that he had assured Wellington “over and over” that there “will be no impact on our relationship and there certainly will be no surprises”.

    However, New Zealand said it should have seen the text prior to Brown leaving for China.

    Cook Islands opposition MP and leader of the Cook Islands United Party Teariki Heather . . . he has filed a vote filed a vote of no confidence motion against Prime Minister Mark Brown. Image: Caleb Fotheringham/RNZ Pacific

    Vote of no confidence
     Cook Islands opposition MP Teariki Heather said he did not want anything to change with New Zealand.

    “The response from the government and Winston Peters and the Prime Minister of New Zealand, that’s really what concerns us, because they are furious,” said Heather, who is the leader of Cook Islands United Party.

    Heather has filed a no confidence motion against the Prime Minister and has been the main organiser for a protest against Brown’s leadership that will take place on Monday morning local time.

    He is expecting about 1000 people to turn up, about one in every 15 people who reside in the country.

    Opposition leader Tina Browne is backing the motion and will be at the protest which is also about the Prime Minister’s push for a local passport, which he has since dropped.

    With only eight opposition members in the 24-seat parliament, Browne said the motion of no confidence is not about the numbers.

    “It is about what are we the politicians, the members of Parliament, going to do about the two issues and for us, the best way to demonstrate our disapproval is to vote against it in Parliament, whether the members of Parliament join us or not that’s entirely up to them.”

    The 2001 document argument
     Browne said that after reading the constitution and the 2001 Joint Centenary Declaration, she agreed with Peters that the Cook Islands should have first consulted New Zealand on the China deal.

    “Our prime minister has stated that the agreement does not affect anything that he is obligated to consult with New Zealand. I’m very suspicious of that because if there is nothing offensive, why the secrecy then?

    “I would have thought, irrespective, putting aside everything, that our 60 year relationship with New Zealand, who’s been our main partner warrants us to keep that line open for consultation and that’s even if it wasn’t in [the Joint Centenary Declaration].”

    Other locals have been concerned by the lack of transparency from their government to the Cook Islands people.

    But Cook Islands’ Foreign Minister Tingika Elikana said that is not how these deals were done.

    “I think the people have to understand that in regards to agreements of this nature, there’s a lot of negotiations until the final day when it is signed and the Prime Minister is very open that the agreements will be made available publicly and then people can look at it.”

    Cook Islands Foreign Minister Tingika Elikana . . . Image: Caleb Fotheringham/RNZ Pacific

    New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said the government would wait to see what was in the agreement before deciding if any punishment should be imposed.

    With the waiting, Elikana said he was concerned.

    “We are worried but we want to see what will be their response and we’ve always reiterated that our relationship is important to us and our citizenship is really important to us, and we will try our best to remain and retain that,” Elikana said.

    He did not speculate about the vote of no confidence motion.

    “I think we just leave it to the day but I’m very confident in our team and very confident in our Prime Minister.”

    ‘Cook Islands does a lot for New Zealand’
     Cultural leader and carver Mike Tavioni said he did not know why everyone was so afraid of the Asian superpower.

    “I do not know why there is an issue with the Cook Islands and New Zealand, as long as Mark [Brown] does not commit this country to a deal with China with strings attached to it,” he said.

    Tavioni said the Cook Islands does a lot for New Zealand also, with about 80,000 Cook Islanders living in New Zealand and contributing to it’s economy.

    “The thing about consulting, asking for permission, it does not go down well because our relationship with Aotearoa should be taken into consideration.”

    This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: King Cites “Unconscionable” Shortfall in Opioid, Fentanyl Crackdown at Southern Border

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Maine Angus King

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — In a hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), U.S. Senator Angus King raised several urgent questions with Navy Admiral Alvin Holsey, the Commander of United States Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), and Air Force General Gregory Guillot, Commander of United States Northern Command (NORTHCOM). Senator King, pushed the military officials about the lack of military presence and resources in the Caribbean to interdict illegal drug shipments — in addition to in the Arctic to counter Russian and Chinese aggression — as America faces serious threats from the north and south.

    Senator King began his line of questioning by pressing Admiral Holsey on why the military and intelligence agencies are only able to interdict a quarter of illegal drug shipments coming into the United States — a rate he’s been critical of across multiple administrations. In the exchange, he mentioned the deathly toll drugs like fentanyl are taking on Maine people.

    “Admiral, every year when we have this hearing I talk to the SOUTHCOM commander about the fact that we have intelligence reports about drug shipments coming to the U.S. in the maritime domain and we have the assets to interdict 25% of them. To me, that is straight-up unconscionable. There are people dying in my state from fentanyl overdoses and drug overdoses. We are not meeting because of a lack of allocation of assets the drug shipments that we know about. That is what is so objectionable about this. Is that percentage still reasonable? 75% is not being interdicted that we know of,” asked Senator King.

    “About 10 to 20% is what we can get a hold of,” replied Admiral Holsey. 

    “And that is because of a lack of assets? Is that correct? We don’t have enough boats, ships,” followed up Senator King.

    “Yes. Primarily a lack of assets, a lack of resources,” said Admiral Holsey.

    “I would argue again that this is a misallocation of recourses. Here is an active attack on America that is killing our citizens, and we don’t have enough ships whether it is the Coast Guard or Navy in the region to interdict these drug shipments. I think that is a dereliction of duty, not of you, but of the entire policy apparatus. This goes back three, four administrations. It is one that I hope that this administration will pay some attention to and correct,” responded Senator King.

    Later in the hearing, Senator King, Co-Chair of the U.S. Senate Arctic Caucus, spoke to the United States’ position as an Arctic nation, but pointed out that America’s capabilities in the High North are inadequate when compared to adversaries like Russia and China who are better equipped with more bases and ships like icebreakers. NORTHCOM Commander General Guillot agreed with King that the nation’s presence in the Arctic is “woeful.”

    “I was at a conference years ago on the arctic and there was a huge delegation from China and I said, what is China’s interest. They said we are a near arctic nation.  My response was Maine is a near Caribbean state. They are very active in increasing their actions. Where are we? Do we have a port facility in the Arctic? Secondly, give us a breakdown of the status of icebreakers. We are woefully inadequate in terms of icebreakers, particular for the use of the Northwest Passage,” said Senator King.

    “I was going to use the same word. We are in a woeful situation with icebreakers. The coast guard is working very hard to increase that for us. But at this time, we are completely outnumbered with icebreakers,” agreed General Guillot. 

    “But they are building one new icebreaker but it is merely a replacement for the ancient one that is about to go out of service. Is that correct,” asked Senator King.

    “It is,” replied General Guillot. 

    “So there is no net gain in icebreakers,” questioned Senator King.

    “That’s right,” responded General Guillot.

    “And the icebreakers we have commute between the Arctic and Antarctic. Is that not correct,” asked Senator King.

    “That is correct,” said General Guillot.

    “How many icebreakers do the Russians have in the Arctic,” Senator King again asked.

    “Between 20 and 40,” said General Guillot.

    “20 and 40 to less than one. I would argue that the icebreakers are the essential infrastructure of the Arctic region and to say we are inadequate and behind where we should be is an understatement,” said Senator King.     

    After the end of Senator King’s line of questioning, Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS), the Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, shared bipartisan support for securing new icebreakers.

    “Senator King, let me just say I think you will find a lot of bipartisan support both in the Congress and in the Administration for a substantial increase quickly in the number of icebreakers,” said Chairman Wicker.

    “I believe that is the case; I appreciate that,” replied Senator King.

    As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and Select Senate Committee on Intelligence, Senator King has previously supported legislation to combat illicit drug use and decrease overdoses. He is a cosponsor of the Synthetics Trafficking and Overdose Prevention Act, bipartisan legislation that is designed to stop dangerous synthetic drugs like fentanyl and carfentanil from being shipped through our borders. Senator King also cosponsored the INTERDICT Act, bipartisan legislation to help halt the flow of illicit fentanyl from Mexico, China and other nations around the world into the United States. During an open hearing of the Select Senate Intelligence Committee last year, Senator King pressed Avril Haines, the former Director of National Intelligence and Christopher Wray, the former Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), about what the intelligence community is doing to halt the flow of illicit drugs — including fentanyl — from Mexico, China and other nations into the United States. The most recently-passed National Defense Authorization Act includes multiple King-led provisions and funding authorizations addressing the Department’s mission to address the flow of illicit drugs and the criminal organizations behind that flow into our country. Earlier today, he introduced the bipartisan HALT Fentanyl Act to crack down on illegal fentanyl trafficking.

    The Co-Chair of the U.S. Senate Arctic Caucus, Senator King is an advocate for Maine and America’s interests in the North Atlantic and Arctic region. Along with Caucus co-chair Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), King introduced the Arctic Commitment Act  in 2022 to improve America’s posture and opportunities in the Arctic. He has been calling for the appointment of an Arctic Ambassador since 2015, and pushed for the confirmation of the first Arctic Ambassador last year. King also laid out the challenges and opportunities of a warming arctic in an article in the Wilson Quarterly, and in this year’s National Defense Authorization Act, he successfully secured the inclusion of provisions including funding authorizations for University of Maine to increase America’s activity and opportunities in the Far North.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: NZ depends on the rules-based world Trump is dismantling – why the silence?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Gillespie, Professor of Law, University of Waikato

    The Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ 2023 strategic foreign policy assessment, “Navigating a shifting world”, accurately foresaw a more uncertain and complex time ahead for New Zealand. But already it feels out of date.

    The Trump administration’s extreme disruption of the international order (which New Zealand helped construct) is going further and faster than foreseen in the assessment. Were another nation responsible, the government would have been quick to condemn it.

    But New Zealand has so far been largely mute while Trump has quit the World Health Organization and the Paris Climate Accord, attacked foreign assistance programs and withdrawn funding from key United Nations organisations.

    Had Russia or China threatened the annexation or acquisition of Canada, Panama and Greenland, New Zealand would have reacted strongly. But it has said nothing substantive.

    The United States still belongs to the World Trade Organization and various regional trade agreements. But Trump’s use of tariffs threatens havoc throughout the multilateral trade system.

    Similarly, Trump has not quit the International Court of Justice. But his proposal to remove two million Palestinians from Gaza amounts to an unequivocal rejection of the court’s recent ruling on Israeli policies and practices in the Occupied Territories – as well as international law.

    On all these fronts, New Zealand has preferred not to make a stand.

    The coming Russia-Ukraine test

    While other countries have been quick to criticise Trump’s Gaza plan, New Zealand has opted not to comment until greater clarity is available, other than to reiterate its support for a two-state solution for Palestine.

    When Trump imposed sanctions on the International Criminal Court, New Zealand (along with Australia and Japan) failed to join a statement from 79 other countries expressing unwavering support for the court.

    The next likely test will be Trump’s attempt to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. While the goal is undoubtedly worthy, the question will be at what cost.

    If the price is ignoring the UN Charter, and if European supporters of Ukraine find the illegal annexations of its sovereign territory unpalatable, New Zealand will face a stark choice.

    For Australia, with its special trade relationship with the US and membership of the AUKUS security pact, this may be simple politics. For New Zealand, without a special free trade agreement with the US, frozen out of ANZUS and not part of AUKUS, the equation is more complex.

    Discord in the Pacific

    Last year, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said New Zealand must “stand up for this international rules-based system that has actually served New Zealand incredibly well”. Quietly sitting down will not be an option forever.

    Furthermore, all this is happening against the backdrop of New Zealand’s apparently waning influence in its own back yard, the South Pacific.

    While China seeks to expand its own influence, cuts and possible retrenchment in New Zealand’s aid budget suggest little appetite for tangible counteraction.

    The loss of influence was first apparent with Kiribati, which has steered towards a much closer relationship with China since 2022. More recently, China has made inroads into other Pacific countries, including the Solomons and East Timor, working in an increasingly grey zone with support for civilian and military security.

    But the recent fracture with the Cook Islands takes things to a new level.

    Struggling to find a voice

    While no longer a dependency, the Cooks’ free association agreement with New Zealand gives its people immense benefits, including citizenship and the right to work and live in New Zealand.

    In return, the Cooks undertakes to consult over foreign affairs matters, including any policy or initiative that might affect the interests of the other signatory.

    But the development of a somewhat opaque “comprehensive strategic partnership” with China blindsided New Zealand, and has strained what is meant to be a good-faith relationship. Again, however, New Zealand has struggled to find its voice.

    If it speaks too loudly, it risks further undermining that special Pacific relationship, as well as irritating its largest trade partner, China. If it speaks too softly, the respect and influence the country deserves will fade.

    New Zealand’s vaunted independent foreign policy is a fine ideal and has been a workable mechanism to navigate the challenges facing a small trading nation reliant on a rules-based global order.

    This has worked well for the past few decades. But as the old world order erodes, losing its voice for fear of offending bigger powers cannot become the country’s default position.

    Alexander Gillespie does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. NZ depends on the rules-based world Trump is dismantling – why the silence? – https://theconversation.com/nz-depends-on-the-rules-based-world-trump-is-dismantling-why-the-silence-249857

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Four Admit Sales of Machine Guns, Methamphetamine

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ST. LOUIS – Four people have admitted selling methamphetamine or multiple machine gun conversion devices to an undercover federal agent.

    Reginald Smith, 28, of Jennings, pleaded guilty Thursday in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to three counts of possession of one or more machine guns, one count of unlawfully dealing in firearms and one count of aiding and abetting the distribution of methamphetamine.

    Three others have also admitted their roles in the case. Delance Bland Jr., 20, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of one or more machine guns. Kevin Burrow, 26, of St. Louis, pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine base, one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, one count of aiding and abetting the distribution of methamphetamine and two counts of distributing methamphetamine. Tamika Patterson, 45, of Jennings, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and three counts of aiding and abetting the distribution of methamphetamine.

    After learning that Smith was selling machine gun conversion devices (MCDs) on Facebook, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service began an investigation. MCDs, also known as switches or auto sears, convert a semi-automatic firearm into a fully automatic weapon.

    On Dec. 5, 2023, an undercover ATF agent bought a Glock pistol and two Glock switches from Smith in St. Louis. On December 11, Smith sold another pistol to the agent and introduced him to his mother, Patterson, who said she could sell him meth. On December 13, the agent and Patterson met with Burrow, Patterson’s source of meth, and the agent bought 55.5 grams of the drug. Smith sold the agent a stolen pistol. Smith claimed he and Bland were the main dealers of MCDs in St. Louis, and that they ordered them 10 at a time from China.

    On December 19, Smith sold the agent six MCDs, including five Glock switches and one drop-in auto sear. The agent purchased another 10 MCDs from Smith on Jan. 8, 2024. Eight days later, Burrow sold the agent 112 grams of meth and Smith sold him another handgun.

    On February 1, Smith sold 14 MCDs and a drop-in auto sear, and the agent bought four more six days later.

    Smith is scheduled to be sentenced on May 15. The machine gun charge carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison. The unlawful dealing of a firearm charge carries a penalty of up to five years. The aiding and abetting the distribution of meth carries a penalty of up to 20 years.

    Burrow is scheduled to be sentenced March 19, and Patterson’s sentencing is set for May 7. Bland was sentenced to 21 months in prison.

    The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul D’Agrosa is prosecuting the case.

    This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth Press Conference Following NATO Ministers of Defense Meeting in Brussels, Belgium

    Source: United States Department of Defense

    UNKNOWN:  Good afternoon, everyone. We’re going to start with the US press. We’re going to take two from the US, we’ll take two from international, and then we’ll go from there depending on the secretary. So, let us start with —

    DEFENSE SECRETARY PETE HEGSETH:  Now, hold on, John.

    UNKNOWN:  Sir?

    DEFENSE SECRETARY PETE HEGSETH:  I’m going to talk first.

