Special Forum Issue

“The Quad”

The Quad: Contrasting Chinese and US Perceptions

For Washington, the Quad is the heir to what Obama called the “pivot to Asia,” the crux of what Trump accepted from Abe as the “Free and Open Indo-Pacific,” and the prime symbol of Biden’s extension of that concept to multilateralism anchored in shared democratic values. Holding a virtual summit of the Quad leaders as his first high-profile foreign policy event, Biden raised the standing of the Quad (and the Indo-Pacific) to the point his foreign policy will be judged by its fate. In doing so, he prioritized the US-Japan relationship above all other bilateral ties; this was visible when Prime Minister Suga in mid-April made the first foreign leader’s visit to Washington. At stake is multi-layered, Indo-Pacific architecture: the closeness of the US-Japan bond, the role of Australia in a tight triangle, the aspiration to incorporate India into a substantive Quad, and the exploration of a Quad Plus with multiple additions, including in Southeast Asia and South Korea.

Momentum is set to continue in June as Japan is seeking an in-person Quad summit on the sidelines of the G7 after Suga visits India, plans that could be scuttled by the explosion of cases of COVID-19 in India. The host UK has invited India and Australia along with South Korea to the June 11-13 G7. Although India was likely to remain shy about discussing China and military cooperation openly, more attention to joint technology initiatives was expected, along with details on the big vaccine plan, according to Japan’s Nihon Keizai Shimbun, which reported that Foreign Minister Wang Yi was touring Southeast Asian states in response to the rise of the Quad and other US efforts to pressure China.1 A June meeting would test the degree the other two countries, notably India, accept the US-Japan approach refined in the April summit. If the surge in COVID-19 cases in India throws a wrench in the timing in May and June, momentum persists.

For Beijing, the Quad is no less than “NATO of the East.” It symbolizes Cold War containment. Comments range from it is unrealizable, since India would not join and others recognize their Asian identities and economic interests would be endangered, to its threat to China’s interests is serious and must be forestalled through vigorous action. Chinese sources have responded to Biden’s promotion of the Quad, after strongly critiquing the Trump administration’s support for this concept, with intense warnings that this is the most significant departure yet from the era of “win-win” relations of the past half-century. Blocking its formation is a high priority in 2021.
In October 2020 Wang Yi said, “What [the Quad] pursues is to trumpet the Cold War mentality and to stir up confrontation among different groups and blocs and to stoke geopolitical competition.”  This contrasts with his rhetoric in 2018, when he called the concept of the Quad “sea foam” because it would soon dissipate.2 Chinese in 2021 are even more serious about it.

The Quad can be differentiated into three dimensions. First, it is a security framework targeted at China’s designs to change the status quo by force. Second, it is an ideological conception, much as the “free world” was during the Cold War. Third, the Quad is fast becoming a buffer for the protection of military and dual-use technology being exported to China and for supply chain resiliency in order not to depend excessively on China and face vulnerability and then pressure. All three themes are raised both by supporters and Chinese critics of strengthening the Quad.

While Washington is inclined to accentuate the positive role of the Quad in the pursuit of a free and open Indo-Pacific, which reaffirms the liberal international order, Beijing attacks it as a process of containment and outcome of Cold War thinking, aimed at blocking China’s rise. Rhetoric about the Quad at the end of 2020 and in the first third of 2021 has sharply conflicted and, much more, of late. After Taiwan, this has become the central theme in Chinese criticisms of both US and Japanese foreign policy, interpreting pursuit of this new regional grouping as the epitome of hostility and containment, reflected in security moves, ideological threats, and technological de-coupling.

In the first months of the Biden administration the Quad was transformed from a vague ideal under a president who showed little interest in multilateralism and demonized China in terms unlikely to be endorsed by others to a semi-institutionalized strategic grouping with a growing agenda of cooperation. Many exchanges in DC think tanks or between US and Japanese foreign policy experts explored the prospects of the Quad. In turn, Chinese analysts were probing what this new configuration represents.

Comparing US and Chinese conceptualizations of what the Quad represents, in its various dimensions, is the objective of this article. In March and April, the primary objective in building the Quad was solidifying US-Japan coordination, which is the foundation in the Quad edifice; so that became the focus of both US and Chinese narratives. Already in late 2020 Chinese were blaming Japan for its quest for the Quad;3 in 2021 criticism intensified,4 as if little could be done about the US once Biden had taken leadership over the Quad, but given splits within the LDP and criticisms on the left, Japan could be better targeted.

The overall US and Chinese perspectives

In DC think tank interpretations of the Quad, as pursued by the Biden administration, it is the epitome of a US grand strategy in response to China’s aggressive ambitions, which had been lacking, at least since China moved away from Deng Xiaoping’s cautious foreign policy, whether in 2007-08, 2012-13, or—in the opinion of some—much earlier. The Quad is primarily a security framework to check aggressive maritime behavior in the East China Sea, the South China Sea, and even the Indian Ocean. It is secondarily a values-based grouping, much as NATO was in the Cold War era. Finally, given accelerating technological change with dual-use implications, the Quad has a vital supply chain and export control element. One can detect a five-step process in establishing the desired grouping. First, the US has to put its own house in order and begin to “build back better” after the chaotic Trump era. Second, but without a time lag, US-Japanese joint clarification of the goals and range of the Quad is essential, forging the core of the new grouping. Third, the Quad requires the institutionalization of a four-country grouping with the easier target, Australia—already a US ally and close to Japan—and the most daunting challenge, India. This process is moving quickly in 2021 but could take years with lingering uncertainties. In the fourth stage, relations with China must be addressed and, if possible, stabilized. Finally, the Quad Plus, a flexible expansion to more countries for specific purposes, is expected to emerge.

In Guoji Zhanwang, No. 1, 2021, new developments in the Quad were assessed, noting its 2004-2007 origin, November 2017 revival, three subsequent years of growth, and how China should respond. Australia’s refusal in November 2007 due to concern about China was a cause of the hiatus although trilateral and bilateral ties built a foundation for more, notably the US-Japan-India ties from 2011 and the Japan-India-Australia ties from 2015. Abe-Modi bilateral ties added to the momentum. This process went beyond a US-centered regional alliance system. Countries rallied around the concept of the Indo-Pacific region, and Australia’s stance shifted. Yet the US had not necessarily fully committed to contain China, and while this goal was clear, countries were split on what it meant or on how to address China’s resistance. Although the Quad faced its own challenges, Chinese analysts were wary of it from early times. The key shift was Trump’s tough stance against China from the end of 2017, joining with Abe’s abiding interest. The power imbalance with China drove India, as the Quad put security squarely in the forefront.5 Yet much is also made of the ideological thrust and the supply chain reconstruction pursued by the Quad.

Prospects for the Quad are limited, Chinese insist. Security interests are insufficient. Economic dependence on China differs to the point none of the four apart from the US is willing to see ties with China become too tense, and they will try to avoid an official multilateral security agreement. Threat perceptions diverge. In India and Australia, the population is deeply split. Only the US is in a rush to turn the Quad into an “anti-China grouping.” Given India’s military weakness and lack of dependence on the US for arms, there is no way it will proceed to a high degree of military integration. It is little inclined to cooperate closely, clinging to “strategic autonomy.” Even if India seeks to use the Quad to balance China in the Indian Ocean, it is unwilling for the Quad to lead it in pursuing bigger regional objectives in the South China Sea or the Western Pacific. Still, India could become more supportive to build its military capabilities. The 2020 clash with China has altered the balance inside India, increasing alarm toward China and making it more resolved to boost the Quad. Chinese acknowledged this shift but mostly doubted India’s resolve.

There is little chance to institutionalize the Quad, as Washington desires, but the Quad’s ability to counter China could increase, and China needs to preempt this possibility. China can be the biggest factor in determining the future of the Quad, using its economic prowess, especially with Australia and India, getting them to tighten ties with China even if they do not formally abandon the Quad. Progress is being made with India, and a restart with Australia building from economic to political ties in within reach. Thus, the attractiveness of the Quad to both can be weakened, writers still insist.6

Chinese regard the Quad as a challenge aimed at containment, given that interference in China’s plans to coerce Taiwan and seize complete control over islands in the South China Sea is equated with containment. Thus, the Quad is viewed as worsening the regional security environment and a threat to peace and stability, causing a zero-sum competition. Yet readers are told that the Quad has made little substantive progress in security, and future success is doubted. Still, China needs to step up engagement with its regional members so that they do not view it as a strategic challenge. Unlike the Quad, China claims to stand for inclusive, open, cooperative regionalism. It cannot allow the “democratic four” to determine the region’s future; such a values-based approach is at odds with the shared interests of the majority of states and would undermine ASEAN, which China is defending. To counter the Quad China seeks to revert to ASEAN-led inclusive regionalism. It stresses that a big blow to ASEAN would result if Vietnam and others were ever to join a Quad Plus. Bur even for Vietnam it would be sensitive to join in an “anti-China” grouping. China’s defense is to rally ASEAN, concentrate on India, play on divisions in Australia, and warn Japan of perilous consequences. In Jiji.com on April 16 China was reported to have expressed serious concern to the United States and Japan over the treatment of Taiwan at the Biden-Suga summit.7

In March and April Chinese responses to the meetings that strengthened the Quad were barbed without ruling out steps to drive a wedge between participants. Less assertive policies toward India and Australia could portend a wedge strategy. Anger directed at Japan for endorsing the US strategy for making this alliance the bilateral core of the Quad and inserting Japan into the Taiwan issue was heated, but the widened split between progressives and conservatives there could create an opening for China. US designs were denounced, Japan was seen as playing into US hands, and recent vitriol toward Australia and India could not be reversed on short notice.

