The Commanding Officer of HMAS Parramatta, Commander Anita Nemarich, waves at USS America during officer of the watch manoeuvres in the South China Sea, in this April 18, 2020 handout photo. Australia Department Of Defence/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES. MANDATORY CREDIT MUST CREDIT AUSTRALIA DEPARTMENT OF DEFENCE
The Commanding Officer of HMAS Parramatta, Commander Anita Nemarich, waves at USS America during officer of the watch manoeuvres in the South China Sea, in this April 18, 2020 handout photo. Australia Department Of Defence/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES. MANDATORY CREDIT MUST CREDIT AUSTRALIA DEPARTMENT OF DEFENCE
The Commanding Officer of HMAS Parramatta, Commander Anita Nemarich, waves at USS America during officer of the watch manoeuvres in the South China Sea, in this April 18, 2020 handout photo. Australia
How the US and China can get along in the Indo-Pacific
The 'Indo-Pacific' paradigm is here to stay. But a more inclusive strategy, as envisioned by Indonesia, will be key to avoiding confrontation and promoting co-operation
What's in a name? Sometimes quite a lot. For many years, democracy advocates said that calling Burma Myanmar was to confer legitimacy on the military regime that changed the country's title in 1989. Whether you refer to Northern Ireland's second city as Derry or Londonderry is often an indication of either Irish nationalist or British unionist sympathies. And so the fact that the term Asia-Pacific is gradually being replaced by a newer name, the Indo-Pacific, is not just a matter of geography (although it is true that the former does not include the Indian subcontinent and the latter does).
This change matters greatly. It represents a significant shift in the contest for influence between China and the US, and as such it is of importance to far more than just foreign policy analysts at think tanks and universities.
Members of 'the quad'
Donald Trump's America, Shinzo Abe's Japan, and Narendra Modi's India are members of 'the quad'. Bloomberg
One of the reasons why is because the new name is very much associated with "the quad" – the quadrilateral meetings between America, Australia, India and Japan, which began in 2007, and which instantly raised hackles in China. Some suggested the quad could be the beginning of an Asian Nato; Chinese authorities, wary that they were being ganged up on, issued formal diplomatic protests to the four countries in advance of the first meeting.
Partly due to leadership changes, the first quad swiftly petered out. But the idea was revived 10 years later, and in November 2017 officials from the quad met "to discuss a shared vision for increased prosperity and security in the Indo-Pacific region and to work together to ensure it remains free and open", as an Australian government statement put it. They "committed to continuing quadrilateral discussions and deepening co-operation on the basis of shared values and principles" and to "upholding the rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific and respect for international law".
Many felt you did not have to read very closely between the lines to conclude that this was another US-led initiative aimed at containing China. At the same time, however, there did not appear to be any high-level meetings between the quad. And the whole concept of the Indo-Pacific seemed very vague. As late as November 2018, I attended a conference in Kuala Lumpur after which I messaged a friend: “Spent two hours talking about the Indo-Pacific this afternoon. Clear as mud.”
China rising in South China Sea
In this 2018 file photo, Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, speaks after he reviewed the PLA Navy fleet in the South China Sea. AP Photo
The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) retained the Asia-Pacific as its lens. In October that same year, New Zealand's deputy foreign minister Ben King said that "the term Indo‑Pacific may not resonate" in his country as yet.
But the US, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in particular, continued to promote both the term and the strategy. The US Department of Defence issued an Indo-Pacific report in December 2018, and last November the State Department produced its "shared vision" of a "free and open Indo-Pacific". In the security section of that document, the authors did not hold back. They described China's maritime claims in the South China Sea, for instance, as "preposterous… unfounded, unlawful, and unreasonable… without legal, historic, or geographic merit".
The Hague's 2017 ruling
The report also noted that “in September 2019, the first ministerial-level meeting of the United States, Australia, India, and Japan at the Quadrilateral Consultations marked a new milestone for our diplomatic engagement in the region".
Since then the quad has become even more active. It has held several ministerial meetings to co-ordinate over the coronavirus pandemic, with the additional participation of Vietnam, South Korea and New Zealand – none of them particularly close to China.
Beijing's suspicions of the whole Indo-Pacific concept might, then, appear to have been confirmed. But there was another development last year that may not make the term one which China will ever like, but at least make it less objectionable.
Asean's solution
A video conference on Covid-19 between Asean foreign ministers and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo last month. AP Photo
And that was that after months of deliberation, Asean adopted it, producing in June an “Asean Outlook on the Indo-Pacific” inspired by Indonesia, which has long had its own ideas about an “Indo-Pacific” formulation; and they are quite different to America’s.
As the distinguished academic Amitav Acharya put it: “The United States wants a ‘free’ and ‘open’ Indo-Pacific, echoing the wording used by Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, but with a more overt military-strategic orientation. In comparison, Indonesia seeks an ‘open’ and ‘inclusive’ Indo-Pacific. The United States does not use ‘inclusive’ while Indonesia does not use ‘free’.
"The latter’s stress on 'inclusivity'," he wrote, “implies that its policy is not meant to isolate China.”
The virus of geopolitics
The term is here to stay – so much so that when Malaysia’s Institute of Strategic and International Studies held its flagship Asia-Pacific Roundtable last year, its chairman was asked if he would change the annual conference’s title to Indo-Pacific Roundtable. (The answer was no.) But what kind of region this new name implies is contested.
What both the Asean and the US visions agree on is the emphasis on trade. The measures outlined in the State Department report remind the reader of just how active America is and has been in providing assistance to the region in terms of infrastructure, developing energy resources, training and investment – far more than is often realised – and some hope that this broad partnership can be a viable alternative and complement to China's Belt and Road Initiative.
