In Beijing’s thinking, the best weapons don't win today’s wars, but the best narrative does

Donald Trump's apocalyptic threats against North Korea have attracted much international attention but not China's unceasing warmongering against India. As the face-off between Indian and Chinese troops on the small, desolate Doklam Plateau drags on, Beijing continues its sabre-rattling against India.

The rising Himalayan border tensions have been underscored by an August 15 clash elsewhere in which several Indian and Chinese soldiers were wounded, not by gunfire but by rock throwing.

Xi Jinping, China's president, has sought to present himself as the voice of reason by calling for US restraint on North Korea, even as his regime has issued threats to India. The American press has published Mr Xi's call for dialogue and negotiations to find a diplomatic solution to the North Korea issue without citing his opposition to similarly settle the Doklam impasse.

In reality, Mr Xi faces a frustrating paradox: He is seeking to avert a military conflict over the potential threats posed by North Korea's nuclear and missile advances just as he is searching for a way to punish India, including potentially employing force.

________________

North Korea crisis: is there method in Trump's madness?

India, China troops clash in high-altitude disputed territory

India will fight foreign threats, Modi vows

________________

By standing up to Beijing in the face of harsh warmongering, India has challenged China's reputed pre-eminence at a time when Mr Xi is busy with his own domestic political machinations in the run-up to the critical Communist Party congress in the autumn. India has stood its ground at Doklam, a 3,350-metre-high plateau along the border that Bhutan and Tibet share with the Indian state of Sikkim. Narendra Modi, India's prime minister, has declared his country is "capable of thwarting any challenge to its security."

China has threatened to teach a bigger lesson to India than it did in 1962 when it carried out a surprise trans-Himalayan invasion just as the Cuban missile crisis had raised the spectre of a nuclear conflict. China’s hostility towards India is occurring at a time when another missile crisis is haunting international security.

China is central today to the US strategy against North Korea. A US military conflict with North Korea, Beijing's estranged ally, could easily draw in China.

Trump’s threat to rain “fire and fury” on the regime in Pyongyang, along with other statements from US officials about the possibility of war, has unnerved Beijing, despite Washington subsequently seeking to ease fears. This factor could be one of the reasons why China, even at the risk of being all bark and no bite, has thus far not acted on its unremitting threats to teach India a lesson.

India, however, cannot afford to be complacent. New Delhi cannot overlook the fact that Mr Xi’s regime has been mobilizing domestic support for a possible war with India, which it has painted as the aggressor, while claiming China to be the aggrieved party.

For example, after weeks of escalating war rhetoric, China released a 15-page position paper on August 2 that accused India of "invading Chinese territory." It came a day after Mr Xi, in a speech marking the 80th anniversary of the founding of the People's Liberation Army, vowed not to permit the loss of "any piece" of Chinese land "at any time or in any form."

More significantly, the standoff has highlighted how China is implementing its new three-pronged doctrine against India, waging media, legal and psychological warfare to "win without fighting," and, in case it fails, to prepare the ground for military operations. A 2008 Pentagon report to Congress said China's doctrine was being "developed for use in conjunction with other military and non-military operations."

________________

More from Opinion:

Iran is closely watching the US-North Korea stand-off

Why the North Korea crisis has serious implications for the Middle East

As the North Korean crisis deepens, Trump upends the nuclear calculus

________________

In Beijing’s thinking, according to a subsequent Pentagon report in 2014, “it is not the best weapons that win today’s wars but rather the best narrative”, even if it is a false narrative. On the Doklam issue, as it has done in the South and East China seas, China is operating on the Orwellian principle that “if you say it enough, they will believe it.”

A fusillade of fresh warnings to India to back down or face dire consequences has been delivered this month by the Chinese defence and foreign ministries and other state mouthpieces. As a former PLA general has acknowledged, “such strong response from the Chinese government has been rare.”

If the probability of a military conflict over North Korea’s actions recedes, would the risk of a Chinese military attack on India increase? Mr Xi has sought to reduce tensions over North Korea by banning imports of North Korean iron, lead and coal and promising other steps to rein in Pyongyang.

