标签： Asia

Reza Pahlavi, the US-based son of Iran’s deposed monarch, has issued a compelling appeal to Iranian government employees and security personnel, urging them to align with the burgeoning protest movement against the Islamic Republic. The exiled royal figure delivered his message through social media channels on Sunday, presenting security forces with a stark ethical choice.

Pahlavi’s declaration emphasized that state employees and military personnel must decide between supporting the Iranian populace or becoming accomplices to what he termed ‘murderers of the people.’ His statement followed disturbing reports from human rights organizations alleging that Iranian authorities were implementing extreme measures, including ‘mass killing’ operations, to quell ongoing civil unrest.

The opposition leader, who has emerged as a significant figurehead for the anti-regime movement, further advocated for the symbolic replacement of Islamic Republic flags outside Iranian diplomatic missions worldwide. He specifically called for the restoration of the pre-1979 revolutionary tricolor banner, describing the current standard as ‘disgraceful.’

This symbolic gesture gained tangible momentum in London over the weekend, where protesters successfully replaced the Iranian embassy flag with the historical monarchical standard. The diplomatic incident prompted Iran’s foreign ministry to summon Britain’s ambassador to Tehran in formal protest, as reported by the official IRNA news outlet.

The pre-revolutionary flag has transformed into a powerful emblem for international demonstrations supporting Iran’s domestic protest movement, representing growing global solidarity with those challenging the current regime.

China’s comprehensive anti-corruption campaign demonstrated unprecedented intensity throughout 2025, with authorities investigating 65 centrally administered officials—predominantly at ministerial rank or higher—according to data released by the country’s top disciplinary bodies. The sustained crackdown, which recorded nine major investigations launched in December alone, represents the Communist Party of China’s continued commitment to eliminating graft and misconduct at all levels of governance.

Among the prominent figures facing scrutiny were Jiang Chaoliang, Jin Xiangjun, Lan Tianli, Liu Hui, Yi Huiman, and Zhang Shiping, reflecting the campaign’s reach into the highest echelons of power. Concurrently, grassroots enforcement saw 536,000 lower-ranking officials disciplined between January and November, with 20,000 cases referred for criminal prosecution, demonstrating the operation’s comprehensive scope.

Internationally, China’s ‘Sky Net’ operation achieved remarkable success, repatriating 782 fugitives and recovering approximately $3.38 billion in illicit assets within just eleven months. Notable apprehensions included Zhou Jinghua, the final Asian-based fugitive on China’s ‘100 most-wanted’ list, who was extradited from Thailand in July. That same month witnessed the return of Liang Jinwen, one of the earliest top-tier corruption suspects, who surrendered after 28 years abroad and fully repatriated assets allegedly acquired through corruption in 1996.

The campaign’s institutional foundations were strengthened through the implementation of the revised Supervision Law in June, which expanded supervisory powers and addressed previous systemic limitations. Additionally, the CPC conducted a four-month educational initiative targeting its approximately 100 million members to reinforce compliance with the party’s conduct standards, while disciplinary authorities publicly identified violators of the eight-point rules to enhance transparency and accountability.

In a significant diplomatic maneuver, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney commenced a pivotal visit to China this week—the first by a Canadian head of government in nearly ten years. This groundbreaking trip represents a strategic recalibration of Canada’s foreign policy as it seeks to diminish its historical economic reliance on the United States amid escalating trade tensions.

The visit occurs against the backdrop of deteriorating US-Canada relations, exacerbated by former President Donald Trump’s tariff impositions and provocative remarks about Canada’s sovereignty. Prime Minister Carney’s mission aligns with his ambitious national strategy to double Canada’s non-US exports within the next decade, responding to what he characterizes as “global trade disruption.”

“Canada is focused on building a more competitive, sustainable, and independent economy,” Carney stated in an official release. “We’re forging new partnerships worldwide to transform our economy from one that has been reliant on a single trade partner.”

