Asia (Continuación)

Indian soldiers patrol a market in Srinagar, Kashmir, on 28 April 2025. Photograph: Tauseef Mustafa/AFP/Getty Images

MundoAsiaMundoOriente Próximo,

By all accounts, the 26 people killed last week in a picturesque meadow in Pahalgam in Kashmir were selected for slaughter by the militants on the basis of their religion. We’ve read heart-rending testimony of how the families watched as the men, almost all Hindu, were shot from close range. These were unconscionable killings. We’ve also read how Kashmiri tourist guides and pony operators rescued many Indian tourists, at great risk to their own lives.

Whether this attack was carried out by Pakistani militants, local Kashmiris, or both, is immaterial to the families of the dead. Their lives are destroyed, along with the Indian state’s carefully constructed facade of normality in the region – a facade sustained by the tourism boom of recent years.…  Seguir leyendo »

My Father Founded Singapore. He Wouldn’t Like What It’s Become

MundoAsia

My father, Lee Kuan Yew, was the founder of Singapore. He guided the nation through its first 31 years with a firm hand as prime minister, pioneering a system of government that some have called benevolent autocracy.

His People’s Action Party monopolized political power and denied the people some basic freedoms. Under my father, it was also dedicated to ensuring shared prosperity, clean government and high-quality public services such as affordable housing. Singapore became a spectacular success, an oasis of stability, prosperity and efficiency.

Today that luster is tarnishing.

The party, which has governed uninterrupted since 1959, is no longer living up to its obligations to the people.…  Seguir leyendo »

People visit St. Joseph’s Church in Beijing on April 26. Pedro Pardo/AFP via Getty Images

MundoAsiaInternacionalIglesia Católica,

As the Catholic Church—and the world—mourns the death of Pope Francis, reflects on his legacy, and looks to the future with the election of a new pontiff, the Vatican would do well to review its approach to China.

Francis’s pontificate contains much for which advocates of human rights can be grateful. Yet the Vatican’s China policy is not one of them. A pope who spoke often about injustice and persecution around the world failed to speak on the atrocities in China.

Although vocal about Sudan, Yemen, Gaza, and Myanmar, his silence about the persecution of Uyghurs, Tibetans, Falun Gong practitioners, and Christians across China was deafening, and a conscious choice to look away.…  Seguir leyendo »

U.S. Navy SEALs perform a cold weather training exercise in Kodiak, Alaska, on Dec. 14, 2003. Eric S. Logsdon/U.S. Navy via Getty Images

MundoAméricaMundoAsia, , ,

Move over, Cuba—there are new islands in town. While the prospect of a nuclear crisis over Taiwan remains a genuine and dangerous possibility, China’s activities around the Aleutian Islands should not be overlooked. Brazen Chinese military activities in and around the islands and the Bering Strait could escalate.

The Aleutian Islands are part of the U.S. state of Alaska, so they are part of U.S. vital interests. Failure to enhance deterrence and demonstrate resolve over the chain not only threatens the territorial integrity of the United States in the Arctic, but could also embolden Beijing to intensify military operations in the Taiwan Strait.…  Seguir leyendo »

The Fall of Saigon: ‘Growing up, I had the images of this day seared into my memory by the photographs my parents kept and the stories they told.’ Photograph: Sipa Press/Rex

MundoAsia

The literature of the Vietnamese diaspora is full of ghosts: fallen soldiers; parents left behind; siblings lost at sea.

Looking at the history of Vietnam in the 20th century, it is not hard to see why. The second world war was followed by a longer war against the French, which was, in turn, followed by an even longer war against the Americans. Across 30 years of war, somewhere between 1 million and 2 million Vietnamese were killed in the fighting. We can’t be sure of the exact number – perhaps because of the industrial scale of the slaughter, or as Gen William Westmoreland, the commander of the American forces in Vietnam, once said, “Life is cheap in the Orient” – and so not worth the counting.…  Seguir leyendo »

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La guerra comercial iniciada por los aranceles de Donald Trump es mala para todos. Va a provocar una contracción del comercio mundial y la ruptura de cadenas de suministro. Muchos países sufrirán una caída de sus exportaciones y el encarecimiento de sus importaciones, provocando crisis económicas. Puede tener además efectos geopolíticos muy peligrosos, como sucedió con las guerras comerciales de los años anteriores a la Segunda Guerra Mundial. Los efectos serán especialmente perjudiciales para los Estados en vías de desarrollo. Hablamos mucho de la Unión Europea y de China, que son grandes mercados que tienen diversas maneras de hacer frente a los problemas causados por los nuevos aranceles, pero nos solemos olvidar de los países más pobres.…  Seguir leyendo »

A photographer takes pictures of an Indian tourist in a boat as an Indian paramilitary soldier stands guard on the bank of Dal lake, following an attack on Indian tourists by gunmen, on 24 April 2025 in Srinagar, India. Photo: Yawar Nazir/Getty Images.

