Showing 1 - 7 of 7
Keep pressure on N Korea
News, Editorial, Published on 08/08/2018
» The harsh words and wavering debate about North Korea that emerged from the Asean Regional Forum (ARF) are disconcerting. The foreign ministers of the US and Japan urged members of the Forum it is vital to keep tight sanctions on Pyongyang until there is clear progress towards what now is generally called denuclearisation. One voice, North Korea's Ri Yong-ho, demanded relief from sanctions. But the forum quite properly decided his argument that Pyongyang deserves relief for showing good faith was unconvincing and invalid.
Good start at nuke summit
News, Editorial, Published on 13/06/2018
» It's a long road from a handshake to peace with nuclear disarmament. That said, the first meeting ever between a sitting US president and the leader of North Korea Tuesday seemed the best first step possible on that road. Neither Donald Trump nor Kim Jong-un has been kidding during the month-long lead-up to their summit. This meeting alone makes war in the region unlikely. The mood between the two men and their advisers spoke well for a peaceful future.
A chance to deter N Korea
News, Editorial, Published on 01/08/2017
» The annual meeting of the Asean Regional Forum foreign ministers takes place this week in the Philippines and is likely to overshadow the other top two conferences of the "Asean Week" -- the 10-nation Asean group and the "Asean +3" which includes China, Japan and South Korea.
Slim chances in piracy fight
News, Editorial, Published on 21/06/2017
» The director-general of the Intellectual Property Department (IPD) made a startling claim last weekend. Thosapone Dansuputra told the media that "massive" raids on six shopping areas notorious for pirating consumer goods will wipe out piracy within a month. Perhaps there is something different about the current raids compared with numerous crackdowns of the past. But the chances of wiping out piracy, counterfeiting and fake goods by well publicised raids seem as slim as always.
Asean's role with N Korea
News, Editorial, Published on 17/04/2017
» While Thailand has been partying, the first winds of war in years have been stirred in Northeast Asia. US President Donald Trump has effectively warned North Korea that further nuclear or ballistic missile tests will have physical consequences. Pyongyang leader Kim Jong-un has replied with predictable threats of military retaliation. The region is on tenterhooks, partly because China still refuses to step up responsibly.
China must rein in Kim
News, Editorial, Published on 06/04/2017
» Just as US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jingping are set to have face-to-face talks today in Florida, North Korea, the renegade ally of the Asian superpower, has test-fired yet another ballistic missile in the Sea of Japan.
Waiting for Beijing's clout
News, Editorial, Published on 15/03/2017
» North Korea has once again stirred up trouble with illegal acts and murderous violence. No sooner had it embroiled three Asean nations in its literally toxic assassination of the dear leader's half-brother in Malaysia than it started yet another round of ballistic missile tests.