However, there are other factors that Mr Xi must consider, including a shaky Chinese economy, hot-money outflows, the forthcoming party congress, and the September 3-5 summit of the Brics grouping in China. Unless the Himalayan border situation deteriorates, Mr Modi will likely be at the summit.

China’s modus operandi to alter the territorial and maritime status quo in Asia has been to wage stealth wars. Doklam would represent a turning point if China’s bullet-less aggression of the past decade in Asia escalates to a shooting war with India.

Deception, tactical surprise, shrewd timing and lightning conflict have been the common elements in China’s use of military force under communist rule. The goal in all cases has been to stun the enemy and make quick military and political gains.

China cannot count on all these elements today. India, for its part, cannot afford to take any major risk. Only an India fully prepared to counter and defeat aggression can deter China from initiating a military conflict.

Brahma Chellaney is a geostrategist and the author of nine books

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

10 tips for entry-level job seekers

Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.

Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz

Apple%20Mac%20through%20the%20years

%3Cp%3E1984%20-%20Apple%20unveiled%20the%20Macintosh%20on%20January%2024%3Cbr%3E1985%20-%20Steve%20Jobs%20departed%20from%20Apple%20and%20established%20NeXT%3Cbr%3E1986%20-%20Apple%20introduced%20the%20Macintosh%20Plus%2C%20featuring%20enhanced%20memory%3Cbr%3E1987%20-%20Apple%20launched%20the%20Macintosh%20II%2C%20equipped%20with%20colour%20capabilities%3Cbr%3E1989%20-%20The%20widely%20acclaimed%20Macintosh%20SE%2F30%20made%20its%20debut%3Cbr%3E1994%20-%20Apple%20presented%20the%20Power%20Macintosh%3Cbr%3E1996%20-%20The%20Macintosh%20System%20Software%20OS%20underwent%20a%20rebranding%20as%20Mac%20OS%3Cbr%3E2001%20-%20Apple%20introduced%20Mac%20OS%20X%2C%20marrying%20Unix%20stability%20with%20a%20user-friendly%20interface%3Cbr%3E2006%20-%20Apple%20adopted%20Intel%20processors%20in%20MacBook%20Pro%20laptops%3Cbr%3E2008%20-%20Apple%20introduced%20the%20MacBook%20Air%2C%20a%20lightweight%20laptop%3Cbr%3E2012%20-%20Apple%20launched%20the%20MacBook%20Pro%20with%20a%20retina%20display%3Cbr%3E2016%20-%20The%20Mac%20operating%20system%20underwent%20rebranding%20as%20macOS%3Cbr%3E2020%20-%20Apple%20introduced%20the%20M1%20chip%20for%20Macs%2C%20combining%20high%20performance%20and%20energy%20efficiency%3Cbr%3E2022%20-%20The%20M2%20chip%20was%20announced%3Cbr%3E2023%20-The%20M3%20line-up%20of%20chip%20was%20announced%20to%20improve%20performance%20and%20add%20new%20capabilities%20for%20Mac.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

While you're here

Gavin Esler: Will 2021 be Boris Johnson's worst year?

Thomas Harding: US relations with Europe could change

Brodie Owen: How England’s new lockdown rules work

Skewed figures

In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.

Five%20calorie-packed%20Ramadan%20drinks

%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERooh%20Afza%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E100ml%20contains%20414%20calories%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETang%20orange%20drink%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E100ml%20serving%20contains%20300%20calories%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECarob%20beverage%20mix%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E100ml%20serving%20contains%20about%20300%20calories%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EQamar%20Al%20Din%20apricot%20drink%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E100ml%20saving%20contains%2061%20calories%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EVimto%20fruit%20squash%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E100ml%20serving%20contains%2030%20calories%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

WRESTLING HIGHLIGHTS

COMPANY%20PROFILE

%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Revibe%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202022%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hamza%20Iraqui%20and%20Abdessamad%20Ben%20Zakour%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Refurbished%20electronics%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%20so%20far%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2410m%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFlat6Labs%2C%20Resonance%20and%20various%20others%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A