In The News

Pyongyang Damps Hope for Nuclear Deal

Anna Fifield February 11, 2005
By announcing that it has already manufactured nuclear weapons and that it would withdraw from multilateral negotiations on its disarmament, North Korea surprised its dialogue partners and the world. The US, Chinese, Russian, Japanese and South Korean governments, as well as foreign policy analysts, are busy trying to figure out what message Pyongyang is trying to deliver. The US State Department...

A Bitter Dispute Frozen in Time

Justin McCurry February 10, 2005
In the days following Japan's surrender in World War II, the Soviets seized four Japanese islands known as the Northern Territories. Sixty years after the war, the Russians still possess the islands, and Japan wants them back. While Russia is willing to honor a 1956 agreement to return two of the islands, Japanese leaders insist on the return of all four. As the author writes, amid the...

Concern on North Korea Brings US Pressure

David Sanger February 9, 2005
Suspicions about North Korea's possible nuclear materials sales to other nations have prompted diplomatic actions aimed at amplifying Chinese pressure on Kim Jong Il. A US envoy traveled to Beijing, urging the government to join in the effort to force North Korea to abandon its weapons program. China has agreed to cooperate, swayed by the caliber of damning new scientific evidence, but has...

Out of the Shadows

Malcolm Maiden February 7, 2005
The rise of China and India – one, the world's most populous country and the other, the world's biggest democracy – seems to only be a question of time. With both countries on Australia's front doorstep, one would think that the Commonwealth would do everything possible to capitalize on this potential growth. But while relations with China have bloomed, the same cannot be said...

US Resolution Reveals Distrust of China, EU

February 4, 2005
As Brussels decides to suspend the 15-year-long arms embargo against China, European and Chinese politicians continue to nurture their flourishing relationship. Meanwhile, Washington remains anxious about the possible implications for regional geopolitics in the Asia-Pacific region – especially across the Taiwan Strait. According to this People's Daily commentary, a new US legislative...

Critics See Hypocrisy in China's Support for Baghdad Elections

Mark Magnier January 28, 2005
China contributed US$1 million to help ensure the success of Iraq's upcoming election this Sunday. But at home, democracy is still something to which leaders have a serious aversion. Chinese officials argue that their country's history provides a tenuous foundation for democracy and that their people are too poor and uneducated to participate in the electoral process. Yet neighboring...

Humanitarian Stain

Justin McCurry January 26, 2005
Strict immigration policies in Japan have changed the lives of one Kurdish family - and may have a lasting effect on Japan's relations with the international humanitarian and diplomatic communities. For a decade, the family of seven has been subject to countless obstacles from the Japanese government. After separation, multiple refusals, and deportations, their story became a rallying point...