Hong Kong’s pro-democracy lawmakers said Monday that they would resign en masse from the city’s legislative council if the central Chinese government in Beijing disqualifies any of them.
The announcement from the 19 opposition lawmakers came amid unconfirmed reports that China’s National People’s Congress Standing Committee, which will meet on Tuesday and Wednesday, was preparing to disqualify four legislators.
Media reports in Hong Kong, including from the South China Morning Post, said that the four lawmakers would be accused of filibustering meetings and violating their oaths of office.
The convener of the pro-democracy camp, Wu Chi-wai, said that any move by Beijing to disqualify the legislators and prevent them from doing their duties would be “ridiculous.”
“It reflects they are ruthless, and they disrespect the Basic Law,” he said, referring to the mini-constitution that governs the semi-autonomous territory of Hong Kong after the former British colony was handed back to China in 1997.
Lawmaker Dennis Kwok said that disqualifications would be a “serious departure” from the original spirit of the “one country, two systems” framework under which Hong Kong enjoys freedoms not found in mainland China.
“It seems like those in power cannot tolerate opposition anymore,” said Kwok. “They’re adamant in getting rid of all opposition in the Legislative Council, and they are adamant in getting rid of all Democrats.”
The four legislators who are said to be on the verge of disqualification were barred from seeking reelection earlier this year.  
After the legislative election was postponed, the four had decided to stay on as lawmakers for another year.
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Laos has a good chance of climbing out of Least Developed Country status after the United Nations reviews its social and economic progress next year but may yet be held back by the coronavirus pandemic and ballooning debt to China, economists and analysts say.   The tiny communist country of 7.2 million people on China’s southern border is one of 47 nations that still bear the U.N.’s LDC label, which comes with international aid and free-trade privileges. In February a special U.N. committee that vets the countries’ progress every three years may decide that Laos is ready to graduate, sapping the aid and trade benefits provided to LDC nations but boosting its odds of attracting more foreign investment and versatile low-interest loans that would sustain economic growth and viability. Laos has made graduating a key policy goal for years. It passed its first of two requisite consecutive reviews in 2018 by meeting two of the three criteria the committee gauges progress by — gross national income per capita, which was then set at exceeding $1,242, and human assets, a measure of the increase in health, education and literacy of the population. It failed to meet the third, economic vulnerability, a measure of how susceptible a country is to economic and environmental shocks that could affect sustained economic growth.    The X factors An analyst and two economists who watch Laos closely told VOA recently the country was very likely to meet the same two criteria it met in 2018 at its second review in February. If it does, Laos could officially shed its LDC status by 2024, after the standard three years to prepare.    It helps that the data the committee will be using in February for the three core criteria only go up to 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the committee will also be drawing on a flexible set of “supplemental graduation indicators and country-specific analysis” that will show the pandemic’s social and economic toll on Laos.  “Based purely on those three criteria I’d say it’s very likely that Laos will be above the line on at least two if not all three of the criteria. But then of course there’s all of the other things that would need to be taken into account, so I wouldn’t want to prejudge the outcome of the review yet,” said Matthew Johnson-Idan, senior economist for the U.N. resident coordinator’s office in Laos.Stacked chairs are seen inside the closed Lao Laan Xang Restaurant as the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak continues in Madison, Oct. 20, 2020.He said the supplemental indicators the committee looks at vary from country to country but tend toward those that help it decide whether the progress a country has made in meeting the three core criteria is sustainable. The more sustainable a country’s progress looks, the better.   Johnson-Idan expects the pandemic to factor heavily into what those additional indicators will be. Though COVID-19 has officially infected only 24 people in Laos and killed none, lockdowns at home and abroad have hit the economy hard. The World Bank forecasts Laos’ gross domestic product growth rate to plummet from an average of about 7% over the past decade to 1% or less in 2020.    Fiscal fundamentals   Johnson-Idan said that will make it tougher for Laos to service a mounting debt burden and keep up the social services spending propelling the health and education gains that have brought the country to the brink of graduating from LDC status.   He said the government is making plans to improve its fiscal standing.”It’s certainly something, though, I would expect the [committee] to be looking at very closely when it comes to the review, and that will be one of the core factors that will determine whether or not they think this progress is sustainable post-graduation,” he added. The World Bank estimates that Laos’ debt could climb to 68% of its gross domestic product this year, most of it owed to China for several massive infrastructure projects. In August the U.S. ratings agency Moody’s warned of a credible risk that Laos could default on its debts “in the near term.”    Imogen Page-Jarrett, Laos analyst for the Economist Intelligence Unit, a global research firm, said the country remains dangerously reliant on just a few industries, namely hydropower and mining, and a narrow range of exports, including garments and minerals. She said the government has also made little progress building up a mostly low-skilled workforce.   “There hasn’t really been much progress in that respect over the last two years, so I would say the vulnerabilities in its economic structure are still high. And if we add to that the rising levels of debt, and especially the rising proportion of debt owed to China, I think that adds to the vulnerability of the economy,” Page-Jarrett said. “If they’re using just the traditional three criteria then Laos would pass the review. But there is a risk that it would not now because they’re using this additional criteria,” she added.   In the neighborhood On the whole, though, Page-Jarrett and Johnson-Idan reckon that Laos’ growing economic ties to its giant neighbor have thus far done more to help than hinder its odds of graduating from LDC status. They say Chinese investment and trade have done much to expand the economy and raise the country’s per capita gross national income  past the new $1,222 threshold set by the U.N. for its 2021 review. Mana Southichack, an economist and head of Lao Intergro, a local research firm, agreed. He said China was one of Laos’ top three trading partners, along with fellow neighbors Thailand and Vietnam, and recently overtook Thailand as its largest investor. A flood of cheap Chinese goods, from farm tools to motorbikes, has also helped boost living standards by saving locals money and making small businesses more productive, said Mana.   “These are the things many people don’t look at, and they are important,” he said. Mana said the U.N. was more likely than not to approve Laos’ graduation bid in February. He worries that the economic impact of the pandemic could drag the country back into LDC status after it graduates but believes it would pull through so long as China, Thailand and Vietnam recover from their own downturns in the next few years.   Of the five countries that have graduated to date, none has slipped back, and all have continued to grow, said Johnson-Idan. The U.N. also has a few options besides simply passing or flunking Laos. If the country does once again meet two of the three core criteria in February but fails to impress on the additional indicators, the committee could recommend postponing a decision until 2024 or approving graduation and extending the transition period beyond the standard three years. Johnson-Idan said it has done both before. On Thursday Laos’ state-run Vientiane Times reported that the pandemic could delay the country’s graduation but did not mention any changes to the government’s plans. Planning and Investment Minister Sonexay Siphandone told the paper the government was still assessing the outbreak’s impacts. 
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U.N. assessments to gauge the needs of hundreds of thousands of people affected by Super Typhoon Goni, one of the most powerful tropical cyclones ever to hit the Philippines, reveal a catastrophic trail of devastation and destruction.The superstorm made landfall Sunday in the eastern region of Bato in the island province of Catanduanes. A preliminary assessment shows at least 2 million people have been affected by the destructive force of Goni.The United Nations reports 370,000 people are displaced. Tens of thousands of homes have been destroyed. Schools, businesses and essential infrastructure in Goni’s pathway have been demolished. Lives and livelihoods have been crushed.World Food Program spokesperson Thomson Phiri said badly affected people in the hard-hit province of Albay told WFP’s assessment team they had never experienced such a powerful storm. They said their rice harvest has been lost, and the rain and wind have flattened fields, destroying crops.“The top needs that we are seeing is that people are in need of food,” he said. “People are in need of shelter. People need clean water. They need sanitation. They do not have power and they need emergency telecommunication support.”The International Organization for Migration said Goni barreled through many highly urbanized and heavily populated areas. Those places have some of the highest rates of COVID-19 cases in the country.IOM spokesperson Paul Dillon said that has exacerbated the emergency response. He says it is critical that proper precautions against infection be taken at the evacuation sites.“We have roughly 52,000 of people in evacuation centers at this time — 450 of them spread out across the affected areas,” he said. “The damage is extraordinary. In many cases those evacuation centers, which were critical in disaster preparedness, have been damaged themselves. Roofs have been ripped off and walls taken down.”The World Health Organization reports nearly 392,000 coronavirus infections, including more than 7,460 deaths. Southern Luzern, one of the most affected areas in the country, has nearly 71,000 cases.Dillon said it is very difficult for people to maintain physical distance in the overcrowded evacuation centers. He said priority protection needs include face masks, sanitizer bottles, and face shields. He said his agency also will be delivering modular tents and shelter grade tarps to protect Goni survivors from the elements.
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This week a top Chinese diplomat expressed hopes that whoever wins the U.S. presidential election, the two countries will work to reduce tensions over trade and other issues.
 
