East Asia
Russian and Chinese Presidents Meet Despite ICC Warrant
Chinese President Xi Jingping left Russia on the 22nd after holding two days of in person discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin, ending the 40th occasion the two leaders have met in person in the past decade.
Korean President Yoon Meets with Japanese Prime Minister Kishida
President Yoon Suk-yeol flew to Tokyo to meet Prime Minister Kishida on March 16th, which is the first official Korea-Japan summit in 12 years.
Honduras to shift its diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China
Honduran president Xiomara Castro announced that Honduras is preparing to shift its diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to the People’s Republic of China.
China sets its GDP growth target at 5 percent for 2023
On March 3, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang released his report on the work of the government for the fiscal year of 2022.
China Floats Politically Charged Mediation in Ukraine
Feb. 24 was an auspicious day in the Russo-Ukrainian conflict; the date marked one year since hostilities, and nine years since the Russian partition of Crimea. On that day in 2023, China made its first major offer of mediation to the embattled nations.
Japanese Foreign Minister Meets With Chinese Counterparts In Munich, Germany
On February 18, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi met with his Chinese and South Korean counterparts, Wang Yi and Park Jin.
Possible Arrest of Lee Jae Myung and the Fate of the Korean Democratic Party
President Yoon of South Korea approved the request to arrest Korean Democratic Party leader Lee Jae Myung on February 20th.
Chinese and Indian Soldiers Clash on Disputed Eastern Sino-Indian Borders
On Dec. 9, Chinese and Indian soldiers clashed on the eastern Sino-Indian border around the disputed region of Arunachal Pradesh/ Southern Tibet, where most of the 1962 Sino-Indian War took place.
Japan To Significantly Expand Its Military Spending Over Next Five Years
Japan will set a new target for its military spending over the next five years to 43 trillion yen ($318 billion) in total.
Nationwide Protests set China to loosen COVID restrictions
A fire in a high rise building in Urumqi, China sparked rare nationwide protests against the state’s harsh coronavirus restriction policies.
2022 Taiwanese Local Elections: A Full Report
Taiwanese local elections, also known as Taiwanese midterm elections, were held Nov. 26.
North Korea Launches Another Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Test
This Friday, North Korea launched a new Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) that is reported to be its strongest yet. The missile, speculated to be Hwasong-17, is reported to have landed near the waters of Japan’s northernmost island Hokkaido.
Increased Political Polarization among Korean media and the Fall of MBC
Korea’s political landscape has become increasingly polarized since President Park’s political scandal and President Moon’s inauguration before Yoon took hold of office this year.
Japan joined NATO Cyber Defense Center and deepened cooperation in techs with its members
On November 4, the Japanese Ministry of Defense (JMOD) officially declared that Japan “will formally join NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence’s (#CCDCOE) activities, following the completion of participation procedures.
South Korea Mourns Itaewon Halloween Crowd Surge Victims
A crowd surge that happened in the Itaewon district in South Korea’s capital Seoul has left 156 people dead and over 150 injured this past Halloween weekend.
Shanghai Disney Abruptly Shut Down After COVID-19 Case Detected
Shanghai Disneyland, one of the major tourist attractions in Shanghai, has been closed since the beginning of November 2021 due to detected COVID-19 cases.
Lee Jae Yong’s appointment as the New Samsung Chairman and the Future of the Korean Economy
Since Lee Jae Yong’s appointment as the Vice Chairman of Samsung Electronics, it took 10 years for Lee to finally inherit his father’s Samsung kingdom amidst Korean political turmoil and a global supply chain crisis.
Kakao Outage Sparks Public Anger
These disruptions highlighted the nation’s dependence on the corporation, thus sparking the conversation of the company’s monopolization in the industry.
China Released Q3 Economic Data after Unexpected Delay
On October 24, just one day after the closing ceremony of the 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, the National Bureau of Statistics of China published the data on the Chinese economy in the third quarter of this year.
Korean Democratic Party Stumbles Again with Massive Lee Scandals
Since Yoon Suk Yeol’s conservative regime took power this May, the transition from the previous liberal regime of Moon Jae-in has been a rough ride for Korea during the last few months, with unprecedented political polarization amongst the general population.