These are some of the headlines we are tracking for you in this episode of On the News Line:
China's military presence in Afghanistan
There are growing signs that Afghanistan is getting closer to its powerful neighbor China militarily, economically and politically. Some say the warming of ties began with President Ashraf Ghani’s trip to China in 2014. The deepening relations between the two governments have come under the spotlight following reports of Chinese military forces patrolling on Afghan soil.
War on the Myanmar-China border
The Kachin area has resumed a conflict that endured a 17 year ceasefire, between the Kachin Independence Army and the Myanmar Government. With 10’s of thousands of people displaced due to the conflict, the United Wa State Army, led by Bao Youxiang, has stated that the conflict is worsening each day, and reports of extremely brutal behavior by both sides, including rape, the use of child soldiers, and the placement of landmines is being reported by both sides.
Germany major military expansion
Germany has announced plans to boost its army to levels not seen in many years within the next decade. Under the new plans, Germany will increase the number of its total service personnel to around 200,000 by 2025. This follows rising calls for European countries to do more to secure their own defense after signs appeared that the US may not be supportive of them as before. US President Donald Trump had said in his election campaign that the US may not necessarily come to the aid of NATO allies if they were attacked. Recently, he described the alliance as obsolete and called for higher defense spending by European countries.