Politics – Page 12 – The Singapore Post

5Oct

By Desk TeamNo Comments

Trade politics get very messy

Trade politics get very messy Geopolitics in Asia Pacific have become increasingly complex and drawn growing interest from outsiders since the US, the UK and Australia announced a new alliance known as AUKUS to enable Australia to build nuclear-powered submarines. The partnership, formed this month in response to China's expansionist drive in the South China Sea and increasing belligerence toward Taiwan, prompted Canberra to scrap a US$90-billion deal for 12 new diesel-electric submarines from France. An infuriated France withdrew its ambassadors from Washington and Canberra but the storm blew over after President Emmanuel Macron spoke on the phone with his US counterpart Joe Biden last Wednesday. Washington has also ruled out the possibility of Japan and India joining AUKUS. India, fo...

Timeline: Philippine President Duterte’s tumultuous term

5Oct

By Desk TeamNo Comments

Conflict, Politics, World

Timeline: Philippine President Duterte’s tumultuous term

Timeline: Philippine President Duterte's tumultuous term FILE PHOTO: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte gestures as he delivers his 6th State of the Nation Address (SONA), at the House of Representatives in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines, July 26, 2021. (Reuters) MANILA: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has announced he will retire from politics, opening the way for his daughter to run for president in next year's election. Here is a timeline of some of the key events in Duterte's term: May 2016: Duterte, the former mayor of Davao City and nicknamed "The Punisher" for his anti-drug crusade in the city, is elected the Philippines' 16th president by focusing almost entirely on crime, drug abuse and corruption. Once in power, Duterte backs a war on drugs by police that offi...

China neighbours worry Australia sub deal will destabilise region

3Oct

By Desk TeamNo Comments

China, Opinion, Politics, Singapore, World

China neighbours worry Australia sub deal will destabilise region

China neighbours worry Australia sub deal will destabilise region A file photo taken on May 2, 2018 shows French President Emmanuel Macron (second left) and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull (centre) standing on the deck of HMAS Waller, a Collins-class submarine operated by the Royal Australian Navy, at Garden Island in Sydney. (AFP) France isn’t the only country upset about a new security pact between the US, UK and Australia: Some Southeast Asian nations are also worried the partnership could provoke China and spur a regional arms race. The so-called AUKUS partnership, which will help Australia acquire nuclear-powered submarines, prompted China last week to warn of an arms race in a region riven by maritime territorial disputes. Since then, two key members of the Association

Xi Jinping’s Leadership Challenges for the CCP’s stability

2Oct

By Yusara AskariNo Comments

Business, Opinion, Politics, World

Xi Jinping’s Leadership Challenges for the CCP’s stability

In his opinion Glenn Tiffert, a historian at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University brought forth Xi Jinping’s feared that the CCP might eventually disintegrate like Soviet Communists and “this seems to be a problem that he paid special attention to from the beginning.” Xi Jinping, therefore, wanted to avoid the path of destruction of the Communist Party of Soviet Union and this manifested in his tightening of his grip over the Party. In November 2019, the BBC Chinese website published an article stated that “China under Xi Jinping may embark on the old path of Brezhnev, former General Secretary of the CPSU.” It is believed that after Brezhnev came to power, Khrushchev’s reforms and liberalisation commitments ended, and the state’s centralised control was strengthened. This is s

Community Expectations High for First Filipina-Canadian MP

2Oct

By Desk TeamNo Comments

Politics, World

Community Expectations High for First Filipina-Canadian MP

Editor’s note: This story was first published on Sept. 22, 2021. This version corrects that Rey Pagtakhan served as an MP from 1988 to 2004 not 1997 to 2004. A Filipina-Canadian is on her way to join the Liberal caucus in the 44th Parliament as the representative of the Mississauga-Streetsville riding in Ontario. Rechie Valdez, an entrepreneur, will be the first Filipina-Canadian in the House of Commons and the second Filipino-Canadian in general, following former Liberal member of parliament Dr. Rey Pagtakhan, who lost in the 2004 election after serving since 1997. Dr. Pagtakhan represented a riding in Winnipeg, MB, where there is also a big Filipino community. As of Sept. 22 morning, Valdez has gained 47.2 per cent of the votes with 99.53 per cent of polls reported. Conservative candi

