Today’s News 18 August 2021 (Wednesday)

A. NAVY NEWS/COVID NEWS/PHOTOS Title Writer Newspaper Page NIL NIL NIL NIL

B. NATIONAL HEADLINES Title Writer Newspaper Page 1 Rody to agencies: Don’t follow COA A Romero P-Star 1 Lawmakers defend COA after flogging from L Salaverria PDI A2 2 DU30

C. NATIONAL SECURITY Title Writer Newspaper Page Phl open to accepting asylum seekers from A Romero P -Star 1 3 Afghanistan OFWs harassed by Taliban in escape from M Bartolome P Star 1 4 Kabul 35 Pinoys back, 132 await airlift from D Pazzibugan PDI A5 5 Afghanistan

D. INDO-PACIFIC Title Writer Newspaper Page NIL NIL NIL NIL

E. AFP RELATED Title Writer Newspaper Page 6 COA flags TESDA on NT-ELCAC R Villanueva P Star 3 State auditors question TESDA fund J Aurelio PDI A2 7 transfers to anti-red task force TESDA transfer of P160M NTF-ELCAC P Tabingo Malaya A11 8 funds ‘highly questionable,’ says COA

F. CPP-NPA-NDF-LCM Title Writer Newspaper Page 9 NPA leader nabbed in S. Cotabato J Unson P-Star 7 10 Army raid in E. Samar rebel camp kills 18 J Gableta PDI A7 11 ‘Big Blow to NPA’ M Marticio Tempo 1 12 Samar clash leaves 16 NPA members dead J Eleda P-Journal 13 13 16 NPA todas sa engkwentro D Franche Ngayon 9 14 No civilian hurt in NPA lair attack J Roson D Tribune B16 15 2 minor NPA fighters surrender in Bukidnon C Diaz M Times A7 16 Manhunt vs vendors’ murderers P Antolin D Tribune B16 17 Commie intel officer neutralized J Roson D Tribune B16 18 Intel officer ng NPA dedo sa shootout R Beñez Ngayon 9 19 Nagpopondo sa NPA, ikukulong -NICA D Franche Ngayon 2

G. MNLF/MILF/BIFF/ASG Title Writer Newspaper Page 20 BARMM launches various projects D Tribune B16

H. EDITORIAL-OPINION-COMMENTARY-SPECIAL Title Writer Newspaper Page 21 Hidden conflicts, silenced voices N Lacson PDI A6 22 No frills work J Rodriguez D Tribune A4

I. ONLINE NEWS Title Link NATIONAL NEWS 35 OFWs in first batch from Kabul now in https://businessmirror.com.ph/2021/08/17/35- 23 Manila, DFA to fly home others ofws-in-first-batch-from-kabul-now-in-manila- dfa-to-fly-home-others/ PH ready to accept refugees from https://mb.com.ph/2021/08/17/ph-ready-to- 24 Afghanistan accept-refugees-from-afghanistan/ Philippines' Duterte proposes record https://www.channelnewsasia.com/business/p 25 US$99.13 billion national budget for hilippines-duterte-proposes-record-us9913- 2022 billion-national-budget-2022-2117841 Philippines' electric grid operator files for https://www.channelnewsasia.com/business/p 26 IPO hilippines-electric-grid-operator-files-ipo- 2118131 Extend ECQ or downgrade? NCR to https://news.abs- 27 decide Wednesday cbn.com/news/08/18/21/extend-ecq-or- downgrade-ncr-to-decide-wednesday PH to have warm, humid weather with https://mb.com.ph/2021/08/17/ph-to-have- 28 some rain showers due to easterlies — warm-humid-weather-with-some-rain-showers- PAGASA due-to-easterlies-pagasa/ NAVY NEWS ‘No strings attached to China jabs, https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2021/08/18 29 except…’ /2120745/no-strings-attached-china-jabs- except AFP RELATED Army raid in Eastern Samar rebel camp https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1475092/army- 30 kills 18 raid-in-e-samar-rebel-camp-kills-18 Storm Troopers' operation: How the PH https://mb.com.ph/2021/08/17/storm-troopers- 31 Army successfully infiltrated an NPA operation-how-the-ph-army-successfully- hideout in Eastern Samar infiltrated-an-npa-hideout-in-eastern-samar/ No civilians endangered in deadly E. https://tribune.net.ph/index.php/2021/08/17/no- 32 Samar clash — Army civilians-endangered-in-deadly-e-samar-clash- army/ AFP tells NPA in Samar: Surrender or https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/08/17/21/afp- 33 end up dead tells-npa-in-samar-surrender-or-end-up-dead CPP condemns military's use of https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/natio 34 airstrikes in Eastern Samar clash n/799664/cpp-condemns-use-of-aerial- bombing-in-eastern-samar-clash/story/ Reds kill 3 vendors in Masbate, Eleazar https://mb.com.ph/2021/08/17/reds-kill-3- 35 orders offensive vendors-in-masbate-eleazar-orders-offensive/ NPA intel officer killed in SoCot https://mb.com.ph/2021/08/17/npa-intel-officer- 36 operation killed-in-socot-operation/ 2 minor NPA fighters surrender in https://www.manilatimes.net/2021/08/18/news/ 37 Bukidnon regions/2-minor-npa-fighters-surrender-in- bukidnon/1811338 CoA questions Tesda fund transfer to https://www.manilatimes.net/2021/08/17/news/ 38 anti-insurgency agency coa-questions-tesda-fundtransfer-to-anti- insurgency-agency/1811286 Tesda chief: P160-M transfer to NTF- https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1475078/tesda- ELCAC earmarked for ex- chief-says-p160-million-fund-transfer-to-ntf- 39 terrorists’ livelihood programs elcac-were-spent-on-livelihood-programs-for- former-terrorists INDO-PACIFIC NEWS Southeast Asia economies grew in Apr.- https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/2021 40 Jun. 0817_01/ China ends fishing moratorium in South https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202108/1231 41 China Sea, foreign media speculation 625.shtml rejected Afghan debacle dims US credibility https://asiatimes.com/2021/08/afghan-debacle- 42 across Asia dims-us-credibility-across-asia/ UN says world will ‘scrutinize’ Taliban https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-pakistan- 43 actions afghanistan- e85fcbad8bfa406d1bfbe8215d084ca8 Russia, China, Iran, Pakistan Extend https://www.newsweek.com/russia-china-iran- 44 Hands to Taliban Now in Control of pakistan-extend-hands-taliban-now-control- Afghanistan afghanistan-1620335 Biden scrambles to limit damage to https://www.reuters.com/world/us/biden- 45 credibility from Afghanistan scrambles-limit-damage-credibility- afghanistan-2021-08-17/ Biden: Afghan chaos ‘gut-wrenching’ but https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-europe- 46 stands by withdrawal health-coronavirus-pandemic- 88db88ca25d33ceff43072c885ed04f9 From the ashes of Afghanistan, a 'Biden https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/International- 47 Doctrine' emerges relations/Indo-Pacific/From-the-ashes-of- Afghanistan-a-Biden-Doctrine-emerges Texas Senator Cornyn deletes https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-senator- 48 erroneous Taiwan tweet blasted by cornyn-deletes-erroneous-taiwan-tweet- Chinese media blasted-by-chinese-media-2021-08-17/ Rubio wants Biden to block TikTok after https://www.reuters.com/technology/rubio- 49 Chinese govt stake in subsidiary of wants-biden-block-tiktok-after-chinese- parent company government-takes-stake-2021-08-17/ Chinese FM talks with U.S. secretary of http://en.people.cn/n3/2021/0817/c90000- 50 state over Afghanistan, bilateral ties 9884922.html https://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/meeting- 51 US Diplomat’s Meeting with Tibetan Exile Representative in India Riles China 08162021182310.html China blames US over Afghanistan, but https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/china- 52 expresses willingness to hold talks blames-us-over-afghanistan-expresses- willingness-hold-talks-2118206 China will tread carefully in navigating https://asiapost.live/china-will-tread-carefully- 53 the Taliban’s return in-navigating-the-talibans-return-afghanistan/ China Eyes Post-War Reconstruction in https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/promis 54 Afghanistan Amid Promises of Peace es-08162021134021.html From Taliban 'Lone wolf warrior' - Does China need https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4271 55 real allies anyway? 720 Chinese fishing boats return to South https://www.scmp.com/video/china/3145309/c 56 China Sea hinese-fishing-boats-return-disputed-south- china-sea-after-summer-moratorium Children of Detained Uyghur Parents https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/welfar 57 Held in ‘Welfare Schools’ in China’s e-schools-08162021174124.html Xinjiang Chinese Police Stop Tibetan Travelers, https://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/police- 58 Pushing One Into River and Shooting 08162021151150.html Another https://thediplomat.com/2021/08/in-china-xi- 59 In China, ‘Xi Jinping Thought’ Is the Only Accepted Religion jinping-thought-is-the-only-accepted-religion/ Hong Kong leader: Groups crossing ‘red https://www.news10.com/news/international/ho 60 lines’ should disband ng-kong-leader-groups-crossing-red-lines- should-disband/ China, Russia should encourage Taliban https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202108/1231 61 to build inclusive political structure: 678.shtml Chinese FM Hong Kong's Population Falls For https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/falls- 62 Second Year Running Amid Exodus 08162021154904.html Taiwan would not collapse like https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/taiwan 63 Afghanistan, premier says -collapse-afghanistan-china-premier-2117711 Japan closes embassy in Afghanistan https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/japan- 64 closes-embassy-afghanistan-2118081 Japan Paralympic team holds inaugural https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/2021 65 ceremony 0817_19/ Like Olympics, Paralympics won’t have https://www.news10.com/japan- 66 fans during pandemic 2020/paralympics-follow-lead-of-olympics-no- fans-during-pandemic/ Afghanistan crisis stirs debate over https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2021 67 stability of South Korea-US alliance /08/205_314050.html North Korea Cracks Down on https://www.rfa.org/english/news/korea/worker 68 Employees Skipping Work to Earn s-08162021155309.html Money Elsewhere From Ethnic Nationalism to Social https://thediplomat.com/2021/08/from-ethnic- 69 Media: How North Korea Leverages Its nationalism-to-social-media-how-north-korea- Soft Power Abroad leverages-its-soft-power-abroad/ https://www.rfa.org/english/news/laos/debt- 70 Laos Drowning in Debt That Can’t be Repaid: Experts 08162021193422.html Malaysian king wants ‘new politics’ that https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/malay 71 bring peace and harmony: Anwar after sia-anwar-next-pm-royal-audience-new- royal audience on next PM politics-peace-harmony-2118231 No clear sign who may be Malaysia’s https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/malay 72 next PM, with several senior politicians sia-next-prime-minister-who-perikatan-umno- likely contenders pakatan-2118141 Malaysia king urges halt to bickering as https://www.news10.com/news/international/m 73 he picks new PM alaysias-king-to-meet-political-leaders-to-find- new-pm/ Malaysia’s Anwar, 3 others vie to get https://www.scmp.com/week- asia/politics/article/3145378/malaysias- 74 ‘magic number’ to become next PM political-crisis-4-heavyweights-contention-be- pm-king https://www.rfa.org/english/news/myanmar/dis 75 Myanmar’s Junta Seen Moving to Dissolve NLD to Ensure Grip on Power solve-08162021192931.html Australia should scale up its vaccine https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the- 76 diplomacy interpreter/australia-should-scale-its-vaccine- diplomacy Australia will not be able to help all https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/a 77 Afghans who worked with military, PM rticle/3145317/australia-will-not-be-able-help-

says all-afghans-who-worked The Taliban's victory will test India, and https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india- 78 peace in South Asia 58240301 Pakistan and the United States Have https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/08/16/pakistan- 79 Betrayed the Afghan People united-states-afghanistan-taliban/ Pakistan is the true winner from the https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/pakistan-is- 80 Afghan debacle the-true-winner-from-the-afghan-debacle Pakistan’s Statements on the Fall of https://thediplomat.com/2021/08/the-talibans- 81 Kabul careful-cheerleaders-pakistans-statements-on- the-fall-of-kabul/ Former USSR president Gorbachev: US https://www.jpost.com/international/former- 82 campaign was doomed from start ussr-president-gorbachev-us-campaign-was- doomed-from-start-676949 Russian embassy: Afghan leader fled https://www.news10.com/news/international/ru 83 with cars full of cash ssian-embassy-afghan-leader-fled-with-cars- full-of-cash/ Central Asia Scrambles For Clear https://www.eurasiareview.com/17082021- 84 Response As Afghanistan Crisis Spills central-asia-scrambles-for-clear-response-as- Over afghanistan-crisis-spills-over/ Taliban announces 'amnesty' in https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/fall-of- Afghanistan as reports emerge of afghanistan-taliban-announces-amnesty-as- 85 beatings, home invasions reports-emerge-of-beatings-home- invasions/IXE6UY7ISYBA5BP4FJ4E7QWTOI/ Taliban say won't seek 'revenge', co- https://mb.com.ph/2021/08/18/taliban-say- 86 founder back in Afghanistan wont-seek-revenge-co-founder-back-in- afghanistan/ Taliban member indicates positive https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/2021 87 stance on women 0817_20/ Who are the Taliban and how did they https://edition.cnn.com/2021/08/16/middleeast/ 88 take control of Afghanistan so swiftly? taliban-control-afghanistan-explained-intl- hnk/index.html Who's who in the Taliban leadership https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia- 89 58235639 Taliban Says It Is Getting 'Political https://www.newsweek.com/taliban-says- 90 Support' From China and Russia getting-political-support-china-russia- afghanistan-1620154 Taliban's Afghanistan takeover presents https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/afghan 91 fresh challenge for social media istan-taliban-terrorist-organisation-social- companies media-facebook-twitter-youtube-2117386 Biden’s South-East Asia Doctrine: https://www.eurasiareview.com/17082021- 92 Repairing Damage And Neglect From bidens-south-east-asia-doctrine-repairing- Obama And Trump Years damage-and-neglect-from-obama-and-trump- years-analysis/ UK’s Indo-Pacific tilt – not just for the https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the- 93 good times interpreter/uk-indo-pacific-tilt-not-just-for-good- times Why Hong Kong is no longer safe for https://www.9dashline.com/article/why-hong- 94 business kong-is-no-longer-safe-for-business Pandemic, scrutiny prompt slowdown for https://ipdefenseforum.com/2021/08/pandemic 95 China’s One Belt, One Road -scrutiny-prompt-slowdown-for-chinas-one- belt-one-road/ https://thediplomat.com/2021/08/chinas-digital- 96 China’s Digital Nationalism and Activism nationalism-and-activism/ A Thorough Explanation Of China’s https://warontherocks.com/2021/08/a- 97 Long-Term Strategy thorough-explanation-of-chinas-long-term- strategy/ DEFENSE NEWS Philippines Orders K745 Blue Shark https://www.asiapacificdefensejournal.com/202 98 ASW Torpedoes From Korea, Soft Kill 1/08/philippines-orders-k745-blue-shark- Decoys From France, South Africa asw.html PH must prevent spillover of Afghan https://news.abs- conflict to Mindanao cbn.com/video/news/08/17/21/analyst-ph-must- 99 prevent-spillover-of-afghan-conflict-to- mindanao Taliban Return May Revitalize SEA https://halalwatchworld.news/taliban-return- 100 Terrorist Groups may-revitalize-sea-terrorist-groups-benarnews/ US Engagement In South China Sea: https://www.eurasiareview.com/17082021-us- 101 Beyond FONOPS And Into ‘Grey Zone’ engagement-in-south-china-sea-beyond- fonops-and-into-grey-zone-analysis/ US military commander met face-to- https://www.news10.com/news/national/us- face with Taliban to seek non- official-us-military-commander-met-face-to- 102 interference with Kabul airport face-with-taliban-to-seek-non-interference-with- evacuation kabul-airport-evacuation/ US commander vows 'overwhelming https://thehill.com/policy/defense/568249-us- 103 force' if Taliban interfere with commander-vows-overwhelming-force-if- evacuation taliban-interferes-with-evacuation Evacuation flights resume at Kabul https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/evacuat 104 airport as Biden defends US withdrawal ion-flights-resume-kabul-airport-biden-defends- us-withdrawal-2117876 Afghanistan Exit Latest in Long History https://news.usni.org/2021/08/17/afghanistan- 105 of U.S. Noncombatant Evacuation exit-latest-in-long-history-of-u-s-noncombatant- Missions evacuation-missions Billions spent on Afghan army ultimately https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-army- 106 benefited Taliban taliban-995b069a9008690582cb34f4cacd8515 Departure of Private Contractors Was a https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/08/16/afghanista 107 Turning Point in Afghan Military’s n-military-collapse-private-contractors/ Collapse https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/americas- 108 America’s withdrawal of choice withdrawal-of-choice/ Costs of the Afghanistan war, in lives https://apnews.com/article/middle-east- 109 and dollars business-afghanistan- 43d8f53b35e80ec18c130cd683e1a38f Obama’s Defense Secretary Says https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/obamas 110 Biden Doesn’t Have His Act Together -defense-secretary-says-biden-doesnt-have- his-act-together/ White House rebuts claims that https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/a 111 Afghanistan withdrawal should worry rticle/3145406/white-house-rebuts-chinese- Taiwan claim-afghanistan-withdrawal Report to Congress on Joint All-Domain https://news.usni.org/2021/08/17/report-to- 112 Command and Control congress-on-joint-all-domain-command-and- control-3 DOWNLOADABLE Joint All-Domain https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/21044 Command and Control: Background 269/joint-all-domain-command-and-control- 113 and Issues for Congress background-and-issues-for-congress-aug-12- 2021.pdf U.S. Air Force Using Significant https://www.defensedaily.com/u-s-using- 114 Number of Tankers, C-17s for Afghan significant-number-of-tankers-c-17s-for-afghan- Airlift airlift/air-force/ Air Force to Investigate Plane That Flew https://www.newsweek.com/air-force- 115 From Kabul After Human Remains investigate-plane-that-flew-kabul-after-human- Found in Wheel Well remains-found-wheel-well-1620386 Space security a growing concern as https://spacenews.com/report-space-security-a- 116 activities proliferate in orbit growing-concern-as-activities-proliferate-in- orbit/ DOWNLOADABLE Navigating space: A https://www.spacefoundation.org/wp- 117 vision for space in defense content/uploads/2021/08/Navigating- Space_web-20210816.pdf USS Higgins and USS Howard arrive in http://www.c7f.navy.mil/Media/News/Display/Art 118 Yokosuka, Japan, join DESRON 15 icle/2733578/uss-higgins-and-uss-howard- arrive-in-yokosuka-japan-join-desron-15 Why The US Navy’s Most Powerful https://www.19fortyfive.com/2021/08/why-the- 119 Aircraft Carrier Has So Many Problems navys-most-powerful-aircraft-carrier-has-so- many-problems/ U.S. Tests Unmanned Mine Detectors https://www.defenseworld.net/news/30240/U_S 120 in Large Scale Naval Exercise __Tests_Unmanned_Mine_Detectors_in_Large _Scale_Naval_Exercise First Operational Deployment For US https://www.navalnews.com/naval- 121 Navy’s CMV-22B And F-35C news/2021/08/first-operational-deployment-for- us-navys-cmv-22b-and-f-35c/ U.S. surveillance of North intensifies https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2021/08/1 122 during military exercise 7/national/northKorea/aircraft-surveillance- drills/20210817183400322.html Chinese UN envoy warns against http://en.people.cn/n3/2021/0817/c90000- 123 Afghanistan being haven again for 9884766.html terrorists US senator reveals '30,000 US troops https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202108/12316 124 stationed in Taiwan island,' equal to 86.shtml ‘declaring war on China’ if it's true Chinese state media chief calls for war https://americanmilitarynews.com/2021/08/chin 125 with US over troop numbers in Taiwan ese-state-media-chief-calls-for-war-with-us- over-troop-numbers-in-taiwan/ China holds assault drills near Taiwan https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/china- 126 after 'provocations' holds-assault-drills-near-taiwan-after- provocations-2117846 PLA Eastern Theater Command https://asiapost.live/pla-eastern-theater- 127 conducts live-fire drills off Taiwan Island command-conducts-live-fire-drills-off-taiwan- island/ Chinese Media Threaten Taiwan after https://www.nationalreview.com/news/chinese- 128 Kabul Debacle: ‘The Island’s Defense media-threaten-taiwan-after-kabul-debacle-the- Will Collapse in Hours’ islands-defense-will-collapse-in-hours/ China PLA Allegedly Building ICBM Silo https://www.thedefensepost.com/2021/08/16/ch 129 Site: Researcher ina-icbm-silo-site/ The China Challenge: Space Race 2.0 https://www.discoursemagazine.com/politics/20 130 21/08/16/the-china-challenge-space-race-2-0/ Chinese venues, teams prepare for Intl https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202108/12316 131 Army Games, with 'good results 23.shtml expected' China sets out new rules to protect https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/31453 132 ‘critical information infrastructure’ as it 68/china-sets-out-new-rules-protect-critical- bolsters data security push information-infrastructure-it 11 Chinese military aircraft encroach on https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/42718 133 Taiwan's ADIZ 73 After Afghanistan disaster, Taiwan must https://www.aei.org/op-eds/after-afghanistan- 134 go nuclear disaster-taiwan-must-go-nuclear/ Taiwan: Han Kuang military drill to https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archi 135 feature Jiadong debut ves/2021/08/17/2003762748 NK views its relations with China as http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=2021 136 ‘fundamentally distrustful 0817000739 S. Korea, US begin joint military drills https://www.donga.com/en/article/all/20210817/ 137 without notice to N. Korea 2859970/1 North Korean media denounces South's https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2021/ 138 plan to build new frigates 08/103_314076.html ROK to keep close watch on DPRK https://news.cgtn.com/news/2021-08-17/ROK- 139 response to joint exercise to-keep-close-watch-on-DPRK-response-to- joint-exercise-12NTZhfo1K8/index.html Malaysia Fires Anti-Ship Missiles To https://www.ibtimes.com/south-china-sea-news- 140 'Demonstrate' Navy's Capability malaysia-fires-anti-ship-missiles-demonstrate- navys-capability-3275299 Why Indonesian militants are https://www.scmp.com/week- 141 exchanging anti-Chinese sentiment, asia/opinion/article/3145293/why-indonesian- extremist memes militants-different-stripes-are-exchanging-anti Australia’s Hobart-Class Destroyers https://www.navalnews.com/naval- 142 Achieve Final Operational Capability news/2021/08/australias-hobart-class- destroyers-achieve-final-operational-capability/ India revives maritime security bloc with https://www.scmp.com/week- 143 an eye on China’s growing influence asia/politics/article/3145256/india-revives- indian-ocean-security-bloc-eye-chinas-growing India’s harsh anti-terror law comes https://www.news10.com/news/international/ind 144 under rare scrutiny ias-harsh-anti-terror-law-comes-under-rare- scrutiny/ End of MiG- https://defenceview.in/end-of-mig-29k-indias- 145 29K, India’s promising carrier-based fighter TEDBF coming promising-carrier-based-fighter-tedbf-coming/ Indian Air Force Activates Second https://sldinfo.com/2021/08/indian-air-force- 146 Rafale Squadron activates-second-rafale-squadron/ India has the capability and technical https://defenceview.in/india-has-the-capability- 147 expertise to build nuclear powered and-technical-expertise-to-build-nuclear- aircraft carriers powered-aircraft-carriers/ Russia’s Project 636.3 Submarine https://www.navalnews.com/naval- 148 ‘Magadan’ Starts State Trials news/2021/08/russias-project-636-3- submarine-magadan-starts-state-trials/ Russia’s Il-112V Military Jet Prototype https://www.defenseworld.net/news/30241/Rus 149 Crashes Near Moscow sia___s_Il_112V_Military_Jet_Prototype_Crash es_Near_Moscow Afghanistan: Why there was no https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/def Northern Alliance 2.0 this time ence/afghanistan-why-there-was-no-northern- 150 alliance-2-0-this- time/articleshow/85393174.cms What does the Afghan Air Force have, https://defenceview.in/what-does-the-afghan- 151 and will the Taliban take it all? air-force-have-and-will-the-taliban-take-it-all/ Afghan Forces Flee, Fly, to Central Asia https://thediplomat.com/2021/08/afghan-forces- 152 flee-fly-to-central-asia/ Mid-air collision: Uzbek MiG-29 and https://defenceview.in/uzbek-mig-29-crashed- 153 Afghan A-29 collide with each other when-colliding-with-afghan-a-29-aircraft/ A Taliban commander who helped seize https://www.businessinsider.com/taliban- the Afghan presidential palace spent commander-gholam-ruhani-once-threatened- 154 nearly 6 years at Guantanamo, where guantanamo-guard-2021-8 he told a guard 'we will get you on the outside' Uzbekistan says it ‘forced’ the landing of https://americanmilitarynews.com/2021/08/uzbe 155 46 Afghan aircraft carrying 585 Afghan kistan-says-it-forced-the-landing-of-46-afghan- troops aircraft-carrying-585-afghan-troops/ From Biden to the Taliban with Love https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/17655/turkey 156 -afghan-migrants Taliban accumulate massive amounts https://www.axios.com/taliban-us-military- 157 of U.S.-supplied firepower equipment-afghanistan-bf8f0dbf-34e2-4fbd- ad85-8f3184b42475.html Taliban’s haul of US weapons may add https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/a 158 to problems in region, analysts say rticle/3145392/talibans-haul-us-weapons-may- add-problems-region-analysts-say Was the Afghanistan withdrawal https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/was-the- 159 reckless or ruthless? afghanistan-withdrawal-reckless-or-ruthless/ Why is Biden only present in China, https://www.jpost.com/opinion/biden-absent- 160 Russia? – analysis most-places-besides-china-russia-analysis- 676829 The Shift in Training: Defining the https://defense.info/featured-story/2021/08/the- 161 Challenge shift-in-training-defining-the-challenge/ Ethical, Legal Implications of Paying https://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/articl 162 Ransoms es/2021/8/17/ethical-legal-implications-of- paying-ransoms The Influence Of Technology On Fleet https://cimsec.org/the-influence-of-technology- 163 Architecture on-fleet-architecture/ Sea Mines: The Low-End Threat in the https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2 164 High-End Fight 021/august/sea-mines-low-end-threat-high-end- fight COVID NEWS Safer bubbles’ proposed in NCR: Malls, https://mb.com.ph/2021/08/17/safer-bubbles-in- 165 restos open only for fully vaccinated — ncr-malls-restos-open-only-for-fully-vaxxed- Concepcion concepcion/ US to recommend COVID vaccine https://apnews.com/article/business-health- 166 boosters at 8 months coronavirus-pandemic-coronavirus-vaccine- 21cd829d358e9b50b16515025dab2008 Ontario to offer third COVID-19 vaccine https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/world 167 doses to high-risk people /799764/ontario-to-offer-third-covid-19-vaccine- doses-to-high-risk-people/story/ Sinopharm Wuhan institute speeds up https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202108/12316 168 development of a Delta-specific shot 79.shtml Despite Spreading Easily, Delta Is https://www.forbes.com/sites/graisondangor/20 Uniquely Weak Against Covid-19 21/08/17/despite-spreading-easily-delta-is- 169 Antibodies, Study Finds uniquely-weak-against-covid-19-antibodies- study-finds/ What you need to know about the https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare- 170 coronavirus right now pharmaceuticals/what-you-need-know-about- coronavirus-right-now-2021-03-02/ Mapping the Coronavirus Outbreak https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2020- 171 Across the World coronavirus-cases-world- map/?srnd=coronavirus Covid map: Where are cases the https://www.bbc.com/news/world-51235105 172 highest? Covid-19 Vaccine Tracker https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/covid- 173 vaccine-tracker-global- distribution/?srnd=premium-asia

J. OPINION/EDITORIAL/COMMENTARY Title Link 174 Super weapons https://tribune.net.ph/index.php/2021/08/18/su per-weapons/ 175 A matter of perspective https://businessmirror.com.ph/2021/08/17/a- matter-of-perspective-2/ 176 The economy amid COVID-19 https://manilastandard.net/opinion/columns/ab out-town-by-ernesto-m-hilario/362610/the- economy-amid-covid-19.html 177 A graveyard of empires https://manilastandard.net/opinion/columns/cro ssroads-by-j-a-dela-cruz/362606/a-graveyard- of-empires.html 178 Saigon and Kabul https://opinion.inquirer.net/143202/saigon-and- kabul 179 Afghanistan, now the global beacon for https://www.manilatimes.net/2021/08/18/opinio Islamic jihad? n/columns/afghanistan-now-the-global-beacon- for-islamic-jihad/1811341 180 Hot potato https://tribune.net.ph/index.php/2021/08/18/hot -potato-2/ 181 No regrets over Afghanistan withdrawal? https://www.channelnewsasia.com/commentar Biden should have plenty y/biden-afghanistan-blames-taliban-ousted- leaders-2117496 182 US retreat from Afghanistan threatens https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Comment/US- China and Russia retreat-from-Afghanistan-threatens-China-and- Russia 183 With Afghanistan’s collapse, a moment https://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2021/08/ for Moscow and Beijing 17/commentary/world- commentary/afghanistans-collapse-moscow- beijing/ 184 Is China’s About to Tuck Afghanistan https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/20 Under Its Belt and Road? 21-08-17/china-isn-t-about-to-tuck- afghanistan-under-its-belt-and- road?srnd=premium-asia 185 If there are US troops present on Taiwan https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202108/1231 island, China will crush them by force 691.shtml 186 Making the most of Japan's new weapon https://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2021/08/ in the digital war 17/commentary/japan-commentary/digital- agency-future/ 187 Muhyiddin’s resignation as prime https://www.channelnewsasia.com/commentar minister paves way for opposition to y/malaysia-muhyiddin-yassin-candidates- seize power prime-minister-2117726

35 OFWs in first batch from Kabul now in Manila, DFA to fly home others BYBUSINESSMIRROR AUGUST 17, 2021

THIRTY-FIVE Filipinos employed in Afghanistan arrived Tuesday at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia), according to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), which earlier gave assurances that all the 140 others still in the country overrun by the Taliban will be brought home safely.

The Filipinos who are staff members of the US Embassy in Kabul were able to leave the Taliban-saturated city on Sunday by means of US military planes that took them to Doha, Qatar, awaiting repatriation to Manila.

The DFA said these migrant Filipinos “joined the DFA chartered plane from Doha to Manila and the group arrived Tuesday at the Naia Terminal 1.”

Originally, the 35 Filipinos were part of the 500-person staff of the US Embassy who were airlifted from the Embassy compound to the Hamid Karzai International Airport (HKIA)—the official name of Kabul Airport—by Chinook helicopters.

“From the HKIA all the embassy staff including the OFWs boarded a giant C-17 Cargo Master planes that flew them to the US Airbase in Doha,” officials said.

“That still leaves around 130 overseas Filipino workers [OFWs] in Kabul who want to leave as soon as possible,” according to recruitment consultant Manny Geslani. He said about 80 more OFWs have signed up to join the repatriation flight being arranged by the Philippine Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan.

The rest of the OFWs have contingency plans with their employers, he added.

“They already hold airplane tickets out of Kabul but civilian flight operations at the HKIA have been suspended by the US military who wants to prioritize the departure of their American employees, including Afghan interpreters,”Geslani said.

DFA Assistant Secretary Eduardo Mendez said “the DFA is working non-stop to explore all options to ensure the safety and welfare of our people in Afghanistan in the face of challenging conditions.” He asked for patience as they try to accomplish the sensitive mission, perhaps one of the most difficult repatriation tasks undertaken by DFA in recent years.

Geslani said there were originally 175 members of the Samahang Pilipino sa Afghanistan (SPA), but the departure of the first batch of 35 OFWs on Sunday means there are some 140 more Filipinos left behind in Afghanistan.

“Some are in Herat working for HART, a British security firm, and they might have been brought to another country [by] the British firm,” he said. https://businessmirror.com.ph/2021/08/17/35-ofws-in-first-batch-from-kabul-now-in-manila-dfa-to-fly- home-others/

PH ready to accept refugees from Afghanistan

Published August 17, 2021, 3:09 PM by Genalyn Kabiling

The Philippines is prepared to provide refuge to people fleeing the conflict in Afganistan following the collapse of its government.

According to Presidential spokesman Harry Roque, the country is willing to welcome asylum seekers from the troubled nation, a similar gesture shown to refugees of other conflicts.

In a televised press briefing Tuesday, August 17, Roque noted that the country has a long history in opening doors to refugees. He also cited a Supreme Court ruling that stated the Philippines would “not hesitate to admit individuals fleeing their homelands because of fear of persecution.”

“Welcome po ang mga asylum seekers sa Pilipinas (Asylum seekers are welcome in the Philippines),” he said, citing previous instance when the country offered safe haven to the Jews during the Holocaust.

“Lahat po ng kinakilangan ng kalinga dahil sila po ay pinepersecute sa kanilang bayan, meron po kayong lugar dito sa Pilipinas (To those in need of refuge because they are persecuted in their homeland, you have a place in the Philippines),” he added.

The Taliban has taken control of Afghanistan after decades-old insurgency, triggering panic and fear in the capital. Thousands of Afghans were reportedly trying to to flee the Taliban rule and leave the country. The Philippines is also working on the repatriation of more Filipinos in Afghanistan after the first batch of 32 evacuees fled the conflict-torn country.

When he spoke before a virtual United Nations General Assembly last year, President Duterte offered the country as a safe place for refugees, citing its humanitarian tradition in accordance with the obligations under the 1951 Convention on the Status of Refugees and the 1967 Protocol.

He said the country’s doors were open “to everyone fleeing for safety, such as the Rohingyas. He mentioned the country’s previous aid given to the White Russians following the 1917 Revolution, the European Jews in the Second World War, the Vietnamese in the late 1960s, and the Iranians displaced by the 1979 revolution, among others.

The President also reminded the international community about the “shared responsibility” to help the most vulnerable, including those displaced by conflict, persecution, and political instability. “In the face of a mounting refugee crisis worldwide, let us work together towards ending the conflicts and conditions that force people to flee their homes,” he said. https://mb.com.ph/2021/08/17/ph-ready-to-accept-refugees-from-afghanistan/ Philippines' Duterte proposes record US$99.13 billion national budget for 2022

FILE PHOTO: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte gestures as he delivers his 6th State of the Nation Address (SONA), at the House of Representative in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines, July 26, 2021. REUTERS/Lisa Marie David 17 Aug 2021 12:59PM (Updated: 17 Aug 2021 02:36PM)

MANILA : Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is seeking a record 5.024 trillion pesos (US$99.13 billion) budget for 2022 to help the country recover from the coronavirus pandemic, the presidential spokesperson said on Tuesday.

The government is facing multiple challenges including reviving a pandemic-hit economy, containing the spread of more infectious coronavirus variants, and creating jobs through its infrastructure programme.

The proposed budget, 11.5per cent higher than the 2021 allotment, will be submitted to congress on Monday, Harry Roque, Duterte's spokesperson, told a news conference.

The social services sector, which includes COVID-19 vaccine procurement and universal healthcare, will receive the highest allocation at 1.92 trillion pesos, followed by 1.47 trillion pesos for the economic service sector that involves key infrastructure projects, Roque said.

It is the final budget for Duterte, who will end his single six-year term in June, 2022.

The Southeast Asian nation, which was among the fastest growing economies in Asia before the pandemic, exited recession in the second quarter https://www.reuters.com/article/philippines-economy-gdp-idUSL1N2PH04H after five consecutive quarters of contraction. A renewed surge in COVID-19 cases, driven by the virulent Delta variant, has brought total infections to 1.75 million and deaths to 30,366, government data show.

Duterte's proposed budget will likely face tough scrutiny from lawmakers after state auditors flagged inefficiencies and deficiencies https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/philippine-health-ministry-says-no- corruption-13-bln-pandemic-funds-2021-08-14 in the use of government funds, including those meant to fund pandemic measures.

The health ministry is under fire for not paying risk allowances to overworked nurses, https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/overwhelmed-philippines- hospitals-hit-by-staff-resignations-2021-08-16 and "deficiencies" involving US$1.3 billion, casting doubt on the country's pandemic response.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque, who has faced calls to resign, at the weekend denied that any money had been stolen and Duterte on Monday backed the minister. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/business/philippines-duterte-proposes-record-us9913-billion- national-budget-2022-2117841

Philippines' electric grid operator files for IPO

17 Aug 2021 03:34PM (Updated: 17 Aug 2021 03:31PM) BookmarkShare MANILA : Philippines' Synergy Grid & Development Phils. Inc, majority owner of the country's electricity grid operator, has applied for an initial public offering (IPO), the corporate regulator said in a statement on Tuesday.

Synergy Grid is planning to sell as many as 1.154 billion shares, including the over- allotment option, at 15 to 25 pesos (US$0.30 to US$0.49) each, allowing the IPO to raise up to 28.85 billion pesos (US$571.40 million). In Philippine filings, IPO prices are typically set well above the final selling price. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/business/philippines-electric-grid-operator-files-ipo-2118131

Metro Manila mayors to decide on Wednesday next quarantine category ABS-CBN News Posted at Aug 18 2021 07:24 AM | Updated as of Aug 18 2021 07:31 AM MANILA—Metro Manila mayors are set to decide "within the day" whether to extend the region's strict lockdown to curb the spread of the Delta variant, San Juan mayor Francis Zamora said Wednesday.

The capital region's 2-week enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) is set to lapse on Friday.

The Metro Manila Council had met Tuesday with the Department of Health and the National Economic and Development Authority, according to Zamora.

"We’re trying to find a balance, anong klaseng pagbabalanse ang gagawin para hindi masyadong maghirap ang ating mga mamamayan," he told ABS-CBN's Teleradyo.

(We need to find a balance so our citizens do not suffer.)

"Ang choices parang ganito base sa pagpupulong kahapon, manatili sa ECQ mahirapan tayong lahat in terms of business, economy. Kung mag-downgrade naman tayo at magluwag nang kaunti, posibleng mas maraming mamatay."

(Our choices are if we keep the ECQ, our businesses and economy will struggle; if we downgrade, many more can possibly die.)

He added: "Anuman ang mapagbotohan ng (Whatever is voted on) Metro Manila Council is purely recommendatory."

In San Juan, 98 percent of virus patients are mild and asymptomatic, 1 percent are moderate, and 1 percent are severe to critical, according to the mayor.

A majority of the moderate to critical cases are unvaccinated against COVID-19, he said.

The city has fully inoculated 84 percent of its total population, or 120 percent of its target population to achieve herd immunity, Zamora said.

The city vaccinated 2,000 residents within a week's time due to its "ayuda plus bakuna" program, he added.

"Sinabayan natin ng pagbabakuna ang pamamahagi ng ayuda . . . para 'yung mga nagke-claim ng ayuda kung di pa sila bakunado, they can get vaccinated on the spot," he said. https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/08/18/21/extend-ecq-or-downgrade-ncr-to-decide-wednesday

PH to have warm, humid weather with some rain showers due to easterlies — PAGASA

Published August 17, 2021, 5:06 PM by Ellalyn De Vera-Ruiz

The warm winds coming from the Pacific Ocean will be the dominant weather system across the country, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said on Tuesday afternoon, Aug. 17.

Cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms may prevail over Quezon, Oriental Mindoro, Occidental Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, Palawan, Albay, Catanduanes, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Sorsogon, Masbate, Biliran, Eastern Samar, Leyte, Northern Samar, Samar, and Southern Leyte in the next 24 hours. https://mb.com.ph/2021/08/17/ph-to-have-warm-humid-weather-with-some-rain-showers-due-to- easterlies-pagasa/

‘No strings attached to China jabs, except…’

Helen Flores - The Philippine Star August 18, 2021 | 12:00am MANILA, Philippines — There are no strings attached to China’s donation of COVID-19 vaccines to the Philippines, “except that their boats are there,” President Duterte has said.

In a taped public address aired after midnight Tuesday, Duterte recalled a recent phone conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping wherein he asked him to share COVID vaccines with Filipinos.

“So I told him, ‘we are poor. We know we would be a tail-ender (in the vaccine procurement), but if you have some extra, could you give a little for my country?’ He said: ‘Don’t worry, we will help you.’ That’s why the vaccines arrived,” Duterte said.

He said China has not asked him for any favor.

“No strings attached to China’s (vaccine donation). Until now, China has not asked me even (for) a ballpen. No favors, nothing at all, except that their boats are there,” the President said, apparently referring to the West Philippine Sea.

“But I said, ‘I want my ships there too.’ I don’t want war with anybody, not with China, especially America because they are here on our land,” Duterte said.

“As a feature or semblance of our claim, we have ships there and I will not withdraw them. There is no way I will say ‘retreat’ like what Trillanes and Alberto, ambassador, have done,” he said, referring to former senator Antonio Trillanes IV and former foreign affairs secretary Albert del Rosario.

Beijing refused to recognize the 2016 arbitral ruling which nullified China’s massive claims in the South China Sea and affirmed the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone in the West Philippine Sea.

Duterte belittled the country’s arbitral victory against China, saying it is just a piece of paper that he can throw away in a trash bin.

The Department of Foreign Affairs, however, has filed multiple diplomatic protests against Beijing over the presence of its vessels in the West Philippine Sea.

Meanwhile, Duterte asked the US for additional COVID-19 vaccines. “I am just asking America to give us more only if they have. We are not – I know that ‘we first before you.’ We understand it and we accept it. But if there is an excess of supply in your country, please help our country. We have the money, we buy, we do not ask. We have saved money for this event,” Duterte said.

Early this month, Duterte decided to retain the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) between the Philippines and the US.

The President said he decided to continue the VFA with the US as a “concession” for donated vaccines.

The Philippines received over three million doses of Moderna vaccines donated by the US through the COVAX Facility.

The US also delivered more than 3.2 million doses of its single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccines to the Philippines in July. https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2021/08/18/2120745/no-strings-attached-china-jabs-except

Army raid in Eastern Samar rebel camp kills 18

By: Jeannette I. Andrade, Joey Gabieta - @inquirerdotnet

Philippine Daily Inquirer / 04:35 AM August 18, 2021

TACLOBAN CITY, Leyte, Philippines A military operation against communist

— Army (NPA) members dead, has effectively crippled the group, according to an rebels in Eastern Samar province on Monday, which left at least 18 New People’s

Army official whose unit led the raid on the insurgents’ camp in Dolores town. Catbalogan City, said the 13-hour offensive was the biggest in terms of rebel Maj. Gen. Pio Diñoso III, commander of the Army’s 8th Infantry Division based in casualties and weapon seizures since 2016.