On April 19, after the Biden-Suga summit, Wang Wenbin, deputy press director of China’s ministry of foreign affairs, demanded that the US and Japan immediately stop interfering in China’s internal affairs. They should instead address their own past invasions and human rights violations in other countries. They are only using the human rights issue as an excuse, he said.8 Yet, according to Yomiuri on April 18, People’s Daily was cautious about arousing worsening emotions toward the US and Japan; so, it handled the Taiwan issue with some sensitivity.9

The Chinese case belittling the Quad’s prospects in a string of articles in Global Times10 from March-April 2021 is as follows: the US lacks the capacity for it; the US image is too tarnished to win acceptance; states cannot count on the US to compensate for the losses when China reacts; the Quad countries lack the economic base and autonomy for it; Quad countries depend too much on China’s economy; India is the weak link and is too wedded to Russia to go far with the Quad; countries are at odds with many anxious about the divisiveness and costs to ties with China; the image of Quad consensus belies the reality that the Quad has reached its peak. The tone is both anxious that a threatening entity is arising and reassuring that its future is bleak.

Japan-US relations and China’s Response

The core of the Quad is the reconceptualization of the Japan-US relationship in a broader and China-driven regional context. Under Abe and in the shadow of Trump, Japan positioned itself to lead in pursuit of multilateralism without China, to work closely with the United States to forge a core of new regionalism, to press the US to be tougher on China on security, and, at the same time, to woo China as an economic and even political partner. This was sustainable due to the Trump effect, leaving Sino-US relations and US regional leadership in disarray, and to the Xi Jinping calculation that China could fill the gap through a “good-neighbor” policy targeting Japan among others, reducing US economic pressure. The pandemic gave Xi greater confidence and put ties with Abe on hold, and the planned “cherry blossom” Abe-Xi Tokyo summit of 2020 was postponed indefinitely as ties unraveled. With Joe Biden’s reconstruction or reinvigoration of the Quad and Suga Yoshihide’s eager embrace of the new US policy, China’s challenge grew.

Sino-Japanese relations soured over three precipitating developments. First, Biden’s election gave Tokyo confidence that it could tighten relations with Washington in a regional framework. Second, Beijing decided it was time to up the military pressure on Taiwan, while also stepping up maritime pressure around the Senkaku (Diaoyu) Islands, jolting Tokyo to more openly stand with Washington in warnings about this behavior. Third, as Biden prioritized the Quad, Suga responded enthusiastically, causing Xi Jinping to react negatively to Japan’s leader. In March-April 2021 as the Quad began to be institutionalized and US-Japan relations tightened, Sino-Japanese relations rapidly deteriorated, reversing the 2017-20 mood of rapprochement.

In a 90-minute phone conversation on April 6 with his Japanese counterpart, Foreign Minister Wang Yi offered what Global Times called a “timely reminder” for Japan, after “a slew of hostile moves and statements” to stop “heading in the wrong direction by ganging up with a ‘certain superpower.’” The report said Wang had presented China’s diplomatic bottom line to Japan, sending a message intended also for any other country considering collusion with Japan to counter China or threaten what it regards as regional stability. On the eve of Suga’s summit with Biden, Wang Yi warned that Japan, as an “independent country,” should view China’s development in an “objective and rational” way, instead of being misled by the US. For China,
a zero-sum situation has arrived, and Japan in 2021, with the Quad, is making a wrong choice.11

As is its habit, China is sharper in warning US allies and partners of dire consequences than the US. On security, values, and technology, Japan was seen as responsible for the breakdown of an atmosphere that a year earlier was deemed promising for Xi Jinping to make a state visit. Wang accused Japan of giving in to the US, making groundless accusations over Hong Kong and Xinjiang, and no longer honoring the China-Japan Treaty of Peace and Friendship. Just one day after the 2+2 meeting, Zhao Lijian, the foreign ministry spokesman, had charged that “Japan, driven by the selfish aim to check China’s revitalization, willingly stoops to acting as a strategic vassal of the US.”12 Angering China was wording that indicated Japan’s involvement in cross-strait relations and intention to cooperate with the US in the event of a military clash of the PRC and Taiwan. Later, Wang Yi even asked Japan not to forget its identity as an Asian country, presumably at odds with both boosting the bilateral US alliance and forging the Quad with it.

Chinese media responded harshly to the April 16 joint statement from the Biden-Suga summit. In a Global Times editorial on April 17 Japan was lumped with the US as the main threat to
China and to peace in the Asia-Pacific. The editorial attacked the joint statement of the Biden-Suga summit for its references to the Indo-Pacific, Taiwan, freedom, democracy, human rights, international law, and a free and fair economic order. It commits Japan to follow the US in Asia, with US forces occupying Japan, which is a semi-sovereign country, and to back US hegemonic thinking in preventing China’s rise. Moreover, Washington and Tokyo are planning to extend their alliance through the Quad with more states to join in opposing China under the banner of “shared values.” Yet the world is multi-layered and views confrontation, occurring against China’s will, as most dangerous. Splitting the so-called “Indo-Pacific” destroys cooperation. The US is attacking China’s high-tech companies and also dragging Japan and others into excluding China in supply chains. The US and the West are interfering in internal affairs. Recently Japan had cooperated to gradually restore Sino-Japanese relations, but it has suddenly changed course, joining in the US containment strategy under US pressure and its own willful, short-sighted expansionist strategy, especially concerning Taiwan. This is the message sent on April 17.

Given divergent responses to the Suga-Biden summit in Japan, China may see an opening. Three of the main six newspapers were positive, including Sankei on the far right, Yomiuri with the largest circulation, and Nihon Keizai Shimbun serving the business community above all. Yomiuri on April 18 praised the new era of close alliance, saying it is important that Japan and the US, which share universal values such as freedom, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law, unite to increase the trust of the international community and encourage China to change. Japan will need to be prepared to fully coordinate its strategy with the United States and share responsibilities. “The joint statement is a compass for the Japan-US alliance and shows unity for the realization of a free and open Indo-Pacific,” Suga said at a press conference. “We will work together to prove that democracy is superior in the 21st century,” Biden emphasized. In February, Biden signed an executive order instructing relevant ministries to review the supply network for critical products. This is a common issue for Japan as well, which would like to strengthen cooperation in advanced fields such as high-speed and large-capacity communications, “5G,” artificial intelligence, and quantum technology. The US has grown more cautious about China’s military-civilian fusion strategy, which seeks to connect advanced private sector technology to military advantage, and has tightened its export restrictions, Yomiuri noted.

On the progressive side, the three main papers were critical of the April 16 summit. In Mainichi on April 18 Suga’s US visit was criticized, arguing that in the news conference hosted by Biden Suga was trapped as Biden named China the mutual challenge as democracy stands against authoritarianism. While Suga tried to keep the focus on pursuing stability in international relations, the question raised gave him no opportunity. In News Post Seven on that day, the same theme appeared, claiming there was a split between Suga and Biden on China. While the US is consumed with concern over gun violence, it is shifting responsibility for the China question to Japan. Actually, the two sides could not agree on China and Taiwan, and the US is putting Japan in the front row to face China, but the Japanese people do not want to risk war or to pressure China.
Mainichi warned that by becoming embroiled in the Taiwan dispute, Japan will be most affected. What Suga has done contradicts his promise to “build a stable and constructive relationship with China.” After this summit, he should send a message that neighboring China is a diplomatically and economically important country. A unique strategy for China that is not dependent on the United States is required. Tokyo Shimbun on April 18 clarified that Japan, located between the US and China, cannot be completely devoted to the US. It needs a sense of balance. The US has high expectations for Japan’s cooperation in the “New Cold War” with China, the pressure from China will grow, and Suga failed to openly explain Japan’s position, thus the opportunity was lost for the two leaders to closely coordinate their preferred policies toward China. Biden pushed through a collision trajectory, and Suga folded. This criticism from the left points to the political divide that exists.

Of the four security issues that have recently flared, the Indo-China border strife has calmed, while the other three have been aggravated: the Taiwan Strait danger, South China Sea tension newly focused on the Philippines which Suga plans to visit, and the Senkaku vicinity, tenser due to Chinese ship movements and relaxed rules for them to resort to arms. The Quad is more about the South China Sea, but the US-Japan alliance has become more alarmed by danger in Taiwan. As the US repeats its assurances to Japan over the Senkakus, it is receiving more open support from Japan on Taiwan, close by in the East China Sea.13 Apparently, Japanese officials are divided in making explicit the private hard line they take on Taiwan, fearful of antagonizing China more and ending the rapprochement since 2017. In the first half of April, the defining question, as the US sent a high-level delegation to Taiwan, was: would Suga reaffirm the 2+2 language of March or even go beyond it? US officials were also seeking more on human rights in China and Hong Kong and on Japan-ROK relations, as the core of the Quad was the prime focus. Suga obliged the US on these points, arousing China’s ire after its warnings had gone unheeded.

Wang Yi’s phone call with Motegi Toshimitsu on April 5 was a turning point. After 3-4 years of mostly upbeat Sino-Japanese relations on the surface, China is taking off the gloves over at least three factors: The Quad, Taiwan, and human rights. In all three cases, the Biden administration has helped to nudge Suga to clarify Japan’s stand. Japan did not need a lot of persuasion. Wang’s words that China has done its utmost to fix ties, which “have hit a new crossroads” and that Japan must cease being a vassal of the US were tough talk prior to Suga’s discussions with Biden.14 They conveyed a warning to Japan that the “Abe-Xi honeymoon” is ending and a return to the acrimony of the first half of the 2010s lies in store or, perhaps, something even worse.

