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<ul class="summary-list"><li>Replenishment ships are essential to resupplying carrier groups at sea with fuel, food and bombs.</li><li>The US is overhauling its aging ships while China has built a dozen.</li></ul>Involved in nearly every crisis since World War II, aircraft carriers have been called upon to assure allies, deter enemies, and strike directly at hostile targets.Yet for all their importance, their missions would be impossible if not for the US Navy's unsung workhorses: replenishment ships.Replenishment ships loaded with food, fuel and bombs are the reason US carrier strike groups can stay at sea for months at a time. This capability is increasingly vital for the US Navy's chief competitor, China. With the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-navy-shrinking-china-biggest-fleet-shipbuilding-taiwan-2024-4">largest navy in the world</a>, its lack of overseas military bases only makes the need for this capability greater.But replenishment ships also form the weakest link in the chain of <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-vs-chinese-navy-aircraft-carriers-2024-5">American</a> and <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/chinas-new-aircraft-carrier-more-to-learn-to-match-us-2024-5">Chinese carrier</a> groups. Often unarmed and full of explosive cargo, they are prime targets for any hostile force.<div type="image" title="USNS Supply is one of the two largest combat logistics ships in the US Navy's Military Sealift Command." height="1500" width="2100" msid="115143523" hostid="261" sizebytes="299192"></div><h2 id="3d01aa20-7b10-4f31-9c1e-4e4a0f3254e6">US replenishment ships</h2>The US Navy's Military Sealift Command's Combat Logistics Force (CLF) operates 17 fleet replenishment oilers, 14 dry cargo/ammunition ships, and two fast combat support ships.These ships are built to deliver wet cargo (mainly aviation and diesel fuel) and dry cargo like ordnance, food, and spare parts. Though US carriers are nuclear-powered, their escort ships still run on diesel, and their <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/newest-us-navy-supercarrier-underway-with-all-airpower-first-time-2023-3">air wings</a> require aviation fuel.The most capable replenishment vessels in the CLF are the fast combat support ships of the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.navy.mil/Resources/Fact-Files/Display-FactFiles/Article/2174658/">Supply-class</a>, the largest combat logistics ships in the MSC fleet.Equipped with four cargo booms for loading cargo, they are capable of carrying 156,000 barrels of fuel, 1,800 tons of ordnance, 400 tons of refrigerated store, and 250 tons of other dry cargo.<div type="image" title="Fleet replenishment oiler Henry J. Kaiser refuels a US warship via two hose lines suspended on a tensioned wire between the ships." height="1331" width="2000" msid="115143326" hostid="261" sizebytes="123714"></div>These ships have two primary means to transfer cargo: sling loads carried by helicopter or tensioned lines between the ships. They have five fuel-at-sea (FAS) stations that utilize long flexible refueling hoses that travel on the tensioned wire, and six replenishment at sea (RAS) stations that move supplies via the horizontal wire pulley systems on the tensioned line. In addition, the Supply-class ships have a helicopter hangar and deck with space for two helicopters at the stern, enabling helicopter transfer known as vertical replenishment, or VERTREP.The FAS/RAS stations, combined with aerial resupply, enable Supply-class vessels to replenish up to four ships at once. Only two Supply-class ships, the USNS Supply and USNS Arctic, remain in service.The backbone of the CLF's refueling fleet are the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.msc.usff.navy.mil/Ships/Ship-Inventory/Fleet-Replenishment-Oiler/">Henry J. Kaiser-class</a> fleet oilers. Built between 1984 and 1996, the ships are 677 feet long, displace around 41,000 tons, and can carry up to 159,000 barrels of fuel.The Kaisers can refuel two warships simultaneously. They lack a helicopter hangar, but have a deck at the stern where helicopters from nearby ships can sling-load pallets.Fourteen Kaisers are in active service with the MSC.Though effective for refueling, the Kaiser-class has limited space for dry cargo — only enough for 586 pallets, including frozen and chilled food. The Navy relies on 14 Lewis &amp; Clark-class dry cargo/ammunition ships to fill in the gap.The Lewis &amp; Clark-class ships can carry a massive 8,391 tons of dry cargo, including 1,716 tons of refrigerated stores. They also have tanks capable of carrying approximately 25,000 barrels of fuel.<div type="image" title="An MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter delivers supplies to the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower from the fast combat support ship USNS Arctic." height="1331" width="2000" msid="115143525" hostid="261" sizebytes="207016"></div>The Kaiser-class replacement effort kicked off in earnest in 2016, when the Navy signed a design and construction contract with General Dynamics, a leading defense contractor and shipbuilder that reported $11.7 billion in revenue in its third-quarter earnings.Five years later, the lead ship of the new John Lewis-class was christened.The 746-foot-long, double-hull ships can carry 162,000 barrels of fuel, 6,675 tons of dry cargo, and 1,716 tons of refrigerated stores. A helicopter deck at the stern also enables VERTREP.Three John Lewis-class oilers — USNS John Lewis, USNS Harvey Milk, and USNS Earl Warren — are in service, and a fourth, USNS Robert F. Kennedy, is set to begin sea trials soon. Another was recently launched and two more are under construction.The class will soon become the main fleet oiler. An order for six ships was made in 2018, with options for three more exercised in 2022 and 2023. In September, the Navy signed a $6.7 billion contract for eight more John Lewis-class oilers with General Dynamics's National Steel and Shipbuilding Company. The Navy hopes to have 20 of the vessels in total, supplemented by 13 yet-to-be-designed light replenishment oilers.<div type="image" title="The Hulunhu fast combat support ship is part of a new class that was built to service China's carrier strike groups." height="1060" width="2000" msid="115143528" hostid="261" sizebytes="205312"></div><h2 id="02ad4c6d-8c78-4ca1-ab92-1b32a6c75d25">China's replenishment ships</h2>The US Navy has over <a target="_blank" href="https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/2018/june/century-replenishment-sea">100 years of experience</a> building and operating replenishment ships. China's experience began in the 1980s.Its first replenishment ships could only carry about 10,500 tons of fuel. As China's fleet grew in the 1990s, it searched for a stopgap measure and found it in the Qinghaihu, an oiler built in Ukraine that was intended for the Soviet Navy.Ultimately, the Chinese opted to pursue a new design for its next replenishment ships: the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/china/qiandaohu.htm">Type 903-class</a> oiler.These ships can carry around 11,000 tons of cargo, including some 10,000 tons of fuel. Like the Qinghaihu, the Type 903s have a helicopter deck and helipad.Nine ships were built between 2002 and 2018, all of which are in service.The Type 903s form the backbone of China's replenishment fleet, but they are not the most capable. That title goes to the PLAN's Type 901-class fast combat support ships.The ships, which NATO designated the "Fuyu-class," are 787 feet long, displace 45,000 tons, have a helicopter deck and hangars, and are equipped with 5 FAS and 2 RAS stations. They are primarily meant to service China's carrier groups and can keep up as they are propelled by four gas turbine engines.The size, mission, and speed of the ships are comparable to the US Navy's Supply-class. Two Type 901s have been built: the Hulunhu and the Chaganhu.<div type="image" title="Replenishment ships like the Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo and ammunition ships are essential to carrier operations but are highly vulnerable to attack." height="1333" width="2000" msid="115143527" hostid="261" sizebytes="344510"></div><h2 id="e54916fd-474c-416c-9f6b-46ac068eead5">'Weakest link'</h2>The important role these ships play is hard to overstate.Between October 2023 and May 2024 in support of <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-navy-weapons-expenditure-cost-middle-east-conflicts-2024-10">Red Sea operations</a>, for instance, USS Supply <a target="_blank" href="https://gcaptain.com/usns-supply-crew-honored-for-exceptional-service-in-red-sea-operations/">replenished</a> US and allied ships 143 times, transferring over 87 million gallons of fuel and 14,928 pallets of supplies in the process.The Henry J. Kaiser- and Lewis and Clark-class vessels also enabled the continuous presence of <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-navy-carrier-strike-groups-significant-combat-power-middle-east-2024-8">two carriers in the Middle East</a>.The PLAN's oilers, meanwhile, have extended the reach of its warships. <a target="_blank" href="https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1007&amp;context=cmsi-notes">Its contributions to international anti-piracy efforts in the Gulf of Aden</a> have, since 2008, almost always been made up of two surface combatants and one oiler, enabling each task force to stay on station for 4 months.The new Type 901s are already proving their worth. Last year, the Type 901-class oiler Chaganhu supported the Shandong carrier group during a series of exercises near Taiwan, Guam, and in the South China Sea. This included 620 aircraft sorties in just 18 days, <a target="_blank" href="https://news.usni.org/2023/07/14/japan-releases-fighter-scramble-data-against-chinese-aircraft">according</a> to the Japanese Ministry of Defense.In all, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/chinas-growing-navy-conducts-first-dual-aircraft-carrier-drills-2024-10">Shandong</a> spent about as much time at sea as any US carrier in the western Pacific that year, due in no small part to its replenishment ships.Yet replenishment ships are also the weakest link in each country's carrier groups. The most obvious reason is that they are almost completely unarmed, making them defenseless. Their defenses are instead provided by escort ships.They also face additional challenges unique to each country. The US, for instance, faces a manpower shortage, limited <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/new-us-navy-warships-delayed-photos-2024-4">shipyard capacity</a>, and an aging fleet with ships approaching the end of their expected service lives.Military Sealift Command employs mostly civilian merchant mariners, but now has a recruiting issue of its own.The manpower issue has been serious enough for MSC to <a target="_blank" href="https://news.usni.org/2024/08/22/navy-could-sideline-17-support-ships-due-to-manpower-issues">propose sidelining 17 of its ships</a> — including two Lewis &amp; Clark-class ammo ships and one Kaiser-class oiler — so their crews could be sent to serve on other vessels.The Kaiser-class itself is aging quickly. Four of the active oilers are already past their 35-year service lives, while one, USNS Pecos, departed for deactivation last month.Ships can have their service lives extended, but American shipyards appear unable to <a target="_blank" href="https://thehill.com/opinion/national-security/4624326-almost-all-navy-shipbuilding-is-hopelessly-behind-schedule-as-war-looms/">keep up with demand</a> for new ships and maintenance for active ones, with some estimating that the Navy is as many as 20 years behind in needed maintenance.The backlog may be why only one Kaiser-class oiler, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-navy-fired-captain-didnt-fix-steering-problem-near-miss-2024-9">USNS Big Horn</a>, was present in the Middle East during tensions between Israel and Iran in late September. This almost caused major problems when the ship accidentally <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-navy-fuel-ship-damaged-incident-middle-east-2024-9">ran aground</a> and could no longer operate, forcing the Navy to rely on two Lewis &amp; Clark-class ammunition ships for refueling duties despite their smaller capability. The incident exposed <a target="_blank" href="https://responsiblestatecraft.org/refueling-navy-middle-east/">just how fragile UNREP networks can be</a>.China, meanwhile, has just 12 oilers despite having the world's largest navy, which puts a considerable strain on those ships. Additionally, its logistical network is hampered by a lack of overseas naval bases, which can serve as refueling and resupply stations for the oilers.China has the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/chinas-shipbuilding-power-players-making-warships-at-a-rapid-pace-2024-9">largest shipbuilding industry</a> in the world, however, enabling it to quickly build more oilers and convert some of its merchant ships into replenishment ships. It has also been attempting to expand its "String of Pearls"— Chinese-controlled ports in countries across the Indian and Pacific oceans that could support military ships.Benjamin Brimelow is a freelance journalist covering international military and defense issues. He holds a master's degree in Global Affairs with a concentration in international security from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. His work has appeared in Business Insider and the Modern War Institute at West Point.