The bodies of 13 men and five women were later retrieved in the clash site in Barangay Osmeña, Dolores, where rebels allegedly manufactured explosives.

Diñoso said the bodies would be taken to the town center where they would be should no relative come to claim them, he said. processed and identified. They would be given a “decent burial” in a local cemetery Airstrike The clash started at 4 a.m. Monday when members of the 52nd Infantry Battalion attacked a rebel camp in Barangay Osmeña located 40 kilometers away from the Dolores town center.

Di oso said the soldiers sought the assistance of the Philippine Air Force since they could not enter the area, fearing it might be surrounded with land mines. ñ so long because they were trying to protect a high-ranking oso said, noting that no soldier was wounded or killed in the clash with “The [firefight] took at least 50 rebels. leader,” Diñ He, however, could not say if the rebel leader was among the fatalities. Diñoso also dismissed claims that civilians were killed in the encounter, saying the rebel camp was located 3 km away from the nearest populated village.

Recovered from the clash site were 29 high-powered firearms and several improvised explosive devices (IEDs). The camp, Diñoso said, has structures that could have been used for training, possibly for the manufacture of IEDs.

Diñoso ‘Tactical success’ claimed that Monday’s military operations significantly reduced the number of NPA fighters in Samar, saying, “This is a big blow to the insurgency in Hethe thanked province, villagers not only for in leadingEastern the Samar military but in to the the entire rebel Samarcamp. HeIsland.” promised to call it [operation] a tactical success. It is not necessarily socially acceptable but this protect locals, especially that they were expecting retaliation from the NPA.“I will is like the final nail in the co

ffin to end the communist insurgency,” Diñoso said. “The—WITH insurgency A REPORT FROM situation ROBERT inDEJON Eastern INQ Samar would be at a manageable level.”

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1475092/army-raid-in-e-samar-rebel-camp-kills-18

Storm Troopers' operation: How the PH Army successfully infiltrated an NPA hideout in Eastern Samar

Published August 17, 2021, 12:38 PM by Martin Sadongdong The Philippine Army’s 8th Infantry Division (8ID) pulled off a near perfect focus military operation against the New People’s Army (NPA) in Dolores, Eastern Samar on Sunday, Aug. 16, which resulted in the killing of 16 communist rebels while no casualty was recorded on the side of the troops.

Considered as the biggest military offensive in the Eastern Visayas (Region 8) this year, the 8th ID, also called the Storm Troopers Division, managed to infiltrate the NPA hideout located in the jungles of Dolores town.

The hideout encompasses a massive portion of the jungle: 200 meters long and around 60 to 80 meters wide. It was situated three kilometers away from the nearest community in Barangay Osmena.

But how exactly did the military pull off the operation?

Major Gen. Pio Dinoso III, commander of the 8th ID, said Tuesday, Aug. 17, that the operation was a result of a “whole of nation” approach, largely crediting their “tipsters” and high-tech equipment including their drones.

“This is a big blow to the communist insurgency not only in Eastern Samar but in the entire Samar Islands,” he said in a virtual press briefing.

Tips and drones

The operation started “several weeks” before when the 8th ID received raw information that a group of armed men were visiting some households in Barangay Osmena.

There were “one to two” informants who tipped the military about an NPA camp being built in the middle of the jungle.

“Hindi pa nila alam ang eksaktong lokasyon pero marami raw ipinapasok na supply at may mga bumibisitang NPA sa mga kabahayan (They didn’t know yet the exact location but [the NPAs] were bringing in many supplies and visiting households). From there, we verified and found out that there really exists an NPA hideout in the jungle of Dolores in Eastern Samar,” Dinoso shared.

At around 4 a.m. Monday, the 8th ID carried out the infiltration plan as ground troops closed in on the NPA hideout where the rebels were making improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and anti-personnel mines. In total, there were more or less 50 NPAs in the hideout. The hideout was rigged of landmines to deny entrance from outside forces, prompting the 8th ID to use drones to pinpoint the exact location of the enemies.

Burdened by the threat of landmines, the troops then requested for air support.

The Philippine Air Force (PAF) deployed assets to provide close air support while the 8th ID utilized drones to monitor the movement of the rebels. Smart bombs were then dropped by the military to pulverize the camp and trigger the landmines, which then allowed ground troops to advance.

“We have assets, we have drones, we have jets and these are all legitimate assets. Our drones are used to pinpoint enemy location, our jets have precision munitions,” he said.

“Sa operasyon kahapon, mayroon po kami talagang lumilipad na drone so doon po nakikita natin kung saan pumupunta ang kalaban (During yesterday’s operation, we really have a drone to monitor where our enemies were going),” he added.

An intense firefight then ensued which lasted until 5 p.m. — a staggering 13-hour armed encounter.

‘Left to die’

When the gunbattle stopped and the smokes cleared, the troops immediately scoured the encounter site where they discovered the bodies of 16 NPA rebels.

“Iniwan po nila ang mga kasamahan nila na NPA na namatay. Sixteen sila so labindalawang lalaki at apat na babae (The NPAs abandoned the bodies of their comrades. There were a total of 16 bodies, 12 were males and four were females),” Dinoso said.

He said they were already on the process of identifying the bodies to determine if there are any high-ranking leaders among them.

“We have asked forensic experts from the Philippine National Police to help us identify the fatalities,” he noted. “We have also started transporting the cadavers back to the town proper because we will turn it over to the local government unit (LGU) of Dolores.”

Aside from the bodies, the troops also recovered 29 high-powered firearms and other personal belongings.

Dinoso said the troops went back to the encounter site Tuesday morning to find out if there are more casualties.

Meanwhile, he denied that the bombs that reportedly hit two civilian houses in Barangay Kabagwan, around seven to eight kilometers from the encounter site, were from the PAF. He noted that the encounter site was far from the community proper.

“Hindi ito ginagamit ng kanilang mga eroplano, itong mga munition na ito. Pinapaimbestigahan po natin kasi ang lugar na iyan hindi dinaanan ng mga eroplano. Ang confirmed as a fact, hindi siya kasama sa imbentaryo ng munition na ginagamit ng ating Philippine Air Force (These munitions were not used by their airplanes. We are investigating it because our planes did not pass through that area. What is confirmed as a fact is that these are not included in the inventory of the munitions of the Philippine Air Force),” he explained.

Retaliation

Dinoso also called on the remaining members of the NPA in Dolores town to surrender to the military.

“The incident in Dolores, Samar shows that, for the NPA, they reaped what they sow. If they espouse violence, violence will come back. What goes around comes around,” he said, citing recent NPA attacks in the province that resulted in the burning of heavy construction machineries and death of village officials.

He said they were expecting retaliatory attacks from the NPA but he assured the community that the 8th ID has deployed enough manpower to secure the residents.

“Surrender to us now because the government is willing to help you lead normal lives,” he added. https://mb.com.ph/2021/08/17/storm-troopers-operation-how-the-ph-army-successfully-infiltrated-an- npa-hideout-in-eastern-samar/

No civilians endangered in deadly E. Samar

clash — Army Published 2 days ago on August 17, 2021 02:47 PM By John Roson The military on Tuesday assured that no civilians were put in danger during the operation that left at least 16 communist rebels dead in Dolores, Eastern Samar.

Maj. Gen. Pio Diñoso III, commander of the Army’s 8th Infantry Division, said drones were used to pinpoint the location of the New People’s Army camp in the hinterlands of Brgy. Osmeña, before it was pounded by air assets and cannons.

“Lampas 3 kilometro po ito sa pinakamalapit na community. Ang lugar na ito ay nasa kagubatan ng Eastern Samar, malapit na sa Western Samar. Kagubatan po ito at wala pong sibilyan,” Diñoso said in an online briefing.

He also denied claims that some explosives reportedly found in an area 6 to 7 kilometers away had come from Air Force planes that were involved in the operation.

Diñoso said he asked the Air Force to look into the munitions, but it denied having such explosives in its inventory and said its planes did not pass the area where the items were reportedly found.

Despite these, Diñoso said the military will be coordinating with communities to determine if any resident was affected, even by the sound of explosions and gunfire during the clash.

Talks with local officials will also be held to determine how the slain rebels’ bodies will be brought down from the hinterlands and where these will be stored so relatives can identify and claim them, he said.

Of the 16 slain rebels, 12 were males and four were females, Diñoso said.

They were among the group of 50 or more New People’s Army members whom soldiers encountered from 4 a.m. to 5 a.m. on Monday, he said.

That number and length of resistance usually mean that there were high-ranking leaders among the group, but the slain have yet to be identified, Diñoso said.

Soldiers also plan to conduct a further search on the site and surrounding areas, as there could be other rebels who got wounded in the clash and are hidin g, he said. A total of 29 high-powered firearms had been recovered, and NPA members do not easily ditch weapons unless they died, got severely wounded, or have decided to leave the communist movement, Diñoso noted.

Aside from firearms, several improvised explosives were also found in and around the camp, which had several huts and a hall where training on bomb-making could have been conducted, according to the military.

Diñoso said the result of Monday’s clash was a big blow to rebels in Eastern Samar and could spell the end of insurgency in the province.

The number of slain NPA members in Dolores was the highest recorded in recent years, following the 15 killed in an operation in Nasugbu, Batangas, on 28 November 2017.

Despite the “tactical success,” Diñoso said the military in Eastern Visayas will not be rejoicing, and would rather reach out to the families of the slain.

“Hindi rin kami masaya sa nangyari. ‘Yung pagkamatay ng 16, nung napatay ba sila may na-solve ba na problema? Wala tayong na-solve, in fact dumami pa nga kasi maraming magluluksang pamilya,” he said.

Diñoso said the operation was only carried out as the last option because many local rebels are still choosing violence instead of heeding calls for them to either surrender or just discuss with the government the issues they are fighting for. https://tribune.net.ph/index.php/2021/08/17/no-civilians-endangered-in-deadly-e-samar-clash-army/

AFP tells NPA: Surrender or end up dead like comrades in Samar ABS-CBN News Posted at Aug 17 2021 10:53 PM MANILA - A military official on Tuesday told members of the New People's Army (NPA) rebel group to surrender or end up dead like 18 of their comrades who were killed in a firefight with the military in Dolores, Eastern Samar.

Maj. Gen. Pio Diñoso, commander of the Army's 8th Infantry Division based in Samar, said the latest encounter proves that if the rebels do not surrender, they may just end up dead.

"On the part of the NPA, they just saw that if they won't return to the government fold, if they won't choose the path of peace, this is what's going to happen to them," he said in an online press briefing.

He also said that the government continues to offer the rebels to return to the fold of the government, but they have no choice but to fight back if the rebels choose violence instead.

Monday's encounter initially killed 16 NPA rebels, but the military recovered two more bodies on Tuesday.

Authorities also seized 29 high-powered firearms from the rebels.

The military said the enemy casualty count is the highest in a single encounter during the Duterte administration.

In November 2017, 14 NPA rebels died in an encounter in Nasugbu, Batangas.

Meanwhile, an NPA intelligence officer in Mindanao was killed in a law enforcement operation in Polomolok town in South Cotabato on Monday.

Brig. Gen. Roy Galido, commander of the Army's 601st Brigade in Sultan Kudarat, identified the fatality as John Nebris Omega, who carried the aliases Parts, Bords, Albay, and Pards, and was allegedly the intelligence officer of the NPA's Komisyon Mindanao.

According to Galido, government forces went to Omega's house in Barangay Cannery Site to serve an arrest warrant for kidnapping, serious illegal detention, and robbery.

Omega, however, fired shots at the authorities, leading to a firefight.

According to the military, Omega was involved in the abduction of Mayor Henry Dano of Lingig town in Surigao del Sur and his two soldier-escorts in August 2011. Dano and his escorts were released by the rebels two months later. https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/08/17/21/afp-tells-npa-in-samar-surrender-or-end-up-dead

CPP condemns military's use of airstrikes in Eastern Samar clash By CONSUELO MARQUEZ, GMA News Published August 17, 2021 3:20pm

The Communist Party of the Philippines on Tuesday condemned the alleged use of aerial bombing that killed at least 18 New People's Army members in Dolores, Eastern Samar.

However, CPP Information Officer Marco Valbuena admitted they were still verifying the reports of the Easter Samar airstrike.

"Aerial bombing and strafing are indiscriminate. Over the past years, there have been several incidents of bombs hitting civilian huts, farms or exploding in the proximity of communities," said Valbuena in a statement.

Valbuena further pointed out that even with advanced drones, the military will not be able to determine unarmed and armed people in the area.

Armed Forces spokesman Colonel Ramon Zagala said there were no casualties among government troops during the clash in Barangay Osmeña on Monday.

The military seized 30 high-powered guns from NPA rebels. They also launched the operation after receiving a tip on a communist rebel hideout where explosives were being manufactured.

Close air support

In a phone interview with GMA News Online, Zagala said they used close air support, which "precisely targets the enemy," against the NPA. "First, is hindi 'yan airstrike as they (NPA) say, they (NPA) are using propaganda. It is a closed air support so ibig sabihin there is a forward observer that is there looking at the target... it deliberately targets the enemy only," he said, reacting to the CPP statement.

(First, it isn't an airstrike. What they are saying is propaganda. It is close air support. So this means there is a forward observer there looking at the target.) https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/799664/cpp-condemns-use-of-aerial-bombing-in- eastern-samar-clash/story/

Reds kill 3 vendors in Masbate, Eleazar orders offensive

Published August 17, 2021, 12:49 PM by Aaron Recuenco Gen. Guillermo Lorenzo Eleazar, chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), has ordered an aggressive offensive against the communist rebels tagged as responsible in the killing of three vendors in Palanas town of Masbate.

The victims: Jose Lalaguna, 51; Joey Lalaguna, 30; and Jestoni Lalaguna, 22, were on their motorcycles last August 14 in Barangay Miabas to sell mirrors, floormats, and speakers when they were flagged down by at least 20 suspected NPA rebels.

Reports said the communist rebels dragged the three vendors to a secluded place where they were killed. The victims’ two other companions were able to escape and tell authorities about what happened.

“I have directed the local police to conduct manhunt operations against these NPA rebels who committed this atrocity,” Eleazar said.

Eleazar said the police would work closely with the military to make sure that the communist rebels are arrested and brought to justice.

This is the second time that the communist rebels targeted civilians in their attacks in Masbate in the past few months. In June, the rebels killed a college football player and his relative.

“We will closely coordinate our manhunt operations with the military and intensify our presence in the area to ensure the safety of other innocent civilians that the communist rebels may target for attacks,” he said.

He also urged residents to immediately report to authorities if they have information on the presence of NPA rebels in their community to enable government security forces to thwart possible attacks. https://mb.com.ph/2021/08/17/reds-kill-3-vendors-in-masbate-eleazar-orders-offensive/

NPA intel officer killed in SoCot operation

Published August 17, 2021, 1:22 PM by Philippine News Agency GENERAL SANTOS CITY – A fugitive intelligence officer of the New People’s Army (NPA) who was tagged as behind a string of attacks in parts of Mindanao was killed in a joint law enforcement operation in Polomolok town, South Cotabato province on Monday afternoon, August 16.

Brig. Gen. Roy Galido, commanding officer of the Army’s 601st Infantry Brigade, said Tuesday suspect John Nebris Omega, also known with his aliases “Parts,” “Bords,” “Albay,” and “Pards” was slain in an encounter with Army and police personnel around 1:15 p.m. in his house at Block 4, Londres Village, Barangay Cannery Site.

He said the brief firefight ensued after the suspect reportedly fired at the operatives who were about to serve an arrest warrant for kidnapping, serious illegal detention, and robbery issued on April 22, 2019 by the Regional Trial Court Branch 14 in Davao City.

The operation was led by elements from the Army’s 5th Special Forces (SF) Battalion, Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, and Polomolok municipal police station.

“(He) was tracked down by intelligence operatives hiding in his house,” Galido said in a report.

Lt. Col. Zandro Alvez, commanding officer of the 5th SF Battalion, said Omega was fatally wounded in the exchange of gunfire and declared dead upon arrival in a local hospital.

Recovered from the suspect was a caliber .45 pistol loaded with five live ammunition, while various “terrorist propaganda materials” were found at the scene, he said.

A report from the Army’s 6th Infantry Division (ID) said the suspect was an intelligence officer of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)-NPA’s Komisyon Mindanao, a former member of the Regional Operations Command-R2, an intelligence unit of the NPA- Southern Mindanao Regional Committee (SMRC), and served as the squad special operations group of SMRC.

He was allegedly involved in various crimes, among them the raids on Civilian Armed Force Geographical Unit Active Auxiliary (CAA) detachments in Sitio Kamaruyan, Barangay Tagugpo, Lupon, Davao Oriental in 2004 and 2005; Magpet police station in North Cotabato in 2005; Dangcagan police station in Bukidnon in 2007; and, Banay-Banay police station in Davao Oriental in 2008. https://mb.com.ph/2021/08/17/npa-intel-officer-killed-in-socot-operation/

2 minor NPA fighters surrender in Bukidnon

By Cris Diaz

August 18, 2021

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY: Two minors, both combatants of the New People's Army (NPA), surrendered to government forces in Bukidnon, the Philippine Army reported on Tuesday.

Lt. Sancho Tomaquin Jr. spokesperson of the Army's 88th Infantry Battalion (88IB) based in Maramag, Bukidnon, identified the young NPA fighters as "Ruffa" and "Job," both 15 years old.

Tomaquin said the minors were regular members of the Guerilla Front Malayag, Sub-Regional Committee 2 of the North Central Mindanao Regional Party Committee.

He said the minors surrendered on Monday and confirmed reports the NPA is engaged in the recruitment of children to be part of its fighting force.

Ruffa and Job told the Philippine Army a certain "Jun-jun" recruited them under the pretext of hiring them as factory workers in Quezon, Bukidnon.

Tomaquin said instead of bringing them to Quezon, a group of armed men took the minors in the hinterlands and prevented them from leaving. They said they were too scared to escape. https://www.manilatimes.net/2021/08/18/news/regions/2-minor-npa-fighters-surrender-in- bukidnon/1811338

Tesda chief: P160-M transfer to NTF-ELCAC earmarked for ex-terrorists’ livelihood programs

By: Zacarian Sarao - @inquirerdotnet INQUIRER.net / 10:00 PM August 17, 2021

TESDA logo from its website.

MANILA, Philippines The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) chief on Tuesday said the funds transferred to the regional — offices for the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF- ELCAC) went to livelihood programs for former members of terrorist groups.

TESDA is under investigation after the Commission on Audit (COA) demanded that it provide a legal basis for why P160 million from its funds had been transferred to its regional offices in support of the NTF-ELCAC. and livelihood programs for former members of the communist terrorist groups “As far as I know, the P160 million in question was spent for various scholarship geographically isolated and disadvantaged communities including Indigenous who decided to return to the government’s fold, residents in various Peoples in far- ec. Isdiro Lapeña in a statement. flung areas of the country,” said Tesda Director General S added. “This fund in question was used in order for them to live a normal life again,” he Lapeña said that he has already directed concerned Tesda offices to collate all the

documentsHe also said on that this Tesda report has in existing order “to protocols properly that respond ensure to proper the mat andter.” lawful disbursement of funds, adding that the agency submitted all the documents to COA to support its disbursements.

Philippine Economy Turned Corner, But Remains Fragile: Diokno

“Nevertheless, we are currently coordinating with COA in order to resolve this issue,” said Lapeña.

“WeCOA willearlier release warned a detailed that fund report transfers on this made matter by Tesdaas soon to a regionas possible,”l offices he added. for Executive Order No. 70 are questionable due to lack of authority, adding that if

legal authority is not provided, the case may be a “ground for technical malversation of public funds.” https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1475078/tesda-chief-says-p160-million-fund-transfer-to-ntf-elcac-were- spent-on-livelihood-programs-for-former-terrorists

Southeast Asia economies grew in Apr.-Jun. #Biz / Tech Tuesday, Aug. 17, 0:10

Southeast Asian economies rebounded in the April-to-June period, after slumping a year earlier during the spread of the coronavirus.

Indonesia's gross domestic product grew at a year-on-year pace of 7.0 percent during the period.

This was the first time in five quarters that the region's largest economy has expanded.

Among the reasons were a pickup in exports and the return of economic activities, which were curbed last year by stringent coronavirus restrictions.

Malaysia's economy grew for the first time in five quarters as well, at 16.1 percent.

The economies of the Philippines and Thailand expanded at 11.8 and 7.5 percent, respectively, both marking their first quarterly growth in six quarters.

But uncertainty remains over their outlook. In much of the region, coronavirus restrictions remain in place amid an increase in infections with the Delta variant. And vaccine rollouts have been slow.

The central banks of Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia have revised downward their GDP growth forecasts for 2021.

It appears that these economies are lagging behind countries such as the United States and China, which are recovering to pre-pandemic levels. https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210817_01/ China ends fishing moratorium in South China Sea, foreign media speculation rejected

By Leng ShumeiPublished: Aug 16, 2021 09:28 PM

The summer fishing moratorium has ended in the South China Sea, with thousands of fishing boats from South China's Guangdong, Fujian and Hainan setting off on Monday.

While some overseas media reports have been hyping the lifting of the fishing ban, smearing normal Chinese fishermen and demonizing China's role in the South China's Sea as a threat to the region's resources and environment, Chinese experts reiterated that the country has done more than any other to protect the sea's environment and resources. The country and its fishermen are also fully compliant with both domestic and international laws and regulations.

This year's fishing moratorium started on May 1 and was considered the toughest ever, with a number of new technologies such as satellite positioning, video surveillance and big data management used for maritime law enforcement, the Xinhua News Agency reported Monday.

During the three-and-a-half-month moratorium, the marine law enforcement corps in South China's Guangdong Province sent vessels on 5,605 patrol trips, during which 1,768 violation cases were handled, 1,691 illegal fishing vessels were seized and 630,000 square meters of illegal fishing nets were removed, Xinhua said.

The fishing ban in the South China Sea began in 1999, and was aimed at protecting the ecosystem and biodiversity from excessive fishing. Safety inspections on fishing gear and vessels are carried out during the ban, while training for relevant regulations and skills are offered to fishermen.

However, some countries that have disputes with China on the South China Sea such as the Philippines and Vietnam have protested against China's fishing ban and encouraged their fishermen to continue fishing in disputed areas.

Some foreign media reports, citing observers, have also warned that tensions and the risk of confrontation in disputed waters in the South China Sea might rise as some countries move to protect domestic seafood supplies during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chen Xiangmiao, an assistant research fellow at National Institute for South China Sea Studies, told the Global Times on Monday that he was not worried about conflict between fishermen from China and any other country in the South China Sea as fishermen from various countries have reached a tacit agreement over the years.

But Chen said it is highly possible that some foreign authorities in the South China Sea could try to infringe on China's fishery rights, as well as smearing normal law enforcement by Chinese coastguards against foreign boats found illegally fishing in China's territory.

But China's activities are all conducted according to related laws and regulations despite speculation and smearing by foreign authorities and media reports, Chen said.

In fact, China has done the most, with the seasonal fishing ban as a good example, to protect the environment and sea resources, Chen said.

China has also completed a law enforcement mechanism for coastguards to regulate and protect domestic fishermen, as well as cracking down on illegal activities by foreign fishermen, Chen noted.

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202108/1231625.shtml

Afghan debacle dims US credibility across Asia

Biden's messy exit from Afghanistan has handed China a golden opportunity to portray US as an unreliable and untrustworthy ally

By RICHARD JAVAD HEYDARIANAUGUST 17, 2021 US President Joe Biden delivers remarks about the situation in Afghanistan in the East Room of the White House on August 16, 2021, in Washington, DC. Photo: AFP / Brendan Smialowski

MANILA – In his stated wish to end America’s “forever wars” and accordingly refocus the country’s foreign policy more directly on China, US President Joseph Biden pressed ahead with a hasty exit from Afghanistan.

Convinced that the United States has done more than enough of its share of responsibility by spending trillions of dollars on nation- building in Afghanistan, Biden repeatedly resisted or ignored warnings by his top defense officials of a precipitous collapse in favor of Taliban forces.

But the “hard and messy” exit and the seamless victory of Taliban forces has sent shockwaves across the world, threatening to undermine America’s credibility and raising questions over its long- term commitments to allies elsewhere, especially in Asia.

In many ways, it may have undermined whatever diplomatic capital was generated by the US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s recent “reassurance” visit to allies in Southeast Asia, namely Singapore, Vietnam and the Philippines.

The Biden administration’s spectacular failure to predict the sheer speed of the Afghan government’s collapse has already been branded as one of the greatest intelligence failures in decades. Images of US choppers rescuing desperately stranded diplomats and residents in Kabul have revived dark memories of the “Fall of Saigon” in 1975. https://asiatimes.com/2021/08/afghan-debacle-dims-us-credibility-across-asia/

The Latest: Australia flies out 26 from Kabul, plans more By The Associated Pressyesterday

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — CANBERRA, Australia — Australia had evacuated the first 26 people, including Australian and Afghan citizens, from Kabul since the Taliban overran the Afghan capital, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Wednesday.

An Air Force C-130 Hercules transport aircraft landed at an Australian military base in the United Arab Emirates with the 26 who included a foreign official working for an international agency, Morrison said. The remainder were Australians and Afghans.

“This was the first of what will be many flights, subject to clearance and weather and we do note that over the back end of this week, there is some not too favorable weather forecast,” Morrison said.

Two Hercules and two larger C-17A Globemaster transport aircraft will make further evacuation flights.

Australia plans to evacuate 130 Australians and their families plus an undisclosed number Afghans who have worked for Australian soldiers and diplomats in roles such as interpreters.

Australia’s goal is to evacuate 600 people, according to media reports. Morrison did not provide a number. “Our goal is as many as we can, as safely and as quickly as we can,” he said. https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-pakistan-afghanistan-e85fcbad8bfa406d1bfbe8215d084ca8

Biden scrambles to limit damage to credibility from Afghanistan

By Steve Holland and Patricia Zengerle

U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the crisis in Afghanistan during a speech in the East Room at the White House in Washington, U.S., August 16, 2021. REUTERS/Leah Millis

WASHINGTON, Aug 17 (Reuters) - When President Joe Biden appeared in the White House East Room on July 8 to stress that the U.S. pullout from Afghanistan was proceeding apace, he declared that a Taliban takeover of the country was not inevitable. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/biden-scrambles-limit-damage-credibility-afghanistan-2021-08-17/

Taliban allowing ‘safe passage’ from Kabul in US airlift By ROBERT BURNS, ELLEN KNICKMEYER and ZEKE MILLERyesterday

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Taliban have agreed to allow “safe passage” from Afghanistan for civilians struggling to join a U.S.-directed airlift from the capital, President Joe Biden’s national security adviser said Tuesday, although a timetable for completing the evacuation of Americans, Afghan allies and others has yet to be worked out with the country’s new rulers.

Jake Sullivan acknowledged reports that some civilians were encountering resistance — “being turned away or pushed back or even beaten” — as they tried to reach the Kabul international airport. But he said “very large numbers” were reaching the airport and the problem of the others was being taken up with the Taliban, whose stunningly swift takeover of the country on Sunday plunged the U.S. evacuation effort into chaos, confusion and violence.

Pentagon officials said that after interruptions on Monday, the airlift was back on track and being accelerated despite weather problems, amid regular communication with Taliban leaders. Additional U.S. troops arrived and more were on the way, with a total of more than 6,000 expected to be involved in securing the airport in coming days.

The White House said 13 flights Tuesday airlifted 1,100 U.S. citizens, permanent residents and their families from the Kabul airport, adding that the pace was expected to pick up Wednesday and through the week.

The State Department said it was sending John Bass, a former ambassador to Afghanistan, to manage the evacuation operation in Kabul, and the Pentagon said it will send Army Maj. Gen. Christopher Donohue, a special operations officer and current commander of the 82nd Airborne Division, to take command of airport security operations.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby disclosed that U.S. officers were speaking with Taliban commanders “multiple times a day” about avoiding conflict at the airport. This suggested that the new rulers of Afghanistan, who swept to power after 20 years of war against the U.S.-supported Kabul government, plan not to disrupt the evacuation. Kirby would not discuss details of the Taliban arrangement, and Sullivan said the question of how much time the Taliban will give the evacuation was still being negotiated.

Biden has said he wants the evacuation completed by Aug. 31. Sullivan declined to say whether that deadline would hold. https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-taliban-kabul-evacuation-88db88ca25d33ceff43072c885ed04f9

From the ashes of Afghanistan, a 'Biden Doctrine' emerges

A narrow US focus on national interest puts Taiwan and Japan on edge

U.S. President Joe Biden has rejected the notion of remaking countries through military interventions. (Photo courtesy of the White House) KEN MORIYASU, Nikkei Asia chief desk editorAugust 18, 2021 05:15 JST

NEW YORK -- When U.S. President Joe Biden told the world Monday that he did not regret withdrawing from Afghanistan, he supplied his rationale and laid out the guiding principles of his foreign policy. To continue reading, subscribe https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/International-relations/Indo-Pacific/From-the-ashes-of-Afghanistan-a- Biden-Doctrine-emerges

Texas Senator Cornyn deletes erroneous Taiwan tweet blasted by Chinese media

By Michael Martina

U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) listens as U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai testifies before the Senate Finance Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., May 12, 2021. Pete Marovich/Pool via REUTERS

WASHINGTON, Aug 17 (Reuters) - U.S. Republican Senator John Cornyn has deleted a tweet in which he said wrongly that the United States currently has 30,000 troops stationed in Chinese-claimed Taiwan, a claim that spurred Chinese media to call him a "dotard." https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-senator-cornyn-deletes-erroneous-taiwan-tweet-blasted-by- chinese-media-2021-08-17/

Rubio wants Biden to block TikTok after Chinese govt stake in subsidiary of parent company

By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON, Aug 17 (Reuters) - Republican Senator Marco Rubio urged President Joe Biden on Tuesday to block short-form video app TikTok in the United States after China took an ownership stake in a key subsidiary of ByteDance, the Beijing-based parent company of TikTok. https://www.reuters.com/technology/rubio-wants-biden-block-tiktok-after-chinese-government-takes- stake-2021-08-17/

Chinese FM talks with U.S. secretary of state over Afghanistan, bilateral ties

(Xinhua) 13:57, August 17, 2021

BEIJING, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday exchanged views with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken over phone on the situation in Afghanistan and bilateral ties.

During the phone talk, Blinken expressed appreciation for China's participation in the Doha meeting on the Afghan issue, noting that the current situation in Afghanistan is entering into a crucial stage.

The Taliban should announce a clean break with extremism, opt for an orderly transfer of power and establish an inclusive government, the top U.S. diplomat said, expressing hope that China will also play an important role to this end.

The United States recognizes that the future of Afghanistan should be decided by the Afghan people, Blinken said, calling on the Taliban to ensure the safety of all those who wish to leave the country.

For his part, Wang expounded China's stance on the situation in Afghanistan, saying that facts have once again proved that mechanically copying an imported foreign model cannot readily be fitted to the use in a country with completely different history, culture and national conditions, and ultimately, is unlikely to establish itself.

Without the support of people, a government cannot stand, and the use of power and military means to solve problems will only cause more problems, Wang said, adding lessons in this respect deserve serious reflection.

Wang said that China stands ready to communicate with the United States to push for a soft landing of the Afghan issue, so that a new civil war or humanitarian disaster will be prevented in Afghanistan and the country will not relapse into a hotbed and shelter for terrorism.

China encourages Afghanistan to establish an open and inclusive political framework in accordance with its own national situations, Wang added. The United States should play a constructive role in helping Afghanistan maintain stability, forestall turbulence and realize peace and reconstruction, Wang said.

The hasty withdrawal of U.S. troops has had a severe negative impact on the situation in Afghanistan, and it will not be a responsible attitude if the United States created new problems in its next move, Wang said.

The previous U.S. administration announced revocation of the designation of the East Turkistan Islamic Movement as a terrorist organization, and applied double standards to the counter-terrorism issue, which is dangerous and wrong, Wang said, calling on the U.S. side to start afresh to remove obstacles to the China-U.S. cooperation on Afghanistan and the international counter- terrorism cooperation.

Wang said that both China and the United States are permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and important participants in the contemporary international system.

In the face of various global challenges and urgent regional hotspot issues, the two countries should carry out coordination and cooperation, which is what the international community is looking forward to, Wang added.

And yet the U.S. side cannot, on the one hand, deliberately contain and suppress China and undermine China's legitimate rights and interests, and on the other hand, expects support and cooperation from China, because such logic never exists in international exchanges, Wang said.

It is an objective fact that China and the United States differ in ideology, social system, history and culture, and neither side can change the other, Wang said.

It is advisable for the two major countries to work together on the basis of mutual respect to find a way to coexist peacefully on this planet, he said, adding that history will surely prove that whatever the U.S. side intends to do, China-U.S. relations should eventually seek only such a future and follow only such a path, Wang said.

The U.S. side should pursue a rational and pragmatic policy toward China, respect China's core interests and major concerns, strengthen dialogue and manage differences in accordance with the spirit of the phone talks between the two countries' heads of state, and push China-U.S. relations back on the right track at an early date, Wang added. For his part, Blinken said that it is very important for the United States and China to maintain communication on major international and regional issues.

Blinken said he agrees that it is a common goal for the United States and China to realize peaceful coexistence, voicing hope that both sides will seek and carry out cooperation.

Of course there are also obvious differences between the two sides, Blinken said, adding that those can be gradually resolved in a constructive way in the days to come.

The United States, Blinken said, reiterates its opposition to all forms of terrorism and its pledge not to seek to foment unrest in China's western border areas.

The evolving situation in Afghanistan once again demonstrates the importance of U.S.-China cooperation on regional security in a constructive and pragmatic manner, he said. http://en.people.cn/n3/2021/0817/c90000-9884922.html

China blames US over Afghanistan, but expresses willingness to hold talks

In this Jul 28, 2021, file photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, Taliban co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi pose for a photo during their meeting in Tianjin. (File photo: AP/Li Ran, Xinhua) 17 Aug 2021 05:45PM (Updated: 17 Aug 2021 05:46PM) BookmarkShare BEIJING: China has expressed a willingness to hold talks with the United States to again demanding that the Biden administration halt its attacks on China. promote a “soft landing” in Afghanistan, while heavily criticising Washington and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, in a phone call on Monday (Aug 16) with US Secretary of toState a Foreign Antony Ministry Blinken, statement blamed what dated he Tuesday.called America's “hasty” military withdrawal for the chaos accompanying the Taliban’s seizure of power in Afghanistan, according soft landing of the Afghan issue and avoid a new civil war or humanitarian disaster ... and“China not is let willing it become to conduct a breeding communication ground and and shelter dialogue for ter withrorism the onceUS to again," promote Wang the was quoted as saying in the call.

Ahead of the final withdrawal of US troops, the Taliban have toppled the Afghan military and government, entering the capital, Kabul, over the weekend.

Wang said that China and the US should cooperate on global issues and regional onhotspots, China tobut offer that support “the US andcannot, coordin on the one hand, deliberately curb and suppress China to damage China’s legitimate rights and interests, and on the other hand, count A one-sentence State Department statementation”. said that Blinken and Wang spoke about developments in Afghanistan including the security situation and respective efforts to bring their citizens to safety. The Biden administration has been seeking China's cooperation on issues such as climate change, while criticising China over differences on trade and technology, security in the Asia-Pacific region and human rights. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/china-blames-us-over-afghanistan-expresses-willingness-hold- talks-2118206

China will tread carefully in navigating the Taliban’s return | Afghanistan August 17, 2021 https://asiapost.live/china-will-tread-carefully-in-navigating-the-talibans-return-afghanistan/

China Eyes Post-War Reconstruction in Afghanistan Amid Promises of Peace From Taliban State media say the US' withdrawal of troops was 'irresponsible,' and rule out the possibility of Chinese military involvement. By Qiao Long and Chingman 2021-08-16

China stands poised to take part in post-war reconstruction in Afghanistan after U.S. troops ended a 20-year occupation, leaving the capital Kabul to be taken over by the Taliban, state media reported on Monday. State news agency Xinhua reported the Taliban's claim on Monday that the war in Afghanistan was over after its fighters entered Kabul, accusing the United States of "irresponsibly withdrawing troops" given the "inadequacy of the Afghan government." It also reported that President Ashraf Ghani had left the country, as the evacuation of U.S. personnel left several people dead amid panicked scenes at Kabul airport. It said the main reason for the Taliban's victory was the failure of U.S. policy in Afghanistan, saying the Taliban had adopted the "correct political strategy," in describing the Afghan government as a puppet regime and refusing to negotiate with its officials in bilateral talks. "During the past 20 years, the United States has poured more than U.S.$88 billion to support Afghan government forces, and yet they were defeated under the onslaught of the poorly equipped Taliban fighters," the Xinhua article said. The report came as scores of Afghans ran alongside a U.S. military plane as it taxied on a runway at Kabul's airport, clinging to the side in an apparent attempt to flee the Taliban-controlled capital. Some later fell, presumed dead. Xinhua also shared the footage, which was published by Afghanistan's largest private broadcaster, Tolo news. Meanwhile, at least five people were killed amid chaotic scenes including at least one stampede at the airport, with U.S. soldiers firing "warning shots" to stop people from boarding flights intended for U.S. personnel, Reuters reported. Videos and photos posted on social media showed hundreds of civilians invading the airport's runway, jostling to climb stairs onto overhead gangways and sitting on the top of passenger jets in the hope of getting a flight out, the agency said. Chinese troops unlikely China's Global Times newspaper, a nationalistic tabloid with close ties to ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) mouthpiece the People's Daily, said China was unlikely to send in its own troops, as some have speculated. "The most China can do is ... contribute to post-war reconstruction and development, pushing forward projects under the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) when safety and stability are restored in the war-torn country," the paper said. It said any humanitarian problems in the wake of the U.S. pullout should be resolved by Washington, not Beijing. "Many netizens worldwide compared the current situation with the US evacuation from Saigon (now called Ho Chi Minh City), Vietnam in 1975, to mock the U.S. failure and pointless military actions in the developing world," the article said. It quoted a Chinese internet user as saying in an online comment: "Those U.S. soldiers died for nothing, the Taliban is back, and the only change is that more people have died and U.S. taxpayers have wasted their money to feed the US military-industrial tycoons." Both Xinhua and the Global Times -- both of which are whitelisted publications under the CCP's hierarchy of approved news copy and commentary -- quoted Zhu Yongbiao, director of the center of Afghanistan Studies at Lanzhou University. Zhu said the Taliban hadn't yet sparked a major humanitarian crisis and seemed "not too bad so far." "There are some accusations against the Taliban, but we didn't see hard evidence yet," Zhu was quoted as saying. "The current situation is a mess for the U.S., and will impact countries in the region, and then the impact will come to us [China]," the Global Timesquoted Zhu as saying. "If the Taliban gains immediate control of the whole country and brings about stability, this would not be bad news." High-level contacts The Global Times said Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi had met with a Taliban delegation in the northern Chinese city of Tianjin on July 28, 2021. The head of the Taliban's political commission Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar told Wang that Taliban "will never allow any force to use the Afghan territory to engage in acts detrimental to China." Foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said China hopes the Taliban can actually implement its promise of a smooth transition of power. "China has maintained contact and communication with the Taliban and played a constructive role in promoting the political settlement of the Afghan issue," Hua said on Monday, citing the July 28 meeting in Tianjin. "The Taliban has said on multiple occasions that they hope to build sound relations with China, that they look forward to China's participation in Afghanistan's reconstruction and development, and that they will never allow any force to use the Afghan territory to engage in acts detrimental to China," Hua said. "We welcome those statements." "The Chinese ambassador to Afghanistan and the diplomatic staff there are remaining at their posts and carrying out their duties," she said. "Most Chinese citizens have safely returned to China with the help of the embassy." "We hope the Afghan people can keep the flames of war at bay, and rebuild their homeland," Hua said. Beneficial to China Beijing-based democracy activist Zha Jianguo says China stands to benefit from the Taliban's victory. "This is definitely beneficial to China," Zha said. "The border with Afghanistan is fairly short and easy to secure, and China has a strong military presence in [the western region of] Xinjiang." A Chinese academic specializing in international relations, who requested anonymity, said the CCP was unlikely to get too involved, however. "It is a possibility open to China following the U.S. withdrawal to try to use the China model [of authoritarian rule] to ensure peace in Afghanistan," the academic said. "But personally, I don't believe it will. I don't think China could handle that." The international community called on the Taliban to allow any Afghans to leave who wanted to. "Afghans and international citizens who wish to depart must be allowed to do so; roads, airports, and border crossing must remain open, and calm must be maintained," the statement signed by the U.S., E.U., U.K., and dozens of other countries said.

"Those in positions of power and authority across Afghanistan bear responsibility— and accountability—for the protection of human life and property, and for the immediate restoration of security and civil order," the statement, carried on the U.S. State Department's official website, said. https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/promises-08162021134021.html

'Lone wolf warrior' - Does China need real allies anyway? Analysts discuss whether the rising superpower needs alliances to achieve its foreign policy goals

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By Liam Gibson, Ratnadityasinh Chavda, Taiwan News, Staff Reporter 2021/08/17 19:25

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — In recent times, geopolitics has been shaped by a renewed tussle for power among nations seeking to increase their sphere of in fluence.

While the U.S. and Asian nations like Japan and India have expanded their spheres of influence by entering into bilateral and multilateral alliances, China has adopted a different approach. In a recent episode of the Policy People Podcast, renowned author, TV host, and Professorial Chairholder in Geopolitics at Polytechnic University of the Philippines Richard Heydarian spoke about whether China even needs allies.

When it comes to Asia, Heydarian described the situation as “Fifty Shades of Grey,” as no country is unequivocally against the communist state, nor is there any that stands in strong support of it. In terms of allies, North Korea and Pakistan have long been considered to be China's “all weather friends.” However, according to Heydarian, this is far from the reality.

Recollecting the time he spent in North Korea, “Not even once did I h ear th em saying something positive about China. There was angst; th ey hated th e fact th at China made a mockery of their self-sufficiency doctrine.”

Regarding Pakistan, Heydardian says the country is suffering due to bad Chinese investment loans, and now Prime Minister Imran Khan is looking to other countries to bail them out from the staggering debt. This has rocked the very foundations on which the bilateral relationship is stru ctured.

