East Asia

China imports nearly half of the gas, mostly in liquified form from Australia and the US. Only one gas pipeline connects Russia to China at present, but three are under construction. This will help China, but won’t be enough to compensate Russia for its loss of European markets.

In his latest speech at the end of the "Two Sessions", China’s incumbent premier is open to working with the United States to overcome the global economic crisis caused by the pandemic. For Beijing, striking a deal with Washington is better than a tactical "quasi-alliance" with Moscow. Confrontation with Washington is not paying off at a difficult time for the Chinese economy.

China's defence budget up 7.1 per cent this year, higher than the expected GDP growth of 5.5 per cent. The announcement by Premier Li Keqiang at the annual meeting of the National People's Congress. Beijing is preparing "legal" instruments to justify potential military operations.

The conservative candidate beat rival Lee by a handful of votes. The agreement with Ahn Cheol-soo, another opposition candidate, a few days before the vote, was decisive. "Now is the time to unite" were the first words of the former prosecutor, who has built his political rise on intransigence. But parliament remains in the hands of the democrats.

Used as a universal symbol of support for the Russian government and its "special military operation" on Ukrainian soil. An artificial sign of Putin's totalitarianism. But young Russians do not lend themselves to the regime's propaganda.

Justin Lin Yifu, a former World Bank vice president, makes the prediction. The effects of the war in Ukraine will impact China as well as the US. For Lin, the Chinese economy still has strong untapped potential; however, foreign investors just sold Chinese bonds worth US$ 10.6 billion.

The Chinese embassy suggested that Chinese citizens take trains to neighbouring countries. Chinese man shot and wounded: now in hospital. Beijing denies the death of Chinese students and continues to censor online anti-war speeches.

Peng Liyuan is special envoy for the promotion of girl's and women's education at the UN agency. A humanitarian group accuses her of not speaking out in connection with the case a Chinese woman found chained in a rural area. China’s gender gap is fuelling sexual trafficking of women.

A new president will be elected on March 9. The outgoing president, who cannot be re-elected, had promised a fairer country with less power for large industrial groups, but his plan has remained unfinished. Democratic candidate Lee Jae-myung aims to continue along this path, focusing on minimum income and ecological transition, but it is not certain that South Korea will choose continuity.

For China’s foreign minister, Taiwan is an “internal” matter, whilst the Ukraine-Russia confrontation is between two sovereign states. Speaking on the sidelines of the National People’s Congress, he said that his government was willing to mediate between Moscow and Kyiv. He also announced plans to send humanitarian aid to Ukraine. China fears the creation of an Asian NATO.

Today's headlines: Ukrainian power plant staff in Zaporozhets, work under the threat of (Russian) weapons; Pakistan and Uzbekistan strengthen bilateral collaboration; Beijing may shelve its "zero Covid" policy in favour of a softer "coexistence" approach; Iranian court clears nine Christians of charges of threatening national security; in Thailand 33-year-old man convicted of lese-majesty; new missile test by Pyongyang.

During a TV debate, the former Japanese prime minister suggested that, in light of current international situation, Japan should reach an agreement with the United States to share nuclear weapons. Incumbent Prime Minister Fumio Kishida rejects the idea, but the ruling party, to which both Abe and Kishida belong, is divided over the issue. Meanwhile, hibakusha, the survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs, are outright against it.