Asia Archives - The Singapore Post

Netanyahu admits: “Israel is isolated.” And accuses China and Qatar of propaganda in the West

16Sep

By Grace TsoiNo Comments

Netanyahu admits: “Israel is isolated.” And accuses China and Qatar of propaganda in the West

Israeli PM warns: "We will increasingly need to adapt to an economy with autarchic characteristics; we must develop our war industries here." Arab countries call for sanctions against Tel Aviv after Doha attack Brussels – Benjamin Netanyahu is left with only his Stars and Stripes faithful ally. During a conference in Jerusalem on the sidelines of a meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the Israeli PM admitted that Israel “finds itself in a kind of international isolation” and that the Jewish state should “develop its war industries” and “the ability to produce what it needs” within its borders. If two years of carpet bombing of the civilian population in Gaza were not enough, the raid on Doha, capital of the Qatari mediator in the peace negoti

Nepal turmoil adds to India’s woes in South Asia

11Sep

By Nectar GanNo Comments

Nepal turmoil adds to India’s woes in South Asia

Nepal has become the third country in India's immediate neighbourhood to see a violent uprising topple its government in recent years. Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli resigned after more than 20 people died in clashes with police during anti-government demonstrations triggered by a social media ban. A nationwide curfew is in place and the army is attempting to bring the situation under control after protesters stormed parliament and set fire to the homes of several politicians. For many, the scenes in Kathmandu were reminiscent of the turmoil that gripped Bangladesh last year, and Sri Lanka in 2022. Though Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are also India's close neighbours in South Asia, Delhi's relationship with Kathmandu is special because of historic people-to-people, eco...

Nepal crisis: Army deployed as death toll rises amid political turmoil

11Sep

By Nectar GanNo Comments

Nepal crisis: Army deployed as death toll rises amid political turmoil

The unrest began Monday as a self-styled “Gen Z protest” against corruption, nepotism and restrictions on social media. It quickly escalated after security forces opened fire on the crowds. By Tuesday, protesters had stormed and torched parliament, the Supreme Court and multiple government offices, including Singha Durbar – the central administrative complex. Homes of political leaders were attacked, police stations overrun, and Tribhuvan International Airport briefly closed. In addition, media outlets and schools were set on fire, while the Ministry of Health and Population was also destroyed, including the National Health Emergency Operation Centre. UN chief urges dialogue UN Secretary-General António Guterres said he was “deeply saddened by

Who is Balen Shah, Gen Z protesters’ favourite for Nepal PM?

10Sep

By Nectar GanNo Comments

Who is Balen Shah, Gen Z protesters’ favourite for Nepal PM?

Balen Shah, Kathmandu's mayor and former rapper, has emerged as a trusted leader for Nepal's Gen Z, earning admiration for supporting the agitation against corruption and social media ban. Gen Zers, who forced out KP Sharma Oli from power, are batting for Shah to take over. Shah's 2022 victory symbolised a generational shift in Nepali politics. "All those who protect the country are fools. All leaders are thieves, looting the country and eating it up". These are the lyrics from a song by once rapper and now Mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City, Balen Shah. Shah's rise in Nepal's politics inspired many in the youth to contest elections to make a change. Now, after the Gen Z protests have forced the Nepal's Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli to resign, the youth are asking the 35-year-old ...

Prabowo Pushes Through With China Trip as Protests Cool Down

3Sep

By Grace TsoiNo Comments

Prabowo Pushes Through With China Trip as Protests Cool Down

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has departed for China, pushing through with a trip he had initially scrapped due to the weeklong protests that have rocked the Southeast Asian nation. Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has departed for China, pushing through with a trip he had initially scrapped due to the weeklong protests that have rocked the Southeast Asian nation. Prabowo traveled to Beijing on Tuesday evening to attend a major military parade, where Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to showcase his nation’s growing diplomatic sway and military might. “To maintain good relations with the Chinese government, the President has decided to depart tonight and return to Indonesia the following evening,” State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi said in a press briefing late

