South Korea, US, Japan stage missile defence exercise after North Korea launches (February 23, 2023, The Korea Herald, via Asia News Network)
South Korea, the United States and Japan staged a ballistic missile defense exercise on Wednesday in international waters to enhance military interoperability and readiness against escalating threats from North Korea, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said. The five-hour trilateral drills came days after North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles and one intercontinental ballistic missile, respectively, on Monday and Feb. 18.
Indonesia warns of ‘open conflict’ in Indo-Pacific (February 16, 2023, The Jakarta Post, via Asia News Network)
Indonesia has recently given countries in the Indo-Pacific a stern reminder that the geopolitical rivalry between the United States and China could “very well escalate into open conflict” if not properly managed, underpinning broader concerns that things could turn from bad to worse.
US gets access to more Philippines bases (February 3, 2023, Philippine Daily Inquirer, via Asia News Network)
The Philippines has granted the United States access to more of its military bases, the defense chiefs of both countries announced on Thursday, amid concerns over China’s continued assertiveness in the South China Sea and potential invasion of Taiwan. The agreement by both countries to add four new locations “in strategic areas of the country” under the 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (Edca) capped the visit to Manila by US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III, who arrived Tuesday night.
Maldives ruling party holds high-stakes presidential primary (January 28, 2023, Al Jazeera)
The Maldives’s governing party is set to hold a primary that is pitting incumbent President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih against his former ally and the nation’s first democratically-elected leader, Mohamed Nasheed. The closely fought election on Saturday follows a bitter campaign, with Nasheed framing the poll as a choice between autocracy and democracy, and accusing Solih of vote rigging and bribery — allegations he denies.
Afghanistan: Deadly suicide bombing outside foreign ministry (December 12, 2023, BBC)
A suicide bomb attack outside the Afghan foreign ministry in Kabul has caused heavy casualties. Police said at least five civilians had been killed but another Taliban official put the toll as high as 20. The local offshoot of the Islamic State group, known as Isis-K, claimed it carried out the attack.
Chinese Teams in Turkey: Rescue Over but Relief Will Take Years (February 17, 2023, Sixth Tone)
A group of volunteers from Zhejiang returned to China after a weeklong rescue effort in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake in Turkey.
Optimization: Another Word for Messy (February 2, 2023, China Media Project)
Over the past two months, the CCP leadership has sought to downplay the problems stemming from its sudden decision to dismantle rigid Covid control measures, insisting that all is going according to plan. State media have actively pushed the narrative that this has all been a skillful re-tooling of existing policies.
China Suddenly Abandoned Its Zero COVID Policy. How Did It Start In The First Place? (January 28, 2023, The Diplomat)
We tend to think China has a strict, top-down COVID-19 policy, but local variation is what really shaped the outcome, from beginning to end.
How Beijing Accidentally Ended the Zero COVID Policy (January 7, 2023, The Diplomat)
China’s central government aimed to modify the zero COVID policy incrementally following the 20th Party Congress. What went wrong?
How Well Is China Advancing Its Interests in Southeast Asia? (December 16, 2022, China File)
As China continues to grow its role in the region, how well is Beijing advancing its interests and what and where do its interests diverge most acutely from those of China’s neighbors?
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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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