    UNKNOWN:  Roger that.

    DEFENSE SECRETARY PETE HEGSETH:  It is great to be here at NATO with 31 allies, also with my wife Jenny, who’s been meeting with families of US troops both here, in Germany, and we’re heading to Poland right after this as well. That’s what this is all about for me, for President Trump and the Defense Department.

    I also want to express a special thanks to the secretary general, Secretary General Rutte, for your boldness, for your friendship, for your leadership and most especially for your urgency — your urgency of the matter at hand, which is great to see from the leader of NATO. Look forward to working very closely with him and his team.

    And before we’re talking about what we’ve done at the ministerial, I want to reaffirm a few things from this podium. First, as we see it, NATO’s strategic objectives are to prevent great power conflict in Europe, deter nuclear and non-nuclear aggression, and defeat threats to treaty allies should deterrence fail.

    Second, the US is committed to building a stronger more lethal NATO. However, we must ensure that European and Canadian commitment to article three of this treaty is just as strong. Article three says that allies, and I quote, “By means of continuous and effective self-help and mutual aid will maintain and develop their individual and collective capacity to resist armed attack.”

    Leaders of our European allies should take primary responsibility for defense of the continent, which means security ownership by all allies guided by a clear understanding of strategic realities and it’s an imperative given the strategic realities that we face. And that begins with increasing defense spending. 2 percent is a start, as President Trump has Trump has said, but it’s not enough, nor is 3 percent, nor is 4 percent. More like 5 percent. Real investment. Real urgency.

    We can talk all we want about values. Values are important. But you can’t shoot values. You can’t shoot flags and you can’t shoot strong speeches. There is no replacement for hard power. As much as we may not want to like the world we live in, in some cases, there’s nothing like hard power. It should be obvious that increasing allied European defense spending is critical as the President of the United States has said.

    Also critical is expanding our defense industrial base capacity on both sides of the Atlantic. Our dollars, our euros, our pounds must become real capabilities.  The US is fully committed under President Trump’s leadership to pursue these objectives in face — in the face of today’s threats.

    Yesterday, I had a chance to attend the Ukraine Defense Contact Group. Today, participated in both the NATO ministerial and the Ukraine Council. In both, we discussed Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. I had the chance to brief allies on President Trump’s top priority; a diplomatic peaceful end to this war as quickly as possible in a manner that creates enduring and durable peace.

    The American Defense Department fully supports the efforts of the Trump administration and we look to allies to support this important work with leading on Ukraine security assistance now through increased contributions and greater ownership of future security assistance to Ukraine. To that end, I want to thank my UK counterpart, Defense Secretary John Healey, for hosting this Ukraine Defense Contact Group and for his leadership on support of Ukraine.

    President Trump gave me a clear mission, achieve peace through strength as well as put America first, our people, our taxpayers, our borders, and our security. We are doing this by reviving the warrior ethos, rebuilding our military and reestablishing deterrence. NATO should pursue these goals as well. NATO is a great alliance, the most successful defense alliance in history.

    But to endure for the future, our partners must do far more for Europe’s defense. We must make NATO great again. It begins with defense spending, but must also include reviving the transatlantic defense industrial base, rapidly fielding emerging technologies, prioritizing readiness and lethality, and establishing real deterrence.

    Finally, I want to close with this. After World War II first General and then President Eisenhower was one of NATO’s strongest supporters. He believed in a strong relationship with Europe. However, by the end of Eisenhower’s presidency, even he was concerned that Europe was not shouldering enough of its own defense, nearly making, in Eisenhower’s words, “A sucker out of Uncle Sam.” Well, like President Eisenhower, this administration believes in alliances. Deeply believes in alliances. But make no mistake, President Trump will not allow anyone to turn Uncle Sam into Uncle Sucker. Thank you, and we’re glad to take some questions.

    UNKNOWN:  Thanks very much. Let’s start with the US traveling TV pool with Liz Frieden.

    Q:  Thank you, Secretary Hegseth. You have focused on what Ukraine is giving up. What concessions will Putin be asked to make?

    DEFENSE SECRETARY PETE HEGSETH:  Well, that’s — I would start by saying the arguments that have been made that somehow coming to the table right now is making concessions to Vladimir Putin outright, that we otherwise — or that the President of the United States shouldn’t otherwise make, I just reject that at its face.

    There’s a reason why negotiations are happening right now, just a few weeks after President Trump was sworn in as President United States. Vladimir Putin responds to strength. In 2014 he invaded Crimea, not during the presidency of Donald Trump. Over four years, there was no Russian aggression from 2016 to 2020. In 2022, Vladimir Putin took aggression on Ukraine. Once again, not while President Trump was President of the United States.

    So any suggestion that President Trump is doing anything other than negotiating from a position of strength is on its face a historical and false. So when you look at what he may have to give or take, what’s in or what’s out in those negotiations, we have the perfect dealmaker at the table from a position of strength to deal with both Vladimir Putin and Zelenskyy.

    No one’s going to get everything that they want, understanding who committed the aggression in the first place. But I challenge anyone else to think of a world leader at this moment who, with credibility and strength, could bring those two leaders to the table and forge a durable peace that ultimately serves the interests of Ukraine, stops the killing and the death, which president has been — Trump has been clear he wants to do and hopefully ultimately is guaranteed — or guaranteed by strength of Europeans who are there prepared to back it up.

    Q:  To follow up on that — follow up. Thank you, sir. Why not invoke article five then for the NATO peacekeeping forces that could potentially be deployed? Like, how does that deter President Putin?

    DEFENSE SECRETARY PETE HEGSETH:  Well, I would say I want to be clear about something as it pertains to NATO membership not being realistic outcome for negotiations. That’s something that was stated as part of my remarks here as part of a coordination with how we’re executing these ongoing negotiations, which are led by President Trump.

    All of that said, these negotiations are led by President Trump. Everything is on the table in his conversations with Vladimir Putin and Zelenskyy. What he decides to allow or not allow is at the purview of the leader of the free world of President Trump. So I’m not going to stand at this podium and declare what President Trump will do or won’t do, what will be in or what will be out, what concessions will be made or what concessions are not made.

    I can look as our team has of what’s realistic, likely on an outcome. I think realism is an important part of the conversation that hasn’t existed enough inside conversations amongst friends. But simply pointing out realism, like the borders won’t be rolled back to what everybody would like them to be in 2014, is not a concession to Vladimir Putin. It’s a recognition of hard power realities on the ground after a lot of investment and sacrifice first by the Ukrainians and then by allies and then a realization that a negotiated peace is going to be some sort of demarcation that neither side wants. But it’s not my job as the Secretary of Defense to define the parameters of the President of the United States as he leads some of the most complex and consequential negotiations in the world.

    UNKNOWN:  Sticking with the US press, let us go with Axios’ Zach Basu right in the far right.

    Q:  Thank you, Mr. Secretary. Given the position you’ve now staked out, what leverage exactly is Ukraine being left with, especially if the US also plans to wind down its military aid? And then quickly, if a NATO ally is attacked by Russia or any country, will the US unequivocally uphold its obligations under article five regardless of that country’s —

    DEFENSE SECRETARY PETE HEGSETH:  — We’ve said we’re committed to the alliance and that’s part of the alliance, right? You pointed out article five. You point out article three — it’s just a cheap — I’m not saying it’s cheap coming from you — but it’s just a cheap political point to say, oh, we’ve left all the negotiating cards off the table by recognizing some realities that exist on the ground. President Zelenskyy understands the realities on the ground. President Putin understands the realities on the ground. And President Trump, as a dealmaker, as a negotiator, understands those dynamics as well.

    By no means is anything that I state here, even though we lead the most powerful military in the world, hemming in the commander in chief, in his negotiations, to ultimately decide where it goes or does not go. Well, he’s got all the cards he would like.

    And the interesting part is oftentimes while the conventional status quo mindset or the legacy media wants to play checkers, the same checkers game we’ve been playing for decades, President Trump time and time again finds a way to play chess — as a dealmaker, as a businessman who understands how to create realities and opportunities where they otherwise may not exist.

    Take for example, the conversations that our treasury secretary had in Kyiv recently with President Zelenskyy, which will continue in Munich with our vice president and secretary of state, around investments and resources inside Ukraine. I don’t want to get ahead of any decision or announcement that could be made there, it could be any number of parameters.

    But President Trump as a dealmaker and a businessman recognizes that an investment relationship with Ukraine, ultimately in the long term for the United States, is a lot more tangible than any promises or shared values we might have, even though we have them. There is something to relationships and deals in real ways, whether militarily or economically or diplomatically, that he sees that are possibilities that could forge together a lot of opportunities to show that solidarity that Vladimir Putin will clearly recognize.

    That’s one of any number of other opportunities that this president will leverage in these high-stake negotiations. So, I just reject on its face the premise that somehow President Trump isn’t dealing with a full set of cards when he’s the one that can determine ultimately what cards he holds.

    UNKNOWN:  Great. Now shifting to the international press, we’ll take the French wire service Agence France Presse with Max Delaney.

    Q:  Thank you very much, Secretary of Defense. Can you — you’ve spoken about trying to force both Putin and Zelenskyy to the table. Can you give a guarantee that no deal will be forced on Ukraine that they do not want to accept? And also, that you will include Europe in the negotiations about their own — about an issue that concerns European security? And can you tell us whether the US will continue to supply arms to Ukraine during any negotiations?

    DEFENSE SECRETARY PETE HEGSETH:  Well, to the first part of your question, that’s not ultimately my decision. The president will lead these negotiations alongside our secretary of state, our national security advisor, and numerous other officials that will be involved. And ultimately, we’ve played our role in talking to our NATO allies about what that would look like.

    President Trump, I want to point out, I’ve got the truth’s right here that he posted, called both, in case we missed it, Vladimir Putin and President Zelenskyy, called them both. Any negotiation that’s had will be had with both.

    I also am very encouraged by what the secretary general has said here. Clearly attuned to the realities of the moment, the need for peace, and that the NATO alliance and European members will play a role in that.

    Ultimately, President Trump speaking to those two countries is central to the deal being made. But it affects a lot of people, of course. So, I’m not going to be involved in those intimate diplomatic negotiations. That’s for the pros atop the Trump administration who do diplomacy and negotiations. Ultimately as security assistance, we have continued to provide what has been allocated.

    I think it would be fair to say that things like future funding, either less or more, could be on the table in negotiations as well. Whatever the president determines is the most robust carrot or stick on either side to induce a durable peace, understanding, obviously, the motivations that Vladimir Putin has had on Ukraine for quite some time. Thank you.

    UNKNOWN:  We’ll have a second international press outlet. We’ll go with the German paper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung with Dr. Thomas Gutschker.

    Q:  Thanks a lot. Thomas Gutschker of Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. Good afternoon. Mr. Secretary, two questions, please. The first one regarding the new Defense Investment Pledge.

    When you and President Trump speak about raising it to 5 percent, do you mean European allies only, or do you mean the US as well, which is currently at 3.4 percent according to NATO statistics? And if the latter is true, when do you think the US could possibly reach the goal of spending 5 percent on defense? That’s number one.

    Number two, you said yesterday that Europeans need to take ownership of their own conventional security. So, should Europeans expect that ultimately the US would withdraw the bulk of their forces from Europe and just leave in place what is necessary for nuclear deterrence? I know there’s a revision going on. I don’t expect you to name any numbers but maybe give us an outlook of what we should expect. Thank you.

    DEFENSE SECRETARY PETE HEGSETH:  Thank you. I think nobody can or should contest the extent of America’s willingness to invest in national security. We have a budget of $850 billion spent on defense. I’m in the business of ensuring that every dollar of that is used wisely, which is why we’re pushing a Pentagon audit and making sure that we’re cutting fat so that we’ve got more at the tip of the spear.

    3.4 percent is a very robust investment, larger than most of our allies within NATO. Any defense minister or secretary of defense that tells you they wouldn’t want more would be lying to you, I understand that. Ultimately, we have our own budgetary considerations to be had, but I don’t think an unwillingness of NATO allies to invest in their own defense spending can be dismissed away by trying to point at the $900 billion that America has invested around the globe to include the NATO alliance and saying that’s not enough.

    So, ultimately, we are very much committed to the NATO alliance and to our allies. But without burden sharing, without creating the right set of incentives for European countries to invest, then we would be forced to attempt to be everywhere for everybody all the time, which in a world of fiscal restraints is, again, to get back to that word reality, just not reality.

    So, yes, we will continue to spend robustly. Our expectation of our friends, and we say this in solidarity, is you have to spend more on your defense, for your country, on that continent, understanding that the American military and the American people stand beside you as we have in NATO, but can’t have the expectation of expectation of being the permanent guarantor, as I alluded to, from what even Eisenhower observed post-World War II.

    That shift has to happen. The peace dividend has to end. There are autocrats with ambitions around the globe from Russia to the communist Chinese. Either the West awakens to that reality and creates combat multipliers with their allies and partners to include NATO, or we will abdicate that responsibility to somebody else with all the wrong values.

    You mentioned Europe, we have not said in any way that we’re abandoning our allies in Europe. There have been no decisions based on troop levels. Again, that’s a discussion to be had by the commander in chief in these high-stake negotiations. And that would most likely come later on. But there is a recognition that the ambitions of the communist Chinese are a threat to free people everywhere, to include America’s interests in the Pacific.

    And it makes a lot of sense, just in a commonsense way, to use our comparative advantages. European countries spending here in defense of this continent, in defense of allies here against an aggressor on this continent with ambitions. That strikes me as the right place to — and I don’t say that in a condescending way. I say that in a common sense, practical way.

    Investing in defense on the continent makes sense. We support that as well. It also makes sense comparatively and geographically for the United States, along with allies in the Pacific like Japan and South Korea and the Philippines and Australia and others, to also invest in allies and partners and capabilities in the Pacific to project power there in service of deterrence. That deterrent effect in the Pacific is one that really can only be led by the United States.

    We wish we could lead everywhere at all times. We will stand in solidarity with allies and partners and encourage everyone to invest in order to have forced multiplication of what we represent, but it requires realistic conversations. Those with disingenuous motives in the media, I don’t mean to look at you, just saying anyone, that suggests it’s abandonment are trying to drive a wedge between allies that does not exist.

    We are committed to that NATO alliance. We understand the importance of that partnership, but it can’t endure on the status quo forever in light of the threats we face and fiscal realities. Europe has to spend more. NATO has to spend more. Has to invest more. And we’re very encouraged by what the secretary general has said and frankly, by — behind closed doors, what a lot of our allies have said as well acknowledging that reality.

    And that’s why when I say make NATO great again, it’s what President Trump set out to do in 2017. The press said President Trump is abandoning NATO. He’s turning his back on our NATO allies. That’s what is — that’s what the headlines read in 2017 and 2018. What actually happened? That tough conversation created even more investment to the point where now almost every NATO country is meeting the 2 percent goal that was said to be egregious when he first said it. Now European countries are stepping up and President Trump continues to ring the alarm bell that even more investment is required considering where we are.

    So suggestions of abandonment otherwise continue to be disingenuous and we are — we are proud to be part of this alliance and stand by it.

    UNKNOWN:  Sir —

    DEFENSE SECRETARY PETE HEGSETH:  — I’ll take a couple more.

    UNKNOWN:  Sure. Why don’t we take one from a US outlet and one from an international outlet. With the US outlet — pardon me, sir, what we’re going to take from the US is Logan Rateck from Newsmax, please.

    Q:  Mr. Secretary, you talked about what — you talked about expanding the defense industrial base and also expediting foreign military sales. Can you expand on that a little bit and how important that is to NATO?