US vs. Chinese replenishment ships: The workhorses that keep aircraft carriers operating

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Some US lawmakers are expressing concerns over limited attack submarine procurement.</li><li>They are worried the latest budget plans might impact the industrial base and US efforts in the Pacific.</li></ul>Some US senators were uneasy on Thursday about low procurement of attack submarines given expectations of US allies and the threats posed by potential adversaries like China.Failing to acquire enough subs "sends exactly the wrong signal to our allies, not only Australia but others in the region, when we reduce the output of such a critical weapons platform that is vital not only to our own defense but to deterrence and defense of others in the region," Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal said during a Thursday Senate Committee on Armed Services hearing.For years, the US has pursued a procurement plan for two attack submarines per year. Industry partners often weren't able to keep up on the production side with the purchase rate. Increased funding was meant to get production of attack subs up to at least 2.3 boats per year. But in the Department of Defense's fiscal year 2025 budget request, there's only enough funding to build one Virginia-class submarine.Attack submarines, like the US Navy's nuclear-powered Seawolf-, Los Angeles-, and Virgina-class submarines, are hunter-killer boats <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-navys-top-attack-subs-could-soon-launch-new-missiles-drones-2018-11">capable</a> of launching missiles and hunting down enemy submarines and other warships.Limited attack submarine procurement and production makes agreements like AUKUS, in which the US will help build <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/australia-aukus-nuclear-powered-subs-in-pacific-amid-china-tensions-2021-11">eight</a> attack submarines for Australia in its first phase, difficult to accomplish on top of preparing for challenges from China in the Indo-Pacific.In a recent statement, Blumenthal and Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy said that "dialing back submarine procurement in fiscal year 2025 threatens to slow progress in strengthening our nation's submarine supplier base and workforce" and risks "making it more difficult to upgrade our submarine fleet and meet mounting global threats on the timeframe our national security requires."They argued that the US cannot risk weakening the submarine industrial base."Unfortunately, this administration and this president are putting forward budgets that shrink the Navy year after year," Alaska's Sen. Dan Sullivan said in the hearing Thursday.China, the primary US rival in the Indo-Pacific region and a key challenger that the US would need its submarine force to confront in a conflict, is planning on <a target="_blank" href="https://news.usni.org/2022/11/29/pentagon-chinese-navy-to-expand-to-400-ships-by-2025-growth-focused-on-surface-combatants">expanding</a> its Navy, and the Pentagon estimates the country will have 65 submarines by 2025 and as many as 80 submarines by 2035. The US military <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nvr.navy.mil/NVRSHIPS/SHIPBATTLEFORCE.HTML">operates</a> 67 submarines, only a portion of which are in the Pacific.The head of US Indo-Pacific Command, Adm. John Aquilino, said he believes that China is spending more on defense than it admits and that the country appears increasingly "belligerent" as it expands its military capacity and presence in the region."I have advocated for increased capacity of our joint force and all domains," Aquilino said regarding insufficient submarine production. "Undersea capabilities are a significant advantage for the United States and we ought to consider expanding.""I need the assets operationally," he added, underscoring that he would like to be able to see the delivery of undersea capabilities and resources in a timely and affordable manner.The Navy has said that the budget plan pumps billions into the industrial base for submarine production, which will help boost the overall capability.

Lawmakers are concerned the US isn't taking building the submarine force seriously enough as rival China expands its fleet

