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Arab News
18 hours ago
- Business
- Arab News
Pakistani PM to meet Saudi Crown Prince today to bolster bilateral ties, discuss regional security
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is on a two-day visit to Saudi Arabia this week where he will meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman today, Friday, and discuss trade and investment as well as regional security matters. The Pakistani prime minister will celebrate Eid Al-Adha in the Kingdom and hold a bilateral meeting with the Saudi Crown Prince that is expected to focus on enhancing cooperation in trade, investment and regional security. Sharif reached Jeddah on Thursday evening and departed for Makkah to perform Umrah, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said. 'The two leaders will discuss ways to further strengthen bilateral cooperation in various fields, including trade and investment, welfare of the Muslim Ummah, and regional peace and security,' PMO said about Sharif's meeting with the Saudi Crown Prince later today, Friday. Sharif is also expected to express gratitude to the Saudi leadership for their role in de-escalating recent tensions between Pakistan and India. Last month, following the worst military confrontation between India and Pakistan in decades, Saudi Arabia, along with other Gulf nations, played a key role in mediating between the two nuclear-armed neighbors, helping to avert a potential war. The visit also comes amid deepening economic ties between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. In recent months, the two countries have signed multiple agreements aimed at boosting bilateral trade and investment. Notably, Saudi Arabia has committed to a $5 billion investment package to support Pakistan's economy, which has been grappling with a balance of payments crisis. Last year, Saudi and Pakistani businessmen signed 34 memorandums of understanding worth $2.8 billion, covering sectors such as industry, technology, and agriculture. Additionally, Saudi Arabia's Manara Minerals is in talks to acquire a 10-20 percent stake in Pakistan's $9 billion Reko Diq copper and gold mining project, one of the largest of its kind globally. Defense cooperation is also a key component of the bilateral relationship. The two nations have a history of military collaboration, with Saudi Arabia providing support to Pakistan during times of regional tension and Pakistan training Saudi forces. Pakistan has a 2.7 million-strong diaspora in Saudi Arabia, which accounts for the highest remittance inflow, a crucial lifeline for the country's economy.
South China Morning Post
3 days ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
‘Strategic clarity' over Taiwan is just so much American bombast
People often make a situation worse because they are unhappy with the status quo. The United States is doing exactly that over Taiwan. In doing so, it is, as PLA Major General Hu Gangfeng said, destabilising the whole region. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth made headline news at the Shangri-La Dialogue for regional security in Singapore last week by warning of 'devastating consequences' if China tried to 'conquer' Taiwan. He said America stood shoulder to shoulder with its allies and partners in the region, and that no one should doubt its commitment. Really? But as a caveat, he said countries in Southeast Asia needed to boost defence spending, possibly to 5 per cent of GDP. That immediately invited ridicule from some conference participants. Mohd Faiz Abdullah, chairman of the Institute of Strategic and International Studies in Malaysia and a senior adviser to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, called it 'mind-boggling' and 'nonsensical' to expect countries in the region to drum up 5 per cent of their GDP in military acquisitions, presumably from US arms manufacturers. It would make more sense, he suggested, for Washington to dispense with its highly destructive tariffs and deepen economic engagement with the region instead. Indeed! In one breath, Hegseth said the US would support them against Chinese aggression while asking them to ramp up military spending and contribute to the fight. But Asean is not Nato. Most of its member states are not even American military allies. The Philippines is an exception. Asean wants to engage with China, not fight it, especially over Taiwan. The island is not to East Asia what Ukraine is to the European Union or Nato. It's not even their fight.
Malay Mail
5 days ago
- Business
- Malay Mail
America's Pacific demands and the limits of fiscal reality in Asean — Phar Kim Beng
JUNE 2 — At the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth delivered what sounded like a strategic imperative: Asian allies and partners should raise their defence spending to 5 per cent of GDP to match the scale of the threat posed by China. US allies and partners in Asia continue to spend well below 5 per cent of GDP on defence. In 2024, Singapore allocated 2.8 per cent of its GDP to defence, followed by South Korea (2.6 per cent), Taiwan (2.1 per cent), Australia (1.9 per cent), Japan (1.4 per cent) and the Philippines (1.3 per cent), according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. South-east Asian defence officials also attending the Shangri-La Dialogue broadly welcomed Hegseth's speech and his reaffirmation of Washington's commitment to the region, but some voiced serious concerns about the feasibility of increasing defence spending. Indeed, such a request, framed as a measure of deterrence, struck a discordant note across the hall — particularly in Southeast Asia, where economic resilience, not military escalation, defines the essence of regional security. What Hegseth articulated is, in effect, a revival of the Guam Doctrine of 1969 — a proposition that allies and partners should do more for their own defence. This time, however, the request is wrapped in a populist 'America First' narrative shaped by President Trump and championed by figures like Vice President JD Vance, placing fiscal responsibility squarely on the shoulders of others. The contradictions are glaring. While demanding higher defence spending from its Asian allies, the US is simultaneously imposing tariffs on their exports, especially targeting South-east Asia's key sectors in steel, semiconductors, and electronics. These economic burdens reduce the very fiscal space needed for the type of defence buildup the US envisions. Countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, and Cambodia — who welcomed Hegseth's speech — have quietly signalled that matching European-style defence budgets is not only unrealistic, but contrary to the region's developmental priorities. As Maj Gen Kristomei Sianturi of Indonesia noted, even allocating 1 per cent of the national budget to defence is a stretch. For these states, security stems from stability, diplomacy, and economic growth — not from entering an arms race that benefits American defence contractors more than their own people. South-east Asia, led by Malaysia as Asean Chair, has long championed a policy of 'active nonalignment,' a concept Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim reiterated at the summit. This is not mere fence-sitting. It is a deliberate strategy to remain outward-facing, independent, and free from being co-opted by rival power blocs. In practice, it means cooperating with both the US and China, while aligning with neither. This stance resonates with Asean's ethos. In contrast to Nato, Asean has never been a military bloc. Its primary tools have been multilateral diplomacy, economic interdependence, and non-interference. