Showing 1 - 10 of 20
S Korea must stay neutral in standoff
Oped, Published on 29/05/2021
» The Republic of Korea (ROK), more commonly known as South Korea, has become caught in the middle of US-China tensions. Seoul recently sought to steel its security alliance with Washington amid threats from Pyongyang, historically a Beijing ally, and rivalry with Tokyo as well as wanting to protect its high economic stakes in China.
Asean chief charts new UN course
News, Published on 11/02/2020
» Shortly after last month's Asean foreign ministerial retreat in Vietnam's Nha Trang, Secretary General Dato Lim Jock Hoi flew to New York. He was instructed by Asean foreign ministers to brief the UN Security Council on the bloc's role in cooperating with the UN, regional and subregional organisations to maintain international peace and security.
Hopes for nuke deal not over yet
News, Published on 04/03/2019
» North Korean state media on Friday brushed over the lack of a summit deal for leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump, focusing on constructive talks and signalling Pyongyang was not about to walk away from negotiations.
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.
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.
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.
The Trump-Kim summit and its aftermath
News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 15/06/2018
» The unprecedented and dramatic summit meeting between President Donald Trump and Chairman Kim Jong-un, the current leaders of the United States and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (otherwise known as North Korea), will go down in history as another case of "better the devil you know than the devil you don't". Since the Korean War stopped without a permanent truce in 1953, the world has become accustomed to the North Korean regime as a menace to regional peace and stability with ominous global ramifications because of its nuclear weapons.
A summit to prevent war
News, Editorial, Published on 31/05/2018
» It is taking feverish preparations to bring about the June 12 Singapore summit between the two most extroverted world political leaders. Presumably, US President Donald Trump and North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un are back on schedule for their meeting. It is necessary to say "presumably" because this summit has gone from impossibility to certainty, then from unlikely to cancelled, and now "back on schedule". Two weeks out, the summit offers some promise of being the most important such meeting of our age.
Europe and Asia -- together for a more secure world
News, Federica Mogherini, Published on 29/05/2018
» Europe and Asia have never been so close. Our economies are interconnected; our cultures are interconnected; and our security is connected: we face the same challenges, we confront similar threats, and we share an interest in preserving peace in our regions and international cooperation on a global scale.
A reality check on Korea nuke talks
News, Peter Apps, Published on 24/05/2018
» When US President Donald Trump and his South Korean counterpart Moon Jae-in first agreed to meet in Washington on Tuesday, they seemed to genuinely believe they might be on the brink of a major rapprochement with the North. Now, there are concerns over whether the much-touted summit between Mr Trump and Kim Jong-un scheduled for Singapore on June 12 will happen at all.