Asia
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The AUKUS pact could help ASEAN’s relationship with China
Controversy in the ASEAN region over AUKUS has died down, but the group should take it as an opportunity to build trust with China. Continue reading »
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Solomons intervention merely serves Australia’s own Pacific interests
Australian resources assigned to curb Chinese expansion would be better used to counter vaccine hesitancy and lift supply. Continue reading »
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Indo-Pacific concept is outdated, time is ripe for separation
As China’s influence grows and India revives an Indian Ocean forum, it might be time to do away with the whole concept of the “Indo-Pacific” region. Continue reading »
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What the Asian media are saying: ASEAN, JI returns, ping-pong diplomacy
Xi Jinping’s appearance at ASEAN this week, a question mark over China’s naval power, concerns about Jemaah Islamiyah rebuilding, and more news from our region. Continue reading »
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Conservatives undermine push against sexual violence on Indonesian campuses
Hardline Muslim organisations insist Indonesia’s moves to curb sexual harassment will encourage adultery and sex outside marriage. Continue reading »
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In a time of rapid global change, APEC matters more than ever
APEC is a platform for dialogue on complex issues, and its nurturing of regional cooperation and engagement strengthens the rules-based global order. Continue reading »
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Myanmar nightmare: Junta squeezes civic space and disrupts civil aid
The humanitarian and development crisis in Myanmar requires a new approach to traditional donor accountability if the global community is to avert a major catastrophe in the country. Continue reading »
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In Myanmar, oppression, disease and stymied aid tilt the crisis towards disaster
With the crisis in Myanmar intensifying this week, Ian Mannix, in a two-part report, looks at the conflict and how aid agencies are responding. Continue reading »
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School curriculum overhaul needed for Australia to find its place in Asia
The failure to properly resource Asian studies in Australian schools and universities is a problem for Australia’s long-term security. Continue reading »
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What the Asian media are saying: ASEAN, China powers up EVs, Japan’s inequality
Our US/UK centric media largely ignores Asia. But important and interesting things are happening- Cambodia will host ASEAN later this month, security between China and the US, and a spicy controversy in Korea. Continue reading »
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Tragic case of Amber Poon: murdered in Taipei but killer unpunished
A Hong Kong woman’s murder led to controversial extradition law which were withdrawn after subsequent protests so the killer avoided justice. Continue reading »
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Singapore to execute intellectually disabled and mentally ill man
If Singapore pushes ahead with a death sentence given to an intellectually disabled man on drug offences, it will be in breach of international law. Continue reading »
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Indonesia’s Widodo lacks the will, let alone ability, to fight climate change
Our near neighbour faces a colossal task in keeping the lights on while reducing emissions. Even some solutions create problems. Continue reading »
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Amnesty International’s hidden politics, not Hong Kong’s, is the real problem
As a human rights group, Amnesty has nothing to fear in Hong Kong. As a foreign political organisation, it doesn’t have much of a future. Continue reading »
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Double standards: The Quad’s maritime rule of law hypocrisy
If the Quad wants to hold any moral authority on a global level, it should ensure its members observe the rule of law at sea. Continue reading »
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What Asian media are saying about COP26
In the Asian media, COP26 isn’t all about net zero plans and phasing out coal — our region is just as concerned with the potential potholes. Continue reading »
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Japan’s reluctance to cut emissions rivals Australia
Japan will rival Australia for the ‘fossil prize’ at COP26 as it pushes a revival of its nuclear industry in the name of climate change policy. Continue reading »
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Conservatives likely to retain power in Japanese election
As Japan heads to an election this weekend, the Liberal Democratic Party is expected to retain government over weakened progressive parties. Continue reading »
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Faltering forum: time to euthanise the ASEAN nag
If ASEAN crashed in the Melbourne Cup the on-course vets would be ready with the needle and green tarpaulin. But this bag-o’-bones is such a dud it would have been scratched. Continue reading »
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The Australian retreat from Asia is becoming a rout.
Nine years ago I gave the speech below. I was then pessimistic about our understanding of Asia. The situation has got markedly worse since then, writ large in the unremitting attacks on China stemming from ignorance and parochialism, particularly in our White Man’s Media. Continue reading »
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Squid Game: what the subtitles don’t tell you
Eight cultural specificities in Squid Game explained to help you do business, build stronger relationships and succeed in Korea. Continue reading »
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Drinking the Hong Kong Kool-Aid — Misrepresentation is now on display
Those behind the scenes who tried to use Hong Kong for their own aims not only failed but are comfortably sitting well away from the grief and anguish they sponsored. Continue reading »
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Indonesia trade pitch plays down the perils awaiting outside investors
Chief among the many pitfalls of engaging with Australia’s giant neighbour is Indonesia’s legal system, which is rife with corruption and rigged against foreigners. Continue reading »
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Enjoying Hong Kong and denying the crackdown, with a colonial face
Life might go on as usual for expats, but for native Hong Kongers, the new security law is having a real effect on their freedoms. Continue reading »
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The remarkable story of Japan’s North Korean abductees
Nearly two decades after North Korea retuned five people it abducted to their home country of Japan, efforts to silence those who challenge the government line continue. Continue reading »
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Political change and restoring democracy in Thailand
Thailand can learn from changes in power relations between the central bureaucracy and the Local Administration to bring about political change, and restore democracy. Continue reading »
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What crackdown? Life in the Hong Kong ‘gulag’, 15 months on. A disappointment for Mike Pompeo.
The predictions by many Western pundits of tyranny and repression under Hong Kong’s 2020 security laws have failed to materialise. Continue reading »
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Paul Keating’s Indonesian vision has been undone by his successors
Paul Keating’s successors failed to build on the promise and possibilities offered by the 1995 security pact with Jakarta — and the chance won’t come again. Continue reading »
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Why South and South-East Asia must cooperate to prevent a new Cold War amid US-China rivalry
The AUKUS alliance is the latest US move to counter China, and this steadily militarising rivalry could turn South and South-East Asia into frontline states. Continue reading »
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The US’s forgotten forever war in Korea: ‘Washington rules’ that bind the US to perpetual warfare
The Korean War remains conspicuously absent from assertions by the US that it is done with forever wars, but the war remains a fact of life that Koreans live with every day…“Washington rules” bind the US to perpetual warfare. Continue reading »
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