Showing 1 - 10 of 58
China military purge exposes Xi's unease
News, John J Metzler, Published on 14/02/2026
» Strange and mysterious events are transpiring inside the walls of Beijing's Forbidden City. In the massive nearby government compound Zhongnanhai there's a clear unease as Communist Party Chief and military supremo Xi Jinping, the Chinese president, has shuffled the political cards in the powerful Central Military Commission (CMC), by purging his two top generals.
Rethinking finance beyond aid
Oped, Justin Yifu Lin & Yan Wang, Published on 06/11/2025
» Traditional donors have sharply scaled back their aid commitments to developing countries over the past year. Some, like the United States, have virtually eliminated their aid programmes. According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), official development assistance (ODA) from member countries declined by 7.1% in 2024, its first annual drop in six years.
Myanmar junta readies for sham poll
News, Nay Phone Latt, Published on 11/10/2025
» Myanmar's military leader, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, who currently serves as both the army's commander in chief and the country's head of state, has reshuffled the government's administrative structure in preparation for planned elections later this year.
It's a fishy start
Oped, Postbag, Published on 04/09/2025
» Re: "Pak Klong Sam Saen to become new tourist hub" & "Fish deaths in canal spark probe", (BP, Sept 3). The ironic juxtaposition of these two headlines in Wednesday's edition appears not to bode well for future grandiose plans. One wonders if the irony was intentional.
How a short EV ride shows deep Sino-Thai bond
News, Lin Hao, Published on 03/02/2025
» On one of the final days of 2024, I decided to book a ride through a popular ride-hailing app from my condo to downtown Bangkok, opting for the convenience of not having to drive. When the car arrived, I was surprised to find it was an electric vehicle (EV) from a Chinese automaker. Despite being a frequent ride-hailing user, it was my first experience with an EV.
Be wary of the TikTokalypse on the radar
Oped, Todd G Buchholz, Published on 31/01/2025
» When the United States president, Congress and Supreme Court are all in a tizzy at the same time, the topic under discussion is usually a global meltdown or, at the very least, income taxes. Today, the concern is dancing cat videos. In his first day back in the White House, Donald Trump launched a strike against the Court and Congress by signing an executive order to pause the ban on TikTok, earning applause from the Chinese-owned company. TikTok's online content creators are relieved, too, for many warn that a ban (or a forced sale to a US company) would devastate them. I call it the TikTokalypse.
Asean navigates China-US rivalry for autonomy
Oped, Syed Nizamuddin & Bin Sayed Khassim, Published on 23/11/2024
» With Donald Trump's return to office, Southeast Asia finds itself -- yet again -- paddling between reefs. For Thailand and Malaysia, this means navigating an especially tricky strait. The region is no stranger to this balancing act, or mengayuh antara dua karang, as the Malay proverb goes.
Taiwan signals new openness to nuclear power
News, Matthew Winkler, Miaojung Lin, Debby Wu and Yian Lee, Published on 23/10/2024
» Taiwan is "very open" to using new nuclear technology to meet surging demand from chipmakers devouring electricity in the AI boom, according to Premier Cho Jung-tai -- one of the strongest signs yet that the government is rethinking its opposition to reactors.
Beastly diversions
Oped, Postbag, Published on 19/10/2024
» Re: "Thailand's most unlikely A-list celebrity", (PostScript, Sept 22) & "Hippo rescue", (PostBag, Oct 17).
China and fulcrum of peace, security
News, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 12/09/2024
» How sanguine should the international observer be towards the relationship between China, peace and security? While the country's integration into the international commercial system via the World Trade Organization has opened the door to rules-based discourse and a multilateral dispute settlement system, despite major commercial rivalries, the domain of peace and security presents a more precarious and ambivalent affair. Yet, here again, there is variability in that relationship, which militates against too broad of a generalisation.