Blending Borders #13
Blending Borders
A Fortnightly Newsletter
November 30th, 2021
Issue #13
This Newsletter explores ongoing issues and perspectives from India’s neighbouring countries, including - Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar, Bhutan, Maldives and Afghanistan.
In brief, I discuss:- Vaccine updates, India-Sri Lanka-Maldives joint exercise, Sri Lanka-SpaceX cooperation, India-Bangladesh power deal, Australia-Myanmar arms trade
The Raging Pandemic
According to a local report, Sri Lanka received its largest consignment of the Pfizer vaccine on November 22nd. In the report, the State Minister of Production, Supply and Regulation of pharmaceutical Prof. Channa Jayasumana said that 1.5 million doses of the vaccine arrived in the country. Additionally, another 400,000 doses of the vaccine arrived the next day, on November 23rd.
Bangladesh received a gift of 2 million doses of the Sinovac vaccine from China on November 23rd. Meanwhile, The Dhaka Tribune reported that the Serum Insititute of India (SII) will resume shipments of the AstraZeneca vaccine to Bangladesh from December. TOI reported earlier this month that India has already begun exports to some countries in the neighbourhood, including Myanmar and Nepal. Bangladesh too was mentioned on the list of the first recipients since the vaccine shipments halted earlier this year prior to the onset of the second wave in India.
Do read this special report by Dr Fahmida Khatun (Executive Director at the Centre for Policy Dialogue in Bangladesh) on the COVID-19 Vaccination Agenda in Bangladesh. The report is titled: ‘The COVID-19 Vaccination Agenda in Bangladesh: Increase Supply, Reduce Hesitancy’.
The Maldives is expected to receive an additional 100,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine in mid-December to administer booster shots to the public, according to a local report. Myanmar received batches of the Sinovac Vaccine from China on three separate occasions; A batch of 2 million doses arrived on November 12th, another batch of 1 million doses arrived on November 20th and a final batch of 3 million doses on November 24th, according to local reports. It was also stated in an article in Politico magazine that the U.S manufactured Johnson & Johnson vaccine will be sent in millions to the border of Thailand and Myanmar in December as a part of President Bidens pledge to donate vaccines to intense conflict areas. Most of the vaccines will be supplied to individuals situated in refugee camps across the border.
Finally, according to reliefweb, about 1.6 million donated COVID-19 vaccines arrived in Tehran on November 15th to provide increased protection to Afghan refugees living there. The vaccines were donated as part of the ‘Humanitarian Buffer’ mechanism of the COVAX facility to help governments vaccinate more refugees. A second shipment arrived on November 16th.
India-Sri Lanka-Maldives Security Drill
India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives enhanced maritime security cooperation with a joint exercise on November 28th, reported TOI. The Indian High Commission put out a statement on the security drill and it was quoted in the report saying, “The Tri-Lateral Focused Operations, between India- Sri Lanka- Maldives commenced at Sea from 27-28 November 2021. The exercise under the aegis of Colombo Security Conclave (CSC) is a pioneering effort to collaborate efforts towards the Pillar of Maritime Security”. The objectives of the exercises included - engaging in coordinated maritime surveillance, search and rescue at sea, air tracking and establishing effective communication.
Meanwhile, according to a local report, the Maldives is in talks with Bangladesh to enhance bilateral cooperation and partnership. The discussions began after Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Ambassador Masud Bin Momen arrived in the Maldives on November 26th. It was the first round of Bilateral Political Consultations held between both governments. Both foreign secretaries spoke of the historic relations shared between the two countries and moved on to more important matters. They discussed boosting the implementation of recent agreements, enhanced connectivity, boosting bilateral trade, the importance of cooperation in higher education and the development of human resources, training and capacity building. Finally, they also discussed climate change, culture, fisheries and agriculture.
Bangladesh and India are set to deepen trade and economic ties as partners, said India’s Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, reported The Hindu. The development came after the United Nations General Assembly adopted a historic resolution to upgrade the status of three nations - Bangladesh, Nepal and Laos, from the least developed country category to the developing country grouping. The move is seen as a major milestone for these countries that have shown significant developmental progress in recent years. You can read the complete UN resolution here.
Following this move, India decided to deepen ties with Bangladesh and stand ‘‘shoulder to shoulder’’ with the country’s leadership. Mr. Goyal said it was imperative to enhance connectivity between the two countries and advance a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with Bangladesh to further expand bilateral trade and investment. Finally, he identified five focus areas to strengthen economic ties - technology, connectivity, entrepreneurship, health and tourism, as per the report.
Sri Lanka-SpaceX Talks
A local report stated that the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL) announced that it conducted preliminary talks with American aerospace company SpaceX to explore the setting up of an advanced broadband internet system in Sri Lanka. Not much detail was given, although the initial round of talks went positively and focused on regulatory aspects and prerequisites for initiating such a service in the future.
Meanwhile, Mint reported that IT giant HCL Technologies Ltd (HCL) has opened a new delivery hub facility in Colombo which will be the largest in the country, accommodating 4000 employees. Prateek Aggarwal, Chief Financial Officer of HCL Technologies was quoted in the report saying, “Sri Lanka is one of HCL’s key global delivery hubs and we are very excited to continue expanding our operations in the country with the opening of our new office here”.
The Economic Times reported that Sri Lanka’s Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa is expected to make a trip to India soon as the country is undergoing a worsening economic crisis. Rajapaksa reportedly reached out to India to boost the Sri Lankan economy and his visit is meant to secure loans and seek wider cooperation on trade and investment matters.
With Sri Lanka moving towards focusing on economic diplomacy, do read this op-ed published in a local Sri Lankan news publication on how Sri Lanka and Bangladesh can benefit from strengthening trade relations.
