2016 in Asia

This is a list of events in Asia in 2016.

Incumbents

Afghanistan

• President – Ashraf Ghani (2014–2021)
• Chief Executive – Abdullah Abdullah (2014–2020)

Armenia

• President – Serzh Sargsyan (2008–2018)
• Prime Minister – Hovik Abrahamyan (2014–13 September 2016); Karen Karapetyan (13 September 2016–2018)

Azerbaijan

• President – Ilham Aliyev (2003– )
• Prime Minister – Artur Rasizade (2003–2018)

Bahrain

• Monarch – Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa (1999– )
• Prime Minister – Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa (1970–2020)

Bangladesh

• President – Abdul Hamid (2013–2023)
• Prime Minister – Sheikh Hasina (2009–2024)

Bhutan

• Monarch – Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck (2006– )
• Prime Minister – Tshering Tobgay (2013–2018)

Brunei

• Monarch – Hassanal Bolkiah (1967– )

Cambodia

• Monarch – Norodom Sihamoni (2004– )
• Prime Minister – Hun Sen (1985–2023)

China (People's Republic of China)

• President – Xi Jinping (2013– )
• Premier – Li Keqiang (2013–2023)

Cyprus

• President – Nicos Anastasiades (2013–2023)

East Timor

• President – Taur Matan Ruak (2012–2017)
• Prime Minister – Rui Maria de Araújo (2015–2017)

Egypt

• President – Abdel Fattah El-Sisi (2014– )
• Prime Minister – Sherif Ismail (2015–2018)

Georgia

• President – Giorgi Margvelashvili (2013–2018)
• Prime Minister – Giorgi Kvirikashvili (2015–2018)

India

• President – Pranab Mukherjee (2012–2017)
• Prime Minister – Narendra Modi (2014– )

Indonesia

• President – Joko Widodo (2014–2024)

Iran

• Supreme Leader – Ali Khamenei (1989– )
• President – Hassan Rouhani (2013–2021)

Iraq

• President – Fuad Masum (2014–2018)
• Prime Minister – Haider al-Abadi (2014–2018)

Israel

• President – Reuven Rivlin (2014–2021)
• Prime Minister – Benjamin Netanyahu (2009–2021)

Japan

• Monarch – Akihito (1989–2019)
• Prime Minister – Shinzo Abe (2012–2020)

Jordan

• Monarch – Abdullah II (1999– )
• Prime Minister – Abdullah Ensour (2012–1 June 2016); Hani Mulki (1 June 2016–2018)

Kazakhstan

• President – Nursultan Nazarbayev (1990–2019)
• Prime Minister – Karim Massimov (2014–8 September 2016); Bakhytzhan Sagintayev (8 September 2016–2019)

Kuwait

• Monarch – Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah (2006–2020)
• Prime Minister – Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah (2011–2019)

Kyrgyzstan

• President – Almazbek Atambayev (2011–2017)
• Prime Minister – Temir Sariyev (2015–13 April 2016); Sooronbay Jeenbekov (13 April 2016–2017)

Laos

• President – Choummaly Sayasone (2006–20 April 2016); Bounnhang Vorachith (20 April 2016–2021)
• Prime Minister – Thongsing Thammavong (2010–20 April 2016); Thongloun Sisoulith (20 April 2016–2021)

Lebanon

• President – Tammam Salam (2014–31 October 2016; Acting); Michel Aoun (31 October 2016–2022)
• Prime Minister – Tammam Salam (2014–18 December 2016); Saad Hariri (18 December 2016–2020)

Malaysia

• Monarch – Abdul Halim (2011–12 December 2016); Muhammad V of Kelantan (13 December 2016–2019)
• Prime Minister – Najib Razak (2009–2018)

Maldives

• President – Abdulla Yameen (2013–2018)

Mongolia

• President – Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj (2009–2017)
• Prime Minister – Chimediin Saikhanbileg (2014–7 July 2016); Jargaltulgyn Erdenebat (7 July 2016–2017)

Myanmar

• President – Thein Sein (2011–30 March 2016); Htin Kyaw (30 March 2016–2018)

Nepal

• President – Bidhya Devi Bhandari (2015–2023)
• Prime Minister – K. P. Sharma Oli (2015–3 August 2016); Pushpa Kamal Dahal (3 August 2016–2017)

North Korea

• Supreme Leader – Kim Jong Un (2011– )
• Head of State (Nominal) – Kim Yong-nam (1998–2019)

Oman

• Monarch – Qaboos bin Said al Said (1970–2020)

Pakistan

• President – Mamnoon Hussain (2013–2018)
• Prime Minister – Nawaz Sharif (2013–2017)

Palestine

• President – Mahmoud Abbas (2005– )
• Prime Minister – Rami Hamdallah (2013–2019)

Philippines

• President – Benigno Aquino III (2010–30 June 2016); Rodrigo Duterte (30 June 2016–2022)

Qatar

• Monarch – Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani (2013– )
• Prime Minister – Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani (2013–2020)

Russia

• President – Vladimir Putin (2012– )
• Prime Minister – Dmitry Medvedev (2012–2020)

Saudi Arabia

• Monarch and Prime Minister – Salman (2015– )

Singapore

• President – Tony Tan (2011–2017)
• Prime Minister – Lee Hsien Loong (2004–2024)

South Korea

• President – Park Geun-hye (2013–2017)
• Prime Minister – Hwang Kyo-ahn (2015–2017)

Sri Lanka

• President – Maithripala Sirisena (2015–2019)
• Prime Minister – Ranil Wickremesinghe (2015–2018)

