In the wake of the People’s Liberation Army exercises in August, the Communist Party of China (CPC) released a new white paper on its goal of “reunification” with Taiwan. Much of the change in this paper compared with the most recent white papers (in 1993 and 2000) is tonal – Cherry Hitkari of the Lowy Institute notes it […]
The post New-old China-Taiwan white paper: What’s the point? appeared first on Asia Times.
Six months into the Ukraine war, the conflict’s escalation pattern seems relatively predictable. However, Western observers may be anticipating escalation in the wrong place. Russia is demonstrating the capability to make trouble for the West in the Indo-Pacific region. The US and its allies should anticipate this, both deterring Russian horizontal escalation beyond Ukraine and forcing Russia […]
The post How Russia may escalate conflict beyond Ukraine appeared first on Asia Times.
Washington says Russia has taken delivery of the first shipment of drones from Iran and that the Russians plan to purchase hundreds of them. Russia replies that it is not buying Iran’s drones while the Iranians insist they are neutral regarding the war in Ukraine. The view in Washington is that the Russians are running […]
The post Russia doesn’t really need Iranian drones appeared first on Asia Times.
Kazuo Inamori, the founder and chairman emeritus of Kyocera – a top rank Japanese maker of electronic components, devices and materials – passed away at his home in Kyoto on August 24. He was 90 years old. Inamori was one of Japan’s most outstanding entrepreneurs and business executives, making his mark as a managerial innovator, […]
The post Kyocera founder Kazuo Inamori dead at 90 appeared first on Asia Times.
SEOUL – A 10-year arbitration battle wrapped up on August 30 with the International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) awarding American private equity finance fund Lone Superstar US$217 million in damages from the Southern Korean government.
The case has been sparked by what the particular Dallas-based fund alleged was Seoul’s refusal to permit the sale of a distressed asset it had obtained within a reasonable time period, robbing it of billions of dollars worth of profits. Lone Star opened proceedings at the ICSID in 2012.
However , this dry description does not do the investor-state dispute, which happened in the tumultuous wake of the 1997-8 Asian financial crisis, justice.
The extremely emotive struggle noticed unionists wielding machetes, secret cameras embedded in C suites, fund chairmen getting grilled in court and questions being asked behind closed doors in Washington’s corridors associated with power.
The particular post US private equity account wins Pyrrhic triumph over Seoul appeared initial on Asia Times .
Following up a report that the self-crowned “Queen of Canada” is expanding her QAnon-inspired movement into the United States, Asia Times has noticed that Romana Didulo’s newly anointed “King of the US” claims to be – like Didula – a Philippines-born immigrant. “I am a naturalized US citizen from Maharlika,” “His Majesty” King David J […]
The post Philippine-born pretenders pursue QAnon global ‘monarchy’ appeared first on Asia Times.
Predicting the overseas travel plans of Chinese President Xi Jinping has become something of a parlor game for journalists and foreign-policy observers. Xi has not left China since the Covid-19 pandemic began, and the destination of his first post-pandemic trip – and whom he meets – will speak volumes about China’s strategic priorities. In the Middle […]
The post What Xi Jinping’s travel plans say about China’s strategy appeared first on Asia Times.
Few world leaders have cut a more consequential but ultimately tragic figure than Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev, whose death at the age of 91 has been announced by Russian state media. In a way, it was fitting that as the last leader of the USSR, Gorbachev was probably its only truly humane one. And it’s equally […]
The post Gorbachev as an ultimately tragic figure appeared first on Asia Times.
Being the president of Russia means never having to say you’re sorry, except – remarkably – after Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov claimed casually that Adolf Hitler was of partly Jewish descent. Vladimir Putin offered a personal apology to then-Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett. Reflexive Russian anti-Semitism is a dog-bites-man story; a Russian leader’s apology […]
The post Russia-Israel relations: It’s complicated appeared first on Asia Times.
Born of Europe’s 19th century wars, it was the quip that neatly captured the difference involving the hard-boiled Prussians from the north German ordinary and the fun-loving Viennese of the Austro-Hungarian Disposition: the Prussian states the situation is serious but not desperate; the Viennese says it is desperate but not serious. Which of today’s Southeast Asian […]
The article Myanmar’ s junta in a serious but not eager fight appeared first on Asia Times .