Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (PIME) missionaries run a news website called AsiaNews, which provides news briefs from Asia and around the world. A recent article called “Asia in 2022” (Jan. 1) offers a round-up of important events on the horizon for the enormous continent and its dominant player, China. Suffice it to say that the USA’s main rival will continue to consolidate power. A link to the full article is below; first, a few highlights:

• After preliminaries beginning in spring, next fall will bring the 20th Congress of the Communist Party of China. In 2018 “China removed the two-term presidential limit,” which opens the door to Xi Jinping’s third five-year term.
• The so-called BRICS countries — Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa — will hold “their 14th summit, with China taking on the presidency in 2022.”
• July 2022 “will mark 25 years since Hong Kong’s handover from the U.K. to China.”

The AsiaNews article link: https://www.asianews.it/news-en/Asia-in-2022-54820.html