Showing 51 - 58 of 58
South Korea is wooing Asean and India
News, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 17/07/2018
» For the first time since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War, South Korea, under the helm of President Moon Jae-in, has effectively been embedded in the regional scheme of things --political/security, economic and social/cultural. The country's previous four presidents -- Kim Dae-jung, Roh Moo-hyun, Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye -- tried to do the same but sadly they repeatedly failed. Every time these leaders wanted to focus on Southeast Asia and South Asia, something happened in the Northeast, the Korean Peninsula in particular, that immediately distracted them. They became mesmerised and forgot the region. There was no consistency whatsoever.
Trump-Kim meet a gift for Southeast Asia
News, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 19/06/2018
» All the hullabaloo surrounding the historic Trump-Kim summit in Singapore must be discarded if one wants to seriously assess the overall ripple effects, in particular, the four-point statement. For the region, at least for now, the tight knot of a nuclear war has been untied. After all, President Donald Trump gave his personal assurance of this after he returned to the United States from his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. That is good for Southeast Asia as a whole. If there is a war, the region's progress would be badly undermined as much as, if not more, than those of the two protagonists. The US provides a marketplace and the Korean Peninsula remains the last stronghold of long-awaited peace and stability.
Five priorities at the 32nd Asean summit
News, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 24/04/2018
» When the Asean leaders converge on the Lion City later this month for their 32nd summit, a myriad of challenges awaits their deliberations formally and informally. Here are five key priorities that they are expected to tackle:
Turkey’s rough road in engaging Asean
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 20/02/2018
» It was like a blip coming out of nowhere when Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said last August that he would not mind backing Turkey’s membership in Asean. This pronouncement was the biggest example of hyperbole during his chairmanship. But this is not the case for Turkey. When President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited Jakarta in 2015, he already had high hopes that his country would sooner or later be joining Asean.
Thailand wise to act as EU-Asean conduit
News, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 19/12/2017
» The first paragraph of the Council of the European Union conclusion on Thailand, released last Monday after the EU foreign ministerial meeting, provided an insight into the state of EU-Thai relations. It says:
Will Trump derail Obama's legacy in SEA?
News, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 17/10/2017
» As the administration of US President Donald Trump enters its tenth month, one of the most frequently asked questions is whether he will try to take down his predecessor's legacy in Southeast Asia. The answer is both no, and yes.
China's push to make new friends
News, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 29/08/2017
» As the world's No.2 economic power with growing political clout, China is working hard to find regional strategic partners who it can "trust". The desired partners can be any countries in Asean that have minds of their own but understand the game of power politics. Most importantly, their foreign policy must not in any way, real or imagined, undermine China's position in the region.
Tillerson's 5-hour trip to reset Thai-US ties
News, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 08/08/2017
» When US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson returns to Bangkok Tuesday for a five-hour visit, he will find a bruised but confident ally ready to reset the 185-year-old Thai-US relations. This 300-minute interlude should prove extremely significant in determining the future of Thai-US relations. Lest we forget, his trip precedes a scheduled two-day visit by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov starting tomorrow.