Brussels [Belgium], Aug 17,2020: The seventh round of the negotiations between the European Union and the United Kingdom on their future relationship will begin in Brussels on Monday.
The round will last until August 21 and is set to resolve the remaining outstanding issues that prevent the sides from reaching a final agreement.
The UK pulled out of the bloc on January 31, completing a process triggered by the Brexit referendum in June 2016.
Until December 31, the country is set to renegotiate a range of agreements — both with the EU and other partners — to ensure beneficial trade and cooperation after the transition period ends.
Kuala Lumpur [Malaysia], August 16 (ANI): Malaysia has rejected Beijing’s expansive maritime claims in the South China Sea, a region where Beijing’s territorial claims have aggravated tensions.
“Malaysia opposes China’s claim that they have historic rights over those waters,” Malaysian Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein told the Parliament in a rare public rebuke of its largest trading partner.
“The Malaysian government also considers China’s claims over maritime features in the South China Sea to have no basis whatsoever under international law,” he added while answering questions from Members of Parliament on the status of China’s demands for territory in the South China Sea.
This is an unusual move for Malaysia, which in the past had avoided reproaching China openly by reiterating its focus on ensuring the area remains open for trade.
A recent Malaysian government report disclosed the Chinese ships incursions into Malaysia’s exclusive economic zone had taken place 89 times between 2016 and 2019. In April, Chinese ships have intruded into the Malaysian waters for over 100 days.
A Chinese government survey vessel, the Haiyang Dizhi 8, accompanied by a Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) vessel, entered Malaysia’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and began a survey close to a drillship under contract to Malaysian state oil company Petronas. Foreign Minister disclosed that after “intensive diplomatic efforts”, the Chinese Coast Guard and fishing militia retreated its exclusive economic zone in May.
Malaysia and Brunei are two of the four Southeast Asian states opposing Beijing’s expansive claims in the South China Sea, through which USD 3.4 trillion worth of international shipping trade passes every year. But unlike Vietnam and the Philippines, they have made few public statements on the issue, even as Beijing built artificial islands and sent coastguard and research vessels to the resource-rich area to strengthen its claims.
On December 12 last year, Malaysia filed a submission with the United Nations, seeking to establish the limits of Malaysia’s continental shelf in the northern part of the disputed area. Under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, any country can claim an exclusive economic zone up to 200 nautical miles from their shoreline.
China, however, claims most of the South China Sea. Malaysia said in its submission that there were areas of potential overlapping claims beyond its own exclusive economic zone.
China objected to the filing, saying Malaysia’s submission had “seriously infringed on China’s sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction in the South China Sea”.
In response, the Malaysian government issued a note verbale to the UN on July 29 saying that it rejected “China’s claims to historic rights, or other sovereign rights or jurisdiction, with respect to the maritime areas of the South China Sea encompassed by the relevant part of the ‘nine-dash line’.” A note verbale is submitted to the UN Secretary-General with the request that it is sent to other member states.
Malaysia’s note added that China’s claim in the disputed area “has no basis under international law” and it “rejects in its entirety the content” of China’s objection. In April, Malaysian Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein called for calm in the South China Sea and reaffirmed Malaysia’s commitment to peace in the disputed waters. This came after reports that a Chinese government survey ship was “tagging” an exploration vessel operated by Malaysia’s state oil company Petronas in the South China Sea.
China claims much of the South China Sea, but there are also overlapping claims by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam. China has built bases and other outposts on shoals, reefs and rock outcroppings to deepen its claim over 80 per cent of the 3.6 sq km waterway, with Vietnam, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan claim parts of the same area.
The US and its allies have also challenged Beijing’s territorial claims. Washington has called on Beijing to stop bullying tactics in the South China Sea and accused the latter of pushing its presence in the disputed waters while other claimants are pre-occupied with battling COVID-19.
Malaysia will remain cautious in defending its claim to avoid escalating tensions, Hishammuddin said. It will keep working toward a resolution within regional grouping ASEAN, which is holding discussions with China for a code of conduct for the area, even as talks have stalled due to the pandemic, Hussein added.
Abuja , August 16,2020: Africa’s largest economy is in turmoil over the prospect of ‘losing’ its sovereignty to China over bad debts.
The Federal lawmakers of the national assembly are demanding a probe into China’s lending practices into Nigeria, in a wake of a sovereign guarantee clause in loan agreements that they consider ‘an entrapment of Chinese neo-colonial plans’.
Lawmakers fear that the clause could see Nigeria sign away its sovereignty in the event of a payment default.
The House of Representatives had attacked the government over clauses in Article 8(1) of the Commercial Loan Agreement signed between Nigeria and the Export-Import Bank of China.
