The historic summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ended with the celebratory signing of a declaration that the United States and North Korea will “work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.” But the declaration, which echoes the vague language of an April joint statement by Kim and […]
In political terms, the Trump-Kim exchange may simply come down to optics, with an overall messaging designed to boost both politicians with their respective home audiences: Trump promoting his image as a deal-maker, and Kim – who is believed to still be in his mid-30s – winning political legitimacy for himself and his country on […]
As North Korea’s neighbour, largest trading partner, and most important patron, China is both the country most responsible for facilitating Pyongyang’s provocations and the one with the most to lose should the regime collapse—always a possibility for so shambolic a polity. Read Here – Foreign Affairs Also Read: China may take bigger role as ‘guarantor and […]
It is all systems go in Singapore as the country readies itself for the arrival of United States President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ahead of their highly anticipated summit in the Lion City. The two leaders are expected to touch down on Sunday, giving them a full day to prepare for Tuesday’s […]
None of America’s first twenty-six Presidents—spanning a hundred and twenty years—held a summit. None of them even got to Europe while in office. Woodrow Wilson was the first to travel across the Atlantic, when he went to Paris for peace talks to end the First World War. That summit still holds records. Wilson spent six months in France, with […]
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for equal access at sea and in the air for all Asian countries at a major defence conference on Friday, but avoided singling out China’s claims to the hotly contested South China Sea. Modi outlined his regional vision at the annual Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, attended by defence chiefs from […]
It’s often hard for outside analysts to determine what’s driving North Korea’s tactical decisions, but it’s fun to imagine that someone in Pyongyang has been reading The Art of the Deal ahead of a planned summit with the U.S. in Singapore. Read Here – The Atlantic
Singapore, this year’s ASEAN chair, faces some tough tasks. It must lift confidence in the organisation and inject the inspiration it needs to overcome a ‘midlife crisis’ while encouraging favourable conditions for continued economic growth. And it must do this in a time of geopolitical turbulence while trying to balance relations with the great […]
China’s trillion-dollar signature foreign-policy project, the Belt and Road Initiative, is often lampooned as just a fuzzy concept with little to show for it on the ground. But in bustling ports from Singapore to the North Sea, state-owned Chinese firms are turning the idea into a reality with a series of aggressive acquisitions that are […]
The story of Asia today remains very much one driven by its largest nations and economies. An increasingly assertive China, a slow-growing Japan, a rising India and a still emerging Indonesia dominate the headlines, along with mounting tensions from the Korean peninsula. Yet, all of “Asia rising” can take a lesson from some of the region’s smallest countries. Read Here – […]
looking beyond borders 