Four legs bad, three legsbetter? Rescuing theQuad with an India-Japan-Australia grouping

3Sep

By Joanne SerriehNo Comments

Four legs bad, three legsbetter? Rescuing theQuad with an India-Japan-Australia grouping

Three democratic middle powers have compelling reasons to forgean independent partnership that doesn’t depend on US politics. Thes Sngapore Post reported at the weekend that Donald Trump has shelved his plans to attend the Quad summit in India, following a testy exchange with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The resulting headlines from this latest report on top of months of US-India tension are a reminder of how the Quad itself remains hostage to the unpredictability of US politics. Trump’s whimsical approach to policy, from shelving summits to his threats of punitive tariffs, carries a cost. The Quad has always been a peculiar grouping, dependent on the commitment of its most powerful member, the United States. In moments of convergence, it has generated momentum: joint naval exe

China will be more central to India now. Though an anti-US unity is premature

2Sep

By Grace TsoiNo Comments

China will be more central to India now. Though an anti-US unity is premature

As I write this column from Boston, the biggest American newspapers have the Tianjin meeting of Prime Minister Modi, President Putin, and President Xi—all three smiling and shaking hands—as a leading news item. The sub-theme is also that President Trump’s policies are driving them closer, perhaps opening the door to an anti-US unity in international geopolitics. The talk of an anti-American unity is perhaps premature. At least two of the three nations, China and India, have significant ties with the US, which can be ruptured only at a very great cost. Despite the talk of a decline, the US is still the world’s largest economy. At the end of 2024, according to the World Bank, America’s GDP was $29.18 trillion, which amounted to 26.2 per cent of the world economy ($111.33 trillio

1Sep

By Grace TsoiNo Comments

Japan’s political house of cards

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba faces mounting pressure to resign after the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its coalition partner Komeito lost their majority in the July upper house election. That marked the second major loss by an Ishiba-led LDP government after he dissolved parliament and lost a majority in the lower house only weeks after taking the reins on 1 October 2024. Yet Ishiba defiantly refuses to resign despite his weak position with a minority government in both houses, breaking with the norm he once advocated. His ability to cling to power illustrates Japan’s current political stalemate — a fragile equilibrium where no one is strong enough to govern effectively, all parties are too weak to change the status quo and policy innovation is in gridlock.

Reeling from Trump’s tariffs, India and China seek a business reboot

31Aug

By Online DeskNo Comments

Reeling from Trump’s tariffs, India and China seek a business reboot

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi landed in China on Sunday with the sting of Donald Trump's US tariffs still at the top of his mind. Since Wednesday, tariffs on Indian goods imported into the US, like diamonds and prawns, now stand at 50% – which the US president says is punishment for Delhi's continued purchase of Russian oil. Experts say the levies threaten to leave lasting bruises on India's vibrant export sector, and its ambitious growth targets. China's President Xi Jinping, too, is trying to revive a sluggish economy at a time when sky-high US tariffs threaten to derail his plans. Against this backdrop, the leaders of the world's two most populous countries may both be looking for a reset in their relationship, which has previously been marked by mistrust, in lar

Sanseito forces Japan to confront its quiet divisions

28Aug

By Stuart WhiteNo Comments

Sanseito forces Japan to confront its quiet divisions

Japan’s 20 July 2025 upper house election saw the ‘Japanese First’ Sanseito surge from the fringe to mainstream, securing 14 seats in the 248-seat chamber, up from the one it had secured three years prior. Sanseito now holds enough seats independently to submit legislation in the Upper House, except for budget bills. As nationalist rhetoric increasingly shapes the Japanese national debate, the question is whether Sanseito will follow the moderate course of some European populist parties or the confrontational path of the ‘America First’ movement and Europe’s far-right surge. Party leader Sohei Kamiya told Reuters before the election that he drew inspiration from US President Donald Trump’s ‘bold political style’, particularly its confrontational stance, which he associated with