In the said agreement, Nigeria stands to concede her sovereignty to China should there be a default in the repayment of the $400 million for the Nigerian National Information and Communication Technology Infrastructure Backbone phase 2 project signed in 2018.
China currently constitutes the largest overseas trade partner and also one of the largest creditors of Nigeria. According to a West African Nations’ Management Office data, Chinese credit accounts for 80 per cent of all bilateral lending to Nigeria. China provides loans to build railways, power plants and airports in Africa’s largest oil producer.
The controversy erupted on the established perception of China’s ‘debt-trap diplomacy’ in Africa. China’s posturing as a willing partner for expensive infrastructural projects is an elaborate play to entrap African countries in debt. There is a popular belief that Beijing is present in Africa for the sake of China not as it claims to be there for Africans.
A lot of the current debt of most African countries is not going to be profitable to China and it is keen on helping Africa as these loans allow China to take control over certain projects once the credit conditions are not met by the borrowing county. China’s loans often include conditions that are strongly orientated towards Beijing’s strategic interests and increase the risk that many countries in the developing plunge into a monetary disaster.
This tactic is known as “debt-trap diplomacy” and has been used by China in numerous instances like Kenya and Ethiopia are struggling with Chinese debt.
For example, China had given a loan to develop a strategic port in Djibouti. In 2017, Djibouti’s debt was projected staggering at 88 per cent of its GDP, with China responsible for the bulk of this debt.
Djibouti had fallen victim to China’s debt-trap and let China built its first overseas military base there. That China’s first and only overseas military base is a consequence, not a coincidence.
Nigeria is staring at a grim economic condition due to COVID-19 pandemic that caused cash crunch and there is a lingering fear that its debt burden might escalate. Its primary revenue source- oil earnings have long been undercut by falling production levels and dips in oil prices coupled with the recent total shutdown of the global oil economy. Over the past few years, Nigeria’s economy has been unable to fund national budgets fully. Consequently, it is desperate to look for more external funding.
Nigeria has increasingly relied on loans for big-ticket infrastructure projects and has particularly leaned on Chinese financial and technical support to build out its transport network. So far, China has offered loans to back eleven ongoing large-scale infrastructural projects, leaving Nigeria’s debt to China at $3.1 billion as of March 31 against the total $5.575 loan agreements wrapped up with China EXIM Bank in the span of eight years between 2010 and 2018.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) persistently warns Nigeria and other third world countries that mounting debts to China are dangerous. It stresses that Chinese creditors create some instability or vulnerabilities.
Economists have been urging African governments to ensure that they read the small prints of the “conditionalities” defined by the Chinese. In their views, it would avoid Beijing laying claim to some of their assets, as they are doing in Madagascar, Kenya, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Nigerian opposition members also allege that the Nigerian government has pledged some oil fields as collaterals for the Chinese loans.
New Delhi , August 15,2020: India on Friday welcomed the full normalisation in relations between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Israel, saying that the two countries are New Delhi’s key strategic partners.
Speaking at a weekly briefing, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said India has always supported peace, development and stability in West Asia.
“The External Affairs Minister (S Jaishankar) received a call from UAE Foreign Minister on the announcement of full normalisation of relations between the UAE and Israel. India has consistently supported peace, development and stability in West Asia, which is its extended neighbourhood. In that context, we welcome the full normalisation of ties between UAE and Israel,” Srivastava said.
“Both nations are key strategic partners for India,” he added.
Earlier today, Jaishankar tweeted about the telephonic conversation with UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan about the full normalisation of relations between UAE and Israel.
“Deeply appreciate the call today from FM HH @ABZayed of UAE. Discussed the full normalisation of relations between UAE and Israel announced yesterday,” he said.
Meanwhile, Srivastava said India continues its traditional support for the Palestinian cause and hoped to see the beginning of direct negotiations between Israel and Palestine for an acceptable two-state solution.
“India continues its traditional support for the Palestinian cause. We hope to see an early resumption of direct negotiations to find an acceptable two-state solution,” he said.
On Thursday, Israel and the UAE agreed to normalise their relations, and an agreement on the mutual establishment of embassies is expected to follow in the coming three weeks. In exchange, Israel said it would halt its plans to formally annex parts of the West Bank.
A joint statement of the US, UAE and Israel said, “President Donald J. Trump, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel and Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the United Arab Emirates spoke today and agreed to the full normalisation of relations between Israel and the UAE.”
As per the joint statement, delegations from Israel and the UAE will meet in the coming weeks to sign bilateral agreements regarding investment, tourism, direct flights, security, telecommunications, technology, energy, healthcare, culture, the environment, the establishment of reciprocal embassies and other areas of mutual benefit.
“Opening direct ties between two of the Middle East’s most dynamic societies and advanced economies will transform the region by spurring economic growth, enhancing technological innovation and forging closer people-to-people relations,” the statement read.