In a carefully worded statement, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng on Thursday said he expects whoever wins the election to meet China halfway and avoid the path of conflict and confrontation. He did not say which of the two presidential candidates he expects to win but made it clear Chinese officials are looking for ways to improve relations.
 
“We hope that the next U.S. government will meet China halfway; uphold the principles of non-conflict, non-confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation; focus on collaboration; manage differences; and push forward bilateral ties along the right track,” Le said while replying to a question posed at a news conference.
 
Relations between Beijing and Washington this year plummeted over the coronavirus pandemic, but before then Trump’s China policy changed through his presidency.
 
Trump hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping for a meeting in the first months of his administration. However, relations worsened during a trade war and as the coronavirus health crisis grew in 2020, Trump strongly criticized China over in allowing the outbreak to become a global pandemic.
Biden has called for more attention on human rights issues in China and the situation in Hong Kong. He also has supported keeping pressure on China for its trade methods.
American experts think there is little reason for China to celebrate whoever wins the presidency because the damage done by Chinese trade and investment policy is felt across the political spectrum in the U.S.
 
“If China expects an incoming Biden administration to simply “forgive and forget” China’s misbehavior on trade, tech, Hong Kong, Xinjiang,  and other issues, they’re likely in for a rude awakening,” Scott Kennedy, Senior Adviser and Trustee Chair in Chinese Business & Economics, Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) told VOA.FILE – China’s Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng speaks at a forum in Beijing, China, Oct. 22, 2019.  In a carefully worded statements, Le said on Thursday that Beijing hopes “the next U.S. government will meet China halfway.”Some experts think the trade war will continue even if a Biden administration takes charge but the two sides would demonstrate some spirit of accommodation in some areas. At the same time, there will be more efforts to reduce U.S. trade dependency on China.
 
“It is likely that the trade war will continue although it may be somewhat adjusted and the Biden administration will be more pragmatic. It will push for more exports of American goods to China. But it will be less vehement on China when it comes to public rhetoric,” said Rana Mitter, a China expert and professor at the University of Oxford.
 
The Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng said Thursday that it serves both China and the U.S. to maintain and promote healthy and steady growth of bilateral relations to meet the common aspiration of the international community, he said.
 
“China’s attitude toward the bilateral relations is clear and consistent,” said Le. “Although there are differences between the two countries, they also have extensive common interests and room for cooperation,” the Vice Foreign Minister said.
 