    DEFENSE SECRETARY PETE HEGSETH:  Well, one of the self-evident conclusions of the — of the war in Ukraine was the underinvestment that both the European continent and America has had, unfortunately, in the defense industrial base, the ability to produce munitions, emerging technologies rapidly and field them was a blind spot exposed through the aggression against Ukraine.

    Ukraine has responded to that, as we’ve had a chance to listen to a great deal. Europe is responding to that, and so is America. We have to do more to ensure — whether you call it the arsenal for democracy or defending the free world, if America can’t build and export and build and provide rapid capabilities because we’re too stale or static or bureaucratic or the Pentagon is bloated, then we’re not able to field the systems we need in the future.

    So deep and dramatic reforms are coming at the Defense Department with the leadership of President Trump to ensure that we’re investing robustly in our defense industrial base. A great example is shipbuilding. We need to vastly increase our ability to build ships and submarines, not just for ourselves, but to honor our obligations to our allies as well.

    And we will do that. Foreign military sales is another thing I mentioned this morning with the secretary general. We have for a long time been the country by with and through that our allies are able to supply major platforms and weapon systems like the F-35 and the Patriots and others. Whatever the system is, we need to reform that process so it’s quicker, so a request today isn’t delivered seven years from now, but three years from now with less red tape and with the most efficient and effective technology possible.

    We hear that from our allies, and that’s part of being a good faith partner is we’re going to invest in our defense industrial base. We’re going to make sure foreign military sales are as rapid as possible, which again is a force multiplier for American power, which is something we want to do in a contested world.

    UNKNOWN:  For our final question, we’ll go to an international outlet. The Japanese service NHK with Tsuchiya Tsujita, please.

    Q:  Tsuchiya from NHK, the Japanese TV station, thank you very much. I would like to ask about China. As you mentioned that the US will be prioritizing and deterring China, what role will you be expecting Japan and IPv4 countries to play in this context?

    DEFENSE SECRETARY PETE HEGSETH:  Sure. I mean, first of all, I would point out that President Trump has expressed a strong relationship with Xi Jinping. We don’t have an inevitable desire to clash with China. There’s a recognition that there are divergent interests which lead to a need for strength on the American side to ensure our interests are advanced and that ultimately any aggression is deterred. That’s a real thing, but we don’t feel like conflict is inevitable and certainly don’t seek conflict with China. And that’s why President Trump has that good relationship with Xi Jinping.

    But it was prudent for us to work with allies and partners in the Pacific to ensure that that deterrence, hard power deterrence, not just reputational, but reality exists. And that’s why a lot of my first phone calls as Secretary of Defense were to Pacific allies, to Australia, to Japan, to South Korea, to the Philippines and others and will continue because that, just as this alliance in Europe is critical, working by with and through allies and partners in that region who understand the reality of the ascendant Chinese threat will be critical.

    It can’t be America alone. It won’t be America alone if we are to deter that. So it’s — it is a focus. I’ve articulated that from day one. America achieves strength, whether it’s in this — in the — in the — in peace through the Ukrainian conflict or deterring it in the Pacific through strength. There’s a reason why Donald Trump emphasizes peace through strength at every moment.

    My job, my job alone as the Secretary of Defense is to ensure he has the strongest, most capable, most lethal military possible. Heaven forbid we have to use it. It’s meant and built for deterrence. But if we have to, we can close with and destroy our enemies and bring our men and women home with success as quickly as possible. Thank you very much for being here.

    UNKNOWN:  Thank you, everyone.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ricketts Leads Bicameral Legislation Pushing European Allies to Snapback U.N. Sanctions on Iran

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Pete Ricketts (Nebraska)
    February 13, 2025
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE) introduced bicameral legislation that would push the United Kingdom, France, and Germany, otherwise known as the E3, to start a snapback of U.N. sanctions on Iran. These snapback sanctions would incude export controls, travel bans, asset freezes, and other restrictions on those involved in Iranian nuclear and missile activities. U.S. Representatives Claudia Tenney (R-NY-24) and Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ-05) introduced bipartisan companion legislation in the House.
    “Iran is the leading state sponsor of terrorism, and their actions have led to the murder of American servicemembers,” Senator Ricketts said. “Iran’s possession of a nuclear weapon would threaten our security and the security of our allies. Snapback sanctions are key to ensuring that President Trump’s maximum pressure campaign is successful. This legislation delivers a strong message to our European allies. They need to step up.”
    “Under the Biden administration, Iran grew more emboldened, bolstering its terrorist proxies worldwide with training, funding, and intelligence—all while expanding its nuclear stockpile,” Rep. Tenney said. “In contrast, within his first month in office, President Trump has taken decisive action to counter Iran’s malign influence and has pledged to reinstate his Maximum Pressure campaign. However, our E3 allies must invoke snapback sanctions on Iran before the ability to do so expires this October. Invoking snapback sanctions will restore all the UN sanctions on Iran that were lifted by the Obama administration’s failed Iran nuclear deal. This bicameral and bipartisan resolution sends a strong message to the E3 that it needs to step up and stop enabling Iran’s nuclear expansion. The time for snapback is now.”
    “We cannot forget where the money ends up when sanctions are lifted on Iran — the world’s leading state sponsor of terror,” Rep. Gottheimer said. “The Iranian regime continues to finance a robust network of terrorist proxies, including Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, and the Houthis, while actively trying to jumpstart their nuclear program. These actions pose a grave threat to the security and stability of the Middle East, our key democratic ally Israel, and the entire world. Our E3 allies must act swiftly and initiate snapback sanctions to curb Iran’s nuclear and other nefarious ambitions.”
    Ricketts’ bill is co-sponsored by Senators John Barrasso (R-WY), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), John Cornyn (R-TX), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), Jim Justice (R-WV), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Tim Sheehy (R-MT), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), and Todd Young (R-IN).
    Text of the legislation can be found here. Bill introduction was first covered by Fox News here.
    Ricketts announced the legislation yesterday in a conference call with Nebraska media.
    BACKGROUND:
    Specifically, the legislation:
    Recognizes that Iran’s possession of a nuclear weapon would threaten the security of the United States, our allies, and our partners;
    Condemns Iran’s flagrant and repeated violations of the first Iran nuclear deal;
    Condemns Communist China and Putin’s Russia for supporting Iran’s malign activities;
    Reaffirms America’s right to take any necessary measures to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons;
    Supports increased sanctions on entities and individuals supporting Iran’s nuclear program;
    Calls on the United Kingdom, France, and Germany to invoke the snapback of United Nations sanctions against Iran under U.N. Security Council Resolution 2231 as soon as possible.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cantwell Hits Trump’s Trade Policy on CNBC: “It Almost Seems Like A Tariff Tantrum”

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington Maria Cantwell
    02.13.25
    Cantwell Hits Trump’s Trade Policy on CNBC: “It Almost Seems Like A Tariff Tantrum”
    WA depends on steel & aluminum imports; last year, the state imported $1.2B worth of steel & aluminum for aerospace, shipbuilding, electronics & more; Last round of Trump trade wars nearly decimated WA’s apple export market to India; Cantwell helped negotiate end to retaliatory tariffs in 2023 & restore the market
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – This morning, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and a senior member of the Senate Committee on Finance, appeared on CNBC’s Squawk Box to push back against President Trump’s aggressive use of tariffs, even against the United States’ closest allies, instead of focusing on opening up export markets and lowering costs for American consumers.
    “This is the fourth week of the Trump Administration, and I would hope that we would have been hearing about how we’re lowering costs on housing, food prices, and drugs. And instead, we’re now in – it almost seems like a tariff tantrum, like we’re just going to tariff everything. And what I would like to see is an engagement by both Democrats and Republicans pushing back on this notion that a ‘tariff everything’ strategy is the way to get out of this situation,” Sen. Cantwell told Squawk Box’s Andrew Ross Sorkin.
    “I’ve been critical of Obama’s tariffs. I’ve been critical of Biden’s tariffs. What I want people to understand is we live in a world, now, where alliances and dealing with these issues on a coalition basis will get us further, because 95% of consumers are outside the United States,” she continued.
    “In the last Trump administration, he did the same thing [… he] cut hundreds of apple jobs in my state that never recovered. But it decimated a $120 million market, and then, basically, because of the retaliatory tariffs, we were without an apple market to India. I worked in the Biden administration to get that restored. So, what people don’t understand is, in this environment, you don’t just lose farmland — because actually, Bill Gates or somebody will buy it — you’re losing farmers. And right now, the world, we should be opening up markets. We should be opening up agriculture opportunities around the globe.”
    Her full appearance on Squawk Box can be viewed HERE; a transcript of the interview is HERE.
    In Washington state, two out of every five jobs are tied to trade and trade-related industries.  Combined, the state imported $1.21 billion worth of steel and aluminum last year – and the major industries and employers in Washington that rely on steel and aluminum include aerospace, shipbuilding, utilities, and electronics.
    When President Trump imposed steel tariffs in 2018, our trading partners immediately responded by imposing tariffs of their own on Washington products, especially agriculture, including cherries, apples, pears, and potatoes. Nationally, across all industries, the steel and aluminum tariffs resulted in a decrease in production worth about $3.4 billion per year, according to an ITC report.  
    Sen. Cantwell has remained a steadfast supporter of free trade to grow the economy in the State of Washington and nationwide. Sen. Cantwell was the leading voice in negotiations to end India’s 20% retaliatory tariff on American apples, which was imposed in response to tariffs on steel and aluminum and devastated Washington state’s apple exports. India had once been the second-largest export market for American apples, but after President Trump imposed tariffs on steel and aluminum in his first term, India imposed retaliatory tariffs in response and U.S. apple exports plummeted. The impact on Washington apple growers was severe: Apple exports from the state dropped from $120 million in 2017 to less than $1 million by 2023.  In September 2023, following several years of Sen. Cantwell’s advocacy, India ended its retaliatory tariffs on apples and pulse crops which was welcome news to the state’s more than 1,400 apple growers and the 68,000-plus workers they support.
    Last week, Sen. Cantwell also delivered a major speech on the Senate floor arguing that the president’s arbitrary tariffs would threaten domestic job creation and economic growth in an Information Age. She outlined a strategy focused on building coalitions, growing exports, and establishing principles to support innovation in the Information Age.
    Sen. Cantwell also voted against advancing the nomination of Howard Lutnick, President Trump’s choice to be Secretary of the Department of Commerce, citing concerns with Lutnick’s support for Trump’s proposed tariffs. More information on how President Trump’s proposed tariffs on goods from Mexico, Canada, and China would affect consumers and businesses in the State of Washington can be found HERE.
    In May 2023, Sen. Cantwell sent a letter urging the Biden Administration to help U.S. potato growers finally get approval to sell fresh potatoes in Japan. In June 2023, Sen. Cantwell hosted U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), then-chair of the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, in Washington state for a forum with 30 local agricultural leaders in Wenatchee to discuss the Farm Bill.
    In 2022, Sen. Cantwell spearheaded passage of the Ocean Shipping Reform Act, a law to crack down on skyrocketing international ocean shipping costs and ease supply chain backlogs that raise prices for consumers and make it harder for U.S. farmers and exporters to get their goods to the global market.
    In August 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Sen. Cantwell sent a letter to then-Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue requesting aid funds be distributed to wheat growers. In December 2018, Sen. Cantwell celebrated the passage of the Farm Bill, which included $500 million of assistance for farmers, including those who grow wheat.
    In 2019, Sen. Cantwell helped secure a provision in the $16 billion USDA relief package, ensuring sweet cherry growers could access emergency funding to offset the impacts of tariffs and other market disruptions.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Applied Materials Announces First Quarter 2025 Results

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    • Revenue $7.17 billion, up 7 percent year over year
    • GAAP gross margin 48.8 percent and non-GAAP gross margin 48.9 percent
    • GAAP operating margin 30.4 percent and non-GAAP operating margin 30.6 percent
    • GAAP EPS $1.45 and non-GAAP EPS $2.38, down 40 percent and up 12 percent year over year, respectively
    • Generated $925 million in cash from operations and distributed $1.64 billion to shareholders including $1.32 billion in share repurchases and $326 million in dividends

    SANTA CLARA, Calif., Feb. 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMAT) today reported results for its first quarter ended Jan. 26, 2025.

    “The industry drive to accelerate the development of advanced compute and more sophisticated AI is gaining momentum,” said Gary Dickerson, President and CEO. “Applied Materials is enabling the major device architecture inflections critical for energy-efficient AI and our focus on high-velocity co-innovation creates unique collaboration opportunities with our customers and partners, positioning Applied for continued growth and outperformance in the years to come.”

    “We delivered strong financial performance in the first fiscal quarter, with record revenue, gross margin expansion and robust shareholder distributions,” said Brice Hill, Senior Vice President and CFO. “ For the second fiscal quarter, we are encouraged by the trends supporting continued customer investments to enable leading-edge technology inflections, while also taking into account export control related headwinds.”

    Results Summary

      Q1 FY2025   Q1 FY2024   Change
      (In millions, except per share amounts and percentages)
    Net revenue $ 7,166     $ 6,707     7%
    Gross margin   48.8 %     47.8 %   1.0 point
    Operating margin   30.4 %     29.3 %   1.1 points
    Net income $ 1,185     $ 2,019     (41)%
    Diluted earnings per share $ 1.45     $ 2.41     (40)%
    Non-GAAP Results          
    Non-GAAP gross margin   48.9 %     47.9 %   1.0 point
    Non-GAAP operating margin   30.6 %     29.5 %   1.1 points
    Non-GAAP net income $ 1,946     $ 1,782     9%
    Non-GAAP diluted EPS $ 2.38     $ 2.13     12%
    Non-GAAP free cash flow $ 544     $ 2,096     (74)%
                       

    A reconciliation of the GAAP and non-GAAP results is provided in the financial tables included in this release. See also “Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures” section.

    Impact of Singapore Tax Incentives

    As a result of new tax incentive agreements in Singapore in fiscal 2025, the company recorded a $644 million, or $0.79 per diluted share, income tax expense due to the remeasurement of deferred tax assets in Singapore.

    Business Outlook

    Applied’s total net revenue, non-GAAP gross margin and non-GAAP diluted EPS for the second quarter of fiscal 2025, including the estimated impact of recently announced U.S. export regulations, are expected to be approximately as follows:

      Q2 FY2025
    (In millions, except percentage and per share amounts)  
    Total net revenue $ 7,100   +/- $ 400  
    Non-GAAP gross margin   48.4 %    
    Non-GAAP diluted EPS $ 2.30   +/- $ 0.18  
                   

    This outlook for non-GAAP diluted EPS excludes known charges related to completed acquisitions of $0.01 per share and a gain on asset sale of $0.05 per share, and includes a net income tax benefit related to intra-entity intangible asset transfers of $0.04 per share, but does not reflect any items that are unknown at this time, such as any additional charges related to acquisitions or other non-operational or unusual items, as well as other tax-related items, which we are not able to predict without unreasonable efforts due to their inherent uncertainty.