Some scholars, such as China Academy of Social Sciences Researcher Xu Jin ( 徐进), h ave offered some theories on what influences Chinese conceptions of alliances.

For Xu, there are multiple factors. The first of these is Chinese policymakers' failure to understand that alliances are not the same as friendships. A second misconception reflects the apparently common conviction among Chinese that an alliance must involve a full spectrum of cooperation. Finally, there is a notion that seeking out alliances represents a weakening of national sovereignty with a commensurate loss of flexibility.

True to form

Asked by the podcast host whether China needs allies if it can wield economic leverage over other countries, Heydarian said this is China being true to its tributary form.

“You (China) balkanize the region and make them deferential and dependent on you . Th is is Chinese statecraft… thousands of years in the making,” he said.

“I doubt the Chinese would want to get rid of that (model),” he said, adding that although the way they are going about it now, they cannot get the network of “satellite states” needed to make it happen.

Heydarian says China's approach to cultivating “satellite states” is smarter than the Soviet way, which involved costlier military assets an d led to ban kruptcy. Rather, Richard says Beijing prefers to do it “the ch eap way” by corrupting a country’s top leadership and hoping the rest will follow.

Heydarian says this works in countries like Cambodia, but not in the Philippines.

“Duterte and his proxies might sound like (Cambodian Prime Minister) Hun Sen, but that is not the position of the Philippines military or foreign policy establishment,” which remains firmly in favor of its traditional ally, the U.S., he said.

Yet in another episode of the Policy People Podcast, prominent Indian political commentator Mohamed Zeeshan contended that military alliances gave the Soviets much greater reach, such as in 1963 when it managed to move nuclear missiles to its Cuban ally in America’s backyard, something Chin a could never do today by relying simply on its economic partners.

“The Soviet Union had a vast, strong network of allies, India being one of them,” Zeeshan said. “The Soviet Union in the Cold War was, to my mind, not as isolated as China seems to be [now],” he added.

Not a ‘networked hegemony’

With geopolitical competition intensifying in the Indo-Pacific, one cannot help but note the stark contrast between the Chinese and American approaches to foreign policy, especially after Joe Biden began his term as president.

As a regional power with limited global influence, China has no formal military alliances and has instead engaged in an ambitious military modernization which prioritizes self-reliance. As a global power with expansive security concerns and regional interests, the U.S. has — particularly since the end of World War II — pursued strong alliances, overwhelming military superiority, and an active foreign policy.

Heydarian described the U.S. as a “networked hegemonic power,” adding that its large web of alliances gives it much greater leverage than China, which mostly acts as a lone wolf.

He acknowledged that while the U.S.' allies may not always be reliable, having 10 allies that are 50% reliable is better than none at all.

“If you consider the accumulative effect of all the allies together, then you can see the power of America in the [Indo-Pacific] region,” Heydarian said.

“When push comes to shove, you can pull in allies,” he remarked, noting how both world wars saw aligned countries honor their commitments toward one another.

Since no one wants war, Heydarian said, the game of deterrence is what really matters here. “The more networks of bases and allies you have, you will dissuade the other side from even challenging you.” https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4271720

Children of Detained Uyghur Parents Held in ‘Welfare Schools’ in China’s Xinjiang Preschoolers are allowed brief video chats with their parents while under strict monitoring. 2021-08-16 More than 80 percent of the Uyghur children at a village preschool in China’s far- western Xinjiang have at least one parent in state custody, while pupils with both parents in detention attend a separate “welfare school” where they are continuously monitored, RFA has learned. China has been separating Uyghur children from parents under the program of mass internment camps launched by Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) Communist Party chief Chen Quanguo. The campaign has seen up to 1.8 million Muslim Uyghurs and other Turkic minorities rounded up and sent to political re- education camps under the pretext of vocational training. About six months after the internment campaign began in early 2017, reports began to surface about the children of “double-detained” parents — those whose mother and father both were incarcerated — being placed in state care, according to independent German researcher Adrian Zenz, who has documented the XUAR’s internment camp system. Twenty-five of the 30 children enrolled in the preschool at one township in Kashgar (in Chinese, Kashi) prefecture have one parent being detained by authorities, while those with both parents detained are being taught at a separate “welfare preschool”— a boarding school that functions like an orphanage for children four to six years old — a security officer at the school told RFA. “At our preschool, some of the children still have their mother [on the outside], and some of the children still have their father,” she told RFA’s Uyghur Service. “There are something like 25 of these children” among the total 30. About 150,000 people live in 15 villages of Chaharbagh township in Yarkand (Shache) county. During the winter, the children with one detained parent live in dormitories at the preschool, and during the warmer months, they are allowed to live at home and be brought to school each day by their other parent, said the security officer who declined to be named in order to speak freely. The children of detainees are sometimes allowed to have video chats with their parents, though they are unable to speak freely during the brief meetings, she said. “Whenever there is a notification that it’s OK for the children to meet with their parents, they let them do so,” the security officer said. Some of the children are aware that their parents are in re-education facilities when they speak to them via video chats, she added. Constant monitoring RFA has confirmed similar arrangements for children in other parts of the XUAR. A welfare preschool in Aksu (Akesu) prefecture has 40-some students, according to a security officer who has worked there for nearly four years and took part in political studies.

“We live in a [school] housing area, [and] we take turns in the security office at the school’s entrance,” said the security guard from Kuchar (Kuche) county’s Ishkhala township who declined to give her name.

“There are arranging meetings — on-screen, face-to-face meetings — for the children at the preschool, in particular for those under our jurisdiction,” she said. Children with both parents detained, who are being educated in separate schools, are monitored by police and security guards 24 hours a day, said an official in central Xinjiang’s Korla (Ku’erle), the second-largest city in the XUAR. He said that guards make sure the children do not leave the school and enforce political indoctrination. Omer Hemdulla, a Uyghur from the XUAR who now lives in Turkey, has participated in “Where is my family?” protests outside the Chinese Embassy in Istanbul, demanding information about the disappearance of his two children, and the imprisonment since October 2017 of his two millionaire older brothers. The children were one and two years old when he left them in Xinjiang and moved to Turkey in hopes of relocating his family members to the country, which is home to 50,000-100,000 Uyghur exiles. But his children were taken away after his brothers and in-laws were detained.

“After they took my in-laws in, our communication was essentially cut off,” he said. “I have been unable to obtain any information about where my daughters are.” RFA contacted the Justice Department of Bayingolin (Bayinguoleng) prefecture to try to find out about Omer’s children, but an official was unable to provide details. The official confirmed that children there with both parents detained were attending a welfare school run by the Bureau of Civil Affairs, but declined to provide information about the school, including the number of children enrolled. https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/welfare-schools-08162021174124.html

Chinese Police Stop Tibetan Travelers, Pushing One Into River and Shooting Another Chinese police have been conducting random inspections of Tibetans in Yushu since July, searching especially for politically sensitive content carried on social media on mobile phones. 2021-08-16 Police in western China’s Qinghai province stopped a group of Tibetans traveling on the road in a random search on Sunday, pushing one who objected to the search into a river where he later died, and shooting another who attempted to intervene, Tibetan sources said. Rigdrak, 50, and Sherab Gyatso, 26, were returning to Domda village in the Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture with a group of other motorists when they were stopped on the road by Chinese police dressed in plain clothes, a Tibetan living in the area told RFA on Monday.

“Neither of them was aware that the officers carrying out the inspection were actually police, so Rigdrak confronted one of the officers, demanding to know which department he belonged to and why they were being stopped and searched” the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

“Enraged, the officer pushed Rigdrak off the road and into the Drichu River,” the source said, using the Tibetan name for the Yangtse River, which originates in the highlands of Tibet.

“Local Tibetans later searched for Rigdrak’s body in the river but never found him,” he said, adding that Rigdrak is survived by his wife, named Sangmo, and by two daughters. A passenger named Sherab Gyatso, who has five family members in Domda, also confronted police and was shot, but is now being treated at a local hospital and is out of danger, the source said. Chinese authorities have been conducting random searches of Tibetans in the Yushu area, also called Kyegudo, since July, paying particular attention to social media and messaging apps on mobile phones, sources said in earlier reports. On Aug. 8, police arrested three men for sharing photos on social media amid tightened security put in place for the 70th anniversary of the founding of Yushu prefecture, one source in Yushu said. Identified as Rinchen Dorje and Kelsang Nyima from Domda village, and Lhundup from Dza Sershul, the men were detained by police conducting random inspections in the area, the source said, adding that the men were charged with sharing photos of local events on the WeChat social media platform with Tibetans living in exile.

Police deployed to Kyegudo town’s market square conducted inspections during anniversary events, and streets and playgrounds were also put under surveillance, the source said. China has imposed strict communication clampdowns in Tibet and Tibetan areas of western Chinese provinces aimed at stopping the flow of news about protests or other politically sensitive information to Tibetans living exile and other outside contacts, sources say. Formerly an independent nation, Tibet was invaded and incorporated into China by force 70 years ago.

Chinese authorities maintain a tight grip on the region, restricting Tibetans’ political activities and peaceful expression of cultural and religious identity, and subjecting Tibetans to persecution, torture, imprisonment, and extrajudicial killings. https://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/police-08162021151150.html

In China, ‘Xi Jinping Thought’ Is the Only Accepted Religion To understand China’s crackdown on religion, we need to look beyond the repression of any single faith. By William Nee August 17, 2021

It is no surprise that China under President Xi Jinping is becoming increasing hostile to freedom of religion.

However, recent cases show some of the main tactics the government is employing to control and suppress Christianity in China. This includes forcing independent churches to join religious organizations supervised by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), suppressing the transmission of religious knowledge to the next generation, isolating Chinese Christians from the broader global community of practitioners, detaining Christians that criticize the government, and banning the sale of the Bible.

Rather than viewing these violations of freedom of religion as localized attempts to stifle potential political threats, it is arguably more fruitful to view the tactics of repression employed in these cases as part of a larger project of weakening

faith systems that can challenge the CCP’s monopoly on ideology and Xi Jinping’s Targetingunique position Independent as the ultimate Churches arbiter and of Their the Party’s Followers ideology and “faith.”

On August 7 of this year, Rights Defense Network learned that nine people involved in the congregation at the Golden Lamp Church in Linfen in Shanxi province had been taken away by police. This includes the pastor Wang Xiaoguang and preacher Yang Rongli. Enjoying this article? Click here to subscribe for full access. Just $5 a month.

A month before this, maintenance apparatus were engaged in investigating the church, finding out many personnel from the community’s social stability who its core members are. This indicated that the sudden detention of the church leadership was planned well in advance.

According to one church member who spoke with Radio Free Asia, the Golden the control of t - Lamp Church repeatedly refused officials’ demands for the church to come under he “Three Self Patriotic Church,” the official Chinese Protestant had already been sentenced to seven years in prison in 2009, and the church church that is overseen by the CCP’s United Front Work Department. Yang Rongli building was torn down in 2018. The government has also withheld pensions and medical insurance payments to church leaders as a means to coerce them into cooperating. GET THE NEWSLETTER

As of this writing, it appeared that the nine members of the church are still in custody and presumed to be under interrogation, although their exact legal status is unclear. China Aid, an NGO that focuses on religious freedom in China, has found other instancesin which the government has forced house churches to enter the Three-Self Church. ADVERTISEMENT

According to Rights Defense Network, on July 7, Zhao Weikai, 35, a practitioner at the Taiyuan Xuncheng Reformed Church, was criminally detained, and on July

e said that his arrest 20 he was arrested on the charge of “illegally possessing materials the that was approved by the Wenshui County Procuratorate and carried out by the advocate terrorism or extremism.” His family’s arrest notic Wenshui County Public Security Bureau, and that he is being held at the Fangshan County Detention Center. Zhao had studied at (now imprisoned) pastor Wang Yi

’s Huaxia Theological had refused to send his children to state schools, and instead home schooled Seminary. Zhao and his wife have three children, and to avoid “brainwashing,” he them a matter that religious affairs officials, education committee officials, and

– Earliernational this security year, onpolice May forced 17, Zhao him and to “talkhis wife about.” Li Xin were summoned by police other belongings were taken away in a raid by a dozen police officers. Li was released but Zhao was on the charge of “religious fraud.” Zhao’s cell phones and given 15 days of administrative detention. The Xuncheng Reformed Church had been frequently harassed by authorities.

China has long tried to limit religious education for minors, and in many places, children are not allowed to attend churchor engage in other religious activities, like summer camps. https://thediplomat.com/2021/08/in-china-xi-jinping-thought-is-the-only-accepted-religion/

Hong Kong leader: Groups crossing ‘red lines’ should disband

INTERNATIONAL

Posted: Aug 17, 2021 / 01:41 AM EDT / Updated: Aug 17, 2021 / 03:16 AM EDT

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HONG KONG (AP) band and the government would— notHong hesitate Kong’s to leadercut ties Carrie with professional Lam said Tuesday groups organizations that turn political.that cross “red lines” and disregard national security should dis

Authorities are conducting an ongoing crackdown on dissent in the city, arresting pro-democracy leaders and activists as Beijing seeks to keep Hong Kong in line after months of mass anti-government protests https://www.news10.com/news/international/hong-kong-leader-groups-crossing-red-lines-should- disband/

Hong Kong's Population Falls For Second Year Running Amid Exodus The public healthcare sector is losing doctors and nurses to emigration and private-sector recruiters. By King Man Ho and Cheng Yut Yiu 2021-08-16 Hong Kong's population fell by 1.2 percent in the past 12 months, amid an ongoing exodus of people in the wake of a draconian national security law imposed on the city by the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from July 1, 2020. Government statistics showed the city's population fell by just over 87,000, to 7,394,700, as hundreds, sometimes thousands, of net departures continued to be recorded every day during the past few months. Total net departures were recorded at 89,200 for the same period.

The previous year's figures also showed a decline of 1.2 percent. Net departures have regularly reached 2,000 ahead of key visa deadlines for the United Kingdom, with net arrivals rarely reported since the national security law criminalized public criticism of the government, political opposition and other forms of activism. The exodus looks set to hit the city's healthcare sector, with the Hospital Authority (HA) reporting the loss of 4.6 percent of doctors and 6.5 percent of nurses in public hospitals. HA chairman Henry Fan said public hospitals are in "a worrying situation," linking the loss of doctors and nurses to the current migration wave, as those leaving had applied for detailed service records and paid up their taxes in advance, a prerequisite for leaving the city. He said private hospitals were also seeing their doctors emigrating, and were making the situation worse by recruiting doctors from public hospitals, Fan said in a comments that were widely reported in local media. The father of a four-year-old boy with congenital heart disease, who gave only the nickname Jayco, said his son's cardiothoracic consultant had recently left Hong Kong, with no obvious replacement in sight. "Why would a doctor in a public hospital leave?" he said. "He had already served in public hospitals for many years, so it wasn't likely ambition." "I think ultimately, it's because of the way everything has changed in Hong Kong, forcing dedicated healthcare workers' hands," he said. "I think he felt he had to do this to be able to live his life and take care of his children." Hong Kong at a turning point Professor Paul Yip from the University of Hong Kong's Department of Social Work and Social Administration told government broadcaster RTHK that Hong Kong is now at a "turning point." "There is a watershed, a turning point, which Hong Kong will experience a rapid ageing population and if the present situation continues, I think that would have some significant impact on the population development of Hong Kong," Yip said. "It means there will be less economic producers in Hong Kong and we would need to work harder to attract foreign talents to come to Hong Kong." Hong Kong's leader Carrie Lam has sought to downplay tearful scenes at Hong Kong International Airport, as hundreds of young families lined up to leave the city in search of a better life elsewhere. Lam said on July 20 that her government had no official position on the exodus of residents. "Every now and then in the history of Hong Kong, there are such emigration trends," she told reporters. Families and emigration consultants have told RFA that the government's introduction of compulsory CCP-backed "civic and social development" curriculum, alongside "national security education," in Hong Kong's schools was the key factor in their decision to leave. https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/falls-08162021154904.html

Taiwan would not collapse like Afghanistan, premier says

TAIPEI: Taiwan would not collapse like Afghanistan in the event of an attack, Premier Su Tseng-chang said on Tuesday (Aug 17), offering an indirect warning to powerful neighbour China not to be "deluded" into thinking it could take the island.

China, which claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, has been ramping up military and diplomatic pressure to force Taipei into accepting Chinese sovereignty, causing concern in Washington and other Western capitals.

The defeat of the Afghan government after the withdrawal of US forces and flight of the president has sparked discussion in Taiwan about what would happen in the event of a Chinese invasion, and whether the United States would help defend Taiwan.

Asked whether the president or premier would flee if "the enemy was at the gates" like in Afghanistan, Su said people had feared neither arrest nor death when Taiwan was a dictatorship under martial law.

"Today, there are powerful countries that want to swallow up Taiwan using force, and likewise we are also not afraid of being killed or imprisoned," he said. "We must guard this country and this land, and not be like certain people who always talk up the enemy's prestige and talk down our resolve."

What happened in Afghanistan showed that if a country is in internal chaos no outside help will make a difference, and Taiwanese have to believe in their land and that they can defend it, Su added.

Everyone working together to rapidly bring under control a recent domestic spike in COVID-19 infections showed what can be achieved when Taiwan is united, he said.

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/taiwan-collapse-afghanistan-china-premier-2117711

Japan closes embassy in Afghanistan

US soldiers stand guard along a perimeter at the international airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug 16, 2021. (Photo: AP Photo/Shekib Rahmani) 17 Aug 2021 03:39PM (Updated: 17 Aug 2021 03:39PM) BookmarkShare TOKYO: Japan has closed its embassy in Kabul due to the worsening security situation in Afghanistan and the last remaining twelve embassy personnel had left the country, the Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday (Aug 17).

The Taliban took control of Kabul without a fight on Sunday, rounding off a dramatic week of advances across Afghanistan.

"Due to the rapid worsening of the security situation in Afghanistan, we are temporarily closing our embassy there," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement, adding that it was relocating the embassy's duties to an office in Istanbul. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/japan-closes-embassy-afghanistan-2118081

Japan Paralympic team holds inaugural ceremony #Japan #Sports #World #Tokyo 2020 Tuesday, Aug. 17, 17:45

Japan has officially inaugurated its team of athletes for the Tokyo Paralympics, scheduled to open on August 24.

A ceremony was held in Tokyo on Tuesday.

A record 255 athletes will represent Japan at the Tokyo Games. But due to coronavirus restrictions, the number of attendees at the ceremony was limited, with most participating remotely.

Those present included wheelchair tennis player Kunieda Shingo, captain of Team Japan, and goalball player Urata Rie, who serves as vice-captain.

During the ceremony, athletes and coaches in each of the various sports were introduced.

Head of the Japanese delegation Kawai Junichi then handed over the national flag, which also serves as the team flag, to those who will act as bearers -- table tennis player Iwabuchi Koyo and triathlete Tani Mami.

Speaking for the team, Kunieda said the Tokyo Olympics demonstrated the power of sport to inspire strong performances from Japanese athletes. Kunieda pledged to exert all his strength with courage and determination. He expressed hope that many Japanese children, regardless of whether they have disabilities or not, will see para sports and feel the endless potential of humankind.

During the 13-day Paralympics, around 4,400 athletes from almost 160 countries and territories are scheduled to take part in 539 events in 22 sports. https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210817_19/

Afghanistan crisis stirs debate over stability of South Korea-US alliance Posted : 2021-08-17 17:06 Updated : 2021-08-18 09:00

In the wake of the crisis in Afghanistan following the withdrawal of U.S. troops, a debate has arisen among defense watchers here over the stability of the current South Korea-U.S. alliance and if Seoul should also prepare for a possible withdrawal of U.S. forces.

Some defense watchers, especially those in the country's conservative bloc, expressed concerns over a similar scenario occurring here, saying the country's military has been neglecting joint military exercises with U.S. troops under the Moon Jae-in administration, which has been focusing on an engagement policy toward North Korea.

But others said the situation here is different from Afghanistan, as Seoul has a strong military capability with support from a democratic government and has strategic value to the United States.

"The Afghan crisis, in which the Islamic militants took full control of Afghanistan, is the result of the government's incompetence, the incapacitated military and the cold-hearted nationalism of the international community," Rep. Kang Min-kuk, floor spokesman of the conservative main opposition People Power Party (PPP), said Tuesday.

"Unless its partner has strong defense capabilities and strong will for self-reliance, the U.S. could leave the partner to pursue its own national interests. The Moon Jae-in government and the military should do their best to strengthen the Republic of Korea-U.S. alliance and maintain a strong military, using the Afghan situation as a turning point."

The PPP spokesman said there are concerns over South Korea's military defense capabilities, as the South Korea-U.S. joint exercises have been conducted only in computer simulations for several years in order to support diplomatic efforts, such as North Korea's denuclearization. Kang said, "How can the military protect our people in an emergency without having practical experience?"

But Cho Han-bum, a senior research fellow at the Korea Institute of National Unification, said the situation in Afghanistan is different from that of South Korea, which is a country with a strong military capability with 600,000 of its own troops and ranked sixth out of 138 countries in terms of military strength on an annual list drawn up by Global Firepower (GFP).

"There are political intentions behind such views of linking the situations in Afghanistan and South Korea. Those with such views want to attack the ruling bloc as they believe the current government is pro-China and pro-North Korea when the alliance with the U.S. should be prioritized. But that is also wrong as Moon and U.S. President Joe Biden have vowed to elevate the Korea-U.S. alliance to a global alliance that goes beyond the Korean Peninsula," Cho said. The researcher also said the Moon administration has been committed to strengthening defense capabilities by increasing the defense budget more than under the previous conservative administrations.

But Moon Sung-mook, a senior researcher at the Korea Research Institute for National Strategy, said despite the differing situations of South Korea and Afghanistan, the Afghan crisis left a lesson to South Korea that it also needs to be aware of the possibility of a withdrawal of U.S. troops if the U.S. does not see the stationing of its troops here as part of its own national interests.

"I know there are people who say the U.S. would never leave South Korea because of its strategic importance when the U.S. wants to keep China in check. But aside from its strategic importance, if the government adopts an anti-U.S. policy and people here say they do not want U.S. troops in the country, they could withdraw from South Korea too," Moon said. https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2021/08/205_314050.html

North Korea Cracks Down on Employees Skipping Work to Earn Money Elsewhere Unable to support themselves at their assigned jobs, workers are seeking greener pastures. 2021-08-16 North Korea has begun sending citizens to labor camps for skipping out on their low-salary government-assigned jobs to try to make a living elsewhere in an economy that has gone from bad to worse under the coronavirus pandemic, sources in the country told RFA The double squeeze of international nuclear sanctions and the closure of the border and suspension of trade with China at the beginning of the pandemic in Jan. 2020 has devastated the North Korean economy. Commerce has dried up, factories lay idle for a lack of raw materials and food prices have jumped sharply over the past year and a half as shortages mount. Though all North Korean men must, in principle, report to government-assigned jobs every day, the salaries they earn are not enough to live on or support a family. Sources confirmed to RFA that it is becoming increasingly common for workers to leave their homes and jobs to move about the country like migrants, looking for any job they can find.

“It is because going to work or leading a working life is not important at all for those who don't have rice to eat right now or can't make an everyday living,” a resident of the eastern coastal province of South Hamgyong told RFA’s Korean Service Aug. 12.

“These days, more and more residents are selling their houses and moving to a remote place or wandering around the country because it is difficult for them to make a living in the face of rising food prices,” said the source, who requested anonymity for security reasons. The crackdown on absentee workers began at the beginning of August, according to the source.

“They’ve been cracking down on absentees by ruthlessly sending them to the disciplinary labor center, probably on internal orders from above that outline such punishment,” the source said. “The leaders of factory and company workers, and their organizations are looking for those who stopped coming to work for no reason, or those who stop coming to organizational meetings, to ask them to return,” said the source. Investigators are visiting the missing workers’ homes, talking to family members and casual acquaintances to find out where they are, according to the source.

“Each company used to have to report employee attendance to the local police office every day, but now they must report it twice a day, in the morning and the afternoon,” said the source. The crackdown is causing people to return to work in factories they have not set foot in for several months.

“Once the investigation for the crackdown is over for a day or two, they stop coming again,” the source said. “They are openly complaining about the party, saying that they are only strengthening the crackdown rather than providing relief measures even when people are starving to death.” A neighborhood watch unit leader in nearby North Hamgyong province confirmed to RFA that authorities there are cracking down on the unemployed, those not living in their official residences, social security beneficiaries who skip neighborhood watch unit meetings, and students who are not regularly attending classes.

“When I look back on my experience as a neighborhood watch unit leader, it's been a long time since I received an order to identify and report social security beneficiaries and even students who miss school for a long time,” the second source said.

“Even though the police department or the local police office already knows who is unemployed, who isn’t living in their residence and who is receiving social security, they ordered the local probate office to double check,” said the second source. The source said that it was more difficult for the authorities to control the lives of male workers.

“Unlike women, who are strictly controlled by the Socialist Women’s Union of Korea, all the social security beneficiaries are men, and… control over them is very loose,” the second source said. Authorities are also having trouble keeping tabs on students, he added. “The coronavirus outbreak has made earning a livelihood extremely difficult, and many residents are recalling the Arduous March they experienced in the mid 1990s,” said the second source, referring to the 1994-1998 North Korean famine that killed millions, or as much as 10 percent of the population by some estimates.

The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization estimated in a recent report that North Korea would be short about 860,000 tons of food this year, about two months of normal demand. RFA reported in April that North Korean authorities were warning residents to prepare for economic difficulties as bad as the Arduous March.

RFA also reported in May that a machinery factory in the country’s northwestern border city of Sinuiju had been sending out agents to track down workers skipped out on their factory jobs to work in the more lucrative fisheries industry. https://www.rfa.org/english/news/korea/workers-08162021155309.html

From Ethnic Nationalism to Social Media: How North Korea Leverages Its Soft Power Abroad

Kim Jong Un recently instructed the country’s propagandists to improve overseas messaging efforts.

Pyongyang citizens holding North Korean flags watch a performance by an art troupe in front of the Pyongyang Grand Theatre in Pyongyang, North Korea, Tuesday, July 27, 2021, to mark the Korean War armistice anniversary. Credit: AP Photo/Cha Song HoADVERTISEMENT

While highly unlikely to attain the global success of South Korean pop culture, North Korea continues to find creative ways to soften its negative image abroad through propaganda. This raises concerns of a global disinformation campaign, as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un recently instructed propagandists to improve overseas messaging efforts, signaling a vested national the country’s

Northinterest Korea in strengthening is not ignorant the to country’s the financial soft power.success and global impact of South Korean pop culture. Often referred to as the Hallyu (한류/韓流)

or “Korean Korean dramas and pop music to a global audience, a trend that started in the Wave” in English, South Korea has profited tremendously from streamlining late 1990s during the Asian financial crisis. According to a 2019 study by The Korea Foundation, the overseas market for the South Korean pop culture industry doubled from $5.7 billion in 2015 to $10 billion in 2019, indicating a steady increase in global consumption of South Korean media and drawing a stark comparison to the North Korean economy.

The Bank of Korea estimated (32.9 trillion Korean won) in 2019, meaning that the overseas market North Korea’s GDP at approximately $28.7 billion Hallyu’s t include revenue Pyongyang obtained from alone generated funds equal to around 35 percent of North Korea’s GDP that illicit sanctions evasion tactics such as cyber-enabled financial crime, it year. Although this number doesn’ accurately depicts the disparity between the licit economies of North and South Korea. It was only a matter of time until Pyongyang began to craft its own version of Hallyu, Choryu (조류/鮮流). Whereas the Hal in Hallyu refers to South Korea in th but with a North Korean twist” the Korean language, Cho in Choryu refers to Choson, the name of North Korea in its e South’s dialect of the respective dialect.

For decades, Pyongyang has challenged narratives claiming widespread human rights violations to attract foreign investment and tourism, without much success. United States and United Nations sanctions, coupled with North Korean nuclear weapons tests and the death of American citizen Otto Warmbier, have prevented major shifts in Pyong countries. As a result, Pyongyang seeks creative ways to alleviate its financial and yang’s negative image in most Western political isolation through the leveraging of sympathetic foreign organizations and social media platforms, which offer invaluable access to potential overseas supporters.

Although this kind of access to the outside world is criminalized for average North Koreans, Pyongyang uses state-sponsored media agencies and multilingual members of the elite class to spread propaganda abroad in English, Chinese, Russian, and Korean, through popular social media platforms such as Twitter, Weibo, and YouTube. Despite actions to stymiethese efforts, the regime continues to create new social media accounts to entice foreigners to visit the country. propaganda, it demonstrates a significant shift from its traditional approach, While social media campaigns are far from North Korea’s first stint at overseas which leveraged ethnic nationalism and xenophobia. For example, Pyongyang previously targeted ethnic Koreans abroad by funding North Korean language schools and cultural exchanges for the Chosen Soren, a pro-North Korea organization in Japan. Although currently counting just a fraction of its previous membership in Japan, the Chosen Soren was responsible for facilitating illicit financial transactions on behalf of Pyongyang and acted as a de facto embassy for North Korea.

Chosen Soren members actively defended the North against international criticism for decades until former North Korean leader Kim Jong Il confirmed Japanese citizens during the late 1970s to 1980s. This revelation shattered the Tokyo’s accusations of a massive kidnapping scheme targeting idyllic image of North Korea for many previous Chosen Soren members and current sanctions programs have seemingly prevented a return of high-volume financial transactions involving the Chosen Soren from Japan to North Korea.

In the West, North Korea has relied on the rejection of capitalism to gain support, rather than ethnic nationalism or xenophobia. For example, Alejandro Cao de Benós is a Spanish citizen and the president of the Korean Friendship Association (KFA), a pro-North Korea organization with over 30 official branches in countries including the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, France, Norway, Italy, the Netherlands, Canada, and the United States. https://thediplomat.com/2021/08/from-ethnic-nationalism-to-social-media-how-north-korea- leverages-its-soft-power-abroad/

Laos Drowning in Debt That Can’t be Repaid: Experts Debts are tied mainly to the development of infrastructure projects, with money owed to lenders in China and other nearby countries. 2021-08-16 Laos is drowning in debt with at least $400 million due in loans this year that can’t be repaid, with cash flows crippled in the country because of a shutdown of the economy due to COVID-19 and another $1 billion coming due each year from 2022-2025, experts say. State officials and Lao researchers say they now see no way the one-party communist state can meet the debts it owes foreign lenders, mostly in China but also in Thailand and Vietnam, amid the global pandemic.

“It will be hard to Laos to repay all the debts that have been outstanding for so many years now,” an official in the Lao state inspection agency said, speaking to RFA on condition of anonymity. “Laos can’t pay off its debts even if it makes payments over the next ten years. It’s just a huge sum of money,” he added. Laos’ external debt repayment profile “remains challenging,” according to a Fitch Ratings report dated Aug. 9, “with around U.S. $422 million due over the remainder of 2021 and an average of U.S. $1.16 billion due per annum between 2022 and 2025.” Lao debts are tied mainly to the development of infrastructure projects including hydropower dams and transportation systems, one Lao researcher said, also asking that his name not be used. “But the more development we do, the more money we borrow,” he said. “And in the meantime, the national tax revenue being collected is much smaller than it used to be. The revenue that used to come in from gold mining is almost gone, for example,” he said. Laos’ debt challenge was avoidable “and is closely related to overly ambitious, and poor coordination and implementation with dam building and other megaprojects,” said Keith Barney, a senior lecturer at the Crawford School of Public Policy at Australian National University.

“It is an environmental tragedy of the highest order that key rivers in Laos, such as the majestic Nam Ou, have been sacrificed to build these dams for an outcome that has seen not state revenues and sustainable development for the people of Laos, but elevated debt burdens and financial stress,” Barney said. 'In a tight corner now' Tax and tariff collections in Laos have also fallen off as businesses close and people lose work amid shutdowns, especially in the tourism and service sectors, caused by the spread of coronavirus in the country, sources say.

“Everyone is in a tight corner now, and living under tough conditions. We lack cash flow now because of the outbreak of COVID-19,” said a Lao businessman, who requested his name be withheld. Laos must additionally find funds to accommodate and quarantine the hundreds of thousands of migrant workers—many of whom when employed sent money back to their families in Laos—now returning home from Thailand and other neighboring countries. Around 100 shelters are now being built housing 1,000 workers each, with food costing each shelter around 40 million kip (U.S. $4,000) each day, sources say. New program launched The administration of Lao Prime Minister Phankham Viphavanh has recently launched a new program ordering high-ranking state officials to return their luxury vehicles, modernizing the country’s tax collection system, and producing goods for export to earn money for national savings.

“We have to build a base of producing goods for export and economizing expenses so that we can have more foreign currencies in reserve to stabilize savings,” Viphavanh said in a recent government meeting, adding that the Ministry of Finance now has no money in the state treasury.

“So the Ministry is asking the Bank of the Lao PDR to repay its debts in advance so that we don’t get into this kind of trouble again,” Viphavanh said, referring to Laos by its formal name, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic. The government is also now emphasizing reform of the country’s state-owned enterprises to increase transparency in their management, said Finance Minister Bounchom Ubonpaseuth, addressing the 1st Extraordinary Conference of the National Assembly on Aug. 6.

“Many different state agencies would like to take control of the state enterprises, but when these collapse no one wants to take responsibility for their losses,” he said. Laos has a history of widespread government corruption. The Berlin-based Transparency International reported in January 2021 that Laos’ corruption ranking had worsened, dropping from 130 in 2019 to 134 in 2020 out of 180 countries. https://www.rfa.org/english/news/laos/debt-08162021193422.html

Malaysian king wants ‘new politics’ that bring peace and harmony: Anwar after royal audience on next PM

Malaysia opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim speaks to media members on Oct 16, 2020. (File photo: Reuters/Lim Huey Teng)

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian political parties have reached a consensus to stop old politics, said opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim on Tuesday (Aug 17), adding that the and harmony for the people. ruler has called for the party leaders to move towards “new politics” that bring peace Speaking to reporters after meeting with King Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al- Mustafa Billah Shah, Mr Anwar said that all political party leaders were reminded to stay united in the face of the COVID-19 crisis.

Mr Anwar said that besides finding a prime minister candidate which has the majority support of MPs in parliament, the king stressed that there has to be a shift

to “new politics”. Under the new form of politics, those who achieved victory cannot oppress those who have lost, like what has happened, he said.

"Therefore there needs to be a mobilisation of efforts from all parties, with a new understanding, a new consensus to work together to handle COVID-19 and lift the country's economy again," he added.

There was a consensus among those present at the royal audience to stop old politics

that are “tiring and boring”, said Mr Anwar. importantly - as emphasised by the king and deputy king - to move towards a form of new“The politics issue is thatnot justis more about peaceful the appointment and harmonious of a new for prime the pe minister, but more https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/malaysia-anwar-next-pm-royal-audience-new-politics-peace-ople,” he added. harmony-2118231 No clear sign who may be Malaysia’s next PM, with several senior politicians likely contenders

playersKUALA LUMPUR:in finding theMr Muhyiddinright candidate Yassin’s as his resignation successor. as prime minister on Monday (Aug 16) has again sparked a flurry of negotiations among Malaysia’s major political Various political parties have reportedly set in motion the task of talking to each other on their list of possible candidates to be submitted to the king for his consideration as the next prime minister of Malaysia.

The king is meeting with major party leaders on Tuesday, as a first step towards identifying who commands the support of the majority of lawmakers.

Meanwhile, the MPs have been asked to submit a declaration letter to the palace to state an individual they support to be the next prime minister. The deadline is 4pm on Wednesday.

In his meeting with the king to tender his resignation, Mr Muhyiddin agreed to stay on as caretaker prime minister until a new prime minister is appointed.

As the convention goes, parties which have big representation can likely sway the choice for the new prime minister. They are also likely to be given priority to submit their list of candidates to be considered by the palace.

The United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) and its Barisan Nasional allies, which form one of the biggest factions in the Malaysian parliament with 41 MPs, have reportedly put up three possible candidates. post are former deputy prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, veteran lawmaker TengkuSubject toRazaleigh the party Hamzah leadership’s and former final confirmation, senior minister UMNO’s Hishammuddin top contenders Hussein, for the according to a Reuters report citing an analyst. Malaysian media also reported that efforts have been ongoing since last Sunday to collect signed statutory declarations (SDs) from various MPs to support Mr Ismail Sabri as prime minister.

Mr Ismail Sabri was appointed by Mr Muhyiddin as his deputy last month, in one of party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. the latter’s attempts to ease growing tensions with a group of UMNO’s MPs led by Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition which has the backing of about 100 MPs in the 222-member parliament.Mr Ismail Sabri, 61, is believed to be the choice for Mr Muhyiddin’s

A former UMNO minister, Mr Nazri Aziz, was reported as saying by the Star last Sunday that he had signed an SD endorsing Mr Ismail Sabri to be the next prime minister. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/malaysia-next-prime-minister-who-perikatan-umno-pakatan- 2118141

Malaysia’s political crisis: 4 heavyweights vie to become PM as king asks MPs to declare their choice

• Opposition chief Anwar Ibrahim, elder statesman Tengku Razeleigh Hamzah, outgoing DPM Ismail Sabri Yaakob and Sabah’s ex-chief minister Shafie Apdal are in the running • The winner has to attain the ‘magic number’ of 111 backers in a secret ballot in which MPs will fax, email or WhatsApp the king their preferred candidate

Malaysia’s prime ministerial aspirants on Tuesday night are expected to stitch up eleventh-hour deals to put them in pole position to succeed Muhyiddin Yassin ahead of a deadline for lawmakers to make their choice known in a secret ballot organised by the king.Local media said opposition chief Anwar Ibrahim, elder statesman Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, the outgoing deputy prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, and former Sabah chief minister Shafie Apdal were in the running for the

top job.In a circular, the Speaker of Malaysia’s lower house of parliament, Azhar Harun, instructed the country’s 220 lawmakers to submit a single nominee to the National Palace by 4pm on Wednesday. country’s https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3145378/malaysias-political-crisis-4-heavyweights- contention-be-pm-king

Myanmar’s Junta Seen Moving to Dissolve NLD to Ensure Grip on Power The military has arrested more than 300 party members, including 98 lawmakers, since February. 2021-08-16 Myanmar’s junta is targeting members of the deposed National League for Democracy (NLD), including its leader Aung San Suu Kyi and dozens of lawmakers, in a bid to disband the party and secure its tenuous hold on power six months after overthrowing the government, ousted lawmakers and analysts said Monday.

A member of the NLD’s Central Committee told RFA’s Myanmar Service that the military regime has arrested a total of 324 NLD members—98 of whom are members of parliament (MPs)—since its Feb. 1 coup d’état. Among the detained are 15 members of the NLD’s Central Committee, as well as five regional and state chief ministers, the committee member said, speaking on condition of anonymity due to security concerns. Other senior NLD members have died in detention since the coup, including Aung San Suu Kyi’s personal attorney Nyan Win on July 20 and Bago region MP Nyunt Shwe, who died of COVID-19 in prison on Monday. Three party members—Khin Maung Latt and Zaw Myat Lin of Myanmar’s largest city Yangon and Kyaw Kyaw from the capital Naypyidaw—were allegedly tortured to death at interrogation centers, according to the committee member. Meanwhile, 10 people, including Magway Region Chief Minister Dr. Aung Moe Nyo, have been sentenced by the military to between two and three years in prison and face additional charges. NLD chairwoman Aung San Suu Kyi, former president Win Myint, and several other party leaders remain in detention on a variety of anti- state charges after being rounded up in the aftermath of the coup. The Central Committee member told RFA that the junta is targeting the NLD with the goal of removing the party from politics altogether.

“The junta is afraid of losing the state authority it unlawfully seized,” they said. The committee member said they believe the military’s leadership was unhappy with the socio-economic development, transparency, and other reforms that the NLD delivered after winning the country’s 2015 elections, and afraid of being held to account for the corruption and other crimes it had committed during its 1962- 2011 rule. “That must be why they are trying to completely remove the NLD from Myanmar politics, hoping that afterwards they’d be free to do what they want,” the committee member said.

“[NLD] party leaders and party members are being unlawfully persecuted, and people are being brutally suppressed so that they cannot interact with the party.” Holding on to power

The junta says a landslide victory by the NLD in the country’s November 2020 general election was the result of voter fraud, but has yet to provide evidence of its claims and has violently repressed widespread protests, killing 998 people and arresting 5,711 since the coup, according to the Bangkok-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP).

The regime’s Union Election Commission (UEC) announced on July 26 that the 2020 election results had been officially annulled, although the NLD has dismissed the decision as illegal, saying it invalidates the will of the people. The military has called for a change in the format of the election to include proportional representation ahead of a new ballot.

Political analyst Than Soe Naing told RFA that the military’s actions are aimed at holding on to power.

“It doesn’t matter when elections are held—as long as the people wholeheartedly support the NLD, it will be difficult for the military to maintain power,” he said. “This is why the junta is working towards the abolition of the NLD and the long- term imprisonment of its leaders.” In the aftermath of the coup, the military raided NLD offices across the country, confiscating documents and office equipment and destroying party signboards. Party officials say grassroot-level NLD offices have since removed all signs, citing security concerns. Aung Kyi Nyunt, a member of the NLD Central Committee, said that despite the military’s efforts, the party will endure because it continues to represent the will of the people.

“I don’t believe that the people will accept the annulment of the election results or participate in new elections, as they already made their decision,” he said. “As long as the people are there, the party will be there.” Little hope for justice Meanwhile, family members of imprisoned NLD lawmakers told RFA on Monday that they have little hope for justice while the junta remains in charge of the country. Lin Naing, the husband of jailed Taungup township MP Ni Ni May Myint, said that the military had arrested his wife and many other NLD members with complete impunity.

“We didn’t know where people were interrogated after being taken away—most were taken to court from interrogation centers and imprisoned straight away,” he said.

“There is no transparency. Those arrested were not allowed to speak with their lawyers and were jailed on random charges. Almost all the cases are like that. Anyone who is charged under Section 505 (a) of the Penal Code [for ‘defamation of the military’] has no legal protection.” Ni Ni May Myint was arrested in Yangon on May 12 along with NLD youth leader Chit Chit Chaw and sentenced to three years in prison for defaming the military. The pair have been denied visits with family members, Lin Naing said. Thant Zin Tun, a Pyithu Hluttaw member from Dekkhina Thiri township, has been in detention in Naypyidaw Prison since March 2, when he was arrested in the capital along with Naypyidaw Council Development Committee member Min Thu, NLD MP Kyaw Min Hlaing, and Amyotha Hluttaw member Maung Maung Swe.

