Latest news with #19thEastAsiaSummit
Straits Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Straits Times
New Zealand PM Luxon to meet President Xi in China, then head to Europe
New Zealand's Prime Minister Christopher Luxon attends the 19th East Asia Summit (EAS) at the National Convention Centre, in Vientiane, Laos, October 11, 2024. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha/File Photo New Zealand PM Luxon to meet President Xi in China, then head to Europe WELLINGTON - New Zealand's Prime Minister Christopher Luxon will visit China and Europe next week, meeting with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang and leaders of the European Union, the government said in a statement on Friday. 'China is New Zealand's largest trading partner and a vital part of our economic story,' Luxon said. 'The challenging global outlook makes it vital that we are sharing perspectives and engaging China on issues that matter to New Zealand.' This is Luxon's first visit to China since he became prime minister in late 2023. His predecessor, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins, visited in June 2023. The visit to China will focus on growing trade, which was worth over NZ$38 billion ($23 billion) last year, as well as look to strengthen education and tourism links and to maximize opportunities for New Zealand businesses, the government said. Luxon will then head to Europe to undertake bilateral visits to Brussels and The Hague where he will meet with leaders, including from the EU, to discuss trade, security, and the shifting geopolitical landscape, the statement said. He will also participate in the NATO summit in the Netherlands and hold one-on-one talks with several NATO leaders. 'Prosperity is only possible with security, and our discussions will focus on connections between the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific security environments,' Luxon said. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Indian Express
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Amid India-Pakistan standoff, a test for parents, teachers
For a generation of children, the ongoing tension between India and Pakistan could turn out to be not just an oppressive lesson in regional geopolitics, but also a bewildering personal experience. It is the unease in a primary student's voice, worried about looming standoff she doesn't fully comprehend. It's the silent fear in a seven-year-old's eyes after a school mock drill. The anguish of a teenager whose parent is called to the border to defend the nation. Too young to grasp the tangled history between two nations, and too tender to process the consequences of conflict, these are moments of childhood interrupted — by fear, by uncertainty, by a world that suddenly feels less safe. The upheaval in the Subcontinent is unfolding in real time — not just across and around the Line of Control, but on news feeds and television screens, in classrooms and at dinner tables. For parents, teachers, and caregivers, the question, therefore, is no longer whether to speak to children about what's happening, but how to hold space for their fears, and guide them gently through it. It is a task that requires not just sensitivity but also compassion and honesty. While older children may know of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict or the impasse in Gaza, this is the first such moment of turmoil that has directly intersected with their daily lives, and made a reckoning with it inescapable. Children need to be spoken to about the world around them, its complexity and even its darkness. Rather than shield them from unpleasantness, it is important to break it down for them in a measured and age-appropriate manner. Drawing from UNICEF's guidelines on discussing conflict and war with children, for instance, it is crucial to create safe spaces that validate their emotions; where young people can ask questions and talk about what they have seen, heard, feel or believe, cutting through their confusions and misinformation and placing in perspective the drills and blackouts and other rituals of escalation. In October last year, speaking at the 19th East Asia Summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said 'this is not an era of war'. He was underscoring the need for diplomacy over posturing or provocation. For parents and educators trying to guide young people coming of age in an era of post-pandemic flux and sharp political schisms, there is a tip there: That nations have the right to defend themselves against violence, but that even in a fractious world, it is peace, hard-earned and fragile, that remains the goal and end-point.