    First Quarter Reportable Segment Information

    Semiconductor Systems Q1 FY2025   Q1 FY2024
      (In millions, except percentages)
    Net revenue $ 5,356     $ 4,909  
    Foundry, logic and other   68 %     62 %
    DRAM   28 %     34 %
    Flash memory   4 %     4 %
    Operating income $ 1,986     $ 1,744  
    Operating margin   37.1 %     35.5 %
    Non-GAAP Results    
    Non-GAAP operating income $ 1,998     $ 1,754  
    Non-GAAP operating margin   37.3 %     35.7 %
    Applied Global Services Q1 FY2025   Q1 FY2024
      (In millions, except percentages)
    Net revenue $ 1,594     $ 1,476  
    Operating income $ 447     $ 417  
    Operating margin   28.0 %     28.3 %
    Non-GAAP Results    
    Non-GAAP operating income $ 447     $ 417  
    Non-GAAP operating margin   28.0 %     28.3 %
    Display Q1 FY2025   Q1 FY2024
      (In millions, except percentages)
    Net revenue $ 183     $ 244  
    Operating income $ 14     $ 25  
    Operating margin   7.7 %     10.2 %
    Non-GAAP Results    
    Non-GAAP operating income $ 14     $ 25  
    Non-GAAP operating margin   7.7 %     10.2 %
    Corporate and Other Q1 FY2025   Q1 FY2024
      (In millions)
    Unallocated net revenue $ 33     $ 78  
    Unallocated cost of products sold and expenses   (305 )     (297 )
    Total $ (272 )   $ (219 )
                   

    Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

    Applied provides investors with certain non-GAAP financial measures, which are adjusted for the impact of certain costs, expenses, gains and losses, including certain items related to mergers and acquisitions; restructuring and severance charges and any associated adjustments; impairments of assets; gain or loss, dividends and impairments on strategic investments; certain income tax items and other discrete adjustments. On a non-GAAP basis, the tax effect related to share-based compensation is recognized ratably over the fiscal year. Reconciliations of these non-GAAP measures to the most directly comparable financial measures calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP are provided in the financial tables included in this release.

    Management uses these non-GAAP financial measures to evaluate the company’s operating and financial performance and for planning purposes, and as performance measures in its executive compensation program. Applied believes these measures enhance an overall understanding of its performance and investors’ ability to review the company’s business from the same perspective as the company’s management, and facilitate comparisons of this period’s results with prior periods on a consistent basis by excluding items that management does not believe are indicative of Applied’s ongoing operating performance. There are limitations in using non-GAAP financial measures because the non-GAAP financial measures are not prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, may be different from non-GAAP financial measures used by other companies, and may exclude certain items that may have a material impact upon our reported financial results. The presentation of this additional information is not meant to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for the directly comparable financial measures prepared in accordance with GAAP.

    Webcast Information

    Applied Materials will discuss these results during an earnings call that begins at 1:30 p.m. Pacific Time today. A live webcast and related slide presentation will be available at https://ir.appliedmaterials.com. A replay will be available on the website beginning at 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time today.

    Forward-Looking Statements
    This press release contains forward-looking statements, including those regarding anticipated growth and trends in our businesses and markets, industry outlooks and demand drivers, technology transitions, our business and financial performance and market share positions, our capital allocation and cash deployment strategies, our investment and growth strategies, our development of new products and technologies, our business outlook for the second quarter of fiscal 2025 and beyond, and other statements that are not historical facts. These statements and their underlying assumptions are subject to risks and uncertainties and are not guarantees of future performance. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements include, without limitation: the level of demand for our products; global economic, political and industry conditions, including changes in interest rates and prices for goods and services; the implementation of additional export regulations and license requirements and their interpretation, and their impact on our ability to export products and provide services to customers and on our results of operations; global trade issues and changes in trade and export license policies and our ability to obtain licenses or authorizations on a timely basis, if at all; imposition of new or increases in tariffs and any retaliatory measures; the effects of geopolitical turmoil or conflicts; demand for semiconductor chips and electronic devices; customers’ technology and capacity requirements; the introduction of new and innovative technologies, and the timing of technology transitions; our ability to develop, deliver and support new products and technologies; our ability to meet customer demand, and our suppliers’ ability to meet our demand requirements; the concentrated nature of our customer base; our ability to expand our current markets, increase market share and develop new markets; market acceptance of existing and newly developed products; our ability to obtain and protect intellectual property rights in key technologies; cybersecurity incidents affecting our information systems or information contained in them, or affecting our operations, suppliers, customers or vendors; our ability to achieve the objectives of operational and strategic initiatives, align our resources and cost structure with business conditions, and attract, motivate and retain key employees; the effects of regional or global health epidemics; acquisitions, investments and divestitures; changes in income tax laws; the variability of operating expenses and results among products and segments, and our ability to accurately forecast future results, market conditions, customer requirements and business needs; our ability to ensure compliance with applicable law, rules and regulations and other risks and uncertainties described in our SEC filings, including our recent Forms 10-K and 8-K. All forward-looking statements are based on management’s current estimates, projections and assumptions, and we assume no obligation to update them.

    About Applied Materials

    Applied Materials, Inc. (Nasdaq: AMAT) is the leader in materials engineering solutions used to produce virtually every new chip and advanced display in the world. Our expertise in modifying materials at atomic levels and on an industrial scale enables customers to transform possibilities into reality. At Applied Materials, our innovations make possible a better future. Learn more at www.appliedmaterials.com.

    Investor Relations Contact:
    Liz Morali (408) 986-7977
    liz_morali@amat.com 

    Media Contact:
    Ricky Gradwohl (408) 235-4676
    ricky_gradwohl@amat.com 

     
    APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
    UNAUDITED CONSOLIDATED CONDENSED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
       
      Three Months Ended
    (In millions, except per share amounts) January 26,
    2025    		   January 28,
    2024
    Net revenue $ 7,166     $ 6,707  
    Cost of products sold   3,670       3,503  
    Gross profit   3,496       3,204  
    Operating expenses:      
    Research, development and engineering   859       754  
    Marketing and selling   206       207  
    General and administrative   256       276  
    Total operating expenses   1,321       1,237  
    Income from operations   2,175       1,967  
    Interest expense   64       59  
    Interest and other income (expense), net   8       395  
    Income before income taxes   2,119       2,303  
    Provision for income taxes   934       284  
    Net income $ 1,185     $ 2,019  
    Earnings per share:      
    Basic $ 1.46     $ 2.43  
    Diluted $ 1.45     $ 2.41  
    Weighted average number of shares:      
    Basic   814       831  
    Diluted   819       837  
                   
     
    APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
    UNAUDITED CONSOLIDATED CONDENSED BALANCE SHEETS
           
    (In millions) January 26,
    2025    		   October 27,
    2024
    ASSETS      
    Current assets:      
    Cash and cash equivalents $ 6,264     $ 8,022  
    Short-term investments   1,949       1,449  
    Accounts receivable, net   5,998       5,234  
    Inventories   5,501       5,421  
    Other current assets   982       1,094  
    Total current assets   20,694       21,220  
    Long-term investments   2,686       2,787  
    Property, plant and equipment, net   3,563       3,339  
    Goodwill   3,768       3,732  
    Purchased technology and other intangible assets, net   237       249  
    Deferred income taxes and other assets   2,390       3,082  
    Total assets $ 33,338     $ 34,409  
    LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY      
    Current liabilities:      
    Short-term debt $ 799     $ 799  
    Accounts payable and accrued expenses   4,485       4,820  
    Contract liabilities   2,452       2,849  
    Total current liabilities   7,736       8,468  
    Long-term debt   5,461       5,460  
    Income taxes payable   684       670  
    Other liabilities   832       810  
    Total liabilities   14,713       15,408  
    Total stockholders’ equity   18,625       19,001  
    Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity $ 33,338     $ 34,409  
                   
     
    APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
    UNAUDITED CONSOLIDATED CONDENSED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
       
      Three Months Ended
    (In millions) January 26,
    2025    		   January 28,
    2024
    Cash flows from operating activities:      
    Net income $ 1,185     $ 2,019  
    Adjustments required to reconcile net income to cash provided by operating activities:      
    Depreciation and amortization   105       91  
    Share-based compensation   195       170  
    Deferred income taxes   668       (72 )
    Other   95       (235 )
    Net change in operating assets and liabilities   (1,323 )     352  
    Cash provided by operating activities   925       2,325  
    Cash flows from investing activities:      
    Capital expenditures   (381 )     (229 )
    Cash paid for acquisitions, net of cash acquired   (28 )     —  
    Proceeds from sales and maturities of investments   1,223       531  
    Purchases of investments   (1,711 )     (749 )
    Cash used in investing activities   (897 )     (447 )
    Cash flows from financing activities:      
    Proceeds from issuance of commercial paper   200       100  
    Repayments of commercial paper   (200 )     (100 )
    Common stock repurchases   (1,318 )     (700 )
    Tax withholding payments for vested equity awards   (142 )     (192 )
    Payments of dividends to stockholders   (326 )     (266 )
    Repayments of principal on finance leases   —       1  
    Cash used in financing activities   (1,786 )     (1,157 )
    Increase (decrease) in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash equivalents   (1,758 )     721  
    Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash equivalents—beginning of period   8,113       6,233  
    Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash equivalents — end of period $ 6,355     $ 6,954  
           
    Reconciliation of cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash equivalents      
    Cash and cash equivalents $ 6,264     $ 6,854  
    Restricted cash equivalents included in deferred income taxes and other assets   91       100  
    Total cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash equivalents $ 6,355     $ 6,954  
           
    Supplemental cash flow information:      
    Cash payments for income taxes $ 70     $ 139  
    Cash refunds from income taxes $ 70     $ 2  
    Cash payments for interest $ 52     $ 34  
                   

    Additional Information

      Q1 FY2025   Q1 FY2024
    Net Revenue by Geography (In millions)  
    United States $ 917     $ 759  
    % of Total   13 %     11 %
    Europe $ 330     $ 410  
    % of Total   4 %     6 %
    Japan $ 540     $ 565  
    % of Total   8 %     9 %
    Korea $ 1,667     $ 1,231  
    % of Total   23 %     18 %
    Taiwan $ 1,183     $ 559  
    % of Total   17 %     8 %
    Southeast Asia $ 286     $ 186  
    % of Total   4 %     3 %
    China $ 2,243     $ 2,997  
    % of Total   31 %     45 %
           
    Employees(In thousands)      
    Regular Full Time   36.0       34.5  
                   
     
    APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
    UNAUDITED RECONCILIATION OF GAAP TO NON-GAAP RESULTS
       
      Three Months Ended
    (In millions, except percentages) January 26,
    2025    		   January 28,
    2024
    Non-GAAP Gross Profit      
    GAAP reported gross profit $ 3,496     $ 3,204  
    Certain items associated with acquisitions1   7       7  
    Non-GAAP gross profit $ 3,503     $ 3,211  
    Non-GAAP gross margin   48.9 %     47.9 %
    Non-GAAP Operating Income      
    GAAP reported operating income $ 2,175     $ 1,967  
    Certain items associated with acquisitions1   12       11  
    Acquisition integration and deal costs   3       3  
    Non-GAAP operating income $ 2,190     $ 1,981  
    Non-GAAP operating margin   30.6 %     29.5 %
    Non-GAAP Net Income      
    GAAP reported net income $ 1,185     $ 2,019  
    Certain items associated with acquisitions1   12       11  
    Acquisition integration and deal costs   3       3  
    Realized loss (gain), dividends and impairments on strategic investments, net   (9 )     (1 )
    Unrealized loss (gain) on strategic investments, net   106       (280 )
    Income tax effect of share-based compensation2   (10 )     (26 )
    Income tax effects related to intra-entity intangible asset transfers3   674       22  
    Resolution of prior years’ income tax filings and other tax items   (16 )     33  
    Income tax effect of non-GAAP adjustments4   1       1  
    Non-GAAP net income $ 1,946     $ 1,782  
    1 These items are incremental charges attributable to completed acquisitions, consisting of amortization of purchased intangible assets.
       
    2 GAAP basis tax benefit related to share-based compensation is recognized ratably over the fiscal year on a non-GAAP basis.
       
    3 Amount for the three months ended January 26, 2025, included changes to income tax provision of $30 million from amortization of intangibles and a $644 million remeasurement of deferred tax assets resulting from new tax incentive agreements in Singapore in fiscal 2025.
       
    4 Adjustment to provision for income taxes related to non-GAAP adjustments reflected in income before income taxes.
       
     
    APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
    UNAUDITED RECONCILIATION OF GAAP TO NON-GAAP RESULTS
       
      Three Months Ended
    (In millions, except per share amounts) January 26,
    2025    		   January 28,
    2024
    Non-GAAP Earnings Per Diluted Share      
    GAAP reported earnings per diluted share $ 1.45     $ 2.41  
    Certain items associated with acquisitions   0.01       0.01  
    Realized loss (gain), dividends and impairments on strategic investments, net   (0.01 )     —  
    Unrealized loss (gain) on strategic investments, net   0.13       (0.33 )
    Income tax effect of share-based compensation   (0.01 )     (0.03 )
    Income tax effects related to intra-entity intangible asset transfers1   0.83       0.03  
    Resolution of prior years’ income tax filings and other tax items   (0.02 )     0.04  
    Non-GAAP earnings per diluted share $ 2.38     $ 2.13  
    Weighted average number of diluted shares   819       837  
    1 Amount for the three months ended January 26, 2025, included changes to income tax provision of $0.04 per diluted share from amortization of intangibles and $0.79 per diluted share from a remeasurement of deferred tax assets resulting from new tax incentive agreements in Singapore in fiscal 2025.
       
     
    APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
    UNAUDITED RECONCILIATION OF GAAP TO NON-GAAP RESULTS
       
      Three Months Ended
    (In millions, except percentages) January 26,
    2025    		   January 28,
    2024
    Semiconductor Systems Non-GAAP Operating Income      
    GAAP reported operating income $ 1,986     $ 1,744  
    Certain items associated with acquisitions1   12       10  
    Non-GAAP operating income $ 1,998     $ 1,754  
    Non-GAAP operating margin   37.3 %     35.7 %
    Applied Global Services Non-GAAP Operating Income      
    GAAP reported operating income $ 447     $ 417  
    Non-GAAP operating income $ 447     $ 417  
    Non-GAAP operating margin   28.0 %     28.3 %
    Display Non-GAAP Operating Income      
    GAAP reported operating income $ 14     $ 25  
    Non-GAAP operating income $ 14     $ 25  
    Non-GAAP operating margin   7.7 %     10.2 %
    1  These items are incremental charges attributable to completed acquisitions, consisting of amortization of purchased intangible assets.
       

    Note: The reconciliation of GAAP and non-GAAP segment results above does not include certain revenues, costs of products sold and operating expenses that are reported within corporate and other and included in consolidated operating income.

     
    APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
    UNAUDITED RECONCILIATION OF GAAP TO NON-GAAP EFFECTIVE INCOME TAX RATE
       
      Three Months Ended
    (In millions, except percentages) January 26, 2025
       
    GAAP provision for income taxes (a) $ 934  
    Income tax effect of share-based compensation   10  
    Income tax effects related to intra-entity intangible asset transfers   (674 )
    Resolutions of prior years’ income tax filings and other tax items   16  
    Income tax effect of non-GAAP adjustments   (1 )
    Non-GAAP provision for income taxes (b) $ 285  
       
    GAAP income before income taxes (c) $ 2,119  
    Certain items associated with acquisitions   12  
    Acquisition integration and deal costs   3  
    Realized loss (gain), dividends and impairments on strategic investments, net   (9 )
    Unrealized loss (gain) on strategic investments, net   106  
    Non-GAAP income before income taxes (d) $ 2,231  
       
    GAAP effective income tax rate (a/c)   44.1 %
       
    Non-GAAP effective income tax rate (b/d)   12.8 %
           
     
    UNAUDITED RECONCILIATION OF NON-GAAP FREE CASH FLOW
       
      Three Months Ended
    (In millions) January 26,
    2025    		   January 28,
    2024
    Cash provided by operating activities $ 925     $ 2,325  
    Capital expenditures   (381 )     (229 )
    Non-GAAP free cash flow $ 544     $ 2,096  
                   

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA News: Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Announces “Fair and Reciprocal Plan” on Trade

    Source: The White House

    THE “FAIR AND RECIPROCAL PLAN”: Today, President Donald J. Trump signed a Presidential Memorandum ordering the development of a comprehensive plan for restoring fairness in U.S. trade relationships and countering non-reciprocal trading arrangements.

