Showing 1 - 10 of 83
Time to tone down Taiwan tensions
Asia focus, Nareerat Wiriyapong, Published on 08/08/2022
» It was a picture-perfect shot, really. That was my thought when I saw US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi standing side by side with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in Taipei last Wednesday. But the one-day visit to the self-ruled island by the 82-year-old American politician has created no end of tension, not only for the US and China but also many of their allies across the Asia Pacific region.
Hope for the marginalised in India
Asia focus, Nareerat Wiriyapong, Published on 25/07/2022
» While the final no-confidence debate targeting Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and his crew was under way at home last week, my focus was on India's presidential election. The result was widely welcomed as veteran tribal politician Draupadi Murmu made history.
Japan's crucial moments after Abe murder
Asia focus, Nareerat Wiriyapong, Published on 18/07/2022
» It was a bullet that some people said would change Japan forever, and it certainly had people outside taking a closer look at the world's third largest economy. For me, hearing the news that Shinzo Abe had been shot on July 8 was a shock similar to the events of Sept 11, 2001, which most people agree changed the world.
Frontier markets fret
Asia focus, W Audi Pattarapatumthong, Published on 20/06/2022
» 2022 has been another challenging year for Asian frontier markets against the backdrop of a recovery from the protracted coronavirus pandemic. The challenges have been magnified by the impact of the Ukraine-Russia conflict, and high commodity prices that are exacerbating inflationary pressures, even as global demand for manufactured goods remains weak.
Robust and risky Asean
Asia focus, Ismira Lutfia Tisnadibrata, Published on 30/05/2022
» Asian economies are looking ahead with optimism for a recovery in economic growth but with some reservations about the current global dynamics marked by the Russia-Ukraine conflict, rising inflation and commodity prices.
Creating a sustainable feminist recovery
Asia focus, António Guterres, Published on 07/03/2022
» As the world moves ahead to mark International Women's Day tomorrow, the clock on women's rights is moving backwards. All of us are paying the price.
Bloc-to-bloc bridges
Asia focus, Ismira Lutfia Tisnadibrata, Published on 14/02/2022
» Amid the new challenges brought about by the disruptive changes wrought by the Covid-19 pandemic, European countries are seeing potential to expand cooperation with their counterparts in Asia, particularly on digitisation and climate change.
Myanmar tests Asean unity again
Asia focus, Nareerat Wiriyapong, Published on 07/02/2022
» Feb 1 was a day of celebration as millions marked the beginning of the Year of the Tiger. But it was also a day of sober reflection as it reminded us about the military takeover in Myanmar exactly a year ago.
Asia's emissions-reduction plan for the world
Asia focus, Masatsugu Asakawa, Sri Mulyani Indrawati and Carlos Dominguez, Published on 07/02/2022
» World leaders came together in Glasgow last November to map out a path to mitigate the worst effects of climate change. But while the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) was undoubtedly a historic moment, most countries are just beginning their work to meet new goals to reduce carbon-dioxide emissions.
Hun Sen's Myanmar gamble
Asia focus, Nareerat Wiriyapong, Published on 17/01/2022
» I'm not a fan of Hun Sen, the strongman who has ruled Cambodia for more than 38 years. A co-premier from 1993-97 before seizing power in a 1997 coup, the Cambodian leader has won all subsequent elections while political rivals have been jailed or exiled and critical media crushed. His legacy appears secure now that his Cambodian People's Party has endorsed his eldest son, 44-year-old army commander Hun Manet, as "future prime minister".