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Daily Memo: Talking to the Taliban, Maneuverings Around Taiwan
DerekJohnson
Administrator, Swaye's Wigwam Posts: 60,107
in Tug Tavern
By: Geopolitical Futures
“The authorities in Kabul, whoever they are.” The European Union should open a dialogue with the Taliban, EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell said, while insisting that this does not imply that Brussels is recognizing the Taliban as the legitimate Afghan government. Borrell said discussions were needed to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe and repeat of the 2015 refugee crisis. In the meantime, Germany has already sent its top diplomat to Doha for talks with the Taliban on evacuating Afghans who helped the German military.
Taiwan heating up. China is building a new airport on reclaimed land off the coast of Fujian on the Taiwan Strait, not far from a pair of Taiwanese-held islands. Meanwhile, a dozen or so Chinese warplanes entered Taiwan's air defense identification zone just minutes before Taiwan was set to start air force exercises in the area. Japan's ruling party is planning to hold security talks with officials in Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party, the latest in a series of steps by Tokyo to formalize some sort of military partnership with Taiwan.
Chinese tech reforms. China’s State Council passed a major new law on cybersecurity and critical infrastructure. This comes as Beijing is expected to pass sweeping new rules on personal data protections, as well as another set of anti-monopoly laws. Each legislative package will have wide-ranging effects on some of China’s biggest tech giants. China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology rebuked 43 apps on Wednesday for breaking data transfer rules.
Corporate debt warnings. Analysts at credit ratings agencies Moody’s and S&P warned of increased risk of corporate defaults in the medium term but said no cascade of defaults was expected in the near future. Easy access to corporate financing during the pandemic could lay the groundwork for future debt crises, analysts said. “Speculative-grade” debt now totals $650 billion, according to S&P.
South Caucasus. Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan resumed discussions in Moscow on the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh. They discussed prospects for the restoration of transport in the South Caucasus and the implementation of previous agreements. Meanwhile, Azerbaijani Defense Minister Zakir Hasanov met with Turkish Chief of General Staff Gen. Yasar Guler in Istanbul to discuss military-technical cooperation. For his part, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said the country’s strategic alliance with Russia and its membership in the Collective Security Treaty Organization were its most important security guarantees.
Russian prime minister in Kazakhstan. Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin is in Kazakhstan for meetings with Kazakh Prime Minister Askar Mamin, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and former President Nursultan Nazarbayev. The leaders are scheduled to discuss economic cooperation, especially via the Eurasian Economic Union, with a particular focus on the industrial, energy and transport sectors.
Ethiopian prime minister in Turkey. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara for talks on bilateral and regional issues as well as the ongoing Tigray war in northern Ethiopia. The trip comes a day after Ethiopian Foreign Minister Demeke Mekonnen spoke with the U.S. special envoy for the Horn of Africa about bilateral ties and the Tigray conflict.
Red Sea drills. Egyptian and U.S. naval ships carried out a joint drill in the Red Sea focused on protecting maritime routes and global trade as well as confronting unconventional threats. The Egyptian government is also studying ways to stabilize Somalia through greater economic cooperation.
“The authorities in Kabul, whoever they are.” The European Union should open a dialogue with the Taliban, EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell said, while insisting that this does not imply that Brussels is recognizing the Taliban as the legitimate Afghan government. Borrell said discussions were needed to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe and repeat of the 2015 refugee crisis. In the meantime, Germany has already sent its top diplomat to Doha for talks with the Taliban on evacuating Afghans who helped the German military.
Taiwan heating up. China is building a new airport on reclaimed land off the coast of Fujian on the Taiwan Strait, not far from a pair of Taiwanese-held islands. Meanwhile, a dozen or so Chinese warplanes entered Taiwan's air defense identification zone just minutes before Taiwan was set to start air force exercises in the area. Japan's ruling party is planning to hold security talks with officials in Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party, the latest in a series of steps by Tokyo to formalize some sort of military partnership with Taiwan.
Chinese tech reforms. China’s State Council passed a major new law on cybersecurity and critical infrastructure. This comes as Beijing is expected to pass sweeping new rules on personal data protections, as well as another set of anti-monopoly laws. Each legislative package will have wide-ranging effects on some of China’s biggest tech giants. China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology rebuked 43 apps on Wednesday for breaking data transfer rules.
Corporate debt warnings. Analysts at credit ratings agencies Moody’s and S&P warned of increased risk of corporate defaults in the medium term but said no cascade of defaults was expected in the near future. Easy access to corporate financing during the pandemic could lay the groundwork for future debt crises, analysts said. “Speculative-grade” debt now totals $650 billion, according to S&P.
South Caucasus. Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan resumed discussions in Moscow on the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh. They discussed prospects for the restoration of transport in the South Caucasus and the implementation of previous agreements. Meanwhile, Azerbaijani Defense Minister Zakir Hasanov met with Turkish Chief of General Staff Gen. Yasar Guler in Istanbul to discuss military-technical cooperation. For his part, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said the country’s strategic alliance with Russia and its membership in the Collective Security Treaty Organization were its most important security guarantees.
Russian prime minister in Kazakhstan. Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin is in Kazakhstan for meetings with Kazakh Prime Minister Askar Mamin, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and former President Nursultan Nazarbayev. The leaders are scheduled to discuss economic cooperation, especially via the Eurasian Economic Union, with a particular focus on the industrial, energy and transport sectors.
Ethiopian prime minister in Turkey. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara for talks on bilateral and regional issues as well as the ongoing Tigray war in northern Ethiopia. The trip comes a day after Ethiopian Foreign Minister Demeke Mekonnen spoke with the U.S. special envoy for the Horn of Africa about bilateral ties and the Tigray conflict.
Red Sea drills. Egyptian and U.S. naval ships carried out a joint drill in the Red Sea focused on protecting maritime routes and global trade as well as confronting unconventional threats. The Egyptian government is also studying ways to stabilize Somalia through greater economic cooperation.
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