Armenia, Azerbaijan hold border talks amidst stalled peace efforts (November 30, FirstPost)
Armenia and Azerbaijan resumed discussions over their shared border on Thursday, according to Armenian officials. The normalisation talks between the two nations had hit a roadblock after Baku reclaimed the Nagorno-Karabakh region from Armenian separatists.
Blankets, medical supplies, water filters: RSAF aircraft loaded with Gaza aid arrives in Egypt (November 30, 2023, Channel News Asia)
A Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) aircraft carrying life-saving supplies for civilians in Gaza arrived in Egypt on Thursday (Nov 30). The humanitarian package comprised medical supplies, pharmaceuticals, blankets, sanitation items, water filters and food from the Ministry of Health, the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), as well as non-governmental organisations (NGOs), including the Singapore Red Cross, Mercy Relief and Relief Singapore.
Vietnam ‘ramps up’ island building in South China Sea (November 17, 2023, RFA)
Vietnam has actively pursued its major expansion plan in the disputed South China Sea, nearly doubling newly-reclaimed areas in one year, a new report said.
Thai government said in talks with Iran for release of 23 hostages in Gaza (November 7, 2023, Times of Israel)
The Thai government is reportedly in talks with Tehran to secure the freedom of its 23 hostages held in Gaza. Hebrew media reports said Qatar was also involved. Numerous Thai citizens were killed and kidnapped during Hamas’s October 7 assault on southern Israeli communities. Farms in the Gaza periphery have long employed foreign workers, many of them from Thailand, for various agricultural tasks.
South China Sea: Why the Philippines and China are on a collision course (October 23, 2023, BBC)
The spats at sea are now unfolding in the full glare of the television media. This is the second time in weeks Philippine journalists have filmed a close encounter near a particularly sensitive reef known variously as Second Thomas Shoal, Ayungin Shoal or Ren Ai Reef.
Strange bedfellows form Thailand’s ruling government (October 13, 2023, East Asia Forum)
While the conservatives and Thaksin’s camp may be aligned at present, mutual trust is lacking. Their alliance remains fragile and could suddenly disintegrate at any moment. The military remains a key cleavage.
The Power – and Limits – of Xi Jinping (November 18, 2023, The Diplomat)
Xi may have more power than any Chinese leader since Mao Zedong, but even he can’t fully implement his policy preferences.
What China's Xi gained from his Biden meeting (November 17, 2023, Reuters)
When Chinese President Xi Jinping met executives for dinner on Wednesday night in San Francisco, he was greeted with not one, but three standing ovations from the U.S. business community. It was one of several public relations wins for the Chinese leader on his first trip in six years to the United States, where he and President Joe Biden reached agreements covering fentanyl, military communications and artificial intelligence on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.
Pakistan: Insurgents kill 14 soldiers in Balochistan (November 3, 2023, DW)
The Pakistani military said an attack in the restive Balochistan region targeted a troop convoy. Balochistan is home to a decades-long insurgency by ethnic militants.
Sidelined in Death, as in Politics? (November 1, 2023, China Media Project)
Since former Chinese Premier Li Keqiang passed away last week, his legacy has been quietly boxed up and filed away. The current leadership under Xi Jinping hopes that the nation can move quickly past his pragmatism and the questions it raises about the present.
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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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