Values, the Quad, and China

The Sino-US value gap widened when the Trump administration in 2020 demonized the Chinese Communist Party as if seeking regime change. However, there was little effort to coordinate a multilateral response to Uyghur genocide and Hong Kong repression, when those issues rose to the fore. The Biden administration has taken human rights issues more seriously, seeking more outspokenness from Japan and making it a cornerstone of the Quad. On April 9, in its first budget blueprint, it said it would commit a “significant increase in resources” to advance human rights and democracy in the fight against authoritarianism. In direct exchanges with Chinese leaders such issues were raised, as they were in the virtual Quad statement and the US-Japan 2+2 joint statement, leading to sharply worded rebukes from the Chinese side in March to be followed in April by further attacks, many directed at Japan for acceding to the US rhetoric.

On March 18, 2021 Yang Jiechi told Tony Blinken that “I don’t think the overwhelming majority of countries in the world would recognize the universal values advocated by the United States, or that the opinions of the United States could represent international public opinion.”15 A big theme of late in China is reform of global governance based on principles of equality and justice, as Beijing’s leading role is stressed in building a “community of common destiny.”

With Biden’s appeal to join in “extreme competition” with China, there is talk of the Quad being “anchored by democratic values.” “Freedom of navigation” is contrasted with “coercion” to change the status quo by force. Repeated references to the “rules-based order” link values to security. In contrast, China’s behavior is called a “wolf warrior” approach steeped in change through aggression. Only recently has Japan echoed the US rhetoric, as when Foreign Minister Motegi criticized China’s human rights violations in Xinjiang and its Hong Kong crackdown, although this language has not been accompanied by action, such as sanctions.

Values are second on a Chinese list of factors drawing the Quad together, citing language about freedom versus authoritarianism. Calling the desired region “free and open” points to values as does stressing a grouping of democracies. On the Japanese side, a Chinese source asserted, it reflects an old rightist aspiration to become a political great power, which its historical legacy makes difficult. Boosting US ties, expanding the range to the Indo-Pacific, and heralding the Quad grouping reflects this ambition.16 In the PRC perspective, China’s behavior is in no way responsible; Quad members must not be responding realistically to threats. Instead, they must be driven by some irrational emotions. In the case of the US, one reads that there is little China can do: “China cannot fundamentally alleviate the US’ envy, jealousy and hatred against China.”

Chinese writings have never ceased to attack US criticisms as driven by values steeped in Cold War thinking, rather than objective analysis. Japan has often been spared such criticism since it has refrained from similar criticisms or toned them down. Such caution lowered the risk of China playing the “history card” by associating today’s Japan with the pre-1945 imperialist aggressor. In order to forge strong economic ties and keep political ties from hitting an impasse, Japanese have exercised great caution. Yet Abe chose to raise values issues more even if he spared China as a direct target. Only under Biden, anchoring the Quad on values, has Japan gone somewhat further much to China’s consternation. Washington is clearly the biggest influence in meddling in China-Japan ties. “The US doesn’t want ties between China and Japan to get better, and Japan is accommodating itself with the US on the latter’s China policy,” said Wang Jian, who warned Tokyo that such a move will eventually backfire. Wang also wondered, pointedly: “We don’t want China-Japan relations to hit bottom, nor for Tokyo to tie itself completely with the US. Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said he wants stable ties with China, but where is his action?”17

In China’s view, it was alarming that before his meeting with Biden, Suga voiced “concern” over cross-Taiwan Strait relations, saying. “It is important for Japan and the US to cooperate and use deterrence to create an environment where Taiwan and China can find a peaceful solution.” The Chinese added, China-Japan ties will spiral downward sharply if Japan gets involved in the Taiwan question, as it is the bottom-line question, and any foreign military interference will invite the fiercest retaliation from China. Japan is in urgent need to form independent diplomatic policies, and acting as a US pawn in containing China in the Asia-Pacific is also a disgrace for Japan, a big power in this region. One observer was quoted as saying, “Japan’s current policy toward China has fully exposed its destructive role that threatens regional stability… opening doors for NATO countries to the Asia-Pacific region has increased instability in this region.”18 For China, values are linked to history. If Japan speaks out, the “history card” is ready to play.

De-coupling, the Quad, and China

A major theme in the Biden-Suga summit was de-coupling in some leading-edge technologies
such as 5G telecommunications, artificial intelligence, and quantum computing. Biden and Suga showcased their commitment, not only against China, but in favor of technological innovation and secure connectivity. Supply chain resiliency will be critical to the post-pandemic growth of the North American and Japanese economies, it was asserted, citing semiconductor chips as essential for all electronics and that Suga and Biden are determined to ensure their availability.

The US-Japan agreement follows the Senate Foreign Relations Committee preparing to vote on a bipartisan bill that aims to counter China’s global influence, which would allocate hundreds of millions of dollars to new initiatives aimed at helping the US succeed in long-term ideological, military, economic, and technological competition.19 Suga and Biden discussed a contribution of $2 billion to build a reliable communication network to compete with Chinese companies such as Huawei and for cooperation in strengthening the supply chain of products and raw materials that are important for security. Yet Japan’s commitment may be in doubt, given the leanings of some within the ruling party, led by the LDP secretary-general Nikai Toshihiro, and the Komeito party, part of the governing coalition. Aware that Japan depends more on the Chinese economy and is afraid of systematic boycott movements within China, the US must be pleased with Suga’s determination. For economic security, the Biden administration is pushing China out of cutting-edge technology, strengthening the embargo on cutting-edge semiconductors, which are the “most important strategic supplies,” and reconstructing the semiconductor supply network, but Japan is also launching a public-private project for ultra-fine semiconductors.

On April 21, it was reported that a senior Chinese diplomat accused the Australian government of triggering a downward spiral in relations not, as commonly thought, by asking for an inquiry into the origins of the pandemic in 2020, but by “conniving with the United States in a very unethical, illegal, immoral suppression” of Huawei in 2018, banning it from Australia’s 5G network. He said Australia was among the first countries to “forcefully” accuse Huawei of posing a security threat and even charged that “one of your retired senior politicians claimed in his memoir that he’s the one” who had persuaded Trump about the security threat of Huawei, alluding to Malcolm Turnbull. Relations could return to normal, he asserted, if Australia provided “a fair and just and non-discriminatory business environment” to Chinese businesses and ensured it did not “obstruct” people-to-people exchange programs.20 These remarks point to the significance of technology in the Chinese pushback against Australia and the Quad.

Technology stands at the core of today’s strategic competition between China and the Quad countries. Countries with innovative advantages will drive the digital economy, gain political power and military strength, and shape global norms for technology use, according to a CNAS report, laying out a blueprint for techno-democratic statecraft in the Quad. This report examines technologies propelling rapid change, competing visions for technology use driving geopolitical strains, and divergent Quad members’ approaches to technology.21

New Delhi’s move to reopen the door to Chinese investment after border disengagement has clearly shown that India needs cooperation with China rather than long-standing confrontation, one Chinese source argued, concluding that India will frustrate boosters of the Quad. The US, readers are informed, has consistently been frustrated by India’s reluctance to systemize the mechanism of Quad as a military group and make it the kernel of a larger Asia-Pacific alliance like NATO. Thus, the Quad has reached its ceiling and internal contradictions are expected to emerge. Enduring India-Russia ties also will give India less maneuvering space in major power politics. India’s center of foreign policy is never the US. It will not give up other opportunities for the sake of the US, especially the chance of claiming hegemony in the Indian Ocean. China has economic levers to use on India, making it the weak link on technology controls as well.

The US looked back on three months of the Biden administration pleased with the progress made toward institutionalizing the Quad, while China had grown increasingly disturbed by the emergence of this new entity as well as by the related extent of Japan’s tilt toward the US. On security, the Quad signaled joint resolve in opposition to “wolf warrior” aggression, especially in the South China Sea. On values, it represented a sharp rebuke to the spread of authoritarianism and a call for the revitalization of democratization. And on technology, the Quad called for relocating sensitive supply chains to reduce vulnerability to China’s control over them. Each of these arenas aroused concern in China, which faulted “Cold War” alliances and ideology as it also claimed to represent globalization, openness, and free markets rather than protectionism.

The March 12 virtual summit and the April 16 Suga-Biden summit were transformative events in the first months of the Biden administration leading toward the institutionalization of the Quad. They revealed a newly strategic approach in Washington and receptivity in Tokyo even as Beijing responded with warnings. As the US focus for security turned to Taiwan, it was doubtful that this could be a Quad issue, and even in Japan many were wary. For all the values talk centered on Xinjiang genocide and Myanmar’s brutal suppression of democracy, Japan would not impose sanctions over the Uyghurs and India was even more reluctant to press the Myanmar military hard. As for for technology, 5G telecommunications served as a rallying cry, but Japanese felt more entangled with China economically and hesitant to go as far as the US desired. In this view, the Quad still has a long way to go on security, values, and supply de-coupling.

The Sino-US confrontation intensified on March 18 with dueling opening remarks at the Alaska meeting of foreign policy officials. For the US, the Quad embodied the notion that it faced China as the leader of a multilateral grouping, much as NATO has faced off against the Soviet Union. For China, it was viewed as a serious threat of containment but also somewhat dismissed as an unrealizable illusion. India was seen as the weakest link, Australia’s role was somewhat doubtful, and even Japan was seen as vulnerable to Chinese pressure. While striving to weaken US resolve, China saw more hope elsewhere, but it remained wary of the Quad.

In the rest of 2021, the US intends to build on the momentum of March and April for the           institutionalization of the Quad with the US-Japan alliance at the core—while we can anticipate more intense Chinese efforts to drive wedges between the US and the other three. Considering how badly China alienated India and Australia in 2020 and how much “wolf warrior” thinking guides its behavior—as in disputed maritime areas—it is unclear that China is inclined to make sharp course reversals that would allow for wedge driving. Yet given reservations in its three partners about key themes, such as Taiwan’s defense, Myanmar’s democracy, Xinjiang genocide, and economic de-coupling, US hopes for rapid institutionalization of the Quad are unlikely to be realized. Much depends on China’s choices; the Quad’s momentum is driven by responses to it.

