North Asia

Without “foreign agents” Russia would not be Russia, starting with the metropolitans sent by Constantinople to Christianise Kievan Rus'. Perhaps no country can truly be itself without influences from near and far.

The visit is also an indication that the Chinese president feels confident enough about his status at home on the eve of the 20th Congress of the Communist Party of China. Bilateral deals are set to be signed. Kazakhstanis look to China to counter Russia's influence. Beijing is courting a major provider of raw materials and energy, but bilateral relations are not free from tensions.

Belarus is in the grips of an economic crisis, hit by Western sanctions for its support of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In the first half of 2022 Belarusian GDP fell by 6%. The Kremlin's economic aid is deemed insufficient. Belarusian expert: we have gone back 10 years.

A first memorandum was signed in July, but a former junta sought Russian (and North Korean) help in the 1990s and 2000s to develop atomic energy. Tuesday, a nuclear cooperation agreement was signed in Vladivostok during General Aung Min Hlaing’s visit. Myanmar will buy Russian oil and pay in roubles.

A return to Marxism-Leninism lessons of Soviet times updated to current imperial-orthodox ideology. Activist: the effects of war propaganda must be monitored. Many families try to switch to homeschooling.

A report by ESCAP shows that employment has not followed GPD growth in the last 15 years. The number of working poor is also on the rise. In Asia, vulnerable workers are at risk of poverty due to high medical bills. The aging of the population is the top concern: Asia and Oceania will have a billion people over 65 by 2050.

The wave began with the invasion of Ukraine. The Mongolians seek friendly neutrality towards Russia; they also send humanitarian aid to the Ukrainians. For many Russian citizens of Asian origin, Mongolia is a fraternal and welcoming country.

Opening up to religious freedom was not part of the initial reform programme. It was the events following the Černobyl disaster that forced the secretary-president to change his attitude to the point of reaching the harmony he established with John Paul II. But the Russians blamed him for the end of the USSR and renunciation of its role as a world power.

A new wave of crime is feared, especially in Caucasian Russia. The soldiers return home with no psychological barriers to keep them from violence. The State takes no responsibility and does nothing to rehabilitate those returning from war.

The "Donskaya" Madonna displayed in Moscow to inspire Russian success in the war in Ukraine. The Orthodox authorities had done the same with Rublev's Trinity. Patriarch Kirill continues with his pro-Putin war rhetoric and further closes the door to dialogue with the West by also refusing to attend the 11th assembly of the World Council of Churches (WCC), the largest ecumenical body meeting in Karlsruhe.

In six months of war Beijing has not shown itself to be a reliable partner for Moscow. Chinese people have little interest in what is happening in Ukraine, except for their opposition to the West. Chinese industries and banks fear secondary sanctions from the US and Europe.

The Vatican Press Office issued a statement to clarify the pope’s words about the Ukraine war that sparked a controversy last week. Meanwhile, the College of Cardinals ends its two-day in-camera meeting centred on the pope’s Roman Curia reform. The role of the laity was a top issue discussed.