SEOUL, 5 July 2022 – Senior officials of ASEAN and the Republic of Korea (ROK) renewed their commitment to further strengthen strategic partnership and broaden mutually beneficial cooperation at the 26th ASEAN-ROK Dialogue held on 1 July.
Both sides exchanged views on issues of common interest and concerns including the South China Sea, the Korean Peninsula, developments in Myanmar, and the situation in Ukraine, with a view to promote peace, stability and development in the region.
The meeting welcomed the progress in the implementation of the ASEAN-ROK Plan of Action 2021-2025. Several activities and projects have been carried out in various areas, such as public health, environment and climate change, disaster management, education, culture and youth exchanges.
The meeting highlighted ASEAN and ROK’s close cooperation in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic and ROK’s contribution of US$6 million to the COVID-19 ASEAN Response Fund. Both sides agreed to work closely to facilitate regional recovery through the implementation of ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework.
ASEAN and the ROK also highlighted several areas for closer cooperation to enhance the regional resilience, such as digital economy; maritime cooperation; development of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises; labor market; tourism; infrastructure; and narrowing the development gap.
ASEAN welcomed the commitment of the new Government of the ROK to forge closer cooperation with ASEAN. The ROK underlined climate change as a new priority area of cooperation with ASEAN, through initiatives such as the ASEAN-ROK Carbon Dialogue and the Partnership for ASEAN-ROK Methane Action.
ASEAN welcomed ROK’s support for the ASEAN Outlook in the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) and its willingness to enhance practical cooperation in its key areas.
The 26th ASEAN-ROK Dialogue was co-chaired by Director-General, Acting SOM Leader of Viet Nam, Vu Ho, and ROK Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Yeo Seung-bae. Senior Officials of ASEAN Member States and the Deputy Secretary-General for ASEAN Political-Security Community attended the dialogue.
ABU DHABI 04 July 2022 — Philippine Ambassador to the UAE Hjayceelyn M. Quintana witnessed the installation of Philippine gold artifacts at Louvre Abu Dhabi’s Grand Vestibule where the Philippines joins the World Civilizations Collection on 27 June 2022.
The two artifacts, a golden funerary mask from Butuan Province and a golden cup from Nabua, Camarines Sur, are on loan from Ayala Museum.
According to Ambassador Quintana, “The 27th day of June 2022 is a milestone day in Philippines -UAE cultural relations as 2 rare and exquisite treasures dating from the 10th to 13th century were installed for exhibition at the Louvre Abu Dhabi. This collaboration is another testament on how effectively the Louvre Abu Dhabi, as a cultural beacon, plays its role of ‘bringing different cultures together to shine fresh light on the shared stories of humanity,’ thereby making the Louvre Abu Dhabi a truly universal museum.”
The Philippines has the second largest gold deposits in the world but the rich gold heritage of the Philippines is rarely talked about even in the Philippines.
When colonizers came to the islands that are now the Philippines, they encountered cultures with a highly developed knowledge of gold. It is in the whole lifestyle of the people that populated the various islands of the archipelago which was part of that area where there was a “robust maritime trade and cultural connections in Southeast Asia that was experiencing an early Asian economic boom.”
“I am grateful to the leadership of the UAE, the Ministry of Culture and Youth headed by Her Excellency Minister Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi and the wonderful members of the Louvre Abu Dhabi team headed by Director Manuel Rabaté and the curatorial team led by Dr. Souraya
Noujaim. The Filipinos are honored to be part of the narrative of world civilizations. The showcasing of this magnificent private collection from the Philippines’ premier museum, the Ayala Museum, represents a fascinating facet of Philippine history which adds great significance as we celebrate this month the 124th anniversary of Philippines independence and this year, the 48th anniversary of Philippines -UAE diplomatic relations. Indeed, this brings tremendous national pride to the Filipinos not only in UAE but Filipinos in the Philippines and around the world,” added Amb. Quintana.
Mr. Kenneth Esguerra, Senior Curator and Head of Conservation at the Ayala Museum, was on hand during the installation. He highlighted that the collaboration with Ayala Museum is Louvre Abu Dhabi’s first partnership with a museum outside of Europe and the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region, as well as its first cooperation with a museum from Asia. He thanked Ambassador Quintana for conceiving the idea of collaboration in 2019 which led to this remarkable cultural feat.”
Source: Republic of Philippines Department Of Foreign Affairs
PASAY CITY 04 July 2022 — “Remittances do more than address basic human needs. They represent every migrant worker’s dream of a brighter future and a better life,” said Secretary of Foreign Affairs Teodoro L. Locsin Jr. in his keynote address during the commemoration of International Day of Family Remittances (IDFR) at the Department of Foreign Affairs Bulwagan Apolinario Mabini on 28 June 2022.
