In 2022, Asia's middle powers ensured all was quiet in the Indo-Pacific
The best way to describe Asian geopolitics in the past year is encapsulated by the term "strategic maturity", namely the ability of nations to see the bigger picture beyond the fog of short-term tensions and uncertainty. What began as a tumultuous year, which took an even more troubling turn over the coming months, ended on a relatively more encouraging geopolitical note, largely thanks to the proactive role of "middle powers" in encouraging the better angels of superpowers’ nature. Already divided by the war in Ukraine, and locked into a disruptive trade and technological warfare, the US and China almost sleepwalked towards direct confrontation following a controversial visit to Taiwan by Nancy Pelosi, the outgoing Speaker of the US House of Representatives, in August. In particular, South-East Asian nations such Indonesia – this year’s G20 president, and the incoming chairman of Association of South-East Asian Nations – was instrumental to brokering a desperately needed detente between the two superpowers. The upshot is a more manageable competition rather than a mutually destructive conflict.
India targets net-zero carbon emissions by 2070, says Modi
India’s economy will become carbon neutral by the year 2070, the country’s prime minster has announced at the COP26 climate crisis summit in Glasgow. The target date is two decades beyond what scientists say is needed to avert catastrophic climate impacts. India is the last of the world’s major carbon polluters to announce a net-zero target, with China saying it would reach that goal in 2060, and the United States and the European Union aiming for 2050.
COP26: What climate summit means for one woman in Bangladesh
China's carbon emissions are vast and growing, dwarfing those of other countries. Experts agree that without big reductions in China's emissions, the world cannot win the fight against climate change. In 2020, China's President Xi Jinping said his country would aim for its emissions to reach their highest point before 2030 and for carbon neutrality before 2060. His statement has now been confirmed as China's official position ahead of the COP26 global climate summit in Glasgow. But China has not said exactly how these goals will be achieved.
Why China's climate policy matters to us all
China's carbon emissions are vast and growing, dwarfing those of other countries. Experts agree that without big reductions in China's emissions, the world cannot win the fight against climate change. In 2020, China's President Xi Jinping said his country would aim for its emissions to reach their highest point before 2030 and for carbon neutrality before 2060. His statement has now been confirmed as China's official position ahead of the COP26 global climate summit in Glasgow. But China has not said exactly how these goals will be achieved.
Deliver on promises, developing world tells rich at climate talks
A crucial U.N. conference heard calls on its first day for the world's major economies to keep their promises of financial help to address the climate crisis, while big polluters India and Brazil made new commitments to cut emissions. World leaders, environmental experts and activists all pleaded for decisive action to halt the global warming which threatens the future of the planet at the start of the two-week COP26 summit in the Scottish city of Glasgow on Monday. The task facing negotiators was made even more daunting by the failure of the Group of 20 major industrial nations to agree ambitious new commitments at the weekend.