China, US unveil separate big steps to fight climate change

1Oct

By Desk TeamNo Comments

Business, China, Politics, World

China, US unveil separate big steps to fight climate change

The two biggest economies and largest carbon polluters in the world announced separate financial attacks on climate change Tuesday. Chinese President Xi Jinping said his country will no longer fund coal-fired power plants abroad, surprising the world on climate for the second straight year at the U.N. General Assembly. That came hours after U.S. President Joe Biden announced a plan to double financial aid to poorer nations to $11.4 billion by 2024 so those countries could switch to cleaner energy and cope with global warming’s worsening impacts. That puts rich nations close to within reach of its long-promised but not realized goal of $100 billion a year in climate help for developing nations. “This is an absolutely seminal moment,” said Xinyue Ma, an expert on energy development finance

Taiwan Asia’s first and world’s fifth in internet freedom

25Sep

By News DeskNo Comments

Asia, Opinion, Politics

Taiwan Asia’s first and world’s fifth in internet freedom

TAIPEI: Taiwan first time entered in the Freedom House’s freedom on net 2021 list and ranked 5th and first in Asia. In Freedom House's Freedom on the Net 2021, Taiwan was among six "new countries" to be included in the listing, along with Costa Rica, Ghana, Iraq, Nicaragua, and Serbia. For its first entry on the list, Taiwan came in at fifth place, thanks to its "vibrant online landscape supported by meaningful and affordable internet access, an independent judiciary that protects free expression, and a lack of website blocks." Taiwan received a score of 80 out of a maximum of 100, placing it first in Asia. Worldwide, it trailed only Iceland (96), Estonia (94), Canada (87), and Costa Rica (87). Freedom House lauded Taiwan's leaders for dealing with Chinese attempts at interferenc

24Sep

By Desk TeamNo Comments

Opinion, Politics, World

Monks in hot water over livestream

Wisecracks on politics and current affairs watched on Facebook by 200,000 not a hit with everyone Two "celebrity" monks are in hot water over their live-streaming session laced with political messages and punctuated by giggling in what has been defended by some as unorthodox preaching methods that keep Buddhism relevant. Phra Maha Sompong Phra Maha Sompong Talaputto and Phra Maha Praiwan Worawano went live on Facebook over the weekend and their followers were treated to a dose of comical exchanges between the two monks poking fun at current affairs and politics. The talk show, peppered with teenage slang, was an instant hit. At one point, the session logged a whopping 200,000 viewers. However, Buddhist authorities did not find the session amusing. For Buddhist monks to livestream, bur...

A Chinese student in Canada had two followers on Twitter. He still didn’t escape Beijing’s threats over online activity

24Sep

By Desk TeamNo Comments

Conflict, Politics, World

A Chinese student in Canada had two followers on Twitter. He still didn’t escape Beijing’s threats over online activity

In “China Unbound: A New World Disorder,” Toronto Star reporter Joanna Chiu examines China’s growing influence around the world, including in western countries, and its surveillance and human rights abuses that increasingly extend beyond its borders. Dear Joanna Chiu, I am (Dan). I am from China. I just graduated from (a Quebec university). I hesitated for a whole night before deciding to write this email … Now I am living in Canada, but I am living with fear from the Chinese government. Dan, whose name I’ve changed to protect his identity, hails from one of China’s picturesque and relatively laidback southwestern provinces. He studied English diligently and was elated when a top Canadian university accepted his application to study law. About a month before the start of the September

Taiwan’s wax apples and sugar banned by China

23Sep

By News DeskNo Comments

Asia, China, Conflict, Opinion, Politics, Singapore

Taiwan’s wax apples and sugar banned by China

Taipei: Taiwan’s sugar and wax apples banned by China recently are increasing the tension between the two governments. China announced that the products would be suspended from Monday, claiming quarantine pests were detected on multiple inspections, reports ABC News. The move follows a similar ban on pineapples earlier this year, prompting Taiwan to threaten to take mainland China to the World Trade Organization (WTO), the news channel reported. Zhu Fenglian, a spokeswoman for China's Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council told ABC News that the decision was made to protect agricultural production and ecological security. But Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council argues that "the ban is inconsistent with WTO and international trade regulations". Wu Muluan, a China scholar a

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