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Chinese EV firms like BYD have been effectively shut out of the US thanks to high tariffs.</li><li>Many of them sell their electric vehicles in Europe, despite the EU introducing its own tariffs.</li></ul>US tourists who visited Europe this summer may have spotted some unfamiliar EVs on the road — some of which will have been built in China.<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/byd-saic-chinese-ev-makers-plot-world-takeover-2024-6#">China's electric vehicle</a> giants were <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-evs-tariffs-joe-biden-transport-2024-5">effectively shut out of the US in May</a>, when the government imposed crippling tariffs on China-based EV companies amid growing geopolitical tensions.The tariffs, designed to prevent the US auto market from being flooded with cheap Chinese EVs, have made it virtually impossible for companies like BYD to export their EVs stateside.The European Union set out <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/chinese-ev-companies-hit-with-new-tariffs-in-the-eu-2024-6">its own trade restrictions on China's Tesla rivals in June</a> — but unlike in the US, many have a sizable presence in the European market.Here are some of the Chinese electric vehicles that European drivers can buy right now but US drivers can't:<h2 id="8c27c4d8-53fb-4dcf-a9e7-30de84bd3e37">BYD</h2><div type="image" title="BYD Seal" height="683" width="1024" msid="113258283" hostid="261" sizebytes="34490"></div><a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-rival-byd-chinese-evs-expands-in-europe-new-factory-2024-7">BYD</a><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-rival-byd-chinese-evs-expands-in-europe-new-factory-2024-7"> is expanding rapidly in Europe</a>, and plans are underway to build two factories in Hungary and Turkey in the coming years.The Warren Buffett-backed automaker sells <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.byd.com/eu">six EV models in Europe </a>— from the Dolphin Hatchback, which <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.byd-cars.de/marken/byd/dolphin#8dfa9335-fae6-48ae-ade9-929a8d4761ba">costs from €32,990</a> ($36,400), to the Han sedan, which <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.byd-cars.de/marken/byd/han#a658351d-cfa0-49fd-b324-ff9e61445dd1">starts at €69,000</a> ($76,100) in Germany.Despite the EU imposing <a target="_blank" href="https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_24_4301">a 17% import tariff on BYD in August</a>, the company isn't slowing down. As it competes with Tesla worldwide, it plans to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/byd-cheap-ev-seagull-coming-to-europe-china-us-tariffs-2024-5">bring its $10,000 Seagull EV to Europe in 2025</a>.<h2 id="28cbf932-e633-467a-ba74-145fd9eebf92">Nio</h2><div type="image" title="Nio ET7" height="742" width="1024" msid="113258297" hostid="261" sizebytes="65766"></div>Chinese EV brand Nio is known in its home country <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ev-battery-swapping-china-rescue-us-revolution-2024-2">for its battery swapping stations</a>, designed to prevent long charging times by removing flat batteries and replacing them with fully charged ones.Like BYD, Nio has been expanding in Europe, establishing battery swap stations across the continent and <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.nio.com/news/nio-house-amsterdam?&amp;noredirect=">selling six models as of May 2024</a>.That includes the stylish ET7, which Nio says comes with an <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.nio.com/et7?&amp;noredirect=">AI-powered suspension and an estimated 1,000km (620 mile) range</a>.<h2 id="93224fa1-31bc-45f4-8dc3-cadaccde6d4f">Xpeng</h2><div type="image" title="Xpeng G6" height="684" width="1024" msid="113258292" hostid="261" sizebytes="71784"></div>Xpeng is known for its quirky EV models, including a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/xpeng-tesla-rival-flying-car-prototype-drone-evtol-2022-11">flying car</a>.In Europe, the automaker sells its G9, G6, and P7 models in various markets, including Denmark, Sweden, and Norway.<h2 id="985d743a-d9a6-45bc-82ed-a4c4ae7f187f">Zeekr</h2><div type="image" title="Zeekr 001" height="683" width="1024" msid="113258285" hostid="261" sizebytes="39634"></div>Chinese manufacturer Zeekr is one of many companies <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/chinese-electric-vehicles-byd-selling-record-cars-tesla-competition-deliveries-2024-7">vying to take on Tesla in China.</a> It has two models available in parts of Europe.Both the Zeekr X and the Zeekr 001 are luxury EVs priced between <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://shop.zeekr.eu/en-nl/configuration/?linkCode=1">42,490 euros and 59,490 euros ($46,800 to $65,600)</a> in the Netherlands. The Zeekr 001 boasts an estimated <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.zeekr.eu/models/001">620km (385 miles) of range and 0 to 60 mile acceleration in 3.8 seconds</a>.Like many other Chinese automakers, Zeekr faces EU's tariffs. CEO Andy An <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-07-19/geely-s-zeekr-considers-building-evs-in-europe-to-avoid-tariffs">told Bloomberg that</a> the company may move production to Europe in the coming years as a result.<h2 id="3d2d47ce-d5f2-48a3-b76e-1431dec40a8b">MG</h2><div type="image" title="The MG Cyberster" height="681" width="1024" msid="113258295" hostid="261" sizebytes="64984"></div>Historic British car brand MG is owned <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.reuters.com/article/business/saic-to-sell-mg-cars-in-eu-by-year-end-idUSTRE60O088/">by one of China's largest automakers, SAIC Motor</a>.Since it came under SAIC Motor's control, MG has <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-37449289">moved some of its vehicle production to China</a> and produced a series of electric models, including the MG4.This electric hatchback starts at <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.mg.co.uk/new-cars/mg4-ev">£26,995 ($35,300)</a> in the UK, making it <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.tesla.com/en_gb/model3/design#overview">£12,995 ($17,000) cheaper</a> than Tesla's least expensive offering in the country.MG also recently launched the Cyberster, a stylish electric roadster that is available <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.mgcyberster.co.uk/configurator">for preorder in the UK for £54,995 ($72,000)</a>.As of yet, there's no sign of the MG4 or the Cyberster coming to the US — although MG is planning to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/mg-motor-build-manufacturing-plant-rd-center-mexico-2024-08-08/">build a manufacturing plant in Mexico</a>, a move some US lawmakers have warned could provide Chinese manufacturers <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/chinese-ev-companies-byd-mg-plan-factories-mexico-washington-concern-2023-12">with a "backdoor" to the US market</a>.

Chinese EVs you can buy in Europe — but not in the US

State-owned <keyword id="20039950" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bharat-Petroleum-Corporation" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Bharat Petroleum Corporation" meta.hostid="153" meta.entityid="Bharat Petroleum Corporation">Bharat Petroleum Corporation</keyword> plans to invest Rs 1.7 lakh crore over the next five years to grow its core oil refining and fuel marketing business as well as in 'future big bets' of <keyword id="20115883" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="petrochemicals" source="keywords">petrochemicals</keyword> and <keyword id="19895435" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="green-energy" source="keywords">green energy</keyword>, its chairman G Krishnakumar has said. At present, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (<keyword id="19908646" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="BPCL" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="BPCL" meta.hostid="153" meta.entityid="BPCL">BPCL</keyword>) owns about 14 per cent of India's oil <keyword id="20064251" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="refining-capacity" source="keywords">refining capacity</keyword> and about a quarter of the fuel retailing network. It plans to grow these businesses while foraying into newer areas. The firm is now implementing the first phase of a multi-decade aspirational journey in the form of '<keyword id="22826627" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="project-Aspire" source="keywords">Project Aspire</keyword>' - its five-year strategic framework that is based on two fundamental pillars - 'Nurturing the Core' and 'Investing in Future Big Bets', he said in the company's latest annual report. "Our mid-term strategy is on a continuum. While we remain committed to growing our core businesses, which include refining and marketing <keyword id="20037698" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="petroleum-products" source="keywords">petroleum products</keyword> and upstream, we are equally focused on our big bets comprising petrochemicals, gas, green energy, non-fuel retail, and digital. "Project Aspire, with a planned capex outlay of around Rs 1.70 lakh crore over five years, will enable us to create long-term value for our stakeholders while preserving our planet for future generations," he said. "A cornerstone of our long-term strategy, Project Aspire, with a Rs 1.70 trillion investment, marks the initial phase of our multi-decade odyssey to shape the energy of tomorrow. This, coupled with our robust balance sheet, fuels our ambition to lead the <keyword id="19951336" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="energy-transition" source="keywords">energy transition</keyword>." The company is targeting net zero carbon emissions from its operations by 2040. "BPCL has drawn a net-zero roadmap, which encompasses renewable power, green hydrogen, compressed biogas, carbon capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS), efficiency improvement and the offsets procurements. This would require a phased capital outlay of approximately Rs 1 lakh crore till 2040, and the company is geared for the same," he said. The firm's bet on continuing investing in core businesses is based on the premise that India's booming economy will drive a 4-5 per cent annual increase in energy demand and petroleum product consumption. Also, the demand for major petrochemical products is expected to rise by 7-8 per cent annually. "This presents a strategic opportunity to expand refining capacity alongside the development of integrated petrochemical complexes," he said. BPCL is implementing new petrochemical projects at two of its three oil refineries. A Rs 49,000 crore ethylene cracker project is being implemented at the Bina refinery in Madhya Pradesh, alongside raising oil refining capacity from the current 7.8 million tonnes to 11 million tonnes annually by 2029. A polypropylene project is being set up at Kochi refinery in Kerala by 2027. "To meet the anticipated demand beyond our planned expansions in Bina and Kochi, we are actively evaluating options for setting up additional integrated refining and petrochemical capacities within the next 5-7 years," Krishnakumar said without disclosing either the investments or the location of such a project. Andhra Pradesh is being speculated as the likely site after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BJP and regional party TDP stormed to power in the state in recently concluded assembly elections. TDP has been demanding the implementation of a refinery-cum-petrochemical complex that was promised as part of the package when the state was split more than a decade back. "Our investment in the petrochemical project is consistent with our aspiration of becoming a dominant player in India's petrochemical growth story," Krishnakumar said. On energy transition, he said BPCL is targeting to build 2 gigawatts (GW) of <keyword id="19895602" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="renewable-energy" source="keywords">renewable energy</keyword> capacity by 2025 and 10 GW by 2035. "We are investing nearly Rs 1,000 crore to establish two 50 MW captive wind power plants in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, which will support our refineries in Mumbai and Bina." The firm is also investing around Rs 300 crore in 72 MWp of solar project in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. "Concomitantly, we are executing green hydrogen projects aligned with the National Green Hydrogen Mission. These projects include a 5 MW electrolyser plant at Bina refinery and a green hydrogen refuelling station with an indigenously developed electrolyser at Kochi," he noted. BPCL, he said, is committed to supporting the transition to electric mobility through a robust and accessible charging infrastructure. The company has installed over 3,000 charging stations, including fast chargers for cars and two-wheelers. 900 fast chargers are installed across 120 highway corridors, which helps address the range, discovery and time anxiety of electric vehicle (EV) owners. "Over the next five years, we aim to install 4-wheeler fast chargers at approximately 6,000 retail outlets across 400 highway corridors, prioritising high-traffic corridors like the Golden Quadrilateral and N-S/E-W highways," he said. On biofuels, he said BPCL sells petrol with 20 per cent ethanol blend at 4,279 out of its over 22,000 petrol pumps. It is also building compressed biogas plants using municipal solid waste to make gas that can be used as CNG in automobiles. The firm is also exploring partnerships in the arena. "These combined efforts, along with the upcoming commissioning of a bio-ethanol refinery, positions BPCL as a key player in India's transition to a greener fuel mix, creating a robust ecosystem for the adoption of cleaner fuels across the country," he added. BPCL is establishing a corporate venture capital fund to invest directly in promising startups. "In order to thrive in this complex and challenging business landscape, we will leverage our agility and focus on operational excellence to ensure continued success. Safety and reliability will remain our top priorities, guiding all our actions. We are committed to upholding the highest standards of corporate governance," he added. He said the energy sector of India stands at an inflection point. "The nation has an ambitious vision of becoming a USD 30 trillion developed economy by 2047. 'Viksit Bharat @2047' will necessitate an almost fourfold increase in primary energy demand." India's exponential growth trajectory will propel it to a pivotal role in the global energy market, accounting for roughly 12 per cent of world energy consumption by 2047. "The key strategic objectives for India in the energy sector will entail significant expansion in refining capacities, raising the share of gas in the energy basket from about 6 per cent to 15 per cent, establishing leadership in petrochemical exports, and sharply reducing energy imports from current levels of 47 per cent to below 25 per cent by 2030 and to zero by 2047," he said. India is targeting 500 GW of non-fossil fuel energy capacity, sourcing half of its energy needs from renewables, reducing carbon emissions by 1 billion tonnes and lowering carbon intensity by 45 per cent by 2030 with the ultimate goal of net-zero emissions by 2070. "Building on its strong Indian energy presence, BPCL aspires to meet 7-10 per cent of the nation's primary energy demand by 2047," he said.

