India in a significant move expanded its strategic and defence partnerships with 3 SE Asian states – Singapore; Philippines and Malaysia during External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s trip to these countries where he engaged with slew of decision makers including top leadership. This happened as Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr ordered his government to strengthen its coordination on maritime security to confront China. After the visit of senior American scholars and industrialists to China, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen will visit Beijing next week. but will consult American companies on China’s industrial overcapacity, particularly in solar power and electric vehicles (EVs) ahead of her trip. Besides EV, China is also trying to catch up with USA on AI. Liu Cong, the vice president of Chinese AI firm iFlytek, admitted the consensus in China was that “we still have a gap” to close on the world leaders in generative AI. Meanwhile, Japanese PM is all set to visit close ally USA further deepen Tokyo’s defense and economic ties. The United States is in talks with South Korea and Japan to arrange a trilateral summit on the sidelines of a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit to be held in Washington in July.
India supports Philippines in upholding sovereignty: Jaishankar
The Economic Times | 27th March 2024
External affairs minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday (March 26) said India firmly supports the Philippines in upholding its national sovereignty and wants to explore new areas of cooperation, including in defence and security, amid the growing maritime dispute between the Philippines and China in the South China Sea.
The Hindustan Times | 28th March 2024
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s visit to Malaysia and his meetings with the country’s top leadership presented an opportunity to reiterate commitment to further develop the bilateral Enhanced Strategic Partnership, an official statement said on Thursday (March 28).
Jaishankar meets Singapore PM Lee & senior Ministers to further deepen bilateral ties
The Hindu | 26th March 2024
External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar on March 25 called on Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan and other senior ministers and discussed ways to further the strategic bilateral ties, and the situation in the Indo-Pacific and West Asia regions.
South China Morning Post | 28th March 2024
United States Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is expected to consult American companies on China’s industrial overcapacity, particularly in solar power and electric vehicles (EVs), at a planned meeting during her trip to China next week – a discussion that is likely to inform the tone of subsequent talks with her counterparts in Beijing, as both sides have deployed heated rhetoric on the issue.
South China Morning Post | 31st March 2024
China’s artificial intelligence firms need to focus on developing their own hardware and software if they want to catch up with US market leaders, industry leaders have said. Liu Cong, the vice president of Chinese AI firm iFlytek, admitted the consensus in China was that “we still have a gap” to close on the world leaders in generative AI during a panel discussion at the Boao Forum for Asia in Hainan province on Wednesday (March 27).
Marcos boosts Philippines’ maritime security as tensions with China rise
Strait Times | 31st March 2024
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has ordered his government to strengthen its coordination on maritime security to confront “a range of serious challenges” to territorial integrity and peace, as a dispute with China escalates. The order, signed on March 25 and made public on March 31, does not mention China but follows a series of bilateral maritime confrontations and mutual accusations over a disputed area of the South China Sea.
Kishida heads to U.S. with a mission — maintain alliance momentum amid challenges
The Japan Times | 31st March 2024
With relations between Japan and the United States near a historic high, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will embark on a state visit to Washington next month to further deepen Tokyo’s defense and economic ties with its sole ally. But with emerging headwinds in both countries, Kishida and U.S. President Joe Biden will have their work cut out for them as they look to maintain the momentum driving change in the alliance.
U.S. seeking trilateral summit with S. Korea, Japan in July: report
Yonhap | 31st March 2024
The United States is in talks with South Korea and Japan to arrange a trilateral summit on the sidelines of a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit to be held in Washington in July, a report said Sunday (March 31). According to Japan’s Kyodo News, which quoted diplomatic sources, U.S. President Joe Biden is considering inviting South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to the NATO event and holding the trilateral summit on the margins.
Chinese rail company CRRC withdraws bid from Bulgarian public tender amid EU inquiry
South China Morning Post | 27th March 2024
A Chinese train maker has withdrawn from a public tender in Bulgaria after the European Union launched an investigation into a bid it said was undercutting local firms. The inquiry, announced last month, was the first of its kind and marked the maiden use of a foreign subsidies regulation designed to stop state handouts from distorting the EU’s single market.
