After the global financial crisis, Asia grew at more than 6 per cent each year, outperforming a troubled world. Not just China moreover, but also India, South-east Asia and others. While the United States and Europe floundered, the gravity-defying feat substantiated the idea of Asia’s...
Japanese interest in South and Southeast Asia is surging for both economic and political reasons. Yet, while welcome by many in the region, the reasons for this renewed focus must be considered. There are also new factors that the Japanese must look at and adapt...
Japan’s newly elected Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made his first overseas visit to South-east Asian countries. Very soon he will make the more usual pilgrimage from Tokyo to Washington DC, to meet the American President. What should he say to President Barack Obama as both begin...
The legal process begun by the Philippines to challenge claims by China to the South China Sea surprised the region. International arbitration is allowed under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), but the move adds urgency and new elements to...
Everyone’s pivoting to Asia, even Asians. After the Barack Obama administration’s rebalancing and Australia’s white-paper pledge to give more emphasis to the region, here comes Japan. The recent visit to Southeast Asia by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe underscores this. Rather than heading to Washington, his...