标签： Asia

A prominent Israeli geopolitical commentator has posited that the ongoing military confrontation between the US-Israel alliance and Iran may fundamentally dismantle the Middle East’s political architecture, potentially erasing the century-old regional order established following World War I.

Meir Swissa, writing for the Israeli publication Yedioth Ahronot, characterized the conflict as a pivotal turning point that extends beyond mere military engagement. He contends this confrontation could ultimately nullify the Sykes-Picot Agreement of 1916 – the secret British-French accord that arbitrarily divided the collapsed Ottoman Empire’s territories into modern nation-states based on Western spheres of influence rather than indigenous socio-political structures.

The commentary suggests the weakening of Iran’s regional network through allied movements and governments could expose the fragility of Tehran’s Shia axis across the region. Swissa describes a paradoxical situation where Israel effectively acts on behalf of Sunni Arab interests by confronting Iranian expansion, with some Arab states quietly benefiting from diminished Iranian power despite their public reluctance to engage directly.

According to this analysis, the degradation of Iran’s military proxies could trigger a regression to pre-Westphalian political models dominated by tribal, clan-based, and local emirate structures rather than modern nation-states. Swissa further speculates that Kurdish groups might emerge as significant actors in this geopolitical transformation, potentially leading to entirely new regional arrangements.

The assessment references previous warnings from former US special envoy Tom Barrack, who in August 2025 indicated Israel’s diminishing commitment to maintaining Sykes-Picot established borders and potential ambitions toward Lebanon and Syria. Current escalations – including joint US-Israeli attacks eliminating Iranian leadership, ballistic missile deployments, strikes in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, and humanitarian crises with approximately 500,000 displaced persons – appear to be accelerating this geopolitical unraveling.

This analysis emerges against a backdrop of extreme regional tension following the targeted killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior Iranian leaders, with President Trump demanding Iran’s unconditional surrender while NATO enhances its ballistic missile defenses following incidents near Turkey.

As China’s pivotal Two Sessions convene in Beijing, grassroots representatives from diverse regions are transforming local aspirations into national policy frameworks. Among them, Zheng Wangchun, Party secretary of Gulu village in Sichuan province, exemplifies how community-driven initiatives are gaining legislative traction.

Gulu village’s remarkable transformation from an isolated cliffside settlement—once accessible only by precarious vine ladders—to a thriving tourist destination demonstrates the tangible impact of rural revitalization policies. Zheng’s strategic use of social media documentation showcasing the village’s dramatic mountain trails catalyzed its viral recognition, creating unprecedented economic opportunities.

Rather than relying on transient internet fame, Zheng has implemented sustainable development models including homestay operations, scenic viewpoint development, and agricultural specialization in local produce like walnuts and peppers. His current legislative focus addresses practical infrastructure needs, support systems for vulnerable demographics, and long-term rural development strategies.

The National People’s Congress deputy represents a new generation of policymakers who bridge grassroots realities with national governance. His approach combines digital innovation with traditional community engagement, conducting firsthand visits to assess local business development and ensure policy proposals reflect genuine community needs.

This bottom-up governance model characterizes China’s contemporary political advisory system, where practical field experience informs national policy formulation. The ongoing Two Sessions provide institutional channels for transforming localized success stories into scalable national strategies, particularly in rural revitalization and balanced regional development.

In a significant policy proposal emerging from China’s annual political gatherings, a leading economist has called for the systematic deployment of professional managers to revolutionize rural economic development. Zhou Li’an, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and director of Peking University’s faculty of economics and management, argues that specialized “rural CEOs” could unlock sustainable growth by separating economic management from political governance.

The proposal comes as China transitions from its successful poverty alleviation campaign to a comprehensive rural vitalization strategy aimed at narrowing the urban-rural development gap. Under the current system, village officials typically juggle both administrative duties and commercial development, often lacking specialized business expertise.

“Village officials are more suited for political governance or traditional roles, but they are not good at economic management,” Zhou stated during the Two Sessions meetings. “You need professional people to do this professional work.”

The concept draws inspiration from successful models in prosperous regions like Zhejiang province, where young, city-trained professionals have returned to the countryside to focus exclusively on commercial strategies. These specialists work on building brands, managing collective assets, and developing high-value industries that transcend traditional agricultural activities.

Zhou’s comprehensive framework includes multiple strategic components: attracting private investment through clear profit incentives, developing integrated industry clusters that combine production, processing, logistics and services, and creating government-backed risk-sharing mechanisms. He particularly emphasized the need to move beyond homogeneous e-commerce competition toward value creation through regional branding and quality standards.

The proposal has gained traction among economists as China formally recognized “rural collective economy managers” as a new profession in December 2025. China Agricultural University President Sun Qixin noted the critical shortage of professionals who combine technological expertise with business and management skills as rural industries increasingly integrate agriculture, manufacturing and services.

Zhou also advocated for innovative approaches to rural e-commerce, suggesting that livestreaming studios should move from indoor settings directly into fields to broadcast crop growth and share local traditions. “This storytelling adds emotional value to the product’s selling process,” he explained, emphasizing that the future of rural e-commerce lies not in selling cheaper but in selling smarter.

Vice-Premier Ding Xuexiang has called upon Hong Kong and Macao to actively leverage the substantial opportunities emerging from China’s 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30), emphasizing the need for robust efforts toward high-quality economic development. The senior leader, who serves on the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, delivered these remarks during a joint engagement with national political advisers from both special administrative regions at the fourth session of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

Ding affirmed that both cities have demonstrated comprehensive advancement across multiple sectors throughout the past year and are currently experiencing their most promising developmental phase. His address followed Premier Li Qiang’s Government Work Report, which reinforced the central government’s commitment to supporting Hong Kong and Macao in their deeper integration into national development strategies while contributing to the country’s overarching progress. The report further emphasized ambitions to transform the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area into an internationally recognized hub for scientific and technological innovation.

Jonathan Choi Koon-shum, a Standing Committee member of the CPPCC National Committee, disclosed that Vice-Premier Ding articulated five key expectations for the SARs. These included mobilizing various sectors within Hong Kong, particularly the business community, to provide substantive input for the formulation and execution of the territory’s inaugural five-year plan. Ding additionally encouraged both regions to accelerate the cultivation of new quality productive forces and enhance collaborative ventures with mainland China in cutting-edge fields such as artificial intelligence, big data, and biomedicine.

Ding emphasized Hong Kong’s distinctive advantage of having strong national backing while maintaining global connectivity, urging the city to assume a more prominent role within the Belt and Road Initiative. He also reiterated the importance of upholding the executive-led governance structure of the Hong Kong SAR and supporting the administration’s law-based governance, which he identified as fundamental to sustained stability and prosperity.

CPPCC National Committee member Melissa Kaye Pang, former president of the Hong Kong Law Society, noted that Ding highlighted the necessity of advancing high-quality economic growth with particular focus on major innovation centers including the Northern Metropolis and the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park. Another committee member from Hong Kong, Samuel Yung Wing-ki, expressed confidence that the Hong Kong SAR government would proactively address future challenges and developmental requirements, citing Ding’s recognition of China’s impressive trade performance in 2025 despite external pressures.

Six CPPCC National Committee members from Hong Kong and Macao addressed the assembly, presenting insights on topics ranging from the establishment of Hong Kong as an international education hub and the enhancement of its technological innovation capabilities to positioning Macao as a critical conduit for international cultural and people-to-people exchanges.