Global Beat is your weekly stop for news from around the world. Join us every Friday morning for important stories you should know about.

This week, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visits Beijing; Western nations and Russia escalate feud by expelling diplomats; the Maldives get caught between China and India; and more.

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Americas

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross has decided to formally include questions about citizenship on the 2020 national census. Six former directors of the U.S. Census Bureau warned Secretary Ross that the question could significantly decrease turnout and undermine the credibility of the census. The census is used to determine seats in the House of Representatives and direct government funding for programs like Medicaid and infrastructure. Experts believe California could lose a House seat and significant federal funding if turnout for the census is suppressed. The California Attorney General immediately filed a suit against the federal government in response to this action.

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• Uruguay’s record-setting economic growth streak – The Economist 

Central & South Asia

Sri Lanka, once a close ally to neighboring India, is determined to sign a free trade agreement with China. Beijing has undertaken many infrastructure projects in Sri Lanka in the past decade, building freeways, hospitals, convention centers, an international airport, and a port, focusing on the southern coast. One flight a day leaves the airport, more cows use the freeway than cars, and one hospital has never treated a patient, only serving as a home to Chinese construction workers. The port, slow and inefficient under Sri Lankan control, has been leased to the same Chinese company that built it for 99 years, and is now bustling as Beijing’s "One Belt, One Road" initiative ramps up. This is related to a larger trend of China challenging historic American and Western dominance in the Indo-Pacific.

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• Dalai Lama faces cold shoulder as India looks to improve China ties – Reuters 

China & East Asia

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un made a secret, surprise visit to China this week, taking a slow but heavily armored train from Pyongyang to Beijing. This meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping was his first known visit outside of the country since taking power in 2011. Kim reportedly reiterated what he told the recent South Korean envoy, that he and North Korea are committed to a denuclearized Korean Peninsula, but also showed that North Korea and China share long-term strategic interests.

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• China carrier group leads massive show of force in South China Sea – Asia Times

Europe & Russia

Russia and many NATO allies, including the United States, have been in a diplomatic spat since the poisoning of a former Russian-British double agent. At least 151 Russian diplomats have been kicked out so far, including 60 from the United States and 23 from Britain. Russia has responded by kicking out 60 American and 23 British diplomats. Russia has also shuttered the U.S. consulate in St. Petersburg after the United States closed down the Russian mission to Seattle. UN General Secretary Antonio Guterres has expressed concerns of a new Cold War amid the increased tension between Russia and the West. The United States is also working to expel 12 Russian intelligence operatives embedded in the Russian mission to the UN.

Also check out:

• Catalan separatist leader Carles Puigdemont detained in Germany – Politico Europe

Middle East & North Africa

The war in Yemen, fought between Houthi rebels and government forces, has turned into a full-blown proxy war between Iran, supporting the rebels, and Saudi Arabia, supporting the government. The war is a humanitarian disaster, with worries of a man-made famine approaching. The UN counts 15,000 civilians dead because of the disaster, but they believe it to be an undercount. Additionally, one child under the age of five dies every ten minutes from malnutrition related to the war. A recent bill in the Senate withdrawing U.S. support of Saudi Arabia in Yemen, sponsored by Bernie Sanders (VT-I), Chris Murphy (CT-D), and Mike Lee (UT-R), failed to pass with just 44 votes. Saudi Arabia has pledged more than $900 million to support UN humanitarian aid in Yemen, one-third of the program budget, but has also spent more than $50 billion on weapons for this war. U.S. Secretary of Defense Mattis has urged the Saudi government to end the war.

Also check out:

• Operation in Syria’s Ghouta ‘nearly over,’ Russia says – Reuters 

Southeast Asia & Oceania

The Maldives, a small nation of islands, has seen an increased presence of China recently following the onset of the "One Belt, One Road" initiative. The Maldives did not have diplomatic relations with China until 2012. China is investing in infrastructure projects and working to sway the government there to their side. The Maldives are historic allies of India, though Delhi believes the increased Chinese influence is a security threat. China has expressed interest in building a military base and a port on one of the Maldives’ islands. Additionally, there is concern that the Chinese will leverage the debt incurred by the Maldivian government for increased access to the infrastructure and other resources, just as they did in Sri Lanka.

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• The Philippines moves to ‘terrorize’ its leftist rebels – Asia Times

Sub-Saharan Africa

The crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo is worsening, leaving about 13 million in need of aid. Fighting between the government and rebels has forced 5 million from their homes, with 4.5 million internally displaced and the rest fleeing to neighboring countries. The European Union has urged the government to be present for talks on how to care for those in need of aid, but the government has shunned the conference, claiming it would discourage investment as the government works to stabilize the economy.

Also check out:

• Forty-four African countries sign a free-trade deal – The Economist 

Stay informed. We’ll see you here again next week.