Asia
Political blackmail in the Taiwan-China contest
Last month, El Salvador announced it will establish diplomatic relations with China. Under the “one China” policy, this meant El Salvador had to break official diplomatic ties…
Japan is back in the Bay of Bengal
The eastern Indian Ocean has become contested waters. The competition for position between China, India and the US is becoming ever more pronounced. But some recent developments…
India-US: two plus two equals hopes and troubles
After talks had been delayed previously owing to domestic developments in the US, causing much disappointment in India, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary…
Debating South Korea’s mandatory military service
By now, most people in South Korea know the national team’s victory over Japan in the Asian Games football tournament secured not just the gold medal, but also an exemption from…
The James Ricketson trial
In the early days of his landmark espionage trial, Australian filmmaker James Ricketson carried a book – “The Faithful Spy” – into the courtroom. It left Cambodian reporters…
China’s tech bubble
In the four decades that have followed China’s initial stage of post-Mao “Reform and Opening Up”, the world has learned to expect great things from the Middle Kingdom’s centrally…
Mahathir redux: the past guides the future
Impulsive yet calculating, persuasive but often authoritarian, a visionary obsessed with details, Mahathir Mohamad’s first tenure as prime minister from 1981-2003 undoubtedly left…
The Rohingyas: a new terrorist threat?
This is the final in a series of three articles on the Rohingya crisis, featuring Morten Pederson on the domestic drivers of conflict, and Nicholas Farrelly on the …
The threat within: Pakistan’s ties to China
Last month, a suicide bomber in Pakistan’s Balochistan province attacked a passenger bus transporting 18 Chinese engineers from Saindak town in the southwest to…
Lies, damn lies, and Chinese statistics
Lies, damn lies, and statistics, and of course to that list should be added Chinese statistics.
After reporting three quarters of 6.8% GDP growth – even though the economy and…