BPCL planning Rs 1.7 lakh crore spend to expand core business, new energy foray over next five years

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Israel's killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has put the Middle East even more on edge.</li><li>The US said in response that it planned to adjust its force posture in the region.</li></ul>The US military has a substantial force of warships and fighter aircraft stationed across the Middle East and is moving even more firepower into the region as it braces for a potential increase in conflict.The Middle East, already in turmoil after almost a year of fighting, was further rocked by Israel's killing of Hassan Nasrallah, the longtime leader of the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/israel-hezbollah-massive-strikes-headquarters-nasrallah-lebanon-2024-9">in a massive airstrike</a> in the Lebanese capital of Beirut on Friday.The <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/israel-likely-used-bunker-buster-bombs-strike-kill-hezbollah-chief-2024-9">assassination of Nasrallah</a> marked a major escalation in the yearlong conflict and came amid increased Israeli military pressure on Hezbollah, raising concerns that the two bitter enemies could be heading toward an <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wider-war-hezbollah-could-unleash-unprecedented-missile-barrage-against-israel-2024-7">all-out war </a>that could draw in US forces and possibly Iran as well.The US has publicly stated that it is ready to defend Israel and protect its forces in the Middle East from any attack by Iran or its regional proxies.<div type="image" title="An F/A-18F Super Hornet launches from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in August." height="2419" width="3629" msid="113827996" hostid="261" sizebytes="297168"></div>Amid increases in the intensity of the fighting, the US was already bracing for further violence. In a statement on Nasrallah's death, President Joe Biden said on Saturday that he had directed Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin the day before to "further enhance the defense posture of US military forces in the Middle East region to deter aggression and reduce the risk of a broader regional war."Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder then said on Sunday that the US "retains the capability to deploy forces on short notice," He added that the military maintains a "significant" presence in the region and can adjust its force posture "based on the evolving security situation."As part of these efforts, Ryder said Austin directed the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-navy-carrier-strike-groups-significant-combat-power-middle-east-2024-8">Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group</a> to remain in the Middle East region, where it has been operating for several weeks. The strike group consists of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and several destroyers.Austin also ordered the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/these-us-navy-warships-near-middle-east-going-to-region-2024-8">Wasp Amphibious Ready Group</a> to stay in the Eastern Mediterranean, where it has been for several months.<div type="image" title="A US Navy officer stands watch on the bridge of the guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance as it sails behind the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in late August." height="3087" width="4631" msid="113828004" hostid="261" sizebytes="124600"></div>This assortment consists of the multipurpose amphibious assault ship USS Wasp and its embarked 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, which can be deployed to evacuate Americans. Additionally, the ARG includes a dock landing ship and an amphibious transport dock vessel.Beyond the CSG and ARG, the US Navy has <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-navy-warships-fought-complex-missile-drone-attack-red-sea-2024-9">additional destroyers operating</a> in the Middle East and the Eastern Mediterranean.The American warships are complemented by land-based aircraft, including F-22s, F-15s, F-16s, and A-10s delivering fifth-generation stealth and fourth-generation combat capabilities, as well as proven ground-attack options. Ryder said the US will "further reinforce our defensive air-support capabilities in the coming days.""The Secretary has also increased the readiness of additional US forces to deploy, elevating our preparedness to respond to various contingencies," Ryder said.<div type="image" title="The dock landing ship USS Oak Hill in Cyprus in September." height="2976" width="4464" msid="113828000" hostid="261" sizebytes="756022"></div>The Pentagon disclosed on Monday that it is <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.stripes.com/theaters/middle_east/2024-09-30/us-more-troops-middle-east-15355857.html">sending additional forces</a>, including fighter squadrons, to the region. It <a target="_blank" href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-lebanon-violence-war-hezbollah-63a15fa390a94acf46ef886cc5fb88db">previously said</a> it would send a small number of additional troops, but the details weren't clear.The changes to US force posture in the region followed a massive uptick in Israeli military pressure on Hezbollah, which began earlier in the month with a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hezbollah-pager-attacks-reveal-textbook-covert-operation-ex-spies-say-2024-9">sophisticated pager attack</a> and later shifted to devastating airstrikes targeting militant assets. Scores of civilians have also been killed and wounded.The Israeli strikes have dealt a serious blow to Hezbollah, including eliminating its leadership, but the heavily armed militant group has <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-lebanon-hezbollah-gaza-news-09-30-2024-83ea5f243688f309754ec74850de4238#https://apnews.com/article/israel-lebanon-hezbollah-gaza-news-09-30-2024-83ea5f243688f309754ec74850de4238">suggested that it is still ready</a> for war.Israeli officials, meanwhile, continue to hint that the country is gearing up for <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/netanyahu-biden-warnings-war-seriously-lebanon-hezbollah-israel-ground-incursion-2024-9">an expanded ground invasion</a> of Lebanon, which would be Israel's first such operation since 2006 and would mark another major escalation in the conflict.<div type="image" title="Israeli soldiers stand near armored vehicles in northern Israel in September." height="2435" width="3653" msid="113828002" hostid="261" sizebytes="1730364"></div>"The elimination of Nasrallah is a very important step, but it is not the final one," Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told troops near the northern border with Lebanon on Monday."Our goal is to ensure the [safe] return of Israel's northern communities to their homes. We are prepared to make every effort necessary to accomplish this mission," Gallant said. "We will use all the means that may be required — your forces, other forces, from the air, from the sea, and on land."It is unclear whether a final decision on the ground invasion has been made. On Monday, it was reported that Israeli special operations forces were conducting raids into Lebanon in preparation for a possible invasion. Diplomatic efforts to bring Israel and Hezbollah to a negotiating table have been unsuccessful.

US warships and aircraft are readying for a fight as further violence grips the Middle East

<ul><li>OYO, which already has 50 hotels in the US, has invested $300 million to expand its presence. </li><li>It will soon enter New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco.</li><li>Softbank founder Masayoshi Son, who is one of the biggest backers of the startup, has said that OYO will be able to achieve its aim of being the world’s largest hotel network.</li></ul>Indian hospitality unicorn OYO is investing as much as $300 million to expand its footprint in the United States. The $5 billion company is already the largest network of hotels and rooms in South Asia, and the second largest in China. Now, it is looking to enter big markets like New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. It already has 50 hotels across 15 states in the US, with 350 employees. It is currently present in cities like Dallas, Houston, Augusta, Atlanta and Miami. “We are convinced there is unlimited potential for rapid growth in our newest home market, the United States,” said <keyword id="1670338" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ritesh-Agarwal">Ritesh Agarwal</keyword>, Founder &amp; CEO of OYO. With its expansion in the US, OYO claims it has already created 1000 jobs. The six-year old startup has been eyeing international growth for over two years. OYO expanded its business in China in 2017, and it has paid off. China is now one of its biggest markets. These aggressive growth plans support OYO’s ambition to become the world’s <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/former-indigo-chief-is-aiming-to-make-the-6-year-old-oyo-the-worlds-largest-hotel-chain/articleshow/67536612.cms">biggest</a> hotel chain. It is <a href="https://inc42.com/buzz/hospitality-unicorn-oyo-may-raise-1-bn-to-turn-decacorn/">reportedly</a> in talks to raise $1 billion to reach a valuation of $10 billion. And in this quest for global expansion, the company has the backing of big investors like the Japanese investment bank Softbank as well as Airbnb, which used to be a competitor in the hospitality until April 2019 when the Silicon Valley star decided to invest in OYO. Now, OYO is looking to spread its wings in the US which is one of the biggest markets for Airbnb. In a general shareholders meeting, SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son <a href="https://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/oyo-may-become-largest-hotel-network-in-the-world-softbank-s-masayoshi-son-119062000123_1.html">said</a> that OYO will soon become the world’s largest hotel network. It was Softbank's investment that led OYO into the Indian unicorn club with a $5 billion valuation in September 2018, a huge jump from the $900 million valuation it had until then. In April 2019, it announced a partnership with Japan-based SoftBank Corp and the SoftBank Vision fund expansion in the country. It runs housing rental service called OYO Life in Japan currently. See Also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/home-renting-giant-airbnb-invests-in-indian-unicorn-oyo-rooms/articleshow/68670636.cms">Airbnb picks up a stake in its Indian rival Oyo Rooms</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/oyo-rooms-eyeing-acquisition-of-freshmenu/articleshow/68112104.cms">Oyo wants a bite of foodtech, may acquire Freshmenu: Report</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/former-indigo-chief-is-aiming-to-make-the-6-year-old-oyo-the-worlds-largest-hotel-chain/articleshow/67536612.cms">A 6-year-old Indian startup wants to be world’s biggest hotel chain</a>

