According to the latest analysis of the 'Foreign Policy' journal on global situation, there was so much emerging hope in the conflicting context of the the world, particularly regarding NATO.

When Finland and Sweden officially applied for NATO membership last May, abandoning decades of neutrality in Helsinki and more than a century of nonalignment in Stockholm, U.S. and European officials celebrated the historic step as a major strategic defeat for Russia, stemming from its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The only thing NATO leaders needed to do to lock this in was get their house in order to admit them.

Cut to eight months later, and 29 of NATO’s 30 members have signed off on expanding the alliance, but there’s still one holdout blocking the whole thing: Turkey. (Hungary, the other holdout, has said it will ratify Sweden and Finland’s bids in February.)

Sweden and Finland, backed by NATO powers, have carefully tried to court Turkey to agree to greenlight NATO expansion through a painstaking, monthslong diplomatic campaign that appears to have run aground. Turkey, Finland, and Sweden signed a memorandum at the NATO summit in Madrid last June signaling there’d be an end to the impasse, but no one spoils otherwise routine NATO business better than Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Erdogan has dug his heels in—amid a critical election season in Turkey—over claims that Sweden harbors militants from a separatist Kurdish group, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a group designated as terrorists by the United States and European Union that Turkey has been fighting for more than 30 years.

In the early months of the NATO expansion process, Finland and Sweden vowed to move in lockstep with each other and coordinate entering NATO at the same time. Now, after eight months of impasse, Finland is reportedly considering going for a membership bid alone. And the prospect of expanding the alliance to 32 members—once seen as a foregone conclusion—now appears more remote than ever.

Turkey had already been stalling on a parliamentary vote needed to ratify Finland and Sweden’s NATO membership for months by the time the clock rolled around to 2023, looking for a variety of concessions—such as deportations of people from Nordic countries viewed by Erdogan as terrorists—that seemed like nonstarters.

But the prospect of Swedish membership, which was first jeopardized by the past government’s ties to Kurdish parties (which their successors distanced themselves from), now appears much more remote after a far-right politician in Sweden burned a Quran at a protest early in January, a move that directly angered Erdogan. That led to Turkey canceling a meeting to hunker down with Swedish and Finnish officials to talk about their NATO membership—indefinitely.

On Thursday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said it was “meaningless” to hold a trilateral meeting to clear the air this month in Stockholm.

Finland is now considering moving ahead with a solo effort for NATO membership if Turkey continues to balk at Sweden’s bid, Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto said on Tuesday.

But on the other hand, Turkey’s gambit may be time sensitive. Turkey’s elections are set for May 14, and Erdogan, who has been in power for two decades, faces his toughest test yet, with critics calling out the 68-year-old leader for presiding over a severe economic downturn and the erosion of democratic freedoms. (The six-party opposition group opposing Erdogan has yet to put forward a candidate.)

Months ago, when your trusty SitRep writer was in Finland reporting on NATO issues and asking how Sweden and Finland were preparing for a new era of showdowns against Russia, a Finnish official joked to him that “the Swedes are prepared to fight to the last Finn.”

A good natured joke between two neighbors, but the underlying point stands. Finland shares one of the longest borders with Russia in Europe, and friend or not, it acts as a giant, country-sized buffer between Sweden and Russia. So while many U.S. and NATO officials are quietly fuming over what they see as Turkey’s intransigence, they also concede that from a purely geopolitical or defense planning perspective, it may be better to get Finland—the “front-line” country—into NATO as soon as possible.

In the first two months of 2023, India's mobile phone exports exceeded $2 billion, equivalent to over Rs16,500 crore, due to increased production and shipments from manufacturers, particularly Apple and Samsung. This surge in exports brings the total export value to over $9 billion since April 2022.

According to industry body India Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA) data, smartphone exports in the April 2022-February 2023 period more than doubled from the corresponding period a year ago, when exports hovered around $4.5 billion.

It is anticipated that smartphone exports for the fiscal year ending March 31 will approximately double from the previous year's $5.8 billion.

Data indicates that Indian smartphone manufacturers are currently generating around $1 billion in monthly exports since September 2022, primarily due to the production-linked incentive (PLI) schemes.

Since April 2022, Apple and Samsung have collectively contributed roughly 90% of the total smartphone exports, with Apple's contract manufacturers (Foxconn Hon Hai, Wistron, and Pegatron) accounting for approximately 55%, and Samsung accounting for the remaining 35%.

According to ICEA, the remaining smartphone exports originated from merchants exporting certain handset models to regions with a price discrepancy, apart from Apple and Samsung.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japan counterpart Fumio Kishida on Monday exchanged views on defence equipment and technology cooperation, trade, health, digital partnership and also had a fruitful discussion on importance of reliable supply chains in semiconductor and other critical technologies.

