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China's presence in Central America will strengthen

Location:

CENTRAL AMERICA

Nicaraguan lawmakers approved a Chinese loan for a new airport last month, negotiations with Honduras over an FTA are progressing and the new government of Guatemala -- Taiwan’s…

Switzerland will be slow to harden its China position

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SWITZERLAND/CHINA

Among the priorities in the declaration is updating the Swiss-Chinese free trade agreement (FTA) and simplifying travel procedures between the two countries. Switzerland’s…

ASEAN-Australia relations will grow

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ASEAN/AUSTRALIA

Besides a leaders’ plenary and retreat, there were events linked to four thematic tracks: business; climate and clean energy; maritime cooperation; and emerging leaders…

Seoul-Havana relations will hurt Pyongyang

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SOUTH KOREA/CUBA

South Korea’s business ties with Cuba have improved in recent decades, while Havana-Pyongyang relations have long been uneasy. Cuba’s decision came amid North Korea’s increasingly…

Religious freedom will slowly expand in Vietnam

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VIETNAM

Catholics are a sizeable minority religious group in the country, numbering roughly 7 million out of a population of nearly 100 million. Vietnam and the Vatican have not had…

Afghanistan’s marginalised groups face increasing woes

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AFGHANISTAN

The Taliban have increasingly fraught relations not only with Shia, most of whom are ethnic Hazaras, but also with other marginalised communities, including Salafis -- a small…

Tough economic challenges await Taiwan president-elect

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TAIWAN

The election in January of Lai Ching-te as president signalled continuity in economic policy, and economic pressure from Beijing has to date had limited effect. However, Lai faces…

Pakistani Taliban are a growing problem for Islamabad

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PAKISTAN

Islamabad said the strikes were aimed at anti-Pakistan militants, but the Taliban described the action as “reckless” and retaliated by firing at Pakistani troops along the border…

Abductions will impede Tokyo-Pyongyang ties

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NORTH KOREA/JAPAN

Any such rapprochement would be two-edged: suggesting a less acerbic Pyongyang, but also altering delicate alliance dynamics. Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida reportedly did…

Key rift is growing threat to stability in Philippines

Location:

PHILIPPINES

Furthermore, former President Duterte threatened the secession of the southern Mindanao island, the Duterte family’s political stronghold, if Marcos proceeds with plans to amend…