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth attends a trilateral meeting between Japan, the US and Australia, at the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore, May 31, 2025. — Reuters pic The success of the Asean-led Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and the Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA) show that integration — soft, not hard — remains Asean's preferred path to resilience. Hegseth's call to emulate Europe's 5 per cent military commitment also fails to appreciate the deep differences in historical experience. Europe, after Ukraine, faces an existential threat along its eastern frontier. Asia, while navigating tensions in the South China Sea and over Taiwan, has not suffered a major interstate war in decades. The threshold for panic — and for reordering budgets on such a scale — is simply not comparable. Moreover, there is a structural contradiction in America's own Indo-Pacific engagement. While Trump's administration threatens to reduce troop levels in South Korea and possibly Japan, the same administration is demanding more contributions from these states. This contradiction does not go unnoticed in Asia. Some, like Professor Da Wei of Tsinghua University, question America's credibility in maintaining regional balance while leveraging tariffs and troop withdrawals as bargaining chips. Hegseth touted new initiatives like the NMESIS deployment to the Philippines and repair facilities for P-8 patrol aircraft in Australia. These are steps in the right direction. But if strategic cooperation is to be meaningful, it cannot be built on pressure and paternalism. A sustainable regional security architecture must be based on mutual respect, tailored to local fiscal realities and political contexts. To this end, Asean countries should not allow themselves to be strong-armed into military buildup under the guise of collective deterrence. Rather, they must invest in security as they define it — through stronger coast guards, cyber defence, humanitarian assistance, and multilateral maritime cooperation with frameworks such as the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF). These align better with regional threats such as piracy, illegal fishing, and transnational crime than Cold War-style militarisation. Ultimately, the U.S. must understand that in Asia, partnerships are earned — not enforced. Trust is not built through military might alone, but through consistency, trade equity, and respect for strategic autonomy. As the Indo-Pacific becomes the fulcrum of 21st-century geopolitics, America's ability to remain a trusted partner will depend on how well it listens — not just how loudly it speaks. * Phar Kim Beng is a professor of Asean Studies, International Islamic University Malaysia. ** This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.
ABC News
6 days ago
- General
- ABC News
Richard Marles backs US call to increase regional security in Asia-Pacfic
Defence Minister Richard Marles has backed a call from US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth for America's allies in the Asia-Pacific to do more to contribute to regional security, in part to counter China's rapid military build-up.
Arab News
29-05-2025
- Business
- Arab News
Pakistan PM urges world to hold India accountable for ‘acts of war' during Tajikistan visit
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday urged the international community to hold India accountable for what he described as 'acts of war' earlier this month, saying the region could not afford New Delhi's 'irresponsible and unlawful actions.' Sharif made the remarks during a meeting with Tajik President Emomali Rahmon in Dushanbe, where the two leaders discussed regional security, economic ties and cooperation on climate issues. His statement came just days after a military confrontation between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan, which saw the two countries exchange missile, drone and artillery fire between them. Sharif arrived in Tajikistan's capital on the final leg of a five-day regional diplomacy tour that earlier took him to Türkiye, Iran and Azerbaijan, as Islamabad seeks to reinforce strategic ties and shore up support following the South Asian standoff. He was received in Dushanbe by Tajik Prime Minister Qohir Rasulzoda and later attended a bilateral meeting with President Rahmon at the Qasr-e-Millat. 'The Prime Minister underscored that our region could not afford India's irresponsible and unlawful actions since 7 May 2025, which amounted to acts of war and violation the UN Charter and international law,' a statement released by his office said after the meeting. 'The Prime Minister urged the international community to hold India accountable, reiterating that Pakistan desires peace, but will defend its sovereignty with full resolve if challenged.' President Rahmon, expressing concern over the recent conflict, said he was 'very worried' about the events of early May and praised Sharif's leadership in helping restore peace and stability. He also called Pakistan a 'trusted partner' and reaffirmed Tajikistan's commitment to deepening cooperation across all sectors. The two leaders reviewed progress under the Strategic Partnership Agreement signed in 2024 and pledged to expand collaboration in trade, defense, education, technology and counterterrorism. They also agreed to accelerate work on the CASA-1000 energy project, a regional initiative to transmit surplus hydroelectric power from Central Asia to South Asia, which they termed a 'pivotal initiative' for regional integration. Sharif underscored Pakistan's push for deeper connectivity with Central Asia through infrastructure and transit links, citing the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as a linchpin of that strategy. He also briefed the Tajik president on Pakistan's role in regional peace efforts and acknowledged Tajikistan's leadership in water diplomacy and glacier preservation. The Pakistani prime minister is in Dushanbe to attend the International High-Level Conference on Glaciers' Preservation, where he is expected to speak on the impact of climate change on Pakistan and call for stronger global cooperation on environmental issues. Earlier this week, Sharif held talks in Türkiye, Iran and Azerbaijan, including a trilateral summit with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Lachin, where the three leaders pledged to deepen regional cooperation and transform fraternal ties into a strategic partnership.
