Asia Watch Archive

North Korea’s top diplomat met with Russian President Vladimir Putin this week, hailing the “spiritual closeness” of the two countries and committing to deepen bilateral ties.

Kuala Lumpur was briefly the centre of the diplomatic universe this week, playing host to leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and across the world for three days of dealmaking and talks.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) expelled nine top-ranking generals from its ranks and the military for alleged financial crimes over the weekend, the most dramatic purge since CCP general secretary Xi Jinping took office in 2012.

Good things come to those who are made to wait, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese discovered this week, as he triumphed in a long-delayed meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House.

Twelve rare-earth elements constitute the most recent flashpoint in an evolving U.S.–China trade spat, following a punishing proposal by Beijing to restrict the export of materials crucial for the production of smartphones, electric vehicles, wind turbines, missile-guidance systems, and more.

Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand’s trip to India from October 12–14 nudged the bilateral relationship from a cautious ‘reset’ to a comprehensive ‘renewal,’ marking an end to two years of strained ties.

Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand will meet with Indian officials in New Delhi and Mumbai from October 12–13 ahead of a one-day stay in China and then Singapore, setting up a key week for Canadian diplomacy in Asia.

Takaichi Sanae secured the leadership of Japan’s governing Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in a “surprise” victory on Saturday, positioning herself as the first woman to become Japanese prime minister.

A month after his May election win, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney phoned Chinese Premier Li Qiang, with both leaders agreeing to recalibrate the relationship.

In the end, not even the furniture could be saved: U.S. President Donald Trump’s latest barrage of tariffs — encompassing a 10 per cent levy on softwood lumber and timber and a 25 per cent levy on cabinets, bathroom vanities, and upholstered furniture — has plunged the U.S.’s Indo-Pacific trading partners into further uncertainty, with many racing to conclude bilateral trade agreements to dodge future bouts of surprise tariffs.

Two years after Canada–India diplomatic relations flew into a tailspin, bilateral ties are stabilizing, thanks to a mix of dialogue, patience, and new geopolitical realities.

On September 18, 2023, then-Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused “agents of the Indian government” of carrying out the June 2023 murder of Canadian Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Burnaby, B.C., sending bilateral relations reeling.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney was in New York City earlier this week for the UN General Assembly’s (UNGA) High-Level Week, but scored his biggest diplomatic coup at home on Wednesday, signing the Canada-Indonesia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) in Ottawa alongside Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto.

Last week, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto fired Sri Mulyani Indrawati, one of Indonesia's longest-serving finance ministers, in a fresh bid to unshackle economic growth and quell further protests.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced on Monday that the U.S. and China reached a tentative “framework” agreement on the fate of TikTok, stopping the clock on a ban and possibly transferring the app into U.S.-controlled ownership.

Thailand has its third prime minister in two years, following the removal of Paetongtarn Shinawatra last week by the country’s Constitutional Court. In a parliamentary vote on Friday, lawmakers selected business tycoon and long-time politician Anutin Charnvirakul as Thailand’s new leader.

On Sunday, Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru announced his resignation, telling a press conference that it was the “appropriate time” to step aside following the conclusion last month of substantive trade negotiations with the U.S.

Last week, what started as a small, student-led protest in Jakarta against “tone-deaf” perks for Indonesian politicians — including a sizeable monthly housing allowance — evolved into massive, sometimes violent demonstrations against police brutality, income inequality, and political accountability.

Chinese President Xi Jinping hosted around 20 leaders from across Eurasia last weekend at the 25th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, held in the northeast port city of Tianjin.

The two-day summit brought together leaders and representatives from the 10 SCO member states — including India, Pakistan, and Russia — and guests from Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Vietnam, and elsewhere.

Last week, seven opposition lawmakers from Taiwan’s Kuomintang (KMT) party survived a “recall vote” — a repeat vote triggered by civil-society groups accusing the KMT of being “pro-China” and obstructing the agenda of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) — in the DPP’s second recall loss in as many months. In July, a separate recall vote targeted 24 legislators from the KMT; all of them held onto their seats.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump held their inaugural in-person meeting at the White House on Monday, focusing on trade, shipbuilding, security co-operation, and North Korea.