Category: Politics

On Thursday, New Zealand’s first indigenous Maori woman swears in as the Governor-General. Dame Cindy Kiro is now formally a part of the largely ceremonial role in parliament in Wellington who pledged to reach out to migrants and marginalized citizens.

Dami spoke to a small audience at the swearing-in ceremony and said she was proud of her dual Maori and British heritage. She will remain the country’s official head of state who will carry out constitutional and ceremonial duties in the former British colony on behalf of the British monarch.

She said, “I will connect to new migrants and former refugees, and celebrate the many diverse cultures and religions gifted to our nation by those who have chosen to make New Zealand their home”. She further added, “Communities develop resilience when people feel connected, have a sense of belonging, and have a place to stand”.

The new General-Governor had a career in academics and held leadership roles in various universities in New Zealand. She was the first in her family to have a university qualification and to hold a Ph.D. in Social Policy and an MBA (Exec) in Business Administration from the University of Auckland and Massey University.

Nearly 17% of the population of Maori in New Zealand still face disadvantages socially and economically.

Despite investing tens of billions of dollars in upgrading its missile defenses, China is said to have launched a hypersonic missile into orbit, raising fears that the Pentagon’s missile defenses are being quickly neutralized.

On Saturday, it was reported by a leading news agency that the Chinese military had sent a nuclear-capable missile into low-orbit space nearly two months ago. The missile was around the globe before it cruised down to its target. However, the weapon missed its mark nearly 24 miles away from the target. According to the agency, if the technology is perfected it could be used against the US by sending nuclear warheads over the South Pole and America’s anti-missile system in the northern hemisphere.

On Monday, China denied the allegations and its Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian described it as a “routine test of a space vehicle that was used to check the technology for spacecraft reusability”. He further clarified and compared it with the system that is being developed by private companies. According to him, China will peacefully work with different countries and use space for the benefit of mankind.

By doing so, Xi Jinping appears to be exploring the possibility of orbital strikes as a counterbalance to American weapons advancements such as shooting down ballistic missiles before they threaten the US homeland.

Last week, the Lower Chamber of Parliament was dissolved by the Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida for a general election to be held on October 31. The upcoming elections in Japan will have economy, defense, and diversity as their key issues.

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) swore to attain “fairer wealth distribution” after the growth failed to translate into higher wages years before pre-pandemic. It worsened the rich-poor gap and the party pledged for a “comprehensive and ambitious” stimulus package.

However, the opposition party, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP) is asking for the consumption tax to be halved to 5% from 10%. In both scenarios, the Finance ministry top bureaucrat Koji Yano took it as a nightmare and wrote in an op-ed, “these ideas give the impression that Japan has an ultimate amount of money in its coffers”.

The LDP stresses a key plank of foreign and defense policy of Japan’s partnership with the US, Quad, ASEAN, Europe, and Taiwan, with the Free and Open Indo-Pacific vision.

As per the diversity is concerned, the LDP is stuck on the status quo and retain the longstanding pledge of creating a more conducive environment for women at work and in society

Myanmar’s ruling military won’t allow Asean Envoy to meet detained former leader Aung San Suu Kyi as she is charged with crimes. The military will however not block the special Southeast Asian envoy to visit the country.

Zaw Min Tun Junta’s spokesman said in a comment that the military issued a statement dated Wednesday that describes a delay in the United Nations approving the military government’s UN ambassador nomination as political intentions. The country has been in political and economic paralysis since the military’s February 1 coup. It has triggered an outpouring of anger and people protested with some civilians forming militias to take on the powerful army.

Erwan Yusof, the bloc’s special envoy said last week on the ASEAN plan that Junta’s inaction was “tantamount to backtracking”. Some member countries were in “deep discussion” to exclude Min Aung Hlaing from a summit this month. The special envoy is in consultations with the parties in Myanmar who mentioned that he does not take sides or political positions and looks forward to visiting the nation.

According to the Junta Spokesman, the chief justice was appointed by the previous government to handle Aung San Suu Kyi’s case.

After a dramatic walkout three and a half years ago, the United States is returning to the UN Human Rights Council. On Thursday, new members of the UN’s top right body were elected by the United Nations General Assembly.

In 2018, the US has quit the council after accusing it of hypocrisy and obsession with haranguing Israel under former president Donal Trump’s rule. However, under President Joe Biden, Washington will come face to face with a fortified China that took advantage of the US absence to flex its muscles.

With 18 countries standing for 18 seats, the election is a non-contest and members are selected through a secret ballot. The UN Human Rights Council is commissioned for strengthening the promotion and protection of human rights worldwide and to address the violation and make recommendations.

According to one of the European diplomats, “the Chinese and all those who are fundamentally against human rights as the Europeans understand them. Oppose economic, social, and cultural rights. It is not a trend, but it is undeniably growing stronger”.

The executive director of the Universal Rights Group think-tank in Geneva said that the US has “basically focused on just one thing which is China”.

