Opinion Archives - Page 17 of 45

23Jul

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Blinken, Austin to reinforce ties with Asian allies amid domestic political uncertainty

U.S. President Joe Biden's administration said it remains “intensely focused on” its foreign policy agenda in the final six months of his term, despite the challenges often faced by so-called lame-duck leaders. On Tuesday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters at the State Department that the United States will continue the work, “particularly trying to bring peace to the Middle East, ending the war in Gaza,” dealing effectively with the ongoing aggression by Russia against Ukraine, and maintaining engagement in the Indo-Pacific region. This week, Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin head to Asia to reassure allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific of the U.S. commitment, as the U.S. presidential election in November casts uncertainty over Washington's foreign policy

23Jul

By Online DeskNo Comments

Blinken, Austin to reinforce ties with Asian allies amid domestic political uncertainty

U.S. President Joe Biden's administration said it remains “intensely focused on” its foreign policy agenda in the final six months of his term, despite the challenges often faced by so-called lame-duck leaders. On Tuesday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters at the State Department that the United States will continue the work, “particularly trying to bring peace to the Middle East, ending the war in Gaza,” dealing effectively with the ongoing aggression by Russia against Ukraine, and maintaining engagement in the Indo-Pacific region. This week, Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin head to Asia to reassure allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific of the U.S. commitment, as the U.S. presidential election in November casts uncertainty over Washington's foreign policy

23Jul

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Mongolia’s MPP maintains power with strategic gains

In the ninth parliamentary elections held in Mongolia since its 1990 democratic revolution, the ruling Mongolian People’s Party narrowly retained its majority, winning 68 of the enlarged parliament's 126 seats, marking a strategic shift from their previous supermajority. Though the election saw little divergence in party policies on crucial issues and did not spark significant changes in Mongolia's political culture, the outcome led to increased political diversity, with the Democratic Party and the Civil Will-Green Party making notable gains. L Oyun-Erdene has been reelected as prime minister by a grand coalition of the Mongolian People’s Party, the Democratic Party and HUN. Mongolia held its ninth parliamentary election since its 1990 democratic revolution on 28 June 2024, giving the

23Jul

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The CCP’s third plenum: economic reforms, strategic continuity

The CCP announced structural reforms and measures to attract foreign investment. These reforms reflect technical adjustments rather than strategic shifts, while improvements to China’s resilience, military modernisation and national-security priorities will continue to shape the party’s economic policies. Following an unprecedented nine-month delay, last week the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) finally held its third plenum – a meeting of Central Committee members to outline China’s long-term economic and social policies. It subsequently published an initial brief communiqué on 18 July, with a decision document providing greater detail on 21 July. In the lead-up to the event, the Chinese media and debate within China’s expert and academic communities focused on the n

23Jul

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Hamas and Fatah sign unity deal in Beijing aimed at Gaza governance

Palestinian factions have signed a “national unity” agreement aimed at maintaining Palestinian control over Gaza once Israel’s war on the enclave concludes. The deal, finalised on Tuesday in China after three days of intensive talks, lays the groundwork for an “interim national reconciliation government” to rule post-war Gaza, said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. The agreement was signed by long-term rivals Hamas and Fatah, as well as 12 other Palestinian groups. “Today we sign an agreement for national unity and we say that the path to completing this journey is national unity,” said senior Hamas official Mousa Abu Marzouk at a news conference in Beijing. Blocking Israeli control of Gaza Mustafa Barghouti, secretary-general of the Palestinian National Initiative, one of the

23Jul

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India–China relations under the Modi 3.0 government

On 4 June, Narendra Modi was re-elected as prime minister of India for a third consecutive term – unprecedented in 62 years. By reappointing his foreign minister and national security advisor, Modi has signalled his desire for continuity in India’s statecraft. However, among India’s key bilateral ties, those with China will merit significant attention and possibly adaptation. As the relationship between Asia’s largest nuclear-armed militaries and economies by 2025 appears increasingly distant and tense, where is it headed? Mutually exclusive prosperity and security India–China ties are troubled by an unsettled border, an unequal trade relationship, China’s strategic ties to Pakistan, and a broadening political-strategic disagreement ove

22Jul

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Nepal’s Political and Economic Challenges

On 15 July 2024, K P Sharma Oli, Chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal (United Marxist and Leninist) [CPN (UML)], was sworn in a Nepal’s prime minister of a coalition government. CPN (UML) is the second largest party in Nepal’s current Parliament. The largest party, the Nepali Congress, is the other major coalition partner. Oli has become the prime minister for the fourth time. He is the country’s 15th prime minister since it became a Federal Democratic Republic in 2008. Since the promulgation of the new constitution in 2015, Oli’s current prime ministership is the eighth in succession. On average, Nepal has seen its prime minister change once every year. Not a single prime minister has been in office for a full five-year term. This shows the state of political i

22Jul

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China’s third plenum – watch what they do, not what they say

When trying to understand China’s economy, it’s worth remembering that the gulf between what Chinese policymakers say and what they do can be vast. Let’s call that a ‘Type 1 problem’. But sometimes they just don’t say very much at all, and this one might call a ‘Type 2 problem’. Last week’s third plenum, a five-yearly top-level meeting which on occasion has delivered important signals of Beijing’s grand economic strategy, served up a Type 2 problem. Unless you attribute a great deal of significance to Beijing’s ‘Five-Sphere Integrated Plan’ or the ‘Four-Pronged Comprehensive Strategy’, the plenum’s communique was long on slogans and short on substance. A lack of clarity To be fair, many of these slogans do genuinely reflect deep thinking about policy. When Beijing offic

21Jul

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Indonesia’s president-elect Prabowo pitches a broad political tent on unsteady democratic ground

Prabowo Subianto was elected with a landslide victory in February 2024, assisted by unprecedented backing from the outgoing Widodo administration. While Prabowo is poised to make a strong start to his presidency due to widespread political support, observers anticipate an increase in the entrenchment of democratic defects and weakened scrutiny of governmental power, hinting at an ongoing deterioration of Indonesia's democratic environment. Controversial changes to the legislature and moves to compromise judicial independence, civilian liberties and press freedom have also provoked concern about the future of democratic governance in Indonesia. Indonesia is now seeing a handover of political power far more stage-managed than ever before in its post-democratic history, as President Joko ...

19Jul

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China’s Third Plenum concludes without major breakthroughs

The Chinese Communist Party has wrapped up a series of high-level meetings with a communiqué that China watchers have described as vague and lacking detailed policies. The meetings, called the Third Plenary Session, usually deal with major economic and political policy changes in China. This year, the session has approved decisions on "further comprehensively deepening of reform and promoting Chinese-style modernization." According to the official communiqué released on July 18, the four-day meeting was attended by 199 Central Committee members and 165 alternate members. It stated that the Beijing authorities will focus on "improving the (Communist) Party's capacity for leadership and long-term governance," with a goal of completing all tasks by 2029, the 80th anniversary of