News Timeline: East Asia 2015

January 13 – Japan
Japan increases its budget for defense spending to a record $42 billion. The move comes after the cabinet of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe approved a resolution in July 2014 to reinterpret Article Nine of Japan’s 67-year old constitution. This reinterpretation relaxes the constitutional prohibition on Japan’s use of force and allows Japan to come to the aid of an ally under armed attack, as well as to participate in United Nations collective security operations.

February 3 – Japan
Jordan carries out multiple air strikes on Islamic State (IS) targets in Syria after an online video appeared showing captured Jordanian pilot Moaz al-Kasasbeh being burned alive. The focus of the Jordanian bombing is the city of Raqqa, the IS stronghold. The militants claim that during one of these air strikes, an American aid worker, Kayla Mueller, who was held by the IS since 2013, was killed. This claim, however, cannot be confirmed. (February 16): Egypt carries out air bombing on Islamic State targets in Libya after IS released a video showing beheadings of 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians who were kidnapped in Libya where they worked. The killings have been widely condemned by the international community. Al-Azhar, the prestigious seat of Islamic learning in Cairo, says that these barbaric killings have nothing to do with any religion or human values. (February 17): Japan says it will contribute additional $15.5 million to fight terrorism in the Middle East following the release of the video by the Islamic State showing two Japanese hostages being beheaded. The money will fund such activities as improving border controls. (February 26): The masked Islamic State militant shown as the leader of the beheadings on the IS videos, is identified as a Kuwaiti-born British citizen Moahmmed Emwazi.

February 4 – China
The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) implements a number of regulations that will tighten its already tight control over the internet users in China. They include a measure requiring the web users to register under their real names. The critics say the new rules further restrict free speech in China. The country has the largest number of Internet users in the world, but also the world’s best developed internet censorship called the Great Firewall.

February 17 – Myanmar
Myanmar declares a state of emergency in the region of Kokang after a deadly outbreak of fighting between Kokang separatists and the government troops in Shan State near the border with China. The resurgence in fighting is connected with the return of the Kokang rebel leader from exile in China. Kokang region is mostly populated by Kokang people who are ethnically Han Chinese.

April 29 – Japan
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe meets with U.S. President Barack Obama to discuss defense cooperation between the two countries and a trade deal called the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). He is also the first Japanese prime minister to address a joint session of the U.S. Congress. During his speech, Abe expresses his deep regrets and condolences for US soldiers who died during the World War II conflict. 2015 marks 70th anniversary of the end of WWII.

April 29 – Indonesia / Australia
Australia recalls its ambassador from Indonesia after Indonesia executed several foreign nationals for drug smuggling by firing squad. Two of those executed were Australian citizens. Indonesia is known for having the toughest drug laws in the world. Australia launched intensive diplomatic campaign to spare the lives of the two of its citizens, but Indonesia claims it is at war with drugs, and the convicted were part of a notorious group of heroin traffickers known as the Bali Nine.

May 23 – Myanmar / Indonesia / Malaysia / Thailand
Indonesia begins a rescue mission for thousands of Rohingya migrants dubbed as “boat people” who are stranded at Andaman Sea in Southeast Asia. It also agrees to provide a temporary shelter after an international pressure to help the migrants. Rohingyas, a Muslim minority that lives mostly in Myanmar and Bangladesh, flee poverty and systemic persecution. In the past few weeks, more than 3,000 people arrived in Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand by rickety boats. It is estimated, however, that tens of thousands of them have fled just this year, many of them dying at sea during the journey. The crisis has been sparked by human traffickers who often take the migrants to Thailand and then overland to Malaysia where they hold them for ransom. (May 24):  Malaysian police discovers 139 grave sites in abandoned camps on the border with Thailand. The authorities believe human traffickers held Rohingya migrants there for ransom.

June 18 – China
Pro-democracy lawmakers in Hong Kong’s parliament reject a controversial election proposal supported by the mainland Chinese government, which sparked massive protests last year. According to this electoral reform, voters in Hong Kong could choose their leader, but only from among candidates approved by a special committee in Beijing. Right now, the territory’s chief executive is appointed by a special 1,200–member committee that includes pro-Beijing supporters.

June 19 – North Korea
North Korea is experiencing a severe drought, the worst one in the last 100 years. Its news agency informed that a third of the country’s rice fields are dry, which has led to basic food shortages. The drought is also leading to water shortages.

