Emanuele Scimia

Today's headlines: Taiwanese jets scrambled to ward off Chinese air raid; Demonstrators in Gwadar order the Chinese to leave the port of Gwadar; Japan extends the life of its nuclear power plants; Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates against the Taliban over university ban on women; At least 7.8 million Ukrainians fled after Russian invasion; Armenians and Azeris negotiate to break stalemate over Karabakh access.

The EU accuses China of "coercive" trade policies against Lithuania and violating the rights of European companies operating in its territory. In January, the EU will challenge China's veto in two special legal cases before the WTO. Relations between the two sides are increasingly difficult.

Today's headlines: The Taliban ban women from university; Japanese foreign minister's visit to Beijing postponed due to Covid crisis; Philippines worried about Chinese occupation in the South China Sea; Syria: second US raid in a week against Isis; Tensions continue between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Karabakh.

Wang Yu is known for her humanitarian work. Her QR code turned red twice even though she had tested negative. In one case, she was supposed to offer her counsel in a human rights case. In the other, she was in Beijing two months before the Communist Party congress. Ostensibly designed to monitor the pandemic, health apps are being used for social control.

Today's news: The World Bank cuts China's growth estimates; The US sends bombers and fighter jets to the Korean peninsula; Malaysia's Ibrahim government wins a vote of confidence; Iran increases uranium enrichment; India offers wheat to flour and biscuit producers to cool prices; Kazakh dissident arrested.

Premier Bainimarama, behind more open relations with China, is in danger of losing power after 16 years. His antagonist Rabuka wants to distance himself from China. The needle in the balance is a Christian-inspired formation. Beijing seeks to expand its influence in the South Pacific, opposed by the USA, Australia and New Zealand.

Today's headlines: Islamist radicals occupy a counter-terrorism centre in Pakistan; Thai corvette sinks: 33 sailors missing; Australian foreign minister goes to Beijing; Three policemen die in Jordan during an anti-protest raid; Moscow Theological Academy hosts a theoretical and practical conference on 'Patriotic and Moral-Spiritual Education of the Military'.

A study by Health Metrics and Evaluation expects infections and deaths to reach a peak in early April. The coming Lunar New Year festivities are a source of concern. The ineffectiveness of domestic vaccines and the low vaccination rate among seniors weigh heavily. The situation threatens China’s economic recovery.

Tokyo plans to buy new long-range missiles, doubling military spending over the next five years. Critics warn this violates the country’s "pacifist" constitution. For the government, it is a “bare minimum self-defence measure”. China reacts angrily. Putin's Russia is also in the crosshairs.

This is the annual forecast of the Japan Center for Economic Research. Last year the overtaking was estimated in 2033. Between 2030 and 2040 China's GDP could grow by only 1% a year. Xi's new term in power, the effects of the "zero-covid" policy and the technology war with the US are all factors. Meanwhile, consumption continues to fall.

In a front-page piece, the Arman Daily backs Taiwanese independence. Iranian president asks the Chinese for "compensation" after Xi Jinping's visit to Saudi Arabia and the questioning of Iranian sovereignty over three Persian Gulf islands. Other newspapers in Iran published articles critical of China.

Clashes with minor injuries in a sector in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. The Indians say they pushed back Chinese troops attempting to encroach. In June 2020 the last real military confrontation between the two sides. Indian retired general: Xi Jinping's (unsuccessful) attempt to regain prestige after the withdrawal of his 'zero-Covid' policy.