It seems that Hong Kong is at risk of losing its twin city status! Travel around almost any part of the UK and Europe and you will pass innumerable signs saying that such and such a city/town/village is twinned with a similar city/town/village in another country. Hong Kong’s twinning is somewhat different as since the Continue reading »
Asia
It is understandable that Australian leaders may feel insecure, even paranoid, about Australia’s future in the Asian twenty-first century. As Western power recedes from the world – especially from East Asia – Australia and New Zealand will be left stranded as lonely Western outposts in Asia. But it’s fatal to find emotionally comfortable solutions to Continue reading »
By some strange reasoning NATO, the US and the pundits seem to think the current war between Russia – Ukraine is a precursor to hostilities they expect to see between Taiwan and China. It is an unlikely scenario. Travel between Taiwan and China is frequent. Official Taiwan figures for people permitted to work in China Continue reading »
It’s 1444 on the Islamic calendar and the holy month of Ramadan is well advanced with four weeks of fasting, prayer, introspection and goodwill. All commendable – though in the land next door the noise spoils the values. Unlike WA which has jarrah street poles or SA with Stobies, Indonesia uses hollow metal pipes to Continue reading »
How do we end up with an ALP government stupid enough to sign up for the ludicrous AUKUS proposal and the accompanying bogus, China threat scare? Clearly part of the answer has to be the inability to understand Asia. And this is confirmed when we look at the background of most of the people pushing Continue reading »
Many a joke telling session starts with “Have you heard the one about …?” The latest joke in the ASEAN region is ‘….the one about AUKUS?” The punch line is ’2050” because that’s how long it’s estimated it will take for Australia to actually acquire the proposed nuclear powered submarines from either the US or Continue reading »
In Asian Media this week: Japan woos Global South to counter China. Plus: Xi’s Moscow visit – China plays it cool; Would Anglosphere nations welcome others in Aukus?; US Mid-East power waning; Sri Lanka gets aid, with conditions; media present differing views on China. Japan’s Fumio Kishida has backed up his decision to double the Continue reading »
The outcome of a massive police-caused tragedy on Indonesia’s Java Island got less media coverage than a silly white woman’s argument with a brown cop in Bali. The ‘lady’ didn’t like being stopped for riding a motorbike bare-headed, though no helmet law is needed for Indonesian traffic – just a want to live. A story Continue reading »
People living in Western liberal democracies have short memories. That makes them self-righteous. Perhaps a stroll down memory lane is due.
This week was the twentieth anniversary of the Iraqi War. Use your memory, my friend.
Twenty years ago your TV screen was showing that or something very much like it.
As a consequence of that war, the whole Arab world, from the Tigris River in the east, to the Atlantic Ocean in the west, was destabilised. Already poor countries lost valuable infrastructure. Millions of people were displaced or left disabled, orphaned or destitute.
Reflecting the diminishing public support for the AUKUS deal, a new Guardian Essential Poll has found that only one quarter of Australians support paying the $368bn price tag to acquire nuclear submarines. For decades Australians were gung ho about going to war – almost any war. Today – despite the best efforts of the Nine Continue reading »