Diplomatic Briefing
Your exclusive news aggregator handpicked daily!Archive for October 22, 2022
Newsline: China’s first-ever ‘panda diplomacy’ in Middle East
With the 2022 World Cup just about a month away, two giant pandas from China arrived in Qatar and will spend the foreseeable future living in an enclosed environment designed to mimic their natural environment. According to the Associated Press, China will fly 800kg of fresh bamboo to Qatar every week to feed the two bears. While the bears arrived at the World Cup’s host nation in part to facilitate research, it is an overt example of “panda diplomacy” in which China sends the iconic bears to foreign countries to strengthen bilateral ties. (https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3196457/two-giant-chinese-pandas-en-route-qatar-first-ever-panda-diplomacy-middle-east-ahead-years-world-cup) One of the pandas is a three-year-old female named Si Hai, while the other is a four-year-old male named Jing Jing. However, now that they have arrived in Qatar, the male will be renamed Suhail and the female Soraya – both are Arabic names. The transfer of the pandas represent the first example of “panda diplomacy” in the Middle East, according to state-run newswire Xinhua.
Newsline: UAE summons Dutch ambassador to support Jordan
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MoFAIC) has summoned the Ambassador of Netherlands to the United Arab Emirates to inform him of the UAE’s strong protest and denunciation of the interference of his country’s ambassador to Jordan in Kingdom’s internal affairs. (https://www.khaleejtimes.com/uae/uae-summons-dutch-ambassador-to-protest-about-interference-in-jordans-internal-affairs) The Ministry affirmed the UAE’s solidarity with the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and expressed its strong protest against the irresponsible statement breaching diplomatic norms that was made by the Dutch ambassador on October 19, 2022. The Ministry noted the statement is considered a blatant interference in the internal affairs of Jordan.
Newsline: U.S. Diplomat to Discuss North Korea’s Missile Launches With Japan, South Korean Counterparts
Deputy U.S. Secretary of State Wendy Sherman will discuss North Korea’s recent missile launches, along with other issues of regional security including China and Taiwan, at meetings with her Japanese and South Korean counterparts in Tokyo next week, a senior State Department official said. (https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2022-10-20/u-s-diplomat-sherman-to-discuss-n-korea-missile-launches-with-japan-s-korean-counterparts-official) “We will discuss a range of issues, including the DPRK’s numerous ballistic missile launches this year, the PRC (People’s Republic of China), and Russia’s unprovoked and devastating war against Ukraine,” the official said while briefing reporters on the talks from Oct. 24-26, adding the officials will also discuss tensions over Taiwan.
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