Taiwan reports more Chinese military activity as election nears (November 30, 2023, Reuters)
Taiwan again reported Chinese warplanes and warships around the island on Thursday (Nov 30), including aircraft crossing the sensitive median line of the Taiwan Strait, as Beijing keeps up its military activities ahead of Taiwan's January election.
A turning point in Myanmar as army suffers big losses (November 9, 2023, BBC)
The military-installed president of Myanmar has warned that the country is in danger of breaking apart if the government cannot control fighting which has broken out in Shan State.
Pakistan starts rounding up undocumented foreigners, mostly Afghans, ahead of deadline (November 1, 2023, Reuters)
Pakistani authorities began rounding up undocumented foreigners, most of them Afghans, on Wednesday, ahead of a midnight deadline for them to leave or face expulsion. The removal of people to temporary holding centres began a day earlier than previously announced. The interior ministry said 140,322 people had already voluntarily left after days in which trucks piled high with belongings and crammed with people have jammed major roads out of the country.
Malaysia names Sultan Ibrahim as next king (October 27, 2023, Reuters)
Malaysia's royal families elected the powerful and outspoken Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar from the southern state of Johor to be the country's next king. The king plays a largely ceremonial role in Malaysia, but the monarchy has become more influential in recent years due to prolonged political instability that has prompted the incumbent king to wield rarely used discretionary powers.
Thailand's ruling party chooses a Shinawatra as new leader (October 27, 2023, Reuters)
Thailand's ruling Pheu Thai Party named Paetongtarn Shinawatra as its new leader on Friday, continuing the billionaire family's political dominance for the last quarter century. Paetongtarn, 37, nicknamed "Ung Ing", was among Pheu Thai's prime minister candidates in a May election, though another nominee Srettha Thavisin was chosen by parliament.
India reopens visa services for Canadians, calming diplomatic spat (October 26, 2023, Al Jazeera)
India announced it would begin reissuing visas for entry, business, medical and conferences on Thursday, reversing a month-long ban. The Indian High Commission, along with India’s consulates in Toronto and Vancouver, will continue to deal with emergency services.
India-China feud keeps international planes out of Nepal airport (October 4, 2023, BBC)
But a hoped-for surge in tourist numbers has failed to materialise, blamed in part on tensions between Nepal's giant neighbours India and China. Lumbini saw close to a million visitors in 2022, according to the Lumbini Development Trust - and it was this number the government was betting on when it spent $76m (£61m) to build the Gautam Buddha International Airport, which opened in May last year.
Indonesia is set to launch Southeast Asia’s first high-speed railway, largely funded by China (September 30, 2023, AP)
Indonesia is launching Southeast Asia’s first high-speed railway, a key project under China’s Belt and Road infrastructure initiative that will cut travel time between the capital and another major city from the current three hours to about 40 minutes. […] The Chinese-made bullet train, called “Whoosh,” will connect Jakarta with Bandung, the heavily populated capital of West Java province.
China's ex-premier Li Keqiang, sidelined by Xi Jinping, dies at 68 (October 27, 2023, Reuters)
Chinese former Premier Li Keqiang died of a heart attack on Friday, barely seven months after retiring from a decade in office during which his reformist star had dimmed. He was 68. Once viewed as a top Communist Party leadership contender, Li was sidelined in recent years by President Xi Jinping, who tightened his grip on power and steered the world's second-largest economy in a more statist direction.
Middle East crisis tests limits of China's diplomatic push (October 10, 2023, Reuters)
After the March Saudi-Iran agreement, which China brokered, Chinese media hailed Beijing's rising profile in a region long dominated by Washington. Wang Yi, China's top diplomat, said the country would continue to play a constructive role in handling global "hotspot issues". But after the killings of more than 900 Israelis in coordinated assaults by the Islamic group Hamas, China's response was muted.
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Joann Pittman
Joann Pittman is Vice President of Partnership and China Engagement and editor of ZGBriefs. Prior to joining ChinaSource, Joann spent 28 years working in China, as an English teacher, language student, program director, and cross-cultural trainer for organizations and businesses engaged in China. She has also taught Chinese at the University …View Full Bio
Blessing Asia
In October-2022 more than 500 Christian leaders from across Asia gathered in Thailand for the Asia 2022 Congress, sponsored by the Lausanne Movement and various partnering organizations. I had the opportunity to participate in the Congress virtually and was mightily blessed. From Bible exposition to K-pop worship, and through seminars and workshops, the participants were encouraged by the stories of what God is doing in countries all over Asia. Clearly, God is on the move.
A beautiful vision was portrayed in a video of the popular worship song The Blessing, featuring singers from all over Asia. Here it is:
Many of the sessions have already been posted on their website and to their YouTube channel.
One that I found particularly helpful considering all that is going on in China was a presentation titled Church and State Relationship in Asia Today. You can see the video here.
I encourage you to spend some time on their website; there are fantastic resources for understanding God’s work in Asia today.
Original link: https://www.chinasource.org/resource-library/blog-entries/blessing-asia/
Image credit: Andrea Brucker, via Unsplash
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