OYO is making a march to the top US cities with $300 million and blessings from Softbank and Airbnb

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The US has expanded its military presence in the Middle East since Hamas' terror attacks in October.</li><li>But this has cost about $1.6 billion, two US officials told Politico.</li></ul>The US military presence in the Middle East since Hamas' terror attacks on October 7, 2023, has cost the Pentagon $1.6 billion, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.politico.com/news/2024/01/24/pentagon-middle-east-buildup-cost-00137577">Politico reported</a>, citing two US officials.The Pentagon made the estimate based on the cost of sending more warships, fighter jets, and equipment to the region and maintaining them there for four months, the sources told the outlet.The estimate excludes the cost of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/houthis-still-try-attack-ships-but-us-blowing-up-missiles-2024-1">missiles</a> <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-navy-helicopters-destroy-iran-backed-houthi-boats-red-sea-2023-12">deployed</a> by the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/houthi-us-strike-fiercer-attack-red-sea-israel-gaza-shipping-2024-1">US</a> <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-uk-warships-thwarted-houthis-largest-attack-red-sea-2024-1">Navy</a> to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-and-uk-naval-forces-intercept-15-drones-in-red-sea">hit</a> <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/red-sea-attacks-us-spends-big-shooting-down-houthi-missiles-drones-2023-12">Houthi</a> locations in Yemen or down drones and missiles in the Red Sea, the sources said.The Pentagon also estimates that the bill could increase to $2.2 billion over the course of a full year, Politico reported.However, the Defense Department can't pay the $1.6 billion bill right now without extra funding from Congress, the sources told the outlet."It will be, I think, a hole that we would want to be filled," one source said.On December 6, Republicans <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gop-blocked-ukraine-aid-weeks-after-blasting-biden-2024-1">voted down</a> an emergency security package, which would have included $14 billion in aid to Israel.Republicans in the House and the Senate <a target="_blank" href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-senate-sets-test-vote-ukraine-aid-despite-republican-opposition-2023-12-06/">demanded</a> stricter measures at the US-Mexico border in exchange for additional funding for Ukraine, which is <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/conditions-us-aid-israel-blank-check-bernie-sanders-2023-11">currently paired with</a> Israel funding.Since then, additional aid to Israel has been stuck in <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gop-senator-conservatives-might-scuttle-bipartisan-immigration-ukraine-deal-2024-1">monthslong talks</a> that would tie President Joe Biden's request for Ukraine and Israel aid with stricter immigration enforcement.Since Hamas' terror attacks on Israel, the US has <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/photos-military-aid-us-sending-toward-israel-hamas-attack-2023-10#the-uss-roosevelt-designed-to-operate-independently-in-a-high-density-multi-threat-environment-6">sent</a> munitions as well as aircraft carriers and destroyers to the region.These include the USS Gerald R. Ford, the USS Normandy, the USS Thomas Hudner, the USS Ramage, the US Navy destroyer USS Carney, and the USS Roosevelt.The US has also sent several F-35, F-15, F-16, and A-10 fighter jets.The US has sent $130 billion in military and economic aid to Israel since its founding 75 years ago, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/military-aid-to-israel-funding-support-gaza-hamas-human-rights-2024-1">according to the State Department</a>.

Increased US military presence in the Middle East has cost $1.6 billion — a bill it can't pay right now, report says

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Chinese firms are expanding overseas due to slowing domestic growth and market saturation.</li><li>The growth was fuelled by mergers and acquisitions in <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-belt-and-road-china-infrastructure-project-2018-1">Belt and Road</a> partner countries that surged 32%.</li></ul>As China's economy struggles to recover from the pandemic, Chinese companies are looking for new growth opportunities — and many are finding them overseas.Chinese companies like social media giant TikTok and IT giant Lenovo are already<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/chinese-brands-crept-into-life-tiktok-lenovo-tencent-xiaomi-dji-2023-8"> globally competitive</a> behemoths with compelling products.Others are now following in their footsteps. They include <a target="_blank" href="https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/how-chinas-ev-makers-aim-beat-tesla-legacy-automakers-europe-2024-05-30/">electric vehicle-makers</a> BYD and Chery, as well as consumer brands like <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/luckin-coffee-chinese-chain-making-starbucks-nervous-singapore-2023-11">Luckin Coffee.</a> Even behemoths like <a target="_blank" href="https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/alibabas-aliexpress-recruits-beckham-score-more-global-sales-2024-05-27/">Alibaba</a> are looking outside China for opportunities as growth slows at home."The current economic climate, characterized by increasing competition and market saturation within China, incentivizes companies to explore and establish a presence in international markets," Chris Pereira, the founder and CEO of New York-based business consulting group iMpact — which helps Chinese companies go international — told Business Insider.<h2 id="51d0695a-5640-4c27-a6c6-4f849139f6d3">China's outward investment surged in Belt and Road partner countries</h2>China's outward-bound investment increased nearly 1% from 2022 to 2023, hitting nearly $150 billion in 2023, according to a report <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ey.com/en_cn/news/2024/02/ey-releases-overview-of-china-outbound-investment-of-2023">professional services giant EY</a> published in February.While the 1% total increase is not a big jump, the increase in investment was pronounced in <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="c-link" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-belt-and-road-china-infrastructure-project-2018-1">Belt and Road</a> partner countries, where China's non-financial outbound direct investments rose 22.6%. Asia remained the top destination for mergers and acquisitions by Chinese enterprises for the fifth straight year, per EY.The top three sectors Chinese companies invested in were technology, media, and telecom; advanced manufacturing and mobility, which includes electric vehicles; and healthcare and life sciences. These three sectors account for 53% of total investments by Chinese companies, per EY.Admittedly, it's not a new move for Chinese companies to invest outside of China. But what is new is their strategy. In the 2010s, Chinese companies were known for buying up high-profile assets. That includes the storied <a target="_blank" href="https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSL3N0S12Q8/">Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York City</a>, which was sold to a Chinese insurer in 2014, and ChemChina's takeover of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN1810CM/">Swiss agrochemical giant Syngenta</a> in 2016.That's not the case anymore.<h2 id="2a16f1f5-3b1b-4eee-9258-745f494acef4">Splurging on greenfield deals</h2>Instead of M&amp;A deals, Chinese companies now prefer to do greenfield deals — where they set up subsidiaries in foreign markets and operate the business from the ground up, according to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.fdiintelligence.com/content/data-trends/chinese-outbound-fdi-boom-signals-new-phase-83013">fDi Intelligence,</a> an investment publication.This means Chinese companies will set up facilities overseas under their own brand or subsidiaries. This strategy works particularly well in industries in China that already have an edge, such as electric vehicles and EV batteries, per fDi Intelligence.It's also in line with Beijing's <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/made-china-2025-threat-global-trade">"Made in China 2025"</a> industrial policy that aims to make China's manufacturing capabilities competitive internationally.The strategy shift is partly due to heightened geopolitical tensions following the tightening of foreign direct investment screening criteria by the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.fdiintelligence.com/content/locations/asia-pacific/china/europe-and-us-ramp-up-restrictions-on-chinese-fdi-70107">US, UK, and EU governments</a> to safeguard critical and strategic industries.In 2022, the German government <a target="_blank" href="https://www.fdiintelligence.com/content/locations/global/asia-pacific/china/germany-changes-tack-on-chinese-investors-81816">blocked Chinese companies from taking stakes in two German chip companies, </a>citing national security concerns and concerns over technology transfer.So, even as outbound investments rise, Chinese cross-border M&amp;A transactions slumped to $17.3 billion in 2022. That was after years of expansion, which saw investment more than triple from $54.4 billion in 2010 to nearly $201 billion in 2016, per fDi Intelligence's analysis.<h2 id="ead4b63e-5bb1-4090-93b3-c53b9f1a5970">The US is not getting much love</h2>Another difference in China's overseas investment strategy lies in geography.Less than a decade ago, China was one of the top five investors in the US.Today, Chinese firms are skipping the US in favor of markets in Southeast Asia, Europe, and Africa, said Pereira."These regions offer high growth potential, favorable trade agreements, and often, a more welcoming regulatory environment," he said.China's annual investment in America dropped from $46 billion in 2016 to less than $5 billion in 2022, the <a target="_blank" href="https://rhg.com/research/vanishing-act-the-shrinking-footprint-of-chinese-companies-in-the-us/">Rhodium Group</a> wrote in a report in September.China has become a "second-tier player" in the US investment landscape, having been surpassed by countries such as Qatar, Spain, and Norway, the research firm added.Pereira said interest has fallen due to increased trade tensions, stricter regulatory scrutiny, and geopolitical factors.But even in today's complex geopolitical environment, Chinese companies are expected to continue venturing away from home, per EY."Fueled by the strong drive for development among enterprises, it is anticipated that 'going global' will continue to be a key growth strategy for many Chinese companies," Loletta Chow, the global leader of EY China Overseas Investment Network, said in the February report.

