Moderator:
Southern Weekly reporter Gu Yuebing
Southern Weekend intern Yin Chenxi
Commentators:
Ding Long, a professor at the Institute of Middle East Studies, Wai Chinese University, Shanghai
Jin Ling, Deputy Director of the Institute of European Studies, China Institute of International Studies
Wang Chong, Executive Director of the Center for American Studies, Zhejiang University of Foreign Chinese, and Senior Research Fellow of the Chahar Society
outburst
Iran and Israel "retaliate" against each other, adding a new front to the Middle East?
The war in the Middle East has escalated again.
"An Israeli missile has already hit Iran. On April 19, 2024, CBS News said.
Israel's Jerusalem Post reported explosions in Iran's Isfahan region, southern Syria's Suweida province, Iraq's Baghdad region and Babylon province.
There are several Iranian nuclear facilities in Isfahan province, including the Natanz nuclear facility. The Natanz nuclear facility is at the heart of Iran's uranium enrichment program.
Israeli Army Radio soon broke the news that Israeli security officials had confirmed that Israel had launched an attack on Iran.
"The nuclear facilities near Isfahan, Iran, were not damaged. Iranian state television sources said.
In the aftermath of the attack, data from flight tracking website Flight Radar 24 showed that at least eight flights were diverted in Iranian airspace early on April 19.
Iran's official news agency reported that air defense systems over several provinces of Iran had been activated, and flights had been suspended in several cities such as Isfahan, Shiraz and Tehran.
For half a month, tensions between Israel and Iran have intensified, forcing Iran to launch hundreds of drones and missiles in retaliation after a suspected Israeli attack on the Iranian embassy in Syria on April 1.
"If the Israeli regime uses any force and violates Iran's sovereignty, Iran will not hesitate to exercise its inherent right to respond decisively and appropriately. On April 18, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Abdollahian said this at the UN Security Council.
In Isfahan, April 19, 2024, people walk the streets and spend their daily lives in the city after the news of the terrorist attack. (Visual China/Photo)
Ding Long, professor at the Institute of Middle East Studies at Outer Chinese University in Shanghai:
Israel's attack on Iran on April 19 was a response to Iran's attack on Israel on April 15. During this time, Israel and Iran were caught in a cycle of low-intensity violence. It shows the obvious spillover effect of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and Iran's entry into the war is equivalent to opening up a new front in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. In the future, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict will continue for a long time.
First, once there is a ceasefire between Palestine and Israel, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his cabinet will be ousted, and he and his cabinet members will be subject to political reckoning. Due to domestic public opinion, it is in Netanyahu's basic interest to advance the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and eliminate Hamas.
Second, Iran's response to Israel's attack on the Iranian embassy in Syria is consistent with Iran's national dignity and regime legitimacy. Small-scale clashes around the Palestinian-Israeli conflict continue. Lebanese Allah is directly supported by Iran, a core member of Iran's axis of resistance, and the closest agent to Iran, and is likely to cooperate with Iran in carrying out attacks. On April 15, when Iran "retaliated" against Israel, Allah in Lebanon also cooperated with Iran's attack.
Third, the United States has lost control of Israel, and a few days ago, the United States was worried about the escalation of the war between Iran and Israel, and because the United States is in an election year, it does not want to be dragged along by Middle East affairs. However, from the perspective of US-Israeli relations, Israel is still the staunchest ally of the United States in the Middle East, and they still have common interests and goals: to eliminate Hamas and contain Iran. There are only minor differences in the timing and intensity of Israeli military action.
hot spot
German Chancellor Visits China with "Luxury Lineup", "Germany Cannot Withdraw from the Chinese Market"
On April 16, 2024, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz concluded a three-day visit to China. This is Scholz's second visit to China since he took office as chancellor, and the first visit to China by a major Western leader this year.
According to Handelsblatt, the arrival of German Environment Minister Lemke, Agriculture Minister Özdemir, and Transport and Digitalization Minister Wisin means that the German government seeks to expand cooperation with China in the fields of climate, environmental protection, and transportation.
According to Reuters, this reflects the continued reliance on China, the world's second-largest economy, despite efforts by the German federal government and the European Union to spread risks more evenly across the globe.
On April 16, 2024, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited Beijing. (Visual China/Photo)
The year 2024 marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the all-round strategic partnership between China and Germany. During this visit to China, the German side hopes to further expand bilateral trade, promote bilateral investment, and promote the in-depth development of Sino-German economic cooperation. During the visit, Scholz also led a large delegation of the luxury economy, including executives from Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Bayer, thyssenkrupp, Siemens and other companies.