A member of Thant Zin Tun’s family, who declined to be named, said the junta has been devoting a significant amount of effort to building a case against the MP.

“We were allowed to see him 12 days after his arrest, but we haven’t seen him since,” the relative said. “They are meticulously constructing a case so that they can sentence him to prison. They have called in ‘witnesses’ that they want to testify in the case. There is nothing we can do for him.” Attempts by RFA to reach junta spokesman Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun for comment went unanswered Monday. https://www.rfa.org/english/news/myanmar/dissolve-08162021192931.html

Australia should scale up its vaccine diplomacy PHILIPPA NICOLE BARR Is Australia undermining its own efforts to help other countries in the pandemic?

In the 1950s, an unlikely friendship grew between US medical researcher Albert Sabin and Soviet microbiologist and virologist Mikhail Chumakov. Their mutual trust and esteem resulted in a US developed vaccine against crippling polio being tested on millions of people in the Soviet Union. Notwithstanding the suspicions of the Cold War, the successful project was considered an early case of vaccine diplomacy and scientific collaboration, a first step in the eradication of the disease from all but two countries in the world.

History can offer salutary lessons. With vaccination against Covid-19 ramping up globally, the distribution of vaccines has again become a mechanism of geopolitical influence.

Yet it is uncertain whether Covid vaccine diplomacy will have such a happy ending. Home to more than half of the world’s population, poorer nations have received only 20% of the 4 billion vaccine doses that have been issued globally. Demand is so great that in August the World Health Organisation called for a moratorium on giving out booster shots in rich countries until at least September, saying it was necessary to free up supplies to allow at least 10% of the population of each country to be vaccinated. The World Health Organisation Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, “we cannot accept countries that have already used most of the global supply of vaccines using even more of it, while the world’s most vulnerable people remain unprotected”.

Recognising the negative epidemiological, financial and health impacts of an unrestrained pandemic in poorer regions has led organisations such as UNICEF, Doctors without Borders and the Wellcome Trust to redouble their efforts for global vaccine equity. They argue persuasively that reducing the number of infections worldwide is the only way to prevent the emergence of new mutations such as the Delta variant of Covid19, which is more contagious than the original version and more resistant to some vaccines.

By contrast with many rich countries, which prioritised vaccinating their own populations, China and Russia have from the outset used donations and low-cost sale of vaccines made in state-owned or state-influenced companies as a foreign policy tool. Their motives have been attributed to reducing the impact of the epidemic in their regions and to find new opportunities and influence. These efforts initially had at least short-term success, as Sinovac and Sinopharm from China became the world’s most used vaccines.

Against the backdrop of surging case rates, there have been supply issues with some of the principal regional producers of the vaccine.

There has been some concern in the media about the transparency of the data supporting the vaccines produced in China and Russia. But Sinopharm and Sinovac have both been granted WHO emergency use listing and the global vaccine alliance GAVI has signed an agreement for supply of more than 100 million of these vaccines to COVAX, which aims to provide equitable access to vaccines worldwide. Importantly, in July, one of the world’s most prestigious academic journals Naturepublished an article defending Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine as safe.

Urgent demand

At present almost all countries in Southeast Asia are struggling to repress a tidal wave of infections caused by the Delta variant of Covid19. Case rates in Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam are growing exponentially. Already Indonesia has recorded almost 120000 deaths from Covid-19. This is affecting the regional economy and putting catastrophic pressure on national health systems. Indonesia has primarily used the Sinovac vaccine but fewer than 10% of its population of 270 million have received two doses. Many vaccinated health professionals have caught the virus and some have died,leading to widespread doubts about the efficacy of Sinovac, which is further fuelling vaccine hesitancy. Indonesia is now urgently trying to supply booster shots of the Moderna vaccineto health professionals. https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/australia-should-scale-its-vaccine-diplomacy Australia will not be able to help all Afghans who worked with military, PM says

• Australia was part of a Nato-led international force that battled the Taliban and trained Afghan security forces • More than 39,000 Australian military personnel served in Afghanistan and 41 of them were killed there

Australia will not be able to help all Afghans who worked with its military, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Tuesday, as it prepares its evacuation plan after the Taliban seized control of the country.

Australia said on Monday it would send 250 military personnel to Kabul to evacuate it citizens and an unspecified number of Afghans who had been given visas after working with Australia.

US forces in control of Kabul’s airport resumed evacuation flights on Tuesday, a day after chaos there as desperate Afghans sought to flee.

“We will continue to do everything we can for those who have stood with us, as we have to this day,” Morrison told reporters in Canberra. “But I want to talk openly to veterans that despite our best efforts, I know that support won’t reach all that it should.” https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3145317/australia-will-not-be-able-help-all- afghans-who-worked

Afghanistan: The Taliban's victory will test India, and peace in South Asia

By Vikas Pandey BBC News, Delhi

The Taliban's blisteringly fast takeover of Afghanistan has stunned security and diplomacy experts worldwide. Days after the fall of Kabul, nations are hurriedly evacuating their diplomats and citizens, leaving behind two decades of work and investments.

The Taliban's rout is likely to cause a significant shift in the geopolitics of South Asia, and it could be particularly testing for India, given the country's historically tense relations and border disputes with Pakistan and China - both are expected to play a crucial role in Afghanistan's future.

Pakistan shares a porous border with Afghanistan and has long been an active player in its northern neighbour's affairs. Now China is showing an interest in playing a bigger role in Afghanistan. Foreign minister Wang Yi's meeting with senior Taliban leaders last month shows Beijing doesn't want to be a silent player anymore. This potential geopolitical realignment could "change things upside down", said Gautam Mukhopadhaya, India's former ambassador to Afghanistan and Syria.

Afghanistan was a loose alliance between the democratic government in Kabul, the West and other democracies like India. But the world is likely to see Pakistan, Russia, Iran and China coming together to play the next chapter of the Great Game. • A flight out of Kabul on a fateful day • Will the Taliban take Afghanistan back to the past? • Ten days that shook Afghanistan

Some in India see this as a loss for Delhi and a big win for Pakistan. But former Indian diplomat Jitendra Nath Misra said that was too simplistic a view, because the Pahstun - led Taliban has never recognised the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, creating discomfort for Islamabad.

"Pakistan would want to get the Taliban to accept the border and this will be a top priority," he said.

But it's also true that the Taliban's rule in Afghanistan gives Pakistan strategic depth against India. Islamabad has gotten what it always wanted, said Michael Kugelman, deputy director of the Wilson Center think-tank in Washington - a government in Afghanistan that it can easily influence.

"Pakistani officials may show this off as India's loss, but then there are bigger strategic goals for Pakistan," Mr Kugelman said. "It really sees itself as the biggest regional winner at the moment."

Experts say Pakistan was not happy with the growing ties between the US and India, or former Afghan president Ashraf Ghani's lukewarm relations with Islamabad. The country's struggling economy also made it feel vulnerable.

Now Islamabad has reasons to believe that it's the winner because its "all-weather" friendship with China will be useful in Afghanistan. Moreover, Beijing is not shy of showing its might anymore. "China can and will play the game now according to its own rules," Mr Misra said.

China also has economic interests in Afghanistan, which can help fulfil its ever-growing need for minerals, but more importantly it can pressure the Taliban to ban the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), which it blames for unrest in its Muslim-dominated Xinjian province, to operate on Afghan soil.

Mr Mukhopadhaya said China and Pakistan "would ride piggyback on each other in Afghanistan". But he added that Beijing should be cautious and not fall into any trap like other world powers in the past.

Russia and Iran also seem to be on the same trajectory - neither has evacuated its embassy, and both nations' diplomats are still working in Kabul. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-58240301

Pakistan and the United States Have Betrayed the Afghan People Washington ignored Islamabad funding and supplying the Taliban. Now Afghans are paying the price.

By C. Christine Fair

U.S. President, aJoe provost’s Biden distinguished has defiantly associate professorasserted at Georgetown he does not University’s regret security his decision studies program. to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan even as Kabul has fallen to the Taliban and as desperate Afghans scramble for the last flights out of the country. The United States is begging the Taliban for assurances they will not attack U.S. personnel as Washington scrambles to evacuate its personnel, leaving its long-standing Afghan partners to fend for themselves as the Taliban hunt them and their families down.

U.S. officials are busy offering sanctimonious repines that justify the U.S. exit. They have announced to U.S. and international audiences that the time has come for Afghan National Security Forces to seize the reins of their nation’s defense, that Afghan leaders must unite and fight for their country—that the United States has done enough. This is rank nonsense, and Biden knows it. The United States did not do enough—and even enabled the current onslaught.

Biden did not come to this situation unawares. The Obama administration in which Biden served benefited from a raft of experts, including former CIA analyst Bruce Riedel and longtime South Asia watcher Peter Lavoy, who was the national intelligence officer for South Asia. Prior to the 2008 election, there were numerous assessments about the Afghanistan War and the myriad ways in which Pakistan was undermining U.S. efforts there. Then-President-elect Barack Obama’s incoming team, led by Riedel, spearheaded the so-called “assessment of assessments” and offered refreshingly blunt insight into how Pakistan, which benefitted handsomely from U.S. emoluments, aided and abetted the Taliban and undermined U.S. efforts.

Biden, like Obama, understands Pakistan is the major force behind the Taliban. Without Pakistan’s intelligence and military establishment’s unstinting support for the Taliban, the group would be a nuisance rather than an effective fighting force. The United States has steadfastly refused to do the one thing it could have done long ago: targeted sanctions against those in Pakistan’s deep state who sponsor Islamist militants. https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/08/16/pakistan-united-states-afghanistan-taliban/

Pakistan is the true winner from theAfghan debacle A Pakistani soldier stands guard as stranded Afghan nationals return to Afghanistan at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border crossing point (Getty images)

'Everyone is getting out – and fast', the man tells me over a crackling line. He is tired, clearly subdued. A UN staff member, he was in Afghanistan until very recently and is still trying to process what happened. 'We knew this was going to happen,' he continues, 'but everyone was caught by surprise at the speed of the Taliban advance.'

UN staff are now being evacuated to Almaty in Kazakhstan, from where they will make their way to their respective countries. But what about the local Afghans that worked with them? 'Our Afghan colleagues were given letters of support for country visas in the region: Iran, Pakistan, and India. Some were able to leave before, mostly to Turkey, and we helped evacuate hundreds of colleagues to Kabul, but the UN cannot evacuate everyone out of the country'. He pauses, and with great sadness says, 'so essentially they are on their own'.

'We’re already dealing with the Talban,' he continues. 'Recently, a delegation of theirs came to the gate of one of our compounds: they were very respectful: we still have staff in Kandahar that we haven’t been able to evacuate, and they promised that when the time came, they would escort them to the airport. At another location when thieves tried to break into one of our compounds, they repelled them.'

And what happens to Afghanistan now? 'Now we go back to Talban rule,' he replies. 'What do you think will happen?' I fire back. 'Well,' he concludes – again with sadness. 'I heard yesterday that their spokesperson said that ‘the Taliban of the 1990s is not the Taliban of today.’ I guess we’ll see.'

When the end of empire dawned for Britain and it scuttled out of Palestine, Cyprus, and India, some described it – uncharitably but accurately – as a policy of 'divide and flee.' As the US scuttles out of Afghanistan, it appears the policy is merely 'flee'. Much has been written about Western failings and the triumph of Jihadist fascism, but amidst it all something has gone largely unremarked: the role of Pakistan’s primary intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

ISI is renowned for its meddling and brutality, both of which have been on kaleidoscopic display throughout its near 30-year dealings with the Taliban. It helped found the organisation back in 1994, soon after the end of the Soviet war in Afghanistan, during which the ISI had trained about 100,000 Afghans to fight the USSR. https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/pakistan-is-the-true-winner-from-the-afghan-debacle

The Taliban’s Careful Cheerleaders: Pakistan’s Statements on the Fall of Kabul Islamabad has always secretly supported the Taliban. Now it is laying the ground to do so openly.

By Krzysztof Iwanek

August 17, 2021

As the tragedy of the Taliban onslaught in Afghanistan unfolded over the past few weeks, culminating with their entrance into Kabul on August 15, some could have asked how the group achieved such success on its own. One of the many reasons is that the Taliban were never alone. They have always been supported by Pakistan intelligence. The Taliban leadership has long been based in Pakistan, even when – the country’s successive governments, its armed forces, its military Islamabad was receiving U.S. money and weapon systems for helping Washington fight the Taliban in Afghanistan.

The evidence to prove this collusion is strong and one does not to reach far into recent history to find instances of it. In July 2021, a famous Pakistani journalist and expert on the Taliban, Ahmed Rashid, declared that Taliban fighters not only had sanctuary in Pakistan, but even recuperated in Pakistani hospitals (see this interview, given to Nisad Hajari for the Print). And as Aqil Shah wrotefew days ago for Carnegie:

Now, as it appears that the Taliban are taking full power in Afghanistan, the Pakistani government will no longer have to pretend. It is thus worth following its changing rhetoric to hold the establishment in Islamabad accountable. As the Taliban marched across Afghanistan in recent weeks, Pakistani establishment goals, and the narrative it dressed its politics in. figures made various comments that put on display Islamabad’s diplomatic end It should be stressed that Pakistani politicians and officials did not directly foreign minister stressed that their government supported a peaceful resolution defend the Taliban. Unsurprisingly, both Pakistan’s national security adviser and -owned and Afghan- -sounding words, and statements on which all to the war in Afghanistan, and added that the process should be “Afghan stakeholders for years have agreed, including other foreign powers. Both led.” These were noble Pakistani officials also stressed that they would accept any agreement that the Afghans work out between themselves. Moreover, a statement issued by

Umair Jamal in an article Pakistan’s National Security Committee after the fall of Kabul (and described by non-interference in Afghan affairs. for Business Recorder) confirmed Pakistan’s position of Enjoying this article? Click here to subscribe for full access. Just $5 a month.

But what seemed to be a gold coating of splendid neutrality falls away on further examination, shattered by other statements made.

When questioned more directly about their attitude toward both the Taliban and be built on suggestions and evasions. Together, these formed a mist-covered Ashraf Ghani’s government, the comments by Pakistani politicians turned out to narrative that redirected part of the blame and diluted responsibility. The scattered remarks may be generally grouped into two categories:

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(1) Attempts to weaken global criticism of the Taliban. One case of this were comments made suggesting that Taliban were not the only force responsible for the rising levels of violence a statement made by interview with Lotfullah – Najafizada for TOLO News). Another was the claim that during the Pakistan’s foreign minister in June (in an current offensive the Afghan population welcomed the Taliban, rather than opposed them a declaration uttered by the Pakistani prime interview with – Becky Anderson for CNN). Similar statements put a part of the blame minister’s national security adviser, Moeed Yusuf (in an for rising violence on the Islamic State or India.

https://thediplomat.com/2021/08/the-talibans-careful-cheerleaders-pakistans-statements-on-the-fall- of-kabul/

Former USSR president Gorbachev: US campaign was doomed from start

Mikhail Gorbachev, the leader who oversaw the withdrawal of Soviet forces from Afghanistan in 1989 said that the US had mishandled their own campaign in Afghanistan. By REUTERS AUGUST 17, 2021 12:58

Mikhail Gorbachev, the leader who oversaw the withdrawal of Soviet forces from Afghanistan in 1989 after Moscow's failed decade-long campaign there, said on Tuesday that NATO's own deployment to the country had been doomed from the start. Gorbachev, 90, regarded the Soviet presence in Afghanistan as a political mistake that was sapping precious resources at a time when the Soviet Union was living through what turned out to be the twilight of its own existence. The Soviet-backed authorities in Afghanistan survived for three years after the withdrawal by Moscow of its main forces but never recovered from a Russian decision to cut aid to them after the Soviet collapse in January 1992 and fell later that year. https://www.jpost.com/international/former-ussr-president-gorbachev-us-campaign-was-doomed- from-start-676949

Central Asia Scrambles For Clear Response As Afghanistan Crisis Spills Over August 17, 2021 Eurasianet 0 Comments

By Eurasianet By Kamila Ibragimova*

(Eurasianet) — Governments across Central Asia appear as stunned as the rest of the international community in the face of the rapid disintegration of order in neighboring Afghanistan. Some leaders have held snap consultations with security officials and defense allies. Others are choosing to remain mute in the face of rapidly unfolding events.

The potential for spillover looks limited for the time being, but multiple episodes of flight by defeated Afghan soldiers may be a troubling omen.

A representative of the Afghan Embassy in Dushanbe told Eurasianet that more than 140 servicemen flew into Bokhtar airport in Tajikistan on August 15 onboard at least 16 different aircraft. He said the pilots had commandeered the aircraft to ensure they did not fall into the hands of the Taliban.

RFE/RL’s Tajik service, Radioi Ozodi, cited its sources in the local Emergency Situations Ministry with different figures – 143 Afghan servicemen and three aircraft. The troops handed over 55 items of small arms and were later housed at the dormitory of a local university, the broadcaster reported. TOLOnews, the Kabul-based news outlet, published video footage of the Afghan ambassador in Tajikistan, Zahir Aghbar, welcoming a group of fugitives.

“What I see before me are heroes. The cowards are those people in the leadership who escaped, even though people sacrificed themselves for them,” Aghbar told an assembly largely composed of men in uniform. At least 84 Afghan soldiers managed to cross into Uzbekistan on August 14 in the wake of the Taliban’s capture of the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif. Images had circulated earlier in the day of a long line of vehicles carrying troops waiting for admission into the country across the Friendship Bridge. An official in the Afghan consulate in Termez, in southern Uzbekistan, told Eurasianet that the men were fighters affiliated with ethnic Uzbek commander and one-time first deputy president of Afghanistan, Abdul Rashid Dostum, and Atta Muhammad Nur, the now-former governor of the Balkh province. Many dozens of field commanders, as well as hundreds of Afghan civilians, were turned away by Uzbek border personnel, the official said.

The Uzbek Foreign Ministry said in a statement over the weekend that it was negotiating with the Afghan government on returning soldiers to their home country. The government in Kabul has collapsed since that statement was issued, however. A reporter based in Termez with sources in Uzbek military forces told Eurasianet that 19 passenger planes have also landed in the city carrying refugees. The identity of those refugees is not yet known, and Uzbek officials have not commented on this development.

Even more desperate attempts at escape appear to have occurred. Tashkent-based website Gazeta.uz reported that an aircraft with Afghan air force markings crash-landed in southern Surkhandaryo region on the night of August 15. Aviation enthusiasts have identified the stricken craft as possibly being an A-29 Super Tucano light attack aircraft. The website reported on at least one fatality and cited sources as saying two Afghan servicemen were being treated for injuries at a hospital in Termez.

https://www.eurasiareview.com/17082021-central-asia-scrambles-for-clear-response-as-afghanistan- crisis-spills-over/

Fall of Afghanistan: Taliban announces 'amnesty' as reports emerge of beatings, home invasions

17 Aug, 2021 04:49 PM5 minutes to read

AP The Taliban has declared an "amnesty" across Afghanistan and urged women to join its government - as reports emerge of Taliban fighters going door-to-door searching for female journalists.

"The Islamic Emirate doesn't want women to be victims," Enamullah Samangani, a member of the Taliban's cultural commission, said today, using the militants' term for Afghanistan. "They should be in government structure according to Shariah law."

He added: "The structure of government is not fully clear, but based on experience, there should be a fully Islamic leadership and all sides should join."

Samangani's comments came as Nadia Momand, who works at Enikass Radio in Jalalabad, posted a tweet claiming the Taliban had raided the homes of two female journalists in Kabul today. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/fall-of-afghanistan-taliban-announces-amnesty-as-reports-emerge- of-beatings-home-invasions/IXE6UY7ISYBA5BP4FJ4E7QWTOI/

Taliban pledge to be 'different', as Afghans flee

Published August 18, 2021, 6:36 AM by Agence-France-Presse Kabul, Afghanistan — The Taliban have offered a pledge of reconciliation, vowing no revenge against opponents and to respect women’s rights in a “different” rule of Afghanistan from two decades ago.

The announcements came on Tuesday night shortly after the return to Afghanistan of their co-founder, crowning the group’s astonishing comeback after being ousted by a US-led invasion in 2001.

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With huge concerns globally about the Taliban’s brutal human rights record — and tens of thousands of Afghans still trying to flee the country — they held their first press conference from Kabul.

“All those in the opposite side are pardoned from A to Z,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told foreign and local reporters, revealing his identity for the first time.

“We will not seek revenge.”

Mujahid said the new regime would be “positively different” from their 1996-2001 stint, which was infamous for deaths by stoning, girls being banned from school and women from working in contact with men.

“If the question is based on ideology and beliefs, there is no difference… but if we calculate it based on experience, maturity, and insight, no doubt there are many differences,” Mujahid told reporters.

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He also said they were “committed to letting women work in accordance with the principles of Islam”, without offering specifics.

A spokesman for the group in Doha, Suhail Shaheen, told Britain’s Sky News that women would not be required to wear the all-covering burqa, but he did not say what attire would be acceptable.

Desperation

Nevertheless, Afghans and foreigners continued to flee the country, with the United States and other nations stepping up evacuation airlifts from Kabul.

Desperate scenes from the airport at the start of the week have created searing images of Afghans terrified of the Taliban, and a diminished United States unable to protect them. Some footage showed hundreds of people running alongside a US Air Force plane as it rolled down the runway, with some clinging to the side of it.

One person was later found dead in the wheel well of the plane.

“Before the aircrew could offload the cargo, the aircraft was surrounded by hundreds of Afghan civilians,” US Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek said, explaining the events.

“Faced with a rapidly deteriorating security situation around the aircraft, the C-17 crew decided to depart the airfield as quickly as possible.”

Crowds also built outside embassies in Kabul on Wednesday on rumors that governments were offering asylum.

The United Nations Human Rights Council announced on Tuesday it would hold a special session on Afghanistan next week to address the “serious human rights concerns” under the Taliban.

US President Joe Biden’s administration gave a non-committal response to the Taliban’s pledges of tolerance.

“If the Taliban says they are going to respect the rights of their citizens, we will be looking for them to uphold that statement and make good on that statement,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said.

Russia and China have quickly signaled their willingness to work with the Taliban.

Russia said Tuesday that the Taliban’s initial assurances had been a “positive signal” and the militants were behaving in a “civilized manner”.

Triumphant return

Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the co-founder and deputy leader of the Taliban, arrived back in Afghanistan on Tuesday night.

He chose to touch down in the country’s second-biggest city Kandahar — the Taliban’s spiritual birthplace and capital during their first time in power.

He arrived from Qatar, where he has spent months leading talks with the United States and then Afghan peace negotiators.

Footage released by pro-Taliban media showed crowds gathering around Baradar at the airport, pumping their fists in the air and chanting in celebration.

But for those fearing reprisals from the Taliban, the emotions were opposite.

“Sometimes I stand in front of the window and I think about how I got here and how I’m lucky that I’m not in Afghanistan now,” Afghan human rights researcher Mohammad Ehsan Saadat, who fled his home country with his family, told AFP in Canada. In Kabul, some shops have reopened and traffic is on the streets, but schools remain closed and tensions are still high.

“The fear is there,” said a shopkeeper who asked not to be named after reopening his store. https://mb.com.ph/2021/08/18/taliban-say-wont-seek-revenge-co-founder-back-in-afghanistan/

Taliban member indicates positive stance on women #World #Asia Tuesday, Aug. 17, 18:57

A senior member of the Taliban in Afghanistan has indicated a positive stance on allowing women to take part in the governance of the state.

Enamullah Samangani, a member of the Taliban's cultural commission, said in an interview on the country's state-run television that they don't "want women to be victims."

He said women "should be in the government structure according to Sharia," or Islamic law.

The Taliban imposed a harsh interpretation of Islamic law during their previous rule of Afghanistan. People in and outside the country are concerned that the Taliban may again start infringing on women's rights once they are formally back in power.

Analysts say Samangani sought to dispel such concerns by indicating respect for women's political rights.

The Taliban took the capital Kabul earlier this week, effectively triggering the collapse of the elected government.

Streets in the city remained almost deserted, with many shops closed, on Tuesday. Taliban fighters were posted at checkpoints. https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210817_20/

Who are the Taliban and how did they take control of Afghanistan so swiftly?

The Trump-Biden Afghanistan blame game

(CNN)Just last week, US intelligence analysts had predicted it would likely take several more weeks before Afghanistan's civilian government in Kabul fell to Taliban fighters. In reality, it only took a few short days.

On Sunday, Taliban militants retook Afghanistan's capital, almost two decades after they were driven from Kabul by US troops. Although Afghan security forces were well funded and well equipped, they put up little resistance as Taliban militants seized much of the country following the withdrawal of US troops beginning in early July.

On Sunday, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled the country, abandoning the presidential palace to Taliban fighters.

Already, US officials have admitted that they miscalculated the speed at which the Taliban were able to advance across the country, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken saying of Afghanistan's national security forces: "The fact of the matter is we've seen that that force has been unable to defend the country ... and that has happened more quickly than we anticipated."

The Taliban's swift success has prompted questions over how the insurgent group was able to gain control so soon after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan -- and, after almost 20 years of conflict in the US' longest running war, what the Taliban want. Who are the Taliban? Formed in 1994, the Taliban were made up of former Afghan resistance fighters, known collectively as mujahedeen, who fought the invading Soviet forces in the 1980s. They aimed to impose their interpretation of Islamic law on the country -- and remove any foreign influence.

After the Taliban captured Kabul in 1996, the Sunni Islamist organization put in place strict rules. Women had to wear head-to-toe coverings, weren't allowed to study or work and were forbidden from traveling alone. TV, music and non-Islamic holidays were also banned. https://edition.cnn.com/2021/08/16/middleeast/taliban-control-afghanistan-explained-intl- hnk/index.html

Afghanistan: Who's who in the Taliban leadership Published image captionMawlawi Hibatullah Akhundzada is a political and religious leader who is the third Supreme Commander of the Taliban The Taliban took many by surprise as they swept across Afghanistan in just 10 days, quickly taking control of towns and cities.

It is not yet known who will take charge of the new government. But what do we know about who is leading the Taliban today?

1. Hibatullah Akhundzada Hibatullah Akhundzada became the supreme commander of the Taliban in May 2016. In the 1980s, he participated in the Islamist resistance against the Soviet military campaign in Afghanistan, but his reputation is more that of a religious leader than a military commander.

Akhundzada worked as head of the Sharia Courts in the 1990s. After first seizing power in the 1990s, the Taliban introduced and supported punishments according to their strict interpretation of Islamic law: they publicly executed murderers and adulterers and amputated thieves' limbs.

Under the leadership of the reclusive Mullah Mohammed Omar (who is thought to have died in 2013), the Taliban also banned television, music, movies, make-up, and stopped girls aged 10 and over from attending school. image captionVery few images exist of former Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar, who died in 2013 Akhundzada is believed to be in his 60s and has lived most of his life in Afghanistan. However, according to experts, he maintains close ties with the so-called "Quetta Shura" - the Afghan Taliban leaders said to be based in the Pakistani city of Quetta. As the group's supreme commander, Akhundzada is in charge of political, military and religious affairs. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-58235639

Taliban's Afghanistan takeover presents fresh challenge for social media companies

The Taliban's rapid takeover of Afghanistan poses a new challenge for big US tech companies on handling content created by a group considered to be terrorists by some world governments.

Social media giant Facebook confirmed on Monday (Aug 16) that it designates the Taliban a terrorist group and bans it and content supporting it from its platforms.

But Taliban members have reportedly continued to use Facebook's end-to-end encrypted messaging service WhatsApp to communicate directly with Afghanis despite the company prohibiting it under rules against dangerous organisations.

A Facebook spokesperson said the company was closely monitoring the situation in the country and that WhatsApp would take action on any accounts found to be linked with sanctioned organisations in Afghanistan, which could include account removal.

On Twitter, Taliban spokesmen with hundreds of thousands of followers have tweeted updates during the country's takeover.

Asked about the Taliban's use of the platform, the company pointed to its policies against violent organisations and hateful conduct but did not answer Reuters' questions about how it makes its classifications. Twitter's rules say it does not allow groups who promote terrorism or violence against civilians. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/afghanistan-taliban-terrorist-organisation-social-media- facebook-twitter-youtube-2117386

Biden’s South-East Asia Doctrine: Repairing Damage And Neglect From Obama And Trump Years – Analysis August 17, 2021 Murray Hunter 0 Comments

By Murray Hunter When Joe Biden took over the United States presidency last January, South-East Asia appeared to be low on his list of priorities. After setting the direction within the European and East Asian regions, the Biden administration has set sight on repairing the damage during the Obama era, and the neglected, somewhat transactional nature of relationships that endured during the Trump years. Biden has begun to re-engage the region with a lot of work to do.

The timing of Biden’s South-East Asia re-engagement is unfortunate, with most governments within the region concerned with Covid-19 spikes, within their respective nations. Myanmar is in the grip of a military Junta, after a coup earlier this year, Thailand is in the hands of an unpopular milocracy, Malaysia is in the midst of a political crisis, the Philippines will have a transition to a new administration next year, while some countries have edged closer to China. China is much more influential and militarily stronger than during the Obama era, and even the Trump years.

However, the pandemic has provided the Biden administration with the opportunity to participate in vaccine diplomacy, a well-received gesture, as all South-East Asian states are facing vaccine shortages. The Biden administration can also take advantage of the weaknesses in Chinese diplomacy. China’s growing aggressiveness on the South-China Sea, often abrupt demeanour in bilateral relations, and “wolf-warrior” diplomacy is not aiding its position in the region with member states.

Nevertheless, no South-East Asian nation subscribes to the concept of containing China in the classical ‘cold war’ sense. Any philosophical ‘cold war’ era approaches to the region, just won’t work. There is a measured admiration for China and its achievements over the region. China has developed respect among many quarters.

Nations of this region feel comfortable with a neighbour they have shared the region with for centuries, where family and clan ties overlap the region. Many of the elite families within the region are only a couple of generations away from Chinese ancestors, links that have become important for commerce, more than anything else. There is a large business orientated Chinese diaspora in the region as well.

One of the most telling things about the Biden administration’s South-East Asian initiative is that it was delivered by former army general and now defence secretary Lloyd Austin at the Fullerton Lecture in Singapore, six months after the Biden inauguration. https://www.eurasiareview.com/17082021-bidens-south-east-asia-doctrine-repairing-damage-and- neglect-from-obama-and-trump-years-analysis/

UK’s Indo-Pacific tilt – not just for the good times BEN BLAND Britain’s renewed enthusiasm in Southeast Asia means, among other tasks, negotiating the idiosyncrasies of ASEAN.

The United Kingdom’s proposed “tilt” to the Indo-Pacific was met with plenty of scepticism, including from this author, when it was unveiled in March as part of a broader Integrated Reviewof defence and foreign policy.

Politicians and foreign policy analysts tend to obsess about nomenclature. But catchy buzzwords can obscure as much as they elucidate. My first principle of analysis is to ignore the rhetoric and look at the reality.

In this case, how is a post-Brexit UK that has been battered by the pandemic going to find the time and resources to focus on a part of the world that is distant in geography and values?

Southeast Asia was always going to be a key proving ground of the UK’s ability and willingness to become a more influential actor in the Indo-Pacific.

The contours of the UK’s relationships with allies and close partners such as Japan, Australia and South Korea are already well established, while the deteriorating direction of the UK’s relationship with China is also increasingly clear.

Southeast Asia, at the geographical heart of the Indo-Pacific, is the sub-region where there is most to play for, and most at stake, for the United Kingdom and others looking to balance China’s growing power and influence.

That is why the British government made its bid to become a formal dialogue partner of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) one of the key objectives in the Integrated Review. The vote for Brexit in 2016 meant that the United Kingdom would lose its seat at the ASEAN table as part of the European Union. Earlier this month, ASEAN approved that application, ending a 25-year moratorium on new dialogue partners, and putting the United Kingdom in the same rank as Australia, Canada, China, the European Union, India, Japan, New Zealand, Russia, South Korea and the United States.

It was a something of a personal victory for Dominic Raab, the British foreign secretary, who has visited Southeast Asia five times in the two years since he took the job. More importantly, it was the culmination of the sort of intense diplomatic ground game that will be vital if the United Kingdom is to capitalise on its new enhanced status within ASEAN. https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/uk-indo-pacific-tilt-not-just-for-good-times

Pandemic, scrutiny prompt slowdown for China’s One Belt, One Road IPDForum August 16, 2021 Top Stories 0 Comment

FORUM Staff

In recent years, reports have suggested that China might be scaling back its One Belt, One Road (OBOR) project due to mounting scrutiny domestically and abroad. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has added challenges as China struggles to safely move workers and equipment across borders and host nations spend more time evaluating the promises versus the realities of receiving an OBOR development, according to experts.

The project is also plagued by accounts of poor work conditions, lack of security and, in some cases, forced labor, according to a report by the nonprofit group China Labor Watch. Since the pandemic, hundreds of thousands of migrant Chinese workers have been stranded overseas and had their rights violated, China Labor Watch reported in April 2021.

passport detention, restrictions on freedom of movement, excessive work hours up to 12 “Among the workers we interviewed, we found widespread rights infringements involving: hours a day and seven days a week, zero holiday allowance, unpaid wages, issuance of illegal visas, deceptive recruitment and false promises, isolation from the local community, intimidation and threats, high penalties for quitting, lack of sufficient medical treatment, poor living and working conditions, insufficient labor protection and safety equipment, no reasonable complaint channels or grievance mechanism, restricted freedom of speech and

Earlierharsh punishment in 2021, Australian of workers Prime who Minister protest,” Scott according Morrison to China questioned Labor aWatch. U.S. $1.5 trillion OBOR infrastructure memorandum of understanding for Victoria, Australia. He later scrapped policy, which aims for a Free and Open Indo-Pacific. the 2018 deal, calling it “unreasonable” and out of line with Australia’s foreign memorandum of understanding following questions about the deal affording China “I haven’t seen the benefits of it,” Morrison said weeks before officially pulling out of the backdoor access to influence in Australia, the Daily Mail newspaper reported. The Financial Times newspaper and SupChina, a New York-based website that focuses on China, point to a list of factors for the shift in OBOR momentum. Among them:

• International controversy over OBOR projects, including the lack of transparency and environmental sensitivity and poor governance in loan recipient nations. • Domestic controversy as Chinese citizens question the People

’s Republic of • Exploding debt in developing countries that has worsened due to COVID-19, China’s lending to foreign countries while China’s own economy slows. making it more challenging for nations to repay China for OBOR infrastructure projects. A

March 2021 report by the Council on Foreign Relations, titled “China’s Belt and Road: contributing challenges to OBOR. Implications for the United States,” also underscores factors brought on by the pandemic as -19 pandemic has upended BRI [Belt and Road Initiative] and complicated implementation, slowing the flow of Chinese labor and supplies to foreign countries, “The COVID

n Foreign Relations report said, using the eviscerating host countries’ abilities to pay for projects and forcing countries to stall or cancel expensive projects,” the Council o current account surplus and its foreign exchange reserves have shrunk, in part because of alternative name of OBOR. “In addition, in the years since BRI was introduced, China’s China no longer has the same financial cushion it once enjoyed, and with many projects postponed or canceled, Chinese banks have begun to Beijing’s macroeconomic adjustments. increase their scrutiny of BRI projects, with lending slowing substantially from its 2017

Thepeak.” Financial Times and the Export-Import Bank of China loaned U.S. $75 billion for OBOR projects. By 2019, described OBOR’s peak as 2016, when the China Development Bank lending from those banks had fallen to U.S. $4 billion, SupChina reported. (Pictured: Workers take down a One Belt, One Road forum panel outside a Beijing venue in April 2019.) https://ipdefenseforum.com/2021/08/pandemic-scrutiny-prompt-slowdown-for-chinas-one-belt-one- road/ China’s Digital Nationalism and Activism Insights from Florian Schneider

By Mercy A. Kuo

August 17, 2021

The Diplomat author Mercy Kuo regularly engages subject-matter experts, policy practitioners, and strategic thinkers across the globe for their diverse insights into U.S. Asia policy. This conversation with Dr. Florian Schneider senior university lecturer in Modern China Studies at Leiden University, director of – the Leiden Asia Center is the 283rd - , and managing editor of “Asiascape: Digital Asia” – Explainin the “The key Trans elementsPacific of View China’s Insight digital Series.” nationalism and activism.

Digital nationalism emerges when nationalism gets filtered through the socio- technical systems of the internet. In China, those systems consist of four types of activities. First, the state and party promote a state-led nationalism to inspire unity and legitimate their actions. Secondly, commercial enterprises like ByteDance, Sina, or Tencent monetize viral interactions that feed on strong emotions like anger and fear. Then there are the internet users who produce unicative resources available to them online, for instance nationalist symbols and their own content, engage in discussion, and “poach” the comm discourses. Finally, and most crucially in digital nationalism, interfaces and algorithms curate content, promote specific activities, and guide how users can behave.

Together, these four dynamics lead to a networked logic full of feedback loops that creates resonance: a small change in one interaction can cascade to generate powerful, unanticipated outcomes elsewhere. This phenomenon is not unique to China, but examples from the PRC abound, for instance when nationalist outrage escalates over ty or when Chinese athletes disappoint at the Olympics. This is the outcome of celebrity comments that touch on China’s sovereign spiraling patriotic sentiments that, on their own, can seem banal, but that develop a life of their own in complex communication systems.

Examine the transformative role of new media in China’s state-society relations.

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New media have transformed how collective action works, for instance how online activists defend the nation on the internet. This now involves highly organized and strategic communication activities by users who draw from idol worship and popular online culture. My colleague Liu Hailong has called this -source their activities, produce and systematically spread memes, engage in “fandom nationalism.” Much like fan groups, nationalists now crowd disinformation campaigns, dox their opponents, and generally use the affordances of digital technology to their advantage.

The state and party react by trying to create hip memes for their own propaganda, but not necessarily to great effect. More commonly, they outsource such activities to private actors like transnational influencers, animation artists, satirists, and so on. This at times breaks down the state-society distinction: Governance in China is frequently characterized by public-private collaboration rather than top-down dictates. https://thediplomat.com/2021/08/chinas-digital-nationalism-and-activism/

A THOROUGH EXPLANATION OF CHINA’S LONG-TERM STRATEGY

PETER MATTIS AUGUST 17, 2021

BOOK REVIEWS

What are the Chinese Communist Party’s intentions? Does it seek to turn China into the hegemon of Asia and a global superpower? Or does it just aim to stay in power by whatever means necessary? Unfortunately, U.S. policymakers and analysts haven’t come to an agreement on how to answer these questions. That’s a problem, because China’s intentions ought to shape how the United States develops its strategy toward the Indo-Pacific.

Fortunately, Chinese Communist Party General Secretary Xi Jinping has made the answer to the first question much plainer for people inside and outside China. Xi marked the party’s centenary on July 1 with an hour-long speech about the party’s achievements and ambitions. Throughout the speech, Xi referenced the need to stay true to the party’s “original aspiration” and “founding mission” to bring about the “Great Rejuvenation of the Chinese Nation.” “To realize national rejuvenation,” Xi said, “the Party has united and led the Chinese people in pursuing a great struggle, a great project, a great cause, and a great dream.” Such language is a routine feature of leadership speeches, especially speeches Xi has given during his near decade in power. But what does it mean? What are the Chinese Communist Party’s ambitions? Should we understand Xi’s words as soaring rhetoric to mobilize the party faithful or as a plain statement of the party’s positions?

For all the talk in Washington about a new consensus on the China challenge, no consensus exists on the intentions of the Chinese Communist Party. Experienced and respected analysts still insist that the Chinese Communist Party just wants to stay in power or that its ambitions are regional rather than global. They believe Xi’s words — like those of every other party leader dating back to Mao Zedong — are formulaic tropes, signs of a moribund party trapped in its Leninist theory. The alternative view is that this formulaic language and the intellectual architecture built around national rejuvenation provides the basis for understanding the party’s ambitions. Debating the party’s ambitions may seem distant from the urgency of today’s problems in Sino- American relations. A clear answer to this question, however, is necessary to calibrate the U.S. response and to decide whether to revisit the goal of trying to preserve a liberally-biased international order or to pursue a more aggressive course, like containing or otherwise neutralizing the regime. Into this debate comes The Long Game: China’s Grand Strategy to Displace American Order by Rush Doshi, who is currently serving as a China director at the National Security Council. As the title of his book suggests, Doshi argues that Beijing does have a coherent strategy to displace America’s position in the world by stymying U.S. power and creating the infrastructure for a China-centric global order. Doshi arrives at this judgment by examining the statements of intent in party documents, speeches, and policy memoirs. He maintains that China’s strategy is first to blunt U.S. power and then to build the hardware and software of alternative regional and global orders.

Doshi insists the Chinese Communist Party has acted upon this strategy over time, adapting it based on the party’s assessments of its power relative to the United States. As he notes, more than a few experienced China scholars and former officials do not believe Beijing has a strategy or that it could execute one. The Long Game, however, makes a convincing case that the skeptics are wrong and that we need to spend more time making the connections between the words and deeds of the Chinese Communist Party. https://warontherocks.com/2021/08/a-thorough-explanation-of-chinas-long-term-strategy/

Philippines orders K745 Blue Shark ASW torpedoes from Korea, soft kill decoys from France, South Africa

AUGUST 17, 2021

The Philippines Department of National Defense (DND) has awarded a deal to acquire new anti-submarine torpedoes to South Korean defense company LIG Nex1, which will supply their K745 Blue Shark lightweight torpedoes to the Philippine Navy (PN).

No quantity was mentioned but the deal was reported to cost around PHP722.3 million (US$15 million).

The Philippine Navy has preferred the K745 Blue Shark torpedoes for use on its two South Korean-made Jose Rizal-class general purpose light frigates as the type is the standard anti-submarine weapon of the PN's AgustaWestland AW-159 Wildcat naval helicopters that will be operating from the frigates.

This would allow commonality for both the frigates and its complementing naval helicopters.

Thee DND is acquiring the torpedoes through Direct Negotiation with LIG Nex1 under a Government-to-Government (G2G) acquisition process supported by the South Korean Ministry of National Defense (MND).

The K745 Blue Shark lightweight anti-submarine torpedo was originally developed for the Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN) by South Korea's Agency of Defense Development (ADD) and was later on offered for export to other countries, with the Philippine Navy its the first export customer in 2019.