Chinese companies are setting up shop anywhere but China — and the US

<ul class="summary-list"><li>China is developing sensors to hunt enemy submarines from aircraft.</li><li>Recent patents show a focus on magnetic detection and improved sonobuoys.</li></ul>China is developing new systems to hunt the US nuclear-powered submarines that could threaten a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, according to a new report.The Chinese navy views anti-submarine warfare, or ASW, as essential to any successful amphibious operation and intends to use its aircraft to protect a flotilla from submarine attack by the US or Japan."The PLAN [People's Liberation Army Navy] clearly views fixed-wing and vertical lift ASW capabilities as a crucial component necessary for any of its amphibious based contingencies, be that a seizure of an island or reef, or the successful implementation of a Joint Island Landing Campaign against Taiwan," wrote Eli Tirk and Daniel Salisbury in a <a target="_blank" href="https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1038&amp;context=cmsi-maritime-reports">study</a> for the China Maritime Studies Institute at the Naval War College. "ASW capabilities would be crucial for safeguarding high value surface assets such as carriers or an amphibious landing group, protecting them as they are in port embarking forces, sanitizing the operational area of enemy submarines, and escorting these assets on their way to staging areas and operational areas."Also significant is that Chinese airborne sub hunters are tasked with protecting Chinese ballistic missile submarines as they sail to their patrol and launch locations. "The PLAN clearly views fixed-wing ASW as an important enabler of its at-sea nuclear deterrent," the report said.The Chinese navy's current fixed-wing anti-submarine aircraft is the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2019/04/new-details-on-chinas-kq-200-maritime-patrol-aircraft/">KQ-200</a>, a four-engine turboprop aircraft that is China's equivalent of the US Navy's P-8 Poseidon. The PLAN has about 20 KQ-200s, which have a range of about 3,000 miles.Much like the US Navy, China's submarine force tends to be secretive. But by examining open-source literature, Tirk and Salisbury were able to discern the efforts China is making in anti-submarine warfare, including patents filed by Chinese researchers.For example, the state-owned China Electronics Technology Group Corporation filed a patent in 2020 for improved magnetic anomaly detection (MAD), a technology first used in World War II to detect subs by the effect of these big metal objects on the Earth's magnetic field. It's a useful but limited system that usually requires the aircraft to be flying within <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cae.com/media/media-center/documents/datasheet.MAD-XR.pdf">less than a mile</a> of the target, and can only detect the presence of a sub rather than its course — which means a positive hit must be followed by laying a web of other sensors to be able to target the lurking submarine.Chinese scientists want to use highly sensitive <a target="_blank" href="https://physicsworld.com/a/atomic-magnetometer-is-most-sensitive-yet/">atomic magnetometers</a>, which use lasers to detect changes in the energy levels between atoms caused by fluctuations in a magnetic field. CETC's <a target="_blank" href="https://patents-google-com.translate.goog/patent/CN206546425U/zh?_x_tr_sl=auto&amp;_x_tr_tl=en&amp;_x_tr_hl=en-US&amp;_x_tr_hist=true">patent</a> is for technology that would "enable an atomic magnetometer to sense the direction of a target rather than just its existence," Tirk and Salisbury noted. "According to the filing, previous research on highly-sensitive atomic magnetometers had focused on scalar results (i.e. only the magnitude of a target's magnetic field), but could not provide vectors (i.e. magnitude and direction). MAD is already a shorter-range capability usually used for more precise positioning after other sensors have provided a rough search area, but any additional information could potentially give operators an edge during search operations."<div type="image" title="A US naval aircrewman checks sonobouys loaded onto a MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter." height="1422" width="2000" msid="110544351" hostid="261" sizebytes="222156"></div>A 2022 patent by Aviation Industry Corporation of China calls for a new system to operate sonobuoys, which are floating canisters, dropped by planes and ships, that detect subs by emitting active sonar signals or by passive sensors that detect the noise of a submarine. Current Chinese sonobuoys require "a complicated and labor-intensive series of manual button presses to configure sonobuoy parameters such as radio working frequency, working depth, working time, and pulse form to fit maritime conditions before deployment."These parameters aren't displayed on the sonobuoy control system. "This means the display and control system is unaware of whether a sonobuoy is on the rack or has been launched, what type of sonobuoys have been launched, or the parameters of any launched sonobuoys," Tirk and Salisbury wrote. "Instead, operators must manually input this data into the display and control system."Other patents are for <a target="_blank" href="https://patents-google-com.translate.goog/patent/CN114084285A/zh?_x_tr_sl=auto&amp;_x_tr_tl=en&amp;_x_tr_hl=en-US&amp;_x_tr_hist=true">lighter sonobuoys</a>, and improved communications between sonobuoys and aircraft. In 2022, China <a target="_blank" href="https://www.axios.com/2024/03/01/china-us-patents-science-tech">surpassed</a> America in number of patents filed.China has also been improving the quality of anti-submarine training. "The PLAN has acknowledged its limitations and has begun taking steps to improve the quality of its ASW training, both in simulators and in physical training environments," the report said. "PLAN ASW units are training under more realistic conditions, and breaking down administrative barriers which prevented them from generating more training opportunities in different operational environments."For example, since 2015, training materials have stressed the need for ASW aircraft and ships to work closely together, which is standard practice in the US and Western navies. The PLAN is also using simulators to train sensor and weapon operators.One exercise involved a patrol aircraft transmitting target data to a command ship, "which then integrated it with information from other sources and checked the information against a target information database to confirm whether or not the target was an enemy submarine," the CMSI report noted. "This indicated both a potential command relationship from command vessels to ASW aircraft and confirmed that the PLAN trains to compare potential targets to a database, despite its small (but expanding) ocean surveillance and intelligence collection fleet and a nascent underwater surveillance capability."Michael Peck is a defense writer whose work has appeared in Forbes, Defense News, Foreign Policy magazine, and other publications. He holds an MA in political science from Rutgers Univ. Follow him on <a target="_blank" href="https://www.twitter.com/@mipeck1">Twitter</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/mipeck/">LinkedIn</a>.

