Category: South East Asia

China’s National Petroleum Corporation mulls investing in Afghanistan

During a visit to Kabul, officials from a Chinese company said they are interested in investing in Afghanistan. The head of the corporation (CNPCI), said Wednesday in a meeting with Abdul Salam Hanafi, Deputy Prime Minister, that the company wants to invest in Afghanistan. During the meeting, Abdul Salam Hanafi welcomed the company’s interest and said that now, with the […]

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US general says counter-terrorism efforts are ‘more difficult’ after Biden’s Afghanistan withdrawal

Conducting effective counter-terrorism operations is “more difficult” following President Joe Biden’s withdrawal of the U.S. military from Afghanistan, U.S. Gen. Richard Clarke testified in the Senate on Tuesday. Clark, the commander of the United States Special Operations Command (USSOC), testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee regarding Biden’s proposed 2023 military budget. Republican Nebraska Sen. Deb Fischer questioned Clarke about […]

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Pakistani president dissolves national assembly at PM’s request

Pakistani President Arif Alvi dissolved the National Assembly on Sunday at the request of the country’s prime minister, said a statement from the president’s secretariat, Reuters reported. “President of Pakistan Arif Alvi has approved the advice of the Prime Minister of Pakistan to dissolve the National Assembly under Article 58 (1) read with Article 48 (1) of the Constitution of […]

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Sanctions fueling Afghan crisis: says Gen. Bajwa

Stability is a must for achieving regional prosperity and development, says the Pakistan army chief. Gen. Asif Bajwa, speaking at the Islamabad Security Dialogue on Saturday, voiced Pakistan’s grave concern at the conflict in Afghanistan. He insisted that Pakistan continued to work with global fraternity for lasting peace in Afghanistan. “However, sanctions and lack of financial flows are creating a […]

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Bajwa, Khalilzad discuss Afghanistan, regional stability

Former US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad called on Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa at General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi on Friday (April 1, 2022), Pakistani media outlets reported. Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) in a press release said that the two discussed issues related to mutual interest and regional security situations including Afghanistan and […]

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China President calls on neighboring countries to support Afghanistan

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday called on the neighboring countries of Afghanistan to do their best to support the Afghan people to create a brighter future when delivering written remarks at the third Foreign Ministers’ Meeting among the Neighboring Countries of Afghanistan held in east China’s Anhui Province, Reuters reported. Xi pointed out that having gone through so much […]

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Muttaqi addresses China meeting on Afghanistan, calls for regional support

Amir Khan Muttaqi, acting Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) told delegates attending a conference in China on Thursday that the government is working to make sure the political structure in Afghanistan is inclusive. Addressing delegates attending the Foreign Ministers of Afghanistan’s Neighboring Countries Meeting in China, Muttaqi also said the cabinet has set up […]

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Militants attack troops in northwestern Pakistan, killing 6

Militants attacked Pakistan’s paramilitary security forces in the country’s northwest early on Wednesday, triggering a shootout in which at least six troops and three insurgents were killed, the military and police said. Spokesman Mohammad Khurasani of the Pakistani Taliban — also known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP, an outlawed militant group — claimed responsibility for the attack in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa […]

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Thai-China Submarine Deal Runs Aground on EU Arms Embargo

China has paused construction of an attack submarine earmarked for Thailand’s navy following Germany’s refusal to export the top-end engines the plans call for, a Thai naval official confirmed. The work stoppage could strain Thailand’s military relations with China, which has replaced the United States as Thailand’s biggest arms supplier. The Royal Thai Navy and China’s state-owned China Shipbuilding & […]

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Australia to take in 16,500 more refugees from Afghanistan

The Australian government has announced it will take in an additional 16,500 Afghan refugees. This is in addition to it’s official humanitarian program which stands at 13,750 places a year, Australia’s ABC reported Wednesday. Paul Power, the chief executive of the Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA), said: “It’s going to make an enormous difference to people who are seeking safety […]

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