    • The “Fair and Reciprocal Plan” will seek to correct longstanding imbalances in international trade and ensure fairness across the board.
    • Gone are the days of America being taken advantage of: this plan will put the American worker first, improve our competitiveness in every area of industry, reduce our trade deficit, and bolster our economic and national security. 

    AMERICA WILL NO LONGER TOLERATE UNFAIR TRADE PRACTICES: The United States is one of the most open economies in the world, yet our trading partners keep their markets closed to our exports. This lack of reciprocity is unfair and contributes to our large and persistent annual trade deficit.

    • There are endless examples where our trading partners do not give the United States reciprocal treatment.
      • The U.S. tariff on ethanol is a mere 2.5%. Yet Brazil charges the U.S. ethanol exports a tariff of 18%. As a result, in 2024, the U.S. imported over $200 million in ethanol from Brazil while the U.S. exported only $52 million in ethanol to Brazil.
      • The U.S. average applied Most Favored Nation (MFN) tariff on agricultural goods is 5%. But India’s average applied MFN tariff is 39%. India also charges a 100% tariff on U.S. motorcycles, while we only charge a 2.4% tariff on Indian motorcycles.
      • The European Union can export all the shellfish it wants to America. But the EU bans shellfish exports from 48 of our states, despite committing in 2020 to expedite approvals for shellfish exports. As a result, in 2023, the U.S. imported $274 million in shellfish from the EU but exported only $38 million.
      • The EU also imposes a 10% tariff on imported cars. Yet the U.S. only imposes a 2.5% tariff.
      • A 2019 report found that across 132 countries and more than 600,000 product lines, United States exporters face higher tariffs more than two-thirds of the time.
    • This lack of reciprocity is one source of America’s large and persistent annual trade deficit in goods: closed markets abroad reduce U.S. exports and open markets at home result in significant imports, both of which undercut American competitiveness.
      • The United States has run a trade deficit of goods every year since 1975. In 2024, our trade deficit in goods exceeded $1 trillion.
      • Thanks to the proliferation of non-reciprocal barriers in just the last few years, the U.S. now runs a trade deficit in agriculture, worth around $40 billion in 2024.
    • Though America has no such thing, and only America should be allowed to tax American firms, trading partners hand American companies a bill for something called a digital service tax.
      • Canada and France use these taxes to each collect over $500 million per year from American companies.
      • Overall, these non-reciprocal taxes cost America’s firms over $2 billion per year.
      • Reciprocal tariffs will bring back fairness and prosperity to the distorted international trade system and stop Americans from being taken advantage of.

    THE ART OF THE INTERNATIONAL DEAL: President Trump continues to deliver on his mandate given to him by the American People to put America First when it comes to trade.

    • As President Trump said in the Presidential Memorandum on American First Trade Policy on his first day in office, trade policy is a critical component of our economic security and national security.
    • In his first term, President Trump successfully ended the outdated and unfair NAFTA, replacing it with the historic USMCA to deliver one of the largest wins for American workers.
    • When our national security was threatened by a global oversupply of steel and aluminum, President Trump took swift action to protect America’s national security by implementing tariffs on imports of these goods.
    • In response to China’s intellectual property theft, forced technology transfer, and other unreasonable behavior, President Trump acted with conviction to impose tariffs on imports from China, using that leverage to reach a historic bilateral economic agreement.

    Just last week, President Trump leveraged tariffs to force Canada and Mexico to make long-overdue changes at our northern and southern borders, ensuring the safety and security of American citizens.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: 15th National Games athletics (marathon) test event to be held on February 23 (with photo)

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    15th National Games athletics (marathon) test event to be held on February 23 (with photo)
    15th National Games athletics (marathon) test event to be held on February 23 (with photo)
    ******************************************************************************************

         The press conference on the 2025 Shenzhen-Hong Kong marathon and the 15th National Games (NG) athletics (marathon) test event was held in Shenzhen today (February 13).      Deputy secretary-general of the Shenzhen Municipal Government and Executive Vice Chairperson of the Executive Committee for the 15th NG, the 12th National Games for Persons with Disabilities (NGD) and the 9th National Special Olympic Games (NSOG) in Shenzhen, Mr Kuang Bing, the Head of the National Games Coordination Office (Hong Kong) (NGCO) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, Mr Yeung Tak-keung; and other Shenzhen officials, attended the press conference to introduce details of the test event. The test event will be held on February 23. The marathon distance is 42.195 kilometres long, of which 21.841 kilometres are in the Hong Kong section. The race will start and finish at Shenzhen. It will start from the Shenzhen Bay Sports Center, enter Hong Kong via the Shenzhen Bay Port, pass through the Shenzhen Bay Bridge and Kong Sham Western Highway Viaduct, then turn back to the Shenzhen Bay Port through the same route and return to Shenzhen, and finally end at the Shenzhen Bay Sports Center. The test event will comprise men’s and women’s races, with women to start at 7am and men to set off at 7.30am. The athletes will enter the Hong Kong section upon completion of approximately 2 kilometres of race route. Both groups are expected to spend around two hours in Hong Kong.      Speaking at the press conference, Mr Yeung said taking the opportunity of the 15th NG, Shenzhen and Hong Kong join hands together to hold this Shenzhen-Hong Kong marathon and the NG test event across the two places by making use of the Shenzhen Bay Bridge as the track for the first time, aiming to foster the sports exchange between the two places and promote the development of sports in the Greater Bay Area (GBA).      Mr Yeung added that Shenzhen and Hong Kong have been in close contact and conducted multiple site inspections to make full preparation for the test event. He stressed that Hong Kong will fully co-operate with Shenzhen and is committed to ensuring the smooth running of the  event, so as to get well prepared for the 15th NG to be held in November this year.      Mr Kuang noted that the Shenzhen Bay Port connecting Shenzhen and Hong Kong has been selected as part of the race route of the 15th NG athletics (marathon) test event to be staged in Shenzhen, giving full play to the important role of the 15th NG in areas including promoting regional integration, integrated development of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, and enhancing national cohesion.      The 2025 Shenzhen-Hong Kong marathon and the 15th NG athletics (marathon) test event is organised by the Shenzhen Municipal People’s Government, and hosted by the Executive Committee for the 15th NG, the 12th National Games for Persons with Disabilities and the 9th National Special Olympic Games in Shenzhen and the People’s Government of Nanshan District, Shenzhen, with the support of the NGCO, the Culture, Media, Tourism and Sports Bureau of Shenzhen Municipality, and the Authority of Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Cooperation Zone of Shenzhen Municipality, as well as the Guangdong Athletics Association. The Chinese Athletics Association serves as an advisor, while the Hong Kong, China Association of Athletics Affiliates and a Shenzhen agency act as the executive units.

     
    Ends/Thursday, February 13, 2025Issued at HKT 21:40

    NNNN

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: UK/China: ‘Red lines, not red carpet’ needed as Lammy hosts top China diplomat in London

    Source: Amnesty International –

    ‘This is an opportunity to show that the UK will not allow China to buy its silence over human rights concerns’ – Felix Jakens

    Ahead of the highly anticipated visit from China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who is due to visit Britain  today (Thursday 13 February) to hold talks with his British counterpart David Lammy in what is being seen as a sign that relations between the countries are ‘normalising’, Felix Jakens, Amnesty’s UK Head of Campaigns, said:

    “With the prospect of resuming a strategic dialogue with China for the first time since 2018, the pursuit of trade must not inhibit frank conversations on human rights, which must be central to any diplomatic engagement.

    “Talk of normalising relations with China, risks a defacto endorsement of the wholly abnormal industrial-scale abuse of human rights Beijing is overseeing across China, Hong Kong and beyond. 

    “David Lammy should be drawing serious red lines, rather than rolling out the red carpet when Wang Yi visits this week. 

    “We need to hear a public and strong condemnation of the brutal suppression of human rights activists, which is not only limited to mainland China or Hong Kong but has also spread to the UK through the transnational targeting of students and activists who speak out here. Hong Kong’s recent issuing of ‘Wild West’-style bounties on activists’ heads in the UK indicates the authorities believe they can intimidate and silence their critics overseas with impunity. It is completely unacceptable to see this sort of international witch hunt on UK soil and the most high-level visit in years must be a time to publicly vocalise UK Government outrage.

    “The Foreign Secretary also needs to forcefully challenge the Chinese government over its systematic, industrial-scale repression of ethnic minorities in Xinjiang and Tibet, including subjecting people to forced labour. 

    “Mr Lammy must also demand the immediate release of Hong Kong and Chinese prisoners of conscience, including British national Jimmy Lai, human rights lawyers Chow Hang-tung and Ding Jiaxi, as well as long-held Uighur economist Ilham Tohti.

    “This is an opportunity to show that the UK will not allow China to buy its silence over human rights concerns.”

    Long arm of Chinese state repression  

     The Chinese authorities routinely target peaceful critics via pervasive online censorship, arbitrary arrest, detention and torture. Human rights defenders, pro-democracy activists and religious leaders and practitioners have been among those subjected to systematic persecution. The widespread repression of ethnic minorities in Xinjiang and Tibet has continued despite significant international criticism. 

    In Hong Kong, journalists, broadcasters and book publishers have been among those prosecuted and imprisoned under the territory’s notorious National Security Law and other repressive legislation, while civil society organisations both in Hong Kong and abroad have faced criminal charges or harassment for their legitimate activities. The long arm of Chinese state repression has meant that Chinese and Hong Kong communities in the UK, other parts of Europe and North America have all suffered various kinds of threats and intimidation, part of a sinister pattern of “transnational repression”. 

    On 24 December, Hong Kong police announced a third round of HK$1million (about £105,000) bounties for information that would lead to the arrest of six democracy advocates based overseas whom they accused of national security crimes. To date, 19 Hong Kong overseas activists have been targeted, most of whom live in the UK.   

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI USA: King Cosponsors Bipartisan Legislation to Crack Down on Illegal Fentanyl Trafficking

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Maine Angus King
    WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) and the Select Senate Committee on Intelligence (SSCI), is cosponsoring bipartisan legislation to help law enforcement combat fentanyl trafficking and equip scientists with the tools to research and better understand fentanyl and other opioid-related substances. The bipartisan Halt All Lethal Trafficking of Fentanyl Act would finally make permanent the scheduling of illicitly produced fentanyl-related substances (FRS) as Schedule I drugs and streamline the regulatory process for scientists seeking approval from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to research these substances.
    A permanent scheduling of FRS is necessary to make penalties for criminals clear and enforceable under the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), reducing the supply and availability of illicitly manufactured FRS. The HALT Fentanyl Act places the strongest controls and penalties on FRS, which have no accepted medical use and a high abuse potential. The bill would also establish a new, streamlined registration process for research funded by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), or under an Investigative New Drug (IND) exemption from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
    “Our state knows all too well the devastation opioids like fentanyl can cause; far too many Maine people have lost their lives or a loved-one to fentanyl related overdoses,” said Senator King. “We have a duty to equip our law enforcement professionals, researchers and those on the frontlines with the consistent guidance to help us combat this deadly epidemic. The bipartisan Halt All Lethal Trafficking of Fentanyl Act meets the urgency of this crisis and is a critical step toward ensuring our families and communities are safe from this dangerous, deadly drug.”
    Since 2013, Maine has experienced tragically significant growth in total deaths from fentanyl related overdoses. In 2021, 77% of all drug overdoses in Maine were due to fentanyl. Fentanyl and FRS are especially dangerous because their presence is often unknown to the user and lethal in extremely small amounts. The University of Maine estimates fentanyl to be 25 times more potent than oxycodone and 50-100 times more potent than heroin.
    Specifically, the HALT Fentanyl Act would:
    Permanently impose the following quantity-based federal trafficking penalties on FRS:
    Mandatory minimum penalties: 5 years for 10 grams or more (10 years for second offense); and 10 years for 100 grams or more (20 years for second offense).
    Discretionary maximum penalties: 40 years for 10 grams or more (life for second offense); and life for 100 grams or more.
    Enhance our understanding of manufactured substances by:
    Allowing researchers in the same institution to participate in multiple scientific studies.
    Permitting researchers with ongoing studies to examine newly added schedule I substances.
    Allowing researchers to manufacture small quantities of FRS without a separate registration.
    In addition to Senator King, the HALT Fentanyl Act is cosponsored by Senators Martin Heinrich (D-NM),  Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Roger Marshall (R-KN), Todd Young (R-IN), Steve Daines (R-MT), Eric Schmitt (R-MO), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Mike Rounds (R-SD), John Kennedy (R-LA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Mark Kelly (D-AZ).
    As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and Select Senate Committee on Intelligence, Senator King has previously supported legislation to combat illicit drug use and decrease overdoses. He is a cosponsor of the Synthetics Trafficking and Overdose Prevention Act, bipartisan legislation that is designed to stop dangerous synthetic drugs like fentanyl and carfentanil from being shipped through our borders. Senator King also cosponsored the INTERDICT Act, bipartisan legislation to help halt the flow of illicit fentanyl from Mexico, China and other nations around the world into the United States. During an open hearing of the Select Senate Intelligence Committee last year, Senator King pressed Avril Haines, the former Director of National Intelligence and Christopher Wray, the former Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), about what the intelligence community is doing to halt the flow of illicit drugs — including fentanyl — from Mexico, China and other nations into the United States.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: As Tentative Reduction in Hostilities Opens Door for More De-Escalation, Sustainable Resolution to Yemen Conflict ‘Still Possible’, Special Envoy Tells Security Council

    Source: United Nations 4

    Yemen is standing at another critical juncture, and the choices made today will determine its future, the Organization’s senior official told the Security Council today, underscoring the collective responsibility to create the space for a mediated solution.

    “A sustainable resolution to this conflict is still possible,” said Hans Grundberg, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen, highlighting a significant, albeit fragile, development in the Middle East with the ceasefire in Gaza.  The tentative reduction in hostilities — a cessation of attacks by Ansar Allah on vessels in the Red Sea and targets in Israel — along with the release of the crew of the MV Galaxy Leader, offer a foundation for further de-escalation.

    “Yet, while we welcome this reprieve, we must also acknowledge the magnitude of challenges still facing Yemen,” he stressed, citing the fourth wave of arbitrary detentions of United Nations staff, conducted by Ansar Allah last month, as “a deeply troubling development”. He called for their immediate and unconditional release and an investigation of the death — while detained by Ansar Allah — of a UN colleague working for the World Food Programme (WFP).

    He further voiced concern over a continuation of military activity in Yemen, with reports of the movement of reinforcements and equipment towards the front lines, and shelling, drone attacks and infiltration attempts by Ansar Allah on multiple front lines, including Abyan, Al Dhale’, Lahj, Ma’rib, Sa’dah, Shabwa and Ta’iz.  He called on the parties to refrain from military posturing and retaliatory measures that could lead to further tension and risk plunging Yemen back into conflict.  His Office urges parties to de-escalate tensions and take concrete confidence-building measures through the Military Coordination Committee, he said.

    On Yemen’s rapidly deteriorating economic situation, he pointed to prolonged blackouts in Government-controlled areas. Moreover, the continued depreciation of the Yemeni riyal has sent the cost of essential goods soaring, “making simply surviving a challenge for millions”.  For many families, food, medicine and fuel have become unaffordable. In Ansar Allah-controlled territories, ordinary Yemenis also struggle to afford basic commodities.  “These hardships are symptoms of the failure to achieve a sustainable political resolution,” he observed, adding that “without the prospect of peace, there can be no prosperity”.

