Category: Politics

The United States offered $500 million to strengthen the Philippines’ military and coast guard, demonstrating its support amid tensions with China in the South China Sea. This announcement was made during a meeting in Manila between US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, and their Philippine counterparts, reiterating Washington’s commitment to its oldest treaty ally in Asia.

“This unprecedented funding sends a clear message of support for the Philippines from the Biden-Harris administration, the US Congress, and the American people,” Austin said during a joint press briefing after security talks. Before the discussions, Blinken and Austin met with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who has improved relations with Washington since succeeding Rodrigo Duterte, who is renowned for his softer stance towards China.

The Philippines has challenged China’s claim to 90% of the South China Sea, a source of escalating conflict. Although Manila and China negotiated a temporary resupply mission agreement, details have still to be addressed. Blinken emphasised the United States’ “ironclad” resolve to defend the Philippines from any armed attack, strengthening assistance amid persistent tensions. A 2016 Hague verdict declared China’s territory claims baseless under international law.

Grenadian Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell has taken over as CARICOM’s next rotating chairman, promising to fight for climate justice, reduce gun violence, and improve digital technologies.

Mitchell took over leadership from Guyana’s President Irfaan Ali during a summit in Grenada that had been delayed by Hurricane Beryl, the Atlantic season’s first reported Category 4 storm. He emphasised the importance of climate action, urging rich nations to honour agreements to reduce emissions and provide financial assistance to offset the effects of climate change.

The cost of reconstructing following natural catastrophes frequently leaves Caribbean countries in debt. Mitchell emphasised the existential threat of climate change, saying, “The stark reality is that we may not have a country to pass down to future generations.”

Mitchell also committed to promoting free movement inside the bloc, which just welcomed Curacao as a member.

CARICOM, a regional organisation of small island states, aims to promote economic integration and collaboration. It fights for compensation for slavery and climate change through measures such as debt cancellation and supports a lawsuit against U.S. gunmakers for firearms traded in the Caribbean.

In a spectacular display of support, Vice President Kamala Harris’ election campaign raised $200 million and recruited 170,000 new volunteers in only one week. This surge comes after President Joe Biden ended his reelection campaign and endorsed Harris in the November 5 election against Republican Donald Trump.

According to Harris’ deputy campaign manager, Rob Flaherty, new donors contributed 66% of the funds, demonstrating the campaign’s strong momentum.

Earlier, Trump’s campaign revealed that it raised $331 million in the second quarter, outpacing Biden’s campaign and its Democratic allies, who raised $264 million. By the end of June, Trump’s campaign had $284.9 million in cash, while the Democrats had $240 million. Harris is now the leading contender for the Democratic National Convention’s nomination next month.

Meanwhile, Democratic fundraiser Ajay Bhutoria emphasised Harris’ symbolic importance to the 4.4 million Indian-Americans in the US. “Harris brings excitement and representation, particularly among the Indian-American community, which could be pivotal in battleground states,” Bhutoria told the newspaper.

Harris’ campaign is witnessing unprecedented levels of energy and grassroots support, with volunteers flooding field offices across the country to secure victory over the Trump-Vance ticket.

S Jaishankar, the External Affairs Minister, met with his Australian counterpart Penny Wong in Tokyo on Monday to discuss ways to boost bilateral cooperation in security, trade, and education. They are attending a meeting of the Quad Foreign Ministers, which includes Australia, India, Japan, and the United States. Jaishankar emphasised the significance of strengthening practical cooperation throughout the Indo-Pacific region.

During their conversation, Jaishankar and Wong discussed tightening engagement and expanding their partnership within the Quad framework. Jaishankar said on X, “We discussed further efforts to strengthen our bilateral ties, notably in security, trade, and education. I look forward to continuing this at the Quadruple Foreign Ministers Meeting soon.”

The Quad, created in November 2017, aspires to keep Indo-Pacific water lanes open and free of influence. On Sunday, Jaishankar had extensive discussions with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken about current strains in India-US relations following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Russia.

Jaishankar also presented a bust of Mahatma Gandhi at Freedom Plaza in Edogawa, Tokyo, with Edogawa Mayor Takeshi Saito and Indian Ambassador to Japan Sibi George. He also communicated with the Indian population in Japan, writing on X, “The little India in Edogawa is thriving.” I’m pleased to see such strong people-to-people ties.”

The European Union (EU) and Singapore have signed a new Digital Trade Agreement to boost online trade, assist small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) with digital transformation, and streamline data flows.

The deal, announced on July 25 in Brussels by EU Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis and Singapore’s Minister for Trade Relations Grace Fu, enhances the current EU-Singapore Free Trade deal from 2019.

The agreement, reached after five rounds of negotiations, seeks to decrease administrative and financial burdens on SMEs, enable interoperable systems for e-payments and electronic contracts, and set data flow regulations. Minister Grace Fu emphasised that the agreement would provide certainty and clarity for cross-border digital transactions, establish high standards for personal data protection, and prevent data localisation requirements.

However, this accord excludes e-privacy standards and GDPR, the EU’s major digital rights legislation.

This agreement is consistent with the EU’s strategy of strengthening ties in East and Southeast Asia in the face of concerns with China. The EU and Singapore, as digitally progressive and like-minded partners, want to establish high-quality digital trade rules and enhance global digital standards.

