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Editor’s note: There will be no Daily Brief on Wednesday, December 25, for Christmas.
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Chengdu Summit Calls for Nuclear Diplomacy With North Korea
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China, Japan, and South Korea agreed to support nuclear talks (Kyodo) between the United States and North Korea, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said at a summit in Chengdu, China, with his Chinese and South Korean counterparts.
The appeal for dialogue comes as talks between Washington and Pyongyang have stalled and after North Korea promised a “Christmas gift” to the United States that analysts predict (Yonhap) could be a missile test. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun met last week with (Reuters) officials from all three countries that attended the summit, and China joined Russia in submitting a draft UN resolution to ease sanctions on North Korea. In Chengdu, leaders also pledged to accelerate three-way trade talks and a wider Asia-Pacific trade deal.
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Visualizing 2020: Trends to Watch
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CFR’s experts share the charts, graphs, and maps that reveal the most important trends they will be tracking in the year ahead.
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Hong Kong Protesters Plan ‘Silent Night’ Rallies
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Pro-democracy protesters plan to spread (Reuters) their message at a popular waterfront destination for viewing lights on Christmas Eve.
CFR looks at Hong Kong’s demonstrations in its retrospective on the year in protests.
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Modi’s BJP Loses Second State Government
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India’s opposition Congress party won elections (Hindu) in the northeastern Jharkhand state, marking the second time Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has lost in a state (BBC) since parliamentary elections in May. In Maharashtra state last month, the BJP failed to form a government after a dispute with a regional ally.
In Foreign Affairs, Milan Vaishnav discusses the BJP’s future in the face of India’s plummeting economy.
Afghanistan: Taliban attacks killed seven Afghan soldiers (RFE/RL) in northern Balkh province and one U.S. soldier (NYT) in northern Kunduz province, officials said. Twenty American service members have been killed in combat this year.
CFR’s Global Conflict Tracker looks at the eighteen-year war in Afghanistan.
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Middle East and North Africa
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Iranian Government Counts 1,500 Killed in Protests
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About 1,500 people have died in nationwide protests in Iran that began last month, according to unnamed Iranian interior ministry officials cited in a Reuters report. The toll includes about four hundred women, at least seventeen teenagers, and some security forces.
UAE: Apple and Google have removed (BBC) an Emirati messaging app called ToTok from their app stores after the New York Times reported it was used for spying by the Emirati government.
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U.S. Pulls Zambia Ambassador Over LGBTQ+ Dispute
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The State Department withdrew the ambassador (VOA) after Zambian President Edgar Lungu said he would no longer work with the ambassador, who had criticized Zambia for jailing a gay couple. A State Department spokesperson said the United States “remains committed to our partnership with the Zambian people.”
Mali: France conducted its first-ever drone strike (AFP) on Saturday in an attack that killed seven alleged jihadists in central Mali, the French military command announced.
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Ankara, Moscow Negotiate Over Syria Bombardment
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A Turkish delegation is in Russia today for talks (Reuters) aimed at stopping strikes on Syria’s northwestern Idlib province that have reportedly forced tens of thousands of people to flee toward Turkey. Turkey hosts the world’s largest refugee population, with more than three million from Syria alone.
Ukraine: Russia and Ukraine have agreed to conduct their second major prisoner swap (RFE/RL) in four months by the end of the year, a representative for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe announced.
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Chile’s Pinera Signs Law for Constitutional Referendum
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President Sebastian Pinera signed a law (AFP) that will allow the country to vote on changes to its constitution on April 26. Voters will decide if Chile should have a new constitution, and if so, who will draft it.
Ecuador: A sunken barge leaking fuel in the Galapagos Islands could cause a serious oil spill (Reuters) if it is not removed swiftly, the environment minister warned. The barge sank Sunday with six hundred gallons of diesel on board.
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Boeing Replaces CEO After 737 Max Scale-Down
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The manufacturing giant replaced CEO (NYT) Dennis Muilenburg with company Chairman David Calhoun after a series of delays in fixing the 737 Max plane model that was involved in two fatal crashes since last October. Last week, Boeing announced it would temporarily halt production of the plane.
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