Friday 28 December 2018

Why Trump’s exit from Syria is another lesson in trust for Asia


America has a history of broken promises in the region, so it’s likely the Koreas, Japan and Taiwan are watching his abrupt withdrawal from the war-torn nation closely

Tuesday 25 December 2018

US paranoia is fuelling talk of war, not China’s ‘rise’


As China commemorates the 40th anniversary of formal diplomatic relations with the United States, the arrest of Meng Wanzhou – the CFO of one of China’s top technology companies, Huawei, by Canadian authorities on behalf of the US – appears to vindicate the Thucydides Trap thesis that the US and China may be locked into a path to war.

Friday 31 August 2018

Collecting NRIC numbers and making copies of the identity card will be illegal from Sept 1, 2019


From Sept 1 next year, it will be illegal for organisations to collect, use or disclose NRIC numbers or make copies of the identity card, under stricter rules spelt out on Friday (Aug 31) by the Personal Data Protection Commission.

Tuesday 17 July 2018

Far from a ‘debt trap’, China’s belt and road allows countries like Myanmar to leapfrog poverty


Andre Wheeler says Western critics overlook the holistic and long-term benefits that China’s multilateral infrastructure investment programme brings to countries like Myanmar. What’s more, they aren’t offering any alternatives

Tuesday 10 July 2018

Singapore stands by its HSR and water pact obligations, says Vivian


Singapore yesterday reiterated that upholding international law and respecting the sanctity of international agreements is a tenet basic to its foreign policy.

Malaysia chose not to review water pact in 1987, says Vivian


KL didn't ask for revision then as it would have affected price of water sold to Johor

Monday 9 July 2018

Singapore will honour 1962 Water Agreement, expects Malaysia to do the same


Singapore will fully honour the terms of the 1962 Water Agreement with Malaysia, including the price of water stipulated in it, and expects Malaysia also to do so, Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said on Monday.

Singapore has spent S$250m on HSR project; to lay out S$40m more by December


Singapore has already spent more than S$250 million on the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore high-speed rail (HSR) project, and is likely to expend another S$40 million or so by year-end, Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan revealed in Parliament on Monday.

Saturday 19 May 2018

Film explores the history and legacy of Chinese Exclusion Act, a racist stain on the American dream


More than a century before US President Donald Trump began blocking arrivals from the Middle East and Africa, the American immigration debate was already being forged in the crucible of Chinese exclusion.

Tuesday 15 May 2018

Why should China change its successful trade policies just to please the US, given America’s own history of violations?


Dani Rodrik says when crafting a global trading environment, it’s important to realise that all nations have different political and social settings, and so will not play by the same ‘rules’

Tuesday 10 April 2018

Forget the trade war. China wants to win the computing arms race


As the US and China threaten to impose tariffs on goods from aluminum to wine, the two nations are waging a separate economic battle that could determine who owns the next wave of computing.

Sunday 18 March 2018

Hong Kong mulls over tax on unsold apartments to unlock supply


Financial Secretary says the levy would probably need to "have a particular target, and not apply across the board"

Thursday 22 February 2018

US national security strategy reflects flaw in Western thinking: an antagonistic worldview


Tian Feilong says America sees China and the rest of the world through a ‘friend or foe’ mentality that squanders opportunities for cooperation. Its wish to remake the world in its own image only promotes feelings of insecurity