India Power Project Deal in Bangladesh
An article published by Mercom India said that Indian infrastructure company Tata Projects has secured a 400 KV Double Circuit Transmission Line Project valued at approximately $120 million from Power Grid Company of Bangladesh Ltd (PGCB). The project will be executed in 30 months, and EXIM Bank India will fund under the Indian Line of Credit. The transmission line will result in the expansion of high voltage transmission infrastructure in northern Bangladesh. It will also facilitate 16 GW power transmission from a power plant in Jharkhand, India, to Bangladesh.
Meanwhile, The Daily Star reported that Bangladesh is set to purchase five naval ships from the UK to modernise its armed forces as part of the Forces Goal 2030 as the country aspires to become a developed nation by 2041. Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen was quoted in the report saying, “We have decided in principle to buy five naval ships. The objectives of this purchase are to monitor and protect our huge sea frontiers from others who enter our territories for fishing or other purposes”.
Moving on, in what can be called a rather new and interesting approach, the Bangladesh ministry of agriculture’s Cotton Development Board has collaborated with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) to develop new varieties of cotton that are more productive and have better fibre quality. The new variety is known as CDB Tula 1 and it is a result of mutation breeding using nuclear technology. The new variety is expected to bring about macroeconomic benefits to the country as well which till now, is still highly dependant on imports.
Some other developments in Bangladesh:
Source: Twitter
Finally, do read this press release put out by the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) and partners in Asia to explore pathways to enhance the protection of Rohingya in the Asia region.
Australia’s Arms Trade with Myanmar
A recent article in The Guardian talked about how Australia is investing in weapon and arms funding for Myanmar. Australia’s sovereign wealth fund, the Future Fund, has reportedly invested in a Chinese state-controlled weapons manufacturer that has sold combat aircraft to the Myanmar military. Intriguingly, India is also among the list of companies the fund has invested in that are linked with the Myanmar military. In total, Australia’s Future Fund has invested $157m in 14 publicly traded companies that have done business with the Myanmar military. The fund’s holdings also include $4.9m invested in five subsidiaries of the Chinese arms conglomerate Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC). The bulk of Australia’s investment in AVIC is through subsidiary AviChina, in which it has invested $3.2m. AviChina manufactures the K-8 light combat aircraft, which have been used in military operations in the state of Kachin in Myanmar.
According to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV, the border port of Wanding in China's Yunnan province resumed trade with neighbouring Myanmar on Friday after being closed for 136 days due to the pandemic.
Meanwhile, in a friendly gesture, India reached out to Myanmar and sent pandemic-related humanitarian assistance to the country, in response to a call by ASEAN.
The Hindustan Times reported that representatives from India and the EU discussed the recent political developments in Myanmar and Afghanistan and agreed to continue dialogue on issues of mutual interest. The discussion took place between Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla and secretary-general of the European External Action Service (EEAS) of the European Union, Stefano Sannino. An excerpt from a statement put out by the Ministry of External Affairs was quoted saying, “Both sides stressed the importance of preventing Afghanistan from being used as a base for terrorism and on the status of the rights of women, children and minorities in Afghanistan. The recently organised Delhi Regional Security Dialogue on Afghanistan and its Delhi Declaration were also discussed”.
Finally, leaders from many Asian nations pledged to support Afghanistan during an Economic Cooperation Organisation (ECO) summit on November 28th, according to the Saudi Gazette. Leaders from Iran, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Pakistan - all member nations of the Economic Cooperation Organization said during the summit in Turkmenistan that nations needed to provide support to Afghanistan to avoid further economic turmoil and a wave of refugees from fleeing the country. According to the report, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi committed to helping the Afghan people. Pakistani President Arif Alvi urged countries to provide humanitarian assistance, help the country improve its education and health systems and strengthen its weakened economy. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also warned of the possibility of a wave of Afghan refugees fleeing their country as a possible consequence of what could happen if countries do not step up and assist Afghanistan.
Do read this statement from the 13th Asia-Europe (ASEM13) Meeting titled “Strengthening Multilateralism for Shared Growth”, held on November 25th-26th. More specifically, read points: 20 - on the situation in Myanmar, 21 - on the Rakhine State and the implications for Myanmar and Bangladesh, 23 - on the situation in Afghanistan. But do take a look at the whole statement if you can.
Suggested Reads
1. Negotiating Disarmament: Lessons Learnt from Colombia, Nepal, the Philippines, Sudan, Sri Lanka - Nicholas Marsh and Júlia Palik - Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO)
2. Maldives: India first or India out? - David Brewster - The Lowy Institute
3. Navigating Myanmar’s Triple Crisis: What the World Can Do - Dominique Fraser - Asia Society Policy Institute
4. Think Tanks and American Interventionism - Chad Levinson - War on the Rocks
5. Demographic and Socioeconomic Changes Induced by the COVID-19 Pandemic in Bangladesh - Leah Zamore - NYU Center on International Cooperation (CIC)
*Special Recommendation* - Weekend Watch!
I highly recommend this latest documentary called ‘14 Peaks: Nothing is Impossible’ on Netflix. It is a must-watch. The documentary tells the story of fearless Nepali mountaineer Nirmal Purja MBE, who embarks on a seemingly impossible journey to summit all 14 of the worlds 8,000-meter peaks in *just* 7 months.
Fun fact: Prior to becoming a mountaineer, Nirmal Purja served in the British Army with the Royal Gurkha Rifles followed by the Special Boat Service (SBS), the special forces unit of the Royal Navy. Do watch!
Thank you for subscribing to this newsletter. If you found it interesting, please share it with friends, colleagues and family.
This Newsletter is written by Ameera Rao, a Research Assistant at the Takshashila Institution. She has previously completed a BA (Hons) in International Relations from King’s College London