    He detailed his engagement with the parties to the conflict to advance sustainable, achievable and practical solutions that will benefit the Yemeni population, as well as with civil society representatives — including youth and women — to incorporate local-level perspectives into the peace process.  “Only a political settlement of the conflict will support the Yemenis in their aspirations for lasting peace,” he stated.

    19.5 Million People in Yemen Need Humanitarian Support

    Painting a grim picture of the humanitarian situation in Yemen, with 19.5 million people in need of support, Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, said that 64 per cent of the population are unable to meet their food needs, while 3.2 million children are out of school.  Half of all children under the age of five are acutely malnourished, dying at a horrific rate mainly from preventable conditions. While humanitarian operations continue despite significant risks, he stressed that humanitarian partners cannot operate without guarantees of their safety.

    “Globally, humanitarians are overstretched, underfunded and under attack,” he said, noting that operations have been temporarily paused in Sa’ada Governorate due to safety risks.  Urging the Council to get UN and civil society staff released, he also called for more funding “to deliver for those we serve”, stressing that political and security decisions should not punish affected communities by limiting the flow of essential commodities into Yemen.  “This is a tough place for us to deliver humanitarian support, and a tough place for you to get the political judgements right,” he added.

    Council Members Echo Call for Investigation into Death of World Food Programme (WFP) Staff Member, Stress Aid Workers Must Never Be Targeted

    In the ensuing discussion, Council members echoed Mr. Grundberg’s call for a swift, transparent and thorough investigation into the death of a WFP staff member in Houthi detention earlier this week and the immediate and unconditional release of all those detained.

    “These detentions are directly shrinking the humanitarian operating environment at a time when we continue to see an alarming deterioration in the humanitarian situation,” said the United Kingdom’s delegate.

    “Humanitarians must never be a target,” concurred Slovenia’s representative, adding that attacks on them are attacks on the most vulnerable Yemenis.  Referencing the recently published 2025 Humanitarian Response Plan for Yemen, he stated:  “The spectre of famine is never far from the Yemeni people.”

    Concerns Raised over Food Insecurity

    Yemen is experiencing extreme levels of food insecurity and malnutrition, cholera and marginalization of the most vulnerable groups, especially women and children, observed his counterpart from Greece.  He cautioned that further deterioration would have “disastrous effects” on that country’s population.

    Amid soaring food insecurity in Yemen, “we have a responsibility to act”, said Denmark’s delegate, noting Copenhagen’s contribution of $13.5 million to the life-saving efforts of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), WFP and the Yemen Humanitarian Fund.

    Panama, said that country’s representative, has also contributed to the Yemen Humanitarian Fund.  Further, he underscored the key role of the meetings held by the Humanitarian Affairs Office in the country’s economic recovery and stability.

    However, Pakistan’s delegate emphasized that “this crisis necessitates a well-coordinated and robust international response”, urging States to enhance their contributions to Yemen’s 2025 Humanitarian Response Plan.

    Focus on Precarious Security Situation and Houthi Threats

    Many speakers focused on the precarious security situation in Yemen and the Houthi threats to international peace and security.

    “As the Middle East stands at a perilous crossroad, Yemen remains mired in a fragile balance between conflict and stability,” observed the speaker for the Republic of Korea, adding that the navigational choices of the coming months will determine “whether the country moves towards lasting peace and stability or slides back into deepening crisis”.

    Echoing the ambiguity of the recent developments in Yemen, the representative of Somalia — also speaking for Algeria, Guyana and Sierra Leone — said they highlight “both progress and challenges”.  While he recognized efforts to improve humanitarian corridors in the Houthi-controlled areas, he emphasized the need for unhindered access across all regions.  Expressing support for diplomatic actions to safeguard the Red Sea as a zone of peace and cooperation, he said a stable and peaceful Yemen is critical for broader regional security.

    France’s delegate attributed the primary responsibility for the regional crisis to the Houthis, whose actions further worsen the humanitarian situation in Yemen.  Stressing that the international community needs to relaunch the political process, he said that the unity of the Presidential Leadership Council is essential and called for inclusive negotiations, with the participation of civil society and women.

    The United States’ representative stressed that Iran’s continued and unprecedented provision of weapons components, financial support and training and technical assistance to the Houthis for over a decade violates the arms embargo this Council imposed on the group.  Accordingly, she called on Council members to press Iran’s leaders to stop arming, funding and training the Houthis, “without which they would not be able to launch attacks that disrupt navigational rights and freedoms and put innocent civilians in harm’s way”.  Noting Washington, D.C.’s, initiation of a process to consider designating the Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization, she also called for targeted sanctions against that group.

    The Russian Federation’s delegate, meanwhile, warned that the process to include the Houthis on the United States’ list of terrorist organizations can impede humanitarian work and negatively impact the negotiations process.  Expressing hope that this initiative is undertaken by the new administration “in a rush”, he added:  “Otherwise, the blame for undermining efforts to establish a long-hoped-for peace in Yemen will be laid at Washington’s door.”

    Political Resolution is Key, with Regional Countries Facilitating Dialogue

    “No matter how the situation evolves, the Yemeni issue should be resolved politically,” emphasized the representative of China, Council President for February, speaking in his national capacity.  While noting that UN support would help break the political deadlock and relaunch the political process, he urged regional countries to facilitate dialogue.

    Yemen’s Speaker Says Iranian-Backed Houthi War to Blame for Economic Crisis, Urging States to Dry Up Houthi Financing 

    The representative of Yemen underscored that the Yemeni people are suffering from the repercussions of a “tremendous” economic crisis, caused by the Tehran-supported Houthi war.  The Presidential Leadership Council is open to all efforts to address the crisis, he said, adding the Government also called for the transfer of international agencies’ headquarters to the temporary capital Aden.  Stressing that “peace remains the obvious strategic option,” he reiterated the Government’s commitment to the 22 April 2022 truce.

    While “the window for peace cannot be shut when there is a genuine partner”, he said that the Government cannot accept an armed group fighting with the State, claiming its “divine” right to rule the country. Efforts to end the conflict cannot succeed until the Houthis stop their extortion, he observed, urging States to “dry up the group’s financing”.  Noting that the Government is trying to restore State institutions and implement reforms to curb the repercussions of terrorist attacks on oil facilities, he welcomed Washington, D.C.’s. decision to list the Houthis as a foreign terrorist group.  “Despite all challenges and difficulties, hope remains in the ability of the Yemeni people to overcome this crisis”, he concluded.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Arrangements for 15th National Games athletics (marathon) test event (with photo)

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    Arrangements for 15th National Games athletics (marathon) test event (with photo)
    Arrangements for 15th National Games athletics (marathon) test event (with photo)
    *********************************************************************************

         The 2025 Shenzhen-Hong Kong marathon and the 15th National Games (NG) athletics (marathon) test event will be held on February 23. The Head of the National Games Coordination Office (Hong Kong) (NGCO), Mr Yeung Tak-keung, and representatives of the related government departments and the Hong Kong, China Association of Athletics Affiliates (HKAAA), held a press conference today (February 13) to introduce details of the test event, temporary traffic control measures, clearance arrangements at the boundary control point (BCP), and emergency response and rescue arrangements, as well as other arrangements for the event.           The 15th NG athletics marathon to be held at the end of this year will be the first cross-boundary marathon in the history of the NG, and will be held on a brand new course. This test event is therefore crucial to the organisation of the NG athletics marathon. The entire track is 42.195 kilometres long, of which the section in Hong Kong is 21.841 kilometres. Setting off from the Shenzhen Bay Sports Center, the races will enter Hong Kong via the Shenzhen Bay Port, run along the Shenzhen Bay Bridge and Kong Sham Western Highway Viaduct, then turn back to the Shenzhen Bay Port through the same route, and finally end at the Shenzhen Bay Sports Center. The event is comprised of men’s and women’s races, with the women’s group to depart at 7am and the other to set off at 7.30am. The athletes will enter the Hong Kong section upon completion of approximately 2 kilometres of race route. Both groups are expected to spend around two hours in the Hong Kong section.           Given that part of the track is within the Frontier Closed Area, no public viewing zone will be set up in Hong Kong in order to keep the event unaffected and well-managed. Shenzhen is arranging for live webcast of the races on the event day, while Hong Kong also plans to arrange for live online broadcast of the matches by Radio Television Hong Kong.           To facilitate the smooth running of the race, clearance services of the Shenzhen Bay Port (including all passenger and cargo clearance services) will be suspended during part of the morning on the event day, while temporarily control measures will be implemented on the Shenzhen Bay Bridge and other related roads that day. Relevant arrangements are set out as below:           (1) Clearance service arrangement           Arrival and departure clearance services at the Shenzhen Bay Port will be suspended and passengers and vehicles will be prohibited from entering the port from 2am to 11am on the event day. Travellers should choose other control points to Shenzhen.           Cross-boundary private cars with quota across the Shenzhen Bay Port and cross-boundary goods vehicles may arrive and depart via the Lok Ma Chau, Heung Yuen Wai and Man Kam To BCPs according to the operating hours of the relevant control points on the event day. The above special arrangement will cease upon the re-opening of the Shenzhen Bay Port.           (2) Road control measures           Temporary control measures for the Shenzhen Bay Bridge, the Kong Sham Western Highway and other related roads           On the event day, temporary control measures will be implemented on Shenzhen Bay Bridge, Kong Sham Western Highway and Ha Tsuen Interchange from 2am to 11am. During the temporary control period, the Shenzhen Bay Bridge, the Kong Sham Western Highway and Ha Tsuen Interchange will be closed to all vehicular traffic from eastbound and westbound of Yuen Long Highway and Ha Tsuen Road.           During the suspension of the Shenzhen Bay Port departure service, the Transport Department (TD) expects that the roads leading to the Lok Ma Chau/Huanggang, Man Kam To and Heung Yuen Wai BCPs, including San Tin Interchange, San Sham Road and Lok Ma Chau Road, etc., are expected to be busy with traffic. Therefore, the TD appeals to cross-boundary private cars and other drivers to avoid driving to the above districts during the relevant hours if not necessary. Depending on the prevailing traffic conditions in the area, the Police will deploy appropriate manpower and implement corresponding crowd management measures or special traffic arrangements at the affected control points and relevant road sections. In case of traffic congestion, please exercise tolerance and patience and drive carefully, and follow the instructions of Police on site.           The full clearance services at the Shenzhen Bay Port are expected to resume at around 11am. It is anticipated that traffic will be relatively busy. Travellers and drivers who plan to use the port on that day are advised to plan their trips in advance.           (3) Public transport arrangements           Cross-boundary coach services running between Hong Kong and the Mainland via Shenzhen Bay Port as well as local public transport services serving Shenzhen Bay Port, including franchised buses, green minibuses (GMB), Urban and NT Taxis will be suspended during the implementation of the temporary control at the Shenzhen Bay Port, the Shenzhen Bay Bridge and the Kong Sham Western Highway on the day of event. The bus companies and GMB operators will display notices at termini and en-route stops of the affected routes to inform affected passengers.           The TD has notified the affected operators of cross-boundary and local public transport services to strengthen services to expedite the dispersal of passengers around the resumption of operation of Shenzhen Bay Port. Bus companies will also deploy additional staff at major bus termini and bus stops to assist passenger in need. The Marine Department will liaise with cross-boundary ferry operators, with a view to working out manpower and sailing schedule arrangements for ferry services to and from Shenzhen in advance.           During the temporary control period, travellers should consider using other BCPs for their journeys between Hong Kong and Shenzhen. The TD has coordinated with public transport operators including MTR, franchised bus, green minibuses, Lok Ma Chau-Huanggang shuttle bus, and cross-boundary coaches to strengthen services at other BCPs including Lok Ma Chau Spur Line, Lo Wu, Lok Ma Chau (Huanggang) and Heung Yuen Wai, with a view to catering for upsurge of passenger demand.           (4) Restricted flying zone           To accommodate the event and ensure public safety, a 2-kilometer extension of the Hong Kong section will be set up as a restricted flight zone from 6am to 12nn on the event day.           (5) Emergency response and rescue arrangements           The Fire Services Department (FSD) has formulated relevant contingency plans and will deploy firefighting and ambulance resources at strategic locations inside and outside the track during the race to ensure that the most expeditious and effective measures can be executed to deal with emergencies.           In addition, the medical team of the Hospital Authority will be on board the ambulances of the FSD to ensure that medical personnel with ambulance equipment can respond quickly to emergencies on the track. The Hospital Authority will also designate relevant acute hospitals as designated hospitals, equipped with a green channel to provide prompt medical services. The Auxiliary Medical Service will also deploy ambulance personnel and ambulances to offer medical assistance to the cheering team, volunteers, journalists, etc. on the spot.           A spokesperson for the NGCO said as the NG is the country’s highest-level event, this marathon test event has to meet stringent requirements in terms of the selection of the race course and the organisational arrangements to ensure the safety of athletes. Relevant departments will work together to facilitate the special traffic and transportation arrangements to minimise the impact on the public and travellers who usually use the Shenzhen Bay Port. The spokesman appealed to members of the public and travellers who need to travel to and from Shenzhen on that day to plan their itineraries in advance and use other control points and public transport as far as possible. The spokesperson thanked members of the public and travellers for their understanding, as well as the contributions of various organisations and departments in implementing the relevant arrangements.           In addition to this cross-boundary marathon test event, the NGCO will be holding test events of various sports gradually. The handball test event will be held at the Kai Tak Arena, Kai Tak Sports Park on February 22 and 23, while the triathlon test event will take place at the Central Harbourfront and Victoria Harbour on March 1 and 2.           For information on the games in Hong Kong, please visit the thematic website (www.2025nationalgames.gov.hk/en/index.html), as well the Facebook page (www.facebook.com/2025nationalgames.hk) and Instagram page (www.instagram.com/2025nationalgames.hk).

     
    Ends/Thursday, February 13, 2025Issued at HKT 22:15

    NNNN

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Bangkok ETO promotes Greater Bay Area opportunities to Thai enterprises (with photos)

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

         â€‹The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Bangkok (Bangkok ETO) hosted a business luncheon in Bangkok, Thailand today (February 13) to highlight the business opportunities that Hong Kong can offer Thai enterprises under the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) development and Hong Kong’s strengths in international business and finance.

         Themed “Unlocking New Horizons: Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area as a Hub for Global Business and Finance”, the luncheon brought together more than 100 guests from the government and business sectors. Among the distinguished attendees was the Minister of Commerce of Thailand, Mr Pichai Naripthaphan, reflecting the strong interest of both Hong Kong and Thailand in deepening economic and trade collaboration.

         In her keynote address, the Commissioner for the Development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Ms Maisie Chan, said that under the “one country, two systems” principle, Hong Kong serves as a “super connector” and “super value-adder” between the Mainland and the rest of the world. Hong Kong remains the best gateway for overseas companies to tap into the GBA and the wider Mainland market, and for Mainland firms to go global. No other city can match Hong Kong’s level of sophistication of connectivity with the Mainland and global markets.
          
         “The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region will continue to sharpen Hong Kong’s unique edges and seek further policy innovation and breakthroughs together with Guangdong and Macao, with a view to further enhancing the flow of people, goods, capital and information within the GBA, and creating new opportunities for foreign enterprises in Hong Kong to access the GBA market,” she said.
          
         The Under Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr Joseph Chan, highlighted Hong Kong’s latest developments in the finance sector in the luncheon. He said, “In today’s rapidly evolving global landscape, Hong Kong continues to stand tall as a beacon of opportunity. We are not just a financial centre; we are a dynamic bridge between East and West, connecting global markets with the vast opportunities presented by Mainland China and the Greater Bay Area. Hong Kong is a city of resilience, innovation, and opportunity. Whether you are an investor seeking new markets, a business looking to expand, or a partner aiming to collaborate, Hong Kong is your gateway to success.”
          
