S O U T H A S I A B

Roza Otunbayeva, the head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, premised that the Taliban had to ‘accept and work to uphold the international norms and standards,’ which is a non-negotiable condition for a seat at the UN. [...] China President Xi Jinping visited Vietnam, where he managed to bring Vietnam under the “Community of Common Destiny” initiative, which is a significant diplomatic achievement for China in light of Vietnam’s increasing ties with the West under the “Bamboo diplomacy.” With the Philippines, on the other hand, disputes are escalating regarding a series of maritime encounters in the South China Sea. [...] The Chinese economy witnessed a contraction in the manufacturing index with a slight expansion in the non-manufacturing sector in December. [...] Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal participated in the 28th Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, where he emphasized Nepal’s heightened vulnerability to climate change and formally communicated the country’s inclusion in the priority list for compensation due to the impacts of climate change. [...] The largest party of the ruling coalition, the CPN-UML, has initiated a march across the 26 hilly districts of Nepal to interact with the local communities.