Hello from Tokyo. Former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger recently passed away at the age of 100. One of his most well-known achievements was his secret visit to China, which ultimately led to the normalization of diplomatic relations between Washington and Beijing, impacting countries across Asia. This major shift in U.S. foreign policy came as a big surprise to Japan at the time. As the U.S. presidential election approaches, this historical anecdote is a reminder to always be prepared for surprises.
Speaking of surprises, I was struck by the news that emerged this week about an Indian national being charged with allegedly hiring a hit man -- at the direction of the Indian government -- to assassinate a Sikh political activist in the U.S. It was only in June when Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau claimed that the murder of a Canadian Sikh activist was linked to the Indian government. New Delhi has denied Canada's claim, but how will it respond to the U.S. allegations?
Japan and the U.S. have worked very hard to bring India into their camp as part of efforts to counter China. The Quad framework, which also includes Australia, was basically designed to bring India into the fold. In this regard, the alleged assassination plot has huge geopolitical implications. Our correspondents in New Delhi and Washington examine how this incident will affect India's cooperation with its Quad partners.
Meanwhile, this week's Big Story takes an in-depth look at Pakistan. Experts say the South Asian country is experiencing the worst economic crisis in its 76-year history, and that the government is using this emergency as a reason to deport Afghan refugees living there. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, 374,000 Afghans living in Pakistan have so far left for Afghanistan on the orders of the Pakistani government. The story examines why this policy of expulsion was created and where the country's economy is headed.
Two recent feature stories both focus on Thailand to different extents. Business Spotlight looks at the challenges facing Southeast Asian countries in attracting tourists in the post-pandemic era, including the uproar over the Thai government's attempt to bring Chinese police into the country to ensure the safety of Chinese tourists. Asia Insight explains why the distribution of digital money, a flagship policy initiative of Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin's party, is facing hurdles.
For something light to read, I recommend the Life & Arts article on learning ancient Sanskrit. With the proliferation of apps and online courses making it easier than ever to study a foreign language, it is probably becoming harder to find a language that is not being taught somewhere.
As the end of 2023 approaches, we're beginning to look forward to 2024 and what it might have in store for Asia. As in previous years, we're asking our readers to share their predictions of the biggest events of next year -- across politics, business and culture -- in our annual New Year's survey. The results of your forecasts, along with some of your comments, will be published on Jan. 3 in Nikkei Asia's first Big Story of 2024.
The survey takes about two minutes and can be accessed via this link. We will be accepting submissions from today (Dec. 1) until Dec. 15. I'm very much looking forward to reading your predictions!
Wishing you a wonderful weekend!
Shin Nakayama
Editor-in-chief, Nikkei Asia
Sign up for the weekly Editor-in-chief's picks newsletter here.
Follow me on X (formerly Twitter) @ShinNakayama_NA
.jpg?width=178&fit=cover&gravity=faces&dpr=2&quality=medium&source=nar-cms&format=auto&height=100)