In his speech, Secretary Locsin paid tribute to more than 200 million migrant workers worldwide whose remittances play a transformative role in the lives of their families and countries of origin. He further underscored how the continuous flow of remittances shielded the global economy from the socioeconomic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The ripple effects of remittances spreads beyond the immediate households they keep above water…It spreads to national economies and from there back to the rest of the world,” said Secretary Locsin as he explained how remittances flow from individuals to entire economies.
This year marks the fourth year since the adoption of a United Nations General Assembly resolution recognizing IDFR as an official United Nations observance. In 2018, under Secretary Locsin’s leadership as then Permanent Representative of the Philippines to the United Nations in New York, the Philippines tabled and led the campaign for the adoption of the landmark UN General Assembly resolution declaring 16 June as the International Day of Family Remittances. The resolution was co-sponsored by Algeria, Guatemala, Madagascar. The annual commemoration aims to raise awareness on the value of remittances to the global economy.
According to the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), one in every seven persons worldwide is involved in remittances. The World Bank estimates global remittances to increase from US$ 605 billion in 2021 to US$ 630 billion in 2022. In the Philippines, around 11 million overseas Filipino workers contributed to US$34.9 billion in remittances last year, making the Philippines the fourth largest destination of remittances worldwide.
Because of the significant impact of remittances, UN Resident Coordinator Gustavo Gonzalés urged governments and the private sector to work together in bringing down the cost of remittances so that migrant workers, their families, and countries of origin can maximize the benefits of these resources. According to Gonzalés, one way of doing this is through the increased use and widespread adoption of financial technology and financial literacy.
In the Philippines, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has led various initiatives towards this end, including the development of a Digital Payments Transformation Roadmap, which aims to create an enabling regulatory environment to facilitate the digital transformation of financial services in the country.
This year’s commemoration was attended by members of the diplomatic corps and was jointly organized by the DFA’s Office of the United Nations and International Organizations and the United Nations in the Philippines.
Source: Republic of Philippines Department Of Foreign Affairs
The aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan is to visit Vietnam in the second half of July, the first U.S. carrier to stop in a port there in more than a year, two local sources said. The last visit was the USS Theodore Roosevelt in March 2020 when all 5,000 crew had to test for COVID-19 upon visiting Danang.
The supercarrier was conducting exercise in the Philippine Sea at the weekend after leaving Guam late June. Vietnam has now fully opened to foreign visitors as the government adopts a policy of “living with COVID”.
RFA contacted the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command for information but has yet to receive a reply. If confirmed, this will be only the third U.S. navy aircraft carrier to visit the country since the end of the Vietnam War in 1975.
The first carrier to make a port call in Vietnam was the USS Carl Vinson, in March 2018. There were talks about a planned visit by the USS Abraham Lincoln in May but it didn’t materialize. The Abraham Lincoln is now taking part in the biennial Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) naval exercise near Hawaii.
The USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), named after the 40th U.S. President, is a Nimitz-class, nuclear-powered supercarrier, homeported in Yokosuka, Japan.
It too suffered a COVID outbreak in March 2020 when in the West Pacific, prompting a lockdown at the Yokosuka Naval Base, home of the U.S. 7th Fleet.
By the end of March 2020, the U.S. Navy reported a total of 134 personnel had contracted COVID without naming their specific ships.
Caption: An F/A-18F Super Hornet launches from the flight deck of the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt in the Philippine Sea (March 2020). CREDIT: U.S. Navy
‘Free and Open Indo-Pacific’
The shipping and maritime sources close to the Vietnamese Navy said the USS Ronald Reagan, carrying 90 aircraft including a number of F/A-18E Super Hornets and sophisticated missile systems, will pay a five-day visit to Danang in central Vietnam “sometime in the next two weeks.”
All visits by foreign warships are carefully regulated by the Vietnamese military which doesn’t want to be seen as siding with any world power. In recent years, however, former enemies Hanoi and Washington have made big strides towards a strategic partnership amid China’s assertive moves in the South China Sea, over which Vietnam and five other nations hold competing territorial claims.
Since the U.S. lifted an arms embargo on Vietnam in 2016, during the Obama administration, Vietnam has started acquiring U.S. military hardware including vessels for its growing coast guard force.
The U.S. accuses China of militarizing the sea and regularly despatches naval ships to perform so-called freedom of navigation operations (FONOPs), to much protest from Beijing.
In June 2016, before an international tribunal requested by the Philippines delivered an historic ruling against China’s excessive and illegal claims in the South China Sea, the Ronald Reagan was deployed to the region in a mission largely seen as a show of support for the case.
In the latest development, the world’s largest naval exercise, Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2022, led by the United States, is underway until Aug. 4 to showcase the maritime might of the U.S. and allies.
Five countries bordering the South China Sea – Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore – are amongst the 26 participating nations with 25,000 personnel.
China’s English-language official mouthpiece China Daily has published a scathing editorial calling the “display of navy clout” a “show of intimidation.”
This political clout “is aimed at ensuring an ‘Indo-Pacific’ that is subject to the dictates of the U.S. rather than one that is truly ‘free and open’,” it said.