On Thursday, Japan’s powerful lower house of parliament was dissolved in a formal step for an October 31 general election that could decide the stay for Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in office.

As soon as Kishida took office as prime minister, the election came in less than three weeks. These elections could determine the faith of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party if there is any major loss of seats. This has increased the chances of the leader to be dispatched through the “revolving door” that claimed six previous Japanese premiers between 2007-2012.

Kishida is positive to achieve the modest target of 465-seat House of Representatives to maintain his ruling coalition majority. Before the dissolution, LDP and its junior partner Komeito together controlled more than 300 seats and it would allow for a significant reduction in numbers. They have forged an alliance that includes the Japanese Communist Party while none of the opposition boasts support for more than a single figure.

The party is cooperating in various constituencies to try to reduce the ruling coalition’s majority. The leader has focused his election pledges on establishing a “new capitalism” that will result in economic growth that is widely spread.

On Wednesday, the top diplomats from Israel and the United Arab Emirates are scheduled to hold three-way talks in Washington. The US President Joe Biden’s administration embraces and looks forward to expanding the normalization drive.

Israel’s Foreign Minister Yair Lapid and his UAE counterpart Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan will separately meet US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, following a similar virtual event last month. As the first Arab country in decades to normalize relations with Israel, Donald Trump considered the Abraham Accords as a crowning achievement of his administration as it allowed the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, and Morocco to normalize relations with Israel.

A senior State Department official said in a statement that the Abraham Accords can “help to achieve a more peaceful and prosperous Middle-East”. He also said that it’s not a substitute for a two-state solution. The national security adviser called for “the need for an alternative plan to the nuclear agreement. They hope that normalization can be leveraged to advance progress on the Israeli-Palestinian track.

The Biden administration has been “actively working to expand” normalization but refused to give any further details regarding the meeting.

On Tuesday, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said that his country’s weapon development is necessary for the face of hostile policies against the United States and a military buildup in South Korea.

On Monday, in a speech at the “Defense Development Exhibition,” Kim said that Pyongyang was only increasing its military in self-defense and not preparing for war. This remark was made by the leader standing next to a huge variety of weapons that included the country’s intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM’s). Among these weapons was one of North Korea’s largest ICBM Hwasong-16 that was unveiled at a military parade in October 2020 which has not yet test fired.

Kim stated, “we are not discussing war with anyone, but rather to prevent war itself and to literally increase war deterrence for the protection of national sovereignty”. He further added that North Korea’s main enemy is “war itself”.

Regarding the talks with the United States, Pyongyang said it is not interested in diplomatic talks with them as long as Washington maintains policies such as sanctions and military activities in South Korea. However, Kim disagrees the US has no hostile feelings face towards North Korea.

On Sunday, the latest round of discussion between India and Chinese military officials over the Ladakh impasse came to a halt. The Indian Army said that the Chinese stance was “not agreeable” and “could not provide any forward-looking proposals”.

The Indian side made constructive suggestions to iron out the remaining area yet the Chinese side was not agreeable that did not result in the resolution of the remaining areas. However, both the nations have agreed to maintain communications and also agreed to maintain stability on borders. The Army official added, “It’s our expectation that the Chinese side will take into account the overall perspective of bilateral relations and will towards early resolution of the remaining issues while fully abiding by bilateral agreements and protocols”.

The Chinese statement also indicates the talks have failed. The Chinese military’s Western Theater Command said that India asked for unreasonable and unrealistic demands that added difficulties in the negotiations. India insists on resolving outstanding issues in all friction points including Depsang that are essential for overall improvement in the ties between the nations.

In the 13th round of the military talks with China, India has expressed an early disengagement of troops in the remaining friction points in eastern Ladakh. On Sunday, the meeting lasted for around eight and a half hours.

Under the leadership of Japan’s new Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, the United States does not expect its strengthening bilateral relationship with Japan to change direction. Former prime minister Shinzo Abe appointed Mr. Kishida as foreign minister, and he reappointed Mr. Nobuo Kishi as the defense minister and Mr. Toshimitsu Motegi as the foreign minister.

According to the analysts, this signals continuity for the nation as they face a rising and significantly more assertive China. Senior North-East Asia associate at the Woodrow Wilson Centre’s Asia Programme Ms. Shihoko Goto said,” It’s fair to assume that the Kishida administration will build on Abe’s focus, namely to keep US-Japan relations strong and to develop new opportunities for cooperation”.

She noted that a call on Monday (October 4), between Mr. Kishida and US President Joe Biden, illustrates the significance of the bilateral relationship in preserving stability in the Indo-Pacific. A US official readout stated that the leaders affirmed the strength of the US-Japan alliance, which is the cornerstone of peace, security, and stability in the Indo-Pacific and across the globe.

The world waits for Kishida’s strategy in bolstering Japan’s defense spending which was the key issue during the LDP leadership campaign.