The days-long vote counting in the American presidential election has generated intense interest on China’s government-controlled social media.
 
Topics relating to the U.S. election have been trending on China’s most popular social media platform Sina Weibo for days, with “#US Presidential election” registering about several billion reads.
 
There are no free elections in China, where the Chinese Communist Party choses leaders through a closed, internal process. Through state-controlled media, the party frequently highlights negative news in western democracies.
 
The state-controlled Global Times this week published an opinion piece titled, “Chinese people showing interest in U.S. presidential election for laughs, comicalness” and cited examples of posts from social media users ridiculing the court battles and protests in some places during vote counting.
 
VOA’s own digital traffic indicates a surge of interest in news about the election from people in mainland China. 
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The Cambodian government has come under criticism by rights groups over what they describe as a “relentless attack” on press freedom including arrests, repressive laws and the revoking of media licenses.   
 
A statement  released Nov. 2 – the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists – and signed by 57 rights groups and communities, called for an end to attacks on the right of free expression and journalists critical of the Cambodian government.
 
Cambodia-based news organizations have faced a growing number of legal attacks since 2017, when the government dissolved the only opposition party, harassed local nongovernmental groups, and forced the closure of independent media organizations. Since then, reporters have been arrested for their coverage or accused of espionage and incitement.
 
The statement lists at least 13 journalists who have faced court complaints for their news coverage and the revocation of four media licenses during the coronavirus pandemic for allegedly sharing fake news.  
 
“In the past years, the Cambodian government adopted a series of repressive laws that have enabled a crackdown on independent media and social media and resorted to provisions in the penal code – in particular articles 494 and 495 – to silence critical reporting and its reporters,” read the statement, referring to the criminal code provisions on incitement.
 
Nop Vy, who runs the local Cambodian Journalists Alliance (CamboJA), said there had been an escalation in attacks, detentions and charges against journalists, especially those who did not promote a pro-government lean in their coverage.
 
CamboJA and three other organizations released another statement calling for crimes against journalists to end and for the government to investigate long-delayed cases.
 
The four media associations said that since 1994, at least 15 journalists had been killed in Cambodia and in almost all cases the victims were targeted for their work. Twelve were reporting on sensitive issues such as illegal logging, land grabs or corruption, but that there was not a single conviction in those cases.
 
“We also observed that the [people] beating or persecuting journalists have never been arrested and brought to stand trial,” said Nop Vy.
 
While there have been no recent deaths, a growing number of journalists have been arrested on what rights groups say are often questionable charges. Last week, Ros Sokhet, who runs a provincial newspaper, was on trial for Facebook posts about Prime Minister Hun Sen’s succession plans and alleged lack of support for Cambodians struggling to repay debt. The government alleges he was attempting to incite Cambodians to cause “social chaos.”  
 
Sok Oudom, who owns a provincial radio station, went on trial Tuesday for reporting on a contentious land-grab case between local villagers and government officials.
 
Sovann Rithy, who ran a Facebook-based news outlet, was convicted of incitement in October and given a suspended sentence for reporting on a speech by Prime Minister Hun Sen in which he said the government was unable to assist informal workers affected by the pandemic.Cambodian online journalist Sovann Rithy (Phnom Penh Municipal Police Facebook Page)Government officials later claimed the prime minister was joking when he suggested motorcycle taxi drivers sell their vehicles to buy food.
 
Phil Robertson, deputy director for Asia at Human Rights Watch, said Cambodia’s transition to a de facto one-party state in 2018, when the ruling Cambodian People’s Party won all parliamentary seats, had only exacerbated the persecution of journalists
 
“Independent media are very important for questioning government policies, investigating corruption and malfeasance, and demanding transparency and accountability from the government,” he said in an email.
 
“No wonder then that [Prime Minister] Hun Sen is continuing the pressure to shut down independent media outlets that dare question his word or policies,” he added.
 
Justice Ministry spokesperson Chin Malin dismissed the critique from rights groups, accusing them of having a “political agenda” when pointing out the government’s flaws.
 
“These criticisms and attacks have no legal basis at all. It’s purely an accusation,” he said.
 
In 2017, the Cambodia Daily newspaper shut down after the government pressured it to pay a $6.3 million tax bill. Two reporters from the Cambodia Daily, Aun Pheap and Zsombor Peter, are facing charges for interviewing Cambodians on their political preferences in the run-up to the 2017 commune election. Peter has also reported for Voice of America.
 
The same year, two former reporters with Radio Free Asia, Uon Chhin and Yeang Sothearin, were arrested and charged with espionage. In 2019, the two were tried in a Phnom Penh court, but rather than deliver a verdict, the judge ordered a reinvestigation of the charges. Two appeals challenging this decision have been shot down by higher courts.
 
The government alleges the two journalists were sending news reports to Radio Free Asia (RFA) headquarters in Washington, even after the U.S.-based broadcaster ended in-country operations in September 2017. RFA attributed the closure to security reasons and was never ordered by the Cambodian government to end its operation in Cambodia. RFA, like VOA, is part of the United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM).
 
Yeang Sothearin, one of the two journalists in the case, said the three-year-long ordeal had severely affected his personal and professional life. He experienced increased anxiety over returning to journalism, he said.
 
“Even every time we post something on Facebook, we are careful with every word we use, fearing that it will upset [someone], they will accuse us again, and they will persecute us even more,” he said.
 This story originated in VOA’s Khmer Service.
 
