Talking at the Top: Past, Present and Future Summit Diplomacy in Asia
As the metaphor suggests, summitry sits at the pinnacle of international politics; indeed, the term was first introduced by none other than Winston Churchill. Defined most broadly as face-to-face meetings of heads of state, summits have on occasion proven to be defining historical moments: Neville Chamberlain at Munich, John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev in […]
LG Uplus stresses 5G security amid Huawei concerns
LG Uplus Corp., South Korea’s third-largest mobile carrier, said Monday that it will step up security measures on its 5G network that uses Huawei’s equipment, addressing concerns over the Chinese telecom gear maker that’s facing possible bans around the world. LG Uplus CEO Ha Hyun-hoi tried to assuage concerns of its 5G network ahead of […]
(2nd LD) (US-NK summit) Kim’s train runs in inland China for summit with Trump
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s special train arrived in the central Chinese town of Changsha on Monday on its way to Vietnam for a summit with U.S. President Donald Trump later this week, a source said. The train arrived in Changsha of Hunan Province around 1:10 p.m. after passing through the city of Wuhan earlier […]
China, Japan seek to increase military clout over Korea
China and Japan appear to be trying to step up their military presence around the Korean Peninsula amid a debate between South Korea and the United States over defense cost-sharing. Diplomatic and security sources say Beijing and Tokyo are preparing for a possible realignment of U.S. troops in South Korea and a reduced U.S. military […]
Beijing rejects Hong Kong’s anti-corruption laws eyeing city head
China’s central government has rejected a plan by Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor to tighten the city’s anti-corruption laws and ensure that all gifts and benefits offered to the chief executive are graft-free. Beijing found the idea of amending the existing law for this reason unacceptable, a source familiar with the central government’s […]
China’s Political Economy Under the Microscope
The “red swan” that gives this book its title refers to China’s Communist Party-state policy-making process, and is a play on the “black swan” of the induction fallacy, popularized by the former Wall Street trader and finance professor Nassim Nicholas Taleb. Sebastian Heilmann’s policy-centric work is a blend of political economy and political science […]
Sound and Fury: Does Abe’s Constitutional Revision Really Matter?
Much attention has been paid recently to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s desire to revise the country’s constitution in what would be the first and only change since it was adopted in 1947. The focus especially has been on his intent to change Article 9, which prohibits the country from engaging in war and maintaining […]
Why Tokyo and New Delhi Are Reaching Out to Beijing and Vice Versa
The volatility of US President Donald Trump’s administration has thrown many a government across the world into a tizzy. With Washington blowing hot one day and cold the next, foreign-policy mandarins in various world capitals have been burning the proverbial midnight oil, trying to develop strategies to deal with the maverick administration. India and […]
Singapore: an upbeat new year’s message
Singapore prime minister Lee Hsien Loong delivered an upbeat new year’s message. On the political front a younger team is in place to take over the leadership after Lee who plans to step down in 2021. Poised to be the next prime minister is current finance minister Heng Swee Keat. Economically, Singapore has posted a […]
Xi Jinping’s Subtle Summitry on the Korean Peninsula
As a pragmatist, Chinese President Xi Jinping patiently and methodically chooses the means and procedures to achieve his “China Dream,” waiting until China is ready and able to revise the global strategic, economic and diplomatic order led by the United States. His efforts to balance revisionist goals and pragmatic means are evident on the Korean […]