The move comes nearly two months after the submarine KRI Nanggala sank off the island of Bali during training and China increased its activity near the Natunas. According to analysts, the frigate deal with Italy highlights Jakarta’s concerns after being “intruded into its territorial waters” by Beijing’s ships. An Indonesian navy ship leaves to rescue the sunken submarine Kri Nanggala. Photo: Xinhua News Agency SCMP cited a leaked document revealing that the Indonesian Defense Ministry is expected to propose a budget of 124 billion USD, to be divided over 5 years. This is three times more than five years earlier ($38.8 billion). At the same time, the website of Fincantieri Shipbuilding Company (Italy) confirmed that Jakarta has signed a contract to buy 6 new FREMM multi-purpose frigates and 2 used Italian MaStrale frigates. The two MaStrale ships will be delivered after the Italian navy retires them. “The agreement underscores the importance of strengthening cooperation between the two countries in the strategic Pacific region,” Fincantieri said. “The destroyer agreement shows that European countries are increasing their engagement in the Indo-Pacific region,” said Muhamad Haripin, a researcher at the Political Research Center of the Indonesian Academy of Sciences. European countries increasingly respond to the foreign policies of US President Joe Biden, against the rise of China in the region. According to Mr. Haripin, Indonesia is in need of more patrol boats to monitor the 54,000 km long coastline and vast waters. “Indonesia is concerned about China’s growing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region. It realizes that the rivalry between China and the US can affect regional stability but does not want to interfere. attend directly,” said Mr. Haripin. China claims to have fishing rights in the North Natuna waters and sends fishing boats and coast guard to the area, but Indonesia objected.

The ship Nanning, coded 162, was photographed participating in the exercise with the 901-class Chaganhu supply ship and 071-class Tuc Nam Son amphibious ship in the East Sea. Global Times , a Chinese state-run newspaper, announced that the destroyer Nanning would be based in the South China Sea. The destroyer Nanning (designation 162) and the supply ship Chaganhu (designation 967). Photo: SCMP. The Nanning ship was put into service in April at Zhanjiang military port, Guangdong province. This is one of three ships of the 052D class to be commissioned into the Chinese Navy in 2021. Before Nanning, two other destroyers of class 052D, Suzhou and Huainan, were also put into service. The total number of China’s 052D class destroyers is now 18. China’s 052D-class destroyers are designed to compete with the US Navy’s Arleigh-Burke-class guided-missile destroyers. They are equipped with state-of-the-art radar and electronic systems comparable to the American Aegis system. Each ship also has 64 vertical missile launchers. Currently, China is massively producing warships. China’s 25th class 052D destroyer is in production. In addition, China has also been producing at least 8 class 055 destroyers, of which 2 have been handed over to the navy, 6 are in the process of construction.

The environmental protection organization WWF has denounced the European Union as the world’s second largest forest destroyer. A total of 16 percent of global tropical deforestation in connection with international trade was accounted for by the EU, explains the WWF in a new report. First place in the “world rankings of forest destroyers” is taken by China with 24 percent of global tropical forest destruction. India is in third place with nine percent, ahead of the USA with seven percent. The study is based on the information reported on satellite images and the study of trade flows. Between 2005 and 2017, Germany imported by far the most tropical wood within the EU, as the report says. On average, 43,700 hectares of forest would be destroyed for German imports every year.

“Forests are our life insurance”

The WWF called on the German government and the EU Commission to ensure better and binding environmental and social standards in international trade relations. As a first step, the federal government must lobby the EU Commission for a strong EU law for deforestation-free supply chains. “The era of the destruction of nature must end, because natural ecosystems such as forests are our life insurance,” explained Christiane Scholl from WWF. Voluntary declarations of intent from governments and companies to make supply chains free of deforestation have only stopped the destruction of nature in individual cases.

Soy, palm oil and beef are particularly responsible for deforestation

In addition to forests, the EU law must also protect other ecosystems. Otherwise, the destruction of nature would only shift from the forest to other ecosystems such as wetlands, grasslands and savannahs. However, these are just as important for the climate, biodiversity and the livelihood of local people as tropical forests Most of the tropical forests destroyed in the study period from 2005 to 2017 were imports of soy, palm oil and beef, followed by wood products, cocoa and coffee. In Brazil, Indonesia and Paraguay, EU consumption destroyed most of the forest area. As a result of imported deforestation, the EU indirectly caused 116 million tonnes of CO2 emissions in 2017. That corresponds to more than a quarter of EU emissions from agriculture in the same year.