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Tokyo’s ability to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic and stage next year’s Olympic Games safely will undergo a major test next week with gymnasts from four nations gathering in the Japanese capital for a friendly tournament.The meet Sunday — featuring 30 gymnasts from Japan, the United States, China and Russia — marks the first international event at a Tokyo Olympics venue since the Games were postponed in March due to the pandemic.While up to 2,000 spectators will be focused on the athletes, who will be mixed into “Friendship” and “Solidarity” teams regardless of nationality or gender, the real competition will be behind the scenes as organizers go all-out to keep the novel coronavirus at bay.”If somebody gets infected during this meet, it will be called off, and if that happens, it also puts whether we can hold the Olympics into question,” Japanese gymnast Wataru Tanigawa told an online news conference.”In that sense I feel a huge stress, but all I can do is be as careful as possible.”Measures drawn up in consultation with the International Olympics Federation (FIG) include having athletes, quarantined for two weeks prior to arriving in Japan, move only between their hotel and the venue on special buses disinfected nightly.Staff will take shopping requests, with security guards posted at hotel elevators.Before entering or leaving the competition floor, gymnasts will disinfect their hands and feet. They will bring their own chalk, formerly shared, and be tested daily.Spectators must have temperature checks with thermography and provide contact details as well as two weeks of prior health information.A false positive COVID-19 test for Japan’s three-time Olympic gold medalist Kohei Uchimura last week emphasized the stakes and alarmed organizers, who had earlier told Reuters they were feeling “the greatest pressure of their career.”Uchimura subsequently tested negative and was cleared to participate.Japan has successfully held events in stadiums with thousands of spectators, and experts say the gymnastics event could prove an important next step.”Gymnastics is one of the sports which may have relatively lower risk for spreading COVID-19,” said Koji Wada, a professor at Tokyo’s International University of Health and Welfare.”So that would be very good practice for Japan, and also for the rest of the world.”Tokyo 2020 organizers said they would be watching the meet closely.”In preparing for the Tokyo 2020 Games next year, we consider the countermeasures and other organizational methods adopted for such events, including the competition … on Nov. 8, to be an important reference,” they said in an email.
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The Philippine government’s lifting of a ban on offshore oil and gas exploration reopens the door to joint energy development with China, the erstwhile biggest player in a regional maritime sovereignty dispute, analysts believe.    Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has approved a Department of Energy proposal to resume exploration in the South China Sea, the department said October 15 in a statement online. Exploration was called off six years ago as a Sino-Philippine maritime dispute peaked.  Resumption of oil and gas exploration will “infuse the economy with fresh foreign direct investments,” Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi said in the statement.   China stands to become the key foreign investor despite irritating the Philippines and five other governments with its maritime expansion since 2010, analysts say. They chafed particularly after officials in Beijing authorized the landfilling of tiny islets, in some cases for military use. China claims about 90% of the sea, including tracts that the Philippines say come under its exclusive economic zone.   Two years ago this month, China and the Philippines signed a memorandum of understanding to look together for undersea oil and gas, a way of defusing their corner of the broader regional dispute. The Sino-Philippine dispute culminated in 2016 with a Philippine world arbitration court victory. China snubbed the ruling, but that same year Duterte moved to make friends with counterparts in Beijing and tap it for economic aid.   “Early on, the [Duterte] administration entered into memoranda of understanding with China, and that included joint development, or at least the promise of joint development, as far as the West Philippine Sea is actually concerned. So this might simply be moving forward on those MOUs, especially since the Duterte administration is winding down,” said Herman Kraft, political science professor at University of the Philippines Diliman.    The West Philippine Sea is Manila’s term for the South China Sea.   Manila lifted the moratorium “in good faith and with full regard of the ongoing negotiations between the Philippines and China,” Energy Secretary Cusi added in the statement.   From the start at least, Philippine officials will let China jointly develop just in undisputed waters under their control and subject to domestic laws on foreign investors, said Aaron Rabena, research fellow at the Asia-Pacific Pathways to Progress Foundation in Metro Manila.    The 2018 memorandum does not specify where the two sides would explore or who would take how much of any gas and oil discovered.   “I think what the government plans to do is they want to start joint ventures within Philippine territorial waters,” Rabena said. “I think they’re going to set the momentum first so that everything is legal, because it’s much easier to start with that.”    The energy secretary issued return-to-work notices for three specific projects. The Philippine National Oil Company-Exploration Corp. and PXP Energy Corp. of the Philippines operates one apiece. The third, run by Forum Energy of the United Kingdom, lies in a zone claimed by China.   “I think Duterte’s position has been, he wants to maintain good relations with China,” said Rajiv Biswas, senior regional economist with IHS Markit, a London-based market analysis firm. “If the Philippines starts unilaterally taking measures to drill, it could make it more difficult to maintain good relations with China.”   Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam also claim all or parts of the South China Sea. Claimants prize the sea for its fisheries and marine shipping lanes as well as energy reserves. Malaysia gets nervous when Chinese ships pass through waters it claims, and Vietnamese boats rammed Chinese vessels in 2014 when China allowed an oil rig to be parked in a contested tract.   The resumption of exploration will give the Philippine government more money to “prime the pump” during an economic downturn caused by COVID-19, said Song Seng Wun, an economist in the private banking unit of Malaysian bank CIMB. Traditional sources of income such as tourism and remittances from overseas workers have slowed this year, Song said. The economy is forecast to contract in 2020.   “I suppose essentially [officials are] just going down the list of what they could possibly sell or earn money from,” Song said. “So, I suppose it is not a surprise they would go down the list and say ‘OK, what about oil, what about energy or gas?’”    Exploration will help “boost economic recovery following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Secretary  Cusi said in the statement, citing job creation as one way.   Between 0.8 and 5.4 billion barrels of oil and from 7.6 trillion to 55.1 trillion cubic feet of natural gas are yet to be tapped around the Spratly Islands, which includes the Sino-Philippine dispute zone, the U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates.   A new start to exploration will boost “energy security” too, the secretary said. He cited “impending depletion” of an existing natural gas reserve.   
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COVID-19 border restrictions are to be lifted between Australia’s most populous states.  Authorities in New South Wales say the border with Victoria will reopen on Nov 23 but warn it will be a “calculated risk.”  Victoria has been at the center of Australia’s coronavirus crisis, but strict lockdown measures appear, for now, to have worked.  Four months ago, New South Wales closed its border with Victoria because of a second wave of coronavirus infections.  The closure separated families, disrupted travel and businesses. Victoria was at the epicenter of a national public health crisis.  The state capital, Melbourne, was placed for a second time into lockdown, and those strict measures, which have recently been relaxed, have seen the outbreak contained.   Victoria has recorded its fifth consecutive day of no new community COVID-19 cases and zero deaths.   Its success in curbing the spread of the virus has prompted neighboring New South Wales to lift border restrictions on November 23, allowing travel between Australia’s most populous states.  Officials have said it was “good riddance” to a border closure “that COVID-19 forced on us.”   New South Wales premier Gladys Berejiklian says it is another step in the reopening of Australia. “New South Wales will be the only jurisdiction in Australia that will be welcoming residents of all states, of all jurisdictions.  So, New South Wales will be the place where every Australian citizen is welcome, including New Zealand citizens and that is something I think we can be proud of.  But with that there comes some level of risk and we accept that, but we believe that it is a cautious risk, it is a calculated risk,” Berejiklian said.Australia is made up of six states and two main territories.  The pandemic has brought fragmentation to the federation established in 1901.  COVID-19 was first confirmed in Australia in late January, and since then authorities have closed various internal borders to curb its spread. Queensland and Western Australia continue to impose border restrictions on other parts of the country, much to the dismay of the prime minister, Scott Morrison.  He said in September that “at times it has felt like Australia could break apart.” As infection rates fall, those internal tensions between jurisdictions are soothed. Australia has recorded 27,600 coronavirus cases and 907 people have died.  More than eight million COVID-19 tests have been carried out.   Internal borders are gradually reopening, but international travel is likely to remain highly restricted into next year. Australia closed its borders to foreign travelers in March, although New Zealanders are allowed into parts of the country.  Citizens and permanent residents are also permitted to come home but face mandatory hotel quarantine when they arrive.      
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The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is appealing for $3.8 million for emergency assistance to an estimated 80,000 Filipinos whose lives have been devastated by Super Typhoon Goni.
 
