A recent survey by the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore has found a shifting preference towards China over the US in Southeast Asia, driven by various factors, including disillusionment with US foreign policy and the economic opportunities presented by Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative. According to Chong Ja Ian, an associate professor at the National University of Singapore, the US’ firm support for Israel during the Gaza War has contributed to a decline in confidence in Washington’s adherence to the existing international order.
In a recent interview with the South China Morning Post, Joseph Nye, a former US assistant secretary of defence, outlined two potential scenarios for US-China ties. If Joe Biden is re-elected, he predicts a continuation of current policies seen over the last few years. However, he said that if former US President Donald Trump returns to office, the situation becomes more unpredictable due to his erratic nature. Trump has previously threatened to impose steep tariffs on Chinese products, raising the possibility of a trade war.
Mohammad Reza Zahedi, Iran’s top military commander in Syria, was killed in an airstrike in Damascus on Monday, allegedly by the Israel Air Force. A building next to the Iranian embassy was flattened by the strike and at least six people, including Zahedi, died. The attack occurred a day after a drone launched by pro-Iranian militias from Iraq entered Israel and struck the Port of Eilat.
Israel ended its two-week-long raid of the Shifa hospital in Gaza City on Monday. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it killed 200 Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terrorists and arrested over 600 suspects. The Hamas-run Health Ministry accused the IDF of killing over 400 Gazan civilians during the raid.
On Monday, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) appointed Judith Suminwa Tuluka as the country’s first woman prime minister. President Felix Tshisekedi appointed the former planning minister as the new PM amid a resurgence of violence in the country’s mineral-rich eastern region bordering Rwanda. In her speech after being elected, Tuluka promised to work towards peace and development and expressed her concern regarding the conflict.
US Members of Congress of South Asian descent raised concerns on Monday over an “increase in incidents of vandalism” against Hindu temples in the country. In a letter, the group requested the Justice Department to brief them on the status of related investigations. They added that the number of incidents was leading to collective anxiety among Hindu Americans and causing them to live in fear and intimidation.