Pompeo pushing China
Mike Pompeo, U.S. secretary of state, second left, speaks as Mark Esper, U.S. Secretary of Defense, left, Marise Payne, Australia's foreign minister, second right, and Linda Reynolds, Australia's defense minister, listen during a news conference in Sydney, Australia, on Sunday, Aug. 4, 2019. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said the U.S. is firmly against China's "destabilizing" behavior in the Indo-Pacific, and won't stand by while one country reshapes the region, continuing a war of words between the superpowers. Photographer: Brendon Thorne/Bloomberg
If Asean’s more neutral and inclusive approach dominates, says Thomas Daniel of Malaysia’s Institute, “we may not be able to get Chinese buy-in, but the hope is that we wouldn’t get Chinese opposition".
That has to be the best outcome. For when the world gets back to work again, integration in Asia is not going to stop, China is going to continue to rise and the US will remain deeply engaged in the region. The Indo-Pacific will inherit the challenges of its predecessor. The hope must be that Asean can persuade middle and emerging powers in this expanded theatre that consensus-seeking and conflict avoidance are the best ways to create the rising tide that will lift all boats.
Sholto Byrnes is a commentator and consultant in Kuala Lumpur and a corresponding fellow of the Erasmus Forum
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Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
Premier League-standard football pitch
400m Olympic running track
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600-seat auditorium
Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
Specialist robotics and science laboratories
AR and VR-enabled learning centres
Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
T20 WORLD CUP QUALIFIER
Results
UAE beat Nigeria by five wickets
Hong Kong beat Canada by 32 runs
Friday fixtures
10am, Tolerance Oval, Abu Dhabi – Ireland v Jersey
7.30pm, Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi – Canada v Oman
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
For life insurance products with a savings component, Peter Hodgins of Clyde & Co said different caps apply to the saving and protection elements:
• For the saving component, a cap of 4.5 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 90 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term).
• On the protection component, there is a cap of 10 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 160 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term).
• Indemnity commission, the amount of commission that can be advanced to a product salesperson, can be 50 per cent of the annualised premium for the first year or 50 per cent of the total commissions on the policy calculated.
• The remaining commission after deduction of the indemnity commission is paid equally over the premium payment term.
• For pure protection products, which only offer a life insurance component, the maximum commission will be 10 per cent of the annualised premium multiplied by the length of the policy in years.
Disclosure
Customers must now be provided with a full illustration of the product they are buying to ensure they understand the potential returns on savings products as well as the effects of any charges. There is also a “free-look” period of 30 days, where insurers must provide a full refund if the buyer wishes to cancel the policy.
“The illustration should provide for at least two scenarios to illustrate the performance of the product,” said Mr Hodgins. “All illustrations are required to be signed by the customer.”
Another illustration must outline surrender charges to ensure they understand the costs of exiting a fixed-term product early.
Illustrations must also be kept updatedand insurers must provide information on the top five investment funds available annually, including at least five years' performance data.
“This may be segregated based on the risk appetite of the customer (in which case, the top five funds for each segment must be provided),” said Mr Hodgins.
Product providers must also disclose the ratio of protection benefit to savings benefits. If a protection benefit ratio is less than 10 per cent "the product must carry a warning stating that it has limited or no protection benefit" Mr Hodgins added.
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
Essentials
The flights Emirates, Etihad and Malaysia Airlines all fly direct from the UAE to Kuala Lumpur and on to Penang from about Dh2,300 return, including taxes.
Where to stay
In Kuala Lumpur,Element is a recently opened, futuristic hotel high up in a Norman Foster-designed skyscraper. Rooms cost from Dh400 per night, including taxes. Hotel Stripes, also in KL, is a great value design hotel, with an infinity rooftop pool. Rooms cost from Dh310, including taxes.
In Penang,Ren i Tang is a boutique b&b in what was once an ancient Chinese Medicine Hall in the centre of Little India. Rooms cost from Dh220, including taxes. 23 Love Lane in Penang is a luxury boutique heritage hotel in a converted mansion, with private tropical gardens. Rooms cost from Dh400, including taxes.
In Langkawi,Temple Tree is a unique architectural villa hotel consisting of antique houses from all across Malaysia. Rooms cost from Dh350, including taxes.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Abu Dhabi traffic facts
Drivers in Abu Dhabi spend 10 per cent longer in congested conditions than they would on a free-flowing road
The highest volume of traffic on the roads is found between 7am and 8am on a Sunday.
Travelling before 7am on a Sunday could save up to four hours per year on a 30-minute commute.
The day was the least congestion in Abu Dhabi in 2019 was Tuesday, August 13.
The highest levels of traffic were found on Sunday, November 10.
Drivers in Abu Dhabi lost 41 hours spent in traffic jams in rush hour during 2019
THE SPECS
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Day 2, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Dinesh Chandimal has inherited a challenging job, after being made Sri Lanka’s Test captain. He responded in perfect fashion, with an easy-natured century against Pakistan. He brought up three figures with a majestic cover drive, which he just stood and admired.
Stat of the day – 33 It took 33 balls for Dilruwan Perera to get off the mark. His time on zero was eventful enough. The Sri Lankan No 7 was given out LBW twice, but managed to have both decisions overturned on review. The TV replays showed both times that he had inside edged the ball onto his pad.
The verdict In the two previous times these two sides have met in Abu Dhabi, the Tests have been drawn. The docile nature of proceedings so far makes that the likely outcome again this time, but both sides will be harbouring thoughts that they can force their way into a winning position.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