Twice visiting German companies in China and twice exchanging with Chinese university students, Scholz even arranged two "city walks" for himself to get in touch with two different cities. Scholz also put a video recording his trip to China on his TikTok account, a series of actions that show Scholz's desire to learn more about China.
Jin Ling, Deputy Director of the Institute of European Studies, China Institute of International Studies:
One of the highlights of Scholz's visit to China was that he was accompanied by three cabinet ministers of environment, agriculture and transport, Environment Minister Lemke and Agriculture Minister Özdemir belong to the Green Party, and Minister of Transport and Digitalization Wissing belongs to the FDP. The German Green Party's China policy has always been relatively tough, and the German Foreign Office and the Ministry of Economic Affairs under its control have strong ideological tendencies.
However, during the visit of the ministers of various parties to China, there were both official meetings and unofficial people-to-people dialogues. This shows Scholz's determination to build a consensus among the government. The accompanying executives of German companies such as Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Bayer fully understood the potential and opportunities of the Chinese market. Chongqing, for example, has a large number of German companies. Chongqing is also one of the cities that former German Chancellor Angela Merkel passed through during her visit to China.
The economic and trade cooperation between China and Germany spans half a century and is mutually beneficial. Hit by the pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine crisis, Germany is reluctant to rely on a single market. At a time when Germany is facing economic transformation and high inflation, as many German executives have repeatedly mentioned, "it is unrealistic for Germany to withdraw from the Chinese market".
Trump's "hush money case" was tried and sentenced to a maximum of 136 years?
On April 15, 2024, former U.S. President Donald Trump appeared again in a courtroom in New York to attend a criminal trial against him for falsifying business records and paying "hush money" to actresses.
When Trump first appeared in the "hush money case" in 2023, Southern Weekly gave a detailed account of several major legal cases against Trump, "Trump on Trial".
The hush money case is also the first of four criminal cases to go to trial in which Trump has been confronted.
According to the New York court system, the hush money trial is expected to last six to eight weeks. Hearings are expected every weekday except Wednesday, and Mr. Trump must be present at all of them.
At the start of the day's trial, Trump claimed that "it was a hoax," and he also accused the judge and prosecutor in charge of the case of partisanship, according to Reuters.
In the latest phase of the trial, Trump's legal team tried to shift the focus of the case to the motives of the regulators. A spokesman for the Trump campaign said the trial was an attempt by Democrats to confine Trump to the courtroom and keep him away from the campaign's meddling tactics.
Bloomberg said on April 14 that the hush money trial will be a milestone in American politics and a watershed in American democracy, and may further exacerbate the divisive situation in the United States.
More than half of swing state voters said they would not vote for Trump if he was found guilty, according to a January 2024 poll. If Trump is convicted, whether he will go to jail during the campaign, and when he will begin serving his sentence, could pose a huge dilemma for the U.S. legal system.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump talks with lawyer Todd Blanche after lunch at the Manhattan Criminal Court in New York on April 18, 2024. (Visual China/Photo)
Wang Chong, Executive Director of the Center for American Studies at Zhejiang University of Foreign Chinese and Senior Fellow of the Chahar Society:
Trump's "hush money case" has entered the jury selection stage of the court, and the latest news on April 19 shows that the New York court has selected 12 jurors from 96 jurors. Becoming a juror requires completing a series of questionnaires, and in addition to the 12 regular jurors, the court has selected six alternate jurors, whose information and contact details are confidential.
At present, Trump's defense lawyer will also "find excuses" in the technical link to delay the trial of the "hush money case" until after the US election. According to the legal process in the United States, if Trump is convicted by jurors, his legal team can also delay the time to go to prison through "community corrections" and "execution outside of prison".
Even if Trump is on criminal trial, he can still run for president. Because the U.S. Constitution stipulates that the condition for running for president of the United States is that you must be over 35 years old and born in the United States. Trump's judicial case and the 2024 U.S. election are intersecting.
Over the past few months, Trump has been involved in different cases in various states in the United States. The indictment in the hush money case reads "Trump will be sentenced to a maximum of 136 years", which is most likely. Looking at Trump's case, the hush money case is the lightest.
Trump's financial fraud is more serious, as he paid $175 million bail on April 1 to avoid seizure of his assets. If the case is not paid in time, Trump Tower will also be frozen.
Overall, Trump's judicial case will do more harm than good to his 2024 candidacy. Trump's legal case will have a direct impact on his political credibility, political influence, and Democratic opposition. In the same way, it can also increase Trump's exposure and discussion, and better play the "pathos card".
Sei-kun
Lee Hsien Loong hands over Lawrence Wong, Singapore enters the "4G era"
On April 15, Singapore's Prime Minister's Office issued a statement that the 72-year-old Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will officially step down as prime minister in a month, and Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Lawrence Wong will become the new prime minister.
