Opinion Archives - Page 8 of 45 - The Singapore Post

Updates on the US election: According to reports, Trump turns to China hawks for important foreign policy and security positions.

13Nov

By Stuart WhiteNo Comments

Updates on the US election: According to reports, Trump turns to China hawks for important foreign policy and security positions.

Donald Trump is reportedly tapping up politicians who hold hardline positions on China for key roles within his incoming cabinet. The US president-elect has asked US Representative Michael Waltz, a retired Army National Guard officer and war veteran, to be his national security adviser, multiple outlets reported, while the New York Times and Reuters said Florida senator Marco Rubio was favourite for secretary of state. Waltz is also on the Republican’s China taskforce and is considered hawkish – advocating for a more aggressive foreign policy – when it comes to China. He called for a US boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing due to what he termed the “suppression” of information about the Covid-19 outbreak in Wuhan, and its ongoing mistreatmen

Taiwan: A politician seizes a journalist in the legislature

12Nov

By Joanne SerriehNo Comments

Taiwan: A politician seizes a journalist in the legislature

On November 6, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislator Chung Chia-pin, aggressively checked the identification of China Times News Network reporter Guo Jiquan, grabbing at his interview pass and questioning his identity as a reporter. International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliate, the Association of Taiwan Journalists (ATJ) in condemning the politician’s behaviour and calling on the Legislative Yuan to protect the safety of journalists on duty. During a financial committee meeting of Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan on November 6, politician Chung Chia-pin forcibly grabbed the interview pass of journalist Guo Jiquan, questioning its validity. The reporter had been accepted into the legislature after an inspection by law enforcement, a requirement prior to e

Despite losing the election, Ishiba remains as prime minister of Japan.

11Nov

By Joanne SerriehNo Comments

Despite losing the election, Ishiba remains as prime minister of Japan.

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has won a run-off vote in parliament to stay in his post, after an election setback last month that saw his coalition lose its majority in the lower house. Ishiba, 67, took over as prime minister from Fumio Kishida, who stepped down in September amid a series of scandals that rattled public trust in the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) party. In an extraordinary parliament session on Monday, Ishiba defeated Yoshihiko Noda, the leader of the main opposition party Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan. Ishiba will now have to navigate hostilities within his party, economic woes and a period of flux in international relations. As the leader of a minority government, he also faces the challenge of having to heed to demands from the oppositio...

The new president of Sri Lanka is seeking support from the legislature.

9Nov

By Joanne SerriehNo Comments

The new president of Sri Lanka is seeking support from the legislature.

On September 21, 2024, Sri Lankans elected Anura Kumara Dissanayake, a 55 year-old former Marxist, as their tenth president, paving the way for a new parliament and extensive reforms in the debt-ridden country. Mr. Dissanayake beat incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who is widely credited with successfully negotiating the International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout that brought Sri Lanka’s economy out of bankruptcy two years ago. Mr. Wickremesinghe, who had earlier served as prime minister for multiple terms, was chosen as president by the parliament rather than a popular vote in 2022 after massive protests and riots on the heels of an economic crisis that forced out the directly elected president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa. President Dissanayake and the three-member cabinet he has appoi

Before the elections, Mauritius lifts its ban on social media.

8Nov

By Stuart WhiteNo Comments

Before the elections, Mauritius lifts its ban on social media.

The Mauritius government has ended its recent suspension of social media, which threatened voters’ access to information ahead of the general elections on November 10. On November 1, the Mauritius communications authority had directed internet service providers in the country to suspend access to all social media platforms until after the elections. Following swift and widespread outcry from the business community, civil society, and opposition politicians, the government rescinded the ban just a day later. The government announced the ban after leaked audio recordings surfaced on the internet, which the government described as “a serious threat to national security and public safety.” The recordings included phone calls and conversations

China is preparing for new economic, tech, and Taiwan-related disputes with Trump.

8Nov

By Nectar GanNo Comments

China is preparing for new economic, tech, and Taiwan-related disputes with Trump.

The first time China faced Donald Trump in the White House, there was a trade war, a breach of protocol involving Taiwan’s former leader, and a president-to-president bromance that turned sour. As President-elect Trump prepares to start his second term in office, China is bracing for unpredictability in its ties with the United States and renewed tensions over trade, technology and Taiwan. A new tariff war looms Perhaps the biggest consequence for China — if Trump stays true to his campaign promises — is his threat to slap blanket 60% tariffs on all Chinese exports to the U.S. Tariffs like that would be a blow to China’s already unstable economy, which is suffering from high youth unemployment, a lengthy property slump and government debt. A 60% duty o

China and Taiwan applaud Trump as the region awaits a shift in US policy.

8Nov

By Joanne SerriehNo Comments

China and Taiwan applaud Trump as the region awaits a shift in US policy.

Leaders from China and Taiwan have congratulated Donald Trump’s national election victory, despite growing uncertainty about how his second presidential term might impact dynamics across the Taiwan Strait. Chinese President Xi Jinping urged China and the United States to find the right way to get along in the new era, to benefit ‘’both countries and the wider world.” He hopes the two sides will “uphold the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, strengthen dialogue and communication, properly manage differences and expand mutually beneficial cooperation,” according to a readout released by China’s official Xinhua News Agency on Thursday. Meanwhile, Taiwan President Lai Ching-te, who came to power in May, said in a post on social media platform

Mountains of Resistance: Tibet’s Struggle for Independence, Past and Present

7Nov

By Grace TsoiNo Comments

Mountains of Resistance: Tibet’s Struggle for Independence, Past and Present

A leader in exile. Children forced into cultural assimilation. A barrage of failed protests. For more than 50 years, China, a global superpower with a population over 400 times that of Tibet, has occupied this small region. Since 1950, Tibet and China have lived in an uneasy balance. However, recent reports have shown exacerbated tensions between the two regions, as Tibetans have accused the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) of severely restricting the practice of Tibetan traditions, including Buddhism. The Tumultuous Ties Between Tibet and China For centuries, Tibet and China co-existed in Central Asia—each as a distinct nation with individual culture and history. China’s historical records and treaties demonstrate that Chin

Implications of Trump’s victory for China, the Middle East, and Ukraine

6Nov

By Stuart WhiteNo Comments

Implications of Trump’s victory for China, the Middle East, and Ukraine

Donald Trump’s return to the White House is set to reshape US foreign policy, promising potentially radical shifts on multiple fronts as war and uncertainty grip parts of the world. During his campaign, Trump made broad policy pledges, often lacking specific details, based on principles of non-interventionism and trade protectionism - or as he puts it “America First”. His victory signals one of the most significant potential disruptions in many years in Washington’s approach to foreign affairs in the midst of parallel crises. We can piece together some of his likely approach to different areas from both his comments on the campaign trail and his track record in office from 2017 to 2021. Russia, Ukraine and Nato During the campaign, Trump repeatedly said he could end the war

China receives the troubled leader of Myanmar on his first visit since the coup.

6Nov

By Grace TsoiNo Comments

China receives the troubled leader of Myanmar on his first visit since the coup.

Myanmar’s military leader Min Aung Hlaing is on his first visit to China since he ousted the elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021. The significant losses his regime has suffered in the civil war at the hands of poorly-armed insurgents has raised questions over how long he will remain at the helm. So, the invitation to visit China - an important ally, neighbour and Myanmar's largest trading partner - is significant, although it is not a state visit. It is a long way from a Chinese endorsement of his disastrous handling of the post-coup chaos in Myanmar, but it does suggest that Beijing sees him as an essential part of a solution to the conflict there. Leading a large delegation of officials and business figures, Min Aung Hlaing arrived