IV. International (5-16-09)
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In the midst of the
worst economic crisis in the Great Depression, a new
world order is emerging, with its center gravitating
towards China. The statistics speak for
themselves. IMF is predicting the world’s GDP
will shrink by 1.3%, while China expects an annual
economic growth of 6.5% to 8.5%.
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Japan and South Korea
still send more undergraduates to US schools, according
to the most recent data, but China is gaining. China’s
growing middle class provides an expanding pool of
people able to afford overseas travel and tuition, and
parents are often willing to pay a considerable sum to
educate an only child.
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Historically, students have been more likely to come to
the US for advanced degrees and research opportunities.
The dramatic shift is the rising number of undergrads.
Many families seek out US schools that offer financial
aid or generous merit scholarships.
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There is a prediction
(from Thailand) that another tsunami will hit
Asia on July 22. There will be a solar
eclipse. It is gong to be really bad and the badly-hit
countries include Malaysia (Sabah & Sarawak),
Thailand, Singapore, Maldives, Australia, Mauritius, Sri
Lanka, Indonesia, India and RP.
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Because so much growth is tied to international trade
and multinational corporations with investments in
China, the value of US higher education is clearly
understood and worth the investment of cash on the other
side.
. Vietnam
will probably devalue the dong by 4% within 3
months in a bid to boost exports and narrow the gap with
free market exchange rates, Australia and New Zealand
Banking Company, Ltd. said.
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Until 2007, the number
of Chinese undergrads in US had held steady for years at
about 9k, according to the Institute of International
Education which promotes study abroad. But that year
it jumped to 16k.
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Experts say China’s increasing wealth, fewer
delays in obtaining visas and technology that make it
easier for Chinese students to learn about US schools
have helped fuel the boon. It shows no signs of letting
up.
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Chat rooms buzz with admissions advice. Students travel
to South Korea, Singapore or New Zealand to take the
SAT. The College Board is adding more testing
centers in Hong Kong to meet the demand. Agents promised
to get students to top schools with glossy, elaborately
packaged applications and extras, such as videos.
. Taiwan
will send observers to a
UN Health conference this month, its first participation
in a formal UN activity since 1971 when the world barely
switched recognition to mainland China. The announcement
is a sign of considerable warming between Taiwan and
PRC.
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During a similar crisis
in 2003, Taiwan complained that its exclusion from the
WHO complicated its response to an outbreak of
the virus responsible for severe cute respiratory
syndrome, or SARS.
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WHO’s director general (Margaret Chen) issued the formal
invitation, asking Taiwan to send a non-voting observer
to the Geneva gathering under “Chinese Taipei.”
Participation in the conference will give Taiwan more
channels for accessing health information, said its
health minister (Yeh Ching-chuan)
. Japan
offered $100 billion in
financial assistance to Asian countries hit by global
financial crisis in a move that shores up its economic
leadership in the region in spite of its own severe
recession.
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Rivalry between Japan
and China spilled over into the final stage of the
Ching Mai negotiations, with both agreeing to
provide $38.4 billion each. China’s share includes $4.2
billion from Hong Kong. South Korea is providing $19.2
billion with the rest shared among the 10 Southeast
Asian partners.
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The 13 countries which agreed to provide an initial
capital of $500 million each into a trust fund to
guarantee the local currency bond issues by Asian
companies, which have been facing high borrowing costs,
because of investors’ low risk appetite for emerging
markets.
. South Korea’s
unemployment
rate fell to 3.8% in April, government data showed,
adding that it is a sign the country’s battered economy
is improving. The data came from the National
Statistical Office.
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The country will invest about 12 trillion won
($9.5 billion) by 2013 in the development of green
technology. The eco-friendly plan is part of the “Green
New Deal” announced earlier this year.
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The projects will develop green IT products, making its
Internet infrastructure 10x faster, building efficient,
low-carbon transit systems, and establishing a
low-carbon work environment in the country.
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The Philippines
erupted into euphoria 5/3 as Filipino boxing icon Manny
Pacquiao knocked out UK’s Ricky Hatton in the 2nd
round, making history as one of the world’s greatest
fighters in the ring. With the win, he matched a boxing
record of holding titles in 6 different weight
divisions.
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Philippine Immigration chief warned foreign
activists 4/30 that they can be deported for taking part
I protests after a demonstration by bikini-clad members
of animal rights group PETA.
. The
government has raised deposit insurance to boost
depositors’ confidence in the country’s banking system,
media reports said.
