China and Japan’s diplomatic relationship has come a long way since their initial establishment of peace in 1972. Polls show that as of fall 2021, 90 percent of the Japanese population possess a negative view of China. Ever since its 1996 attempted attack on Taiwan, China has been bulking up their military through extreme amounts of increased spending. This has… Read more »
China has been under fire for its purported abuse of Uyghurs and other Turkic ethnic groups in Xinjiang (or the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region/XUAR) with the loose intent of “counterterrorism.” There have been reports of internment camps, forced labor, forced abortion, family separation, aggressive reprisals for speaking out, and many other human rights violations. The UN has been called on… Read more »
Drug trafficking of methamphetamines in East and Southeast Asia is at an all time high, having surpassed 1 billion confiscated tablets in 2021. Consumption rates have risen by 70 percent in New Zealand, Australia, Hong Kong, Korea, and Japan as well, due to exports from key spots in Southeast Asia. Drugs have become cheaper and more accessible because of flawed… Read more »
Both of the leaders of Japan (Prime Minister Fumio Kishida) and South Korea (President Yoon Suk Yeol) have agreed to meet to restore the ever so deteriorating ties between the two countries. The deterioration of these ties are mostly due to wartime labor and territorial issues. These talks between the two leaders were described as being very “Informal” by both… Read more »
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/south-korean-japanese-leaders-meet-agree-need-improve-ties-yonhap-2022-09-21/ Summary: South Korea and Japan are having their leaders talk for the first time since 2019. The history of South Korea as a colony of Japan in the early 1900s has held South Korea back from seeking true friendship with the Japanese. However, the increasing tensions with the newly nuclearized North Korea and its missile tests have made both… Read more »
Link to the article: https://thediplomat.com/2022/09/tensions-escalate-along-bangladesh-myanmar-border/ Summary: The shelling of the Tumbru Bazar border region between Bangladesh and Myanmar has recently increased. Myanmar’s ambassador to Bangladesh blamed the Arkan Army rebel group for the shelling. While Khurshed Alan, a secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bangladesh, claims Myanmar’s military junta must take responsibility. Furthermore, Khan Kamal, Bangladesh’s home minister,… Read more »
Link to the article: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/palau-calls-greater-us-support-it-renegotiates-bilateral-agreement-2022-09-22/ Summary: Palau has requested the United States help build its economy and infrastructure. The low-populated Pacific country has potential geostrategic significance in the battle between the United States and its Asian allies against China. In the 1980s, Palau, the Marshall Islands, and Micronesia all signed the “Compacts of Free Association,” which permits the United States… Read more »
A remote Japanese island called Yonaguni, 110 kilometers from Taiwan, a Chinese missile fired during a drill last month landed on the shores of Yonaguni. This has brought a shift to the debate on continued military presence on the island, due to how assertive China has been growing. The island is used as a military base and is closer to… Read more »
link to article: https://english.news.cn/asiapacific/20220901/5c5820dd3ca94017b0e9e55fe3d7a8f5/c.html The pledge to start develoment stratigies on both sides started when liu Jianchao, the leader of the International Department of the Communist Party of China Central Commitee, held talks with the Indonesian President and officials. Liu met with the Indonesian president Joko Widodo and many other political figures. The two countries both came to the conclusion… Read more »