Amika's Asian Studies blog

"They don't want me or us to win because I am the first president to ever challenge China on trade" Trump said on Wednesday. In an article that I've found that was posted today, Trump accused China of trying to interfere with the the US mid-term elections. "Regrettably, we found that China has been attempting to interfere in our upcoming 2018 election. coming up in November, against my administration" he said. Apparently, Trump thinks that China is interfering with the mid-term elections because of the recent trade issues. The article mentions that there is no proof that China is interfering with the elections so this particular claim is rather dumb. In response, China's foreign minister Wang Yi said that "China has all along followed the principle of non-interference in other countries' domestic affairs". He continued to say, "We did not and will not interfere in any countries' domestic affairs. We refuse to accept any unwarranted...

For a couple of days now, I've been looking up some articles to try and understand what is going on between the U.S and China over this trade war. Apparently, China has accused the US of launching the "largest trade war in economic history". The U.S imposed three rounds of tariffs on Chinese products. I looked up what tariffs meant and it was defined as a tax or duty to be paid on particular class of imports or exports. Since the U.S imposed on new tariffs, the cost totaled up $250 billion worth of goods, making it harder for China to trade with the U.S. There has been a lot of back and forth with the U.S and China over trade and I don't really know the reason. Trump had also said that if China were to retaliate, they would increased the tariffs even more. The article also mentioned that if Trump goes ahead with the round of taxes, that would mean all of China's exports to the U.S would be subject to duties. I know about trade and that the U.S and China trade with...

Sri Lanka's government agreed to ban the ritual sacrifice of animals and birds at Hindu temples on the island. A spokesman from their government told BBC that the ban was proposed by the Hindu Religious Affairs ministry. They also said that most Hindu groups support the decision. The practice of animal sacrifice has attracted years of protest in the most Buddhist areas of Sri Lanka, critics called it inhumane. Animal rights activists were angry because animal that are sacrificed at Hindu and Muslim religious festivals are often left there to bleed to death. Many people choose not to sacrifice the animals but those who do have argued that the ban will put a stop to their religious freedoms. They have said that the sacrifices are an ancient part of their faith and it should be allowed to continue. Link: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-45500064   

In New Dehli, the law named section 377 is one of the oldest laws criminalizing consensual gay sex. India's Supreme Court, however is expected to rule on that law. The five Supreme Court judges have heard the case asking to strike down the law, and a ruling is expected on Thursday. "My lords, this is love that must be constitutionally recognized, and not just sexual acts", lawyer Menaka Guruswamy told the judges this quote. The law was originally introduced by British colonizers in the 1860s, the law makes is possible for you to be sentenced to prison for life. One interesting thing that struck me when I read the article is that it said anybody caught can be sentenced to prison but the law has been enforced against men only. The article also said the prosecution is rare but it still instills fear in gay people in India. The article also mentioned that Hinduism has been accepting of same-sex love and gender fluidity. Over two dozens petitioners have asked the court to tak...