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Parent company
Vinalines has asked the Ministry of Transport in
Vietnam to call other ports nearby and have them
receive more unpacked cargo in a bid to ease congestion
at its subsidiary Saigon port.
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Illegal loggers in the Central Highlands and nearby
provinces are prepared to use lethal force to retrieve
confiscated logs but few of the bloody scuffles are
investigated by the police.
. Foreign
fast-food chains plan to expand in Vietnam this year as
the market for burgers, fries and other foods continue
to grow at a sizzling pace. Jolibee Foods Corporation,
the RP-fast food chain that arrived in Vietnam 10 years
ago said it would invest more to expand this year.
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The Hindu nationalist
group, Sri Ram Sena, is behind attacks on women
in Bangalore, the IT capital of India, verbally
accosting them for drinking in public bars and for
wearing jeans. Hindu extremism is rising in many parts
of the country, especially in Bangalore, because it is a
bastion of India’s fast-changing culture.
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Bangalore is home to an explosion of software
companies, a lively metal rock music scene and
burgeoning gay rights and environmental movements. The
rise of moral policing and an increasingly active
constellation of Hindu right-wing groups that believe in
a politicized form of religion is known as Hindutva.
This model is also described as the Talibanization of
India
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Recent street protests by Hindu extremist groups have
targeted the emblems of globalization. Demonstrators
have thrown rocks at the glass office buildings of call
centers and software companies. They have shut down
clubs that feature dancing and live music. They have
vandalized Christian churches, which are regarded as
foreign trespassers. In brief, they are no different
from the Taliban.
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Political experts
predict the rise of Hindu extremism will spin greater
participation during India’s marathon month-long
elections by the secular middle-class and those who
support traditional values. Some see the growing attack
as a national embarrassment. The issue has frustrated
young, urban voters, frustrated that politicians and
police have turned a blind eye or have taken the task of
moral policing.
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The discussion is complicated by India’s lopsided
economic growth. Well-paid urban youth tend to embrace
Western values while the country’s poor appear more
eager than ever to stick to traditions that have been
shaped by Hindu religious teachings.
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Few places symbolize more change among the youth than
Bangalore. It is a destination for young people from
across the country which comes here for well-paid
outsourcing jobs or to escape the pressures of family.
They are places where the Hindu nationalist
Bharattija Jamata Party (BJP) and other right-wing
parties have whipped up communal strife and have been
able to remain in power and have become more popular.
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As a Taliban insurgency gains strength in Pakistan
the country seems to be preparing to surrender. In areas
where the Taliban formally hold sway, such as Swat,
people have bowed to their guns. In the heartland in
Punjab and other regions, there is disquieting
acceptance of the inevitability of the Taliban’s rise to
power.
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Over the past 2 years, Pakistani civil society has
driven a military dictator from power and managed to
force an elected government to restore the top judges to
the bench. But when it comes to the Taliban, it seems
incapable of speaking with one voice.
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Thousands have turned up at anti-Taliban rallies. There
are Facebook groups galore, protesting their policies.
But people know that raising a banner in a city square
or clicking on an e-petition is not going to convince
the Taliban to give up their arms and return to day job,
or in most cases, return to an endless cycle of
unemployment.
. Nepali
PM (Pushpa Kamal Deepal), a rebel leader-turned
politician, resigned after a power struggle with the
president, while his party vowed to launch mass protests
to shut down Parliament.
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Nepal’s Maoists fought a bloody 10-year war against the
government before joining the political mainstream in
2006. Their party won the most votes in elections last
year that helped the centuries-old monarchy.
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They vowed to launch protests and shut down the
government to protest the president’s actions.
Authorities announced a protest ban in key parts of
Kathmandu, including areas around the president’s
residence and office, and riot police were deployed
around the city.
. Sri Lanka
agreed 4/27 to stop firing heavy weapons into the
northern war zone to safeguard thousands of civilians
trapped there, but the government resisted growing
pressure for a ceasefire in its war with the Tamil Tiger
rebels.
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Two new challenges of the foreign policy front await the
newly elected GOVT of India to be installed soon—in
heaven-turned-hell Sri Lanka and the Himalayan state of
Nepal. How India meets the challenges will depend on how
its people vote in the 5-phase month long general
elections that ended on May 13.
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Strongly condemning the Liberation Tigers of Tamil
Eelam (LTTE) for its acts of terrorism over many
years, the UN Security Council said it has a
legitimate right to combat terrorism in this country.