1. Tobita Rintaro, “Japan Seeks First In-person Quad Summit in June on G-7 Sidelines,” Nikkei Asia, April 8, 2021, https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/International-relations/Japan-seeks-first-in-person-Quad-summit-in-June-on-G-7-sidelines

2. Abhijnan Rej, “China and the Quad: From Sea Foam to Indo-Pacific NATO: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s Recent Remarks on the Quad Are a Substantial Shift in Tone,” The Diplomat, October 15, 2021.

3. Chen Qinghong, “美日印澳四边安全对话进展及前景,” Xiandai Guoji Guanxi, No. 6, 2020, pp. 44-52.

4. Global Times, April 17, 2021.

5. Liu Aming, “四方安全对话”的新发展及前景探析,” Guoji Zhanwang, No. 1, 2021, pp. 88-109.

6. Ibid.

7. “U.S.-Japan statement refers to “peace and stability in Taiwan Strait” – Jiji,” Reuters, April 16, 2021.

8. “Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin’s Regular Press Conference on April 19, 2021,” Embassy of the People’s Republic of China, April 19, 2021.

9. Yomiuri Shimbun, April 18, 2021.

10. Global Times, numerous articles from March 8 to April 22 on the Quad.

11. Xing Xiaojing, Wu Zhiwei, and Zhao Yusha “Chinese FM’s call ‘timely reminder’ for Japan at crossroads: observer Ball in Tokyo’s court to improve relations with Beijing: experts, ”Global Times, April 6, 2021,  https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202104/1220369.shtml.

12. Ibid.

13. Demetri Sevastopulo and Robin Harding, “US pushes Japan to back Taiwan at Biden-Suga summit,” Financial Times, April 13, 2021.

14. Xing Xiaojing, Wu Zhiwei, and Zhao Yusha, “China’s FM’s call ‘timely reminder’ for Japan at crossroads: observer.”

15. “In First Talks, Dueling Accusations Set Testy Tone for U.S.-China Diplomacy,” The New York Times, March 18, 2021.

16. Liu Aming, “’四方安全对话’ 的新发展及前景探析.”

18. Ibid.

19. Axios, April 14, 2021.

20. The Guardian, April 21, 2021.

21. Martijn Rasser, “Networked: Techno-Democratic Statecraft for Australia and the Quad,” CNAS, January 19, 2021.

Now Reading The Quad: Contrasting Chinese and US Perceptions


What Can I Substitute for White Sugar in a recipe?

In this short article, we will provide an answer to the question, “What can I substitute for white sugar in a recipe?” with an in-depth analysis of white sugar, the health benefits of substituting white sugar in a recipe.

What can I substitute for white sugar in a recipe?

You can substitute the below things for white sugar:

·         Honey

·         Dates

·         Maple Syrup

·         Coconut Sugar

·         Cane Sugar

·         Brown Sugar

·         Coconut palm sugar

·         Fruits

·         Agave Syrup

Why do we need to substitute white sugar?

Sugar is used in many recipes because it adds flavor and sweetens the food. Sugar also aids in the gelling of foods, as well as the prevention of discoloration and the delaying of food decomposition. Although sugar is natural, it produces an increase in insulin levels, which is particularly bad news for diabetics. As a result, substituting white sugar in a recipe may be a wise choice.

What can be the best substitute for white sugar in a recipe?

Honey is not only delicious, but it also has several health advantages. Honey has the advantage of browning faster and retaining more moisture than sugar. Honey is also lower in calories, fructose, and glucose. Diabetics, on the other hand, should consume honey in moderation.

One of the best natural sweeteners is this dried fruit. Its high fiber content promotes digestion while also slowing sugar absorption into circulation. It also contains calcium, folate, vitamin K, magnesium, and selenium, among other minerals.

Maple Syrup:

Because maple syrup contains a lot of sugar, use it sparingly. However, it contains antioxidants, calcium, iron, and potassium, and replacing sugar with maple syrup reduces sugar consumption by roughly 33%. With a glycemic index of 54 versus 65 for table sugar, maple syrup is also better for your blood sugar.

Coconut sugar:

Coconut sugar is made from the nectar of the coconut palm’s flower buds and has a taste and color similar to brown sugar. It has a low glycemic index, which means it doesn’t cause blood sugar to rise as quickly as white sugar. It gives your foods a beautiful, aromatic flavor, comparable to molasses, and it may also be caramelized for your recipes.

Cane Sugar:

Cane sugar is a type of sugar that hasn’t been refined. It has more vitamins than refined wheat since it has undergone less processing. Cane sugar contains glucose, fructose, and sucrose. It is, however, healthier than table sugar.

Brown Sugar:

Light brown sugar is the closest substitute for refined white sugar in terms of texture and flavor. Brown sugar is made up entirely of white sugar mixed with a small amount of molasses. Because light brown sugar has the least quantity of molasses, it can be used in place of white sugar with just minimal flavor differences. You can replace the white sugar in your recipe with the same amount of light brown sugar. No other ingredients in the recipe should be changed.

Coconut Palm Sugar:

Coconut palm sugar is made from coconut tree sap and has a lower glycemic index (GI) than normal sugar. For this reason, those with diabetes may prefer it to conventional sugar, but the carbohydrate and calorie counts are the same. To add sweetness to your porridge or popcorn, sprinkle some coconut palm sugar on top.

Fruits like bananas, figs, and dates can help you stick to a low-sugar diet. If you like the taste of bananas, this alternative will provide you with additional fiber and potassium. Figs and dates include minerals including calcium and iron, while raisins can be used as a replacer.

Agave Syrup:

The juice of the agave plant is used to make agave syrup, which is a liquid sweetener. Vegans may use it as a plant-based alternative to honey because it has a similar texture. It’s sweeter than sugar and has a lower glycemic index. Drinks, pancakes, cereals, sticky cakes, and muffins all benefit from the use of agave syrup.

Some additional natural sugar substitutes are below:

·         Stevia

·         Chicory root fiber

·         Monk fruit

·         Yacon

·         Sweet potato syrup

·         Tapioca syrup

·         Fruit juice concentrate

Sugar alternatives are not all created equal, as you can see. Some are beneficial for diabetics, while others could be too flavorful for some. All of these sugar replacements, on the other hand, are superior to ordinary table sugar and should be used in a variety of delightful dishes.

Other FAQs about Sugar that you may be interested in.

Why is there so much sugar in milk?

Is there a lot of sugar in Japanese food?

Can sugar flowers go in the fridge?

Can you eat more sugar if you exercise?

In this short article, we have provided an answer to the question, “What can I substitute for white sugar in a recipe?” with an in-depth analysis of white sugar, the health benefits of substituting white sugar in a recipe.


The last 2 years has shone a spotlight on how leaders are dealing with the impact of Covid-19 for themselves, their staff, and their business’s.  During this period of rapid change and transition, there was an increasing need to improve the way we support each other by showing empathy and understanding to one another. So how do we drive positive behaviours?

I’ve been working with leaders who have been concerned about their leadership shadow, doubting their confidence as a leader, concerned about their own wellbeing and the wellbeing of their teams.

In thinking this through, the SCARF model created by David Rock – a brain-based model of behaviour, provides guidance to leaders and managers on how to better engage, collaborate and influence their teams.

Our brain organises information into Threat/Danger and Reward/Safety.  When we experience a social threat, our brain perceives this with the same intensity as actual physical threats.  Our threat response is strong, it is faster and longer lasting than the reward response.  When we are under threat, our ability to solve problems or make decisions or interact with others is diminished.   When we are in a ‘reward environment’ these abilities are enhanced, where we can be more creative and strategic in our thinking and behaviours.

The SCARF model encompasses five domains or dimensions of human social experience.

  • Status – our own importance relative to others i.e., knowledge, position.
  • Certainty – our perception of how well we can predict the future
  • Autonomy – having a sense of control and being able to make choices
  • Relatedness – sense of belonging and safety
  • Fairness – feeling of connection and fair exchange with others

We all perceive these five domains differently – one leader’s idea of a status reward will be different to another.  As a leader, it is worth reflecting on these questions:

  • How am I contributing to these domains i.e., how am I creating a sense of reward and how am I creating a threat response?
  • Which domains really play into the role or in the work that I’m doing?
  • What triggers a threat or a reward response in myself?
  • How might I need to adapt my leadership style, communication style to reduce threat and increase reward?

These domains are all interlinked so it’s worth exploring how threats and rewards might be managed.

How are you being in your role as a leader or manager?

Challenge your limiting beliefs and assumptions where you find it doesn’t serve the best interests of your team.  How can you re-establish status and build self-value? How do you acknowledge contribution and recognise effort?  Allowing people to self-review their performance is an important step to stimulate positive behavioural change.

How can you help increase a sense of certainty where little certainty exists, such as communicating organisational changes and soliciting feedback/ input for the path forward?

Our brain craves prediction and certainty.  Encourage your team to create predictability and routines where they can in parts of their everyday life.  Establishing clearer expectations on projects/ tasks with desired outcomes and with the clarity that helps to create a sense of assurance.

How are you creating autonomy? What can you let go of?

Explore what is within your control and help support your team to focus on what they can control and influence to open up options and new choices. How are you including them in the decision-making process?  Encourage initiative and creativity to help shape their own insights.  This is about giving shared responsibility just as much as delegating responsibilities and tasks?

How are you connecting and creating a sense of belonging?

Identify ways to improve these bonds where they get the best from each other – at an individual level and as a team.  This can include buddying, mentoring, coaching, or peer-to-peer learning sessions where they feel open and safe to sharing experiences and challenges.