It has a reported range of around 19 kilometers, a maximum speed of 45 knots, and has a warhead capable of penetrating up to 1.5 meters thick steel.

It is guided by an acoustic homing seeker capable of passive or active homing, as well as an internal navigation system (INS).

Aside from torpedoes, the DND has also awarded the acquisition of 130mm chaffs to South Africa’s Rheinmetall Denel Munitions, which is expected to deliver the Rheinmetall Bullfighter 130mm RF/IR decoy.

The DND has also awarded a deal to acquire 130mm acoustic anti-torpedo decoys to France’s Naval Group, which reportedly offered the CANTO torpedo countermeasures.

Both decoys will also be used by the Jose Rizal-class frigates, which are equipped with the Terma C-Guard countermeasure launching systems. https://www.asiapacificdefensejournal.com/2021/08/philippines-orders-k745-blue-shark-asw.html

Analyst: PH must prevent spillover of Afghan conflict to Mindanao Benise Balaoing, ABS-CBN News Posted at Aug 17 2021 08:45 PM MANILA – Philippine authorities must be vigilant and make sure that the conflict in Afghanistan won’t spill over to Mindanao, an analyst said Tuesday. Philippine Institute for Peace, Violence and Terrorism Research chief Rommel Banlaoi said that the replacement of a slain Maute group leader is now based in Afghanistan.

“With the death of Isnilon Hapilon, he has been replaced by another person, an Indonesian by the name of Saypula. And Saypula is now based in Afghanistan, being coddled by Taliban forces who defected to the Islamic State,” Banlaoi told ANC’s “Dateline Philippines.” Aside from being an Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) leader, Hapilon was also one of the leaders of the Islamic State-inspired Maute group, which laid siege to Marawi in May 2017. He was killed in a military assault in October that year, according to the military.

“We should remain vigilant and prevent the situation in Afghanistan to spill over to the southern Philippines,” Banlaoi said.

The security analyst warned that Taliban’s victory in Afghanistan may inspire other extremist groups to commit terrorist acts.

“The victory of the Taliban can also inspire other Islamic groups worldwide to pursue their brand of jihad, that it can happen, that they can also do it," said Banlaoi.

The Taliban declared victory in Afghanistan after taking control of the capital Kabul and President Ashraf Ghani fled the nation on Sunday, marking the Islamist militant group's return to power 20 years after its removal by US-led forces.

- with report from Kyodo News https://news.abs-cbn.com/video/news/08/17/21/analyst-ph-must-prevent-spillover-of-afghan-conflict- to-mindanao

US commander vows 'overwhelming force' if Taliban interfere with evacuation BY ALEX GANGITANO - 08/17/21 03:56 PM EDT 896

The U.S. has warned the Taliban that interference with evacuation efforts out of Afghanistan would be met with commander of U.S. Central Command, said on Tuesday. “overwhelming force,” Gen. Frank McKenzie, the McKenzie said he met with Taliban senior leaders in Doha on Sunday and them that any attack would be met with overwhelming force in the defense of “cautioned them against interference in our evacuation, and made it clear to our forces.” a“The statement. protection of U.S. civilians and our partners is my highest priority and we will take all necessary action to ensure a safe and efficient withdrawal,” he said in White House press secretary Jen Psakialso told reporters at the White House that if the Taliban interfere in safe passage to the airport, "the consequences are the full weight and force of the United States military."

McKenzie said he evaluated the situation at Kabul's Hamid Karzai International ensuring safe movement for civilians and diplomats. Airport and said the U.S. military is “efficiently” operating the airfield and The airport was a chaotic scene on Monday as desperate Afghans surrounded and grasped onto U.S. military evacuation flights.

The U.S. military has confirmed that human remains were found in the wheel well of a C-17 plane that was swarmed at the airport on Monday, while videos also appeared to show people falling off a plane as it gained altitude.

The U.S. temporarily halted flights evacuating Americans and at-risk Afghans until it regained control of the airport. The administration has come under intense scrutiny for the chaos at the airport, and White House officials stressed Tuesday that the airport was secure and open to civilian air traffic.

National security adviser Jake Sullivantold reporters the Taliban assured the U.S. that the group would allow for civilians to safely get to the airport. ntrollers and ground handlers are rapidly scaling up operations to ensure the smooth flow of military reinforcements to the airport and“U.S. the military evacuation air traffic of U.S. co and partner civilians in coordination with our State ently, the airfield is secure and now

Department colleagues,” McKenzie said. “Curr Theopen Pentagon to civilian has air sent traffic thousands operating of under U.S. troops visual to flight help rules.” evacuate people and to secure the Kabul airport. The administration on Tuesday vowed to accelerate evacuation flights out of Afghanistan.

Over the next day, the U.S. military plans to provide one flight out of Kabul per hour, a pace that could evacuate up to 5,000 to 9,000 people per day, the Pentagon announced on Tuesday. https://thehill.com/policy/defense/568249-us-commander-vows-overwhelming-force-if-taliban- interferes-with-evacuation

Afghanistan Exit Latest in Long History of U.S. Noncombatant Evacuation Missions

By: Gidget Fuentes August 17, 2021 12:41 PM

The Pentagon acknowledged on Monday the evacuation of Americans and other U.S. diplomatic personnel from Afghanistan and Afghan emigrants is a - safeguard the exit of civilians and other non-combatants from a country. “non combatant evacuation operation,” a mission for U.S. forces to Over the weekend, images from the rapid decline of security in Afghanistan as Taliban forces spread into provincial capitals and, this weekend, into the Afghan capital of Kabul lent comparisons to the 1975 evacuations in then-– – AfghanistanSouth Vietnam’s becomes anothercapital of in Saigon. a long line of countries where U.S. service members have been ordered in to provide security and help in the evacuations, a joint mission run by the Department of State and the Department of Defense and guided by Joint Publication 3-68. That

(DOD) to assist in evacuating US citizens and nationals, DOD civilian personnel,document describesand designated a NEO personsas: “conducted (host nation by the [HN] Depart andment third of country Defense nationals [TCNs]) whose lives are in danger from locations in a foreign nation to an appropriate safe haven, when directed by the Department of State (DOS). US policy is contained in a memorandum of agreement

Departments of State and Defense on the Protection and Evacuation of US Citizensbetween andDOD Nationals and DOS, and titled Designated ‘Memorandum Other ofPersons Agreemen fromt betweenThreatened the

AreasBut every Overseas.’” NEO mission is different.

Some operations are limited while others are broader in the scope of the evacuations. In some cases, the political and security environment improves and enables the return of civilians; in other cases, the exit is permanent, at least in the near-term. Some NEOs involve the evacuation of the U.S. embassy and Americans, but not all. And in other NEOs, U.S. troops support the evacuations of local foreigners to safer ground. Some NEOs end up with U.S. troops deployed but no evacuation subsequently required.

Past operations have been missions to reinforce the embassy, usually with additional Marines for security. And others are evacuation missions. The latest was in March 2016, when the Department of Defense ordered several hundred U.S. military families to leave Incirlik Air Base in Turkey due to the degrading security environment there. The largest so far was the evacuation of more than 20,000 U.S. service members and their families from Subic Bay Naval Base, Cubi Point Naval Air Station and Clark Air Base after the 1991 volcanic eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines. https://news.usni.org/2021/08/17/afghanistan-exit-latest-in-long-history-of-u-s-noncombatant- evacuation-missions

Billions spent on Afghan army ultimately benefited Taliban

By ROBERT BURNSAugust 17, 2021

WASHINGTON (AP) — Built and trained at a two-decade cost of $83 billion, Afghan security forces collapsed so quickly and completely — in some cases without a shot fired — that the ultimate beneficiary of the American investment turned out to be the Taliban. They grabbed not only political power but also U.S.-supplied firepower — guns, ammunition, helicopters and more.

The Taliban captured an array of modern military equipment when they overran Afghan forces who failed to defend district centers. Bigger gains followed, including combat aircraft, when the Taliban rolled up provincial capitals and military bases with stunning speed, topped by capturing the biggest prize, Kabul, over the weekend.

A U.S. defense official on Monday confirmed the Taliban’s sudden accumulation of U.S.-supplied Afghan equipment is enormous. The official was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and so spoke on condition of anonymity. The reversal is an embarrassing consequence of misjudging the viability of Afghan government forces — by the U.S. military as well as intelligence agencies — which in some cases chose to surrender their vehicles and weapons rather than fight.

The U.S. failure to produce a sustainable Afghan army and police force, and the reasons for their collapse, will be studied for years by military analysts. The basic dimensions, however, are clear and are not unlike what happened in Iraq. The forces turned out to be hollow, equipped with superior arms but largely missing the crucial ingredient of combat motivation.

“Money can’t buy will. You cannot purchase leadership,” John Kirby, chief spokesman for Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, said Monday.

Doug Lute, a retired Army lieutenant general who help direct Afghan war strategy during the George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations, said that what the Afghans received in tangible resources they lacked in the more important intangibles. “The principle of war stands — moral factors dominate material factors,” he said. “Morale, discipline, leadership, unit cohesion are more decisive than numbers of forces and equipment. As outsiders in Afghanistan, we can provide materiel, but only Afghans can provide the intangible moral factors.”

By contrast, Afghanistan’s Taliban insurgents, with smaller numbers, less sophisticated weaponry and no air power, proved a superior force. U.S. intelligence agencies largely underestimated the scope of that superiority, and even after President Joe Biden announced in April he was withdrawing all U.S. troops, the intelligence agencies did not foresee a Taliban final offensive that would succeed so spectacularly.

“If we wouldn’t have used hope as a course of action, ... we would have realized the rapid drawdown of U.S. forces sent a signal to the Afghan national forces that they were being abandoned,” said Chris Miller, who saw combat in Afghanistan in 2001 and was acting secretary of defense at the end of President Donald Trump’s term.

Stephen Biddle, a professor of international and public affairs at Columbia University and a former adviser to U.S. commanders in Afghanistan, said Biden’s announcement set the final collapse in motion.

“The problem of the U.S. withdrawal is that it sent a nationwide signal that the jig is up — a sudden, nationwide signal that everyone read the same way,” Biddle said. Before April, the Afghan government troops were slowly but steadily losing the war, he said. When they learned that their American partners were going home, an impulse to give up without a fight “spread like wildfire.”

The failures, however, go back much further and run much deeper. The United States tried to develop a credible Afghan defense establishment on the fly, even as it was fighting the Taliban, attempting to widen the political foundations of the government in Kabul and seeking to establish democracy in a country rife with corruption and cronyism. https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-army-taliban-995b069a9008690582cb34f4cacd8515

America’s withdrawal of choice 17 Aug 2021|Richard N. Haass

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has fled the country. His government has collapsed as Taliban fighters enter Kabul. Bringing back memories of the ignominious fall of Saigon in of weeks. How did it come to this? 1975, two decades of America’s military presence in Afghanistan has vanished in a matter There are wars of necessity, including World War II and the 1990 91 Gulf War. These are wars in which military force is employed because it is deemed to be the best and often only way to protect vital national interests. There also are wars of choice,– such as the Vietnam and 2003 Iraq wars, in which a country goes to war even though the interests at stake are less than vital and there are nonmilitary tools that can be employed.

Now, it seems, there are also withdrawals of choice, when a government removes troops that it could have left in a theatre of operation. It does not withdraw troops because their mission has been accomplished, their presence has become untenable or they are no longer welcomed by the host government. None of these conditions applied to the situation the United States found itself in Afghanistan at the start of President Joe Bid administration. Withdrawal was a choice, and, as is often true of wars of choice, the results promise to be tragic. en’s

American troops first went to Afghanistan 20 years ago to fight alongside Afghan tribes seeking to oust the Taliban government that harboured al-Qaeda, the terrorist group responsible for the September 11, 2001, attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people in the US. The Taliban were soon on the run, although many of their leaders escaped to Pakistan, where over time they reconstituted themselves and resumed the fight against the Afghan government.

Troop numbers increased over the years to more than 110,000 as US ambitions in Afghanistan expanded. The cost was enormous: an estimated US$2 trillion and close to 2,500—at Americ one pointan lives, during more Barack than Obama’s 1,100 lives presidency of its coalition partners, as well— as up to 70,000 Afghan military casualties and nearly 50,000 civilian deaths. The results, however, were modest: while an elected Afghan government big cities, its grip on power remained tenuous and the Taliban regained control over many smaller towns and villages. (unique in the country’s history) controlled the The US intervention in Afghanistan was a classic case of overreach, a limited war of necessity initiated in 2001 that morphed over the years into a costly war of choice. But by the time Biden assumed the presidency, overreach was a thing of the past. American troop levels were down to around 3,000; their role was largely limited to training, advising and supporting Afghan forces. There had not been an American combat fatality in Afghanistan since February 2020. The modest US presence was both an anchor for some 8,500 troops from allied countries and a military and psychological backstop for the Afghan government. In the US, Afghanistan had largely faded as an issue. Americans did not vote in the 2020 presidential election with the country in mind and were not marching in the streets protesting US policy there. After 20 years, the US had reached a level of limited involvement commensurate with the stakes. Its presence would not lead to military victory or peace, but it would avert the collapse of a government that, however imperfect, was far preferable to the alternative that is now taking power. Sometimes what matters in foreign policy is not what you can accomplish but what you can avoid. Afghanistan was such a case. administration, which in February 2020 signed an accord with the Taliban (cutting out the governmentBut this was notof Afghanistan US policy. Biden in the was process) working that from set a a May script 2021 inherited deadline from for Donald the withdrawal Trump’s of US combat troops. The agreement did not oblige the Taliban to disarm or commit to a ceasefire, but only to agree not to host terrorist groups on Afghan territory. It was not a peace agreement but a pact that provided a fig leaf, and a thin one at that, for American withdrawal.

The Biden administration has honoured this deeply flawed agreement in every way but one: the deadline for full US military withdrawal was extended by just over three months. Biden rejected any policy that would have tied US troop withdrawal to conditions on the ground or additional Taliban actions. Instead, fearing a scenario in which security conditions deteriorated and created pressure to take the politically unpopular step of redeploying troops, Biden simply removed all US forces.

As was widely predicted, momentum dramatically shifted to the Taliban and away from the dispirited government after the announced (and now actual) US military departure. With the Taliban taking control of all of Afghanistan, widespread reprisals, harsh repression of women and girls, and massive refugee flows are a near certainty. Preventing terrorist groups from returning to the country will prove far more difficult without an in-country presence.

Over time, there is the added danger that the Taliban will seek to extend their writ to much sanctuary to the Taliban for so many years that allowed it to wage war. Now, in a modern- dayof Pakistan. version Ifof so, Frankenstein it would be hard to miss the irony, as it was Pakistan’s provision of a taking the war to Pakistan large population, nuclear arsenal, it’s possible and history that Afghanistanof war with India.will become a sanctuary for —potentially a nightmare scenario given Pakistan’s fragility, The hasty and poorly planned US withdrawal may not even provide sufficient time to evacuate now-vulnerable Afghans who worked with the US and Afghan governments. Beyond the local consequences, the grim aftermath of Americ will reinforce questions about US reliability among friends and foes far and wide. a’s strategic and moral failure Biden was recently asked if he harboured any regrets about his decision to withdraw all US troops from Afghanistan. He replied that he did not. He should. https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/americas-withdrawal-of-choice/ Costs of the Afghanistan war, in lives and dollars

By ELLEN KNICKMEYERAugust 17, 2021

At just short of 20 years, the now-ending U.S. combat mission in Afghanistan was America’s longest war. Ordinary Americans tended to forget about it, and it received measurably less oversight from Congress than the Vietnam War did. But its death toll is in the many tens of thousands. And because the U.S. borrowed most of the money to pay for it, generations of Americans will be burdened by the cost of paying it off.

Here’s a look at the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan, by the numbers, as the Taliban in a lightning offensive take over much of the country before the United States’ Aug. 31 deadline for ending its combat role and as the U.S. speeds up American and Afghan evacuations.

Much of the data below is from Linda Bilmes of Harvard University’s Kennedy School and from the Brown University Costs of War project. Because the United States between 2003 and 2011 fought the Afghanistan and Iraq wars simultaneously, and many American troops served tours in both wars, some figures as noted cover both post-9/11 U.S. wars. https://apnews.com/article/middle-east-business-afghanistan-43d8f53b35e80ec18c130cd683e1a38f

Obama’s Defense Secretary Says Biden Doesn’t Have His Act Together When an Obama cabinet secretary feels the need to criticize President Biden, you know things are bad.

what Leon Panetta, who served as secretary of defense from 2011 to 2013, has to say to the Washington Post about Afghanistan withdrawal:Here’s Biden’s really spend much time on the issue that I think really concerns the American people, which is the execution of that decision. What went wrong and how it is going to be “He didn’t said Leon Panetta, a longtime adviser to Democratic presidents who served as defense secretary under President Barack Obama. just struck me that they were fixed?”crossing their fingers and hoping chaos would not result. And it work that Panetta, who said he has been unsure what to tell the“It numerous contacts in Afghanistan calling him seeking a way out of the country, said, now it justdoesn’t does not look likeway.” we have our act and expressed surprise at the seeming lack of preparation. not the Joe Biden that I often saw in the National“right Security Council raising questions about the planningtogether” involved in any decision that the president had to he said. would“It’s be among those that would say, we looked at all the consequences? Have we looked at all the possible land mines that we might have to face in implementingface,” that“He He was good at that. I assume‘Have he must have asked those questions. But clear that, for whatever reason, those plans or strategies or precautions were not put in decision?’ it’s In a separate interview with CNN, Panetta said of Biden: “He’s just got to ensureplace.” that the United States of America remains a strong world leader that can work with our allies to try to protect peace and prosperity. That is the message he’s got to give the American people and the world, because our credibility right now is in question.” https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/obamas-defense-secretary-says-biden-doesnt-have-his-act- together/

White House rebuts Chinese claim that Afghanistan withdrawal suggests weakening support for Taiwan

• ‘When it comes to Taiwan, it is a fundamentally different question, in a different context,’ US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan says • Remarks come after Chinese state media say withdrawal shows US to be an unreliable partner, one Taiwan should not depend on

The White House dismissed criticism from Chinese state media on Tuesday that the US military withdrawal from Afghanistan also signalled a weakened commitment to Taiwan and other American allies and partners around the world.

“When it comes to Taiwan, it is a fundamentally different question, in a different context,” US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said at a White House briefing.

“We believe that our commitments to our allies and partners are sacrosanct and always have been,” he said. “We believe our commitment to Taiwan, and to Israel, remains as strong as it’s ever been.” https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3145406/white-house-rebuts-chinese-claim- afghanistan-withdrawal

Report to Congress on Joint All-Domain Command and Control

August 17, 2021 11:45 AM

The following is the Aug 12, 2021 Congressional Research Service report, Joint All-Domain Command and Control: Background and Issues for Congress.

From the report

The Department of Defense (DOD) is in the process of a once-in-a- generation modernization of its approach to commanding military forces. and control architecture is insufficient to meet the demands of the 2018 NationalSenior DOD Defense leaders Strategy have stated (NDS). that Joint the All-Domain department’ Commands existing and command Control services Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and Space Force into a single(JADC2) network. is DOD’s concept to connect sensors from all of the military — — DOD points to ride-sharing service Uber as an analogy to describe its desired end state for JADC2. Uber combines two different apps one for

Uber algorithm determines the optimal match based on distance,— travel time,riders and and passengers a second for (among drivers. other Using variables). the respecti In vethe users’case of positions, JADC2, that the logic would find the optimal platform to attack a given target, or the unit best able to address an emerging threat. For JADC2 to work effectively, DOD is pursuing three new or emerging technologies: automation and artificial intelligence, cloud environments, and new communications methods.

Several agencies and organizations within DOD are involved in JADC2- related efforts. The following list highlights selected organizations and projects associated with JADC2 development:

• DOD Chief Information Officer: Fifth Generation (5G) Information Communications Technologies. • Office of the Secretary of Defense (Research & Engineering): Fully Networked Command, Control, and Communications (FNC3). • Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency: Mosaic Warfare. • Air Force: Advanced Battle Management System (ABMS). • Army: Project Convergence. • Navy: Project Overmatch.

DOD develops new methods to command and control military forces, Congress may consider several potential issues:

• How can Congress consider JADC2-related activities in advance of validated requirements or cost estimates? • How can DOD ensure interoperability among each of the military

• How should DOD prioritize competing communications requirements forservices’ its future and network?allies’ communications systems? • What role will artificial intelligence play in future command and control decisionmaking systems? • What potential force structure changes will be necessary to meet JADC2 requirements? • How should DOD manage JADC2-related efforts? https://news.usni.org/2021/08/17/report-to-congress-on-joint-all-domain-command-and-control-3

Report: Space security a growing concern as activities proliferate in orbit by Sandra Erwin — August 17, 2021

WASHINGTON — Unfettered access and freedom to navigate in outer space will be challenged in the coming years and decades, experts predict, as more countries and commercial players pursue new ventures.

“It is not surprising, therefore, that space has become an increasingly important domain for defense and national security operations,” says a new report released Aug. 17 by the Space Foundation and the consulting firm KPMG.

The report “Navigating Space: A Vision for the Space Domain,” drew from interviews with nearly two dozen industry executives and defense officials.

As more businesses go to space and more countries embark on space exploration, there will be a shift in the role of military forces, the report says. Rather than being the dominant players in space, military organizations will have to partner with allies and with civilians to ensure space remains safe for everyone to use. “A growing number of countries are realigning their defense organizations to recognize the importance of space,” says the report. “Non-governmental organizations are also crowding into the domain. And that is changing the focus for many military players.”

According to the chief of space operations of the U.S. Space Force Gen. John “Jay” Raymond, who is quoted in the report, “In the long term, space is going to become the most vital domain for national security, surpassing air, land and sea.”

“I think that we will see an increase to the human presence in space, and eventually there will be people living on other planets as we do today on the International Space Station,” Raymond adds. “A heightened need to secure the domain will follow that increase in human activity beyond our planet. Additionally, space will become more critical as an economic hub. In the long-term, the level of wealth generated in the space domain will be significant.”

Thomas Dorame, senior vice president of the Space Foundation, says Raymond’s take about space one day becoming the most important domain for national security was echoed by other experts. “We didn’t just hear that from Jay Raymond, I think we heard that from everybody that we spoke with for this report.”

The U.S. Space Force, just like other newly formed military organizations, “is still trying to figure out how best to protect space, how best to secure it and how best to ensure that as a domain, we can operate safely,” says Dorame. “It’s a recognition of how critical space is to everything we do, that there needs to be norms, and there needs to be security within space.” https://spacenews.com/report-space-security-a-growing-concern-as-activities-proliferate-in-orbit/

USS Higgins and USS Howard arrive in Yokosuka, Japan, join DESRON 15 By Commander, Task Force 71 Public Affairs

YOKOSUKA, Japan –

The Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers, USS Higgins (DDG 76) and USS Howard (DDG 83) arrived Aug. 16, to their new forward-deployed location in Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Japan.

The forward presence of Higgins and Howard directly supports enduring national security strategic guidance initiatives to posture the most capable units forward in the Indo-Pacific Region. Their addition to Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 15 continues support toward the security of the United States and its allies and partners, including shared strategic interests.

The United States values Japan’s contributions to the Indo-Pacific and its long-term commitment and hospitality in hosting U.S. forces forward-deployed there. These forces, along with their counterparts in the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, frequently operate together allowing a rapid response with maritime and joint forces to uphold a rules-based international order that promotes security and well-being.

Higgins and Howard’s arrival brings striking power and operational readiness to maintain a presence in the region, preserve peace and security, and further our maritime partnerships.

“We are excited to have Higgins and Howard join our forward-deployed team,” said Capt. Chase Sargeant, commander, Task Force (CTF) 71. “These two ships will be an integral part of the 7th Fleet team for years to come.”

Higgins is a Flight II destroyer with ballistic missile defense capabilities and Howard is a Flight IIA destroyer capable of embarking two MH-60 variant helicopters with improved ballistic missile defense, anti-air, and surface warfare capabilities.

"These destroyers are some of the most capable ships our Navy has to offer,” added Sargeant. "Adding them to our forward deployed forces is a clear signal of our continuing commitment to our partners and allies, and our mutual commitment to maintaining stable regional maritime security."

Sailors and their family members received relocation briefings and support, to include the current Commander Naval Forces Japan COVID-19 mitigation measures all service members and their families are expected to adhere to. These measures ensure the United States Navy is doing its part to stop the spread of the corona virus and protect Sailors, their families and the local community.

As the U.S. Navy's largest forward-deployed fleet, 7th Fleet employs 50 to 70 ships and submarines across the Western Pacific and Indian Oceans. U.S. 7th Fleet routinely operates and inter -acts with 35 maritime nations while conducting missions to preserve and protect a free and open Indo-Pacific region. https://www.c7f.navy.mil/Media/News/Display/Article/2733578/uss-higgins-and-uss-howard-arrive-in- yokosuka-japan-join-desron-15/

Why The Navy’s Most Powerful Aircraft Carrier Has So Many Problems

By Benjamin Brimelow

Published 2 mins ago

This month, the USS Gerald R. Ford, the US Navy’s newest aircraft carrier, successfully completed its shock trials. The third and final 40,000-pound explosive detonated near the Ford’s hull and caused no major injuries, flooding, or fires.

“We had zero catastrophic failures on the ship, zero situations where we had flooding or anything, and zero fires. All that is pretty significant,” Capt. Paul Lanzilotta, the Ford’s commanding officer, told reporters. The shock trials are the latest milestone for a carrier that has struggled through years of delays and cost overruns — setbacks caused at least in part by the many brand-new systems the Navy chose to put on its newest class of carrier, the service’s top officer said in July.

In an interview at a Navy League event, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael Gilday said the Navy had been too ambitious with the Ford’s new technologies.

“We had 23 new technologies on that ship, which quite frankly increased the risk … of delivery on time and cost right from the get-go.” Gilday said.

“We really shouldn’t introduce more than maybe one or two new technologies on any complex platform like that in order to make sure that we keep risk at a manageable level,” Gilday added.

The Force class is meant to modernize carrier operations for a new era, and the 23 new technologies aboard the Ford give it a number of improvements over its Nimitz-class predecessors, including faster aircraft sorties and a smaller crew.

The most well-known additions are the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) and Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG). While the four catapults on board Nimitz-class carriers are steam-powered, Ford’s EMALS uses linear induction motors. The new catapults are more efficient than their steam-powered counterparts and launch fixed-wing aircraft more smoothly and at much faster rates.

The AAG also has advantages over its predecessor, the Mark-7 hydraulic arresting gear.

A turbo-electric system, the AAG has digital controls capable of self-diagnosis and of sending maintenance alerts, requiring less manpower and time to maintain.

The new arresting gear can also handle the weight of a wider variety of aircraft, meaning that the AAG, along with EMALS, will enable Navy carriers to reliably launch and land both manned and unmanned aircraft. The Ford also features a new elevator system that is designed with larger and more complex smart munitions in mind. The Ford’s 11 elevators are specifically built and positioned within the carrier to decrease the time it takes to move weapons from the ship’s magazines to the flight deck.

Its new Dual Band Radar (DBR) system is capable of simultaneously operating over two frequency ranges. Unlike the system on the Nimitz class, the DBR has no rotating antennas, which increases its reliability and makes maintenance easier.

To top it all off, Ford powers its new systems with two newly designed A1B nuclear reactors that can generate almost three times more power than the A4W reactors used on Nimitz-class carriers. https://www.19fortyfive.com/2021/08/why-the-navys-most-powerful-aircraft-carrier-has-so-many- problems/

U.S. Tests Unmanned Mine Detectors in Large Scale Naval Exercise

The U.S. Navy successfully detected underwater mines using unmanned systems in the U.S. Navy's Large Scale Exercise(LSE) 2021. The Navy Expeditionary Combat Command's Expeditionary Mine Countermeasures, or exMCM, Company 2-3 and the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 6 (EODMU-6), EOD Group 2, embarked on amphibious ship, USS Arlington to participate in the exercise. Sailors from EODMU-6 deployed two unmanned undersea vehicles from inflatable boats out of Arlington to detect and destroy underwater mines, the navy said in a release. "We embarked on the Arlington to conduct underwater mine countermeasures from the sea," Senior Chief Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician Clifford Sabo, ExMCM Company 203's leading chief petty officer, said. "Over the last week, with help from the Arlington crew, my unmanned systems platoon was able to find and identify two underwater training mine-like contacts on the ocean floor," Sabo added. The ExMCM is an adaptable force of vehicles capable of integrating with or separating from each other operate in high-risk environments. The LSE event across multiple fleets provided high-end training at sea and ashore to show how maritime operations synchronize in support of the joint force, the Navy said. In September of 2019, the Navy had tested Mk 18 Mod 1 Swordfish and Mk 18 Mod 2 Kingfish UUVs in cold water to perform mine hunting, hydrographic surveys and intelligence preparation of the operational environment. https://www.defenseworld.net/news/30240/U_S__Tests_Unmanned_Mine_Detectors_in_Large_Scale_ Naval_Exercise#.YR33eugzbIU

U.S. surveillance of North intensifies during military exercise

U.S. military surveillance activities on North Korea have begun in earnest as the joint U.S.-South Korean military exercise began on Monday.

According to an aircraft tracking website called Radar Box on Tuesday, the U.S. Air Force's ground surveillance reconnaissance aircraft, the Northrop Grumman E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (Joint Stars), appeared over the Yellow Sea off Taean, South Chungcheong, on Monday and Tuesday at beginning of the joint exercise.

Joint Stars is equipped with a 7.2-meter (23.6-foot)-long high performance surveillance radar at the front of its fuselage. Using this radar, the plane can track and monitor 600 ground targets simultaneously that are up to 250 kilometers (155 miles) away. It can fly for up to 10 hours and has a surveillance area of 1 million square kilometers, about five times the area of the Korean Peninsula.

The U.S. Air Force's Boeing RC-135S reconnaissance plane, also known as the Cobra Ball, made similar maneuvers. The aircraft took off from Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan, on Monday according to the aircraft tracking website, making its way to the East China Sea, south of the Korean Peninsula.

The Cobra Ball, equipped with advanced optical equipment, can observe and track potential launches of North Korea's intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) from a long distance.

Regarding the flurry of reconnaissance flights in the airspace surrounding the Korean Peninsula, David Maxwell, a senior researcher at the U.S.-South Korea Combined Forces Command's operational staff, told Voice of America (VOA) that the U.S. military was looking out for unusual movements from the North Korean military in response to the joint drills.

“It is a prudent and wise measure to conduct intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance, to observe the military activity so that the combined military force can be ready to defend South Korea,” Maxwell said.

Regarding the possibility of an armed provocation by North Korea during the drills, he said, “Well it's very possible. You know this is their typical playbook that they've been using for 70 years.

“It's part of their blackmail diplomacy in which they use increased tensions, threat and provocations to try to gain political and economic concessions.”

Earlier on Aug. 10, North Korea protested the drills by issuing two consecutive statements under name of Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and deputy information department director of the Workers' Party, and Kim Yong-chol, head of the party’s Unification Front Department.

South Korea will “realize by the minute what a dangerous choice they made and what a serious security crisis they will face because of their wrong choice," said Kim Yong-chol in the second statement on Aug. 11.

According to the South Korean and U.S. military authorities, the drill will be conducted over nine days (excluding weekends) until Aug. 26 as a computer-simulated training directed by the command center. The number of participants in this month's drills was further reduced from the drills which took place in the first half of March.

https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2021/08/17/national/northKorea/aircraft-surveillance- drills/20210817183400322.html

Chinese envoy warns against Afghanistan being heaven again for terrorists

(Xinhua) 08:53, August 17, 2021

"Afghanistan must never again become heaven for terrorists. This is the bottom line that must be held firmly for any future political solution in Afghanistan," a Chinese envoy said.

UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Monday warned against Afghanistan becoming heaven again for terrorists.

In the last 20 years, terrorist organizations such as the Islamic State, al-Qaida and the East Turkestan Independence Movement (ETIM) have gathered and developed in Afghanistan, posing a serious threat to international and regional peace and security, said Geng Shuang, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations.

"Afghanistan must never again become heaven for terrorists. This is the bottom line that must be held firmly for any future political solution in Afghanistan," he told an emergency meeting of the Security Council on the situation in Afghanistan.

"We hope that the Taliban in Afghanistan will earnestly deliver on their commitments and make a clean break with the terrorist organizations," he said. "All countries should fulfill their obligations in accordance with international law and Security Council resolutions, work with each other in combating terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, and take resolute actions to prevent terrorist organizations such as the Islamic State, al-Qaida and the ETIM from taking advantage of this chaos (in Afghanistan)."

The situation in Afghanistan has undergone major changes. China respects the will and choice of the Afghan people. The war in Afghanistan has lasted more than 40 years. To stop the war and realize peace is the shared aspiration of the Afghan people and the common expectation of the international community and countries in the region. The pressing task at the moment is to restore peace, stability and order as soon as possible, so as to avoid casualties and large-scale refugee flows, he said.

The rights and interests of diplomatic missions and personnel in Afghanistan are inviolable. The safety and security, and interests of foreign nationals in Afghanistan must be respected and guaranteed. All parties in Afghanistan have the responsibility to protect people's lives and property. They should provide assurance for the safe residence and orderly evacuation of foreign nationals, said Geng.

China has always maintained that a political solution is the only way out for Afghanistan. At present, Afghanistan's national prospects are at a historic crossroads. China has noted the Taliban's statement on Sunday that the war in Afghanistan was over and that they would hold talks aimed at forming an open, inclusive Islamic government in Afghanistan and take responsible actions to protect the safety of Afghan citizens and foreign diplomatic missions. China hopes these commitments can be honored so as to ensure a smooth transition of the situation in Afghanistan, keep at bay all kinds of terrorism and criminal acts, and make sure that the Afghan people stay away from war and can rebuild their homeland. http://en.people.cn/n3/2021/0817/c90000-9884766.html

Update: Senator reveals '30,000 US troops stationed in Taiwan island,' equal to ‘declaring war on China’ if it's true；tweet deleted after wide controversy

By Liu Caiyu Published: Aug 17, 2021 04:37 PM Updated: Aug 17, 2021 08:43 PM

A senior US senator, also a member of US Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, on his social media revealed that the US has 30,000 soldiers stationed in China's Taiwan island. If the tweet is correct, it is a military invasion and occupation of China's Taiwan and equivalent to the US declaring war on China. China could immediately activate its Anti-Secession Law to destroy and expel US troops in Taiwan and reunify Taiwan militarily, some experts noted.

Some others believe the news leaked by the US senator cannot be true because 30,000 is not some small amount that the US Army could hide and not being noticed in the island, and the US has nothing to gain by stationing the US Army in the island. Sacrificing its own interests to satisfy Taiwan separatists also does not fit with US foreign policy, just like the US did in Afghanistan.

In the tweet, Senator John Cornyn listed the number of US troops stationed in South Korea, Germany, Japan, China's Taiwan and on the African continent to show how the number of US soldiers has dwindled in Afghanistan. But in the process, Cornyn revealed the shocking news that there are 30,000 US troops in China's Taiwan island.

His tweet raised a wave of doubts among netizens with many commenting below his tweet: "how come the US still has troops in Taiwan," "so the US army has a secret division in Taiwan," "Cornyn must have mistaken the number," and "this should have been before 1979."

Cornyn did not immediately delete his tweet or make any corrections after he posted it on early Tuesday. He deleted the tweet until later his tweet ignited wide controversy and media attention.

Neither the senator nor the US government made any comments over the tweet.

The Taiwan island "defense department" made a low-key denial on Tuesday, saying it is wrong and it would not comment on it, Taiwan-based media outlet SETN.com reported.

As a senior senator from Texas, who was once a Republican Senate Majority Whip for the 114th and 115th Congresses, and now a member of US Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Cornyn should be aware of the US government's military intelligence.

Li Haidong, a professor at the Institute of International Relations of the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times on Tuesday that such ridiculous and shocking news is more likely the result from the old age of the senator that makes him a dotard or his confusion about the data with previous data in the 1970s or 1960s. But we have to acknowledge that there are also some US senators fabricating data to boost their political careers.

Whether it is a mistake or hype, we could see the US politician has a lack of political sensitivity and is irresponsible in making public remarks, which is jaw- dropping, Li said.

"I would choose not to believe this is the real case," Song Zhongping, a Chinese military expert and TV commentator, told the Global Times on Tuesday. He said the US cannot conceal 30,000 soldiers plus their equipment in the island. US would not dare or take such risk to do so. But we cannot rule out the possibility that the US would dispatch such amount of troops when a military conflict breaks out in the Taiwan Straits.

If the US and China went to a war because US brazenly stationed troops in the island of Taiwan, whether 30,000 or 1,000, the price cannot be paid off for the US and the US clearly understands it. It is impossible for the US to be silly enough to sacrifice itself to satisfy Taiwan separatists, Li noted.

Foreign policies of the US clearly demonstrate that the US would rather sacrifice its allies to satisfy its own demands and interests, as it has never been the opposite, and the scenarios in Afghanistan, Vietnam, Iraq and Syria are the evidence, the expert explained. https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202108/1231686.shtml

Chinese state media chief calls for war with US over troop numbers in Taiwan Taiwanese military salute array fires a 21-gun salute. (Photo by Qi Yongming, Voice of America/Released)

AUGUST 17, 2021 RYAN MORGAN

Hu Xijin, the editor-in-chief of the Chinese state-run Global Times, tweeted a call for war after Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) mistakenly tweeted that there are 30,000 U.S. troops currently stationed in Taiwan.

In a now-deleted tweet sent on Tuesday, Cornyn said, “US Troops Today in: South Korea – 28,000; Germany – 35,486; Japan – 50,000; Taiwan – 30,000; Africa – 7,000; Afghanistan (month or 2 ago) – 2,500.” Responding to Cornyn’s post, Hu tweeted, “Now, the US and the Taiwan authorities must explain. If it is true that the US has 30,000, or less than that number, soldiers stationed on the Taiwan island, Chinese military forces will immediately launch a war to eliminate and expel the US soldiers.” https://americanmilitarynews.com/2021/08/chinese-state-media-chief-calls-for-war-with-us-over- troop-numbers-in-taiwan/

China holds assault drills near Taiwan after 'provocations'

BEIJING: China carried out assault drills near Taiwan on Tuesday (Aug 17) with warships and fighter jets exercising off the southwest and southeast of the island, in what the country's armed forces said was as a response to "external interference" and "provocations".

Taiwan, which Beijing claims as Chinese territory, has complained of repeated People's Liberation Army (PLA) drills in its vicinity in the past two years or so, part of a pressure campaign to force the island to accept China's sovereignty.

In a brief statement, the PLA's Eastern Theatre Command said warships, anti- submarine aircraft and fighter jets had been dispatched close to Taiwan to carry out "joint fire assault and other drills using actual troops".

It did not give details.

Taiwan's Defence Ministry gave a short, muted response, saying: "The nation's military has a full grasp and has made a full assessment of the situation in the Taiwan Strait region, as well as related developments at sea and in the air, and is prepared for various responses". force had carried out a "capturing air supremacy" drill, using their advanced J-16 fighters.A senior official familiar with Taiwan’s security planning told Reuters that China's air

"In addition to seeking air supremacy over Taiwan, they have also been conducting frequent electronic reconnaissance and electronic interference operations," the person said.

Taiwan believes China is trying to gather electronic signals from US and Japanese aircraft so that they can "paralyse reinforcing aircraft including F-35s in a war", the source said, referring to the US-operated stealth fighter. The PLA statement noted that recently the United States and Taiwan have "repeatedly colluded in provocation and sent serious wrong signals, severely infringing upon China's sovereignty, and severely undermining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait".

"This exercise is a necessary action based on the current security situation across the Taiwan Strait and the need to safeguard national sovereignty. It is a solemn response to external interference and provocations by Taiwan independence forces." https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/china-holds-assault-drills-near-taiwan-after-provocations- 2117846

PLA Eastern Theater Command conducts live-fire drills off Taiwan Island August 17, 2021

https://asiapost.live/pla-eastern-theater-command-conducts-live-fire-drills-off-taiwan-island/

Chinese Media Threaten Taiwan after Kabul Debacle: ‘The Island’s Defense Will Collapse in Hours’

Chinese media outlets carried threats to Taiwan and criticisms of the U.S. during the chaotic American withdrawal from Kabul.

An editorial by the Global Times, a Chinese state-run outlet, took aim at Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party and President Tsai Ing-wen.

“From what happened in Afghanistan, [the DPP] should perceive that once a war breaks out in the Straits, the island’s defense will collapse in hours and the US military won’t come to help,” the editorial states. “As a result, the DPP authorities will quickly surrender, while some high-level officials may flee by plane.”

The editorial called on the DPP to “keep cross-Straits [of Taiwan] peace with political means, rather than acting as strategic pawns of the US and bear the bitter fruits of a war.”

“After the fall of the Kabul regime, the Taiwan authorities must be trembling,” Hu wrote. “Don’t look forward to the US to protect them. Taipei officials need to quietly mail-order a Five-Star Red Flag from the Chinese mainland. It will be useful one day when they surrender to the PLA.”

In a separate tweet, Hu wrote, “Chinese netizens joked that the power transition in Afghanistan is even more smooth than presidential transition in the US.”

The head of China Daily‘s E.U. bureau, Chen Weihua, encouraged CNN anchor Jim Sciutto to explain to his son that the U.S. clearly lost the Afghanistan War.

“My son asked me yesterday if the US won or lost the war in Afghanistan. As I responded, I realized how difficult the answer is,” Sciutto wrote on Twitter.

“Tell your son: The US lost. It was a no-brainer. No need for self-glorification or narcissist self-comfort,” Chen commented.

The comments come after the Taliban seized almost all areas of Afghanistan previously under central-government control, mostly without resistance. The U.S. evacuated embassy personnel to the Kabul airport, where crowds have attempted to board flights and at least seven people have died in the chaos. https://www.nationalreview.com/news/chinese-media-threaten-taiwan-after-kabul-debacle-the- islands-defense-will-collapse-in-hours/

China PLA Allegedly Building ICBM Silo Site: Researcher

The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is currently building a new missile silo site, according to the US Air Force’s China Aerospace Studies Institute. Research director Roderick Lee mentioned in his report that the PLA “likely began construction” of a potential intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) silo site in Hanggin Banner, Ordos City, Inner Mongolia. The coordinates of the alleged missile silo site have been supported by corroborating images from the European Space Agency’s Sentinel-2 mission. The images, taken between May 16 and August 9, 2021, show a construction footprint similar to those found at known PLA ICBM silo construction sites at Jilantai, Guazhou (typically referred to as the Yumen site), and Hami.

