Showing 1 - 10 of 14
Looking ahead with hope
Asia focus, Erich Parpart, Published on 06/01/2020
» First of all, welcome back to work to anyone who is lucky enough to be starting today instead of last week. I hope everyone had a wonderful New Year celebration with their friends and families.
Pyongyang moves the goalposts
Asia focus, Erich Parpart, Published on 22/04/2019
» When I asked a senior official from Washington recently about the failure of the second Trump-Kim summit in Vietnam in late February, the response I received was every bit as diplomatic as I had expected.
Keeping the bombs at bay
Asia focus, Erich Parpart, Published on 04/03/2019
» Trump-Kim Summit 2.0 began in a climate of optimism, with some people saying a formal end to the Korean War and complete denuclearisation of the North was in sight, but it was not to be. Disappointment quickly turned to alarm when two other nuclear-armed states -- India and Pakistan -- started sparring.
Don't rule out war over Taiwan
Asia focus, Erich Parpart, Published on 14/01/2019
» Last week was a busy one for China. Headlines took note of fresh harassment of Taiwan, reports of possibly illegal gold mining by Chinese firms in Ghana, and of separatists threatening to attack Belt and Road projects in Pakistan and Malaysia.
We deserve a year-end break
Asia focus, Erich Parpart, Published on 24/12/2018
» What a year it's been, riddled with natural and manmade disasters, not to mention the antics of Donald Trump. Between his landmark summit with North Korea's leader and the lingering trade war with China, the US president's second year in office has been an eventful one for Asia.
Asia gets its kicks
Asia focus, Erich Parpart, Published on 18/06/2018
» There was no shortage of excitement in the world last week, what with Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un shaking hands and pledging to work toward peace on the Korean Peninsula. But the number of people tuning in to the "summit of the century" was probably eclipsed two days later when the World Cup kicked off in Russia.
Adjusting to the new China
Asia focus, Erich Parpart, Published on 12/03/2018
» The National People's Congress of China opened its annual legislative gathering last Monday with Prime Minister Li Keqiang announcing a conservative 2018 economic growth target of around 6.5%, and the biggest rise in military spending in three years. The budget for the People's Liberation Army is rising 8.1% to 1.1 trillion yuan or US$175 billion.
Pyongyang's charm offensive
Asia focus, Erich Parpart, Published on 19/02/2018
» A budget of US$2.6 million to ensure red-carpet treatment for North Koreans at the Winter Olympics is just one sign of South Korea's eagerness to revive dialogue with its dangerous neighbour. The North appears equally keen, based on the high-profile visit to Pyeongchang by Kim Yo-jong, the Supreme Leader's sister and Pyongyang's PR queen.
Enjoy the calm while it lasts
Asia focus, Erich Parpart, Published on 23/10/2017
» China's economy slowed marginally from 6.9% growth in the first half to 6.8% in the third quarter but is still on course to beat Beijing's full-year target of 6.5%. It was the sort of good news Communist Party bigshots were waiting to hear, coming a day after President Xi Jinping's stirring three-hour speech to their twice-a-decade congress.
North Korea's real heroes
Asia focus, Erich Parpart, Published on 11/09/2017
» For those who believe, as I do, that there is room for negotiation to achieve peace and reunification of the Korean Peninsula, hearing a high-ranking North Korean official talking about defectors from his country might change your mind.