Taiwan will hold its national presidential and legislative election on January 13. Vice President Lai Ching-teh, the pro independence candidate of the Democratic Progressive Party, leads in the polls and will likely be the next president. Officials in Beijing do not like Lai and have expressed their views openly. They call him a secessionist and Continue reading »
Asia
Beijing has vowed to seize “strategic opportunities” and further raise its “international influence, appeal and power” to shape a rapidly changing world by strengthening Communist Party control of foreign affairs and standing firm against “bullying” and “hegemonism” from the West. At a rare closed-door party meeting about China’s future foreign policy direction that concluded on Continue reading »
Gibran Rakabuming Raka is smarter than his stolid Dad Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo, President of our huge neighbour since 2014. As Vice President Gibran could be a positive change agent – but that demands missionary zeal and the guts to challenge his dangerous leader. Does he have The Right Stuff? In the lead-up to the 14 Continue reading »
John Pilger, the investigative anti-war journalist who spoke up for China and humiliated the western corporate media, has died—and every single report on this in the western media I have seen has carefully omitted this fact. Here are ten things he said that the world needs to know about the legendary journalist who died in Continue reading »
Against the backdrop of the new cold war between the United States and China, the European Union’s top brass seems to be adding to the pressure on China by issuing credible threats in response to four grievances. Alas, the Chinese authorities are probably more amused than alarmed. ATHENS – On the December 7, the presidents […]
The post Europe’s Bad China Bluff – Project Syndicate op-ed appeared first on Yanis Varoufakis.
Ahead of its elections, Taiwan needs to be forewarned of putting too many eggs into the USA basket. A significant body of evidence warns that the people of Taiwan may find themselves nothing but pawns, to be sacrificed in the USA’s geopolitical game. Duplicitous US policies make their Administration very good at accusations but very Continue reading »
Weaponising human rights against the city and mainland China only becomes more farcical when the US and its close allies are busy violating them. Another day, another official report from the US government criticising and threatening to punish China for interfering with the affairs of Hong Kong, a Chinese city. This is getting farcical. The Continue reading »
Three museums in Hong Kong help us understand the complexity of Hong Kong’s past and future and highlight the importance of Asia literacy in Australia. On a recent visit to Hong Kong, I was able to see the new M+ Museum of Visual Culture, open at last in the West Kowloon Cultural District even as Continue reading »
In Indonesia old soldiers never die; they just infiltrate civic affairs, then grab jobs from the worthy and talented young, slowing the economy. After two decades of being confined to barracks, the Indonesian army is marching back into civil and political life in a country that claims to be a democracy. This is bad news for smart Continue reading »
Indonesian politics is about personalities, not policy. Some among the 20,000 candidates for national and regional office at the globe’s biggest one-day ballot next year must be driven by altruism. But how to vote? Who do the dead recommend? Election info next door comes from TV, social media and outdoor advertising, Thousands of placards, giant posters Continue reading »