MundoAsiaMundoOriente Próximo, ,

On 22 April, a terror attack in the Baisaran Valley near Pahalgam in Indian-administered Jammu & Kashmir claimed the lives of 26 people, mostly Indian tourists. This is the deadliest attack in the disputed territory since 2019 when a car bomb targeting a convoy of buses carrying Indian paramilitary soldiers killed 40 people in Pulwama. More alarmingly, it is the biggest attack targeting civilians in over two decades. The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy for Lashkar-e-Taiba – a Pakistan-based terrorist organization – has claimed responsibility for the attack, while the civilian government in Pakistan has denied any involvement.

Benign neglect or strategic restraint?…  Seguir leyendo »
El presidente del Gobierno, Pedro Sánchez, con el presidente de China, Xi JinpingMONCLOA

MundoAsiaEuropaUnión EuropeaEconomía

Es difícil escudriñar las verdaderas razones por las que Trump ha iniciado esta absurda guerra comercial que está afectando a la economía global –incluida la norteamericana– y que no está aportando nada bueno a la prosperidad mundial, aunque no parece que ésta sea su prioridad. Es evidente que la aludida razón de equilibrar la balanza comercial de los EEUU no puede ser el motivo: primero, porque un déficit comercial en un país desarrollado no tiene por qué ser negativo; y, segundo, porque hay mejores maneras para equilibrar las balanzas comerciales –si es lo que se pretende– que una imposición radical de aranceles a diestra y siniestra que perjudican tanto al que los impone como al que los sufre.…  Seguir leyendo »

MundoAsia

Existen indicios de que la economía china ha venido mejorando, gracias al paquete de estímulo del gobierno de septiembre de 2024. El crecimiento interanual del PIB en el primer trimestre de este año alcanzó el 5,4% -continuando la marcada aceleración del tercer trimestre del año pasado.

De hecho, el cambio en la dirección de la política se ha hecho evidente desde finales de 2022, cuando los responsables de las políticas chinos reconocieron que la caída de la demanda se estaba convirtiendo en un verdadero problema. La causa más importante fue el mercado inmobiliario, donde el colapso de la burbuja de precios afectó seriamente los ingresos de los gobiernos locales, recortando los ingresos inmobiliarios y empresariales de los residentes (una parte importante de la renta disponible) y llevando el gasto de los consumidores por debajo de la tendencia.…  Seguir leyendo »

La UE y China no se unirán contra Trump (a pesar de los esfuerzos de Xi)

MundoAsiaEuropaUnión EuropeaPolítica Exterior

El partenariado contra EEUU no será el principal tema de conversación entre la Unión Europea y China. Y es que dicha alianza no beneficiaría a los intereses europeos. Hasta la víspera del 2 de abril (Liberation Day), quienes más odiaban a Trump en Europa eran, sobre todo, los progresistas: por lo que es y por los valores que representa. Pero, tras el 2 de abril y con la guerra de los aranceles desatada, muchos conservadores europeos han comenzado a considerarlo, también, un líder peligroso, dañino, poco fiable y capaz de infligir un gran daño a la economía mundial.

En este clima de hostilidad universal hacia Trump, son muchos los que esperan una alianza entre Europa y China para derrotar a estos EEUU.…  Seguir leyendo »

MundoAsia

L’Inde est aujourd’hui la plus protectionniste des grandes économies, et elle l’était bien avant la récente hausse des droits de douane de Donald Trump. Généralement élevés, les droits de douane indiens dépassent 50 % pour de nombreux biens (produits agricoles, voitures, alcool…). Il y a peu, les autorités ont de surcroît introduit, sur un large éventail de biens, des barrières douanières non tarifaires arbitraires : les quality control orders ou « ordres de contrôle de la qualité ».

Pourquoi ce protectionnisme ? On serait tenté de répondre que la plupart des pays qui ont connu le joug colonial éprouvent une aversion naturelle et justifiée envers les capitaux et les produits étrangers, qui ont participé à leur appauvrissement.…  Seguir leyendo »

Iranians pass by the anti-American murals painted on the walls of the former U.S. Embassy in Tehran, Iran, on April 16. Middle East Images via AFP

MundoAsia,

As the second round of nuclear talks between the United States and Iran get underway this weekend, suspicion and distrust between the two sides remain high. U.S. President Donald Trump continues to make threats against the country I served for years as a policymaker and a diplomat. Understandably, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei remains cautious. “We are very pessimistic about the other side, but we are optimistic about our own capabilities”, he said recently.