With the EU as Singapore’s second-largest digital trading partner, the deal promises enormous benefits, particularly given the €43 billion in digitally delivered services traded in 2022.

On July 28, US and Japan will hold security talks, the first time they will address “extended deterrence,” which refers to the United States’ resolve to deploy nuclear weapons to deter attacks against allies. While this difficult matter has been debated at lower levels, it is essential for Japan, the only country to have experienced atomic bomb assaults.

In April, Washington and Tokyo declared an upgrade to their alliance, which was founded in 1951, in response to mounting threats from China, Russia, and North Korea. US Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Kritenbrink stated, “In the face of unprecedented regional threats, the United States and Japan are committed to ensuring Japan’s defence and contributing to regional security.”

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin will meet with their Japanese counterparts as part of a larger Asian trip. The talks will also focus on increasing defence industry cooperation and enhancing command structures to boost military coordination.  US Ambassador Rahm Emanuel said, “These historic 2+2 talks will shift our focus from Alliance protection to projection.”

The discussions coincide with potential changes to the US military command structure in East Asia, as Japan intends to form a combined headquarters for its Self Defence Force.

According to Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, the Philippines intends to enter into reciprocal troop access arrangements with Canada, France, New Zealand, and other nations. The recent Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) inked with Japan on July 8 marks the start of these efforts, with plans to engage countries that assist the Philippines in combating Chinese maritime aggression in the West Philippine Sea.

RAAs are security pacts that allow troops to train and operate across borders. The pact with Japan, the first involving a Southeast Asian country, is pending ratification in Congress. Teodoro added that these agreements will improve military interoperability, allowing “like-minded countries” to collaborate on Philippine territory and vice versa.

The Philippines intends to finalise similar accords with Canada, France, and New Zealand by 2025, where the armed forces of these nations can operate within the Philippine territory and vice versa. These nations have expressed support for the Philippines’ rights within its 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea.

The move coincides with China’s assertive moves in the South China Sea, where Beijing claims vast territory. The Philippines, which has longstanding military agreements with the United States and Australia, continues to exercise its rights within its exclusive economic zone.

Vice President Kamala Harris raised more than $50 million in less than 24 hours after launching her candidature for president in 2024, according to her campaign. Following President Biden’s endorsement of Harris, there was a tremendous fundraising boom, one of the largest in political history.

The Democratic Party’s online donation platform, ActBlue, was instrumental in the influx of contributions. ActBlue received more than $80 million in donations shortly after Biden announced that he would not run for re-election, with a peak of $11.5 million in a single hour on Sunday evening. As of early Monday morning, Harris’ campaign alone had contributed roughly $50 million to the total.

The large surge in donations was the consequence of fast party support for Harris, which helped refill finances that had decreased due to uncertainty following Biden’s disappointing debate performance. Sunday constituted the third-largest fundraising day in ActBlue history, trailing only the days following Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death and the first Biden-Trump debate. The trend continued on Monday, with another $10 million raised, with Harris collecting around 70% of all donations.

Taiwanese businesses are shifting their supply chains from China to India as Taipei and New Delhi improve commercial ties amid escalating global trade concerns. According to James Huang, chairman of the Taiwan External Trade Development Council, Taiwan’s foreign direct investment (FDI) in India totalled $665 million between 2018 and 2023. This contrasts with $277 million in FDI from 2006 to 2017.

“It is evident that more Taiwanese companies are moving supply chains out of China and are establishing them in India,” Huang told reporters. Despite the lack of formal links with Taiwan, India has developed a tight business relationship, seeking investment from the largest chip-producing country to increase manufacturing.

Taiwan’s Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp. collaborated with India’s Tata Group to construct the first semiconductor fabrication facility in Gujarat, taking advantage of a $10 billion incentive programme.

Huang emphasised Taiwan’s programmes to train Indian students and talent in semiconductor technology, laying the groundwork for future collaboration. Taiwan’s supply chain shift has centred on the mobile phone assembly and footwear industries. The two-way commerce between India and Taiwan totalled $10.1 billion in the fiscal year ending March 2024.

Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, met with counterparts from the United Kingdom, the European Union, and New Zealand during the G7 trade ministers’ meeting in Italy, according to an official statement released Wednesday.

Goyal welcomed UK Secretary of State for Business and Trade Jonathan Reynolds and addressed the progress of India-UK FTA negotiations. He also met with Valdis Dombrovskis, Executive Vice President of the European Commission, to discuss ways to strengthen India-EU trade and continue FTA negotiations.

In conversations with Antonio Tajani, Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Goyal committed to increasing bilateral trade, investments, and clean technology cooperation. Goyal also praised Tajani for hosting a successful G7 Trade Ministers Meeting.

Goyal met with New Zealand Trade Minister Todd McClay to discuss ways to boost bilateral trade and investment relations.

Goyal also met with Germany’s Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, Robert Habeck, to explore ways to strengthen Indo-German trade and economic ties, with an emphasis on future Inter-Governmental Consultations and the Asia-Pacific Conference of German Businesses in Delhi.

These engagements are intended to significantly advance India’s trade relations with key international partners.