The ministry reiterated it will not intervene in the situation around Kinmen to avoid further escalation in tensions, but is making plans with the coast guard for possible “new scenarios”. “Our navy and the defence forces of the offshore islands will conduct exercises and preparations in response to the situation,”Continue Reading
South Korea’s general hospitals rely heavily on trainees for emergency operations and surgeries, and local reports said cancer patients and expectant mothers needing C-sections had seen procedures cancelled or delayed, with scores of cases causing “damage”, Park said. “My surgery was cancelled on the day of admission due to theContinue Reading
HONG KONG: Hong Kong’s population rose 0.4 per cent to 7.50 million in 2023, boosted by a net inflow of returning residents and people on residential schemes, the government said, as the financial hub marked its second year of population growth since the pandemic. The increase of 30,500 people fromContinue Reading
“STABLE” ASSETS Gold jewellery was among the best-performing consumer goods in China last year, as the post-pandemic recovery lost its shine in the face of flagging domestic consumption and declining business confidence. A long-running property sector crisis and more recent stock market rout have further dented investors’ options. The marketContinue Reading
You can see what happened today – so many people are here and it’s all exciting. But behind the scenes, there are many rituals and so much work that have to be done,” he said. “I cannot be blind to the difficult reality.” AGEING POPULATION Japan’s society has aged moreContinue Reading
SYDNEY: Chinese-Australian dissident Yang Jun will not appeal a suspended death sentence imposed by a Beijing court, his family said on Wednesday (Feb 21) in a statement denouncing China’s “inhumane” justice system. Yang was handed a suspended death sentence earlier this month after a court found him guilty of opaqueContinue Reading
It has been a grinding war. But two years after Russia invaded Ukraine, resilience has emerged as a key trait among Ukrainians.
CNA’s Lim Yun Suk travelled to Ukraine to find out how robust the war effort has been, and how its economy is trying to post growth despite the conflict.
ISLAMABAD : Former Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said on Tuesday (Feb 20) that his party had reached an agreement with the largest party in the country’s national assembly to form a coalition government. The agreement between Bhutto Zardari’s Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)Continue Reading
The removal did not go unnoticed by local news platforms and Chinese netizens.
“The elders’ method of controlling the stock market,” one comment read, after a gaming blog reported on the removal of the proposed rules.
“Let’s not celebrate too soon, who knows there will be a day when another weird regulation is proposed,” another commenter in Beijing wrote.
One analyst says China’s shift towards pro-growth initiatives likely influenced the retraction of the draft rules.
“The government’s recent emphasis on maintaining positive market sentiment suggests that such restrictive measures were counterproductive to their broader economic objectives,” Mr Ivan Su, a senior equity analyst at research firm Morningstar, told CNA.
China is facing economic headwinds including a property crisis, record-high youth unemployment and persistent deflation.
Against this backdrop, a hit to the lucrative Chinese gaming market – the world’s biggest – could prove hard to stomach. Domestic revenue last year surpassed 300 billion yuan (US$41.6 billion) for the first time, according to industry association CGIGC.
Meanwhile, the number of gamers in China grew 0.61 per cent to a record 668 million, close to double the entire population of the US.
When asked why the authorities followed through on a private tuition clampdown in 2021 – which also decimated the market value of listed tuition firms – while hitting the brakes on tighter gaming regulations, Mr Su pointed out the difference in scope.
He said the draft gaming rules target people of all ages. Meanwhile, the private tuition ban mainly aimed to ease the academic workload of students under the age of 16.
“This broader impact requires more consideration and could lead to more complex implications across different demographics, necessitating a more cautious approach,” he added.
China is not the first country attempting to rein in spending on video games.
Various countries have taken or are taking action against loot boxes, which are virtual goodie bags that gamers can pay for to get random rewards. The monetisation technique has been likened to a form of gambling.
In Europe, Belgium imposed an outright ban on loot boxes in 2018, a world first. The Netherlands is mulling a similar move, while Spain has been pushing for a loot box ban for minors.
Prabowo shows more ambition in the foreign relations space, but his penchant for conflating foreign policy with defence policy may mean a “less talk, more action” approach.
Prabowo repeatedly put his defence minister hat on when quizzed about foreign policy during the candidates’ debate. While his opponents spoke about cultural diplomacy, leveraging the diplomatic network, or revitalising ASEAN, Prabowo emphasised the need to gain respect by having a powerful military. For him, the South China Sea issue is a matter of improving military capabilities. Prabowo’s style of diplomacy relies on hard, instead of soft power.
While he may have traded his strongman image for an affable grandpa to appeal to domestic voters, his tough rhetoric on foreign influence continues. Being tough on outsiders serves his patriotic image well, so one can expect a power-based approach to international relations.
The new foreign minister may be given the job of projecting an image of a strong Indonesia, one ready to defend its sovereignty rather than a team player who will abide by a set of rules. Any bilateral and multilateral engagements would be evaluated on their domestic benefits rather than their international appeal. Being seen as a responsible global citizen is less important than being seen as a strong country.
Prabowo has proven himself to be a smart political operator by successfully managing to embody both transformation and continuity. Nevertheless, his pursuit of continuity will be contingent on his Cabinet picks. Like his predecessor, he will likely use ministerial posts to entice opposition parties to switch sides.
But the exit of experienced ministers may make realising both his predecessor’s and his own ambitions difficult. Foreign policy will likely be subordinated to defence policy in the absence of a strong diplomat. After winning the hearts of Indonesian voters, it is now time for Prabowo to win the trust of the international community.
Andree Surianta is an Associate Researcher at the Center for Indonesian Policy Studies and an Australia Awards PhD scholar at the Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University. This commentary first appeared on Lowy Institute’s blog The Interpreter.