July 30 – China
According to the United Nations’ 2015 Revisions to the report “World Population Prospects,” the world population has reached 7.3 billion by mid-2015, an increase of one billion within the last 12 years. Sixty percent of people live in Asia, followed by Africa (16 percent), Europe (10 percent), Latin America (9 percent), and North America with Oceania (5 percent). The two countries with the largest populations are China (1.4 billion) and India (1.3 billion). The report also says that within the next 15 years, the world population is expected to increase by more than one billion people, reaching 8.5 billion in 2030. On the country levels, the population on India is projected to surpass that of China by 2022.

September 11 – Singapore
Singapore’s governing People’s Action Party (PAP) wins almost 70 percent of the votes in general elections, securing 83 out of 89 seats in the parliament. The turnout is 94 percent, as voting in Singapore in mandatory. The opposition Workers’ Party comes second, gathering 12 percent and getting six seats in the parliament. Since Singapore’s independence in 1965, PAP has won every election.

September 15 – North Korea
North Korea restarts its Yongbyon nuclear facility that was closed in 2007 as part of a disarmament-for-aid agreement. It is believed that this uranium enrichment facility produced material used in previous nuclear tests. North Korean news media announces that the country is ready to face the United States hostility with nuclear weapons. The previous similar threats were made in connection with South Korean-U.S. joint military exercises.

October 13 – Malaysia
In an investigation report on the Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17 that crashed over Ukraine in 2014, the Dutch Safety Board concludes that the plane was brought down by a Russian-made Buk missile. The report does not say who fired the missile. Russia blames Ukraine for the disaster, while Ukraine and the West say Russia has equipped the rebels in eastern Ukraine with weapons.

October 27 – China
A US warship passes by the contested islands in the South China Sea within the area claimed by China. China issues a protest, saying that such incidents might lead to a war. The United States, however, says it was conducting a routine operation according to international law.

November 7 – China / Taiwan
China’s president, Xi Jinping, and Taiwan’s president, Ma Ying-jeou, hold historic talks in Singapore, the first ones since the end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949. Both sides talk about consolidating the 1992 Consensus and developing cross-strait peace. Also, as a result of the talks, both countries agree to swap jailed spies. In Taiwan, the meeting is received with distrust and a suspicious feeling about China’s real motives.

November 8 – Myanmar
Myanmar’s opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) party led by Aung San Suu Kyi wins a landslide victory in the country’s parliamentary elections. It wins 86 percent of the seats in the parliament called the Hluttaw (370 of the 492 contested seats), securing the supermajority needed to ensure that its favored candidates will be elected president and first vice president. Twenty-five percent of the Hluttaw seats are reserved for unelected military representatives who also have a veto power over any constitutional changes. The NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi is constitutionally barred from becoming the president (as she is also a UK citizen), but she is expected to hold the real power in any NLD-led government. The new government will take over in January 2016.

November 17 – China
China sign a $15 billion deal with Argentina to finance and build two nuclear power plants there. The deal shows China’s continued interest in maintaining its presence in Latin America. Since 2007, China has invested $19 billion in Argentina’s infrastructure projects and made more investments in other Latin American countries.

November 22 – Hong Kong
Activists of the 2014 Occupy Central protests win eight seats in in the Hong Kong District Council elections. The term “Occupy Central” is commonly used to describe a loose pro-democracy political movement that was created spontaneously during the Hong Kong protests of 2014. It is also known as the “Umbrella Movement” in reference to the umbrellas used for defense against tear gas. Elections are held to all 18 District Councils. Over 900 candidates competed for 431 available seats. The pan-democrat Neo Democrats win 15 out of their 16 bids, doubling the number of their seats from 7 to 15. The pro-Beijing camp, however, retains its control of all 18 councils with the Beijing-loyalist party Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) maintaining its lead as the largest party. The Hong Kong councilors have mainly advisory role to the government.

December 4 – China
Speaking at the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in South Africa, Chinese President Xi Jinping pledges $60 billion for development aid for African countries. The money will fund infrastructure projects, help drought-stricken countries, upgrade African health care facilities, train journalists, and provide scholarships for African students. The pledged amount will be disbursed over the next three years.

December 18 – China
China issues the highest level of smog alert for the Beijing area the second time in two weeks. The authorities advise people to stay home, including children from schools, for several days. The alert also restricts operations of factories and the use of vehicles. Sixty percent of China’s industries and heating systems is still powered by coal, which heavily contributes to such high levels of smog.

December 28 – Japan / South Korea
Japan officially issues an apology and promises to pay over $8 million to South Korean women who during WWII were forced to work in brothels as so called “comfort women” to Japanese soldiers. This has been one of the main issues straining the Japanese-South Korean relations.