The two leaders had "excellent talks" during Kishida's visit to New Delhi with PM Modi stating that strengthening bilateral partnership is not only important for both our countries, it also promotes peace, prosperity and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

He said that the two countries had last year set a target of Japanese investment of 5 trillion yen (Rs3,20,000 crore) in India in the next five years and it is a matter of satisfaction that there has been good progress in this direction.

PM Kishida's visit assumes significance as India is chairing the G20 and Japan is chairing the G7.

Following talks between the two leaders, there was an exchange of notes between the Ministry of External Affairs of the Republic of India and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan of tranche-IV JICA ODA Loan of JPY 300 billion for Mumbai Ahmedabad High Speed Rail (MAHSR).

The two countries also signed a Memorandum of Cooperation in the field of Japanese Language Education in India.

Personal rapport between the two leaders was visible during their visit to Buddha Jayanti Park in Delhi. In a special gesture, PM Modi gifted a sapling of Bal Bodhi tree to PM Kishida.

PM Modi shared a video on Facebook which showed Kishida eating gol gappas. He shared the video alongside the caption: "My friend Japan PM Fumio Kishida enjoyed gol-gappas."

During his hectic schedule in Delhi, PM Kishida delivered the 41st Sapru House Lecture on "Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP)" in which he termed India as in Indispensable partner.

Briefing about the talks between PM Modi and the Japan PM, Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra said the two leaders spoke about how India, Japan and other like-minded countries work together to address the challenges, particularly in the wider-expanse of Indo-Pacific.

Asked if Chinese aggressiveness was discussed by two leaders, Kwatra said the two leaders spoke about the ongoing developments in the region and also globally.
"Naturally, as part of those discussions, they spoke about the challenges that we face in the region. How India and Japan and other like-minded countries can work together to address those challenges and not just focus on challenges, but also focus on cooperation, particularly in the wider-expanse of Indo-Pacific."

"How do you take the other countries of the Indo-Pacific together? That is cut across several domains. So, for example, how do you partner within the Indo-Pacific to build resilient and trustworthy supply chains, for example? How do you come together to mitigate some of the challenges that the development template of many of these countries within the Pacific face in terms of debt burdens etc? So all that formed part of a larger, a broad platform of discussion so far in the region, sub-region specifically, and the larger field of Indo-Pacific is concerned," he added.

Kwatra said that there was no discussion regarding the expansion of Quad between PM Modi and Kishida.

"All the Quad members are very clear in their mind that Quad needs to undergo a very-very appropriate phase of consolidation before we look to anything other than Quad." Quad includes Australia, India, Japan and the United States.

Kwatra said PM Kishida had extended an invitation to PM Modi for attending the G7 Leaders' Summit to be held in Hiroshima in May and it has been accepted.

In the joint press meeting after talks with PM Kishida, Prime Minister Modi said India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership is based on shared democratic values, and respect for the rule of law in the international arena.

"Strengthening this partnership is not only important for both our countries, it also promotes peace, prosperity and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. In our conversation today, we have reviewed the progress made in our bilateral relations. We exchanged views on Defence Equipment and Technology collaboration, Trade, Health, and Digital partnership. We also had a fruitful discussion on the importance of reliable supply chains in semiconductor and other critical technologies," he said.
PM Modi said he and PM Kishida ave met several times in the last one year.

"And each time, I have felt his positivity and commitment towards India-Japan relations. And therefore, his visit today will be very useful to maintain the momentum of our cooperation," he said.

PM Modi said he outlined India's priorities during its presidency of G20

"Our meeting today is special for another reason as well. This year India is chairing the G20, and Japan is chairing the G7. And therefore, this is the perfect opportunity to work together on our respective priorities and interests," he said.

"Today, I explained in detail to Prime Minister Kishida about the priorities of India's G20 Presidency. Giving voice to the priorities of Global South is an important pillar of our G20 Presidency. We have taken this initiative because we are a culture that believes in "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam", and in taking everyone along," he added.

The Prime Minister said that India-Japan Industrial Competitiveness Partnership was set up in 2019.

"Under this, we are increasing the competitiveness of Indian industry in areas such as logistics, food processing, MSME, textiles, machinery and steel. Today we also expressed happiness over the activeness of this partnership. We are also progressing fast on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail. I am also happy that we are celebrating 2023 as the Year of the Tourism Exchange. And for this we have chosen the theme 'Connecting Himalayas with Mount Fuji'.

PM Modi said he will have the opportunity to welcome Prime Minister Kishida to India again for the G20 Leaders' Summit.

India has been invited along with Australia, Cook Islands, Brazil, Vietnam, Indonesia and others for the G7 Summit in Japan.

