Asia Pacific
What Xi Jinping’s visit means for South Korea
In early July, Xi Jinping made a monumental visit to South Korea before visiting North Korea for the first time. China shows willingness to engage in a closer relationship with South
3 implications of Japan’s revision of weapons exports rules
Loosening of principles guiding weapons exports will boost the Japanese defense industry and relations with the US. But it will come at the cost of its image as a pacifist
President-elect Jokowi lifts Indonesia’s economic outlook
Indonesia’s new President Joko Widodo brings a fresh face to a nation still finding its way as a global economic player. His commitment to subsidy reform and infrastructure investments could help
Will North Korea do a 4th round of nuclear tests?
Fears of a fourth round of nuclear testing and gradual increases in displays of military might by North Korea have left the Korean peninsula, and both sides’ allies, unsettled. On July 15,
Ethnic violence hurts FDI in Myanmar
Communal violence between Buddhist and Muslim residents of Mandalay, Myanmar’s second biggest city, shows how ethnic tension remains a key obstacle to civil peace in the country. Mandalay was placed
Korea and Japan suffer from Chinese competition
Samsung’s declining profits and a Japanese stock market slide show how Japan and Korea struggle with declining foreign demand and Chinese competition. One of Korea’s biggest corporations, Samsung, announced that its second-quarter
China expands Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank proposal
As border disputes heat up between China and its neighbors, the Chinese government kept up its push for a financial institution that would benefit the Asian countries at large. But will this whole
Hong Kong protests put financial business at risk
Are Hong Kong’s protests necessary to get China and the world to listen to demands for a freer economy and democracy, or will they cause more damage to the city
Energy shortfall reshapes Japan’s foreign policy
Since the Fukushima disaster, Japan has been forced to import much of its energy. This has created significant geo-political and economic risks and has reshaped its foreign policy. In June,
China’s mortgages pose risk to financial system
Zero-down payment mortgages in China suggest an increasingly risky Chinese financial system, with symptoms similar to those seen leading up to the U.S. credit crisis. Home buyers all over China, from Guangzhou and