How are you creating mutual trust, respect and openness in your communications and interactions?

This is about increasing transparency and the communication about organisational challenges.  Setting clear expectations and objectives in meetings and projects about ways of working, clarifying roles and responsibilities to help ensure fair exchange occurs.  Encourage your team to explore ways to create equity for others such as rewards, recognition and those more accepted behaviours.

I’ve been using SCARF in my coaching conversations as a way of being to help build resilience and mental fitness – this has been helping my clients feel respected, trusted and safe to talk about their wellbeing.   The more mindful we can be about minimising threat and creating reward responses, the more adaptive and effective we can be at influencing and collaborating.

Manju Vekaria is a leadership and performance coach, helping leaders and managers to achieve high levels of performance through a focus on wellbeing and resilience.

Read more blogs from Manju – Managing our wellbeing when working remotely and during challenging times


09.03.2022, 07:58

VN-US to boost bilateral economic ties

VN-US to boost bilateral economic ties

Speaking at the summit, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said Viet Nam's main priorities in the years to come would include a robust economic recovery post-pandemic, the implementation of greener technologies, development of digital economy and mitigating the adverse effects of climate change.

Viet Nam considers the US as an important partner since the normalisation of bilateral relations in 1995, especially in economic cooperation. Since 1995, two-way trade between Viet Nam and the US has increased 250 times, from US$450 million in 1995 to a record $111 billion in 2021 despite the pandemic.

The US has become Viet Nam's largest export market and its second-largest trading partner while the South East Asian economy is the US' 9th largest trading partner. The two sides have ratified and implemented a number of key trade agreements including the Viet Nam-US Bilateral Trade Agreement in 2000, Viet Nam's permanent normal trade relations status with the US in 2006, the Viet Nam-US Trade and Investment Framework Agreement in 2007 and the Viet Nam-US Comprehensive Partnership in 2013.

The US is among the largest foreign investors (11 out of 141) in Viet Nam with close to 1,150 projects, totalling over $10.3 billion.

"I'm hopeful with the result of a 2021 survey by the American Chamber of Commerce in which some 80 per cent of its members show a positive attitude about doing business in Viet Nam in the medium and long term. In recent years, we have seen complementary relations between the two economies as well as the business communities on both sides," said the PM.

At the summit, US business leaders voiced their confidence in Viet Nam's potential for growth, especially in digital commerce and the creative economy.

The PM thanked the US for 29 million vaccine doses donated to Viet Nam as well as medical supplies and equipment. Viet Nam appreciates the support given by US businesses as well as the visit by US Vice President Kamala Harris during the pandemic.

He said Viet Nam was fully committed to a full reopening and to speed up economic recovery, especially after the country managed to vaccinate a vast majority of the population and acquired valuable lessons in disease control and prevention.

The country had seen success during the last quarter of 2021 with a GDP growth of 5.22 per cent after a period of negative growth. The first few months of 2022 have seen robust investment and export activities, stable macroeconomic factors and millions of people returning to work. The virus had been put under control. Despite a rising number of infections due to the Omicron variant, there had been fewer people requiring hospitalisation and significantly lower fatalities.

The Government had been working on a support package worth up to VND350 trillion or $15.32 billion to jumpstart the economy, invest in infrastructure development and provision for potential economic slowdowns.

"As one of the most affected countries by climate change, Viet Nam views actions to adapt and mitigate damage caused by climate change as a key objective in the years to come," the Prime Minister said. The country was fully committed to reducing greenhouse emissions and to raising awareness among the population. He asked the US and the international community for more support in the development of more environmentally-friendly policy, financing, technologies, management and human resources.

The Prime Minister said Viet Nam and the US shared many of the mentioned above issues. With a strong foundation of bilateral ties, he expressed hope that the two countries would work together to find solutions and to strengthen relations in a manner that is fair and harmonious built on mutual trust and sincerity.

US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry and Chairwoman of the American Chamber of Commerce Virginia Foote said the US was impressed with the strong commitment shown at the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) and the progress made by Viet Nam.

Kerry said Viet Nam had the potential to become a role model in adapting and coping with climate change.


How to Meditate

1. Why Meditate?

– +

Why Meditate?

Everyone wants happiness yet few of us seem to find it. In our search for satisfaction we go from one relationship to another, one job to another, one country to another. We study art and medicine, train to be tennis players and typists; have babies, race cars, write books, and grow flowers. We spend our money on home entertainment systems, mobile phones, iPods, handheld computers, comfortable furniture, and vacations in the sun. Or we try to get back to nature, eat whole foods, practice yoga, and meditate. Just about everything we do is an attempt to find real happiness and avoid suffering.

There is nothing wrong with wanting happiness; there is nothing wrong with any of these attempts to find it. The problem is that we see things like relationships, possessions, and adventures as having some intrinsic ability to satisfy us, as being the cause of happiness. But they cannot be—simply because they do not last. Everything by nature constantly changes and eventually disappears: our body, our friends, all our belongings, the environment. Our dependence on impermanent things and our clinging to the rainbow-like happiness they bring cause only disappointment and grief, not satisfaction and contentment.

We do experience happiness with things outside ourselves, but it doesn’t truly satisfy us or free us from our problems. It is poor-quality happiness, unreliable and short-lived. This does not mean that we should give up our friends and possessions in order to be happy. Rather, what we need to give up are our misconceptions about them and our unrealistic expectations of what they can do for us.

Not only do we see them as permanent and able to satisfy us; at the root of our problems is our fundamentally mistaken view of reality. We believe instinctively that people and things exist in and of themselves, from their own side; that they have an inherent nature, an inherent thing-ness. This means that we see things as having certain qualities abiding naturally within them; we think that they are, from their own side, good or bad, attractive or unattractive. These qualities seem to be out there, in the objects themselves, quite independent of our viewpoint and everything else. We think, for example, that chocolate is inherently delicious or that success is inherently satisfying. But surely, if they were, they would never fail to give pleasure or to satisfy, and everyone would experience them in the same way.

Our mistaken idea is deeply ingrained and habitual; it colors all our relationships and dealings with the world. We probably rarely question whether the way we see things is the way they actually exist, but once we do it will be obvious that our picture of reality is exaggerated and one-sided; that the good and bad qualities we see in things are actually created and projected by our own mind.

According to Buddhism there is lasting, stable happiness, and everyone has the potential to experience it. The causes of happiness lie within our own mind, and methods for achieving it can be practiced by anyone, anywhere, in any lifestyle—living in the city, working an eight-hour job, raising a family, playing on weekends.

By practicing these methods—meditation—we can learn to be happy at any time, in any situation, even difficult and painful ones. Eventually we can free ourselves of problems like dissatisfaction, anger, and anxiety and, finally, by realizing the actual way that things exist, we will eliminate completely the very source of all disturbing states of mind so that they will never arise again.

What is the mind?

Mind, or consciousness, is at the heart of Buddhist theory and practice, and for the last 2500 years meditators have been investigating and using it as a means of transcending unsatisfactory existence and achieving perfect peace. It is said that all happiness, ordinary 5and sublime, is achieved by understanding and transforming our own minds.

The mind is a nonphysical kind of energy, and its function is to know, to experience. It is awareness itself. It is clear in nature and reflects everything that it experiences, just as a still lake reflects the surrounding mountains and forests.

Mind changes from moment to moment. It is a beginningless continuum, like an ever-flowing stream: the previous mind-moment gave rise to this mind-moment, which gives rise to the next mind-moment, and so on. It is the general name given to the totality of our conscious and unconscious experiences: each of us is the center of a world of thoughts, perceptions, feelings, memories, and dreams—all of these are mind.

Mind is not a physical thing that has thoughts and feelings; it is those very experiences. Being nonphysical, it is different from the body, although mind and body are interconnected and interdependent. Mind—consciousness—is carried through our body by subtle physical energies (see page 161), which also control our movement and vital functions. This relationship explains why, for example, physical sickness and discomfort can affect our state of mind and why, in turn, mental attitudes can both give rise to and heal physical problems.

Mind can be compared to an ocean, and momentary mental events such as happiness, irritation, fantasies, and boredom to the waves that rise and fall on its surface. Just as the waves can subside to reveal the stillness of the ocean’s depths, so too is it possible to calm the turbulence of our mind to reveal its natural pristine clarity.

The ability to do this lies within the mind itself, and the key to the mind is meditation.

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Sniffer dog wins top UK medal for Afghan work

Sniffer dog

Sniffer dog

Agency Report

A Royal Air Force dog who sniffed out mobile phones used to coordinate insurgent attacks in Afghanistan was on Tuesday awarded a British animal charity's top medal for gallantry.

The PDSA Dickin Medal was awarded to Hertz, a 10-year-old German Shorthaired Pointer who is now retired, for his work protecting British and coalition troops in 2013.

Hertz was the first dog in British military history trained to detect electronic communications equipment including mobile phones "which posed a significant threat to the lives of servicemen, women and civilians," said a PDSA statement.

"His exceptional skills undoubtedly protected troops from the ever-evolving advances in digital intelligence," said PDSA director general Jan McLoughlin.

"His actions changed the course of countless missions, saving the lives of military personnel and civilians."

Hertz received the award during a ceremony at the RAF Club in central London.

Born in Croatia, Hertz joined the RAF Police as a puppy after showing exceptional skills detecting drugs.

The military sought training help from the UK Prison Service which frequently uses dogs to sniff out electronic contraband.

Hertz and his handler, Warrant Officer Jonathan Tanner, deployed to Britain's sprawling Camp Bastion base in Helmand province which he "secured and protected against the threat of both an intruder and insider attacks," the PDSA said.

"Many of the items he found led directly to the gathering of intelligence about potential threats and attacks," it said.

