By Maria Siow Japan’s recent dispatch of warships to New Zealand – its first in nearly 90 years – signals Tokyo’s intention to take on a greater security role in the region and counter what analysts call increasing Chinese “geopolitical opportunism”. Carrying more than 500 crew, the two Maritime Self-Defence Force destroyers docked in Wellington […]
Read MoreAsian shares showed a mixed performance today (14 August) following several days of gains fuelled by expectations of lower US interest rates, while US futures slipped. Bitcoin surged over 3%, reaching a new record above $1,23,000, according to CoinDesk. In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 fell 1.4% to 42,657.94 as investors booked profits after recent record […]
Read MoreGao Xiaoyu, the founder of an industrial land consulting firm in Jakarta, has been inundated with calls from Chinese companies eager to expand or set up operations in Indonesia as they try to shield themselves from the United States’ hefty import tariffs. The 19% US tariff rate for goods from Indonesia is the same as […]
Read MoreBy Tom Hussain The shortest Silk Route between China and Europe is set to reopen for the first time since the collapse of the Soviet Union, following last Friday’s agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan to end the conflict that had been blocking the way. Ironically, the obstacle was cleared by China’s nemesis, United States President […]
Read MoreNorth Korean construction workers sent to labour-strapped Russia have been forced to endure slave-like conditions of 18-hour days, two days off a year and bug-infested sleeping quarters, according to their accounts reported in the media. Working on Russian high-rise flats and other construction sites, these labourers often toil from 6am until 2am the next morning, […]
Read MoreBEIJING: China’s military said on Wednesday it monitored and “drove away” a US destroyer that sailed near the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the busy waterway of the South China Sea, while the US Navy said its action was in line with international law. The first known US military operation in at least six years within […]
Read MoreBy Lawrence Chungin Taipei An unprecedented wave of criticism from Japan’s major newspapers against William Lai Ching-te has sparked debate over whether Tokyo is losing trust in the popularly elected Taiwanese leader just over a year into his term. The “extraordinary” media backlash followed the failed July 26 mass recall vote targeting opposition lawmakers, which […]
Read MoreBy Maria Siow Vietnamese leader To Lam’s state visit to South Korea this week has offered a first glimpse of President Lee Jae-myung’s new foreign policy direction for Southeast Asia, as both countries seek to navigate US-China rivalry and Washington’s economic upheaval. The four-day visit began on Monday, with the two leaders pledging to deepen […]
Read MoreBy Park Chan-kyong A diamond pendant worth tens of thousands of dollars, once worn by former South Korean first lady Kim Keon-hee on an official trip, has become the unlikely catalyst for her fall from grace. The luxury item, and its meticulously crafted fake, are now at the centre of a criminal case that saw […]
Read MoreAuthorities in Taiwan were scrambling on Tuesday to evacuate hundreds ahead of a possible landfall by Typhoon Podul on the island’s southeastern coast, while nearby areas battle to recover from floods and record winds brought by previous storms. Taiwan is regularly hit by typhoons, generally along its mountainous, sparsely populated east coast facing the Pacific. […]
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