"India has been invited along with Australia, Cook Islands, Brazil, Vietnam, Indonesia and others for the G7 Summit in Japan. India has huge potential and demand in terms of infrastructure development," Japanese officials said on Monday.

The Japanese officials said: "Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida discussed Sri Lanka debt issues and agreed to coordinate on it."

On being asked if the USD 75 billion pledged by Japan PM Kishida in Delhi is to counter China, the Japanese officials said that: "No..it is a demonstration for free and open Indo-Pacific. Prime Minister has emphasized repeatedly that they have no country in check or vision to counter any country."

As per the officials, both nations believe in active defence exchanges. "India-Japan did joint exercises. Progress has been made in the defence security arena," the officials said.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced over USD 75 billion worth of infrastructure and security assistance for the Indo-Pacific during a visit to India on Monday.

Kishida made the pledge in a speech at an event organized by the Indian Council of World Affairs think tank, after a one-on-one summit with Modi, in which he invited the Indian leader to attend the Group of Seven summits in Hiroshima in May, according to Asia Nikkie.
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M Modi, his Japanese counterpart Kishida on Monday exchanged views on defence equipment and technology cooperation, trade, health, digital partnership and also had a fruitful discussion on the importance of reliable supply chains in semiconductors and other critical technologies.

The two leaders had "excellent talks" during Kishida's visit to New Delhi with PM Modi stating that strengthening bilateral partnership is not only important for both our countries, it also promotes peace, prosperity and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

He said that the two countries had last year set a target of Japanese investment of 5 trillion yen (Rs 3,20,000 crore) in India in the next five years and it is a matter of satisfaction that there has been good progress in this direction.

PM Kishida's visit assumes significance as India is chairing the G20 and Japan is chairing the G7.

Following talks between the two leaders, there was an exchange of notes between the Ministry of External Affairs of the Republic of India and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan of tranche-IV JICA ODA Loan of JPY 300 billion for Mumbai Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (MAHSR).

Source: ANI

The Justice Department is investigating the surveillance of American journalists by TikTok’s Chinese owners, a person familiar with the matter said, a revelation that comes as the Biden administration has shifted toward a tougher approach to address the perceived security threat from the video-sharing app.

ByteDance General Counsel Erich Andersen at the time described the improper access of user data as “a misguided plan” that looked at the IP addresses of the journalists “to determine whether they were in the same location as the employees suspected of leaking confidential information.” He said the reporters worked for BuzzFeed and the Financial Times.

The Justice Department, FBI and federal prosecutors in Virginia are investigating, one of the people said.

ByteDance Friday said it “strongly condemned” the actions of the employees involved in the effort, who it said were no longer at the company. “Our internal investigation is still ongoing, and we will cooperate with any official investigations when brought to us,” the company said.

In response to the company’s December findings, TikTok has said it was restructuring its Internal Audit and Risk Control department, and removed all user data access and permissions for the department.

Confirmation of the federal probe comes as the Biden administration has demanded that Tiktok’s Chinese owners sell their stakes in the app or face a possible U.S. ban of the social media service, The Wall Street Journal reported. That represented a major shift in policy on the part of the Biden administration, which has been under fire from some Republicans—who say it hasn’t taken a tough enough stance to address national security concerns related to TikTok. The Justice Department investigation was reported earlier by Forbes, which documented the improper access of user data in October.

TikTok’s chief executive Shou Zi Chew has said that divesting the company from its Chinese owners doesn’t offer any more protection than a multibillion-dollar plan the company has already proposed. That plan involves hiring an American partner, Oracle Corp., to store American users’ data and safeguard against any Chinese influence over what videos Americans view on the app. He is scheduled to testify on Capitol Hill next week.

The federal investigation began after the Beijing-based ByteDance Ltd. in December acknowledged that its employees misused their authority to access the data of journalists in an effort to identify leaks of confidential company information.

The Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S., or Cfius—a multiagency federal task force that oversees national-security risks in cross-border investments—made the sale demand recently, people familiar with the matter said.

TikTok executives have said that 60% of ByteDance shares are owned by global investors, 20% by employees and 20% by its founders, though the founders’ shares carry outsize voting rights, as is common with tech companies. The company was founded in Beijing in 2012 by Zhang Yiming, ByteDance Chief Executive Liang Rubo and others.

TikTok has been engulfed in controversy for more than two years over concerns from U.S. lawmakers, regulators and officials in the Trump and Biden administrations about national security risks related to data use and storage for TikTok. The company has sought to resolve the issue by taking steps to separate itself structurally from its parent company, as well as through promises to store U.S. data within the country.

The app has emerged as a favorite among American teenagers and young adults but has also drawn scrutiny due to concerns that it could be used to collect data on Americans—or that it could control the messages its users receive to influence domestic and international events.

Source: WSJ