"His ability to remove potentially dangerous items undoubtedly saved many lives."

During his 13-month tour of duty, there was not a single rocket attack on Camp Bastion.

"He is a one-of-a-kind and his story demonstrates just how important animals are to our armed forces, and the key life-saving roles that they play," said RAF Group Captain Russ Foster-Jones.

The PDSA Dickin Medal has been presented since World War II to animals that showed exceptional courage and devotion while serving in war. It is the highest award of its kind.

PDSA founder Maria Dickin first awarded the medal in 1943, since when it has been won by animals including 37 dogs, 32 pigeons, four horses and a cat.

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Harmonising and modernising apprenticeships to boost completion rates, support businesses and improve labour mobility

On this page:

What does it mean?

The Australian, state and territory governments are working together to create a more modern and consistent approach to the Australian Apprenticeships system. This will improve the supply and mobility of skilled labour.

Why is harmonising and modernising Australian apprenticeships and traineeships important?

Stakeholders identified the Australian Apprenticeships system can be complex and difficult to navigate.

A modernised system with clear objectives will make it easier to promote the benefits of employment-based training. It will also improve access for industry and learners.

What is being done?

The Australian, state and territory governments recognise the vocational education and training system is critical to Australia’s future growth and prosperity. This includes economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Under the Heads of Agreement for Skills Reform, the Australian, state and territory governments have committed to promoting apprenticeships. Governments also agreed to undertake reforms to boost geographic mobility and labour supply.

Through the Boosting Apprenticeship Commencements (BAC) wage subsidy, any business or Group Training Organisation that engages an Australian Apprentice between 5 October 2020 and 31 March 2022 may be eligible for a subsidy of 50 per cent of wages paid to a new or recommencing apprentice or trainee for a 12-month period from the date of commencement, to a maximum of $7,000 per quarter.

This complements investments by the states and territories, and continues to build a strong foundation for apprenticeship commencements as we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic.


Registration Dossier

Diss Factsheets

Administrative data

basic toxicokinetics, other
Type of information:
other: Theoretical assessment
Adequacy of study:
key study
Study period:
15 February 2021
2 (reliable with restrictions)
Rationale for reliability incl. deficiencies:
other: Non-GLP assessment report based on expert judgement

Data source

Reference Type:
study report
Report date:

Materials and methods

Objective of study:
Test guideline
no guideline required
Principles of method if other than guideline:
An expert assessment was made based on all data available.
GLP compliance:

Test material

Test animals

other: None

Administration / exposure

Route of administration:
other: Oral, dermal and inhalation
other: Not applicable
Details on study design:
A toxicokinetic assessment has been performed based on available physico-chemical properties and toxicological data of the substance.

Results and discussion

Any other information on results incl. tables

After exposure, a substance can enter the body via the gastrointestinal tract, the lungs and the skin. Since different parameters are relevant to estimate adsorption depending on the route of exposure, the three routes will be addressed individually.

In general, a compound needs to be dissolved before it can be taken up from the gastrointestinal tract after oral administration1. The substance is an UVCB with three main constituents, which can be present in a mono- or a di-ester form. These forms show different water solubility, with the mono-form being more water soluble. This mono-form has a moderate to high water solubility (0.749 g/L (low loading rate) - 3.40 g/L (high loading rate) at 20°C). This implies that the substance dissolves to some extent in the gastrointestinal fluids and can be taken up systemically. The molecular sizes of the main constituents differ, but the molecular weight of all constituents is high (almost 500, or exceeding 500). Therefore uptake is expected to be hampered for all components, none of the constituents is able to pass through aqueous pores or be carried through the epithelial barrier by the bulk passage of water. It was technically not feasible to determine the partition coefficient of the substance, but based on the composition of the substance it can be expected that some components will have a high log Pow, while others will have a low log Pow. However, based on absence of further information it is difficult to predict the influence of this parameter on the absorption after oral uptake. All constituents are salts, they are expected to dissociate into ions after dissolving in the fluids of the gastro-intestinal tract. It is generally thought that ionized substances do not readily diffuse across biological membranes. The substance is found to have skin irritant properties and it is surface active (36.45-53.03 mN/m at 20°C). These properties may enhance absorption when cell membranes are damaged. In addition, based on its surface active properties micelles may be formed, which can enter the circulation via the lymphatic system.

Based on the high water solubility of the mono-ester forms of the main constituents, some absorption after oral intake is expected. In addition, its surface activity and the irritant properties may enhance uptake. On the other hand, the high molecular weight and the ionized state of all constituents is expected to hamper uptake. Therefore, for risk assessment purposes oral absorption of the substance is set at 50%2. The oral toxicity data do not provide reason to deviate from the proposed oral absorption factor.

For inhaled substances the processes of deposition of the substance on the surface of the respiratory tract and the actual absorption have to be differentiated. The substance has a vapor pressure of less than 0.5 KPa (2.5 x 10-7 Pa), which indicates a low volatility and exposure to the substance as a vapour is unlikely. Since the substance is a liquid, it is possible that aerosols are formed which can enter the lungs. If the substance reaches the tracheobronchial region, the hydrophilic mono-forms of the different constituents may be retained within the mucus. The high water solubility implies that the substances can dissolve to some extent in the respiratory tract fluids and can be taken up systematically. However, the rate of systemic uptake may be limited by the rate at which the substance partitions out of the aqueous fluids (mucus) lining the respiratory tract and into the blood. Those substances remaining in the mucus may be transported out of the deposition region with the mucus and swallowed or may pass across the respiratory epithelium via aqueous membrane pores. As previously mentioned, it was technically not feasible to determine the partition coefficient of the substance. Since it is expected that some components have a high log Pow and others have a low log Pow, the effect of this parameter on the absorption across the respiratory tract epithelium will differ for each component of this UVCB. Furthermore, it is likely that due to the irritant properties of the substance the integrity of the lung epithelium is affected, which will lead to absorption of the substance. Based on the above data, for risk assessment purposes the inhalation absorption of the substance is set at 50%2.

The substance is a liquid which is taken up more easily than dry particulates. Since the water solubility of the mono-forms is relatively high (0.749 g/L (low loading rate) - 3.40 g/L (high loading rate) at 20°C), absorption for these forms is anticipated to be moderate to high. However, the main components of the substance have a molecular weight of slightly under or above 500. Molecules above 500 are not favored for dermal uptake. Based on the structure it is likely that ions will be formed, which can bind to skin components and slow down uptake of the components. Log Pow values between 1 and 4 favour dermal absorption, particularly if water solubility is high. Since it was not technically feasible to determine the Log Pow, it is not possible to determine the effects of this parameter on dermal absorption. As the substance was found to have surface activity, this property will enhance the potential dermal uptake. In addition, the substance is irritant to the skin, and is therefore expected to interfere with the integrity of the epidermal layer. Once the barrier function of the skin compromised, dermal penetration may be enhanced. Taking all aspects in consideration, the dermal adsorption for risk assessment purposes is set at 100%2.

Since there is no partition coefficient available, it is not possible to determine the potential accumulation of the substance in adipose tissue. However, based on its high molecular weight and the limited water solubility and expected lipophilicity of some components present in this UVCB, bioaccumulation can be expected. On the other hand, the chemical structures do not indicate long half-lives of the components after uptake and therefore the potential for bioaccumulation is concluded to be low.

Ref. 1        Martinez MN, Amidon GL. Mechanistic approach to understanding the factors affecting drug absorption: a review of fundamentals. J Clin Pharmacol 2002; 42: 620-43.

Ref. 2        Guidance for the implementation of REACH. Guidance on information requirements and chemical safety assessment. Chapter R.7c: Endpoint specific guidance. European Chemical Agency, Version 6.0 November 2016.

Applicant's summary and conclusion

A toxicokinetic assessment was performed based on the available data of the substance. Based on the physical/chemical properties of the substance, absorption factors for this substance are derived to be 50% (oral), 50% (inhalation) and 100% (dermal) for risk assessment purposes.


October 15, 2021 @ 9:48 AM

EMF Shield
We are in a time when we have to break down in order to break through to another way of being.  That is uncomfortable, and often downright painful, both physically and emotionally/mentally
At this time some powerful cosmic energies are hitting our planet.  These powerful energies include solar flares and solar radiation that are reaching earth due to leaks in our ionosphere.  These frequencies are very disruptive to our nervous systems and this is resulting in a lot of stress and inner chaos, fear, and confusion
The 'cure' for this internal (and external) chaos is prompt your own personal energy to become coherent.
You do that by invoking emotions that are ......

Read More


Green glyphs reminiscent of the Matrix

Material Reality – The Real Deal?

Physical Reality – The Foundation of the World we Live in

We are born into a world made of matter, composed of elementary particles and energy. Physicists cannot yet agree on the nature of elementary particles but have proposed different solutions for how they might come into existence. There are theories such as the Holographic Principle,1Check out The theory that the universe is a hologram explained in under 5 minutes by Brandeis University to learn more about the theory of the Holographic Universe. [Accessed 1st September 2021] which suggests that our three-dimensional world is encoded on a two-dimensional surface, and we live in a holographic projection, so to say. Another prominent approach to explaining the mysteries of our universe is the several flavours of String Theory. They propose that each elementary particle is a tiny string, and depending on how that string vibrates, it results in a different type of elementary particle.2More information: What Is String Theory? Reference Article: A simplified explanation and brief history of string theory. | [Accessed 1st September 2021]

Several other theories try to uncover the hidden truth about our physical reality, for example, quantum physics’ many-worlds interpretation.3An easy-to-understand overview: The Many-Worlds Theory, Explained | The MIT Press Reader [Accessed 1st September 2021] It suggests that there is an infinite amount of universes out there. And within them, there are supposed to be just as many copies of each one of us. Some of our counterparts might lead a life similar to the version in this universe, but others might be totally different. But is reality an illusion if this is true? No matter what they eventually might or might not find out about the nature of what we call reality, it will probably not change something we can all agree on today: We can see, hear, smell, taste and feel the world around us, and it definitely appears very real to us. If you pull the chair away from underneath me that I’m sitting on right now, my butt will ungracefully kiss the floor below me with a thud. Physical objects are undeniably real to us, and so are the laws of physics, and nobody who could see and feel that chair would deny that it exists.

