By Michael Vatikiotis It has been a terrible year so far in terms of security in the Asia Pacific region. Japan and China have come close to trading blows over disputed Senkaku/ Diaoyu islands in the East China Sea; North Korea…
China
Friday Five: March 29, 2013
by cogitASIA Staff • • 0 Comments
In the South China Sea the season for territorial and fishing clashes has started. Vietnam accused China of firing shots at a fishing trawler near the Paracel islands, while a Chinese ministry of defence report stated that only flares were…
When China Finally Abandons the One-Child Policy, Will Women Want another Child?
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By Katherine Sliney As part of the government restructuring plan announced in conjunction with the Chinese government’s annual “two meetings,” China’s senior leadership declared plans to dismantle the Family Planning Commission, the government body responsible for overseeing China’s population control…
Chinese Public Opinion toward North Korea’s Nuclear Test: Another Push for Policy Change?
by cogitASIA Staff • • 2 Comments
By Tianyi Wang On February 12, 2013, North Korea conducted its third underground nuclear test, potentially improving its capacity to develop miniaturized nuclear devices for possible delivery on intercontinental ballistic missiles. In response to yet another nuclear provocation, the Chinese…
Friday Five: March 22, 2013
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This week sectarian violence erupted between Buddhists and Muslims in the central Myanmar town of Meiktila, leaving at least 20 dead, though the tally is likely much higher, and includes men, women, and children. The clashes, triggered by a dispute…
The Leaderboard: Wang Yi
by cogitASIA Staff • • 2 Comments
Who is he? Wang Yi has served as the Director of the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) since 2008. Prior to his stint at the TAO, Wang spent most of his diplomatic career managing China’s relationships with its Asian…
The Leaderboard: Cui Tiankai
by cogitASIA Staff • • 1 Comment
Who is he? Cui Tiankai is the outgoing Vice Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). Cui’s diplomatic career spans more than two decades and he recently has held responsibility for overseeing a range of issues related to Asian…
The Leaderboard: Yang Jiechi
by cogitASIA Staff • • 2 Comments
Who is he? Yang Jiechi served as China’s Minister of Foreign Affairs for the past six years. A career diplomat, Yang has spent eight of his 35 years in the Chinese Foreign Ministry working in various positions at the PRC…
Friday Five: March 15, 2013
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Prime Minister Shinzo Abe formally announced that Japan plans to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations, after months of debate in Japan and diplomatic consultations with existing TPP partners. CSIS scholars Mike Green and Matt Goodman were on the case…
Friday Five: March 8, 2013
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North Korea’s bizarre and provocation-filled 2013 has shifted to outright danger this week. Following an additional UN Security Council resolution after the DPRK’s latest nuclear test, the government of the North is threatening South Korea and President Park Geun-hye with…