         The Director of the Bangkok ETO, Mr Parson Lam, emphasised the close economic ties between Hong Kong and Thailand and noted that both sides can further strengthen their partnership to achieve mutual benefits and a win-win outcome. He said, “Hong Kong enjoys unparalleled advantages in various areas, including taxation, legal framework, business environment and professional services. The Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement also offers numerous facilitation measures for Hong Kong businesses. Thai enterprises can leverage Hong Kong as a gateway to the GBA and the vast Mainland market. At the same time, Thai companies can make use of Hong Kong’s world-class financial services for capital raising and financial management, providing momentum for their growth. On the other hand, as a high value-added supply chain services centre, Hong Kong will continue to assist Mainland enterprises in going global, supporting their establishment in markets including Thailand.”

         The luncheon provided a valuable platform for Thai businesses to gain insights into the unique strengths of Hong Kong as a “super connector” and “super value-adder”, as well as the GBA’s dynamic business landscape, and to explore collaboration opportunities with Hong Kong. The Bangkok ETO remains committed to fostering closer economic ties, enhancing cross-border connectivity between Hong Kong and Thailand, and supporting businesses in seizing the vast opportunities presented by regional and global developments.                  

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: What we learned from Trump and Putin’s phone call – editor’s briefing

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Jonathan Este, Senior International Affairs Editor, Associate Editor

    Annalena Baerbock, the German foreign minister, spoke for much of the European diplomatic community when she reacted to news of Donald Trump’s phone chat with Vladimir Putin: “This is the way the Trump administration operates,” she declared. “This is not how others do foreign policy, but this is now the reality.”

    The resigned tone of Baerbock’s words was not matched by her colleague, defence minister Boris Pistorius, whose criticism that “the Trump administration has already made public concessions to Putin before negotiations have even begun” was rather more direct.

    Their sentiments were echoed, not only by European leaders, but in the US itself: “Putin Scores a Big Victory, and Not on the Battlefield” read a headline in the New York Times. The newspaper opined that Trump’s call had succeeded in bringing Putin back in from the cold after three years in which Russia had become increasingly isolated both politically and economically.

    This was not lost on the Russian media, where commentators boasted that the phone call “broke the west’s blockade”. The stock market gained 5% and the rouble strengthened against the dollar as a result.

    Reflecting on the call, Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, continued with operation flatter Donald Trump by comparing his attitude favourably with that of his predecessor in the White House, Joe Biden. “The previous US administration held the view that everything needed to be done to keep the war going. The current administration, as far as we understand, adheres to the point of view that everything must be done to stop the war and for peace to prevail.

    “We are more impressed with the position of the current administration, and we are open to dialogue.”

    Trump’s conversation with Putin roughly coincided with a meeting of senior European defence officials in Brussels which heard the new US secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, outline America’s radical new outlook when it comes to European security. Namely that it’s not really America’s problem any more.

    Hegseth also told the meeting in Brussels yesterday that the Trump administration’s position is that Nato membership for Ukraine has been taken off the table, that the idea it would get its 2014 borders back was unrealistic and that if Europe wanted to guarantee Ukraine’s security as part of any peace deal, that would be its business. Any peacekeeping force would not involve American troops and would not be a Nato operation, so it would not involve collective defence.

    Sign up to receive our weekly World Affairs Briefing newsletter from The Conversation UK. Every Thursday we’ll bring you expert analysis of the big stories in international relations.

    International security expert David Dunn believes that the fact that Trump considers himself a consummate deal maker makes the fact that his administration is willing to concede so much ground before negotiations proper have even got underway is remarkable. And not in a good way.

    Dunn, who specialises in US foreign and security policy at the University of Birmingham, finds it significant that Trump spoke with Putin first and then called Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky to fill him in on the call. This order of priority, says Dunn, is a sign of the subordination of Ukraine’s role in the talks.

    He concludes that “for the present at least, it appears that negotiations will be less about pressuring Putin to bring a just end to the war he started than forcing Ukraine to give in to the Russian leader’s demands”.



    Read more:
    Trump phone call with Putin leaves Ukraine reeling and European leaders stunned

    Hegseth’s briefing to European defence officials, meanwhile, came as little surprise to David Galbreath. Writing here, Galbreath – who specialises in defence and security at the University of Bath – says the US pivot away from a focus on Europe has been years in the making – “since the very end of the cold war”.

    There has long been a feeling in Washington that the US has borne too much of the financial burden for European security. This is not just a Donald Trump thing, he believes, but an attitude percolating in US security circles for some decades. Once the Berlin Wall fell and the Soviet Union disintegrated, the focus for Nato become not so much collective defence as collective security, where “conflict would be managed on Nato’s borders”.

    But it was then the US which invoked article 5 of the Nato treaty, which establishes that “an armed attack against one or more [member states] in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all”. The Bush government invoked Article 5 the day after the 9/11 attacks and Nato responded by patrolling US skies to provide security.

    Pete Hegseth dashes Ukraine’s hopes of a future guaranteed by Nato.

    Galbreath notes that many European countries, particularly the newer ones such as Estonia and Latvia, sent troops to Iraq and Afghanistan. “The persistent justification I heard in the Baltic states was “we need to be there when the US needs us so that they will be there when we need them”.

    That looks set to change.



    Read more:
    US says European security no longer its primary focus – the shift has been years in the making

    The prospect of a profound shift in the world order are daunting after 80 years in which security – in Europe certainly – was guaranteed by successive US administrations and underpinned, not just by Nato but by a whole set of international agreements.

    Now, instead of the US acting as the “world’s policeman”, we have a president talking seriously about taking control of Greenland, one way or another, who won’t rule out using force to seize the Panama Canal and who dreams of turning Gaza into a coastal “riviera” development.

    Meanwhile Russia is engaged in a brutal war of conquest in Ukraine and is actively meddling in the affairs of several other countries. And in China, Xi Jinping regularly talks up the idea of reunifying with Taiwan, by force if necessary, and is fortifying islands in the South China Sea with a view to aggressively pursuing territorial claims there as well.

    And we thought the age of empires was in the rear view mirror, writes historian Eric Storm of Leiden University. Storm, whose speciality is the rise of nation states, has discerned a resurgence of imperial tendencies around the world and fears that the rules-based order that has dominated the decades since the second world war now appears increasingly tenuous.



    Read more:
    How Putin, Xi and now Trump are ushering in a new imperial age

    Gaza: the horror continues

    In any given week, you’d expect the imminent prospect of the collapse of the Gaza ceasefire to be the big international story. And certainly, while Trump and Putin were “flooding the zone” (see last week’s round-up for the origins of this phrase) the prospects of the deal lasting beyond its first phase have become more and more uncertain.

    Hamas has recently pulled back from its threat not to release any more hostages. Earlier in the week it threatened to call a halt to the hostage-prisoner exchange, claiming that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had breached the terms of the ceasefire deal. Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, responded – with Trump’s backing – saying that unless all hostages were released on Saturday, all bets were off and the IDF would resume its military operations in the Gaza Strip. Trump added that “all hell is going to break out”.

    The US president has also doubled down on his idea for a redeveloped Gaza and has continued to pressure Jordan and Egypt to accept millions of Palestinian refugees. This, as you would expect, has not made the population of Gaza feel any more secure.

    Nils Mallock and Jeremy Ginges, behavioural psychologists at the London School of Economics, were in the region last month and conducted a survey of Israelis and Palestinians in Gaza to get a feel for how the two populations regard each other. It makes for depressing reading.

    The number of Israelis who reject the idea of a two-state solution has risen sharply since the October 7 2023 attacks by Hamas, from 46% to 62%. And roughly the same proportion of people in Gaza can now no longer envisage living side by side with Israelis. Both sides think that the other side is motivated by hatred, something which is known to make any diplomatic solution less feasible.



    Read more:
    We interviewed hundreds of Israelis and Gazans – here’s why we fear for the ceasefire

    We also asked Scott Lucas, a Middle East specialist at University College Dublin, to assess the likelihood of the ceasefire lasting into phase two, which is when the IDF is supposed to pull out of Gaza, allowing the people there room to being to rebuild, both physically and in terms of governance.

    He responded with a hollow laugh and a shake of the head, before sending us this digest of the key developments in the Middle East crisis this week.



    Read more:
    Will the Gaza ceasefire hold? Where does Trump’s takeover proposal stand? Expert Q&A

    We’ve become very used to seeing apocalyptic photos of the devastation of Gaza: the pulverised streets, choked with rubble, that make the idea of rebuilding seem so remote. But the people of Gaza also cultivated a huge amount of crops – about half the food they ate was grown there. Gazan farmers grew tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and strawberries in open fields as well as cultivating olive and citrus trees.

    Geographers Lina Eklund, He Yin and Jamon Van Den Hoek have analysed satellite images across the Gaza Strip over the past 17 months to work out the scale of agricultural destruction. It makes for terrifying reading.



    Read more:
    Gaza: we analysed a year of satellite images to map the scale of agricultural destruction

    World Affairs Briefing from The Conversation UK is available as a weekly email newsletter. Click here to get our updates directly in your inbox.

    – ref. What we learned from Trump and Putin’s phone call – editor’s briefing – https://theconversation.com/what-we-learned-from-trump-and-putins-phone-call-editors-briefing-249902

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Conover Company Settles Allegations Related To Receiving An Improper Paycheck Protection Program Loan

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Taiji Group USA, Inc. (Taiji Group), a paper converter in Conover, N.C., has agreed to pay $460,395.09, to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by knowingly providing false information to apply for a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan to which the company was not entitled, announced Lawrence J. Cameron, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.

    Congress created the PPP in March 2020 as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, to provide forgivable loans to small businesses struggling to pay employees and other expenses. In 2021, Congress offered a second round of forgivable PPP loans through the Economic Aid to Hard-Hit Small Businesses, Nonprofits, and Venues Act. When applying for PPP loans, borrowers were required to certify the truthfulness and accuracy of all information provided in their loan applications.

    In March 2021, Taiji Group applied for a second round PPP loan and certified that it was eligible to receive the loan. Among other certifications, Taiji Group certified that no “entity created in or organized under the laws of the People’s Republic of China” owned or held 20 percent or more of the economic interest in Taiji Group. The company also certified that it did not retain, as a member of its board of directors, a person who was a resident of the People’s Republic of China. At the time of its application, however, both of these certifications were allegedly false. For this reason, Taiji Group was not eligible for the $271,165 second round PPP loan that it received. After receiving the PPP loan, Taiji Group sought and received forgiveness of the total amount of the loan.

    “PPP loans were a lifeline for many businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Cameron. “Ineligible businesses that improperly obtained federal aid loans harmed the taxpayers who funded these programs and reduced the resources available for businesses that were eligible to receive assistance. Our office is committed to rooting out fraud and holding accountable businesses that wrongfully benefited from these federal programs.”

    This matter arose from a lawsuit filed under the qui tam or whistleblower provision of the False Claims Act, which permits private parties, called relators, to file suit on behalf of the United States for false claims and share in a portion of the government’s recovery. The qui tam case is captioned United States of America ex rel. Sidesolve, LLC, v. Taiji Group USA, Inc., W.D.N.C. Case No. 5:24-cv-98.

    The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth Johnson.

    Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

    The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only. There has been no determination of liability. 

     

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Global: What we learned from Trump and Putin’s phone call

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Jonathan Este, Senior International Affairs Editor, Associate Editor

    Annalena Baerbock, the German foreign minister, spoke for much of the European diplomatic community when she reacted to news of Donald Trump’s phone chat with Vladimir Putin: “This is the way the Trump administration operates,” she declared. “This is not how others do foreign policy, but this is now the reality.”

    The resigned tone of Baerbock’s words was not matched by her colleague, defence minister Boris Pistorius, whose criticism that “the Trump administration has already made public concessions to Putin before negotiations have even begun” was rather more direct.

    Their sentiments were echoed, not only by European leaders, but in the US itself: “Putin Scores a Big Victory, and Not on the Battlefield” read a headline in the New York Times. The newspaper opined that Trump’s call had succeeded in bringing Putin back in from the cold after three years in which Russia had become increasingly isolated both politically and economically.

    This was not lost on the Russian media, where commentators boasted that the phone call “broke the west’s blockade”. The stock market gained 5% and the rouble strengthened against the dollar as a result.

    Reflecting on the call, Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, continued with operation flatter Donald Trump by comparing his attitude favourably with that of his predecessor in the White House, Joe Biden. “The previous US administration held the view that everything needed to be done to keep the war going. The current administration, as far as we understand, adheres to the point of view that everything must be done to stop the war and for peace to prevail.

    “We are more impressed with the position of the current administration, and we are open to dialogue.”

    Trump’s conversation with Putin roughly coincided with a meeting of senior European defence officials in Brussels which heard the new US secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, outline America’s radical new outlook when it comes to European security. Namely that it’s not really America’s problem any more.

    Hegseth also told the meeting in Brussels yesterday that the Trump administration’s position is that Nato membership for Ukraine has been taken off the table, that the idea it would get its 2014 borders back was unrealistic and that if Europe wanted to guarantee Ukraine’s security as part of any peace deal, that would be its business. Any peacekeeping force would not involve American troops and would not be a Nato operation, so it would not involve collective defence.

    Sign up to receive our weekly World Affairs Briefing newsletter from The Conversation UK. Every Thursday we’ll bring you expert analysis of the big stories in international relations.

    International security expert David Dunn believes that the fact that Trump considers himself a consummate deal maker makes the fact that his administration is willing to concede so much ground before negotiations proper have even got underway is remarkable. And not in a good way.

    Dunn, who specialises in US foreign and security policy at the University of Birmingham, finds it significant that Trump spoke with Putin first and then called Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky to fill him in on the call. This order of priority, says Dunn, is a sign of the subordination of Ukraine’s role in the talks.

    He concludes that “for the present at least, it appears that negotiations will be less about pressuring Putin to bring a just end to the war he started than forcing Ukraine to give in to the Russian leader’s demands”.



    Read more:
    Trump phone call with Putin leaves Ukraine reeling and European leaders stunned

    Hegseth’s briefing to European defence officials, meanwhile, came as little surprise to David Galbreath. Writing here, Galbreath – who specialises in defence and security at the University of Bath – says the US pivot away from a focus on Europe has been years in the making – “since the very end of the cold war”.

    There has long been a feeling in Washington that the US has borne too much of the financial burden for European security. This is not just a Donald Trump thing, he believes, but an attitude percolating in US security circles for some decades. Once the Berlin Wall fell and the Soviet Union disintegrated, the focus for Nato become not so much collective defence as collective security, where “conflict would be managed on Nato’s borders”.

    But it was then the US which invoked article 5 of the Nato treaty, which establishes that “an armed attack against one or more [member states] in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all”. The Bush government invoked Article 5 the day after the 9/11 attacks and Nato responded by patrolling US skies to provide security.

    Pete Hegseth dashes Ukraine’s hopes of a future guaranteed by Nato.

    Galbreath notes that many European countries, particularly the newer ones such as Estonia and Latvia, sent troops to Iraq and Afghanistan. “The persistent justification I heard in the Baltic states was “we need to be there when the US needs us so that they will be there when we need them”.

    That looks set to change.



    Read more:
    US says European security no longer its primary focus – the shift has been years in the making

    The prospect of a profound shift in the world order are daunting after 80 years in which security – in Europe certainly – was guaranteed by successive US administrations and underpinned, not just by Nato but by a whole set of international agreements.

    Now, instead of the US acting as the “world’s policeman”, we have a president talking seriously about taking control of Greenland, one way or another, who won’t rule out using force to seize the Panama Canal and who dreams of turning Gaza into a coastal “riviera” development.

