Tag: Asia

China, Russia Increasing Their Military Ties: Warns Japan FM

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STOCKHOLM —  Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi expressed concern Saturday about Russian and Chinese military cooperation in Asia and said the security situation in Europe and the Indo-Pacific region was indivisible since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Speaking at a meeting of European and Indo-Pacific foreign ministers in Sweden, Hayashi said Russia’s war in Ukraine had “shaken the very foundation of the international order” and must face a united response by the international community. Participants pose for a photo during an EU Indo-Pacific Ministerial Forum in connection to an informal…

Chinese Migrants Use Social Media Tips on Trek to US-Mexico Border

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The difficulty of obtaining U.S. visas and the economic aftershocks of China’s COVID lockdowns have led to a sharp increase in Chinese nationals presenting at the U.S.-Mexico border. Some of those arrivals have learned from social media websites and applications about how to make the long and dangerous journey, migrants, immigration experts, attorneys and current and former U.S. officials, told Reuters. “Entering the United States at the southern border is an expensive and risky proposition. But if you have personal or economic reasons to do so, then it is a…

Sandstorms cover China, South Korea and Thailand in a yellow blanket of dust – in pictures

Chin@Strategy

Sandstorms whipped up from the Gobi desert have spread from northern China to Thailand and South Korea and as far east as Japan, causing a reduction in visibility and an increase in respiratory illness. There have been four sandstorms in the space of a month in China this year The Guardian

Weather tracker: South Korea and Japan brace for typhoon Hinnamnor

Chin@Strategy

Destruction is imminent across southern Japan and South Korea as super typhoon Hinnamnor barrels northwards through the East China Sea this weekend. The typhoon is so far the strongest tropical storm of the 2022 hurricane season and developed gradually this week out in the Pacific, edging towards the Philippines and Taiwan. By Thursday, maximum sustained winds had reached 160mph, leading to classification as a category 5 tropical cyclone, or a super typhoon. Forecast models suggest that through the weekend and into next week, Hinnamnor will push northwards through the East…

Shanghai declares third rare extreme heat warning of summer

Chin@Strategy

China’s most populous city, Shanghai, has issued its highest alert for extreme heat for the third time this summer as sweltering temperatures repeatedly tested records this week. The commercial and industrial hub of 25 million people declared a red alert on Thursday, warning of expected temperatures of at least 40C (104F) in the next 24 hours. Temperatures soared as high as 40.6 C in the afternoon but fell short of Wednesday’s 40.9 C, which matched a 2017 record. Extreme heat conditions have also taken hold in parts of Europe. Firefighters…

Why Nation-Building Failed in Afghanistan

Chin@Strategy

ISTANBUL – The United States invaded Afghanistan 20 years ago with the hope of rebuilding a country that had become a scourge to the world and its own people. As General Stanley McChrystal explained in the run-up to the 2009 surge of US troops, the objective was that the “government of Afghanistan sufficiently control its territory to support regional stability and prevent its use for international terrorism.” Why Nation-Building Failed in Afghanistan Afghan Presidential Palace via Getty Images Daron Acemoglu explains why the West’s top-down approach to establishing state institutions…

Why China’s rise is a ‘wildcard’ for how things could play out in Afghanistan

Chin@Strategy

While several countries are evacuating their embassies in Kabul and scrambling to get their citizens out of Afghanistan, there are three notable exceptions.  Australia closed its embassy back in May, but China, Russia and Pakistan are staying put for now. Afghanistan has geographical significance, positioned as a bridge between Asia and Europe, and all three countries have an interest in regional stability and want to avoid the country becoming a hotbed of extremism. Afghanistan is also sitting on to $US1 trillion ($1.3 trillion) worth of mineral deposits, including rare earths and…