This is the fourth typhoon to hit the Philippines in the past month and possibly the most devastating. Goni, which made landfall Monday, has barreled across the Philippines, leaving a massive trail of destruction in its wake.   
 
IFRS spokesman Matthew Cochrane told VOA the typhoon has destroyed whole villages, damaged or demolished 90% of the homes and buildings.
 
“We are seeing an increasing severity in storms that we believe is very much linked to climate change and … there are reports that Super Typhoon Goni may have been the strongest storm ever to hit to make landfall anywhere in the world,” he said.
 
Cochrane said it is too soon to know how many people may have been killed, injured or rendered homeless.  He said assessments are underway to determine the extent of the damage and the needs.
 
However, what is clear, he said is people who already are very vulnerable are those who are hardest hit by this catastrophic storm.
 
“So, we are talking here about farmers, small landholders, people who are really living on the edge of success and survival. Laborers, people who do not own land and exist on the back of their labor, as well as fisherfolk.  And again, people who are living on a knife’s edge,” he said.Cochrane said these are people whose livelihoods, health and well-being already had been disrupted by COVID-19.  He said the typhoon has left tens of thousands of people bereft and in need of support for a very long time.
 
For now, he said, saving lives is most important.  As a consequence, search and rescue missions will go on for as long as feasible. Immediate priority needs, he said, are to provide survivors of this disaster with food, clean water, shelter, medical care and other essentials.
 
Once the emergency phase is over, he said, the Red Cross is likely to appeal for more international support to fund long-term recovery and rehabilitation programs.
 
