Asia
Hong Kong’s political trouble is Singapore’s gain
China’s promise to treat Hong Kong as “one country, two systems” has been in the spotlight ever since the controversial extradition bill proposed by the Hong Kong Chief Executive…
What the rest of Asia thinks about China’s Belt and Road Initiative
If scientists are right, 85% of what comprises the universe is unseen, so-called “dark matter” material that neither reflects nor emits light. In recent times, “south-south”…
Trump and Xi need a trade deal and they need it soon
With resumed contact between US trade negotiator Robert Lighthizer and China’s negotiator Vice Premier Liu He, the 12th round of trade talks between the US and China may take…
What Tom Cruise can teach us about great power competition
Last week Paramount Pictures released the trailer for its much-hyped Top Gun sequel, Top Gun: Maverick. The new movie sees Tom Cruise reprise his role as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell,…
Between deprivation and decadence: the bleak view of India’s future
Could India be heading towards a dystopian future, with severe environmental decay and massive unemployment leading to social collapse?
There are rumblings of such a bleak…
Mahathir holds all the cards, again
The latest news coming out of Kuala Lumpur may alter the trajectory of Malaysian politics.
On Wednesday night, 23 members of the Parti Keadilan Rakyet (PKR) central…
After the voting, personality beats policy in Southeast Asia
It has been an unusually intense time for elections across Southeast Asia in the past year with both a stunning upset and more predictable returns of incumbents.
But the striking…
How Indonesia finds itself in the middle of a US-China trade war
President Joko Widodo, best known as Jokowi, just won the presidential election and will officially start his second term in October. Much of his economic homework is still…
Abe’s constitutional dream hinges on upper house elections
Japan’s upper house election is set to be held this weekend but has attracted little media attention internationally. Doubtless this is because the House of Councillors is a less…
The guessing game for Singapore’s elections
With a vote due to be called before 2021, the guessing game for when Singapore’s next general election will take place has begun.
Everyone is squinting at the tea leaves, and…