ZeroFox Physical Security Intelligence Daily Brief - November 12, 2024

ZeroFox Physical Security Intelligence Daily Brief - November 12, 2024

ZeroFox physical security experts collect, curate, and analyze information derived from open and proprietary sources for comprehensive context of the circumstances surrounding global events. Here is today’s daily roundup of major developments.

Brief Highlights

• Indonesia and China Sign Major Deals on Clean Energy and Technology
• China Maps Out Claims Over Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea amid Dispute with Philippines
• New Zealand Proposes Anti-Stalking Law

Indonesia and China Sign Major Deals on Clean Energy and Technology

Indonesia and China have signed multiple deals for USD 10 billion covering food, energy, technology, and biotechnology. Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto chose China as his first overseas trip since inauguration, likely indicating his plans to prioritize the strategic partnership between the two countries. Two of the major agreements reached between companies during the summit will allow Chinese companies to develop local industry, with the construction of an acid leaching plant on Sulawesi and building cloud computing infrastructure across Indonesia.

China Maps Out Claims Over Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea amid Dispute with Philippines

On November 10, 2024, China’s Foreign Ministry published a set of geographic baselines for 16 points, marking its territorial claim for the first time to the disputed Huangyan Island (Scarborough Shoal), which the Philippines also claims. The baselines for Scarborough Shoal were not newly drawn, but China's announcement was a direct response to the Philippines' two laws demarcating its claims in the contested waters on November 8, 2024. Both China and the Philippines claim Scarborough Shoal. China seized the shoal in 2012 and has since restricted access to Filipino fishermen. In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague invalidated most Chinese claims but China rejected the ruling, and vessels from both countries have clashed multiple times as confrontations escalate. China claims almost the entire South China Sea and has disputes with several Southeast Asian countries including the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Malaysia.

New Zealand Proposes Anti-Stalking Law

New Zealand's government has introduced a new legislation against stalking, which would make the act punishable by up to five years in prison. The law sets a threshold for what constitutes stalking behavior—the current proposal is three incidents in a 12 month period, though some are pushing for two incidents—with the aim of standardizing and strengthening police response to reports of stalking. The legislation is in large part inspired by the story of an individual, who was killed by a stalker in 2022 after making multiple reports of his concerning behavior. A police inquiry found that law enforcement failed to adequately investigate and put together information in the case.