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The Australian navy joined Indian, Japanese and American warships for annual Malabar exercises that began Tuesday in the Indian Ocean marking the growing strategic convergence of the four countries amid rising concerns about Chinese assertiveness in Asia.      India’s decision to include Australia for the annual drills comes in the wake of a push by Washington for deeper security collaboration in the “Quad,” the informal group that includes the United States, Japan, Australia and India as a counter to China.      Australia returns to the exercises after 13 years, when its participation triggered strident Chinese objections.  But this time the Malabar exercises will endure as all four participants seek a long-term counterbalancing strategy to China according to analysts.     “In 2007 the Chinese threatened and cajoled different members to drop out and effectively defanged it,” according to Sreeram Chaulia, Dean at the Jindal School of international Affairs at O.P. Jindal University. “But this time the Malabar exercises won’t wind down because the coming decade is going to be very different — the threat perception of Chinese power is much higher now in all these four countries, so it has a lasting future.”     The first phase of the exercises, which includes simulated war games and combat maneuvers, is being held in the Bay of Bengal and will continue until Friday. The second phase will be held in mid-November in the Arabian Sea.     “The exercise, being conducted as a ‘non-contact, at sea only’ exercise in view of COVID-19 pandemic, will showcase the high-levels of synergy and coordination between the friendly navies, which is based on their shared values and commitment to an open, inclusive Indo-Pacific and a rules-based international order,” the Indian Navy said in a statement on Monday.  
 FILE – Hornet fighter jets and E-2D Hawkeye plane are seen on the aircraft carrier John C. Stennis during joint military exercise called Malabar, with the US, Japan and India participating, off the island of Okinawa, June 15, 2016.The Malabar drill, which began in 1992 as a bilateral exercise between India and the United States, was expanded to include Japan as a permanent member in 2017. It has also seen the occasional participation of other countries.  While Australia has wanted to return for some time, analysts say India had been hesitant to extend an invitation over concerns of riling China.     But India’s six-month long military standoff with China in the Himalayas has prompted it to take a more decisive stand on collaborating with “the Quad” and analysts say this year’s Malabar exercises will help consolidate the group, to which Washington has been trying to give a strategic push since 2017.   Top U.S. officials have welcomed India’s move.FILE – U.S. Secretary of Defence Mark Esper addresses the media next to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh during a joint news conference in New Delhi, India, Oct. 27, 2020.“India’s recent decision to include Australia in the upcoming Malabar naval exercise alongside American, Indian, and Japanese forces reflects an acknowledgement of the importance of working multilaterally together to address global challenges,” U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said last week in New Delhi after the two countries signed a military agreement.      China has denounced the “Quad” with its foreign minister, Wang Yi, saying last month that its “aim is to trumpet the old-fashioned Cold War mentality to stir up confrontation among different groups and blocs.”     Besides its recent tensions with China over a border dispute, India has also warily eyed Beijing’s growing investments and expanding influence in recent years in Indian Ocean countries such as Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Pakistan and Bangladesh. With about 70 percent of global trade passing through the Indian Ocean, it is a hugely strategic waterway.     Australia’s inclusion in the Malabar exercises is a “big force multiplier” according to Chaulia. “In the absence of Australia, the Malabar was confined to narrower maritime spaces.  But with another naval force that has power projection capabilities beyond its traditional domain and further west towards the Indian Ocean, its coverage has expanded.”    Analysts point out that Canberra has committed to spending billions of dollars on an ambitious military build-up, saying that it faces regional challenges.  Australia’s diplomatic relations with China also worsened this year.   
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As the United States is seen as “decoupling” from China, will this policy change represent a permanent and long-term movement in U.S. decision-making or is it something that could change next year or in a future U.S. administration? Hours before the U.S. presidential election, a senior U.S. official said “the ball is in China’s court” whether or not the U.S.-China “decoupling” is becoming a permanent element in the U.S. policy.  Miles Yu is U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s principal China policy and planning adviser who is helping reshape U.S. policy toward China. In an exclusive interview with VOA Monday, Yu said while U.S.-China “decoupling” has never been a “stated policy,” “decoupling is happening.” Yu told VOA State Department Correspondent Nike Ching that how China responds to this “measured approach” would determine U.S. decision-making in the coming years.  Yu told VOA “pretty soon” the United States will have a final verdict on whether to officially label the Chinese Communist Party’s suppression against the Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang as “genocide.”A protester from the Uighur community living in Turkey, holds an anti-China placard during a protest in Istanbul, Oct. 1, 2020, against what they allege is oppression by the Chinese government to Muslim Uighurs in far-western Xinjiang.Seen as one of Pompeo’s most influential advisers on U.S. policy toward China, Yu said “mutual trust between Washington and Beijing has been seriously damaged” because the CCP has not lived up to its international commitment in Hong Kong, causing the United States to reevaluate the overall validity of “One country, two systems.”  When asked what the U.S. would do to deter a potential Chinese invasion in Taiwan, Yu told VOA the United States “resolutely oppose(s) any unilateral use of arms or force to settle the disputes between the two sides.”  Yu said while he will not speculate “a hypothetical question,” it can be assured that a U.S. response will be “resolute.”  Pompeo had praised Yu as “a central part of my team advising me with respect on how to ensure that we protect Americans and secure our freedoms in the face of challenges from the [Chinese Communist Party].”  “I’m very proud of my Chinese heritage. I’m very proud of the fact that I love the Chinese people and I have many Chinese friends. My roots are there,” and “I have received tremendous support from people of Chinese descent inside and out of China for what I do and what I say,” Yu told VOA. The following are excerpts from VOA’s interview with Miles Yu. It has been edited for brevity and clarity.    VOA: The U.S.-China relationship is seen at its worst in decades as Washington is taking a very tough stand on China. Many see the United States is decoupling with China. Do you think this represents a permanent and long-term movement in U.S. policy, or is this something that could change next year or in a future U.S. administration? Yu: Well, first of all, thank you for giving me the opportunity for the interview.  