Syria

• President – Bashar al-Assad (2000–2024)
• Prime Minister – Wael Nader al-Halqi (2012–3 July 2016); Imad Khamis (3 July 2016–2020)

Taiwan (Republic of China)

• President – Ma Ying-jeou (2008–20 May 2016); Tsai Ing-wen (20 May 2016–2024)
• Premier – Mao Chi-kuo (2014–1 February 2016); Chang San-cheng (1 February 2016–20 May 2016); Lin Chuan (20 May 2016–2017)

Tajikistan

• President – Emomali Rahmon (1994– )
• Prime Minister – Kokhir Rasulzoda (2013– )

Thailand

• Monarch – Bhumibol Adulyadej (1946–13 October 2016); Vajiralongkorn (13 October 2016– )
• Prime Minister – Prayut Chan-o-cha (2014–2023)

Turkey (mostly European)

• President – Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (2014– )
• Prime Minister – Ahmet Davutoğlu (2014–24 May 2016); Binali Yıldırım (24 May 2016–2018)

Turkmenistan

• President – Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow (2006– )
• Prime Minister – Raşit Meredow (2007– )

United Arab Emirates

• President – Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan (2004–2022)
• Prime Minister – Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (2006– )

Uzbekistan

• President – Islam Karimov (1990–2 September 2016); Shavkat Mirziyoyev (8 September 2016– )
• Prime Minister – Shavkat Mirziyoyev (2003–14 December 2016); Abdulla Aripov (14 December 2016– )

Vietnam

• President – Trương Tấn Sang (2011–2 April 2016); Trần Đại Quang (2 April 2016–2018)
• Prime Minister – Nguyễn Tấn Dũng (2006–7 April 2016); Nguyễn Xuân Phúc (7 April 2016–2021)

Yemen

• President – Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi (2012–2022) (Internationally Recognized)
• Prime Minister (IRG) – Khaled Bahah (2014–4 April 2016); Ahmed Obaid Bin Dagher (4 April 2016–2018)
• Head of State (Houthi, De Facto) – Mohammed Ali al-Houthi (2015–15 August 2016); Saleh Ali al-Sammad (15 August 2016–2018)
• Prime Minister (Houthi, De Facto) – Talal Aklan (1 March 2016–4 October 2016); Abdel-Aziz bin Habtour (4 October 2016–2024 )

Events

January

• January 1–2 killed in suicide bombing in Kabul, Afghanistan. ^[1]
• January 6 - January 2016 North Korean nuclear test
• January 16 - 2016 Taiwanese presidential election

February

• February 6 - 2016 Taiwan earthquake ^[2]
• February 17 - an attack in Ankara, Turkey caused at least 28 deaths.
• February 26 - 2016 Iranian legislative election

March

• March 4 - an attack in Aden caused at least 16 deaths.
• March 13–37 killed in an attack in Ankara.
• March 20
  • 2016 Kazakhstani legislative election
  • 2016 Laotian parliamentary election
• March 31 - an attack in Diyarbakir kills seven police officers ^[3]

April

• April 13 - 2016 South Korean legislative election
• April 14 and 16 - 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes
• April 20 - Boungnang Vorachit is elected President of Laos; Thongloun Sisoulith appointed Prime Minister of Laos.

May

• May 6 - opening of the seventh Congress of the party of labor of Korea.
• May 9 - 2016 Philippine general election
• May 22
  • 2016 Tajikistani constitutional referendum
  • 2016 Vietnamese legislative election
• May 24 - Binali Yıldırım was appointed Prime Minister of Turkey.
• May 26 and 27 - 42nd G7 summit

June

• June 29 - 2016 Mongolian legislative election

July

• July 10 - 2016 Japanese House of Councillors election
• July 15 - 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt
• July 26 - Sagamihara stabbings
• July 31 - Yuriko Koike is the first woman elected Governor of Tokyo.

August

• August 7 - 2016 Thai constitutional referendum
• August 11 and 12 - bombings in Hua Hin, Surat Thani, Phuket and Trang. ^[4]
• August 20 - more than 50 killed in a bombing in Gaziantep.
• August 26 - bombing to Cizre against the police.
• August 29 - an attack in Aden caused at least 71 dead.

September

• September 4 - 2016 Hong Kong legislative election
• September 7 and 8 - the 28th ASEAN Summit in Vientiane, Laos.
• September 9 - fifth nuclear test in North Korea.
• September 20 - 2016 Jordanian general election

October

• October 13 - death of Bhumibol Adulyadejas, King of Thailand, known as the reign of Rama IX.

November

• November 26 - 2016 Kuwaiti general election

December

• December 1 - prince Vajiralongkorn is proclaimed King under the name of Rama X.
• December 4 - 2016 Uzbekistani presidential election
• December 11 - 2016 Kyrgyzstani constitutional referendum
• December 17 - a Kayseri attack caused at least 14 deaths.
• December 19 - the Ambassador of Russia Andrei Karlov was assassinated in Ankara.
• December 20 - the Eurasia under the Bosphorus tunnel is opened in Istanbul.

See also

• List of state leaders in 2016 § Asia

References

1. « Un restaurant français de Kaboul visé par une attaque des talibans » Le Monde, 1er janvier 2016.
2. « Le bilan s’alourdit après le séisme à Taïwan » Le Monde, 6 février 2016.
3. « Turquie : sept policiers tués dans un attentat à la bombe en zone kurde », Le Monde, 31 mars 2016.
4. Le Monde, 12 août 2016.