Asia Pacific
Japan and Vietnam strengthen ties
Following a shady past, involving Japanese imperialist expansion and controversial ties with the United States, it seems that Japan-Vietnam relations have experienced an observable improvement, especially within the past couple
ASEAN Continues to Integrate – 3rd Parties Must Keep Up
As ASEAN continues its efforts at greater integration, various third party states and IGOs will be left behind if they fail to increase collaboration. When the French Foreign Minister delivered
Trade to Benefit from Japan-India Strategic Alliance
The trend towards a growing alliance between Japan and India has gained momentum for some time, due to ongoing developments in the region involving China. Much focus in the international
IMF urges Japan to address debt and reform economy
Recently, there has even been hope that Japan might move away from its persistent deflation, yet the IMF continues to urge Tokyo to do more. The International Monetary Fund urged
Party convention changes Indonesia’s Election
With the Indonesian presidential elections less than a year away, rumours surrounding prospective candidates have already begun. Of the three big parties – Partai Demokrat (PD), Partai Demokrasi Indonesia Perjuangan
China to Audit Local Governments and Reduce Financial Risk
On July 28th, China’s National Audit Office (NAO) announced that it will conduct a nationwide audit of government debt as Beijing tries to ascertain the financial risks to China’s continued
Party Corruption Plagues Nepal
According to the UK-based global anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International (TI), Nepal’s political parties rank among the most corrupt in the world. TI’s ‘Global Corruption Barometer’, published earlier last week, based its results
Japan’s Reform Opportunity Jeopardised by Militarism
Japan’s ruling Liberal Democrat Party (LDP) won an impressive electoral victory on July 22nd, earning a decisive majority in the upper house of the Japanese Diet. Of the 121 seats
In spite of challenges, Indonesia is booming
“Indonesia is the least-unattractive country in the world” -M. Chatib Basri, chairman of the Indonesian Investment Coordinating Board Things are going pretty well for Indonesia. Since surfacing virtually unscathed from
Part 2 of 2: Chinese Xenophobia in Singapore Rises
Part 2 of 2 of GRI’s look into the apparent contradictions in a specific form of rising Chinese xenophobia in Singapore. As explained in the first post of this two-part