China is developing systems to hunt US submarines from the air 

<ul><li><keyword id="125145" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="nazara-technologies" source="Orion">Nazara Technologies</keyword> is an India-based gaming and sports media platform.</li><li>Its latest investment is in a US-based company called Bitkraft, with the aim to tap into the company’s network to expand Nazara’s global presence.</li><li>Earlier, Nazara partnered with Vodafone Idea to offer its portfolio of mobile games to the telco’s 230 million strong base of subscribers.</li></ul>Rakesh Jhunjhunwala-backed Nazara Technologies has invested $2.5 million in a US-based game fund, Bitkraft Ventures. The investment has been made by Nazara Tech’s Singapore arm and two-thirds of the amount will be deployed over a period of three years. Nazara Tech’s shares rose by nearly 3% on Tuesday before cooling down later. Despite a recent rally, the gaming company’s shares are down by nearly 29% in 2022 so far. <div type="image" title="Nazara Tech 01_01_22 to 05_04_22." msid="90659666" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Nazara Technologies&amp;#39; share price in 2022&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> Apart from this, Nazara also <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/telecom/news/vodafone-idea-partners-with-nazara-tech-to-foray-into-mobile-gaming/articleshow/90198674.cms">announced</a> a partnership with Vodafone Idea as it looks to push further into mobile gaming. At the time, Nazara’s founder and managing director, Nitish Mittersain said he sees gaming as not only the “future of entertainment”, but also the present. Now, the partnership with US-based Bitkraft allows Nazara to dip its toes into the gaming industry beyond India. Bitkraft is a US-based game fund that invests in the global e-sports ecosystem. “Over the course of the next few years, this investment will enable us to work towards realising our strategic vision of becoming the catalysts to empower the global gaming community and chart the next stage of growth in an increasingly connected and virtual world,” said Manish Agarwal, the chief executive officer of Nazara Technologies. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Complimenting its ‘Friends of Nazara’ network" comment="subhead" text="Complimenting its ‘Friends of Nazara’ network">Complimenting its ‘Friends of Nazara’ network</cmsannotation> Nazara has its own network called ‘Friends of Nazara’, which includes the likes of Kiddopia, Nodwin, Sportskeeda, World Cricket Championship 3, among others. Now, to compliment this, Nazara wants to tap into Bitkraft’s gaming network to further strengthen its Indian portfolio. “The partnership will help to increase the connectivity into the highly strategic Indian video games market. We have done multiple investments in the subcontinent and intend to do more in the future, in addition to supporting international investment to drive growth in India,” said Malte Barth, founding general partner at Bitkraft Ventures. According to a report by a research firm, Niko Partners, India is one of the fastest growing gaming markets in Asia, with a quarter of the gamers being Indians. In terms of revenue, the Indian gaming market is poised to grow three-fold to $1.5 billion by 2025, from $0.5 billion in 2021. In the same period, nearly 200 million new gamers are expected to join in, growing from the existing base of 340 million. <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none;" class="redcator-table-advance"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.9978225000000001pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.9978225000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.9978225000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.9978225000000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Particulars </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.9978225000000001pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.9978225000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.9978225000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.9978225000000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">2021 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.9978225000000001pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.9978225000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.9978225000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.9978225000000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">2025 projection </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.9978225000000001pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.9978225000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.9978225000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.9978225000000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Revenue </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.9978225000000001pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.9978225000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.9978225000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.9978225000000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">$534 million </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.9978225000000001pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.9978225000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.9978225000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.9978225000000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">$1,490 million </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.9978225000000001pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.9978225000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.9978225000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.9978225000000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">No. of gamers </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.9978225000000001pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.9978225000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.9978225000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.9978225000000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">340 million </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.9978225000000001pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.9978225000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.9978225000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.9978225000000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">529 million </td></tr></tbody><tbody></tbody><tbody></tbody><tbody></tbody></table> Source: Niko Partners SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/telecom/news/vodafone-idea-partners-with-nazara-tech-to-foray-into-mobile-gaming/articleshow/90198674.cms">Vodafone Idea partners with Rakesh Jhunjhunwala-backed Nazara Tech to foray into mobile gaming</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/elon-musk-is-now-asking-if-people-want-an-edit-button-in-twitter/articleshow/90656209.cms">Elon Musk is now asking if people want an edit button after acquiring a 9.2% stake in Twitter</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/sbi-cards-stock-falls-steeply-after-2-7-crore-shares-of-the-company-were-sold-in-a-block-deal/articleshow/90657796.cms">SBI Cards’ stock falls steeply after 2.7 crore shares of the company were sold in a block deal</a>

Rakesh Jhunjhunwala-backed Nazara Tech invests $2.5 million in US-based game fund Bitkraft as it looks to expand its presence beyond India