    Meanwhile Russia is engaged in a brutal war of conquest in Ukraine and is actively meddling in the affairs of several other countries. And in China, Xi Jinping regularly talks up the idea of reunifying with Taiwan, by force if necessary, and is fortifying islands in the South China Sea with a view to aggressively pursuing territorial claims there as well.

    And we thought the age of empires was in the rear view mirror, writes historian Eric Storm of Leiden University. Storm, whose speciality is the rise of nation states, has discerned a resurgence of imperial tendencies around the world and fears that the rules-based order that has dominated the decades since the second world war now appears increasingly tenuous.



    Read more:
    How Putin, Xi and now Trump are ushering in a new imperial age

    Gaza: the horror continues

    In any given week, you’d expect the imminent prospect of the collapse of the Gaza ceasefire to be the big international story. And certainly, while Trump and Putin were “flooding the zone” (see last week’s round-up for the origins of this phrase) the prospects of the deal lasting beyond its first phase have become more and more uncertain.

    Hamas has recently pulled back from its threat not to release any more hostages. Earlier in the week it threatened to call a halt to the hostage-prisoner exchange, claiming that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had breached the terms of the ceasefire deal. Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, responded – with Trump’s backing – saying that unless all hostages were released on Saturday, all bets were off and the IDF would resume its military operations in the Gaza Strip. Trump added that “all hell is going to break out”.

    The US president has also doubled down on his idea for a redeveloped Gaza and has continued to pressure Jordan and Egypt to accept millions of Palestinian refugees. This, as you would expect, has not made the population of Gaza feel any more secure.

    Nils Mallock and Jeremy Ginges, behavioural psychologists at the London School of Economics, were in the region last month and conducted a survey of Israelis and Palestinians in Gaza to get a feel for how the two populations regard each other. It makes for depressing reading.

    The number of Israelis who reject the idea of a two-state solution has risen sharply since the October 7 2023 attacks by Hamas, from 46% to 62%. And roughly the same proportion of people in Gaza can now no longer envisage living side by side with Israelis. Both sides think that the other side is motivated by hatred, something which is known to make any diplomatic solution less feasible.



    Read more:
    We interviewed hundreds of Israelis and Gazans – here’s why we fear for the ceasefire

    We also asked Scott Lucas, a Middle East specialist at University College Dublin, to assess the likelihood of the ceasefire lasting into phase two, which is when the IDF is supposed to pull out of Gaza, allowing the people there room to being to rebuild, both physically and in terms of governance.

    He responded with a hollow laugh and a shake of the head, before sending us this digest of the key developments in the Middle East crisis this week.



    Read more:
    Will the Gaza ceasefire hold? Where does Trump’s takeover proposal stand? Expert Q&A

    We’ve become very used to seeing apocalyptic photos of the devastation of Gaza: the pulverised streets, choked with rubble, that make the idea of rebuilding seem so remote. But the people of Gaza also cultivated a huge amount of crops – about half the food they ate was grown there. Gazan farmers grew tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and strawberries in open fields as well as cultivating olive and citrus trees.

    Geographers Lina Eklund, He Yin and Jamon Van Den Hoek have analysed satellite images across the Gaza Strip over the past 17 months to work out the scale of agricultural destruction. It makes for terrifying reading.



    Read more:
    Gaza: we analysed a year of satellite images to map the scale of agricultural destruction

    World Affairs Briefing from The Conversation UK is available as a weekly email newsletter. Click here to get our updates directly in your inbox.

    – ref. What we learned from Trump and Putin’s phone call – https://theconversation.com/what-we-learned-from-trump-and-putins-phone-call-249902

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hickenlooper, Graham, Coons, Young, Reintroduce Bipartisan Bill to Advance Domestic Critical Materials Production

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Colorado John Hickenlooper
    Legislation will cut reliance on China for critical materials essential to our national security, energy, and emerging tech
    WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper, Lindsey Graham, Chris Coons, and Todd Young reintroduced the bipartisan Critical Materials Future Act to establish a pilot program for the Department of Energy to financially support domestic critical material processing projects.
    “American energy independence is a bipartisan goal,” said Hickenlooper. “The U.S. could be a global leader in critical materials, but we need to shore up our domestic supply chains to strengthen our national security. Let’s get to work.”
    “China maintains dominant control over critical mineral processing, which poses significant risks to our national security. It’s important for us to build better and more resilient processing capabilities here at home,” said Graham.
    “Critical minerals are essential to manufacturing the most advanced energy and defense technologies, but the production, processing, and recycling of these materials is dominated by China,” said Coons. “This bipartisan bill will spur the investment we need to regain American control of our critical mineral supply chains.”
    “Our reliance on global supply chains for critical materials poses a significant national security threat, especially as the Chinese Communist Party continues to manipulate this market,” said Young. “Our bill will take innovative steps to identify opportunities for American leadership and investment in critical material projects, strengthen domestic supply chains, and boost our economic and global competitiveness.”
    The U.S. critical minerals list contains 50 minerals – including graphite, nickel, and cobalt – that are essential to our economy, infrastructure, and military capability. Critical minerals are used in smartphones, electric vehicle batteries, solar panels, wind turbines, and more.
    This December, China announced that they would immediately block the export of three critical minerals: gallium, germanium, and antimony to the U.S. China currently controls 90% of the global processing capacity for rare earth elements and over 80% of the processing for other critical minerals like cobalt, gallium, and graphite. Experts have become increasingly concerned with U.S. dependence on China for critical materials, arguing it poses a significant risk to national security.
    The Critical Materials Future Act supports critical material processing projects in the United States by granting the Secretary of Energy the authority and funding to deploy innovative financial mechanisms, such as contracts for differences and advanced market commitments, within this sector.
    The bill also requires the Secretary of Energy to conduct a comprehensive study on the impact of these financial tools on market dynamics and processing projects within the critical materials sector, and to provide recommendations for expanding their use to strengthen America’s processing capabilities.
    In the 119th Congress, Hickenlooper has reintroduced his bipartisan  STRATEGIC Minerals Act to foster critical minerals trade with our international allies, and the bipartisan Unearth Innovation Act to establish a DOE program for critical minerals innovation.
    The Critical Materials Future Act is supported by the Colorado School of Mines, the Bipartisan Policy Center, the National Wildlife Federation, the Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration, the Key Minerals Forum, Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions, Employ America, MineTech Ventures, Alta Resource Technologies, the Chamber of Progress, U.S. Critical Minerals, Nyrstar, the Alabama Mobility and Power Center (University of Alabama), South32 Hermosa, Alliance for Mineral Security, South Star Battery Metals Corp, the American Critical Minerals Association, and the Federation of American Scientists. For their statements of support, click HERE.
    Full text of the Critical Materials Future Act is available HERE. A one-pager explanation on this bill is available HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hickenlooper, Tillis Reintroduce Bill to Boost Critical Mineral Innovation, Secure American Leadership

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Colorado John Hickenlooper
    Unearth Innovation Act would create a Department of Energy program to drive responsible domestic critical mineral production, develop our energy workforce
    WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators John Hickenlooper and Thom Tillis reintroduced their bipartisan Unearth Innovation Act to spur American innovation and drive responsible production of domestic critical minerals with less environmental impact.
    “We need critical minerals for our clean energy future and national security, but we can’t rely on China or others for them,” said Hickenlooper. “U.S. research and innovation will set a global example for critical minerals sourcing and help develop our energy workforce of tomorrow.”
    “This legislation promotes innovative technologies that will make mining safer, cleaner, and more efficient,” said Tillis. “By collaborating with agencies and experts, we can create high-quality jobs, enhance safety, and equip the next generation with the skills and training needed to strengthen our critical minerals supply chains.”
    The legislation would establish a Mining and Mineral Innovation Program within the Department of Energy (DOE) to increase research, development, and commercialization of advanced mining, recycling, and processing technologies that would reduce environmental and human impacts.
    The U.S. critical minerals list contains 50 minerals – including graphite, nickel, and cobalt – that are essential to our economy, infrastructure, and military capability. Critical minerals are used in smartphones, electric vehicle batteries, solar panels, wind turbines, and more. Currently, the U.S. is largely dependent on China for importing these minerals, which creates supply chain instability and threats to national security.
    Specifically, the Unearth Innovation Act would:
    Support research and development of technologies for identifying, mining, recycling, and processing minerals and to reclaim, remediate, and reuse existing mines
    Promote responsible mining practices that minimize human and environmental impact
    Engage with communities and consult with tribal nations to support strategies to increase the prosperity of mining communities
    Allow DOE to coordinate with federal agencies on mining safety innovations
    Partner with academic institutions and the mining industry to accelerate new mining technologies and create a pipeline into the critical minerals workforce
    In the 119th Congress, Hickenlooper has reintroduced his bipartisan STRATEGIC Minerals Act to foster critical minerals trade with our international allies and the bipartisan Critical Materials Future Act to establish a pilot program to finance domestic critical minerals production.
    The Unearth Innovation Act is supported by the Colorado School of Mines, the Bipartisan Policy Center, the National Wildlife Federation, the Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration, SAFE’s Center for Critical Minerals Strategy, the Key Minerals Forum, the Zero Emission Transportation Association, Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions, Employ America, MineTech Ventures, Alta Resource Technologies, the Chamber of Progress, U.S. Critical Minerals, Nyrstar, the Alabama Mobility and Power Center (University of Alabama), South32 Hermosa, Alliance for Mineral Security, South Star Battery Metals Corp, the American Critical Minerals Association, and the Federation of American Scientists. For their statements of support, click HERE.
    A one-pager explanation of the bill can be found HERE.
    Full text of the bill is available HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Key Tronic Corporation Executes New Lease to Expand Domestic Operations In Arkansas

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash., Feb. 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Key Tronic Corporation, a provider of electronic manufacturing services (EMS), is expanding its clean-tech manufacturing operations in Arkansas, establishing its flagship manufacturing and research and development location in Springdale. The company anticipates investing more than $28 million in the new facility and expects to create over 400 new jobs in the next five years.

    “We are pleased to announce the expansion of our U.S. manufacturing operations in Northwest Arkansas. Our new center of excellence in Springdale will provide both our employees and customers with cutting-edge technology and the increased capacity necessary to accommodate expected growth,” said Brett Larsen, CEO of Key Tronic. “We are committed to continuously investing in our capabilities and attracting innovative talent. Our people are our most valuable asset, and we are delighted to enhance our operations in a region where we have maintained a longstanding presence and a strong team and can benefit from a business-friendly environment.”

    “When we invest in education and our workforce, we can attract companies like Key Tronic and ensure they have the skilled workforce they need. Arkansas LEARNS and ACCESS are laser-focused on that issue and help attract announcements like this one, which mean $28 million and nearly 400 jobs for Springdale,” said Governor Sanders.

    Key Tronic will be shifting its existing Arkansas operations to a new larger facility in Springdale, located at 601 W Apple Blossom Avenue later in 2025, increasing its total U.S. production capacity by approximately 40 percent.

    “Crossland purchased the land in 2021 with a vision to build a modern, best-in-class facility, and we are grateful that Key Tronic has chosen this location to call home. This building is part of a larger business park, representing an investment of over $100 million in the Springdale community,” said Director of Real Estate Mattie Crossland. “Our goal is to provide spaces that allow our tenants to run their businesses efficiently while also contributing to the growth and future of the community.”

    Crossland Realty Group developed the 300,000-square-foot building shell in late 2023, with Crossland Construction completing Key Tronic’s tenant improvements, slated for completion in Q3 2025.

    “Key Tronic has a long history of manufacturing electronics in Arkansas, and we are proud that the company has decided to expand their presence and increase production capacity in our state,” said Clint O’Neal, Executive Director of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission. “Congratulations to the Key Tronic team and to the City of Springdale on this major economic development win.”

    “Key Tronic’s decision to relocate to Springdale is a strong endorsement of our city’s talented workforce, thriving economy, and commitment to fostering business success,” said Springdale Mayor Doug Sprouse. “This investment brings significant job opportunities to our community, further strengthening Springdale’s reputation as a prime destination for industry and innovation. We proudly welcome Key Tronic and look forward to their future growth here.”

    “This exciting announcement would not have been possible without the leadership of Governor Sanders and the unwavering support of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission,” said Bill Rogers, president and CEO of the Springdale Chamber of Commerce. “Thanks to our regional partners and the proactive efforts of Mayor Sprouse’s administration, we were able to roll out the red carpet for Key Tronic. We are thrilled to welcome them to Springdale and look forward to supporting their success in our community.”

    “Key Tronic’s reinvestment in Northwest Arkansas highlights our region’s strong workforce and pro-growth environment,” said Nelson Peacock, president and CEO of the Northwest Arkansas Council. “As a leader in electronics manufacturing, their expansion strengthens our economy, retains quality jobs and creates new opportunities—reinforcing our position as a top destination for business and innovation.”

    About Key Tronic
    Founded in 1969, Key Tronic is a leading contract manufacturer offering value-added design and manufacturing services from its facilities in the United States, Mexico, China and Vietnam. The Company provides its customers with full engineering services, materials management, worldwide manufacturing facilities, assembly services, in-house testing, and worldwide distribution. Its customers include some of the world’s leading original equipment manufacturers. Key Tronic has operated in Arkansas since 1985.

    For more information about Key Tronic visit: www.keytronic.com.

    About Crossland Construction Company
    Crossland is a top-ranked construction firm offering a wide range of services through its family of companies. Crossland Construction provides general contracting, construction management, and much more. Crossland Realty, a division of Crossland Construction, offers complete real estate services, guiding clients through location scouting, planning, development, construction, and leasing. Crossland is dedicated to Building So Much More for its clients and the communities they serve. Learn more: www.crossland.com

    About the Arkansas Economic Development Commission
    At AEDC, we know economic advancement doesn’t happen by accident. We work strategically with businesses and communities to create strong economic opportunities, making Arkansas the natural choice for success. AEDC is a division of the Arkansas Department of Commerce. To learn more, visit ArkansasEDC.com.

    Forward-Looking Statements
    Some of the statements in this press release are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including Key Tronic’s opportunities and its partnership, the potential success of Key Tronic and the customer, and related revenues. Forward-looking statements include all passages containing verbs such as aims, anticipates, believes, estimates, expects, hopes, intends, plans, predicts, projects or targets or nouns corresponding to such verbs.  Forward-looking statements also include other passages that are primarily relevant to expected future events or revenue or that can only be fully evaluated by events that will occur in the future.  There are many factors, risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted or projected in forward-looking statements, including but not limited to: the success and timing of our expansion plans; the success and timing of ramping; availability and timing and receipt of critical parts or components; demand from customers and sales channels; the future of the global economic environment and its impact on our customers and suppliers; the availability of a healthy workforce; the accuracy of suppliers’ and customers’ forecasts; development and success of customers’ programs and products; success of new-product introductions; the risk of legal proceedings or governmental investigations relating to the previously reported financial statement restatements and related material weaknesses, the May 2024 cybersecurity incident and the subject of the internal investigation by the Company’s Audit Committee and related or other unrelated matters; acquisitions or divestitures of operations or facilities; technology advances; changes in pricing policies by the Company, its competitors, customers or suppliers; impact of new governmental legislation and regulation, including tax reform, tariffs and related activities, such trade negotiations and other risks; and other factors, risks, and uncertainties detailed from time to time in the Company’s SEC filings.

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

    CONTACTS:   Anthony G. Voorhees   Michael Newman
        Chief Financial Officer   Investor Relations
        Key Tronic Corporation   StreetConnect
        (509) 927-5345   (206) 729-3625

    The MIL Network –