The paper warned that with “the rise of its national strength, China has developed the capacity to defend its core interests, sovereignty and territorial integrity in a broader scope in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond.”
China launched its third aircraft carrier, developed and built entirely in the country, on June 17. The Liaoning is an 80,000 tonner vessel equipped with high tech equipment such as electromagnetic catapults for launching aircraft. It is the first aircraft carrier wholly designed and built in China. The first carrier, the Liaoning, was bought from Ukraine and repurposed. The second, the Shandong, was based on the Liaoning’s design.
China now has three carriers, compared to U.S.’s eleven. The Chinese Defense Ministry has said the country would develop more aircraft carriers depending on “national security needs.”
TAIPEI, Taiwan, July 04, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Fluence Energy, Inc. (“Fluence”) (NASDAQ: FLNC), a leading global provider of energy storage products and services, and digital applications for renewables and storage, today announced a strategic partnership with Rich Electric, a Taiwanese company with expertise in power conversion and battery-based energy storage systems. Through this partnership, Fluence and Rich Electric will deploy a 100 MW battery-based energy storage system in Hualien to support Taipower’s automatic frequency control (AFC) services. With a target completion of mid-2023, the project will be the first 100 MW level system in Taiwan, and is anticipated to be one of Fluence’s largest AFC projects in the country.
“Taiwan has become one of the most active energy storage markets in the Asia Pacific region. The growth momentum of the energy ecosystem is driven by a clear target and objectives for renewable energy and net zero emission set by the local government,” said Fluence SVP & President APAC Jan Teichmann. “Through this partnership with Rich Electric, we look forward to building a more resilient smart grid in Taiwan and accelerating the local energy transition.”
Taiwan is actively deploying energy storage systems to enhance the flexibility of power dispatch and avoid recurring power outages caused by intermittent renewable energy supplies. Taipower’s AFC services play a critical role in stabilizing the Taiwanese power grid. In Taiwan, Taipower has announced a target of 1,000 MW storage capacity by 2025, while Bureau of Energy, Ministry of Economic Affairs is planning 500 MW storage capacity via ground mounted PV systems.
“Energy storage systems are indispensable to the deployment of grid-connected renewable energy systems,” said Rich Electric Chairman Eric Chen. “As a manufacturer with 35 years of experience in power electronics R&D, Rich Electric specializes in the development and integration of power conversion systems, battery management systems, and energy management systems. Our company is dedicated to creating grid-level energy storage and distribution solutions to provide a stable power supply. We are excited to work with Fluence, leveraging its rich industry experience and advanced technology in providing a quality power supply that meets Taipower’s standards. Together with Fluence, we look forward to creating a sustainable future in Taiwan.”
In April 2022, Fluence was awarded the Taoyuan Longtan ultra-high voltage substation project. With an investment of over TWD 2.6 billion and a capacity of 60 MW, it will be the largest energy storage project in the Taiwanese public sector and will account for 37.5 percent of Taipower’s total storage capacity. To date, Fluence has deployed or contracted more than 4.8 GW of energy storage systems globally. Fluence topped a recent global energy storage provider list with an 18 percent market share, according to IHS Markit’s 2021 survey.
About Fluence
Fluence Energy, Inc. (Nasdaq: FLNC) is a global market leader in energy storage products and services, and digital applications for renewables and storage. With a presence in 30 global markets, Fluence provides an ecosystem of offerings to drive the clean energy transition, including modular, scalable energy storage products, comprehensive service offerings, and the Fluence IQ Platform, which delivers AI-enabled digital applications for managing and optimizing renewables and storage from any provider. Fluence is transforming the way we power our world by helping customers create more resilient and sustainable electric grids. For more information, visit our website, subscribe to our blog or follow us on LinkedIn or Twitter.
The information in this press release includes a “forward-looking statement” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements, other than statements of present or historical fact included in this press release are forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, the partnership with Rich Electric in developing the Taiwan energy storage market and expected timing of delivery of Fluence products and technology for Taipower’s AFC services and completion of the project, and Taiwan plans for storage capacity in the future.
The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based on our current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments, as well as a number of assumptions concerning future events, and their potential effects on our business. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of performance, and there can be no assurance that future developments affecting our business will be those that we have anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from the expected results. Most of these factors are outside Fluence’s control and are difficult to predict. Factors that may cause such differences in expected results include but are not limited to the following: Taiwan’s steps and progress towards its storage capacity targets, delays in the completion of the commissioning phase as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, extreme weather, and related delays in readiness to enter Taipower’s AFC services in Hualien into the grid, and the outcome of testing and commercial operation of Taipower’s AFC services in Hualien. Fluence cautions that the foregoing list of factors is not exclusive. Additional information about factors that could materially affect Fluence is set forth under the “Risk Factors” section in its Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.
Except as otherwise required by applicable law, Fluence disclaims any duty to update any forward-looking statements contained in this press release, all of which are expressly qualified by the statements in this section, to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this press release. Should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results and projections could differentiate materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements.