Decoupling has never been a U.S.’s stated policy, but decoupling is happening. And the reason for this is entirely China’s fault. That’s because China has behaved in such a way that it makes it impossible for a healthy, bilateral relationship to proceed as it should be, because the Trump administration is responding to the reality. It’s not because we artificially hype the tensions — we have changed our mode of operation from merely managing a flawed relationship to face a reality. And that is what Secretary Pompeo has said repeatedly: we can no longer ignore the political and ideological differences of these two models of governance represented respectively by China and the United States.  And because of that, we have adopted a new approach to handling the relationship not just to manage it, but also to change the term of discourse to one of reciprocity and goal-oriented approach. So because of that, and I think you know well, China has refused to respond in a very positive and constructive way, and that’s basically the reason why there are tensions.  To your question whether this is going to be a permanent feature of the bilateral relationship, I hope not. The key really lies in how China responds to this measured approach we have adopted. And I think any reasonable country would accept that this is the right approach. We treat China just as we treat anybody else. China is no exception. China cannot expect the United States to say nothing when China locks up 1 million Uighurs in the concentration camps. China should not expect us to do nothing when our trade imbalance was enormous. And China should also expect something from us: from now on, if there are spies stealing our industrial and defense secrets, we’re going to take appropriate actions.  So all of this depends on China. The ball is in China’s court.  VOA: In the near future, what more actions on China could be expected? Will there be more foreign missions designations, more sanctions, more closures of consulates, etc.?  Yu: Well, I think we know any responsible government in a democracy, its first and foremost responsibility is to protect its national interests, to make sure that its people and its key infrastructure are safe. So for that purpose, we have designated a number of PRC entities in the United States operating freely in a free and democratic environment as foreign missions. And we’ll continue to do that. We are not going to tell you the exact specifics of what we are going to do in the near future. But that’s the guideline. And I think you know, the Chinese government’s operations in the United States are comprehensive. And their government-controlled agents and organizations in a free and democratic society like ours have been very, very rampant. So we’re going to take appropriate actions. As you have seen, it’s not just at State Department, it’s a whole-of-government approach: Our Department of Justice, our FBI, our Department of Homeland Security, we all take joint actions to reach the same goals: that is, to protect American democracy and to protect the American people.  VOA: The next question is the elephant in the room. If I may ask: China has some very harsh words on you, calling you a traitor, even launching a personal attack against you. Have you become a scapegoat? Would you like to comment? Yu: Well, normally I would not like to comment on something that’s beneath my comment, I think this is a tactic that China has adopted in a very conventional way: that is, to change the narrative of the controversy. They normally ignore the fundamental causes of major events in the deterioration of U.S.-China relationship. As Secretary Pompeo said, really, it’s [caused by] the fundamental, political and ideological differences of these two countries. And instead, they try to assign blame to one or two particular individuals. This is just the nature of the regime. To designate its enemies as the ultimate cause of something much bigger than the individuals themselves.  Secondly, one of the major contributions of this administration to the U.S.-China relationship is our renewed understanding that the Chinese Communist Party and the Chinese people are not the same thing. And that is something the Chinese government (is) really, sort of panicky about. And for this, they blame me and a few other individuals for making this contribution. And it’s just silly.  Since the Chinese government increased attacks on myself, I have received enormous support from people of Chinese descent inside and outside of China, mostly from inside China in various ways, and just to give me enormous assurance that what we’re doing here in the U.S. is right.  The Chinese government cannot really tolerate the idea that itself is very isolated. It’s isolated from not only the international environment and international community, but also isolated from its own people. So that’s why their attacks on individuals like US secretary of State and myself are very ferocious — and very desperate in a way. So that’s my response.  VOA: Indeed, there is a distinction between the Chinese people and CCP. But there is also a perception among Chinese Americans that the China bashing is alienating the Chinese diaspora in the U.S. For example, prohibiting WeChat is criticized as banning the primary communication tool with their families in China. What is your response?  Yu: WeChat is not a bad software. WeChat is not the best software. The reason WeChat is such a powerful tool, such a powerful software is because the Chinese Communist Party has banned all other competitors. So you only have WeChat and a few others left. They’ve been totally controlled by the Chinese communist government. So the real culprit for this dilemma, or all of this inconvenience caused by this restriction on WeChat, is really the Chinese Communist Party itself. So that’s why I say, WeChat itself — the technology is OK but the political control exerted by the Chinese Communist Party is absolutely dangerous to the national security of the United States.  So it’s a dilemma. But I think it’s a dilemma that the only solution to this lies in Beijing, not in Washington.  VOA: On Uighurs. Is the U.S. government close in labeling China’s suppression on Uighurs as genocide? What’s the thinking behind such a designation?  Yu: Designating an atrocity or a genocide must reach several criteria. One of which obviously is a legal criteria. And I think if we look at all the evidence we have gathered, and the whole world has witnessed, to designate the PRC atrocities in Xinjiang as a genocide is worth considering. And the process has a logic and timeline of its own. So I’m not going to make a specific comment on that, but you will see our position pretty soon. VOA: Just to follow up: [when you said] pretty soon, could that mean in the coming months?  Yu: Well, you’ll see.  VOA: On Hong Kong. The Beijing and Hong Kong governments do not appear to change their course in implementing the national security law after several U.S. actions and sanctions, what is the end game for the U.S.?  Yu: Well, Hong Kong is a tragedy, and it’s a tragedy not only for the Chinese people and the people of Hong Kong, but also a tragedy for the world because the world has held a tremendous hope for China for the past decades. As a matter of fact, since 1984, when China solemnly promised a high degree of autonomy for Hong Kong — backed by a whole set of international principles, including the rule of law, freedom of the press and an independent judiciary — all of which have gone in a very abrupt away.  So I will say Hong Kong is also very important in the U.S.