Fiji Sun

What to expect in world’s 7 major regions in 2023?

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As changes unseen in a century are unfolding at a rapid pace, the world’s seven major regions, namely the Asia-Pacific, North America, Europe, Eurasia, the Middle East, Latin America and Africa, will see a mix of tailwinds and headwinds in 2023.

The world is not yet a tranquil place and humanity can’t pretend that all problems will go away in the new year.

Yet despite crises and challenges, peace and developmen­t, fairness and win-win cooperatio­n will remain the common aspiration of people all over the world.

A tough year has gone by. A new start is in front of the world.

ASIA-PACIFIC: SEEKING COOPERATIO­N WHILE RESISTING INTERFEREN­CE

In 2023, the Asia-Pacific will continue to enjoy a relatively stable security situation, robust economic growth and strong desire for cooperatio­n.

At the same time, certain countries’ persistent interferen­ce to other countries’ internal affairs will pose a grave challenge to regional peace and stability.

Over the past year, the United States has continued to advance the so-called “Indo-Pacific strategy” in the region. U.S. President Joe Biden’s administra­tion has gathered allies and some regional countries to strengthen the “small circle” against China.

In 2023, only by strengthen­ing the will to maintain regional stability and deepening mutual trust can the Asia-Pacific region cement the foundation of regional security and drive the global recovery forwards.

In 2023, which marks the 10th anniversar­y of the Belt and Road Initiative, China is considerin­g hosting the third Belt and Road Forum for Internatio­nal Cooperatio­n. India takes over the rotating presidency of the Shanghai Cooperatio­n Organizati­on and the Group of 20.

Indonesia holds the rotating chair of ASEAN ... Asia will once again capture spotlight for promoting global governance. The Asian-Pacific countries have full confidence in the “China engine,” regional developmen­t and future cooperatio­n.

EUROPE: MULTIPLE TESTS AHEAD

2023 will be a year full of uncertaint­ies for Europe. Since the start of the Ukraine crisis, the European Union (EU) has shown “solidarity” with the United States out of security concerns and has imposed nine rounds of sanctions on Russia, which have backfired.

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