Showing 31 - 40 of 63
New US push: Vaccine and Mekong
News, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 20/07/2021
» US Secretary of State Antony Blinken used the special session with Asean last week to shore up Washington's position in Southeast Asia. He touched on China, the disputes over the South China Sea, the situation in Myanmar and the response to Covid-19, amongst others. Strangely enough, the phrase "free and open Mekong" was introduced for the first time in the latest US position regarding the most important strategic area of mainland Southeast Asia.
Asean, China promote Asian values
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 15/06/2021
» In commemorating the 30th anniversary of Asean-China relations later this year at the summit level, it is expected that China will be represented by Xi Jinping, who has yet to attend an Asean-related summit under his presidency. Of course, this is just a plan for both sides, which still need further discussion to celebrate their "shared future" trajectory. After all, when Asean agrees on the upgrade of China's longstanding strategic partnership to a comprehensive one, there must be a very special li-you (raison d'etre) to do so. And the list is long.
Asean must engage with US, China
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 18/05/2021
» On 24 April at the Asean Leaders' Meeting in Jakarta, the Asean chair, Sultan Hassan Bolkiah, instructed foreign ministers to hold special meetings with the US and China as soon as possible to further strengthen Asean centrality and unity with these most important dialogue partners. It was rather an unusual instruction as Asean had already planned to hold a post-ministerial meeting with Washington and Beijing in August.
Asean in Myanmar crisis 'driver's seat'
News, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 27/04/2021
» After a little over three hours of meetings on Saturday in Jakarta, the Asean leaders agreed on a five-point consensus regarding the current crisis in Myanmar, placing the 54-year-old organisation in the driver's seat in this regional process. In the beginning, critics expressed concern that it would be impossible for Asean to persuade the military junta, headed by Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, to accept the cessation of violence against protesters. Even on the day of the summit, there were reports of shootings as well as the arrests of protesters and journalists.
Asean 101: 12 facts for ‘President' Biden
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 24/11/2020
» 1. First and foremost, Asean is one less problem for the US globally because it is peaceful and prosperous. Supporting Asean means strengthening both US cooperation and its profile in Southeast Asia. Former Asean secretary-general Surin Pitsuwan often told his American colleagues including former US State Secretary Hillary Clinton when she first visited the Asean Secretariat in April 2012 that Asean is a big asset for the US.
Time to upgrade Asean-EU relationship
News, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 03/11/2020
» Today, Americans will go to the polls to elect their 46th president. It doesn't matter who the next president will be, the incumbent Donald Trump or his challenger, Joe Biden. Why? As far as Indo-Pacific region is concerned, the die has been cast due to the strategic competition between the two superpowers, the US and China. Therefore, the presidential outcome and impact on the global stage remain unchanged. New rhetoric and approaches might be generated but that would be it.
Biden win a boon or bane for Thailand?
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 08/09/2020
» There are only nine weeks to go before Nov 3 when American voters decide on their new president. If former vice president Joseph Biden wins, Thailand must prepare a new strategy to "renew" and "reinvent" engagement with the US that will take be tougher on issues related to China, human rights and democracy. The Biden administration's approach could be a boon or bane for Thailand, one of its five allies in the Indo-Pacific, depending on the country's diplomatic pathway and strategic preparedness. With a new administration under the Democrats, the US State Department would again shape overall policy towards its benign ally.
RCEP talks shouldn't leave India out
News, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 19/05/2020
» The Covid-19 pandemic has ravaged countries around the world over the past three months and India, the world's largest democracy with 1.4 billion people, has been among the hardest hit. Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave his people just four hours advance notice of the mandatory lockdown on March 24, a measure that continues today and which has caused massive hardship. Worse still, it has directly impacted India's overall economic performance, with serious repercussions on its perceived global leadership role.
Covid-19: Asean must act more boldly
News, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 24/03/2020
» The past 12 weeks have displayed Asean's strengths and exposed weaknesses when the grouping has had to respond to an unprecedented common catastrophic crisis, the coronavirus pandemic.
Please do not shoot the messengers
News, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 26/11/2019
» At the 40th Unesco General Conference in Paris last week, a plethora of issues affecting global well-being were discussed. These days big and small members dutifully raise their voices, remarkably demonstrating their national preferences in an uncertain world. One could easily notice that voices from big funders, except Japan, are louder than ever before. As usual, some smaller countries from the Caribbean, the Pacific Islands and Africa were absent from the week-long meetings due to their lack of funds. However, a few surrogate delegates for the members from the Caribbean region, such as St Lucia, Grenadine and others, managed to pitch their views, wanting to make their presence felt -- sometimes causing confusion and prolonged debate.