January 6 – North Korea
North Korea announces that it has conducted its first successful underground test of a hydrogen bomb, which are more powerful than atomic bombs. Experts in the field, however, question the claim and say that the explosion was not powerful enough for an H-bomb.

January 16 – China
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announces that Iran has taken adequate steps toward implementing the nuclear deal, allowing for the United Nations to lift sanctions against it. The agreement was reached in July. Lifting sanction will release billions of dollars of Iran’s frozen assets abroad, allow Iran to sell its oil and gas to other countries, open Iran to foreign companies for investment, and will allow Iran to trade with other countries and use the global banking system. (January 16): Iran releases four Iranian-Americans from prison in exchange for seven Iranian citizens imprisoned in the United States for violation of sanction against Iran. Among the freed Americans are Jason Rezaian, a journalist for the Washington Post, who was accused of espionage, and Saeed Abedini, a Christian pastor, imprisoned for proselytizing Christianity in Iran. (January 23): Iran and China sign 17 agreements aimed at boosting trade and economic relations between the two countries. (January 25): Accompanied by a 120-strong delegation of the country’s government ministers and businessmen, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani arrives in Europe on a state visit, the first one in 16 years. The purpose of the visit is to discuss trade relations with Italy and France, such as a $24 billion deal to purchase 118 Airbus planes.

January 16 – Taiwan
Tsai Ing-wen from the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) wins a presidential election in Taiwan with 56 percent of the vote. The DPP also wins a majority in the parliament and for the first time it will be able to govern alone. The elections end 70 years of rule by the Kuomintang (KMT). Tsai says that as president she will work to preserve Taiwan’s status quo.

January 18 – China
In 2015, China’s economy grew only by 6.8 percent, which is the slowest economic growth since 1991. In the last 15 years, its growth was rapid, reaching even 14 percent in 2007. Slowing down of the second largest world economy worries investors around the world.

February 17 – China / Taiwan / Vietnam
Taiwan says it has satellite images proving that China has deployed two batteries of long-range missiles to one of the disputed islands in the South China Sea. Woody Island or Yongxing Island is claimed by China, Taiwan and Vietnam. China denies the report.

February 26 – Japan
A new census in Japan shows that the country’s population has declined by almost a million since the last census five years ago. Japan’s falling birth rate and a lack of immigration are factors to blame for this decrease. The rapidly ageing population contributes to economic stagnation and increased health care costs. The Japanese government says that at this rate, by 2060, about 40 percent its citizens will be sixty-five or older, and the general population will shrink by one-third. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announces incentives, including improving childcare and tax relief, to boost the birthrate.

March 2 – North Korea
The United Nations Security Council unanimously approves new tough sanctions on North Korea in response to its recent nuclear test and a launch of a long-range rocket, which has violated existing UN sanctions. Additional sanctions include more export bans, inspections of cargo going in and out of North Korea, and blacklisting new North Korean individuals and organizations. (March 10): North Korea fires two short-range ballistic missiles in a show of force. It also claims that it has miniaturized nuclear warheads. (March 17): United States President Barack Obama issues an executive order that extends US sanctions on North Korea. These sanctions freeze North Korean government assets in the U.S. and ban any US exports and investment in North Korea.

March 30 – Myanmar
Myanmar swears in its first civilian president and cabinet in 50 years. Htin Kyaw from the National League for democracy (NLD) takes over from General Thein Sein as president. Most of the members of the new cabinet are also members of the NLD that won a landslide victory in the November elections. Because the NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi is barred from becoming the country’s president, she will hold a key position in charge of foreign affairs, the president’s office, education, and energy and electric power. The military will still hold three important ministries: defense, home affairs, and border affairs.

May 24 – North Korea / South Korea / China
South Korean Ministry of Unification informs that a group of North Korean restaurant workers in China defected and is being moved to South Korea. This is the second such incident in the last two months. North Korea runs about 130 restaurants in other countries and their employees are chosen from among the most loyal to the North Korean leader.

May 27 – Japan
United States President Barack Obama is the first sitting U.S. president to visit Hiroshima since the dropping of the atomic bomb on the city on August 6, 1945 that killed directly about 80,000 people and destroyed 70 percent of the city. During this deeply symbolic visit, President Obama pays his respects to the victims at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and the Peace Memorial Park, where he and Japan’s president, Shinzo Abe, lay wreaths. In his speech, President Obama calls on nations to pursue a world without nuclear weapons.

June 13 – Philippines
A radical Islamic group Abu Sayyaf based in the Philippines kills Canadian Robert Hall who was kidnapped for ransom 10 months earlier. The group demanded several million dollars for Hall, but the Canadian government opposes paying ransoms for hostages. The Abu Sayyaf group is based in the southwestern part of the Philippines, where for more than four decades it has been engaged in an insurgency for an independent Islamic province in this predominantly Catholic country. The group has only a few hundreds of militants, but is considered very violent.

June 22 – North Korea
North Korea carries out another missile test in defiance of the UN resolution that bans it from any use of ballistic missile technology. Although the first launched missile fails, the second one flies about 250 miles reaching an altitude of more than 620 miles. The missile is believed to be of intermediate range that could reach South Korea, Japan, and the U.S. territory of Guam in the Pacific.

July 12 – China / Philippines
The Permanent Court of Arbitration backs the claim brought by the Philippines against China and rules that the “nine-dash line,” used by China to demarcate its territorial claims on the South China Sea, is unlawful under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The tribunal says that there is no evidence that China historically exercised exclusive control over these waters and its resources. The area includes the Spratly Islands and Scarborough Shoal. The tribunal also criticized China for causing severe damage to the coral reef environment by building artificial islands in the area. China rejects the ruling. Although it is binding, the Permanent Court of Arbitration has no power of enforcement.