<ul class="summary-list"><li>US officials and lawmakers have for years voiced concern about growing US influence in <keyword id="11962841" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="latin-america" source="Orion">Latin America</keyword>.</li><li>For military and national-security leaders, that influence has security implications for the US.</li></ul>As the US increases its focus on global competition with <keyword id="11892748" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="china" source="Orion">China</keyword>, officials have <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/southcom-4-ways-china-is-growing-influence-in-latin-america-2019-12" target="_blank" rel="noopener">singled out Beijing's inroads into Latin America</a> as a growing threat to countries there and to US interests in the region.At recent congressional hearings and public events, those officials have cautioned that China is investing in digital and physical infrastructure, natural resources and extractive industries, and in political and military relationships across Latin America and the Caribbean in a multipronged effort to secure access and influence and gain leverage over countries there in order to advance its own commercial and strategic interests.Although China's engagement with the region has focused on economic ties and it has not established a military presence there, US military commanders, national-security officials, and lawmakers believe Beijing's investments have implications for US security.At an August 2021 hearing on her nomination to lead <keyword id="14128431" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="us-southern-command" source="Orion">US Southern Command</keyword>, which is responsible for Central and South America, Gen. Laura Richardson said China comes to the region "with very sophisticated plans in order to capture the interests of the countries, willing to loan billions of dollars."<div type="image" title="Laura Richardson Southern Command Buenos Aires Argentina" height="1266" width="1688" msid="92039398" hostid="261"></div>"I look at that from the military lens of projecting and sustaining military power for the [Chinese People's Liberation Army] with this expansion," Richardson said at the time.Richardson's remarks echoed those of her predecessor, Adm. Craig Faller, who <a href="https://www.armed-services.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Faller_03-16-21.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> the Senate Armed Services Committee in March 2021, his final appearance as commander, that China was "rapidly advancing" toward its goal of "economic dominance" in Latin America within the next decade.Beijing "is also seeking to establish global logistics and basing infrastructure in our hemisphere in order to project and sustain military power at greater distances," Faller told lawmakers.At a hearing on China's presence in the region in April, Sen. Marco Rubio, citing <a href="https://www.uscc.gov/annual-report/2021-annual-report-congress" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a report</a> by the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission, said China is using its economic heft and political ties to convince countries there to make decisions that favor Beijing and "undermine democracy and free markets."The same report, Rubio added, said China's military seeks "to deepen its engagement in the region by funding the construction of ports, space programs, and other dual-use infrastructure that frankly is pretty clear it appears to have a limited economic purpose but could serve as future operating bases, even of rotational bases, for a hostile navy close to our nation's shores."<h2>Strategic concerns</h2><div type="image" title="Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Panama Canal" height="1513" width="2000" msid="92039399" hostid="261"></div>China has become a major trading partner for most of Latin America and the Caribbean. Its trade with the region <a href="https://www.foreignaffairs.com/reviews/review-essay/2022-02-24/latin-america-looks-east" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has risen</a> from $18 billion in 2002 to $450 billion last year.The region's largest countries have attracted Chinese investment in agricultural commodities as well as in ecommerce and other technology, including <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/24/technology/ecuador-surveillance-cameras-police-government.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">surveillance technology</a>. Smaller, resource-rich countries in Latin America have attracted Chinese interest in mineral wealth and oil exploration.Chinese firms have also pursued infrastructure projects across the region — many as part of Beijing's sprawling <keyword id="12209625" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="belt-and-road-initiative" source="Orion">Belt and Road Initiative</keyword> — but especially in areas that facilitate access into or around the continent.Richardson has said the Chinese presence around the <keyword id="14128432" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="panama-canal" source="Orion">Panama Canal</keyword> and near the <keyword id="14128433" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="strait-of-magellan" source="Orion">Strait of Magellan</keyword> are her "two greatest concerns, strategically."The canal is one of the world's most important trade corridors, particularly for goods flowing between the US and East Asia. It is "a strategic line of communication that we want to keep free and open for the global economy but also for our global war plans," Richardson told senators in March.China has invested billions of dollars in projects around the canal and Chinese state-owned enterprises are present "on either side," Richardson said. "What I worry about Chinese state-owned enterprises that have capability and infrastructure there is that they can be used for dual use, which means civilian but also military."<div type="image" title="Navy aircraft carrier George Washington in Strait of Magellan" height="1320" width="2000" msid="92039400" hostid="261"></div>The Strait of Magellan sees less traffic but remains an important route between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, including aircraft carriers too big for the canal, and is close to resource-rich Antarctica. China's presence in ports and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/r-chinas-military-run-space-station-in-argentina-is-a-black-box-2019-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">other projects</a> "around the tip of the southern cone" of South America is worrisome, Richardson said.US concerns about Chinese activity around the canal reflect a worry that such a presence "would give China at least some of the information" needed to understand trade and transit activity there and "to make decisions with security-related implications based on that information," Margaret Myers, director of the Asia and Latin America Program at the Inter-American Dialogue, told Insider.Richardson's counterpart at <keyword id="12554868" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="us-northern-command" source="Orion">US Northern Command</keyword>, which is responsible for North America and parts of the Caribbean, has expressed similar concerns. "China's very aggressive in the Bahamas right now," Gen. Glen VanHerck told the House Armed Services Committee in April 2021."They have the largest embassy in the Bahamas right now, and they continue to buy up [the] tourism industry to have access and influence," VenHerck said at the time, adding that those Chinese projects "do have access right now to an overwatch, if you will, of our Navy <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/navy-area-51-autec-in-the-bahamas-2016-10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">test and training facilities</a>, which is very, very concerning."In the Caribbean, China sees similarities to its own "southeast maritime approaches," said R. Evan Ellis, a research professor of Latin American studies at the US Army War College."It sees exactly the same space — a space that has political importance, military importance, as well as economic importance" as a logistical hub and transit area connecting the US and Central and South America and points beyond, Ellis told Insider in late 2021.<div type="image" title="China navy hospital ship Peace Ark in Guayaquil Ecuador" height="1333" width="2000" msid="92039401" hostid="261"></div>Chinese military basing in Latin America is still "rather hypothetical" Myers told Insider, "but there's a sense that based on the sorts of investments that we see in areas of strategic interest to the US and some of the investments that we see in ports with potential dual-use capacity that things are headed in that direction."China set up its first overseas military base in Djibouti in East Africa in 2017 and is reportedly seeking a military presence in other regions, including the Middle East and West Africa. In <a href="https://www.congress.gov/117/meeting/house/114486/witnesses/HHRG-117-AS00-Wstate-RichardsonL-20220308.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">written testimony</a> to the House committee, Richardson expressed concern about China abusing "commercial agreements at host country ports for military functions," citing Chinese actions <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/reviews/out?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wsj.com%2Farticles%2Fus-china-uae-military-11637274224" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in the United Arab Emirates</a>.China appears to have "some appetite to explore" a military presence in the Western Hemisphere but that is tempered by the proximity to the United States, a US analyst of Chinese foreign policy told Insider.China will likely "explore what it looks like to establish more significant military relationships in Africa or in the Pacific before they try something like that in the Western Hemisphere because of how much more likely a strong US reaction would be," the analyst said, requesting anonymity because of professional commitments.While China doesn't have a military presence in Latin America, the US military may have already experienced the impact of its influence there.In March 2021, US Coast Guard cutter Stone was <a href="https://warontherocks.com/2021/03/a-new-great-game-finds-the-south-atlantic/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">turned away</a> from a port call in Argentina, which has developed close economic and political ties with China."We were going to do a port call in Argentina, and then Argentina has got some relational business arrangement things with China," Adm. Karl Schultz, the Coast Guard commandant at the time, said in May 2021. "We didn't end up going into Argentina, but it sort of starts to show people's allegiances and alignments."<h2>'A very close eye' on China</h2><div type="image" title="China UN peacekeeper Haiti" height="1453" width="2000" msid="92039402" hostid="261"></div>While some Latin American countries nurture ties with China for ideological reasons, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-military-wary-of-chinas-military-economic-presence-in-venezuela-2019-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">seeking to counter the US</a>, others have grown wary of Beijing because of US warnings and those countries' own <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/24/world/americas/ecuador-china-dam.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">experiences</a>.In Panama, Chinese investment expanded after then-President Juan Carlos Varela <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/panama-china-relations-2017-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recognized</a> Beijing over Taiwan in 2017. After President Laurentino Cortizo took office in 2019, projects around the canal were canceled or withdrawn for what Mari Carmen Aponte, the Biden administration's nominee for ambassador to Panama, said were "the right reasons, meaning because there was non-compliance of the contract."At her confirmation hearing in May, Aponte told lawmakers she would "keep a very close eye" on agreements the Chinese have made in Panama, as "they seem to over-promise but not necessarily to deliver."Such warnings have also irritated Latin American leaders, many of whom hear the paternalism that has <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ilhan-omar-elliott-abrams-testimony-on-venezuela-central-america-2019-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">often characterized</a> US policy toward the region. Many leaders want to <a href="https://www.americasquarterly.org/article/latin-america-doesnt-want-a-new-cold-war/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">avoid taking sides</a> in the competition between Beijing and Washington but welcome Chinese engagement because they see it as offering what the US is <a href="https://www.foreignaffairs.com/reviews/review-essay/2022-02-24/latin-america-looks-east" target="_blank" rel="noopener">unable or unwilling</a> to provide, like expanded trade, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/neighbors-see-chance-to-play-us-china-in-vaccine-race-2021-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">coronavirus vaccines</a>, or infrastructure investment.Richardson often notes that 21 of the 31 countries in Southern Command's area of responsibility have signed onto China's Belt and Road Initiative and told the House Armed Services Committee this spring that several of its multibillion-dollar projects were particularly worrying, among them a $5.6 billion highway in Jamaica and a $3.9 billion metro project in Colombia, a close US ally."This region is rich in resources, and the Chinese don't go there to invest. They go there to extract," Richardson said of those projects.<div type="image" title="China Li Keqiang Jamaica Andrew Holness" height="900" width="1200" msid="92039404" hostid="261"></div>At an event in Washington, DC, in April, Jamaica's prime minister, Andrew Holness, <a href="https://www.press.org/events/npc-newsmaker-prime-minister-andrew-holness-jamaica" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> US concerns about Chinese projects there were "totally unwarranted" and that China has pursued investments in Jamaica for "a long time while the US has been looking all over the place.""We would want to see more US investment in Jamaica, but Jamaica can't postpone its development needs until the US decides to come in," Holness said.Sergio Guzmán, director of Colombia Risk Analysis, a political risk consultancy, said that when Colombia has issued tenders for infrastructure projects, "US companies are completely AWOL.""So how can the US blame Colombia for giving them over to Chinese bidders, who are, by the way, the lowest bidders?" Guzmán told Insider.The Biden administration's signature <keyword id="6356001" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="international" source="Orion">international</keyword> development effort, Build Back Better World, <a href="https://prospect.org/politics/build-back-better-dies-again/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has foundered</a>, and US private-sector investment has been hard to attract to the region, either because of the overall environment or because the opportunities, particularly infrastructure projects, aren't well suited for American firms."There are efforts to try to increase and incentivize US investment in Latin America and the Caribbean now. The problem is that a lot of these initiatives are private-sector-led," Myers said, "and in a moment in time when the investment environments aren't necessarily improving in Latin America, it's very difficult to generate that interest."<div type="image" title="Military officers meet during Panamax exercise" height="1429" width="2000" msid="92039406" hostid="261"></div>The US Defense Department is involved in some infrastructure projects, largely through the Corps of Engineers, but their total value is a fraction of what China has offered, Richardson said this spring.Richardson and other officials say the US military's best asset for engagement is security cooperation — military education, training, and other exchanges that build on the US's already extensive partnerships in the region.China "doesn't have partners. We have partners. We have exercises where I have 29 countries that participate," Richardson told the House Armed Services Committee in March, referring to the annual Panamax exercise, which simulates defense of the Panama Canal.China's <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/the-us-is-watching-chinese-influence-with-latin-american-militaries-2020-12" target="_blank" rel="noopener">defense cooperation with Latin American countries</a> "is far less" than that of the US, "but it does exist and the overall trend line has been going up," Daniel Erikson, deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Western Hemisphere, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4x0GjgzFvs&amp;list=PLb0XJybQSgVhRVmqX9qyeHTJd14ITH2vY&amp;index=5&amp;ab_channel=FIUGordonInstitute" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> at a conference in May.The Pentagon is trying to "be more proactive" about engaging with countries in the region on issues relevant to them, such as training and exercises or in specific areas like cyber defense, Erikson said."As the overall security dynamic in the relationship evolves, what we need to do to out-compete evolves as well," Erikson added. "That's something that we're working very hard to stay on top of."

The US military is watching China's presence grow in Latin America, and it doesn't like where things are going

<keyword id="10862" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="wipro" source="Orion">Wipro</keyword> Consumer Care and Lighting on Thursday announced the execution of a definitive agreement to acquire <keyword id="6382679" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="brahmins" source="Orion">Brahmins</keyword>, a traditional vegetarian, spice mix and ready-to-cook brand in Kerala. This fresh move comes after its recent acquisition of Nirapara as Wipro is looking at becoming a sizable player in the packaged foods segment. To expand and further consolidate its spices, breakfast and Ready to Cook category, Wipro has taken the route towards adding Brahmins, a home grown legacy brand in Kerala, into its growing Food Business. Established in 1987, Brahmins is one of the most preferred brands in its home market (Kerala), with ethnic breakfast premix powders, spice mixes, straight powders (spices), wheat products such as -- pickles, dessert mixes, and others. The premium flagship products are <keyword id="2990074" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="sambar-powder" source="Orion">Sambar Powder</keyword>, and Puttu Podi which enjoy market leadership position. Anil Chugh, president, Foods Business, Wipro Consumer Care said this is an exciting time for us at Wipro, as we witness the unprecedented expansion of our Foods Business. Spices and RTC are big categories that are poised to grow significantly. "Adding Brahmins under the Wipro fold will further bolster our position in blended spices and ethnic breakfast (Puttu-podi, Appams and other <keyword id="13726" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="rice" source="Orion">Rice</keyword> products) categories in Kerala and other markets such as the GCC countries, the UK, the US &amp; Australia," said Chugh. <keyword id="12925230" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="sreenath-vishnu" source="Orion">Sreenath Vishnu</keyword>, MD, Brahmins said they are confident that "with Wipro's distribution strength, network, and marketing expertise we will significantly expand our geographical presence and scale Brahmins to newer heights". SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/snapchats-my-ai-enhances-user-experience-with-trivia-gift-suggestions-trip-planning-and-more/articleshow/99633966.cms">Snapchat's My AI enhances user experience with trivia, gift suggestions, trip planning, and more</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/news/shamanuru-shivashankarappa-the-91-year-old-lingayat-heavyweight-is-back-to-polls/articleshow/99633950.cms">Shamanuru Shivashankarappa: The 91-year-old Lingayat heavyweight is back to polls</a>

You Searched For "OYO expands US presence" and got 12 results

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