Asia Watch Archive

This week, the Chinese government suspended the monthly release of age-specific unemployment data. The government’s official reason is that the methodology for producing this data is under review, but most experts believe that Beijing is getting skittish about social discontent rising among the country’s youth.

Pakistan's President Arif Alvi dissolved the country’s parliament on Wednesday on the advice of Shehbaz Sharif, the country's prime minister, clearing the way for a caretaker government that will usher the country toward national elections, which could be held later this year.

On August 5, China Coast Guard ships reportedly water-cannoned and blocked Philippine vessels that were en route to the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. The Philippine vessels included two Philippine Coast Guard ships that were escorting vessels leased by the Philippine Navy.

On July 28, the Hanoi People’s Court sentenced 54 government officials and businesspeople for bribery and abuse of power related to repatriation flights during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite recent overtures to position itself as a promoter of international peace, China’s image in Europe, North America, and parts of Asia remains largely negative. This is a key finding from a new report by nonpartisan U.S. think-tank Pew Research, based on public opinion surveys in 24 countries. Those who were most unfavourable were Australia (87%%), Japan (87%), Sweden (85%), the U.S.

On Tuesday, Qin Gang, a 57-year-old former protégé of Chinese President Xi Jinping, was removed as China’s foreign minister after occupying the role for a mere seven months. The country’s top legislative body approved Qin’s ouster in a hastily arranged meeting.

Just days after Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) claimed to have won 120 of the 125 National Assembly seats in the July 23 general election, long-serving Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen announced that he would pass the country’s top job to his son, 45-year-old Hun Manet.

On Wednesday, Pita Limjaroenrat, leader of Thailand’s progressive Move Forward Party (MFP), was suspended from parliament and blocked from becoming the country’s next leader. The MFP won more seats than any other party in the May 14 general election, but Pita fell 51 votes short of the 375 needed when the parliament met on July 13 to choose a prime minister. Most of Thailand’s 249 military-appointed senators voted against him.

On July 17, U.S. climate envoy John Kerry met his Chinese counterpart, Xie Zhenhua, in Beijing to resume bilateral climate talks. The three-day meeting comes just months before the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change COP28 meeting in Dubai. Kerry called on China to implement tougher climate policies to fast-track its decarbonization. And while the meeting did not result in a bilateral agreement, Kerry remained optimistic, calling the meeting a success.  

On July 11, India’s Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council raised taxes on online gaming, casinos, and horse racing from 18 to 28 per cent. The move has sent shockwaves across an industry that has boomed in recent years and is now valued at C$2 billion annually. The brunt of the tax is expected to be passed on to consumers, but the move could also lead to job losses, hinder innovation, and curtail foreign investment.

  

The world has reached a “watershed moment” on whether parts of the ocean’s seabed should be mined for resources needed for green technologies. For years, the UN’s 169-member International Seabed Authority (ISA), which can grant permits for mining in waters beyond national jurisdiction, has been trying to hammer out an agreement on whether to authorize deep-sea mining, and, if so, what standards mining companies would need to meet.

On Tuesday, India chaired the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s (SCO) annual heads of state meeting, with virtual cameos from Chinese President Xi Jinping, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and more.  

The government of Hong Kong is offering rewards of C$170,000 for information that would aid in the prosecution of eight dissidents living in exile, including leading pro-democracy activist Nathan Law. Governments of the three countries where the exiles reside — Australia, the U.K., and the U.S. — all condemned the arrest warrants and vowed not to comply with any extradition requests. 

On July 13, the Thai parliament will vote on a new prime minister. In the May 14 election, the pro-democracy Move Forward Party, led by Pita Limjaroenrat, secured three times as many votes as the United Thai Nation Party. United Thai Nation is led by incumbent Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha, who has been in power for nearly a decade. However, because of an electoral system that favours conservative pro-military parties, Move Forward’s landmark win could turn into little more than a symbolic victory.

A new international survey released by Pew Research Center this week shows that overall views of the U.S. (59%) and President Joe Biden (54%) are favourable, including in the five Asia Pacific countries captured in the 23-nation survey. The public opinion poll also revealed that the U.S.’ reputation has rebounded somewhat as the world’s leading economic power, with only six of the 23 putting China in the lead.

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas concluded a four-day trip to China last Friday, agreeing to expedite negotiations on a free trade agreement and stating his support for Beijing’s repressive policies against Uyghurs.

On June 19, Thailand’s caretaker government convened a high-level meeting with Myanmar’s junta, leading to a backlash from ASEAN member states and the UN, among others. In sanctioning the meeting, Thailand’s outgoing prime minister, Prayut Chan-o-cha, who seized control in a 2014 coup, violated ASEAN’s Five-Point Consensus.

On June 9, Japan made two notable changes to its migration-related policies and laws. First, Japan’s cabinet approved the expansion of the country’s blue-collar visa to allow workers in nine more sectors to renew resident permits indefinitely, a move welcomed by Japan’s business community. Second, the upper house passed a controversial immigration bill permitting authorities to forcibly deport refugee applicants.

NATO is set to strengthen its Asia Pacific engagement through the signing of four Individually Tailored Partnership Programmes (ITPPs) with Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and South Korea, a regional grouping known as the ‘AP4.’ The ITPPs are designed to deepen co-operation on issues like cybersecurity, climate change, disinformation, and space. NATO has proposed establishing a liaison office in Tokyo to facilitate the ITPPs.

The U.S. warned participants at the June 2-4 Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, the region’s premier forum for discussing security issues, about North Korea’s growing reliance on cyberattacks and cryptocurrency theft to fund its missile-development program. Such illicit activities generate roughly half of North Korea’s foreign currency revenue, according to the U.S.

Cybertheft tactics evolving