Secret Missile Silo Site? What makes this alleged silo site near Hanggin Banner secret is that there is currently no public knowledge of the existence of such a facility in the area. This is unlike the Guazhou ICBM silo site that is publicly known. Although the only available images were satellite images, the report mentioned that “the similarities in construction footprint in terms of spacing, excavation patterns, and use of dome shelters, as well as the general trend of rapid growth in PLA Rocket Force (PLARF) fixed systems suggest that the construction site at Hanggin Banner is likely an ICBM silo site.” Images that were taken by a Sentinel-2 on August 9, 2021, showed at least 29 possible silo construction sites. The alleged sites were divided into two “clusters”— one northern and one southern cluster.

China’s Missile Development Efforts China has ramped up its missile technology development recently, with a number of publicized exercises and testing done this year. In May, the Chinese air force tested an upgraded version of its HQ-9 air-defense missile system. Also in May, a hypersonic missile was unveiled to the public during the 18th National Science and Technology Week in Beijing. In July, it was reported that a team of laser experts at Beijing’s Space Engineering University is developing a device to further increase the speed of hypersonic missiles and military aircraft. https://www.thedefensepost.com/2021/08/16/china-icbm-silo-site/

The China Challenge: Space Race 2.0

China is keeping pace with the U.S. in space launches, but capitalism is already stealing the longest march by making space profitable

The People’s Republic of China (PRC) has powerful Long March booster rockets that it is counting on to propel its ambitions in a new space race with the United States. It has successfully deployed a moon rover, a Mars rover and a new space station—right over our heads. As in the days of Sputnik, the cry arises, “Are we losing the space race?”

Today, there are many space races. Earth orbit is now open to commercial, scientific and, increasingly, military use by an ever-expanding roster of countries. The competition is hot for available slots, particularly in the desirable and economically promising low-Earth orbit (LEO) arena. Similarly, the number of objects in the solar system to receive visits from one probe or another continues to grow, with more missions planned from a more select—but still widening—group of participants. The most exclusive race, however, is the one to establish a persistent manned presence in orbit, on the moon and elsewhere in the solar system—a race in which both the U.S. (through the International Space Station) and China (through its new Tiangong Space Station) have gained significant ground.

Despite China’s recent achievements in space, the U.S. has been there, done that. It is on the cusp of handing the baton over to space entrepreneurs just when China is tuning up to play. America is conducting space law as China is figuring out the opening notes. However, will China’s energy, resources, central planning and political will enable it to muscle past an evolving U.S. approach driven by free enterprise?

Robert Zimmerman, author, analyst and proprietor of the space and technology website Behind the Black, says the PRC’s emphasis on space is reflected in its current crop of important political figures, many of whom have come up through the space program. “The PRC is picking people to run their government that have proven themselves to be very good managers in a field where error costs a lot,” Zimmerman says. “Other bureaucracies can get away with doing something stupid; no one will care. But in space, if you don’t run it right, things fail, and they do it very publicly. Space also produces people who have to innovate and be smart.”

According to Zimmerman, promoting space managers into high levels of the Chinese government not only guarantees a continued commitment to space by that government, it also raises the quality of that government. This fact should not be taken lightly: “The Chinese government is thus now filled with people who came from that space program, which explains the acceleration in the program in recent years.” Despite China’s renewed focus on space policy, however, the U.S. continues to maintain its competitive edge in the final frontier.

Sitting in a Tin Can

NASA and its partners in Russia, Europe, Japan and Canada have built and maintained the International Space Station (ISS), which has been continuously occupied by crews and visitors of many nations for more than 20 years. The modular complex is the largest man-made object in space and represents an evolution from earlier Soviet and American orbital station projects from the Cold War, such as Mir and Skylab. Capable of supporting a vast array of scientific experiments and observations, the ISS has weathered technical challenges, budget-conscious critics and worldly political conflict to become a symbol of international cooperation and achievement.

Conspicuous by its absence among the ISS partners is the PRC. A U.S. law passed in 2011 essentially barred NASA from cooperating with Chinabecause of technology transfer concerns and worries over the theft of intellectual property. This did not stop the China National Space Administration (CNSA) from moving forward with its increasingly ambitious space program using licensed Russian and home-grown technology (and perhaps tech pilfered from the West). Earlier this year, the CNSA established the base Tianhe module of its Tiangong Space Station, which it plans to crew for the next 10 years.

“There is no question that much of China’s new space infrastructure, including their space station and the spacecraft, are upgraded designs of the Soviet Union’s Mir station and its Soyuz capsule,” Zimmerman says. “There’s also no doubt that the Chinese government has used its hackers to aggressively steal blueprints and plans made by American companies and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, as documented by one inspector general report. For example, their rover on Mars is almost certainly an upgrade of the Spirit and Opportunity rovers we launched a decade and a half ago. At the same time, China is also improving on others’ engineering, and their work so far has been impeccable. They have not failed. They have done it well.” https://www.discoursemagazine.com/politics/2021/08/16/the-china-challenge-space-race-2-0/

Chinese venues, teams prepare for Intl Army Games, with 'good results expected'

By Liu Xuanzun

Published: Aug 16, 2021 09:08 PM

Ground, air and naval teams of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) that are scheduled to participate in the annual International Army Games starting on August 22. Venues in Korla, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region that will host several contests are eagerly preparing for the event, with Chinese observers saying on Monday that the Chinese teams will exchange valuable experience with their foreign counterparts, and that they will achieve good results with the deployment of advanced new equipment.

Military participants from six foreign countries including Russia, Belarus and Egypt have arrived in Korla. The PLA Army will host and participate in three contests, involving infantry fighting vehicles, man-portable anti-aircraft missiles, and nuclear, biological and chemical reconnaissance, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Sunday.

Korla was a main venue for previous International Army Games, but not the 2020 one, likely due to the COVID-19 situation at that time. This year's event shows that China is prepared and confident in related prevention and control measures, observers said.

In tank contests to be held in Russia, the PLA Army has sent Type 96B tanks that will compete with Russian-made T-72 tanks operated by other participants. After several days of railway transport, the Chinese tanks arrived in the Russian venues on Saturday, China Central Television reported on Sunday.

The PLA Navy's Type 056 corvette Guangyuan will join contests including gun firing, damage control and maritime rescue in Russia with warships from Russia, Myanmar and Vietnam, while 50 members from the PLA Navy Marine Corps will engage in competitions in amphibious landing.

Some of China's most advanced military aircraft, including fighter jets and transport aircraft, will make their debuts in this year's event, namely J-10B fighter jets, J-16 fighter jets and Y-20 large transport aircraft.

This event will put these new warplanes to the test alongside other countries, as they will better represent the PLA Air Force's latest technological and technical advances, and could expose their strengths and weaknesses when compared with others, analysts said.

Fu Qianshao, a Chinese military aviation expert, told the Global Times on Monday that the new warplanes that are participating in the games are more advanced than those the PLA Air Force sent in previous rounds. From a technical point of view, they would enjoy advantages against other participating aircraft.

With more advanced weapons and equipment being used in the games, it is expected that the Chinese teams will get good results, and they will use this opportunity to enhance exchanges with foreign militaries, learn from one another and boost the combat preparedness of the PLA, Fu said.

The International Army Games 2021 is expected to start on August 22 and run until September 4. https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202108/1231623.shtml

11 Chinese warplanes encroach on Taiwan's ADIZ 6 PLAAF fighter jets, 2 bombers, and 3 spy planes intrude on Taiwan's ADIZ

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By Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer 2021/08/17 21:20

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Six Chinese fighter jets, two bombers, and three surveillance aircraft on Tuesday (Aug. 17) intruded into Taiwan's Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ).

On Tuesday, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) reported that one Shaanxi Y-8 anti-submarine warfare plane (Y-8 ASW), one Shaanxi Y-8 electronic warfare plane (Y-8 EW), one Shaanxi KJ-500 airborne early warning and control aircraft (AEW&C), six Shenyang J-16 fighter jets, and two Xian H-6K bombers penetrated into the southwestern corner of Taiwan's ADIZ.

Taiwan's Air Force responded by scrambling fighter jets to drive the planes away, broadcasting radio warnings, and tracking the aircraft with land-based anti-aircraft missiles.

The presence of the jet fighters and bombers was significant as th is is on ly th e second time over the past two months that the People's Liberation Army Airforce (PLAAF) has sent more than just one or two slow-moving turboprops to buzz the zone. Most recently, on Aug. 12, the PLAAF dispatched one Y-8 EW, one Y-8 ELINT, and four J-16 fighter jets into the southwest sector of Taiwan's ADIZ.

The largest incursion by PLAAF aircraft into Taiwan's ADIZ on record occurred on June 15, when a total of 28 military aircraft entered the southern end of the ADIZ, including one Shaanxi Y-8 anti-submarine warfare plane, four Xian H-6 bombers, one Shaanxi Y-8 electronic warfare aircraft, two Shaanxi KJ-500 airborne early warning and control aircraft, 14 Shenyang J-16 fighter jets, and six Shenyang J- 11 fighter jets. https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4271873

After Afghanistan disaster, Taiwan must go nuclear

Washington Examiner FOREIGN AND DEFENSE POLICYASIAINDIA/AFGHANISTAN/PAKISTAN

The images of Afghans chasing an American C-130 plane at the Kabul airport and some plummeting to their deaths will sear the memory of a generation.

President Joe Biden chose defeat. He and Secretary of State Antony Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan signaled that the White House could turn its back on major non-NATO allies almost overnight. But they did more than that. When enemies moved to attack our allies, these officials preferred to blame the victims rather than reconsider the wisdom of their own policy choices. All U.S. allies should be aware: America does not have their back.

Former President Donald Trump and now Biden have normalized betrayal. With the stigma gone, it will only get easier to throw allies under the bus. History, to the American political class, lasts four years. They do not understand that no administration begins with a tabula rasa. Reputation and trust matter.

America’s enemies certainly have taken note. During Trump’s final months, Russia moved into the south Caucasus. Biden’s team might say this predated them, but Blinken rewarded the action after the fact when he waived sanctions on Azerbaijani aggressors and then lifted sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 Pipeline. The next time Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to distract attention from Russia’s failing economy, it will be open season on Ukraine, if not NATO members in the Baltics . China is as big a threat. While it is fashionable to talk about China’s rise, the nation’s decline is more dangerous. Decades of the one-child policy pushed China toward demographic collapse. Accompanying economic stagnation if not retraction will lead Xi to lash out to distract from his own failing.

Taiwan is squarely in his sights. Chinese officials openly signal their intention to move on Taiwan. In reality, Taiwan has a culture distinct from mainland China and has only been under its control for a couple of decades over the last 400 years. Still, ever since President Richard Nixon’s national security adviser Henry Kissinger threw Taiwan under the bus in his quest to establish relations with Communist China, a generation of Americans have internalized Beijing’s historical narrative. This will only ease America’s betrayal of the island and its 24 million people. Weakness encourages bullies, and there has never been a president as weak as Biden.

If Americans are not willing to fight and die to protect our allies, it is essential that Washington or Taipei make alternate arrangements to enable the island not only to defend itself, but also to deter Chinese aggression. Taiwan once had a nuclear weapons program. It was nearly successful , but a defecting spy blew the whistle and the Reagan administration pressured Taiwan to end it.

In hindsight, that was a mistake. Nonproliferation specialists too often prioritize the appearance of nonproliferation agreements over their effectiveness. When first the Soviet Union and then North Korea cheated on their commitments, many at the Arms Control Association and elsewhere lied to protect the fiction that the Non -Proliferation Treaty or other arms control agreements worked better than they did.

Many politicos may say that enabling Taiwan to become a nuclear weapons power would provoke China or destabilize the region. They are right on the first count but not on the second. Diplomatic hand-wringing has not deterred China. Beijing’s salami-slicing strategy has succeeded as Washington loses its strategic balance. Americans may worry about the implication of a nuclear Taiwan for the NPT, but the alternative is now Chinese conquest of one of the region’s largest democracies.

The question then becomes how to enable Taiwan’s nuclearization without precipitating a preemptive Chinese strike. At this point, Taiwan would need off-the-shelf weapons, which are easy enough to provide with regular air links. The U.S. Navy would also have to enhance its presence in the region to be a deterrent as Taiwan prepares to announce its capability.

Biden may believe he has ended “forever wars,” but the reality is his team has just upended decades of security calculations, not only in Afghanistan but also elsewhere. Make no mistake: Taiwan’s freedom is at stake. https://www.aei.org/op-eds/after-afghanistan-disaster-taiwan-must-go-nuclear/

Han Kuang military drill to feature Jiadong debut • Staff Writer, with CNA

The live-fire component of this year’s Han Kuang exercises are scheduled for Sept. 13 to 17, and are to include emergency takeoff and landing drills by fighter planes on public highways, the Ministry of National Defense said.

The new schedule for the live-fire exercises, which had been postponed from the middle of July, was confirmed during a virtual media event on Tuesday last week by Major General Lin Wen-huang (林文皇) of the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff.

The Han Kuang exercises, Taiwan’s most significant war-game operation, have been held annually since 1984 in the form of live-fire drills and computerized war scenarios to test the nation’s combat readiness in the event of an assault by China.

This year, the live-fire exercises had been scheduled to start on July 12 and continue for five days, but were canceled due to a domestic outbreak of COVID-19 that began in May. The tabletop drills were held from April 23 to 30.

As part of the upcoming exercises next month, fighter jets are to conduct a series of emergency takeoffs and landings on the Jiadong section of Provincial Highway No. 1 in Pingtung County, Lin said.

This is the first time that such a drill would be conducted on the Jiadong stretch, one of five sections built to accommodate emergency military landings and takeoffs.

The drill is to simulate a scenario in which Taiwan’s military and civilian airports and airstrips are severely damaged by enemy fire, requiring fighter jets to land on the highway, Lin said.

Other emergency landing strips are located on the Sun Yat-sen Freeway (Freeway No. 1) on the Madou (麻豆) and Rende (仁德) sections in Tainan; the Huatan (花壇) section in Changhua County; and the Minsyong section (民雄) in Chiayi County. https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2021/08/17/2003762748

NK views its relations with China as ‘fundamentally distrustful:’ think tank

By Ahn Sung-mi

Published : Aug 17, 2021 - 16:08 Updated : Aug 17, 2021 - 16:08

North Korea views its ties with China as “fundamentally distrustful,” despite its economic dependence on its largest trading partner, a US think tank said Tuesday.

In a report titled “Wilson Memo: The Unique Relationship Between China & North Korea,” the congressional relations office at Washington’s Woodrow Wilson Center analyzed China-North Korea relations to help US policymakers make informed policy on the North.

“North Korea is relatively dependent on China, as it accounts for 80 percent of North Korea’s external trade. However, North Korea views its relationship with China as something that is fundamentally distrustful,” it said.

The mistrust between Pyongyang and Beijing can be attributed mainly to the North’s ideology of “juche,” or self-reliance, and more specifically dates back to historic events such as the Minsaengdan Incident in the 1930s, a massacre of ethnic Koreans by the Chinese Communist Party, according to the report. http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20210817000739

S. Korea, US begin joint military drills without notice to N. Korea

Posted August. 17, 2021 07:39, Updated August. 17, 2021 07:39

South Korea and the United States began their nine-day joint military exercises on Monday. South Korea used to notify North Korea of their training schedule through the direct line between the UN Command and North Korea, but did not give prior notice this time. South Korean military authorities said on Monday that no unusual movements have been detected in North Korea but they are closely monitoring its military movements. Eyes are on what message Sung Kim, the U.S. special representative for North Korea, will deliver during his visit to South Korea on Saturday. Kim is in charge of working-level nuclear talks with North Korea

A South Korean military official said on Monday that they did not notify North Korea of the schedule and the characteristics of the drills, adding they have not done so since North Korea blew up a joint liaison office in Kaesong in June last year. Some point out that the military might have decided not to notify North Korea of the drills as the North strongly denounced the joint military drills with the U.S.

The computer simulated training preparing for a potential war on the Korean Peninsula includes a defense scenario, scheduled for Aug. 16 to 20, and a counterattack scenario, scheduled for Aug. 23 to 26. Prior to the drills, South Korea and the U.S. agreed to strictly observe the toughened COVID-19 guidelines announced by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, allowing one person per 6 square meters in a bunker and keeping a safe distance of 2 meters from each other. Due to the toughened social distancing measures, the B-1 bunker controlled by Army Capital Defense Command and the command post of the South Korean and U.S. armed forces for CP Tango were further subdivided into two.

In an official announcement on Sunday, the Joint Chiefs of Staff exceptionally stressed that there will be no live training. Considering that the Ulchi Freedom Guardian drill, the predecessor of the August joint military drills, was computer- simulated training, people in and outside the military say the announcement by the Joint Chiefs of Staff is a message to North Korea, being mindful of the North’s protest.

North Korea did not make any public statements or reports about the joint military drills on Monday. However, a North Korean propaganda media outlet on Sunday denounced the joint military drills as a practice for invasion of North Korea. https://www.donga.com/en/article/all/20210817/2859970/1

North Korean media denounces South's plan to build new frigates Posted : 2021-08-18 09:41 Updated : 2021-08-18 09:41

A North Korean propaganda service condemned the South's military Tuesday for a decision to build new frigates, calling the policy "preparations for a war against the North."

Propaganda outlet Uriminzokkiri, which targets a Korean-speaking audience outside the North, said Tuesday that the "warlike actions" of the South's military are leading to an "incurable disease" of confrontation among a unitary Korean people.

North Korea's criticism of South Korean defense policy comes two weeks after Seoul's Defense Acquisition Program Administration disclosed plans to invest $3.1 billion to build new frigates.

South Korea's defense project promotion committee approved the Ulsan-class Batch IV project, Defense World reported earlier this month.

According to DAPA, the project is to "enhance the military's maritime operational capabilities, as well as contribute to securing up-to-date technologies and creating jobs."

Uriminzokkiri said Tuesday that the "South Korean military is burning through taxpayers' money to spend astronomical amounts of funds on modernized arms and steal state-of-the-art technology to speed up preparations for war against the North."

The propaganda service also condemned incidents of sexual harassment in South Korea's military, including the case of a female chief petty officer who died by suicide Friday, after she reported sexual abuse in the South Korean Navy.

The woman died after her supervisors declined to protect her confidentiality, according to Yonhap on Tuesday.

North Korean media did not issue a statement condemning the ongoing U.S.- South Korea exercises Tuesday, South Korean newspaper Kyunghyang Shinmun reported.

A South Korean unification ministry official said that the government is monitoring North Korea during the exercises until the drills end on Aug. 26, the report said.

North Korea's Kim Yo Jong has claimed the joint training is "preliminary exercises for nuclear war." Washington and Seoul has said the drills are for defense purposes. (UPI)

https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2021/08/103_314076.html

ROK to keep close watch on DPRK response to joint exercise

CGTN

The Republic of Korea (ROK) will keep a close eye on how the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) responds to a major joint military exercise underway with the United States, Yonhap reported Tuesday, citing the unification ministry.

The nine-day computer-simulated Combined Command Post Training, which kicked off Monday, is based largely on a computer simulation with no field training, in consideration of the virus situation, according to the ROK's Joint Chiefs of Staff.

DPRK state media has kept mum on the joint drills since they began, and Pyongyang has not yet released any additional statements.

In comparison, the DPRK reacted angrily to last week's preliminary exercise, warning that the drills would dampen the conciliatory mood created in the wake of the restoration of the communication lines and vowing to strengthen the country's defense and preemptive strike capabilities.

DPRK and ROK leaders agreed to resume the inter-Korean hotlines in July, which were cut off for more than a year. The DPRK has since demanded that the South suspend drills to speed up a thaw in strained inter-Korean relations.

The ROK and the U.S. regularly stage military exercises, mainly in the spring and summer, but the DPRK has for decades reacted angrily, calling them a rehearsal for war. https://news.cgtn.com/news/2021-08-17/ROK-to-keep-close-watch-on-DPRK-response-to-joint- exercise-12NTZhfo1K8/index.html

South China Sea News: Malaysia Fires Anti-Ship Missiles To 'Demonstrate' Navy's Capability

By Meera Suresh 08/17/21 AT 9:33 AM

Amid territorial tensions with China, the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) has displayed its anti-surface capabilities by test-firing three Exocet missiles in the South China Sea.

The demonstrations were carried out on Aug. 12 as part of the exercise ‘Taming Sari 20/21.' The drills involved the first known launch of an anti-ship missile from the Kasturi (Type FS 1500)-class corvette KD Lekir, reported Janes.

The report added that KD Lekir and its sister ship, KD Kasturi, each fired an Exocet MM40 Block II missile against a surface target. Besides, the Perdana Menteri (Scorpene)-class submarine KD Tun Razak also launched an Exocet SM39 Block II anti-ship missile while being submerged.

"The successful test firings of these missiles, which were all on target, is a clear demonstration of the navy's professionalism, ability, and readiness to deploy our assets and defend the country," said the RMN in a statementpublished via an official social media channel Sunday.

Vessels and aircraft from the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency also took part in the six-day exercise. Over 1,080 personnel from the RMN, the MMEA and Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) took part in the military exercise.

This comes months after Malaysia reported a breach by PLA in its territory on the South China Sea. In June, 16 Chinese warplanes breached Malaysian airspace, flying to the vicinity of the shoals administered by Malaysia on the South China Sea. That had prompted the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) to scramble its fighter jets.

The intrusion has angered Malaysia, after which it summoned the Chinese ambassador, describing the PLA's actions as "a serious threat to national sovereignty and flight safety." https://www.ibtimes.com/south-china-sea-news-malaysia-fires-anti-ship-missiles-demonstrate-navys- capability-3275299

Why Indonesian militants of different stripes are exchanging anti-Chinese sentiment and extremist memes on Telegram

• -jihadist and opposition Islamist groups are showing significant signs of cross- Thepollination country’s on salafisocial media and other apps • An increasingly common narrative characterises the Jokowi government as a tyrannical un-Islamic regime controlled by Chinese interests

There are early signs of cross-pollination and convergence among Islamist opposition movements in Indonesia, based on an analysis of activity on the encrypted chat platform Telegram. This blurring of lines comes amid a government crackdown on Islamists, and indicates that some actors may have been radicalised and crossed into violent extremism since the banning of the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) organisation in December last year.

At the start of President Joko Widodo’s second term, opposition Islamists such as the FPI and Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI) ran Telegram channels with around 100 subscribers, while pro-Islamic State (Isis) militants

ran channels with many hundreds. Now, opposition Islamists run channels with tens of thousands of subscribers while Isis militants have been suppressed into small channels of around 100 members. As soon as pro-Isis channels in Indonesia gain any critical mass, they are shut down by Telegram, presumably based on reporting by counterterrorism authorities.

The effect of Telegram suppressing jihadi channels and the Indonesian government clamping down on opposition Islamist groups and driving them into the virtual sphere has created fertile ground for cross- pollination between pro-ISIS and pro-FPI militants. Today, an increasingly common narrative in both Islamist and jihadists chats characterises the Jokowi government as a tyrannical un-Islamic regime controlled by Chinese interests. https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3145293/why-indonesian-militants-different-stripes- are-exchanging-anti

India revives Indian Ocean security bloc with an eye on China’s growing influence

• The Colombo Security Conclave – including India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives – last week hosted its second meeting in eight months • The group was formed in 2011 and revived in November last year. It is now poised to bring Bangladesh, Seychelles and Mauritius into the fold

As the Pacific Ocean’s strategic rivalries intensify, a new multilateral grouping has emerged in the Indian Ocean, and its ripples are likely to be felt in the

South China Sea.The Colombo Security Conclave – including India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives – last week hosted its second meeting in eight months, during which the neighbours emphasised “four pillars” of cooperation, including marine security, terrorism, human trafficking and cybersecurity.

The August 4 virtual gathering was held a month after the navies of the three countries conducted their first tabletop exercise over two days, which New Delhi said was symbolic of “the deep trilateral engagement” in the maritime domain between the nations. https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3145256/india-revives-indian-ocean-security-bloc- eye-chinas-growing

Indian Air Force Activates Second Rafale Squadron

08/17/2021

New Delhi. The Indian Air Force formally inducted the omni-role Rafale combat jet, widely

Air Command (EAC) on July 28. This is the second squadron to induct the jets. described as a “game changer”, into No. 101 Squadron at Air Force Station Hasimara in Eastern Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria, the Chief of the Air Staff, presided over the induction ceremony. On arrival, CAS was received by Air Marshal Amit Dev, Air Officer Commanding-in- Chief, Eastern Air Command. The event also included a fly-past heralding the arrival of Rafale aircraft to Hasimara followed by a traditional water cannon salute.

Addressing the personnel during the induction ceremony, CAS said that the induction of Rafale had been carefully planned at Hasimara; keeping in mind the importance capability in the Eastern Sector. of strengthening IAF’s

theRecalling unmatched the glorious potential history of the of newly 101 Squadron inducted which platform. bes towedHe said upon that themhe had the no title doubt of ‘Falconsthat the Squadronof Chamb and would Akhnoor’, dominate CAS whenever urged the and personnel wherever to requiredcombine andtheir ensure zeal and that commitment the adversary with would always be intimidated by their sheer presence.

The Squadron was formed on May 1, 1949 at Palam and has operated Harvard, Spitfire, Vampire, Su-7 and MiG-21M aircraft in the past. The glorious history of this Squadron includes active participation in the 1965 and 1971 Indo-Pak wars.

The induction comes almost a year after the IAF operationalised its first squadron of Rafale jets. The induction was made possible with the arrival of three more jets, raising to 26 the 36 planes ordered from the French Dassault Aviation in a Rs 59,000 crore ($9 billion).

The remaining 10 jets are likely to arrive by the end of the year. Of the 36 jets, 30 are fighters and six are trainers.

The first five Rafales had arrived at the frontline Ambala Air Base in north India on July 29, 2020 and were inducted into the IAF in the No. 17 Squadron, Golden Arrows by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on September 10 at a ceremony also attended by his French counterpart, Florence Parley. Since then,– the remaining jets have been arriving – in batches.

-changer and a lesson to our neighbours for the situation they have created on the

“It’s a game borders,” Rajnath Singh had declared, terming the induction of the first five jets as a “historic occasion and a matter of pride” for the country. Air Chief Marshal R.K.S. Bhadauria, the host for the event, said the aircraft have been operational ever since their landing at Ambala and that the induction of Rafales could not have come at a more appropriate time, given the scenario on the borders with tension along both the LAC (Line of Actual Control) with China in Ladakh and on the Line of Control (LOC) with Pakistan in the West.

A 4.5 generation plus, aircraft, the Rafale is armed with beyond visual range missiles like the Meteor, SCALP and MICA, greatly enhancing its capabilities.

Rafale is described by Dassault as an omni-role aircraft, capable of swing roles from Air-to-Air or Air-to-Ground strikes in a single mission. The Rafale is also capable of nuclear strikes and shipboard missions from aircraft carriers.

The IAF had initiated an exercise for acquiring 126 MMRCAs (Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft) in 2007 the bulk of which were to be manufactured in India under a Transfer of Technology agreement and selected the Rafale from among six contenders. However, no deal could be made as –somehow, a clause came up that while Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) would be responsible for integrating– and manufacturing 70 per cent of the aircraft at its facilities in India, the responsibility for the quality of production at HAL would be that of the French supplier.

Dassault refused, saying: You make it, you are responsible.

the IAF was rapidly falling short of aircraft, decided to acquire 36 Rafales, or two squadrons of 18Later, each, in under2015, Prime a Government- Minister to Modi’s-Government government deal. rightly cancelled that stalled process, and as

The IAF has, meanwhile, a second tender now in place for 114 MMRCAs, single or twin engine, as in the 2007 tender. The IAF needs a combination of 400 aircraft, in a rough ratio of 70:30 for single and twin engines. https://sldinfo.com/2021/08/indian-air-force-activates-second-rafale-squadron/

India has the capability and technical expertise to build nuclear powered aircraft carriers

Even as the engineers and ship designers of Cochin Shipyard Ltd are busy giving finishing touches to Vikrant, the first indigenously built aircraft carrier for the Indian Navy, possibilities have brightened for the construction of another exciting vessel to make the country’s seas safe from any kind of aggression. The next ship to be built in the country for the Indian Navy in all likelihood would be a nuclear energy-powered-aircraft carrier having ten-fold or more endurance power than the diesel-powered Vikrant.

“Yes, we have the capability and technical expertise to build nuclear powered aircraft carriers and war ships of global standards. When the Government asks us to build such ships we will do it,” Dr Anil Kakodkar, the then chairman of Atomic Energy Commission had told at Kalpakkam on August 2, 2009 while unveiling “Arihant”, Indian Navy’s indigenously built nuclear powered submarine .

Arihant which is protecting the country’s seas is powered by a 50 MW Light Water Reactor which helps it to remain underneath the sea for months altogether unlike conventional submarines which have to resurface regularly for fuelling. The reactor incorporated in Arihant was built at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre’s Kalpakkam division.

“India has the capability and expertise to build nuclear powered aircraft carrier. It is for the country’s top bosses to decide when to launch the mission,” a Bhabha Atomic Research Centre scientist with specialisation in nuclear chemistry told The Pioneer.

It may be worthwhile to remember what Sureesh Mehta, the then Navy Chief told the media during his farewell visit to Chennai. “We need a couple of aircraft carriers but the decision has to be taken at the highest level.” The US ircraft carrier Nimitz (powered by nuclear energy) had called on Chennai in July 2007 which had raised a lot of heat and dust among the anti - nuclear lobbyists in the metropolis. https://defenceview.in/india-has-the-capability-and-technical-expertise-to-build-nuclear-powered- aircraft-carriers/

Russia’s Project 636.3 Submarine ‘Magadan’ Starts State Trials

The Admiralty Wharves Shipyard (part of the United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC)) has started the state trials of the third Project 636.3 diesel-electric submarine (NATO reporting name: Improved Kilo) B-602 "Magadan" built for the Russian Navy Pacific Fleet.

Naval News Staff 17 Aug 2021 TASS Russian news agency

“The Admiralty Wharves Shipyard has launched the state trials of the Project 636 large diesel-electric submarine Magadan. The third submarine of a series designed for the Pacific Fleet began its state trials on August 16. During a week, the shipyard’s specialists will check the operation of all the shipborne systems, mechanisms and equipment, including sonars and navigation complexes,” The submarine will also carry out deep diving to assess its controllability at various operational depths. After the state trials are completed, the submarine Magadan will return to the shipyard for its inspection and finishing, the press office said.

A series of six Project 636.3 submarines designed for the Pacific Fleet is being built by the Admiralty Wharves Shipyard. The Project 636.3 lead submarine Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky was delivered to the customer in December 2019. The second submarine Volkhov was launched in December 2019 and is undergoing shipbuilders trials. The third submarine Magadan was laid down on November 1, 2019 and will be delivered to the Navy in November 2021.

Project 636.3 submarines are third-generation large diesel-electric submarines and are among the world’s most noiseless subs. The submarine has a length of 74 meters, a maximum displacement of more than 3,900 tons, an operational depth of 240 meters, a maximum depth of 300 meters, and a cruising range of 7,500 nautical miles. https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2021/08/russias-project-636-3-submarine-magadan-starts- state-trials/ Russia’s Il-112V Military Transport Prototype Crashes: Two Pilots Among 3 Killed Russian planemaker United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) announced Tuesday that a prototype Ilyushin Il-112V transport turboprop aircraft carrying 3 crew members crew aboard crashed during a test flight in the Moscow region. “During a training flight during the landing approach in the area of the Kubinka airfield in a forest belt, an IL-112V light military transport aircraft crashed. Details of the incident are being specified. To find out the causes of the accident, an appropriate commission will be created,” UAC said in a statement. UAC later confirmed that two pilots and a flight engineer- all highly experienced in flight testing- perished on the crash. "The IL PJSC team has lost professionals in their field, the most experienced and courageous testers of aviation technology, who were entrusted with the most important and responsible projects not only for the Ilyushin Aviation Complex, but also for the entire aviation industry." Internal commission to investigate accident The plane was piloted by a crew consisting of chief pilot of PJSC "IL", test pilot 1st class Hero of Russia Nikolai Kuimov, test pilot 1st class Dmitry Komarov, flight test engineer 1st class Nikolai Khludeev. An internal commission is being created with the involvement of specialists from aircraft research institutes and factories to investigate the causes of the accident of the Il-112V aircraft, which crashed today during a training flight in Kubinka near Moscow, Rostec which is the holding company of UAC said. The Ilyushin Il-112V is being developed as a replacement for the Antonov An-26. The Il-112V light military transport aircraft is the first new tactical transport aircraft designed since the Soviet era. It is designed for the transportation and airborne landing of light weapons and military equipment, cargo with a total weight of up to 5 tons. The aircraft had completed a test cycle of a wind tunnel model in September of 2020. https://www.defenseworld.net/news/30241/Russia___s_Il_112V_Military_Jet_Prototype_Crashes_Nea r_Moscow#.YR38iOgzbIU

A Taliban commander who helped seize the Afghan presidential palace spent nearly 6 years at Guantanamo, where he told a guard 'we will get you on the outside'

Ashley Collman One of the Taliban fighters filmed celebrating the capture of Kabul at the Afghan presidential palace on Sunday has been identified as a former Guantanamo Bay prison inmate, who once told a guard there: "We will get you on the outside," according to prison records published by The New York Times.

In a victory speech, Gholam Ruhani had said that he was held at Guantanamo for nearly eight years.

In reality, Ruhani spent nearly six years at the American-run detention center in Cuba, according to records published by The Times in June.

The records show that Ruhani was one of the first Taliban fighters to be captured by the US after the September 11, 2001, attacks, entering the prison on the first day it opened in January 2002. He was repatriated to Afghanistan in December 2007, also under President George W. Bush's administration. https://www.businessinsider.com/taliban-commander-gholam-ruhani-once-threatened-guantanamo- guard-2021-8

Uzbekistan says it ‘forced’ the landing of 46 Afghan aircraft carrying 585 Afghan troops Afghan pilot (NATO Training Mission/WikiCommons)

AUGUST 17, 2021 RADIO FREE EUROPE/RADIO LIBERTY

This article was originally published by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and is reprinted with permission. Uzbekistan said August 16 that it “forced” the landing of 46 Afghan aircraft carrying 585 troops that illegally crossed its border fleeing the Taliban blitz that saw Kabul fall to the militants on August 15.

The statement from the Central Asian country’s state prosecutor’s office said 22 military planes and 24 military helicopters were “forcibly landed” at Termez airport in southern Uzbekistan on August 14 and August 15. The state prosecutor said one Afghan aircraft collided with an escorting Uzbek fighter jet causing both to crash in Uzbekistan’s southernmost Surxondaryo Province bordering Afghanistan. The pilots of both Afghan and Uzbek planes had ejected and survived, it said. https://americanmilitarynews.com/2021/08/uzbekistan-says-it-forced-the-landing-of-46-afghan- aircraft-carrying-585-afghan-troops/

Taliban accumulate massive amounts of U.S.-supplied firepower

Taliban fighters stand beside the belongings of Afghan security soldiers in Kabul on Monday. Photo: Str/Xinhua via Getty Images

The Taliban accumulated an enormous amount of U.S.-supplied guns, ammunition, helicopters, combat aircraft and more after Afghan security forces collapsed this weekend, AP reports.

Why it matters: The U.S. spent billions of dollars over two decades to train and support the Afghan security forces, but the Taliban was the ultimate beneficiary of the decades-long investments.

• Asked Monday if the U.S. is taking any steps to ensure military equipment does not fall into the hands of the Taliban, Pentagon logistics specialist Maj. Gen. Hank Taylor told reporters: "I don't have the answer to that question."

Driving the news: The Taliban captured modern military equipment when they overran Afghan forces across the country.

• The Taliban accumulated firepower — including guns, ammunition and helicopters — from district centers. • They experienced bigger gains, including acquiring combat aircraft, when they toppled provincial capitals and military bases. https://www.axios.com/taliban-us-military-equipment-afghanistan-bf8f0dbf-34e2-4fbd-ad85- 8f3184b42475.html

From Biden to the Taliban with Love by Burak Bekdil August 17, 2021 at 5:00 am

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▪ Afghans are facing possibly the world's most brutal army of radical Muslims, now installed in Kabul, and armed with what US President Joe Biden said were "all the tools... and equipment of any modern military. We provided advanced weaponry," which the Taliban has captured from the disintegrating Afghan National Army. ▪ Biden has, in fact, bestowed "advanced weaponry," courtesy of US taxpayers, not only on the Taliban, Al-Qaeda and ISIS, but also on Russia, China and Iran, who will doubtless now reverse-engineer the abandoned materiel. ▪ The Afghans have good reasons to flee their own country by the millions. Iran is their typical first stop. ▪ Once in Iran, they are given easy and safe passage to Turkey -- that is Iran's gift to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Turkey is already home to nearly five million migrants. The arrival, over years, of another five million would paralyze Turkey, its economy, politics and relative safety. But Afghan migrants will not be only Turkey's problem. ▪ In 2020, Erdoğan threatened to flood EU countries with millions of Syrians.... The real number was just a couple of thousand. Erdoğan's bluff had failed. Since then, he has not tried another Turkish government-sponsored migrant dump onto Greek territory. ▪ If the Greek and EU border agencies do not want to relive the 2015 migrant crisis, they should review their blueprints to protect Greek territory from migrants and get ready for another inflow this year. https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/17655/turkey-afghan-migrants

Taliban’s haul of US weapons may add to problems in region, analysts say

• Insurgents seized guns, ammunition, helicopters and combat aircraft from Afghan forces • Chinese military researcher says some of it could help fuel expansion of extremist and terrorist groups

The Taliban’s haul of American weapons and equipment taken from the Afghan military could worsen instability in the region – including

Xinjiangin China – if they fall into the hands of extremists, analysts say.Taliban fighters seized guns, ammunition, helicopters and even combat aircraft, according to the Associated Press, as they took over provincial capitals, military bases and on Sunday Kabul, in a rapid offensive after American troops withdrew. They met little resistance from US-trained Afghan forces.

The insurgents are now trading weapons like Russian Kalashnikov AK-47s for modern American assault rifles, and according to Chinese military researcher Zhou Chenming, it is this type of weaponry that could help fuel the expansion of extremist and terrorist groups in the region. https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3145392/talibans-haul-us-weapons-may-add- problems-region-analysts-say

Was the Afghanistan withdrawal reckless or ruthless?

17 Aug 2021|Michael Shoebridge

The collapse of the Afghan government and Afghan National Security Forces once US and NATO military support ended has been graphic and rapid.

muchThere moreare many likely analyses that it was about foreseen the folly and of understooUS Presidentd; just Joe notBiden’s that administrationit would happen and so thefast. blindness of intelligence agencies that seem not have to predicted this outcome. But it’s The ANSF were built to operate within the framework of coalition support that was available for most of the past decade high levels of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance information coupled with rapid close air support and contractor support for logistics and maintenance. —

Once that framework was removed, the ANSF no longer had a method of fighting the surprising their will to fi opportunisticallyTaliban that worked, rapid and advances, were without led us the to where assured w eb ackingare: with of USa Taliban and NATO regime power. in Kabul. It’s not ght evaporated quickly. That, in parallel with the Taliban’s The speed of events has been a shock, but their direction was entirely foreseen and most likely understood by not just the Biden administration and NATO members but by other coalition members too, including the Australian government. Even if there was a— hope that control of the capital and other centres, hope is not a method. this wouldn’t happen and that somehow the Afghan authorities would hold on and retain What does all this tell us? Biden meant what he said when he announced both the Afghanistan and Iraq withdrawals, so we should expect that he also meant what he said when he committed America to facing the systemic challenge from China, focused on the Indo-Pacific.

Biden was not for turning on Afghanistan, even as events accelerated to the rapid collapse.

If the Taliban advance on the capital had shocked him, he had the option of reversing Taliban momentum by backing the Afghan government and its forces. That could have been done by returning US air, logistics and intelligence support to the abandoned Bagram base near Kabul and so stiffening ANSF capability and resolve to retain control of Kabul with some NATO members and Australia seem not to have united around such an urgent response— to events4.6 on million the ground. of Afghanistan’s 37 million people. But he didn’t, and other US partners,

owed the line of reports in major media criticising American public reaction overall has been muted and hasn’t foll Biden’s decision. The general sentiment has been to support would have managed the withdrawal better. Biden’s decision despite events in Kabul. Republicans have in the main simply said they There will be predictable and ugly follow-on consequences, for the Afghan people, for abuses are not new, but the scope for these, including against members of the Afghan governmentAfghanistan’s and neighbours its agencies, and, is quite large. likely, Their for scale the is wider likely world. to be too. Taliban human rights https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/was-the-afghanistan-withdrawal-reckless-or-ruthless/

Why is Biden only present in China and Russia? - analysis

Iran, North Korea, Iraq, Afghanistan and global terror are all being downplayed by the Biden administration. By YONAH JEREMY BOB AUGUST 16, 2021 16:42

There is plenty of time for the second and third acts of the Biden administration, but the first act has now been clearly framed. The US has been razor-focused on confronting both China and Russia, including much closer coordination with European allies, as US President Joe Biden is convinced the country could lose out in both geopolitical and technological influence races if anything distracts it from barreling forward in cyber, 5G, artificial intelligence, quantum computing and forming a united wall of free democratic countries to resist the Chinese and Russian adversaries’ influences. But by so doing, the Biden administration has made a clear choice to refocus nearly all its energies in these areas, while entirely dropping, or mostly ignoring, Iran, North Korea, Iraq, Afghanistan and the global war on terrorism. Washington’s calculation has been one of the most brutal versions of realpolitik. Biden does not want to use force in almost any way against Iran to slow its march toward a nuclear weapon, including covert or cyber, so he wants to return to the 2015 JCPOA nuclear deal at nearly all costs. America has done almost nothing, whether exerting pressure or engaging, to reduce the nuclear dangers posed by North Korea. This is despite clear signs that Pyongyang is on course toward carrying out new nuclear tests, incrementally amassing a larger nuclear arsenal to rival some other medium nuclear powers and eventually having intercontinental ballistic missiles that could hit the US. There are no good or easy choices, so why invest time and energy? Ending combat operations in Iraq? Most of the soldiers who were there before Biden’s big announcement remained thereafter; their mission simply changed to passive advisers. https://www.jpost.com/opinion/biden-absent-most-places-besides-china-russia-analysis-676829

The Shift in Training: Defining the Challenge

08/17/2021

By Robbin Laird

This is the third article in our series on training and the strategic shift in warfighting and deterrence. In the first article, I focused on how to define the challenge of training for the high-end fight. In the second article, the focus was upon the skill sets which training needs to shape and reinforce for the high-end fight.

