Asia Watch Archive

Critics of China’s human rights record tried to score a symbolic victory on Tuesday in the vote for 15 members to the 47-member UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC).

A run-off election in the Maldives on Saturday unseated incumbent president Ibrahim Mohamed Solih of the Maldivian Democratic Party. His challenger, Mohamed Muizzu of the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), got 54 per cent of the votes in a contest that saw 85 per cent voter turnout. It was the country’s fourth democratic election since it brought an end to a three-decade-long dictatorship in 2008. After Saturday’s results were announced, Solih conceded the election and congratulated the president-elect.

 

In its semi-annual 2023 Economic Update released on October 1, the World Bank downgraded its economic projections for ‘Developing East Asia and the Pacific,’ a group of countries and jurisdictions including China, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam, among others.

For weeks, Lee Jae-myung, leader of South Korea’s Democratic Party (DP), the country’s main opposition party, has been at the centre of an unfolding political drama.

According to the International Monetary Fund, Laos’s gross government debt has reached 123 per cent of its GDP. Half of that debt is owed to China, which has funded a handful of large-scale infrastructure projects across the country.

China, already seeing a slowdown in domestic demand, is now being criticized for its challenging business environment.

Canada’s diplomatic relationship with India went into a deep freeze this week after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated on Monday that there are “credible allegations” that agents of the Indian government were involved in the June 2023 killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, B.C.

A September 12 public opinion poll by Pew Research Center shows that robust majorities of respondents in South and Southeast Asian societies support a strong role for religion in their country’s institutions and national identities.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met Russian President Vladimir Putin on September 13, sparking concerns over a potential arms deal between the two pariah states. Both countries are subject to heavy international sanctions.

On Tuesday, the dispute settlement mechanism under the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) was finally put to the test. The CPTPP’s first formal trade dispute saw New Zealand argue that Canada’s dairy tariff-rate quota (TRQ) allocation measures undermine the market access afforded to New Zealand under the CPTPP.

On September 5, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau began his six-day tour across Asia. Stopping first in Jakarta, Trudeau met Indonesian President Joko Widodo and participated in the ASEAN Summit. During the summit, ASEAN members and Canada adopted the ASEAN-Canada Strategic Partnership, which will see both sides “collaborate in strategic areas of mutual interest.”

On August 12, six of Malaysia’s 13 states held assembly elections, with the results largely reinforcing the status quo. The outcome was a relief for Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s multi-ethnic coalition, made up of Pakatan Harapan and Barisan Nasional (PH-BN), which retained support in the states of Selangor, Penang, and Negeri Sembilan.



Perikatan Nasional (PN), the nationalist opposition coalition, made inroads in the three other states, winning by a significant margin in Kedah and Kelantan, and claiming all seats in the northern state of Terengganu.

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.