This means that Lee Hsien Loong will end his 20-year premiership, and Singapore will officially enter the era of "4G" (fourth-generation leadership team) led by Lawrence Wong.
Lee Hsien Loong's resignation as Singapore's prime minister has long been a well-established fact. "Singapore should not have leaders over the age of 70. In 2012, Lee Hsien Loong said in an interview with The Straits Times.
In the run-up to Singapore's 2020 general election, Lee Hsien Loong also signaled plans to hand over leadership to a new generation of leadership shortly after the election. This plan was postponed due to the sudden coronavirus pandemic and unexpected changes in the personnel of the successor.
Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Lawrence Wong attend the PAP Awards Ceremony on 5 November 2023. (Visual China/Photo)
In his speech at a mass meeting in November 2023, Lee Hsien Loong repeatedly referred to the current Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Lawrence Wong and the fourth generation of the leadership team he leads. Lee Hsien Loong expressed his confidence in Lawrence Wong and the fourth-generation team at the time.
Originally from Hainan, China, and born in Singapore, Lawrence Wong was Lee Hsien Loong's chief private secretary.
In recent years, Singapore's domestic political scandals, inflationary pressures and other issues have affected the public's trust in the government to a certain extent.
On April 16, Lawrence Wong revealed in an interview that Lee Hsien Loong had been invited to serve as Senior Minister of State for assistance and guidance.
perimeter
Modi's undisputed three-game winning streak India is ushering in the largest presidential election in history
On April 19, 2024, India's five-year national multi-stage elections are about to begin. The world's largest election in history will be held in seven phases, during which 543 MPs will be elected to the lower house of parliament for five-year terms.
In the 2019 election, 612 million of the 912 million eligible Indian voters voted in the election, and in this year's election, the number of eligible voters rose to 968 million. In response, the Election Commission of India has committed 1 million polling stations and 15 million polling station workers to its operations.
According to the Times of India, the political parties have entered an intense campaign phase. However, according to outside analysis, the 2024 general election may be the most unsuspenseful general election in 30 years, and Modi is likely to be re-elected.
The first phase of the Lok Sabha elections in India begins on April 19, 2024, with staff guiding women in burqas to vote. (Visual China/Photo)
Currently, 28 opposition parties, led by the Indian National Congress Party, have formed a coalition to confront the BJP. Given the divisions within the opposition coalition on many issues, there is a lack of a leader to match Modi.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), led by Modi, has been using its ruling position to turn government resources into political capital for the party. According to data released by the Indian government a few days ago, India's GDP grew by 8.4% year-on-year in the fourth quarter of 2023, and so far, India has achieved positive economic growth for the 13th consecutive quarter.
In December 2023, India held its last round of local elections before the general election. Of the four major states, the BJP won elections in three states, seized Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan from the opposition, and won Madhya Pradesh for the fifth time, breaking previous records and further cementing Modi's pre-election position.
On the first day of the Burmese New Year, Myanmar granted amnesty to more than 3,000 prisoners
On April 17, 2024 local time, the National Administration Council of Myanmar announced an amnesty for 3,303 domestic prisoners and 36 foreigners.
For the pardoned prisoners, they were given a chance to start over. However, if they commit another offence, they will be punished in addition to the previous offence.
It has always been a tradition of the Government of Myanmar to hold amnesties on major holidays and anniversaries.
For example, on January 4, 2024, Myanmar's 76th Independence Day, the National Governing Council of Myanmar pardoned 9,652 Burmese prisoners across the country in order to celebrate Independence Day and for humanitarian and inter-state relations reasons.
However, not all prisoners are eligible for this amnesty.
Relatives wait for prisoners to be released from Insein prison in Yangon, Myanmar, April 17, 2024, to welcome the Buddhist New Year. (Visual China/Photo)
Of the prisoners still in custody, the most concerned are undoubtedly the overthrown leader Aung San Suu Kyi and former President Win Myint.
After the 2021 coup in Myanmar, Aung San Suu Kyi and some other senior NLD officials were detained by the Myanmar military.
In August 2023, Myanmar's State Administration Council announced a pardon for part of the sentences of Aung San Suu Kyi and Win Myint. According to Myanmar Today, the amnesty does not mean a pardon for all the crimes of the two men, but only a "leniency" to reduce the sentence.
According to Reuters, on April 16, local time, a spokesman for the Myanmar military government told the media that the detained former Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi has been released from prison and is under house arrest.
Southern Weekly reporter Gu Yuebing and Southern Weekly intern Yin Chenxi
Editor-in-charge: Yao Yijiang