This article focuses on the evolution of airpower training over the past thirty years, and what changes are required in the legacy approaches to be able to train effectively for the high-end fight.

In the last article, I discussed the skill set challenge with Paul Averna of Cubic Mission and Performance Solutions. I continued the discussion with Averna, a veteran Navy pilot and training expert, about the nature of the legacy systems and associated training approaches and the challenges the potential of a Peer fight creates to providing the skill sets now needed.

Training still proceeds from the core importance of learning to operate your aircraft and to master the core skills required to operate your platform in demanding combat situations.

What is being added is that as the multi-mission capabilities of aircraft expand into multi-domain warfare, the aperture of training needs to expand.

And that aperture is wider than what a single or even cross-linked physical training ranges can provide.

beyond visual range, accurately replicating those threats is becoming increasingly difficult on training rangesAdditionally, as well. with the adversary’s capabilities to engage the blue side air combat force significantly

As the blue side works its own capabilities to fight via kill webs, a wide range of the capabilities being shaped, trained, and forged need to be done so in ways that the red side will not get significant information and knowledge about how the blue side wishes to evolve its cross-domain warfighting capabilities.

As a Weapons School instructor during his time flying the F-14 in the Navy at NAS Fallon, and later at MCAS Yuma as a MAWTS-1 instructor, Averna noted that Top Gun was set up initially to close a performance gap uncovered in the Vietnam War.

another, and we saw some individual aircrew that were extremely successful at the complex environment“When we got the to theVietnam Vietnam air battleWar, we presented, saw a very includ uneveingn the level introduction of competency of technology from one squadronlike radar to guided missiles and integrated Surface to Air Missile systems. asic Fighter Maneuvering (BFM) skills atrophied and aircrew were making too many mistakes in maneuvering against“With the more reliance nimble on opponents. Beyond Visual And Range as a result, (BVR) the weap killons ratio and went tactics, down highly dramatically. perishable This B led to the formation of Top Gun, to deal with the challenge of the inconsistent proficiency in the fleet aircrews.

also have the ability to teach, to help their fellow squadron mates learn how to perform in a building block“The focus manner was to upon the point training where the theytrainer. can Select go out indi andviduals be an effective who are veryinstrument competent of national in their policy aircraft, when but it came to the counter air fight.

-to-Air training curriculum, new tools were fielded like the Cubic air combat maneuver instrumentation system, or ACMI system. “And to complement the new focused Air able to reconstruct what happened. We each have a different mental image of what we did in a particular “And why was that important? You needed to understand-up where display everybody through the was canopy in time bow and out space over to the be nose of the airplane. environment because we’re looking through the heads with a limited number of participants. “And to the extent that I can turn my head around that perception is good probably up to about 10 miles

the“But accuracy if I have ofto whatkeep happenedtrack of multiple that helps players us develop that are t hewell correct beyond learning visual rangepoints doing out of interesting that flying event.things that I can’t directly see, I have a much more difficult time reconstructing what happened. And it’s in that,

90s, and that is based on understanding the building blocks that it takes to be able to deliver the right effect“And that’s for particular the way thatmissions. we have trained pilots predominantly from the 70s into the 80s and into the

-to-air syllabus, one would start out with basic fighter maneuvering, learning how to maneuver and max perform my airplane. “For example, in an air

“Then one would look at how to max perform my airplane versus an opponent’s airplane. start working in sections and learning how to employ as a section, and then as a division against a limited number and then a larger number to an unknown number of potential adversaries.“Then one would

ing on the skill sets to work the mission against a relatively unsophisticated threat or a near peer threat, but certainly not one that was capable of meeting us in terms of quality and density of a “We were focus fight.” What Averna described as the training focus was occurring on a physical range, with adversary aircraft or aggressors flying physically against the blue side.

With the impact of both what the blue and red side can operate now, physical ranges are a necessary but not sufficient capability, and the red side is not well represented by flying aircraft like F-5s. ing withAverna our put weapons his assessment nor seeing this what way: our “We tactics face aare physical so tha tra wenge maintain constraint an elementproblem, of but surprise there’s if also we needthe tochallenge operate of in using combat. weapons that we want to use. We don’t really want people to know what we’re do

“And we have another limitation to our ability today to train well. Even if I was able to find a current decomposecontemporary it and threat make system sure that I understandmight face in all a peethe ro peratingfight, I’m modesnot finding on it itso at that the I local can presenthardware its affectsstore or correctly the local to department the aircrew store. or the I’m team. going And to havthate we to acquireare interacting it through the some right means,way in orderI might to have defeat to it.

when we do

“We don’t have that luxury of acquiring those things, they’re extremely expensive, very rare get our hands on something like that. So very few people are actually able to work with it.” Expand beyond visual physical ranges are difficult and expensive.

Managing training space, ensuring the right kind of training, and getting adequate training time poses the question of resource allocation.

How does the DoD and its Collation partners drive down cost and expand capabilities to train effectively?

One way to do so is the arrival of synthetic training systems, which can target training time to the skill set levels of individual pilots. The arrival of adaptive training systems allows for calibration of the training time needed for individual pilots. https://defense.info/featured-story/2021/08/the-shift-in-training-defining-the-challenge/

Ethical, Legal Implications of Paying Ransoms (Updated)

8/17/2021 By Phyllis Sumner and Jillian Simons Ransomware has emerged as one of the most virulent cybersecurity risks. In recent years, particularly during the pandemic, ransomware attacks have become more focused, sophisticated, costly and numerous. As ransomware tactics evolve, companies must make strategic and risk-based decisions on whether to engage with threat actors and/or pay the ransom.

According to Sophos, 51 percent of surveyed companies were impacted by a ransomware attack in the last year. By the end of 2021, it is estimated that a business will be targeted by a ransomware attack every 11 seconds, causing up to $20 billion in damage, according to Cybersecurity Ventures.

How should companies respond to a ransom demand?

They should follow their incident response plan, which should include immediately notifying the legal department at the beginning of a ransomware investigation or upon receiving a ransom demand. Their attorneys should establish a privileged protocol to protect attorney-client privileged communications and attorney work product prepared at the direction of counsel for the purpose of providing legal advice to the company.

Such protocols reduce the risk of exposing critical communications regarding the scope of, and contributing factors to, the security incident, as well as risks to the company. Otherwise, communications and work product could become discoverable in any subsequent class-action lawsuits or other legal claims brought because of the security incident.

Even if the company has a “no pay” ransom policy, attorneys should review the organization’s cyber insurance policy to determine whether the policy covers a ransom payment and notify the carrier early in the incident. They should consider whether to enter into a common interest agreement with the carrier to protect the privileged nature of the communications. In addition, carriers generally pre-approve ransom payments, which generally requires certain diligence before any payment is made. If the company does not have a “no pay” policy, it should have a clear escalation process for decision points concerning payment. The incident response plan should outline the ultimate decision-makers, which may be the executive team or the board of directors. These decision-makers must weigh the risks to the company, including the ability to recover data through other means, reputational damage, potential legal liabilities and ethical considerations.

Organizations should weigh several ethical implications regarding the decision to pay the ransom. For example, the company may gain the reputation as a paying entity, which makes it a lucrative target. And if paying through cyber insurance, threat actors sometimes research other companies holding such cyber policies, which is often reported in investor disclosures for publicly traded companies.

According to cyber insurance firm Coalition, ransomware attacks are the most reported cyber insurance claim. By paying, even with a negotiated discount, hackers can sustain their current business operations and reinvest in enhanced tactics, tools and procedures, or other criminal or illicit activities.

Additionally, the profitability of ransomware incentivizes threat actor engagement in this practice. According to the Department of Homeland Security, approximately $350 million in ransom was paid in 2020, a more than 300 percent increase from the previous year.

The FBI “advocate[s]” against paying ransoms, in part because it does not guarantee access to or the deletion of the stolen data. Companies should weigh how to respond to the ransom demand and whether engagement or payment would violate government regulations, risk the privacy of customers, breach commercial agreements, waive attorney-client or work product privileges, or have any other legal/compliance consequences.

Payment by the company or insurance carrier may trigger questions as to whether the payment constitutes funding criminal groups, terrorism, rogue states and/or violating anti-money laundering laws. However, actions taken under duress do not ordinarily constitute a crime.

Before engaging with the threat actor, companies should be mindful of the recent advisory from the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on potential sanctions risks associated with ransomware payments. For example, OFAC has designated “numerous” malicious cyber actors under its sanctions programs, including ransomware attackers and the transaction facilitators.

Under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and Trading with the Enemy Act, U.S. persons generally are prohibited from engaging in transactions, directly or indirectly, with individuals or entities on OFAC’s Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List, other blocked persons, and those covered by comprehensive country or region embargoes. Numerous cyber threat actors are on these lists.

OFAC can impose civil penalties for sanctions violations based on strict liability. Meanwhile, it will consider a company’s cooperation with and report of a ransomware attack to law enforcement to be a “significant mitigating factor” in determining an appropriate enforcement outcome if the situation is later determined to have a sanctions nexus.

From a commercial lens, production or delivery problems as a result of a ransomware attack may cause a company to be in breach of service agreements, purchase orders, or other contractual provisions. Therefore, companies should consider the force majeure, early termination and cure clauses in its commercial agreements. In addition, there may be provisions that require the company to inform its investors, business suppliers and/or customers that it paid the ransom.

Waiting until right-of-boom to assess these legal and ethical issues will only complicate the situation. As OFAC’s advisory makes clear, companies should have an incident response plan that contemplates a potential ransomware attack before an attack occurs. https://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/articles/2021/8/17/ethical-legal-implications-of-paying- ransoms

THE INFLUENCE OF TECHNOLOGY ON FLEET ARCHITECTURE

AUGUST 16, 2021 GUEST AUTHOR 1 COMMENT

Emerging Technologies Topic Week By J. Noel Williams “The fundamental error in a debate over robotic development is to think that we have a choice. This world is coming, rapidly coming. We can say whatever we want, but our opponents are going to take advantage of these attributes, and that world is likely to be sprung upon us if we don’t prepare ourselves.” Captain Wayne Hughes Jr. USN (ret). — Today’s maritime security environment recalls the early days of the United States Navy, when its economic and geographic limitations helped create a technologically bold yet focused fleet architecture. Just as the United States Navy couldn’t out build its rivals then, it can’t out build the Chinese Navy today. Even so, by drawing from its best traditions, and implementing a fleet design incorporating mission agile platforms and platform agile payloads, the Navy and Marine Corps team can affordably produce a fleet and fleet Marine force fit for purpose – even as those purposes change with the decades.

Past as Prologue While naval forces made important contributions during the Revolutionary War, it wasn’t until the First Congress established the Revenue Cutter Service in 1790 and the Third Congress passed the Naval Armaments Act in 1794 that solid and enduring foundations were laid for the modern Coast Guard, Navy, and Marine Corps.1

In the last decade of the eighteenth century, it took very specific and dramatic demands for a divided and parsimonious Congress to pass any legislation that expended substantial resources. The Revenue Act was driven by the economic necessity to collect customs duties and taxes, and to protect against smuggling close to home. The Naval Armaments Act likewise was born of the economic necessity to protect the overseas trade threatened by piracy and the depredations of the British and French navies. In 1794, marine insurance premiums for transatlantic shipping rose to 25% of total cargo value.2 This expense impacted both shippers and farmers, thus providing a broad-based coalition in Congress for action.

The Algerian xebecs, polacres, and feluccas, the FAC/ FIACs of the era, were fast enough to overtake most American merchantmen, allowing them to commandeer the ships and enslave their crews.3 These pirates could act with impunity because the United States had no ships capable of addressing such a distant threat. British and French ships harassed U.S. flagged vessels without consequence.

Fortunately, American innovators would leverage new technologies to answer these operational challenges. Congress solicited proposals for the design of six frigates; Joshua Humphreys, a Philadelphia Quaker, answered the call with a bold new warship. Humphreys proposed a unique design for a very stout frigate that could carry thirty 24-pounder long guns on the gun deck, which he calculated would allow the ship to challenge European ships of line in stormy weather conditions and outrun any ship posing a substantial threat. Many objected to Humphrey’s radical design, but he countered with a response especially relevant to our current circumstances. He said, “It is determined of importance to this country to take the lead in a class of ships not in use in Europe, which would be the only means of making our little navy of any importance. It would oblige other powers to follow us intact, instead of our following them…It will in some degree give us the lead in naval affairs.”4

Humphreys deserves tremendous credit for being not only a genius in the details of ship design but also in the larger strategic context and operational functions that influence ship design. The British naval historian, N.A.M. Rodger, would say he knew how to build a ship “fit for purpose.” According to Rodger, “The proper question to ask of all ship designs is not how well they compared with one another, but how well they corresponded to each country’s strategic priorities, and how wisely those priorities had been chosen.”5 https://cimsec.org/the-influence-of-technology-on-fleet-architecture/

Sea Mines: The Low-End Threat in the High-End Fight By Lieutenant Robert “OG” Swain and Lieutenant Commander Ryan Easton, U.S. Navy August 2021

When former Chief of Naval Operations Admiral John Richardson issued A Design for Maintaining Maritime Superiority Version 2.0 in December 2018, he highlighted the growing threat to freedom of navigation for the U.S. Navy: “Our competitors have been studying our methods over the past 20 years. In many cases, they are gaining a competitive advantage and exploiting our vulnerabilities.”1 Sea power requires unconstrained access to the oceans, waterways, and littorals, and potential adversaries understand the importance of sea lanes to preserving U.S. security interests. A single sea mine—confirmed, suspected, or even just threatened—could bring operational plans “to a grinding halt.”2 Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea all maintain robust and sophisticated mine inventories numbering in the tens to hundreds of thousands. 3 To prepare for potential large-scale mine warfare in great power competition, the Navy must assess current and developing mine countermeasures (MCM) systems, force structure, and strategy to determine if its capabilities will be adequate to mitigate the threat. It cannot underestimate the potentially devastating cost of the low-end threat in the high-end fight.

The Vicious Mine Warfare Cycle Department of Defense (DoD) interest in MCM follows what has been called “the vicious mine warfare cycle.”4 It starts with a mine attack, followed by the rise of MCM to the forefront of strategic discussion as conflict continues. Post-conflict, DoD budgets decline and MCM must compete for funding against more sophisticated and expensive technological threats. Interest in MCM fades, with little changes to the nation’s ability to confront an ever- evolving mine problem. The danger, however, endures. In 2018, China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) conducted “one of the largest mine warfare exercises in history.”5 Sixty minelayers, minesweepers, aircraft, and submarines practiced laying and countering live mines, while China’s top scientists and mine-development specialists evaluated the operations.6 China maintains 17 classes of ships, 10 classes of submarines, and two types of aircraft with the capability to deploy mines. 7 A 2009 U.S. Naval War College study suggests China possesses more than 100,000 sea mines “and that their use [is] fundamental to its strategy in constraining U.S. Naval Forces operating in Beijing’s area of interest.”8 A 2006 edition of the Chinese doctrinal textbook Science of Campaign instructs the PLAN to develop warfare systems that “can force their way into enemy ports and shipping lanes to carry out minelaying on a grand scale.” In the August 2015 Chinese naval magazine Modern Ships, a study from China’s National Defense University envisions responding to a Taiwan declaration of independence with a mine blockade. The first phase would involve 5,000–7,000 mines deployed over four to six days. The second phase would involve laying an additional 7,000 mines. 9 A Chinese analyst commented on the U.S. Navy’s ability to sortie in response to such mine-laying action: “The U.S. will need to move supplies by sea. But China is not Iraq. China has advanced sea mines . . . it took over half a year to sweep all Iraq’s sea mines. Therefore, it would not be easy for the U.S. military to sweep all the mines that PLAN might lay.”10 The analyst understood the U.S. Navy’s history of independently operating, autonomous MCM units ill-suited to counter grand-scale mine warfare. https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2021/august/sea-mines-low-end-threat-high-end-fight

‘Safer bubbles’ proposed in NCR: Malls, restos open only for fully vaccinated — Concepcion

Published August 17, 2021, 4:34 PM by Genalyn Kabiling

A person fully vaccinated should be given greater ease of access to certain establishments in Metro Manila, according to President Duterte’s business adviser.

Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion has proposed the creation of “safer bubbles” by allowing only people with complete vaccination to enter restaurants and other establishments in Metro Manila after the hard lockdown.

“We are pushing for establishments in NCR (National Capital Region), such as malls, restaurants and others, to allow only fully vaccinated individuals so we can create safer bubbles,” Concepcion said in a statement Tuesday, August 17.

“For example, dining areas with fully vaccinated restaurant crew serving fully vaccinated dine-in customers. This is of course upon having enough fully vaccinated residents in a certain city in Metro Manila,” he added.

People who have yet to be vaccinated, on the other hand, must look after their health by limiting their mobility, according to Concepcion. Citing an example, he said unvaccinated employees should travel only between their house and workplace until they are fully inoculated.

“We want to protect the unvaccinated individuals; they are the most vulnerable ones,” he said.

Metro Manila has escalated to enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) from August 6 to 20 in an effort to curb the rising cases of infections. The government has yet to decide if the hard lockdown, that requires stay-at-home rule except for going to work in permitted offices and getting food and other essentials, will be lifted or extended in the capital region. https://mb.com.ph/2021/08/17/safer-bubbles-in-ncr-malls-restos-open-only-for-fully-vaxxed- concepcion/

More protection: US likely to authorize COVID booster shots

By ZEKE MILLER and MATTHEW PERRONEAugust 18, 2021

WASHINGTON (AP) — After struggling for months to persuade Americans to get the COVID-19 vaccine, U.S. health officials could soon face a fresh challenge: talking vaccinated people into getting booster shots to gain longer- lasting protection as the delta variant sends infections soaring again.

As early as Wednesday, U.S. health authorities are expected to recommend an extra dose of the vaccine for all Americans eight months after they get their second shot, according to two people who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.

That means the biggest vaccination drive in U.S. history is about to get even more extensive.

The move is being driven by both the highly contagious variant and preliminary evidence that the vaccine’s protective effect starts dropping within months.

Last week, U.S. health officials recommended boosters for some people with weakened immune systems, such as cancer patients and organ transplant recipients. If the shots are expanded as expected to other Americans, among the first to receive them could be health care workers, nursing home residents and other older people.

Some experts have expressed concern that a new campaign calling for boosters could muddle the public health message and undercut the continuing drive to win over the tens of millions of Americans who are hesitant to get their first COVID-19 shots.

Calling for third doses could discourage people who had been skeptical of the shot’s effectiveness in the first place, Lawrence Gostin, a public health specialist at Georgetown University, warned on Tuesday. “We have to really make sure that while we’re spending a lot of time and effort on third doses that we don’t undermine our campaign for first vaccinations,” he said. “That’s truly the existential crisis in the United States.”

The booster campaign could also cause ill will toward the United States: Global health officials, including the World Health Organization, have called on wealthier nations to hold off on booster shots to ensure poor countries have enough vaccine for the initial doses.

Dr. Tlaleng Mofokeng, a South African expert advising the United Nations, condemned the move toward booster shots in the U.S., saying it will have the effect of “advancing and deepening the existing inequities” when “there are people who are yet to receive a single shot.” https://apnews.com/article/business-health-coronavirus-pandemic-coronavirus-vaccine- 21cd829d358e9b50b16515025dab2008

Ontario to offer third COVID-19 vaccine doses to high-risk people

By MOIRA WARBURTON, Reuters Published August 18, 2021 4:11am

The Canadian province of Ontario will begin offering third COVID-19 vaccine doses to vulnerable people as early as this week, its chief medical officer said on Tuesday.

Eligible populations will include transplant patients, some cancer patients on active treatment, people on immunosuppressant medications and residents in high-risk settings including long- term care homes and indigenous elder care lodges.

The province is also pausing its planned full reopening until further notice, according to a statement from the provincial government. The move would have removed capacity limits on business and social settings completely.

Third dose vaccinations could begin as early as this week in some areas, Chief Medical Officer Dr. Kieran Moore said.

Transplant recipients and people on immunosuppressant drugs can get a third dose eight weeks after their second shot.

All other vulnerable populations must wait a minimum of five months.

The government is also mandating hospitals, long-term and community care service providers to require all employees, staff, contractors, students and volunteers to provide proof of full vaccination, a medical reason why they are not, or completion of a COVID-19 vaccine educational seminar. The government also said the education ministry intends to introduce a vaccination disclosure policy for all publicly funded school board employees, staff in private schools and childcare centers in the province, with rapid testing requirements for staff who are not vaccinated. -- Reuters https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/world/799764/ontario-to-offer-third-covid-19-vaccine- doses-to-high-risk-people/story/

Phased progress as Sinopharm speeds up developing Delta- specific vaccines

By Leng ShumeiPublished: Aug 17, 2021 03:32 PM

An institute in Wuhan, under the China National Biotec Group (CNBG), a subsidiary of Sinopharm, has isolated the Delta variant of the novel coronavirus and is accelerating development on Delta-specific vaccines, its director told the media.

The new Delta variant spread to Wuhan after about a year of virtually no COVID- 19 infection cases in the city.

Duan Kai, director of the institute, told thepaper.cn that with support from local authorities, the institute soon isolated the Delta variant after the city reported one confirmed case on August 2.

"We are accelerating research on the variant. We are making efforts to finish pre- clinical trial research and apply for emergency use approval as soon as possible," Duan said.

Duan said that according to data from Phase III clinical trials on a COVID-19 vaccine developed by the institute, the vaccine shows an overall protection efficacy of 72.51 percent for all recipients and 100 percent efficacy against medium and critical diseases for all confirmed patients.

All recipients can produce high antibodies, the director said.

Duan called on the public to get vaccinated as he believes that large-scale vaccination has helped Wuhan quickly put the latest outbreak under control.

Zhuang Shilihe, a Guangzhou-based vaccine expert, told the Global Times on Tuesday that the biggest threat of Delta is its high infectivity rather than its immune-escape capacity.

Many studies conducted by Chinese and foreign researchers have proven that current vaccines are still effective in preventing critical disease and deaths caused by virus mutations, including Delta, Zhuang noted.

The most effective methods to protect people from Delta is still vaccination and non-pharmaceutical interventions, like wearing masks and keeping social distance, according to Zhuang.

But in the long run Duan said that a booster shot will be needed to enhance vaccines' efficiency against more infectious mutations. He noted that the Wuhan institute is aiming to produce 80-100 million doses per month to meet the demand.

Some Chinese experts noted that the high virus load of Delta also requires booster shots to increase the antibody level in recipients to neutralize the virus.

The institute has constructed production lines designed to produce a billion shots per year, according to Duan.

He said that it requires 70-80 percent of the national population to get vaccinated in order to build herd immunity against COVID-19. The high vaccination rate among high-risk groups is especially important to protect those who could not get vaccinated, like those who have serious chronic diseases or hypoimmunity.

According to China's National Health Commission, more than 777 million people in China had completed vaccination as of August 12. https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202108/1231679.shtml

What you need to know about the coronavirus right now

Reuters

Aug 18 (Reuters) - Here's what you need to know about the coronavirus right now:

New Zealanders begin life in lockdown

New Zealand's city streets were largely deserted on Wednesday as the country returned to life under lockdown for the first time in six months in a bid to halt any spread of the highly infectious Delta variant.

New Zealand had been virus-free and living without curbs until Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern ordered a snap three-day nationwide lockdown on Tuesday after a single case, suspected to be Delta, was found in the largest city Auckland.

The number of COVID-19 cases had risen to 10 on Wednesday, although modelling suggested numbers could rise to 50-100. read more

Sydney warned worse to come

Sydney's Delta outbreak has not peaked and residents must brace for more deaths, authorities said on Wednesday, as Australia's largest city continued to break records for new daily infections despite a nearly two-month lockdown.

"We haven't seen the worst of it and the way that we stop this is by everybody staying at home," New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian told reporters in Sydney, the state capital. read more https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/what-you-need-know-about- coronavirus-right-now-2021-03-02/

Mapping the Coronavirus Outbreak Across the World Updated: August 19, 2021, 1:20 PM GMT+8

Brazil 2,718 97,279 N/A N/A

U.K. 2,011 97,590 3,539.1 2.5

U.S. 1,890 112,500 1,523.6 2.8

France 1,675 97,787 N/A 6.0

Russia 1,197 46,301 1,184.4 8.1

Germany 1,145 47,890 849.9 8.0

India 330 24,616 378.7 0.5

Japan 123 9,595 151.0 13.1

Mainland China 3 68 N/A 4.3

Testing data as of August 17, 2021, 6:17 PM GMT+8 Sources: OECD for number of hospital beds (2016 for the U.S., 2017 for other countries), government agencies and the COVID Tracking Project via Our World in Data for testing data (various recent dates) (reported in the past 45 days) and the U.S. Census Bureau for population figures (2019).

The world is bracing for a new wave of Covid-19 infections, as the coronavirus pandemic has infected more than 205 million people and killed more than 4.3 million globally since late January 2020. Efforts many countries took to stamp out the pneumonia-like illness led to entire nations enforcing lockdowns, widespread halts of international travel, mass layoffs and battered financial markets. Recent attempts to revive social life and financial activities have resulted in another surge in cases and hospitalizations, though new drugs and improved care may help more people who get seriously ill survive.

01002003004005001 yrDays since 100 confirmed cases1001,00010,000100,0001,000,00010,000,00030,000,000CasesMainland ChinaFranceU.K.Hong KongU.S.AustraliaBrazilIndiaRussiaTaiwanNew Zealand Note: JHU CSSE reporting began on January 22, 2020, when mainland China had already surpassed 500 cases. Source: Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering 209,269,009 Confirmed cases worldwide 4,392,448 Deaths worldwide Jurisdictions with cases confirmed as of August 19, 2021, 1:20 PM GMT+8 1–99

100–999

1,000–9,999

10,000–99,999

100,000–999,999 1,000,000–9,999,999

10 million or more Where deaths have occurred Deaths Cases U.S. 624,253 37,155,127 Brazil 571,662 20,457,897 India 432,519 32,285,857 Mexico 250,469 3,152,205 Peru 197,659 2,137,295 Russia 169,948 6,572,246 U.K. 131,577 6,385,982 Italy 128,579 4,456,765 Colombia 123,781 4,877,323 Indonesia 121,141 3,908,247 France 113,239 6,611,444 Argentina 109,652 5,106,207 Iran 99,691 4,556,417 Where deaths have occurred Deaths Cases Germany 91,949 3,846,226 Spain 82,883 4,745,558 Show more Note: Totals for Denmark, France, the Netherlands, the U.K., and the U.S. include overseas territories and other dependencies. Cases and deaths for cruise ships have been separated in accordance with JHU CSSE data.

The epicenter of the pandemic has continued to shift throughout the year, from China, then Europe, then the U.S., and now to developing countries like Brazil. Cases globally surpassed 10 million in late June, but ever since infections have been multiplying faster. The U.S. and India have the most infections, accounting for more than a third of all cases combined.

Note: On February 14, 2020, Hubei officials changed their diagnostic criteria, resulting in a spike in reported cases.

Countries took drastic measures to mitigate the spread of Covid-19 on their homefront— with varying degrees of success. More than 140 governments placed blanket bans on incoming travelers, closed schools and restricted gatherings and public events, according to data compiled by Oxford University’s Blavatnik School of Government and Bloomberg reporting.

As countries loosen lockdowns in an effort to reboot their economies, many have seen a resurgence of infections. The number of new daily cases in the U.S. rose to record highs after some states relaxed social distancing requirements. Even places that successfully contained infections earlier in the year, like China and South Korea, have seen cases bubble back up. Theories that warmer weather in the Northern Hemisphere would bring relief appear to be unfounded.

Mar 2020Jan 2021Aug 1800.5K1.0K1.5K2.0K2.5K3.0K3.5K4.0KNew deaths by dayU.S.IndiaRussiaU.K. Note: Shown are the 15 places with the highest totals of confirmed cases, as of August 18. Negative values resulting from governments revising their totals have been excluded from rolling average calculations.

The “worst is yet to come” given a lack of global solidarity, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, head of the World Health Organization, said at a briefing in Geneva on June 29.

In May, the WHO emphasized the need for a plan that includes testing for the virus and its antibodies, effective contact tracing and isolation, and community education. Antibody tests on the market that could potentially indicate a person’s immunity have been unreliable so far. Researchers and drugmakers are racing to develop treatments that could hold the key to recovery. Gilead Sciences Inc.’s antiviral remdesivir is one of the first widely used drugs for Covid- 19. It received an emergency use authorization from U.S. regulators in May, after a trial found it sped recovery by about four days in hospitalized patients. It was also part of U.S. President Donald Trump’s treatment after he tested positive for the coronavirus in early October, along with Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc.’s antibody cocktail and the generic drug dexamethasone.

Vaccines are also in development, though the study of one leading candidate from the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca Plc is on hold in the U.S. while regulators investigate a potential safety issue. https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2020-coronavirus-cases-world-map/?srnd=coronavirus

Covid map: Coronavirus cases, deaths, vaccinations by country

By The Visual and Data Journalism Team BBC News

Published Covid-19 is continuing to spread around the world, with more than 200 million confirmed cases and 4.3 million deaths across nearly 200 countries.

The US, India and Brazil have seen the highest number of confirmed cases, followed by Russia, France, the UK and Turkey. Very few places have been left untouched. mapped

Zoom to

Show 207,211,656cases4,362,285deaths Australia39,615 cases 36,500,000 Circles show number of confirmed coronavirus cases per country.

Source: Johns Hopkins University, national public health agencies Figures last updated 16 August 2021, 09:39 BST

In the table below, countries can be reordered by deaths, death rate and total cases. In the coloured bars on the right-hand side, countries in which cases have risen to more than 10,000 per day are those with black bars on the relevant date. Scroll table to see more data

*Deaths per 100,000 people

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US 618,784 189.2 36,506,196 JAN 2020 AUG 2021

Brazil 569,058 271.7 20,364,099

India 431,642 31.9 32,225,513

Mexico 248,380 196.8 3,101,266

Peru 197,393 617.1 2,133,812

Russia 167,595 115.0 6,511,431

UK 130,953 195.0 6,267,437

Italy 128,432 211.8 4,440,669

Colombia 123,459 248.6 4,867,761

Indonesia 117,588 43.9 3,854,354

France 112,468 173.1 6,398,983

Argentina 109,041 245.8 5,084,635

Iran 97,828 119.6 4,425,821

Germany 91,878 110.5 3,828,278

Spain 82,470 176.6 4,693,540

South Africa 77,141 133.5 2,605,586

Poland 75,299 198.6 2,885,333 New Cases

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Ukraine 56,173 127.0 2,355,734

Turkey 53,159 64.6 6,078,623

Chile 36,380 194.2 1,629,192

Romania 34,348 176.1 1,087,223

Ecuador 31,870 186.5 493,767

Czech Republic 30,375 284.8 1,676,297

Philippines 30,340 28.4 1,741,616

Hungary 30,038 309.4 810,316

Canada 26,657 71.9 1,459,070

Belgium 25,287 220.2 1,149,869

Pakistan 24,478 11.5 1,102,079

Bangladesh 24,175 15.0 1,418,902

Tunisia 21,827 188.7 623,940

Iraq 19,672 51.2 1,775,764

Bulgaria 18,344 260.1 433,234

Bolivia 18,185 160.2 482,428

Netherlands 17,926 105.1 1,903,654

Portugal 17,562 171.2 1,003,335 New Cases

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Egypt 16,619 16.9 285,358

Paraguay 15,439 222.0 456,695

Japan 15,423 12.1 1,148,944

Sweden 14,658 147.0 1,110,147

Myanmar 13,263 24.7 354,279

Greece 13,191 125.4 537,125

Slovakia 12,544 230.0 393,529

Malaysia 12,510 39.7 1,404,899

Guatemala 11,155 64.7 413,040

Morocco 11,017 30.6 759,456

Switzerland 10,924 128.1 735,375

Kazakhstan 10,791 58.9 760,241

Austria 10,756 121.0 668,732

Nepal 10,292 36.6 732,272

Jordan 10,213 102.5 783,448

Bosnia and 9,701 291.9 207,076 Herzegovina

Saudi Arabia 8,388 24.9 537,374

Honduras 8,373 87.3 316,235 New Cases

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Croatia 8,283 199.3 367,022

Lebanon 7,976 116.3 583,012

Thailand 7,552 10.9 907,157

Serbia 7,167 102.6 732,044

Afghanistan 7,000 18.8 151,770

Panama 6,951 166.4 447,824

Israel 6,668 79.6 942,239

Georgia 6,406 160.0 481,578

Moldova 6,308 155.7 262,044

Sri Lanka 6,096 28.7 354,968

Uruguay 6,003 174.0 383,292

Vietnam 5,774 6.0 275,044

North Macedonia 5,552 266.5 162,164

Costa Rica 5,211 104.2 428,295

Azerbaijan 5,153 51.8 368,002

Ireland 5,059 105.0 324,747

China 4,848 0.3 106,526

Algeria 4,794 11.4 187,258 New Cases

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Armenia 4,695 159.1 234,558

Ethiopia 4,478 4.1 289,274

Lithuania 4,452 158.9 290,170

Slovenia 4,433 213.3 261,428

Kenya 4,340 8.4 220,727

Zimbabwe 4,109 28.5 120,088

Cuba 4,023 35.5 517,668

Oman 3,993 82.7 300,194

Dominican Republic 3,980 37.5 346,176

Libya 3,904 58.5 281,930

Venezuela 3,799 13.2 319,094

Palestinian Territories 3,623 74.5 320,034

Belarus 3,604 38.1 461,303

Zambia 3,529 20.3 202,261

Namibia 3,277 133.8 122,469

Uganda 2,882 6.7 96,987

Sudan 2,813 6.7 37,543

El Salvador 2,794 43.5 90,129 New Cases

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Latvia 2,561 132.8 140,122

Denmark 2,560 44.5 330,777

Albania 2,464 85.5 135,947

Kyrgyzstan 2,451 38.9 172,327

Kuwait 2,389 57.7 406,540

Kosovo 2,284 123.8 116,247

Nigeria 2,219 1.1 182,503

South Korea 2,167 4.2 225,481

United Arab Emirates 2,001 20.8 701,776

Botswana 1,973 87.5 136,758

Malawi 1,968 10.8 58,083

Syria 1,937 11.4 26,342

Mozambique 1,716 5.8 138,749

Cambodia 1,704 10.5 86,041

Montenegro 1,644 261.9 106,196

Senegal 1,600 10.1 70,679

Yemen 1,403 4.9 7,293

Bahrain 1,384 88.2 270,919 New Cases

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Cameroon 1,338 5.3 82,454

Jamaica 1,300 44.3 57,945

Estonia 1,279 96.7 136,992

Trinidad and Tobago 1,180 84.9 41,866

Angola 1,100 3.6 44,617

DR Congo 1,050 1.2 53,254

Finland 1,003 18.2 117,531

Uzbekistan 981 3.0 143,918

Australia 966 3.9 39,615

Rwanda 959 7.8 79,702

Madagascar 952 3.6 42,811

Eswatini 934 82.2 36,008

Ghana 922 3.1 110,710

Somalia 883 5.9 16,319

Mongolia 880 27.8 183,652

Luxembourg 828 137.0 74,595

Taiwan 821 3.5 15,852

Norway 808 15.1 144,484 New Cases

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Suriname 683 118.6 26,593

Mauritania 640 14.5 30,121

Qatar 601 21.6 229,168

Haiti 576 5.2 20,507

Guyana 574 73.7 23,561

Mali 535 2.8 14,695

Cyprus 456 52.8 108,872

Malta 430 97.9 35,337

Lesotho 397 18.8 14,243

Fiji 368 41.7 39,770

Ivory Coast 359 1.4 52,202

Belize 344 89.8 14,847

Bahamas 311 80.6 16,141

Cape Verde 300 55.2 34,397

Réunion 298 33.8 43,835

Guadeloupe 291 72.8 26,771

Guinea 287 2.3 28,020

Gambia 271 11.9 9,195 New Cases

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Maldives 222 43.0 79,137

French Guiana 197 69.6 31,633

Nicaragua 197 3.0 10,251

Niger 196 0.9 5,724

Papua New Guinea 192 2.2 17,812

French Polynesia 188 67.7 28,330

Martinique 184 49.0 27,883

Congo 179 3.4 13,356

Mayotte 175 67.4 19,567

Chad 174 1.1 4,982

Burkina Faso 170 0.9 13,675

Gabon 165 7.8 25,564

Togo 165 2.1 18,000

Djibouti 156 16.3 11,682

Liberia 148 3.1 5,459

Comoros 147 17.7 4,038

Curaçao 133 81.7 14,570

Andorra 129 167.5 14,924 New Cases

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Tajikistan 123 1.4 16,061

Equatorial Guinea 123 9.4 8,972

Sierra Leone 121 1.6 6,342

South Sudan 120 1.1 11,172

Aruba 119 112.4 13,350

Benin 113 1.0 9,065

Central African 99 2.1 11,251 Republic

Seychelles 98 100.9 18,895

Saint Lucia 95 52.2 6,366

Gibraltar 95 281.8 5,212

Channel Islands 92 54.0 9,903

San Marino 90 266.4 5,194

Guinea-Bissau 90 4.8 5,123

Liechtenstein 59 155.6 3,155

Tanzania 50 0.1 1,367

Barbados 48 16.7 4,525

Singapore 44 0.8 66,172

Antigua and Barbuda 43 44.7 1,397 New Cases

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Saint Martin 40 107.3 3,185

Burundi 38 0.3 9,620

Eritrea 37 1.1 6,601

Isle of Man 37 44.0 5,951

British Virgin Islands 37 124.2 2,552

Sao Tome and Principe 37 17.5 2,488

Monaco 33 85.3 3,059

Bermuda 33 52.6 2,663

Timor-Leste 30 2.4 12,565

Iceland 30 8.9 9,522

New Zealand 26 0.5 2,927

Mauritius 21 1.7 5,607

Turks and Caicos 19 50.4 2,568 Islands

Diamond Princess 13 712 cruise ship

St Vincent and the 12 10.9 2,314 Grenadines

Laos 9 0.1 10,092 New Cases

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Bhutan 3 0.4 2,571

Brunei 3 0.7 723

Saint Kitts and Nevis 3 5.7 655

Saint Barthelemy 2 20.4 1,336

Faroe Islands 2 4.1 991

Cayman Islands 2 3.1 651

MS Zaandam cruise 2 9 ship

Grenada 1 0.9 188

Montserrat 1 20.0 23

Vanuatu 1 0.3 4

Dominica 0 0.0 943

Greenland 0 0.0 245

New Caledonia 0 0.0 134

Anguilla 0 0.0 127

Falkland Islands 0 0.0 66

Saint Pierre and 0 0.0 30 Miquelon

Vatican 0 0.0 27 New Cases

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Country Deaths Death rate* Total Cases **

Solomon Islands 0 0.0 20

Marshall Islands 0 0.0 4

Samoa 0 0.0 3

Kiribati 0 0.0 2

Micronesia 0 0.0 1

Palau 0 0.0 0 Show more

This information is regularly updated but may not reflect the latest totals for each country.

** The past data for new cases is a three day rolling average. Due to revisions in the number of cases, an average cannot be calculated for this date.

Source: Johns Hopkins University, national public health agencies and UN population data Figures last updated: 16 August 2021, 09:39 BST Note: The map, table and animated bar chart in this page use a different source for figures for France and the UK from that used by Johns Hopkins University. US figures do not include Puerto Rico, Guam or the US Virgin Islands.

Confirmed cases have been rising steeply since the middle of last year, but the true extent of the first outbreak in 2020 is unclear because testing was not then widely available. The 100 millionth Covid case was recorded at the end of January - about a year after the first officially diagnosed case of the virus.

Deaths have also been rising, however official figures may not fully reflect the true number in many countries. Data on excess deaths, a measure of how many more people are dying than would be expected based on the previous few years, may give a better indication of the actual numbers in many cases.

Who has vaccinated the most? Of the 197 countries and territories administering vaccines and publishing rollout data, 67 are high-income nations, 103 are middle-income and 26 low-income. The map below, using figures collated by Our World in Data - a collaboration between Oxford University and an educational charity - shows the total number of doses given per 100 people, mostly first doses.

