The first shipment of Australian coal in two years will soon be offloaded in China, offering evidence that trade ties between the two countries are thawing. The shipment is anchored off the Chinese port of Zhanjiang, a major steel hub. China imposed a block on trade with Australia in 2020, after then-Prime Minister Scott Morrison called for an investigation into the origins of COVID-19. (BLOOMBERG)
Southeast Asian foreign ministers met this weekend in Jakarta to negotiate a landmark code of conduct agreement between China and rival claimants in the South China Sea. ASEAN chair Indonesia said it would host another round of talks on the issue again next month.(SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST)
China’s influence in Asia suffered last year due to the country’s strict Zero COVID policies that restricted trade and people-to-people exchanges, according to the Sydney-based Lowy Institute’s annual Asia Power Index. The U.S. remains atop the Lowy index but researchers warned “the age of uncontested U.S. primacy in Asia is over.” (SYDNEY MORNING HERALD)
The Indian government is expanding its crackdown on Chinese mobile apps by banning the use of 138 betting apps and 94 lending services. The new restrictions are expected to be implemented this week. India has already banned 59 Chinese apps including TikTok. (REUTERS)
Pakistan will seek to reduce a loan for a 1,871km railway upgrade it agreed with China in November. Railway Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique said they will seek approval from the federal cabinet and then approach Chinese lenders with a request to cut the loan by 40%. The revamp was partly aimed at fixing lines destroyed by recent flooding, and is projected to cost $10 billion. (BLOOMBERG)
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen will visit China this week. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said the visit (between 9 and 11 February) comes at the invitation of Premier Li Keqiang, but didn’t mention what would be on the agenda beyond ‘exchanging in-depth views on bilateral relations.’ (XINHUA)
China is building a new ground station in Antarctica. It will facilitate the transmission of data from eight ocean observation satellites (with a ninth coming soon). The station will be the sixth Chinese Antarctic facility. (ASIA TIMES)
A vocal critic of China and leader of the most populous province in the Solomon Islands was removed from office after a no-confidence vote by the provincial legislature on Tuesday. Daniel Suidani, former premier of the South Pacific nation’s Malaita province, campaigned against last year’s security pact with China and accused Beijing of using bribery and corruption to gain influence in the Solomon Islands. (ABC NEWS)
Commerce ministers from China and Australia met this week for the first time in four years. China’s Wang Wentao and Australia’s Dan Ferrell spoke by video conference on Monday in what is the latest indication of thawing ties between the two countries. Last month, Beijing eased sanctions on some Australian commodities, possibly bad news for commodities exporters in the Global South. (REUTERS)
China and Brazil’s central banks signed an agreement on Tuesday to expand the use of the yuan to facilitate trading transactions between the two countries. Beijing has recently set up similar yuan clearing arrangements in various other countries including Pakistan, Laos and Kazakhstan. (REUTERS)
India is fast-tracking its cross-border connectivity projects with ‘friendly neighbors’ like Bhutan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Myanmar due to ‘obvious’ concerns about its frontier with China, said External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar. These include road, rail and transport links to boost trade with all India’s neighbors except Pakistan. (THE HINDU)
China became the biggest destination for Brazilian corn in January, according to revised trade statistics released by the Brazilian government. Brazil sold almost a million tons of corn to China in January, the second month of full corn trade, following authorization in November. China already buys the vast bulk of Brazilian soybeans, among other crops. (NASDAQ)
