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UPDATE

       HONDURAS                                                         CHINA

       Honduran President Hernandez declared China  tightens
       Honduras’ electoral tribunal, on 17  recount showed no irregularities.  North Korea trade
       December 2017, declared conservative  After comparing a large random
       President Juan Orlando Hernandez the  sample of voting records provided by  limits  under  UN
       official winner of the November 26  the Alliance and the original records
       presidential election, sparking calls for  published on the tribunal’s website,  sanctions
       renewed street protests after a bitterly  the mission observed that the results
       disputed  contest. Hernandez  beat  presented practically no differences,  China, on 5 January 2018, tightened
       center-left  challenger  and TV  star  said  Jose Antonio  de  Gabriel,  the  limits on critically important energy
       Salvador Nasralla by 1.53 percentage  adjunct head of the EU’s mission.  supplies to North Korea and stepped
       points.                            The tribunal had initially declared  up  other  trade  restrictions  under
          Honduras  has  been  roiled  by  Nasralla  the  leader  in  an  intensified  UN  nuclear  sanctions.
       political  instability  and  violent  announcement on the morning after  Beijing said it will limit exports of crude
       protests since the vote, which initial  the  vote, with  just over  half of  the  oil and refined petroleum to the North.
       counts suggested Nasralla had won.  ballot boxes counted. It then gave no  Previous curbs didn’t apply to crude
       The  count has  been  questioned  by  further  updates  for about  36 hours.  oil, which makes up the bulk of China’s
       the  two  main  opposition  parties,  Once results started flowing in again,  energy exports to the North.
       including  the  Opposition Alliance  Nasralla’s lead began narrowing and  China accounts for nearly all of
       Against the Dictatorship, headed by  eventually disappeared.     Pyongyang’s  energy  supplies  and
       Nasralla, as well as a wide swath of  That prompted national protests,  trade, making its enforcement key to
       the diplomatic corps. European Union  in  which  22  people  were  killed,  sanctions  aimed  at  discouraging
       election  observers  said  the  vote  including two police officers.  leader Kim Jong Un from pursuing
                                                                        nuclear and missile technology. The
       CHINA-PAK-AFGHANISTAN                                            Security Council tightened sanctions
       China, Pakistan, Afghanistan resolve                             on  the North  following  its  ballistic
                                                                        missile test on November 29.
       to fight terrorism, reaffirm commitment                            Beijing  was  long  Pyongyang’s
                                                                        diplomatic  protector  but  has
       under CPEC                                                       supported  the  UN  sanctions out  of
                                                                        frustration with what Chinese leaders
       China, Pakistan and Afghanistan, on  “Afghan-led, Afghan-own”, and fully
       26 December 2017, agreed not to allow  supported regionally and internationally,  see as their neighbour’s increasingly
       any country,  group  or  individual to  is the most viable solution to end the  reckless behaviour. Despite the loss
       use their territories for terrorism as  violence in Afghanistan.  of almost all trade, the impoverished
       their  foreign  ministers  discussed  The  three  countries  agreed  to  North  has  pressed  ahead  with
       development,  security and  counter-  conduct win-win trilateral economic  weapons  development  that  Kim’s
       terrorism  during  their  first  such  cooperation,  with  an  incremental  regime  sees  as  necessary  for  its
       trilateral dialogue in Beijing. The three  approach, starting  from the  easier  survival in the face of US pressure.
       sides reiterated their firm resolve to  initiative to the more difficult ones.  China  has  steadily  increased
       fight the menace of terrorism. It was  They reaffirmed their commitment to  economic  pressure  on  Pyongyang
       the first meeting of its kind since the  improving their relations, deepening  while calling for dialogue to defuse the
       three countries agreed to establish a  mutually  beneficial  cooperation,  increasingly acrimonious dispute with
       trilateral dialogue mechanism in June.  advancing connectivity under China’s  US  President  Donald  Trump’s
       Chinese Foreign  Minister Wang Yi  ambitious Belt and Road Initiative, and  government.
       held  the  first  China-Afghanistan-  fighting terrorism in all its forms and  Scenario after new restrictions
       Pakistan Foreign Ministers’ Dialogue  manifestation without any distinction.  Analysts see North Korea’s need for
       in Beijing with his Afghanistan and  They  agreed  to  jointly  work  Chinese  oil  as  the  most  powerful
       Pakistan counterparts. They agreed to  together on political mutual trust and  economic   leverage   against
       strengthen    counter-terrorism  reconciliation, development cooperation  Pyongyang. But Chinese leaders have
       coordination and  cooperation in  an  and connectivity, security cooperation  warned  against  taking  drastic
       effort  to  combat  all  terrorist  and  counter-terrorism  as  the  three  measures that might destabilize Kim’s
       organisations and individuals without  topics of the trilateral cooperation. The  government  or  send  a  wave  of
       any discrimination. They reaffirmed  second China-Afghanistan-Pakistan  refugees fleeing into China. Chinese
       that a broad-based and inclusive peace  Foreign Ministers’ Dialogue will be
       and reconciliation process, which is  held in Kabul next year.   leaders  have  resisted  previous  US
       March 2018                                                                  Competition  Wizard  51
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