As such, many analysts believe the chances of a deal are slim. In fact, the American side doesn’t seem entirely sure what outcome it wants from the negotiations.…  Seguir leyendo »

Rescue teams work to evacuate residents trapped under the rubble of the collapsed building in Mandalay, Myanmar, on March 30. Sai Aung Main / AFP via Getty Images

MundoAsia,

When the earth shook in central Myanmar on March 28, many in the Buddhist-majority country waited for the aftermath to undermine the military junta’s repressive rule—reflecting a belief that natural disasters can signal waning karmic merit for those in power. What they saw instead was a regime eager to leverage humanitarian aid for legitimacy amid an ongoing civil war.

In the hours after the deadly 7.7 magnitude earthquake, the streets of Mandalay and Sagaing—not far from the epicenter—resembled a war zone. Survivors clawed through debris to free loved ones, with virtually no sign of help from authorities. Myanmar’s capital, Naypyidaw, along with the Mandalay and Sagaing regions were the hardest hit.…  Seguir leyendo »

¿Quieres saber lo que los chinos piensan de Trump? Te vas a sorprender

MundoAméricaMundoAsiaInternacionalEconomía,

En China, uno de los muchos apodos del presidente Donald Trump es Chuan Jianguo. Se traduce literalmente como “Trump, el constructor de naciones”. Mi mejor traducción es “Camarada Trump”. El chiste es que Trump es un patriótico hijo de China que promueve de manera diligente los intereses chinos desencadenando el caos en Estados Unidos.

Conocí estos memes gracias a los amigos que hice el verano pasado mientras recibía entrenamiento en el área comercial en el centro de contratación oficial de Amazon en Hangzhou y como vendedora de Temu en Shenzhen. Estas empresas forman parte de un enorme ecosistema de comercio electrónico que se ha convertido en un elemento central del comercio minorista mundial y de la economía global.…  Seguir leyendo »

Police stand in front of supporters on the side of a road as they wait for the arrival of former South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol (pictured on flag) outside the Central District Court in Seoul on April 14. Anthony Wallace/AFP via Getty Images

MundoAsia

On April 4, South Korea’s Constitutional Court unanimously voted to sustain Yoon Suk-yeol’s impeachment, removing him from the presidency for his illegal declaration of martial law and attempted autogolpe on Dec. 3, 2024. Yoon’s bizarre and short-circuited presidency displayed many of the antidemocratic trends emerging around the world. South Koreans’ response, in turn, offers an example of the way forward.

The Yoon administration was a strange one from the start. Having won on March 9, 2022—in the narrowest victory in South Korean presidential election history—by pandering to grievances about the rising cost of housing as well as young men’s toxic misogyny, Yoon’s first major initiative as the president was to relocate the presidential office from the Blue House—the presidential residence—to the Defense Ministry compound.…  Seguir leyendo »

Elon Musk meets with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Washington DC on 13 February 2025. (Photo by Press Information Bureau / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)

MundoAsia,

Last month, social media platform X filed a case in Indian court against the government around a platform called Sahyog, a state-owned digital tool. Sahyog automatically sends government notices to intermediaries like X and Facebook, requesting them to review or remove content. The Indian government says the tool is essential to tackle harmful online content. But X has referred to it as a ‘ censorship portal’, setting the stage for a legal battle in an Indian court. Foreign and domestic tech firms – as well as freedom of speech activists – will be watching carefully.

In the southern state of Karnataka, X was asked via Sahyog to take down ‘ hundreds of posts’ which show people dying in a massive crush at a major Hindu religious festival – a request which the platform is now contesting as a threat to freedom of speech.…  Seguir leyendo »

A portrait of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, who ruled India from 1658 to 1707. (DeAgostini/Getty Images)

MundoAsia

In February, a Bollywood film called “Chhaava” (“Lion Cub”) debuted in India amid massive fanfare. In the film, actor Vicky Kaushal plays Sambhaji, a Hindu leader who took on Mughal ruler Aurangzeb in the 17th century. Aurangzeb is portrayed as a sadist who chains and tortures the valiant hero, whose fingernails and tongue are pulled out and who eventually (spoiler alert!) dies. Mughal soldiers also burn a shepherdess alive. Indian news channels showed viewers emerging from the theater sobbing, exclaiming that they were unaware of the gory history of the Mughals in India.

Ironically, the film was released on Valentine’s Day, when many couples pose in front of the Taj Mahal, a symbol of love constructed by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan as a memorial to his favorite wife.…  Seguir leyendo »