The Philippines, having taken China to the Permanent Court of Arbitration in an attempt to resolve the South China Sea dispute, has put the global spotlight on an issue that has been churning the seas for many years. While China has refused to be subject to...
FOR all the buzz about United States President Barack Obama's visit to Asia this week, the tour will likely be greeted in the region with muted expectations over what he can accomplish. While there is much symbolic value in the tour of Japan, South Korea, Malaysia...
Japan's new Basic Energy Plan sends a clear signal that the country will not abandon nuclear power, spelling bad news for environmentalists and people concerned about nuclear safety. Opinion polls suggest the majority of Japanese citizens are still uncertain about nuclear power. But since taking office...
When US President Barack Obama touches down in Kuala Lumpur next week, it will be the first time since 1966 that a sitting US president has visited Malaysia. It replaces a planned visit from last October, which was cancelled because Mr Obama was obliged to...
Indonesia voted in legislative elections on April 9. Only parties winning 25 per cent of the popular vote or 20 per cent of seats in the house can nominate a candidate for president; parties which fall short of these thresholds would need to nominate a...
Myanmar, as ASEAN Chair, has done well to ensure that achieving the AEC 2015 goal has remained a top priority on the region’s agenda. At the 18th ASEAN Finance Ministers’ Meeting in Nay Pyi Taw on Saturday, Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to realising the goals...
Japan and Australia have agreed on a bilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA). This is the first time a major agricultural exporting nation has concluded a trade deal with Japan, and it sets a positive precedent for the successful conclusion of the regional-level Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)...
Touring protest sites in Bangkok some weeks back, I listened to music, picked up some souvenirs and had a milky, iced Thai tea. The mood was carnival but shrill whistles and placards with slogans like "Thaksin Get Out" make clear the political point. I felt safe...
Taiwan has seen protests over a trade deal which it signed with mainland China. The deal, which has not been ratified by the Taiwanese Parliament, would allow Taiwanese and Chinese service companies in fields ranging from banking to beauty parlours to set up shop in...
The decision of the Philippines to lodge a case on disputed waters in the South China Sea with an international tribunal under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) has been met with strong criticism from China. The Chinese foreign ministry insisted...