Human Extension of Physical Reality

Our primitive, initial physical reality, the physical world that our ancestors in the time before the Stone Age experienced, did not include chairs, however. The mental concept of a chair had not been thought up yet. Our ancestors’ physical reality was nature – trees, rivers, flowers, grass, and the other animals in their environment besides themselves. They sat on the floor, and at some point, one or more individuals might have discovered that it is more convenient to sit on a rock instead, but this was still a rock, not the invention of the concept of a crafted chair.

Today, our physical world is radically different. Humans have invented and created countless objects besides chairs, and even more than this. We have constructed a whole new reality on top of the physical world – social reality, or rather social realities with purely mental concepts we cannot grasp with our five senses.4Check out the corresponding Wikipedia article: Social reality | Wikipedia [Accessed 1st September 2021] Physical reality is the same for all of us. It is our lowest common denominator, our foundation. Social reality, on the other hand, is different for every one of us. But does this make reality an illusion?

Taking it a Step Further

Cultural Reality: Societies Wrapped in a Bubble of Collective Beliefs

When we are born, we are not alone or isolated. We live in families, and no family is strictly by itself either. We are embedded in larger social communities. A long, long time ago, not in a galaxy far away but all over our planet, these communities have started to develop concepts and rules to make life and living together easier. Kings and queens, governments, law, nationalities, borders, religion, armies, money, corporations, employment, trade, schools, universities, marriage, restaurants, tv shows and cocktail parties are just a few examples. They are invisible social concepts or “illusions” we have created that are independent of physical reality. Another one is the illusion that we have to answer our phone every time it rings and that we have to answer all emails immediately.

These social constructs are only “real” because enough people accept them, believe in them and thus give them validity. “Consensus reality” is a term that refers to this phenomenon. Everyone who agrees and lives within what their community, as a whole, regards as “real” and “true” is a functioning member of society. If you disregard any of these established concepts, you may be seen as “living in a different world,” or at least as somewhat unconventional. And, of course, if you violate the laws of the country you live in, you are a criminal and have to face prosecution. Depending on where you live, the individual parameters of these concepts might be different. Not all countries are governed under the same political ideology. Some countries have a liberal, others have an authoritarian regime. In some areas of the world, some religions are predominant, but others are hardly found. The society you grow up in shapes your views and beliefs about what is real or fake, true or false and right or wrong. To someone outside of that specific society, these social constructs might seem unreal. And once you decide to move from one end of the world to another, culture might be so different there that your old social reality is an illusion in retrospect.

Family: Our Gateway to the Illusion of Reality

This cultural bubble you live in might intersect or overlap with other cultural groups in some areas, or some cultures share more similarities than others. However, our parents and the rest of our family probably have the most considerable influence on our worldview, at least when we are very young. Our parents teach us many helpful things we need to survive in the physical world. For example, we learn not to touch a hot stove because it would hurt us. And thanks to our parents we also know not to drink washing detergents because it would kill us. We also learn other things from our parents that don’t have anything to do with physical reality. We naturally adopt our parents’ language, and the way a language works also shapes how we see the world. Different languages treat the concept of time differently, so to speakers of unrelated languages, the duration of the same task might feel shorter or longer. Time can be seen as an illusion of its own, and if you think about it, it can make it seem all of reality is an illusion. And you don’t even have to tap into Einstein’s “special theory of relativity” and the time dilation that emerges from it to get that impression. Some languages also have more words for distinct colours, and other languages lack words for some colours. This also influences our perception of our surroundings. Besides our parents’ language, we often “inherit” their religious views, their ideas on how a marriage should work, their beliefs about how necessary status and financial success are, and maybe their political views, to name a few factors. As children, we usually don’t question these basic concepts that our parents introduce to us. We believe that they are “real” and that this is how the world works for everyone. Every child is convinced that its world is the only “real” world, no matter which culture it is born in.

Adding More Layers to Reality

Later on, other influences add to those of our families. We form friendships, but here we might already be drawn to individuals whose values, beliefs and preferences are similar to our own. Yet, they might show us a different perspective on some aspects of social reality that we can compare to our own worldview, and sometimes we might adjust our point of view accordingly. Teachers, politicians, celebrities and other authority figures also pour their ideas into our minds, and again we either accept or reject them. Thus, everybody’s worldview evolves at a varying rate and is built from different components. There are no two people who experience the exact same reality.

This means our worldview, and with it, our reality is not static. Usually, we do not actively change any of the components we have established as “true” in our own personal “reality.” Our worldview mainly changes “by accident,” and we rarely realize when it happens. More often than changing the components that make up our reality, we enforce them and anchor them even more deeply into our minds. “Confirmation bias” means the human tendency to look for and favour opinions, results and events that support what we already think is true. So, to gain a new view of the world, we would have to actively look into alternate ideas and opinions that contradict our own beliefs and be open enough to think about them before we automatically reject them. Politics is a perfect example of how different groups of people sometimes close off their minds only as a matter of principle: The other party must be wrong, simply because they are the other party. There is no need to think more deeply about their point of view, is there?

Of course, it is not only what people tell us that shapes our point of view. Our personal experiences in specific situations contribute immensely to how we perceive reality. A child treated as an outcast and bullied a lot in school might be more prone to see people and the world itself as hostile than children who have friends they can count on. The more people you have in your life who stick up for you, the easier it is for you to trust people in general and see the good in humanity instead of the bad.

How Social Reality Can Lead Us Astray

How Seeing Through the Illusion of Reality can Change Your Future

Let’s look at an example of how the illusion of reality works: John is a very creative person who loves to paint. In school, he gets his best grades in arts. And most of his free time John spends painting. He is very talented and would probably make an exceptional professional artist. When you look at it based on this information, the logical thing for John to do after graduating from high school is obvious: Attend art school and develop his talent further. But, this is something that would never occur to John. John grew up in a family of lawyers. His father is a lawyer, and his uncle is one as well. And his grandfather and great-grandfather were lawyers, too. When John was born, it was clear to his parents that he would also become a lawyer. It is a family tradition, after all, and a prestigious one to boot. So, from a very early age, John has been primed by his father to value success and family tradition. For John, it has been a given that he, too, would eventually become a lawyer. That John isn’t passionate about law at all and already dreads the way of life that is lying before him doesn’t count for him. He knows that as a lawyer, he will hardly have any time at all for painting anymore. And that does make him very sad. Yet, he does not doubt that becoming a lawyer is the only thing to do and the only choice he has, as this is how things work in his family. He would disappoint his family if he chose a different path. He would embarrass them in their social circle. Now, will John live a happy life as a lawyer? No, probably not. He will wake up every day hating his job, and an unmotivated lawyer isn’t something that will help his clients either. The work we do takes up so much time in our lives. With a job you aren’t passionate about or even hate, you set yourself up for misery. John is limited by his family’s values and traditions and does not see a way out of it. For him, his reality is set in a certain way, and he does not realize that he has the power to change his future by standing up for himself and what he wants out of life. For an outside observer, it is clear, though, that his future is not set in stone. So partly, John’s reality is an illusion.

Experiences Trigger Associations and Emotions that Shape Reality

Check out the car in the picture below. Everyone familiar with the concept of a car will probably not deny that there actually is a car in this photo. Maybe most of us will also agree that this car is red. But if you ask different people what kind of red the car is, the answers will vary. You might get basic replies such as “medium red,” others might try to express this shade in technical RGB values, and others again might say it is “cherry red” or “blood red.” The way different people see this variation of red is related to their personal experiences that have shaped their reality. If vision is not someone’s dominant sense, they might use a simple description such as “medium red.” Someone who works with colour in a technical way, such as a screen designer, might, if he is really nerdy, use RGB values. People who pay a lot of attention to their surroundings might come up with more colourful descriptions. Someone who bought cherries the same day might – consciously or subconsciously – think of them and see the car as “cherry red.” A nurse or a doctor, a vampire enthusiast or someone who had been involved in an accident recently might perceive the car’s colour as the same as blood’s. And to take it a step further, cherry eaters and vampire enthusiasts might love this car. But someone who had a negative experience involving blood might absolutely dislike it, and none of them might actually know why they love or hate this car. If you are seriously caught up inside of the social reality matrix, you might ignore the inner voice that tells you that you don’t like this car – something you really should not do. You might buy it anyway because you believe your status within society goes up if you drive a Porsche. Car connoisseurs, please forgive me if this is not a Porsche in this picture. Car brands are only a very peripheral part of my reality – and social status is an illusionary concept we must talk about another time.

To Be or Not to Be

The Philosophical Implications of Our Perceived Reality or Reality as an Illusion

Have I already mentioned that colours are something that exists in our minds only, anyway? Things don’t have colours. They only have surface structures. When light hits a surface, some wavelengths are absorbed, and others reflected, depending on the surface’s structure. The reflected wavelengths hit the receptors in our eyes, and they send electrical impulses to our brains. Only there, colour is created. So, if you have a knack for philosophical questions, you can ask yourself: Does this car still have the property “red” in a starless night with no streetlights around? Or does it only have a structure that has the potential to reflect some wavelengths that could excite our optical receptors so that our brain could create the illusion of colour inside our head? And if there were no living beings in the universe that could see at all, either because life didn’t exist or living beings lacked the sense of vision, would colour even exist? Or is it also just part of the illusion of reality?