August 22 – Philippines
The Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte threatens to pull out of the United Nations after UN human rights experts expressed their concerns about extrajudicial executions and killings as part of the country’s controversial war on drugs. Since President Duterte came to power in May 2016 and launched his new drug policies, the number of drug-related killings jumped to over 1,800.[1]
More about the controversial war on drugs in the Philippines.

September 9 – North Korea
North Korea conducts is fifth and biggest nuclear test with a yield of 10 kilotons, which causes a 5.3 seismic tremor. As a result of the test, the country says it can now mount a nuclear warhead to a missile. South Korea, Japan, the United States, Norway, China, and other countries condemn the test and warn North Korea about consequences. France calls on the United Nations Security Council to address the issue. North Korea has been angered by South Korea’s plans to install an anti-missile defense system and by allies’ joint military exercises in South Korea.

October 13 – Thailand
Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej dies at the age of 88. He ruled as king and head of state for 70 years, which makes him the world’s longest-reigning monarch. Although the king’s powers in Thailand are limited by the constitution, King Bhumibol Adulyadej played a crucial role as a unifier and a moderator during many coups, and was greatly respected by many Thais. But he was also protected by lèse-majesté laws, which allow critics of the monarchy to be jailed for three to fifteen years. His critics say that he endorsed the military takeovers and failed to condemn human rights abuses. King Bhumibol’s only son, Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, is expected to become Thailand’s new king. Some worry that he does not enjoy his father’s stature.
More about Thailand’s Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn.

November 1 – China
China unveils its newly designed Chengdu J-20 stealth fighter during an air show. It was designed to rival the United States’ F-35 and F-22 fighter jets. Its design and its many features are very similar or identical to the American fighters, and US military officials accuse China of stealing the design by hacking into their computer systems.[2] Stealth aircrafts are designed to avoid detection using a variety of different technologies.
China showcasing its J-20 stealth aircraft – video (0:53 min)
U.S. Air Force’s stealth fighter – video (1:09 min)

November 10 – China
Vice Minister of Public Security in China, Meng Hongwei, becomes the first Chinese to head the international criminal police organization, Interpol. He will serve as president until 2020. INTERPOL has 190 member-countries. Its high-tech infrastructure of technical and operational support helps police around the world to cooperate. Amnesty International official says that the appointment of Meng Hongwei is worrying because of China’s attempts of trying to use Interpol to arrest dissidents and refugees abroad.[3]
History of Interpol
Interpol: 100 Years of Innovation – video (5:40 min)

November 15 – China
Hong Kong’s high court disqualifies two newly elected legislators, Sixtus Leung and Yau Wai-Ching, from taking their seats in the Legislative Council after they refused to pledge allegiance to China and used derogatory words when referring to China during the October 12 swear-in ceremony. The judge rules that according to the Basic Law of Hong Kong, the legislators have to swear allegiance to Hong Kong as part of China when they take office. The ruling comes a week after China intervened by interpreting Hong Kong’s mini-constitution and insisted that oath taking has to be conducted sincerely and accurately. Sixtues and Yau represent a pro-independence Youngspiration localist political party in Hong Kong founded in 2015. It emerged from the 2014 Hong Kong protests, often referred to as the “Umbrella Revolution”, and stands for self-determination of the autonomous territory.

November 29 – Australia
In its recent report on the Great Barrier Reef surveys, the Australian Research Council (ARC) Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies based at James Cook University concludes that higher water temperatures in 2016 have led to the worst destruction of corals ever recorded in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. The northern section of the Reef is in the worst shape with 67 percent of corals dead. The situation is better in the central section, where 6 percent perished, while the southern reef is in the best shape with just 1 percent of the coral that has died.[4] Higher sea temperatures cause corals to expel tiny photosynthetic algae, called ‘zooxanthellae’. The loss of these algae causes bleaching of the corals, which means they turn white and skeletal. Bleached corals can recover if the temperature drops and zooxanthellae algae recolonize them again, otherwise the coral may die.[5] The report warns, however, that such recovery can be difficult if global warming continues.
Picture of bleached coral in February 2016 that died by April 2016.
Photos and videos of green zones and red zones in the Great Barrier Reef

December 9 – South Korea
South Korean parliament votes to impeach the country’s first female president, Park Geun-Hye, on charges of corruption and giving a close friend access to government decisions to gain money and influence. Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn becomes interim president until the constitutional court makes a final decision on Park’s impeachment. The scandal has caused weeks of street protests and demands for Park to step down.

 

SOURCES:
[1] NBC News. “Philippines Drug-War Deaths Double as President Duterte Lashes Out at U.N.” August 22 2016. Web. 19 September 2016. http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/philippines-drug-war-deaths-double-president-duterte-lashes-out-u-n635686.
[2] Smith, Alexander. “China Offers First Glimpse of Chengdu J-20 Stealth Fighter.” NBC News. 1 March 2016. Web. 12 December 2016.
[3] “Chinese Government Security Official Named New Head of Interpol.” Press Release. Amnesty International. 10 November 2016. Web. 12 December 2016.
[4] “Life and death after Great Barrier Reef bleaching.” ARC Center of Excellence Coral Reef Studies. 29 November 2016. Web. 30 November 2016. https://www.coralcoe.org.au/media-releases/life-and-death-after-great-barrier-reef-bleaching.
[5] “Coral death toll climbs on Great Barrier Reef.” ARC Center of Excellence Coral Reef Studies.30 May 2016. Web. 30 November 2016. https://www.coralcoe.org.au/media-releases/coral-death-toll-climbs-on-great-barrier-reef.