During US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's meetings in Indonesia this week, she will touch on Washington's main concern about that nation, the world's most populous Muslim country: that it stick to the path of moderation.
She will visit an Islamic primary school, one of many schools in Indonesia now supported with US aid, where she will try to soften the image of the US as anti-Muslim. She will also give a speech praising Indonesia for its rapid switch to democracy.
But alongside what often seems like a one-note US agenda of fighting terrorism, Rice is expected to hear about another overriding interest for both Indonesia and Australia, her next stop. It can be summed up in one word: China.
For Indonesia and Australia, China is not just a rising power as it is often described in Washington, but has already arrived as the regional power that spreads economic benefit. China is driving intra-Asian economic integration through ASEAN, which excludes the US, and by 2010 the region's trade with China is likely to outstrip its trade with the US.
To sweeten the economic bonds, China has not been too pushy in other areas, stepping politely to address its strategic and diplomatic goals as it seeks the affections of surrounding countries, many of which have had longstanding relations with the US.
"China has now established itself as the paramount regional power in Southeast Asia," said Milton Osborne, a former Australian diplomat and scholar on the region at the Lowy Institute of International Affairs in Sydney. "This is widely recognized in Southeast Asia, however people choose to express the idea."
In Indonesia, China has turned on the charm, transforming a relationship that was once fraught with suspicion into a blossoming economic partnership. China's state energy companies have bought into Indonesian oil and natural gas fields in Java and Papua and are expected to bid on tenders for new power plants. Indonesian exports to China in 2004 increased by 232 percent from the previous year.
REBUILDING: A researcher said that it might seem counterintuitive to start talking about reconstruction amid the war with Russia, but it is ‘actually an urgent priority’ Italy is hosting the fourth annual conference on rebuilding Ukraine even as Russia escalates its war, inviting political and business leaders to Rome to promote public-private partnerships on defense, mining, energy and other projects as uncertainty grows about the US’ commitment to Kyiv’s defense. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy were opening the meeting yesterday, which gets under way as Russia accelerated its aerial and ground attacks against Ukraine with another night of pounding missile and drone attacks on Kyiv. Italian organizers said that 100 official delegations were attending, as were 40 international organizations and development banks. There are
TARIFF ACTION: The US embassy said that the ‘political persecution’ against former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro disrespects the democratic traditions of the nation The US and Brazil on Wednesday escalated their row over US President Donald Trump’s support for former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, with Washington slapping a 50 percent tariff on one of its main steel suppliers. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva threatened to reciprocate. Trump has criticized the prosecution of Bolsonaro, who is on trial for allegedly plotting to cling on to power after losing 2022 elections to Lula. Brasilia on Wednesday summoned Washington’s top envoy to the country to explain an embassy statement describing Bolsonaro as a victim of “political persecution” — echoing Trump’s description of the treatment of Bolsonaro as
Pakistani police yesterday said a father shot dead his daughter after she refused to delete her TikTok account. In the Muslim-majority country, women can be subjected to violence by family members for not following strict rules on how to behave in public, including in online spaces. “The girl’s father had asked her to delete her TikTok account. On refusal, he killed her,” a police spokesperson said. Investigators said the father killed his 16-year-old daughter on Tuesday “for honor,” the police report said. The man was subsequently arrested. The girl’s family initially tried to “portray the murder as a suicide” said police in
The military is to begin conscripting civilians next year, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said yesterday, citing rising tensions with Thailand as the reason for activating a long-dormant mandatory enlistment law. The Cambodian parliament in 2006 approved a law that would require all Cambodians aged 18 to 30 to serve in the military for 18 months, although it has never been enforced. Relations with Thailand have been tense since May, when a long-standing territorial dispute boiled over into cross-border clashes, killing one Cambodian soldier. “This episode of confrontation is a lesson for us and is an opportunity for us to review, assess and
RSS