What Does This Mean for Your Reality?

Reality Changes all the Time

Reality is complex, yes. It is also very fluid and flexible. Things we believe to be good or bad might only be so in our mind, put there by the society we live in. But society changes, and so does what is seen as desirable and undesirable. Fashions change every year, and physical ideals change over centuries. Today, thin, toned bodies are considered the gold standard everyone aspires to. Being fit is equivalent to living a healthy lifestyle, and, at least subconsciously, we link a healthy lifestyle to fertility. And that makes someone attractive in the eyes of others. But in the 17th century, women with a few extra pounds were seen as the ideal of a beautiful woman. Being overweight was associated with wealth and thus better health. After all, they could afford enough to eat. A lot of things depend on where and also when you were born. There is no absolute truth about what beauty is. Taking a socially constructed ideal as a guideline doesn’t help anyone, and this part of reality is an illusion for sure. Everybody is beautiful in their own way, but, of course, we shouldn’t ignore the health aspects.

Take-Away: Don’t Let an Illusion Dictate Your Life but Create Your Own Reality

We all see reality through a different set of filters. Throughout our lives, more and more filters are added. Some of them stay the way they are if we don’t actively change them, and others, like fashions, are changed by society without us giving it a lot of thought. Once you recognize that reality is not fixed but that you have the power to remove these filters from how you see the world, you realize that you have the potential to change your future. You can say goodbye to concepts that hold you back and incorporate others into your life that help you grow and move towards the kind of life that makes you happy – not your parents, not your neighbours, not your boss, but you. Keep your eyes and mind open and try new things and see how they work out for you. Be bold and be brave – there are no limits to who you can be and what you can do as long as you don’t harm anyone else, keep in mind that the laws of the country you live in are “real” in a way that there are consequences if you don’t abide by them, and, above all, don’t forget that physics is real. Don’t try to fly like superman, seriously.

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Who is homeless?

Many of us have an idea of who experiences homelessness, and why they experience it. These ideas can come from a variety of places, including our own experiences, those of family or friends, or through the things we read or see on TV, the internet or in the newspaper. These different sources of information shape our ideas about who we think a “typical homeless person” is. The reality is, there is no such thing as a “typical” person experiencing homelessness, and the population is incredibly diverse; no one is absolutely safe from experiencing homelessness. Homelessness is not just a big city problem, as the causes of homelessness can affect people living anywhere in Canada, both in urban and rural areas. Every community in Canada has people experiencing homelessness, even if you don't see them on the street. Most people experiencing homelessness don't actually live on the streets, but find themselves living temporarily with friends or family, or staying in emergency shelters.

In this context, the personal circumstances that may lead to homelessness are many, and can afflict people from virtually every community. People become unhoused when individual and family problems become insurmountable. This may include catastrophic events; loss of employment; family break up; family violence; onset of mental and/or other debilitating illnesses; substance use by oneself or family members; a history of physical, sexual or emotional abuse; and, involvement in the child welfare system.

Yet we must remember that it is not just individual factors that explain homelessness. If we have adequate housing, income and supports, people who experience crises can avoid homelessness, or at least will experience homelessness for only a short time.

Some groups of people are more likely to experience homelessness.
Those experiencing homelessness in Canada are quite diverse, in terms of age, gender, and ethno-racial background. According to The State of Homelessness in Canada 2016, adults between the ages of 25-49 make up 52% of those experiencing homelessness in Canada. Furthermore, seniors, 65 years and older, make up a small percentage of the population experiencing homelessness in Canada (less than 4%). However, seniors and older adults (50-64)  are also the only groups whose shelter usage has increased over the past decade. While homelessness can affect any number of people, we do know that some groups of people are more likely to experience homelessness than others:

SINGLE ADULT MALES: Men between the ages of 25 and 55 account for almost half of those experiencing homelessness in Canada (47.5%), according to The State of Homelessness in Canada 2013. The characteristics of this group include greater incidences of mental illness, addictions and disability, including invisible disabilities such as brain injury and FASD. At the same time, it is also important to note that other sub-populations certain Canadian groups face unique risks and/or face special circumstances, including youth; Indigenous Peoples; women and families. Because the specific experiences homelessness will differ for each group, strategies to address homelessness must be tailored to these needs.

YOUTH: Young people aged 13-24 make up about 20% of those experiencing homelessness, according to Without a Home: The National Youth Homelessness Survey. However, the causes and consequences of homelessness for young people are distinct from those that afflict adults. Unlike the majority of adults, youth experiencing homelessness come from homes where they were in the care of other adults. They typically come from homes characterized by family conflict of some kind (including in some cases physical, sexual and emotional abuse), disruptions to school and family life, neglect and poverty. Many are in the throws of adolescent development, and lack life experience and the skills and supports to live independently, including the ability to secure employment and housing. Unhoused youth are also more vulnerable to crimes and exploitation. All of these factors increase the challenges in supporting this group, since the needs of a 16-year-old are very different from those of someone older.

Youth who identify as LGBTQ2S make up 29.5% of young people experiencing homelessness. This is important to note because the persistence of homophobia clearly plays a role in youth homelessness, with sexual minorities being over-represented in street youth populations, a result of tension between the youth and his or her family, friends and community. Homophobia by the homeless sector can further oppress this population.

WOMEN: Women make up 27.3% of those experiencing homelessness. Women are at increased risk for hidden homelessness, living in overcrowded conditions or having sufficient money for shelter. A number factors make women more likely to experience homelessness compared to men, including: precarious employment that increases the likelihood of income changes or unemployment, and having to take on additional caregiver roles such as looking after children and other dependents. Women, in Ontario, also experience a wage gap of 30% compared to men, making them much more likely to experience poverty.

In addition, women are also at a higher risk of experiencing Intimate Partner Violence (IPV). Family violence is a major cause of homelessness for women, and while some women make use of Violence Against Women shelters others wind up using homelessness shelters. A 2010 Point- in-Time count of women staying in found that abuse was the most commonly cited reason for admissions (71%) and the majority (60%) had not reported this to the police (Burcycka & Cotter, 2011:5).

When women become unhoused, they are at increased risk of violence and assault, sexual exploitation and abuse (Gaetz et al., 2010; Paridis & Mosher, 2012), which may explain the lower numbers of women in the shelter system. Many women will go to lengths to avoid the shelter system, including staying in dangerous and unhealthy relationships and/or making arrangements to move in with a partner (even when that situation is unsafe) rather than submit to the incredible risk of violence and exploitation on the streets.

INDIGENOUS PEOPLES: Indigenous Peoples (including First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Peoples) are overrepresented among those experiencing homelessness in urban centres in Canada. The experience of colonialism (resulting in intergenerational trauma), poverty, as well as extreme racism in many Canadian cities creates more limited opportunities and greater risk of homelessness. In thinking about how to respond to Indigenous homelessness, it is therefore necessary to consider the specific historical, experiential and cultural differences, as well as colonization and racism: “Unlike the common colonialist definition of homelessness, Indigenous homelessness is not defined as lacking a structure of habitation; rather, it is more fully described and understood through a composite lens of Indigenous worldviews. These include: individuals, families and communities isolated from their relationships to land, water, place, family, kin, each other, animals, cultures, languages and identities.” It is also important to consider the extreme poverty, lack of opportunities and inadequate housing on many reserves as a driver of migration to cities. Even further, Canada’s colonial history, including the  Indian Act, which identified who “qualifies” as an Indigenous person and therefore has access to various benefits, the history of residential schools (which took Indigenous children away from their families, communities and culture and tragically exposed many to abuse) and ongoing discrimination, racism and systemic oppression continue to affect Indigenous access to services, programs and support. While Indigenous Peoples make up 6% of the general population, they are considerably over-represented among those experiencing homelessness.

FAMILIES: Families experiencing homelessness are diverse in structure, with some including two parents, and many headed by a single parent (usually female). Family homelessness is largely underpinned by structural factors, including inadequate income, lack of affordable housing and family violence. Following the withdrawal of government housing programs and decreased supports, more families are turning to emergency shelters. Compared to individuals accessing the shelter system, families, on average, stay twice as long.


You Recently Went To A Concert And Thought One Of The Singers Was Very Good | Band 7 IELTS Letter Sample

You recently went to a concert and thought one of the singers was very good. You want to tell him how you feel. Write a letter to the singer. In your letter:

– say how you feel about his performance

– give details of your musical activities

– explain how you would like him to help you with your musical activities

Band 7 IELTS letter sample

Dear Mr. White,

I am writing to tell you that I listened to your recent concert and found that you are awesome.

When I was at your concert, you sang a song about not giving up. Your sweet but powerful voice and the inspiring lyrics made my heart beat again. Whenever I listen to you, I always feel very energetic, and it pushes me to work hard to overcome the difficulties in life.

I am assigned the task of hosting a music festival on campus next month. Many famous singers who are experts in different genres of music will be invited to perform at the festival. In addition to that, a rock band will play as a support act at the beginning to warm up the audience.

As a newbie in the music industry, I want your suggestions for this music festival. Do you think it will be better to organize the event outside on the playground so that the audience can enjoy more freedom? Also, could you tell me the best way to organize stage lighting and shows?

I am looking forward to hearing from you soon.

Yours faithfully,

Alice Wood

Manjusha Nambiar


Say hello to Susie

Hand Crafted Passion

The design

Mustard on bleached linen.

Jay Feather celebrates the treasures and patterns that can be found all around when you look a bit closer. In this design, everyday weeds found in the borders look more like fireworks or rosettes, and the intricate details of feathers create nests of interest, as if collected by the inquisitive hands of a child.

Susie Hetherington - Mustard - Jay Feather

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