Global vaccine rollout Click or tap the map Reset

Total doses per 100 people

No data 0 10 20 30 40 50+ Scroll table Filter table:

Location Doses per 100 people Total doses

World 60.3 4,696,915,782

China 128.6 1,860,966,595

India 39.4 543,846,290 Location Doses per 100 people Total doses

US 106.4 355,768,825

Brazil 76.9 163,452,602

Japan 85.5 108,179,498

Germany 116.1 97,263,881

UK 131.6 87,879,643

Turkey 98.3 82,865,497

Indonesia 29.8 81,412,426

France 118.2 79,839,977

Mexico 59.4 76,587,422

Italy 121.9 73,718,833

Russia 50.0 72,895,650

Spain 130.3 60,919,867

Canada 136.2 51,402,274

Pakistan 19.1 42,173,424

Argentina 80.5 36,387,897

Poland 93.6 35,409,730

Saudi Arabia 90.9 31,654,206

Colombia 61.7 31,376,085

South Korea 60.4 30,974,836

Morocco 74.9 27,630,059

Malaysia 84.3 27,293,915

Chile 139.5 26,671,675

Philippines 23.8 26,127,502 Location Doses per 100 people Total doses

Thailand 33.2 23,192,491

Netherlands 124.6 21,348,406

Bangladesh 12.5 20,641,652

United Arab Emirates 175.6 17,363,341

Iran 19.3 16,213,714

Peru 47.9 15,790,785

Belgium 133.7 15,495,398

Cambodia 91.9 15,372,439

Sri Lanka 71.5 15,310,726

Australia 58.9 15,012,023

Ecuador 82.6 14,578,314

Vietnam 14.1 13,772,920

Portugal 131.7 13,426,233

Israel 140.0 12,119,437

Sweden 113.2 11,431,885

Uzbekistan 34.0 11,382,468

Cuba 99.2 11,233,885

Greece 105.4 10,988,409

Czech Republic 102.3 10,953,149

Kazakhstan 57.1 10,712,219

Dominican Republic 98.1 10,638,203

Hungary 108.5 10,481,449

Austria 112.8 10,155,942 Location Doses per 100 people Total doses

Taiwan 40.9 9,749,241

Romania 49.8 9,573,496

Switzerland 106.5 9,218,419

South Africa 15.5 9,185,756

Singapore 144.1 8,429,249

Denmark 138.6 8,028,257

Nepal 27.4 7,977,896

Ukraine 16.9 7,409,698

Ireland 128.1 6,326,226

Finland 111.5 6,178,954

Norway 109.0 5,911,464

Egypt 5.6 5,750,549

Jordan 56.3 5,741,689

Azerbaijan 56.6 5,739,342

Serbia 82.7 5,626,081

El Salvador 79.3 5,143,912

Uruguay 144.4 5,016,447

Bolivia 42.9 5,004,937

Slovakia 80.4 4,390,776

Mongolia 129.2 4,235,613

Algeria 9.5 4,146,091

Qatar 141.5 4,076,666

Tunisia 34.5 4,075,678 Location Doses per 100 people Total doses

Venezuela 14.1 4,000,000

Nigeria 1.9 3,967,013

Costa Rica 71.5 3,643,509

Myanmar 6.4 3,500,000

Panama 76.3 3,292,229

Zimbabwe 21.5 3,193,256

Guatemala 17.7 3,177,622

Croatia 77.1 3,166,258

Laos 42.9 3,118,472

Lithuania 107.2 2,916,963

Honduras 28.3 2,806,063

Oman 52.0 2,656,658

Belarus 26.9 2,541,745

Bahrain 142.1 2,418,313

Kuwait 55.6 2,375,455

Ethiopia 2.0 2,302,496

New Zealand 47.6 2,293,301

Paraguay 31.0 2,214,138

Lebanon 32.1 2,192,119

Bulgaria 31.0 2,152,638

Iraq 5.2 2,102,550

Kenya 3.6 1,922,085

Afghanistan 4.6 1,809,517 Location Doses per 100 people Total doses

Slovenia 86.8 1,805,223

Angola 5.2 1,695,588

Tajikistan 17.5 1,671,475

Latvia 75.2 1,418,214

Mozambique 4.4 1,386,326

Senegal 8.1 1,360,095

Mauritius 102.0 1,297,090

Albania 44.5 1,280,239

Ghana 4.1 1,271,393

Estonia 90.9 1,206,351

Ivory Coast 4.5 1,194,760

Uganda 2.5 1,155,265

Moldova 28.4 1,143,669

Palestinian Territories 20.6 1,053,252

Cyprus 117.2 1,040,915

North Macedonia 49.6 1,033,584

Bhutan 130.9 1,010,129

Guinea 7.1 938,537

Nicaragua 13.9 919,275

Bosnia and Herzegovina 26.4 865,306

Rwanda 6.6 854,194

Kyrgyzstan 13.0 848,085

Sudan 1.9 823,881 Location Doses per 100 people Total doses

Georgia 19.9 791,863

Malta 177.6 783,983

Libya 11.1 764,233

Trinidad and Tobago 53.0 741,984

Luxembourg 118.5 741,948

Fiji 77.1 690,888

Malawi 3.6 683,097

Maldives 117.3 633,914

Kosovo 27.9 539,752

Zambia 2.8 520,283

Iceland 139.8 477,205

Togo 5.7 474,776

Timor-Leste 33.7 443,729

Guyana 54.1 425,580

Niger 1.8 425,483

Botswana 16.6 391,360

Jamaica 13.2 391,076

Cameroon 1.4 368,280

Montenegro 57.0 358,224

Syria 2.0 355,000

Equatorial Guinea 23.0 322,447

Yemen 1.0 311,483

Somalia 1.8 279,869 Location Doses per 100 people Total doses

Suriname 47.0 275,723

Mali 1.3 259,719

Congo 4.6 255,988

Namibia 9.6 244,880

Mauritania 5.2 242,626

Sierra Leone 2.8 225,380

Cape Verde 36.8 204,780

Belize 51.0 202,797

Brunei 46.0 201,441

Madagascar 0.7 197,001

Armenia 6.6 194,902

Comoros 21.7 188,875

Barbados 63.9 183,493

Eswatini 15.6 181,290

Jersey 143.4 144,896

Seychelles 143.8 141,435

Isle of Man 147.7 125,593

Gabon 5.4 120,627

Bahamas 28.1 110,443

Tanzania 0.2 105,745

Samoa 50.7 100,610

Papua New Guinea 1.1 100,409

Cayman Islands 150.9 99,194 Location Doses per 100 people Total doses

Guernsey 144.2 96,687

Liberia 1.9 95,423

Central African Republic 2.0 95,282

DR Congo 0.096 86,244

Bermuda 133.8 83,297

Andorra 106.6 82,349

Gibraltar 233.1 78,535

Lesotho 3.4 72,948

Benin 0.6 70,323

Antigua and Barbuda 71.5 70,019

Faroe Islands 140.9 68,843

Greenland 119.5 67,849

Saint Lucia 32.4 59,537

South Sudan 0.5 56,989

Solomon Islands 8.2 56,621

Djibouti 5.4 53,064

Tonga 45.0 47,553

Turks and Caicos Islands 122.1 47,263

San Marino 135.7 46,057

Monaco 112.3 44,060

Sao Tome and Principe 20.1 43,978

Saint Kitts and Nevis 82.7 43,966

Gambia 1.8 43,557 Location Doses per 100 people Total doses

Turkmenistan 0.7 41,993

Dominica 56.7 40,795

Chad 0.2 40,649

Liechtenstein 106.5 40,614

Grenada 34.5 38,872

Burkina Faso 0.2 38,405

Guinea-Bissau 1.5 30,471

British Virgin Islands 95.2 28,777

St Vincent and the Grenadines 23.3 25,796

Vanuatu 7.8 23,995

Cook Islands 116.8 20,509

Haiti 0.2 19,182

Anguilla 123.0 18,457

Nauru 136.5 14,784

Kiribati 0 13,970

Saint Helena 130.0 7,892

Tuvalu 40.5 4,772

Falkland Islands 126.5 4,407

Montserrat 56.6 2,828

Niue 148.7 2,406

Tokelau 70.6 953

Pitcairn 176.6 83

British Indian Ocean Territory 0 0 Location Doses per 100 people Total doses

Burundi 0 0

Eritrea 0 0

North Korea 0 0

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands 0 0

Vatican 0 0

Show more

This information is regularly updated but may not reflect the latest totals for each country. Total vaccinations refers to the number of doses given, not the number of people vaccinated. It is possible to have more than 100 doses per 100 population as some vaccines require two doses per person.

Source: Our World in Data, ONS, gov.uk dashboard

Last updated: 16 August 2021, 10:59 BST

Overall, China and India have administered the highest number of doses, with more than 1.8 billion and 500 million respectively. The US ranks third, with more than 350 million. But when breaking the figures down by doses per 100 people in countries with a population of at least one million, the United Arab Emirates, Uruguay and Singapore top the list.

Most countries are prioritising the over-60s, health workers and people who are clinically vulnerable.

Some countries have secured more vaccine doses than their populations need, while other lower-income countries are relying on a global plan known as Covax, which is seeking to ensure everyone in the world has access to a vaccine. • How fast is vaccination progress around the world?

Where are cases still high? The number of daily cases is rising again in several regions.

Asia Asia, which was the centre of the initial outbreak that spread from Wuhan in China in early 2020, has seen another recent rise in cases.

That has been driven by a spike in infections in several countries, including Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and Japan.

In India, where the number of new daily cases has fallen recently, the official death toll is 430,000 and it has recorded 32 million cases - second only to the US.

Latin America In Latin America, Brazil has recorded more than 20 million cases and nearly 570,000 deaths - the world's second highest official death toll.

Mexico has seen the fourth highest number of deaths in the world, with nearly 250,000, and is currently seeing another surge in cases.

Peru now has the fifth highest toll with nearly 200,000 deaths, but the highest number of deaths by population size - more than 600 deaths for every 100,000 people.

Europe Although the UK, Russia and Spain all saw a rise in cases recently, driven by the Delta variant of the virus, numbers have started to fall. Other European countries, such as France, Italy and Greece, are still seeing case numbers climb.

New cases in the UK are similar to the level seen in the Spring, though the high level of vaccination has greatly reduced the number of deaths. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-51235105

More Than 4.82 Billion Shots Given: Covid-19 Tracker In the U.S., 359 million doses have been administered Updated: August 19, 2021, 5:24 AM GMT+8

The biggest vaccination campaign in history is underway. More than 4.82 billion doses have been administered across 183 countries, according to data collected by Bloomberg. The latest rate was roughly 37.5 million doses a day.

In the U.S., 359 million doses have been given so far. In the last week, an average of 774,118 doses per day were administered.

World Map of Vaccinations More than 4.82 billion doses have been administered—enough to fully vaccinate 31.4% of the global population

• no data05153060%of population covered Note: “Population covered” divides the doses administered for each vaccine type by the number of doses required for full vaccination. Data gathered from government agencies, public statements, Bloomberg interviews and the World Health Organization and Johns Hopkins University. A Change to Our Data Sources • Behind the data: After more than 240 straight data shifts, we’re taking the next step and will now be relying on a combination of automated scrapers and third- party data sources. . .

Enough doses have now been administered to fully vaccinate 31.4% of the global population—but the distribution has been lopsided. Countries and regions with the highest incomes are getting vaccinated more than 20 times faster than those with the lowest.

Note: Vaccine access calculations account for the number of doses needed for full protection; some vaccines require a two-dose regimen while others require just a single dose. Countries and regions are ordered by GDP per capita (PPP). When will life return to normal?

While the best vaccines are highly effective at preventing hospitalization and death, it takes a coordinated campaign to stop a pandemic. Infectious-disease experts say that vaccinating 70% to 85% of the U.S. population would enable a return to normalcy.

On a global scale, that’s a daunting level of vaccination. At the current pace of 37.5 million a day, the goal of high levels of global immunity remains a long way off. Manufacturing capacity, however, is steadily increasing, and new vaccines by additional manufacturers are coming to market.

The Path to Immunity Around the World Globally, the latest vaccination rate is 37,498,680 doses per day, on average. At this pace, it will take another 6 months to cover 75% of the population. Note: Immunity calculations take into account the number of doses required and the current rate of administration for each vaccine type. The “daily rate estimate” is a seven-day trailing average; interpolation is used for jurisdictions with infrequent updates. *Coverage may exceed 100% in some places, as shots may be administered to non-residents. Data are from Bloomberg’s Covid-19 Vaccine Tracker. ‘Pandemic of the Unvaccinated’

Israel was first to show that vaccines were bending the curve of Covid infections. The country led the world in early vaccinations, and by February more than 84% of people ages 70 and older had received two doses. Covid cases declined rapidly, and a similar pattern of vaccination and recovery repeated across dozens of other countries.

This progress is under threat. New strains, led by the highly transmissible delta variant, have caused renewed outbreaks. It’s now a life-and-death contest between vaccine and virus. Unvaccinated people are more at risk than ever, leading U.S. health officials to dub it a “pandemic of the unvaccinated.”

Even among those who are vaccinated, the delta variant may lead to mild cases, and those who get sick are able to spread the disease to others, according to the latest data. The vaccines remain effective at preventing hospitalization and death.

Vaccinations vs. Cases Vaccines have helped reduce case numbers in the places where they’ve been deployed most widely. Currently, 27 places have administered enough shots to cover at least 60% of the population.

Note: “People covered” divides the doses administered for each vaccine type by the number of doses required for full vaccination. Vaccine data from Bloomberg’s Covid-19 Tracker. Cases data: Johns Hopkins University.

Since the start of the global vaccination campaign, countries have experienced unequal access to vaccines and varying degrees of efficiency in getting shots into people’s arms. Before March, few African nations had received a single shipment of shots. In the U.S., 108.0 doses have been administered for every 100 people.

Delivering billions of vaccines to stop the spread of Covid-19 worldwide is one of the greatest logistical challenges ever undertaken.

Note: “People covered” divides the doses administered for each vaccine type by the number of doses required for full vaccination. Data from Bloomberg’s Covid-19 Vaccine TrackerShowmore Note: Population coverage accounts for the number of doses required for each vaccine administered. The daily rate is a 7-day average; for places that don’t report daily, the last-known average rate is used. U.S. Vaccinations: State by State

Roughly half of the U.S. population has been fully vaccinated, and states are flush with supply. The vaccination campaign, however, has slowed. Once the envy of the world for its swift rollout, the U.S. has since been overtaken by dozens of countries. There are still wide gaps between the most and least vaccinated counties in the U.S., leaving many communities vulnerable to continued outbreaks.

Distribution in the U.S. is directed by the federal government. Pfizer and BioNTech’s vaccine, as well as Moderna’s shot both require two doses taken several weeks apart. J&J’s inoculation requires just a single dose. Additional booster shots may be used to enhance protections over time.

So far, 199 million Americans have received at least one dose of a vaccine—77.3%of the adult population. At least 169 million people have completed a vaccination regimen. The U.S. is sending some of its excess supply to other hard-hit regions of the world.

Note: “Population covered” divides the doses administered for each vaccine type by the number of doses required for full vaccination. Data added after Feb. 20 is from the CDC and includes doses administered by federal entities in state totals. Prior data from the Bloomberg Covid-19 Tracker. It can take several days for counts to be reported through the CDC database. A new beginning

It takes about two weeks after a final vaccine dose for immunity to fully develop. While the CDC has offered guidance on mask-wearing after vaccination, many local governments and businesses have set their own rules.

Unvaccinated people, including children, should still wear masks indoors, according to the CDC’s latest guidance.

U.S. Vaccinations vs. Cases Vaccines have helped reduce case numbers in the places where they’ve been deployed most widely. Currently, 19 places have administered enough shots to cover at least 60% of the population. Note: “People covered” divides the doses administered for each vaccine type by the number of doses required for full vaccination. Vaccine data from Bloomberg’s Covid-19 Tracker. Cases data: Johns Hopkins University.

U.S. health officials are now focused on how to vaccinate people who have been reluctant to get a shot. Younger, unvaccinated populations are increasingly viewed as key to getting the pandemic under control. How State Vaccinations Stack Up Vermont leads all states, with enough vaccinations to cover 72.3% of its populations Note: Two doses are needed for full protection with the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, while the J&J shot requires a single dose. Data from Bloomberg’s Covid-19 Vaccine Tracker

After focusing first on hospitals and other institutional health-care settings, states expanded the number of places that offer the shots. Mass vaccination centers were created from sport stadiums, theme parks, convention halls and race tracks. Now the campaign has moved to more traditional health-care settings: pharmacies, doctors’ offices and clinics. https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/covid-vaccine-tracker-global-distribution/?srnd=premium-asia

Super weapons Published 2 days ago on August 18, 2021 12:40 AM ByBernie V. Lopez

Portions of this article have appeared in previous Star Gazer posts. Hypersonic missiles A Mach-10 hypersonic missile is 10 times the speed of sound. There will be no time for the entire US Fifth fleet to react in defense. A US admiral said his carrier fleet would “not be caught like a sitting duck” in the Strait of Hormuz.

The US Naval Institute reported that, back in 2009, Chinese hypersonic missiles could now take out an aircraft carrier in “one hit,” referring perhaps to the Dong Feng missile (meaning eastwind, the nom de plume or pen name, of this author by coincidence). There are “no (known) defense against it (yet),” unless the US has developed one secretly. The US announced the proto-type Blackswift, a mere Mach-6, but it is developing a new prototype Mach-20. China may have a slight edge on hypersonic missiles, but we really never know.

The Pentagon says it will take “a vast sensor layer” involving hundreds of low-orbit satellites to defeat a hypersonic to protect “the layered air defenses of a US carrier strike group.” This will take billions of dollars and many years to develop. Russia has similar claims. We really do not know until the war is upon us. (AFP, 21 March 2020, South China Morning Post, Forbes.com and Wikipedia)

Electro-magnetic pulse (EMP) bombs EMP bombs can cause a massive communications blackout in a huge area. Anything computer-controlled will fail, which is about, say, 80 percent of the world. Trains will collide and the Internet will not work. In a naval war in the Spratlys, it could paralyze an entire naval armada. A tiny low-flying EMP drone could even perhaps take out a command center in Hawaii, cutting it off from a naval war in the West Philippine Sea.

EMP are produced by a nuclear blast. But a non-nuclear EMP has been developed. It is actually a cheap low-tech device that amateurs can develop. A battery-driven coil produces an intense magnetic field, which a tiny explosion short-circuits to produce a non-nuclear EMP (e-bomb3). “One version of the system could destroy the electronics of an entire city.” The US has been working with Boeing on a prototype called CHAMP (Counter-Electronics High-Powered Microwave Advanced Missile Project (EMP-bombs). The US, China, Russia and North Korea are on a race to develop one without a nuclear blast in preparation for Armageddon.

This time, the US may have a slight edge on EMP, boasting that they could control the radius of the EMP blast. But then again, secrecy may nullify this edge. Mindsets of warriors In a potential naval war in the West Philippine Sea or the Strait of Hormuz, it is a confrontation of hypersonics and EMP, plus a lot of other “secret” super weapons. China is moving fast. Russia fears the potential invasion of Iran would lead to World War III. The US is working in silence and secrecy. The situation is unpredictable and unimaginable. We will never know what will happen because we do not know enough about these superweapons. Also, they are untested in a real war. One thing we know is all sides are avoiding a confrontation, which may trigger a nuclear Armageddon.

The preoccupation with the pandemic crisis is a blessing. It is a deterrent to a full-scale naval war. But new superweapons are still being produced in a frenzy for that rainy day. Observers of geopolitics have one great fear — a preemptive strike, just like Japan’s sneak attack at Pearl Harbor. Finally, an “accidental nuclear war” can be caused by a single trigger-happy general.

The tiny Philippine nation is dwarfed by these mega forces and fears it may become massive collateral damage. The best policy is perhaps to stay neutral, but even that may be impossible in a war of giants. Also, neutrality does not nullify collateral damage. It may develop into a tug-of-war, and the Philippines is sadly the rope.

Over and above diplomatic initiatives, all we can do is pray for peace. The Virgin can achieve peace for all of us in her own mystical way, if we ask her to talk to her Son, a peace that cannot be achieved by missiles, bombs and superweapons. https://tribune.net.ph/index.php/2021/08/18/super-weapons/

A matter of perspective BYGEORGE S. CHUA

DEPENDING on who you talk to, some people will say that our government is doing a great job in handling this pandemic while others will say that it has been a total disaster. I guess it is a matter of perspective.

Looking at the Covid death statistics from the Johns Hopkins University as of August 15, 2021, the Philippines seems to be doing quite well with 27.81 deaths per 100,000 population.

In comparison, highly developed countries such as the United Kingdom is at 196.32, the United States is at 189.26, Germany is at 110.51, Canada is at 70.92 and, even within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), Indonesia is at 43.00 and Malaysia is at 38.27. In short, about 100 countries did worse than us in Covid percentage deaths.

However, while we did well in terms of preventing more deaths from Covid, how well did we do in other critical aspects such as the economy? From a gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate of 6.12 percent in 2019, this became negative 9.6 percent in 2020 and a negative 1.3 percent for the second quarter of 2021. Another real- world measure of how a government is doing is by the unemployment statistics.

The Philippine unemployment rate was at 5.1 percent in April 2019 and a year later, in 2020, this was at 17.6 percent and by April 2021, our unemployment rate was at 8.7 percent. How does this compare to the other Asean countries? The two countries that fared worse than us in Covid deaths, did better when it comes to unemployment. Indonesia’s unemployment rate pre-Covid in 2019 was at 4.69 percent and increased to 7.1 percent by the third quarter of 2020. Malaysia’s unemployment rate was 3.32 percent in 2019 and grew to 4.6 percent in September of 2020.

Thailand, which had fewer Covid deaths had an unemployment rate of 0.75 percent in 2019 and slipped to 1.9 percent by August, 2020 while Vietnam was at 2.01 percent pre-Covid in 2019, had an unemployment rate of 2.7 percent by the second quarter of 2020.I could not help notice that the Philippines had the highest jump in unemployment rate and the worst GDP growth rate during this pandemic amongst our Asean peer group. https://businessmirror.com.ph/2021/08/17/a-matter-of-perspective-2/

The economy amid COVID-19 posted August 18, 2021 at 12:10 am by Ernesto M. Hilario

"We’d really like to know what the score is at this point."

We’re not out of recession. That’s according to economist Cielito Habito in his latest column in another broadsheet. Habito was the Ramos administration’s Economic Planning Secretary and concurrent Director-General of the National Economic and Development Authority, so he knows whereof he speaks.

The Duterte administration’s economic managers had gloated earlier this week that the economy is out of recession and poised for recovery, having grown by 11.8 percent in the second quarter this year.

But experts pointed out that the second-quarter GDP is 1.3 percent smaller than the economic output in the first three months of this year. The 11.8-percent GDP growth was computed based on the record 17-percent decline in the gross domestic product (GDP) last year. Hence, actual GDP growth so far is much less than what the government claims.

Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick Chua asserts, however, that the government has been able to achieve a better balance between addressing COVID-19 and the need to restore jobs and incomes. National Statistician Dennis Mapa has reported that the industry sector grew by 20.8 percent, reversing the 21.8-percent drop a year ago. Services also reverted to 9.6-percent growth from the 17.1-percent decline last year. In the case of agriculture, the second quarter’s 0.1-percent contraction reversed last year’s 1.6-percent growth.

Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto disputes the government’s rosy predictions. He believes that the economy would grow by only 4 percent for the whole of 2021 and take one or two years to return to its 2019 levels.

Rep. Joey Salceda, while concurring with the assessment that the country has already emerged from economic recession, qualified his stand by saying that this is “no indication that people are having it easier economically...If we are able to stop Delta (variant) in its tracks and avoid the kind of surges Indonesia and other Asean neighbors are experiencing, we will perform very strongly in the second half of 2021.”

Chua had earlier warned that the economy stands to lose at least P150 billion per week with Metro Manila and other areas placed under the strictest quarantine measure to cope with the expected spread of the more transmissible COVID-19 Delta variant. He has actually revised his earlier estimate of P105 billion in losses per week to P105 billion as the government added more provinces under Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ).

The ECQ classification, per NEDA’s estimate, would result in lost production output of about P150 billion per week affecting more than 600,000 workers and will increase the number of poor by about 250,000.

These figures indicate a huge jump from the 177,000 additional poor people and 444,000 more Filipinos without jobs as earlier projected.

However, Chua maintained that the adverse economic impact can be partly reversed if the lockdowns are properly used to accelerate vaccination of Filipinos, especially in high-risk areas.

“While the ECQ is expected to slow down economic activities in August, this is an investment towards a strong recovery in 2021,” Chua said.

So what can we expect in terms of the economy in the remaining 10 months of the Duterte administration?

For Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez and NEDA chief Chua, the emergence of the COVID-19 Delta variant has prompted the government to prioritize containing the spread of the more contagious virus through more proactive quarantines in high-risk areas and an accelerated vaccination program, so that economic gains in recent months can be sustained.

“Since January 2020, net job creation has totaled 2.5 million, indicating that the economy has exceeded the pre-pandemic employment level after losing 8.7 million jobs during the height of the quarantines in April 2020. Despite the increase, the underemployment rate is still much lower than the figures recorded in the first four months of 2021. Lower underemployment rates in recent months point to improving job quality as restrictions in the economy were relaxed,” they said.

In fact, the country’s economic managers give themselves a pat on the back with a grade of 85 out of a possible 100 in their report card.

That’s because of the tax reforms enacted so far along with the implementation of big- ticket infrastructure projects under the ambitious Build, Build, Build program.

Three pending bills aimed at relaxing restrictions on foreign capital are seen to generate more jobs and accelerate economic recovery. These are the proposed amendments to the Public Service Act, Retail Trade Liberalization Act and the Foreign Investment Act. But what we’re interested in finding out straight from the mouths of our economic managers is how we’ve been performing in terms of fighting poverty.

Have more Filipinos been lifted out of poverty since 2016? We understand that the target was to bring the poverty rate down from around 22 percent in 2016 to just 16 percent next year. While the COVID-19 pandemic may certainly have wreaked havoc on attaining this target, we’d really like to know what the score is at this point. https://manilastandard.net/opinion/columns/about-town-by-ernesto-m-hilario/362610/the-economy- amid-covid-19.html

A graveyard of empires posted August 18, 2021 at 12:00 am by J.A. Dela Cruz

"We can only hope and pray that the Taliban government learned its lessons well."

The 20-year war in Afghanistan -- formally known as Operation Enduring Freedom launched in 2001 after the 9/11 World Trade Center bombing by the US and its NATO allies and joined later on by Canada, Australia and New Zealand to oust the then Taliban government,which was suspected of having harbored many of the perpetrators of that dastardly attack on American soil—ended last Sunday with the triumphant return of this Islamic movement to Kabul. For the third century in a row, Afghanistan has once again cemen ted its place in the pantheon of international conflicts as the graveyard of empires, a distinction which no other country in modern history can lay claim to. The United States and its allies are the latest to depart from what historians call the “colonial misadventure” in ignominy. Early on, in the 19th century, the British learned that lesson in the 1839-1842 war they launched from the comfort of their bases in the then undivided India. For 10 years after invading Afghanistan in 1979 to solidify their footprint within the Central Asian axis of nations, the Soviet Union learned its own bitter lesson and had to march off with nary a bang. At least, they were able to drive part of their tanks back to the USSR unlike the US and its allies who had to scramble their way out. What makes this especially painful and embarrassing to the world’s remaining superpower is the manner by which the ending happened. It was swift and calculated, leaving the US and its allies scrambling to evacuate their citizens and a limited number of their Afghan enablers to safety. So swift was the Taliban takeover that it took place less than a month after US President Joe Biden declared that “there was no way the Taliban would be able to march to Kabul at all as it was not like the North Vietnamese Army sending brigades into the US Embassy in Saigon in 1976”—or words to that effect. Well, they did even better. Not a single shot was fired when Taliban fighters entered the presidential palace and declared the war over. Even the fighters could not believe their luck—the touted 300,000 strong Afghan Defense Forces simply melted away leaving thousands of newly minted war materials to the tender mercies of the “invaders.” To top it all, they managed to do so while the “peace talks” to end all hostilities were ongoing in Qatar. Wow, what a disgraceful spectacle complete with the fleeing in a hurry like a thief in the night of the US-backed former President Ghani. As one former US Marine officer who served in both Iraq and Afghanistan said he was hanging his head in shame at the sight of a totally disorganized and decidedly cowardly US-led departure, leaving the country in ruins and its people in complete subjugation. “If they have any honor left in their bones,” the officer angrily bellowed in an interview with BBC News, “those who planned and executed this shameful departure should immediately resign or be court martialed and face the consequences of their idiocy.” Well, I am sure there will be time for laying the hands of justice on those who committed those grave mistakes. For now, what is needed is to evacuate all those needing to be evacuated, restrain any acts of violence and vengeance and ensure the safety of those left behind. This task will now have to be organized under the aegis of the United Nations and those countries who have now recognized the Taliban government. As for us, we can only hope and pray that the Taliban government learned its lessons well in governance and in its relations with the community of nations. One such lesson we are hopeful will be embedded is their disavowal of terrorism and its related underpinnings. We certainly call on the reinstalled Taliban regime to finally dismantle any terrorist bases and training camps in Afghanistan and give notice to the world th at from hereon they will not allow any such operations in that benighted land.

https://manilastandard.net/opinion/columns/crossroads-by-j-a-dela-cruz/362606/a-graveyard-of- empires.html

Saigon and Kabul By: Manuel L. Quezon III - @inquirerdotnet

Philippine Daily Inquirer / 04:04 AM August 18, 2021

Our colleague Dax Lucas yesterday cited a BBC interview in which a Brookings Institution fellow tried to explain the quick fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban. He pointed out the Taliban had equally swiftly fal

len from power in 2001: “Afghans Andon’t American like to be academic on the wrong in Hong side Kong of a pointedlosing fight.” out that what most observers reacting now to the collapse of Afghanistan failed to notice because of little to no media cove — heavy fighting on the part of the Afghan National Army; but this was undercut by rage, because the Americans weren’t involved—is that there’d been Donald Trump recognizing the Taliban and announcing a withdrawal.

What this achieved was a cease-fire where the troops of the West and the Taliban refrained from fighting each other; an agreement that supposedly continued to the last moment since the Taliban allowed the American evacuation to proceed. The scrap the Trump-era deal, and take the lead in the fighting; this neither his Democratic constituency nor real choice Trump’s successor, Joseph Biden, faced was to the broader American public, was prepared to do.

Ajmal Ahmady, the governor of the now-suddenly-defunct central bank of the now-nonexistent Afghan government, in a Twitter thread, recounted how Aug. 6 seemed a turning point; after many rural areas fell to the Taliban months ago, it was then that the first provincial capital fell, followed by six more in quick succession. He said the rumor mill whispered -president of Afghanistan “that directions not to fight were for being abrasive and unyielding, and thus unable, to negotiate a handover of somehow coming from above.” He blamed the (now) ex power.

All this suggests an explanation for the quick collapse of the Afghan government; people may quibble over the exact circumstances, but the public was quick to reach the conclusion the outcome was that the 2021 debacle in Kabul can be matched only by the fall of Saigon in 1975.

Since the fall of Afghanistan was inevitable, the real issue is America leaving those who worked with it in the lurch. Paul Wolfowitz published an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal citing the American effort to bring out South Vietnamese in 1975. Senior officials had to collude to go beyond merely evacuating Americans and offer -141 missions and 174 C-130 flights evacuating more than 45,000 Vietnamese to Guam. In addition, 71 US helicopters a lifeline to their defeated allies: “201 C flew 660 sorties, evacuating more than 7,800 people to Thailand or to US ships. The aerial evacuation of South Vietnam was the largest such operation in history,

with more than 50,000 evacuees.” tells the story vividly and makes for a riveting watch: not least, today, with its scenes of The 2014 documentary film “Last Days in Vietnam” by Rory Kennedy stampedes in the airport, and the frantic efforts of Americans and South Vietnamese to escape the arriving North Vietnamese Army. The documentary starts with the Paris Peace Accords of 1973, when America negotiated its way out of boots on the ground in South Vietnam.

What kept that agreement in place, Kennedy argues, is that the North Vietnamese , that Nixon was stark raving mad. But Nixon fell from power in the closing months of were convinced by the bombing campaign he’d unleashed against Cambodia 1974, and the North unleashed an offensive it calculated America was in no mood to resist. The most chilling part of the documentary is the postscript describing the experiences of just a few of the many unable to make it out before the fall of Saigon.

https://opinion.inquirer.net/143202/saigon-and-kabul

Hot potato

There’s a new war the US is fighting in Asia and the Pacific. A more important war that needn’t need shooting to be called a war. Published 2 days ago on August 18, 2021 12:20 AM

By Aldrin Cardona @tribunephl_drin The scenes in Kabul, which fell in the hands of the Taliban last weekend, hark back to those witnessed by an older generation of fighters in Saigon in 1975.

In this age of the Internet, when news is shared and consumed in a jiffy, those who are glued on the developments could not help but notice the optical similarities between those two events 46 years apart.

The throngs of people inching their way through every available space on stairs that led toward choppers airlifting them to freedom were exactly identical to those black and white photographs from Vietnam.

They clung to rails, pulled other people’s legs, hung on to their family members’ arms, squeezed into the thinnest of spaces available — anything, just to be able to flee the persecution that awaits them for choosing a life less restricted by religiou s dogma.

These Afghans were fleeing for a life that embraces freedom to indulge in knowledge, arts and music, or from the same religion that promises them salvation but with their eyes crossed in front of muzzle holes.

They wanted their children to be able to go to schools and universities, achieved only in the last 20 years under the US occupation that was fueled by the 9-11 attacks ordered and funded by Osama bin Laden, a former mujahideen who fought alongside the Afghans against the Soviets.

Harboring bin Laden when he built al-Qaeda, the more ambitious and most extreme of the Muslim ideological groups before it spawned the IS, was the Taliban’s greatest sin. And for that, George W. Bush made them pay.

The mujahideens were formerly funded by the Central Intelligence Agency in the US’ proxy war against the Soviet Union. It was only during the Soviet collapse in 1989 that Afghanistan was left in the hands of the Taliban that eventually formed an Islamic emirate — the single voice of the various warlords that control the Afghan mountains and their borders.

Trade flows in these areas, but alongside the legitimate goods were the drugs produced from Afghanistan’s poppy fields. The Taliban had Zaranj on the Afghan-Iranian border, then the nearby Farah and seven other provincial capitals, then the international crossing points. Slowly the others fell — Spin Baldak, a gateway to Pakistan, Islam Qala, the main crossing point to Iran, and Kunduz en route to Tajikistan.

Ads by optAd360 Its swift retaking of the capital Kabul was not surprising. The Taliban had Pakistani support, whether its neighbors deny it.

The Afghan government had recently released 5,000 imprisoned Taliban fighters, following a condition of the US-Taliban agreement.

With money and soldiers, the Taliban ended their 20-year war with the US in a matter of hours.

The US and its military partners are now scrambling to take their allies and the Afghans who worked for them in fear of Taliban reprisals.

That scene of people falling out of a plane that had just taken off would see repeats as the Afghans are desperate in their bid for freedom.

They expect a plunge for the country whose new leaders have pledged to take more moderate governance. They have seen enough of war and murder, however. No promises would keep them in peace. The Afghans are on their own now.

The US, meanwhile, has lost interest in that part of the world. It has left Iraq before it departs fully from Afghanistan.

There’s a new war the US is fighting in Asia and the Pacific. A more important war that needn’t need shooting to be called a war.

It doesn’t mind having the Vietnamese as allies this time, 46 years after they have repulsed the American soldiers for good because US interests are different this time. https://tribune.net.ph/index.php/2021/08/18/hot-potato-2/

Commentary: No regrets over Afghanistan withdrawal? Biden should have plenty

Reminiscent of Saigon in 1975, what happened in Afghanistan is a classic case of American overreach, says Richard Haass.

NEW YORK CITY: Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has fled the country. His government has collapsed as Taliban fighters enter Kabul.

Bringing back memories of the ignominious fall of Saigon in 1975, two decades of did it come to this? America’s military presence in Afghanistan has vanished in a matter of weeks. How There are wars of necessity, including World War II and the 1990-1991 Gulf War. These are wars in which military force is employed because it is deemed to be the best and often only way to protect vital national interests.

There also are wars of choice, such as the Vietnam and 2003 Iraq wars, in which a country goes to war even though the interests at stake are less than vital and there are nonmilitary tools that can be employed.

WARS OF WITHDRAWAL Now, it seems, there are also withdrawals of choice, when a government removes troops that it could have left in a theatre of operation.

It does not withdraw troops because their mission has been accomplished, or their presence has become untenable, or they are no longer welcomed by the host government.

None of these conditions applied to the situation the United States found itself in

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/commentary/biden-afghaniAfghanistan at the start of President Joe Biden’s administratstan-blames-taliban-ousted-leaders-ion. 2117496 With Afghanistan’s collapse, a moment for Moscow and Beijing Peace in the region would strengthen Russia and China's claims to regional leadership • Taliban fighters stand guard along the roadside in Kabul on Monday after their stunningly swift offensive that toppled Afghanistan's government after nearly a 20-year war. | AFP-JIJI No one should have harbored any illusions about the fate of Afghanistan after the withdrawal of U.S. and NATO forces.

Still, the collapse of the Afghan military and the Taliban’s advance in recent weeks were more rapid than almost anyone imagined. Debate and the inevitable recriminations about “the loss of Afghanistan” will be long and bitter. Considerably less attention will be paid to how Central and South Asian countries respond to the return of the Taliban, but those political dynamics, and the roles played by China and Russia, may well determine whether Afghanistan becomes a threat to the region and the wider world.

When I began this column last week, the Taliban was on a roll as provincial governments surrendered without a fight. New intelligence estimates reportedly gave the then Afghan government 30-90 days to survive after the U.S. withdrawal. By Sunday, the Taliban was only miles from Kabul; by Monday, the former government had fled.

The Taliban’s return will almost certainly create a human rights nightmare for Afghans, and the many gains made by women in that country will be erased. Appalling though that may be, President Joe Biden has made it clear that it is not sufficient reason for him to maintain a U.S. troop presence in the country. Instead, his chief concern is the terrorist threat and he believes the decapitation and eradication of al-Qaida ended that threat and with it justification for a continuing military deployment.

It isn’t just Washington that worries about terrorists. Afghanistan’s neighbors — secular, authoritarian governments — are alarmed by the Taliban’s radical ideology and its readiness to accept foreign fighters into its ranks, both of which could spread the Islamic contagion throughout the region. The former government in Kabul tried to contain and eliminate the extremist threat, winning support from its neighbors. Those governments hope the Taliban will continue that policy.

That isn’t their only concern, however. They also worry about large numbers of refugees crossing the border — destabilizing in the best of times, but even more dangerous amidst the COVID-19 pandemic — as well as flows of guns and drugs. In short, they fear a vacuum in Afghanistan and a government in Kabul that either turns a blind eye to, or actively promotes, destabilization of neighboring countries. Those neighbors have responded by sending troops to their borders — a potentially dangerous move that risks clashes with either fleeing former government forces or the Taliban fighters — as they reach out to the Taliban and intensify consultations among themselves.

Leaders from five Central Asia states (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan) met in July and again earlier this month to discuss developments. At their August sit-down, Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, president of Turkmenistan and host of the meeting, called Afghanistan “the question that worries all of us.”

The Taliban has embarked on a charm offensive to assure those governments that it will not be a threat. There is good reason to be skeptical: The group provided sanctuary to Central Asian militants in the past. Much will depend on whether Afghanistan’s neighbors are equally serious about sealing their own borders. Central Asian frontiers divide ethnic groups and clans; when they were in power in the 1990s, the Taliban faced opposition from northern Afghan groups that enjoyed financial and military support from Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2021/08/17/commentary/world-commentary/afghanistans- collapse-moscow-beijing/

Is China About to Tuck Afghanistan Under Its Belt and Road? Beijing is approaching the situation gingerly, hoping Pakistan can help manage the Taliban but nervous that instability might spill into Xinjiang province By

Ruth Pollard August 18, 2021, 7:01 AM GMT+8Updated on August 18, 2021, 10:59 AM GMT+8 into Afghanistan any time soon not to fill the political and project.China won’t be rushing — security void left by the U.S. and not to expand President Xi Jinping’s flagship Belt and Road However decisive the victory looks right now, the country is far too fragile for Beijing to contemplate anything other than a pragmatic diplomatic engagement with a group it has spent decadesTaliban’s trying to work with. It may dangle the promise of enhanced economic relations in front of an Islamist insurgent movement looking to cement key regional relationships, but the likelihood of any infrastructure projects materializing in the short-term is remote.

Afghanistan has vast mineral deposits, including copper, coal, iron ore, lithium and uranium, as well as oil and gas. But even though Chinese companies (and mining companies in general) have a higher-than-average tolerance for risk, few have made the decision to enter the market in the war-torn nation. https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2021-08-17/china-isn-t-about-to-tuck-afghanistan-under- its-belt-and-road?srnd=premium-asia

If there are US troops present on Taiwan island, China will crush them by force: Global Times editorial

By Global TimesPublished: Aug 17, 2021 04:40 PM

In a tweet on Tuesday, US Senator John Cornyn astonishingly said that the US has as many as 30,000 troops stationed on Taiwan island, more than the 28,000 US troops in South Korea. If that is true, the Chinese government and the Chinese people will never accept it. It is believed that China will immediately put the Anti-Secession Law into use, destroy and expel US troops in Taiwan by military means, and at the same time realize reunification by force.

The US stationing troops in the Taiwan island severely violates the agreements signed when China and the US established their diplomatic ties as well as all political documents between the two countries. It also critically runs counter to international law and even US domestic law. It is equivalent to a military invasion and occupation of the Taiwan Province of China. It is an act of declaring war on the People's Republic of China.

We note that some people pointed out that Cornyn, a member of the US Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, must have mistaken the size of US military presence in the Taiwan island before the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the US for today's number. According to Wikipedia, the number of US troops stationed on the island of Taiwan gradually rose to 30,000 from 1968 to 1969. In an interview with the Global Times, a Chinese scholar doubted that Cornyn's tweet was possibly a deliberate act to try to test the Chinese mainland's reaction to US military presence in Taiwan. It will be also unacceptable for us if that is the case.

We sternly demand an immediate explanation from the US government on Cornyn's tweet, as well as an immediate explanation from the Taiwan authorities. If there truly are 30,000 US troops in Taiwan, or even fewer than that, it would be an extremely serious situation that crosses China's red-line. Those US troops must withdraw from the island immediately and unconditionally, and both the US government and the Taiwan authorities should publicly apologize for this. Otherwise, we believe that an all-out war across the Taiwan Straits will break out quickly, and the Chinese People's Liberation Army will wipe out the US forces, liberate the island of Taiwan, and settle the Taiwan question once and for all.

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202108/1231691.shtml

Commentary: Muhyiddin’s resignation as prime minister paves way for opposition to seize power

The Pakatan Harapan may win back power if it stays united. It controls a huge number of seats. But it will not have the support of the Malay political establishment, says Professor James Chin.

Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin arrives at the National Palace for a meeting with the king, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia August 16, 2021. REUTERS/Lim Huey Teng

HOBART: After a week of high political drama, the inevitable has occurred. Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and his Cabinet resigned on Monday (Aug 16).

Muhyiddin had little choice. He had exhausted all possible avenues to stay in power.

Even his ultimate public display of desperation last Friday in going on national television to offer the opposition unprecedented reforms and sweeteners to back his government - term limits on the prime minister, reduction of the voting age, financial allocations for constituency work and granting the leader of the opposition the status of a senior minister did not help.

Never mind that the opposition– had asked for some of these precise changes for over 20 years or more.

Despite this very public mea culpa, leaders from all the major opposition parties rejected his peace offering. Only two senior Members of Parliament (MPs) from the

ByDemocratic Sunday, it Action was all Party but over.(DAP) In said a final it was meeting worth with “further Perikatan discus Nasionalsion”. coalition their offices. parties, Muhyiddin’s fate was sealed. Some political office holders started to clear out https://www.channelnewsasia.com/commentary/malaysia-muhyiddin-yassin-candidates-prime- minister-2117726