ASEAN member states had quite divergent responses to the AUKUS announcement. Indonesia and Malaysia expressed strong opposition, fearing the onset of a regional arms race. Cambodia similarly expressed concern, with Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn hoping that AUKUS would not escalate tensions in the region. The Philippines, on the other hand, welcomed “the enhancement of a near abroad ally’s ability to project power,” which “should restore and keep the balance rather than destabilise it.” Vietnam signalled a veiled acceptance of the grouping, while Singapore “hoped that AUKUS would contribute constructively to the peace and stability of the region.” Others like Thailand, Myanmar, and Laos chose to remain silent. These different responses are indicative of ASEAN’s pre-existing unity problem. Their responses to the South China Sea (SCS) dispute or more recent ones like the Myanmar crisis are other examples of its ‘disunity’. The emergence of AUKUS may be another such issue that risks widening the distance between ASEAN states. At the regional level, China has been able to create a wedge within ASEAN by using its economic clout to influence member states, or leave them with little room to manoeuvre. Some states like Laos and Cambodia have their interests enmeshed with China’s, with Beijing providing vital developmental assistance. ASEAN has often struggled to get pro-China member states to agree to positions that would invoke a negative Chinese reaction. This highlights the challenges of ASEAN’s consensus-based decision-making.
India’s economy will become carbon neutral by the year 2070, the country’s prime minster has announced at the COP26 climate crisis summit in Glasgow. The target date is two decades beyond what scientists say is needed to avert catastrophic climate impacts. India is the last of the world’s major carbon polluters to announce a net-zero target, with China saying it would reach that goal in 2060, and the United States and the European Union aiming for 2050.
China's carbon emissions are vast and growing, dwarfing those of other countries. Experts agree that without big reductions in China's emissions, the world cannot win the fight against climate change. In 2020, China's President Xi Jinping said his country would aim for its emissions to reach their highest point before 2030 and for carbon neutrality before 2060. His statement has now been confirmed as China's official position ahead of the COP26 global climate summit in Glasgow. But China has not said exactly how these goals will be achieved.
China's carbon emissions are vast and growing, dwarfing those of other countries. Experts agree that without big reductions in China's emissions, the world cannot win the fight against climate change. In 2020, China's President Xi Jinping said his country would aim for its emissions to reach their highest point before 2030 and for carbon neutrality before 2060. His statement has now been confirmed as China's official position ahead of the COP26 global climate summit in Glasgow. But China has not said exactly how these goals will be achieved.
A crucial U.N. conference heard calls on its first day for the world's major economies to keep their promises of financial help to address the climate crisis, while big polluters India and Brazil made new commitments to cut emissions. World leaders, environmental experts and activists all pleaded for decisive action to halt the global warming which threatens the future of the planet at the start of the two-week COP26 summit in the Scottish city of Glasgow on Monday. The task facing negotiators was made even more daunting by the failure of the Group of 20 major industrial nations to agree ambitious new commitments at the weekend.