-China relationship: not only because the trust between the two countries have been greatly shattered due to China’s draconian action in Hong Kong, but also it sets a new impetus for the United States to evaluate the overall validity of the one country two systems scheme. And because China has conducted Hong Kong business since the 1980s and also particularly after 1997 — in an effort to convince the world that it can be trusted, it should really be taken seriously with its own promise. None of that has become true so far. And, you know, in any bilateral relationship, mutual trust is the most fundamental thing. Now mutual trust between Washington and Beijing has been seriously damaged because of the Hong Kong abomination.  VOA: On Taiwan. Does the United States oppose unilateral change of the status quo in the Taiwan Strait as Chinese airplanes increasingly fly into Taiwan’s airspace? There has been a debate on a strategic clarity to deter a potential Chinese invasion in Taiwan. What are your thoughts?  Yu: The United States policy toward Taiwan and Taiwan Strait has been very clear from the beginning: that we resolutely oppose any unilateral use of arms or force to settle the disputes between the two sides.  Any settlement must be agreed to by people on both sides and any unilateral application of force will be responded by a U.S. action, which will be a resolute one.  Regarding specific form of that reaction, I’m not going to speculate at this moment because it is a hypothetical question but be assured that our response will be resolute.  VOA: Last week, you were among the U.S. delegation in Secretary Pompeo’s visit to South Asia. As you are his senior advisor on China policy, there is a China component in this trip. What’s your takeaway?  Yu: Well, from the beginning of this administration, we have adjusted our global strategic priorities. We view China as the leading challenge of our times, and that includes several aspects. Number one, the China challenge is serious, it’s at the top of our national security agenda. Number two, the China challenge is of a global nature—it’s no longer regional, no longer limited in one particular geographic area, it has also reached the high-tech area, in cyber, space and in many other domains. So our China policy has always reflected those aspects of a global nature, its beyond-the-horizon nature. Our visit to South Asia and Southeast Asian countries obviously contains many very strong China components of that.  Because it’s not just us. All of the five countries that we just visited: India, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Indonesia, and Vietnam — all shared the same sentiment, the same understanding about China that looms large in their own existential reality.  But we are not dictating what they should do. We’re just there to compare notes to let them know that we’re ready to help. We’re there, too, to be a force for good. So that’s the purpose of this trip.  And I think, you know, as Secretary Pompeo has stated numerous times: it’s a very resounding success, no matter how Beijing tries to twist the purpose of this trip and the consequences of this trip. This trip has been very good in promoting mutual understanding between the United States and each of the countries visited.  VOA: Is there anything else you’d like to add?  Yu: Not at this moment. And thank you for your interview.  VOA: Thank you for talking to VOA.    Yu: You’re welcome.  
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The most powerful typhoon of the year so far killed at least 20 people in the Philippines Sunday but spared many more because of preparedness and a weakening of the storm earlier than expected.Typhoon Goni made landfall as a super-typhoon with sustained winds up to 225 kph. The deaths were reported in the eastern provinces of Albay and Catanduanes as trees fell, objects flew through the air and mudflows swept one woman away, Philippine media report. A boy and his father were drowned.But the storm failed to live up to widespread fears that far more would die as they have in past typhoons. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council had estimated the storm would impact 19.8 million to 31.9 million people. Goni ended up affecting around 2 million people, domestic news media outlet Rappler.com said.Goni weakened within hours after landfall to a category one typhoon, the lowest level on a 1-5 scale, before passing out to sea west of Luzon Island as a less powerful tropical storm early Monday. The tapering of wind speeds spared the capital Manila from the storm’s worst, residents there said.Ever-improving storm preparedness in the Philippines further helped minimize deaths, analysts said Monday. A plethora of news media and government-operated Facebook pages helped get the word out late last week, said Herman Kraft, political science professor at University of the Philippines Diliman.The same outlets aired live broadcasts by public officials throughout Monday on where aid was being distributed.“You had bad flooding and I think some storm surges, but by and large I think we were prepared, and aside from that was that Typhoon Goni just weakened as it was passing through the rest of the Philippines, so it spared large parts of the country,” Kraft said.On the preparedness front, Office of Civil Defense administrator Ricardo Jalad said via the presidential office website that 96,543 families – some 346,993 individuals – were “preemptively evacuated.” The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council website warned Saturday that the Bicol peninsula, a region southeast of Manila, was “under serious threat.”Rescue workers evacuate people living along coastal areas in Manila, Nov. 1, 2020, as Super Typhoon Goni moved towards the Philippine capital.In the past, many people disbelieved typhoon warnings if they saw no immediate signs of storms, said Jonathan Ravelas, chief market strategist with Banco de Oro UniBank in Metro Manila. In Metro Manila, he said, people were warned Friday to ready their vehicles for a storm onslaught and plan for power outages.“I think [with] the constant battery of storms that are coming to the Philippines, the Filipinos now are more prepared for these kinds of emergencies,” Ravelas said.Typhoon Haiyan in 2013 raised the general alert level, Ravelas said. That storm killed more than 6,000 people, mostly in storm surges on a single eastern island. Disaster response times and coordination among local governments have improved under Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, he added. Duterte took office in 2016.Mobile phone texting of advisories for citizens in the storm’s path is one hallmark of the government’s preparations today, said Aaron Rabena, research fellow at the Asia-Pacific Pathways to Progress Foundation in Metro Manila. “This [kind of text] goes directly into your phone, so you receive it right away,” Rabena said. “Maybe because the government has learned its lesson, it really has to disseminate warnings to the public to really be careful.”A house is partially submerged in debris by Typhoon Goni in Daraga, Albay province, Philippines, Nov. 2, 2020, in this photo obtained from social media. (Credit: David Lee)People’s awareness of preventing COVID-19 in a country where caseloads show signs of coming under control after a tough first half of the year also extends to typhoons, Ravelas suggested. The number of daily infections peaked in August and stands at a total of 383,113.“They’ve slowly worked on that strategy — coming from a reactionary to proactive prevention,” Ravelas said. “It’s like the saying ‘an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.’”But not all evacuees followed social distancing at relief shelters because the emphasis was getting people out of the storm path, Kraft said. “Even if you had masks, people would be cramped in some of those areas,” he said.Economic impact from the storm was still being calculated as of Monday, but domestic media quoted the agriculture secretary estimating $22.7 million worth of damage to rice and other crops.
 
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