Chinese President Xi Jinping hailed the past successes of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) at a forum in Beijing; he also delivered sharp criticism against those who seek economic decoupling. The forum also saw the Chinese announce easing of investment restrictions as a way to attract more international trade.
Russian President Putin recently made a visit to Kyrgyzstan, where he met with Kyrgyz President Japarov. The meeting addressed security and economic cooperation between the two countries. Though the Kyrgyz president praised the relationship, his administration's actions have demonstrated a resistance to assisting the Russian state.
V.R. Chaudhari, the leader of India’s air forces, recently announced that the Indian Air Force is now effectively the “Indian Air and Space Forces”, a non-official designation that mirrors the American Air Force’s responsibility for space prior to the creation of the Space Force as a separate organization in 2019. Numerous Indian military officials and Prime Minister Modi himself have echoed Chaudhari’s emphasis on space as a security sector in the past year.
Around Monday, September 25, Filipino divers severed a Chinese ball-buoy-barrier near the entrance of the contested Scarborough Shoal. The buoy’s placement is part of China’s policing strategy to block Filipino boats from fishing near the shoal. Wang Wenbin, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, responded, “what the Philippines [has] done is nothing but a farce that entertains itself. China will continue to safeguard the territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests of Hangman Island.”
The mystery surrounding a wave of deadly protests that engulfed Kazakhstan in January 2022, known as ‘Bloody January’, is slowly unraveling. With around 238 dead, what caused the protests was a subject of debate for some time. At the time, officials tried to frame the revolt as an intricate plot involving foreign-trained terrorists and bandits. However, few outside of Kazakhstan bought into such a poor explanation. Another interpretation is that former President Nazarbayev and his relatives were attempting to undermine and even unseat Nazarbayev’s replacement Tokayev. This understanding of events just received further validation after the recent arrest of Samat Abish, former deputy head of Kazakhstan’s National Security Committee, and Nazarbayev’s nephew.
The Asian Games marked the first time that President Assad visited China since 2004. This visit carries special significance as Syria reenters the Arab fold as relations with its neighbors improve. The improvement of relations with both China and neighboring Arab states will likely open economic opportunities for the war-torn nation. “We believe that President Bashar Al-Assad’s visit will further develop trust and cooperation in various fields between the two countries,” noted Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning.
Diplomatic relations between India and Canada have hit an all-time low. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has accused the Indian government of murdering a Canadian citizen on sovereign territory. Nijjar is considered a terrorist by the Indian government with the Indian National Investigation Agency accusing Nijjar of “trying to radicalize the Sikh community across the world in favor of the creation of ‘Khalistan,’” and “trying to incite Sikhs to vote for secession, agitate against the government of India and carry out violent activities.” So far, the Indian government has refused any involvement in the matter.
The Taliban welcomed China’s new ambassador to Afghanistan with all the pomp and circumstance they could muster last Wednesday. The lavish ceremony was held at the presidential palace where the Taliban’s Prime Minister Mohammad Hasan Akhund shook hands with Zhao Sheng before accepting his credentials. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs played down the meeting claiming, “this is the normal rotation of China's ambassador to Afghanistan and is intended to continue advancing dialogue and cooperation between China and Afghanistan.”
Nipah, which was first reported among humans in 1999 and in Kerala in 2018, is believed to originate in fruit bats, which are increasingly in contact with humans in rapidly expanding and industrializing regions like Kerala. While the disease has a much higher fatality rate than COVID-19 (perhaps 40% across limited cases), it is also far less contagious.
On September 14, the Taiwan Aerospace & Defense Technology Expo (TADTE) returned to Taipei for the first time in four years. Despite the robust international presence at the expo, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense drew the spotlight featuring numerous advanced weapon systems with a new attack drone taking center stage.
The Patterson Journal of International Affairs 