标签： Asia

Bangladesh has initiated three days of national mourning to honor former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, who passed away Tuesday at age 80. The government will conduct an elaborate state funeral ceremony on Wednesday afternoon, with prayers scheduled outside the national parliament building in Dhaka.

As the first female prime minister of this South Asian nation of 170 million people, Zia pioneered women’s leadership in Bangladeshi politics. Her educational stipend programs for girls transformed opportunities for female students nationwide. Despite significant health challenges and political imprisonment in recent years, Zia remained politically active until her final days, with nomination papers filed on her behalf for upcoming February elections just hours before her death.

The current interim government under Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus acknowledged Zia as “a great guardian” of the nation, recognizing her role in repeatedly restoring democratic governance. Security forces have been extensively deployed throughout the capital, with flags flying at half-mast as the country prepares for anticipated large public gatherings.

Zia’s son, Tarique Rahman, recently returned from 17 years abroad and is viewed as a potential prime ministerial candidate should their Bangladesh Nationalist Party secure victory in the upcoming elections. The funeral will see diplomatic representation from regional powers, with both Indian and Pakistani foreign ministers attending—marking significant diplomatic engagements since the overthrow of Zia’s longtime rival, Sheikh Hasina, last year.

Zia’s body will be laid to rest beside her late husband, President Ziaur Rahman, who was assassinated in 1981. Her political career spanned decades, featuring both historic achievements and intense rivalry with Hasina’s Awami League, which continues to operate from exile after Hasina’s recent conviction and forced departure from power.

In his nationally televised New Year’s Eve address, Chinese President Xi Jinping celebrated China’s technological breakthroughs across multiple strategic sectors while firmly reiterating Beijing’s position on Taiwan reunification. The presidential speech, broadcast through state media channels, emphasized China’s progress in artificial intelligence, semiconductor development, military technology, and space exploration.

Visual accompaniments to the address featured humanoid robots performing martial arts demonstrations and newly operational hydropower projects, symbolizing the nation’s technological modernization. “We sought to energize high-quality development through innovation,” President Xi stated, acknowledging public contributions to China’s economic expansion throughout the previous five-year planning cycle.

The address coincided with heightened military activity near Taiwan, where China conducted two days of exercises involving rocket launches, aircraft sorties, and naval deployments. These demonstrations responded to anticipated United States arms sales to the self-governed island.

President Xi framed the Taiwan matter through emotional rhetoric, asserting: “We Chinese on both sides of the Taiwan Strait share a bond of blood and kinship. The reunification of our motherland, a trend of the times, is unstoppable.”

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te denounced the military maneuvers while committing to responsible management of cross-strait relations, pledging neither escalation nor provocation. The address also highlighted China’s growing global diplomatic presence, referencing high-level international events hosted throughout the past year.

This speech arrives as China prepares to formulate its next five-year economic plan, scheduled for discussion at March’s legislative session, with increased emphasis on technological self-reliance amid tightening U.S. export controls on advanced semiconductors and related technologies.

The People’s Liberation Army of China announced on New Year’s Eve the successful completion of its two-day “Justice Mission 2025” military exercises in waters surrounding Taiwan. Senior Captain Li Xi, spokesperson for the PLA’s Eastern Theater Command, stated that the operations had thoroughly evaluated the integrated joint combat capabilities of Chinese forces while demonstrating heightened alert status against perceived separatist activities.

The drills, characterized by their substantial scale and strategic positioning, represented Beijing’s latest assertion of its territorial claims over the self-governed island. While official announcements provided minimal operational details beyond rousing promotional videos accompanied by martial music, the exercises concluded amid heightened regional tensions during the final days of 2025.

Chinese President Xi Jinping indirectly referenced the Taiwan situation in his annual New Year’s address, emphasizing the “blood and kinship” bonds between Chinese people across the Strait and declaring national reunification as “an unstoppable trend of the times.”

The military maneuvers drew significant international concern, with Japan’s Foreign Ministry characterizing them as tension-escalating actions and reaffirming its preference for peaceful resolution through dialogue. This response followed earlier statements by Japan’s prime minister suggesting potential military intervention should Taiwan face direct attack.

The United States faced Chinese criticism following its December announcement of a substantial arms sales package to Taiwan, potentially representing the largest such military aid package if approved by Congress. Philippine Defense Minister Gilberto C. Teodoro Jr. expressed deep concern about China’s actions, noting their implications for regional stability in the broader Indo-Pacific community.

Despite the heightened tensions, former U.S. President Donald Trump downplayed concerns, citing his positive relationship with Xi Jinping and noting China’s long history of conducting naval exercises in the area.

Japan is accelerating a historic shift in its defense posture, embarking on an ambitious military modernization program that includes doubling annual arms spending to counter perceived threats from China. This strategic pivot occurs as Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, known for her hawkish security views, assumes leadership amid increasing pressure from the United States for greater military cooperation in Asia.

The government maintains that Japan remains committed to peaceful principles while building a more self-reliant defense capability to deter Chinese aggression. However, Beijing and other critics argue these developments represent a fundamental departure from Japan’s postwar pacifist constitution. Tensions escalated when Takaichi suggested that Chinese military action against Taiwan could justify Japanese intervention—a significant break from previous leaders’ strategic ambiguity.

Japan’s constitutional transformation has evolved over decades. Article 9 of the U.S.-drafted 1947 constitution originally renounced war and prohibited maintaining military forces. The creation of the Self-Defense Forces in 1954 began a gradual reinterpretation of these restrictions. A landmark change occurred in 2014 under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who reinterpreted Article 9 to allow collective self-defense, enabling Japan to use force if allies are attacked.

Recent Chinese military activities have intensified Tokyo’s concerns. In December, Chinese aircraft locked targeting radars on Japanese planes during carrier drills near southwestern Japan. Two Chinese carriers were also spotted operating near Iwo Jima—the first such occurrence—demonstrating Beijing’s expanding military reach near disputed territories.

Takaichi’s administration recently approved a record defense budget exceeding 9 trillion yen ($58 billion) for the coming year, focusing on developing strike-back capabilities with cruise missiles and unmanned systems. The government plans to further relax arms export restrictions and promote defense industry cooperation with allies like the UK, Italy, and Australia through joint projects including next-generation fighter jets.

A government-commissioned panel has even proposed developing nuclear submarines for extended deterrence—a controversial suggestion for the only nation to suffer atomic bombings. While Japan officially maintains its three non-nuclear principles, Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi acknowledged considering all options for new submarines, indicating continued evolution in Japan’s security posture.