This diplomatic outreach follows a pattern among Western nations seeking to reset relations with Beijing. Australian Premier Anthony Albanese successfully normalized ties with China after taking office in 2022, resolving trade restrictions that had hampered Australian exports for over eighteen months. Similarly, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has pursued improved relations with China since the Labour Party’s 2024 election victory.

The Canada-China relationship has experienced significant strain in recent years, particularly following Canada’s 2018 detention of Huawei executive Meng Wenzhou at America’s request. China retaliated by arresting two Canadian citizens on espionage charges, creating a diplomatic standoff that lasted until all three individuals were released simultaneously in 2021.

More recently, trade tensions have resurfaced as Canada mirrored US tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles (100%) and steel/aluminum (25%), prompting Beijing to impose retaliatory tariffs on Canadian agricultural products including canola, seafood, and pork.

China’s state-run Global Times newspaper welcomed Carney’s visit as a “new starting point” while urging Canada to eliminate “unreasonable tariff restrictions.” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning expressed anticipation that the visit would “consolidate the momentum of improvement in China-Canada relations.”

Concurrently, Canada is pursuing diplomatic reconciliation with India following tensions over allegations of Indian involvement in the killing of a Sikh activist on Canadian soil. Carney is expected to visit New Delhi later this year as part of this broader foreign policy reorientation.

Following his China engagements through Saturday, Carney will travel to Qatar before attending the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Switzerland.

The Trump administration’s controversial ‘Donroe Doctrine’ represents a radical reassertion of American hemispheric dominance that echoes 19th-century spheres of influence while confronting 21st-century global interconnectedness. This policy framework expands upon the traditional Monroe Doctrine by explicitly asserting Washington’s right to ‘reassert and enforce’ preeminence across the Western Hemisphere while denying non-hemispheric competitors access to strategic assets.

In practical application, this doctrine has manifested through threats to seize control of the Panama Canal, acquire Greenland through coercive means, rename the Gulf of Mexico as the ‘Gulf of America,’ and deploy substantial military and economic pressure throughout Latin America. The administration’s declaration that Washington now ‘runs’ Venezuela following Nicolás Maduro’s capture has effectively reframed the hemisphere as an American protectorate rather than a community of sovereign nations, drawing criticism from European officials who describe this approach as a return to ‘imperial’ thinking.

For Asian powers, particularly China, the Donroe Doctrine presents both strategic challenges and opportunities. Beijing’s significant investments in Arctic energy projects, research stations, and its Polar Silk Road initiative—which could dramatically reduce Asia-Europe shipping times—face direct threat from American moves toward Greenland. The island’s rare-earth mineral deposits, energy resources, and strategic position along emerging Arctic shipping routes make it a crucial nexus between North America, Europe, and Asian trade corridors.

The doctrine’s hemispheric focus creates ambiguous implications for Asian security. While Washington’s concentration on Latin American affairs might reduce resources available for confrontation in the Western Pacific, its aggressive efforts to counter Chinese influence throughout the Americas—including pushing Panama out of Belt and Road initiatives and isolating Venezuela and Cuba—demonstrate clear anti-China objectives.

Asian middle powers including Japan, India, South Korea, Australia, and ASEAN states now face three critical challenges: reducing over-dependence on US security guarantees through enhanced indigenous defense capabilities and minilateral cooperation, engaging Latin America and the Arctic as genuine strategic theaters rather than distant peripheries, and resisting any great-power arrangements that trade away regional principles for hemispheric deference.

The fundamental paradox of the Donroe Doctrine lies in its attempt to revive territorial spheres of influence in a world where supply chains, finance, and data flows transcend hemispheric boundaries. As Latin America’s trade remains deeply integrated with China and Greenland’s resources serve global commerce, American actions in one sphere create immediate ripple effects across worldwide markets.

For Asia, the ultimate concern extends beyond strengthened American regional dominance to the potential normalization of geographic veto rights claimed by great powers while remaining economically interdependent—a contradiction that threatens the very foundation of global connectivity.