In The News

Seizing Opportunity in a Post-TPP World

Stephen S. Roach December 1, 2016
Trade is the glue for globalization and without it other connections can subside. But US voters rejected a US leadership role in global trade deals and elected billionaire Donald Trump who has already signaled intent to have the United States to withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership with 11 other nations. Analysts suggest that China could step into the US role, but “The baton of global...

China's Shrinking Workforce Affects Economic Transition, Expert Says

Coco Feng November 23, 2016
The size of China’s labor force, including people between the ages of 16 and 59, has declined for three years since 2012. The total is 906 million workers, down from just over 910 million. The government anticipates the workforce shrinking to 700 million by 2050. The decline is especially sharp for semi-skilled blue-collar workers as more youth pursue college studies and prefer work in the...

US Walks Away From TPP, Leaving China Free to Dominate Asia

Anthony Rowley November 22, 2016
The Obama administration has suspended efforts to win approval from the US Congress for the Trans-Pacific Partnership, reports suggest, and it’s up to the Trump administration to kill or shape the 12-nation deal. With TPP on life support, China promotes two other trade agreements for the region, either of which could exclude the United States and reduce its competitiveness in the Asia Pacific...

South Korea’s Park Faces Existential Question of Survival

Donald Kirk November 18, 2016
Protesters in Seoul are calling for the resignation of South Korean President Park Geun-hye. Koreans are disturbed by “what they perceive as a long-term pattern of embarrassing if not disgraceful conduct,” writes Donald Kirk for Asia Sentinel. “At the heart of the scandal is Park’s relationship, going back four decades, with the woman who won her deepest confidence in shamanistic rituals...

China and the US: Two Visions, One Collaboration?

Marc Grossman November 15, 2016
Donald Trump promised during the US presidential campaign to be tough on trade with China, suggesting he would label the country a currency manipulator and impose tariffs unless trade agreements were renegotiated. Trade is likewise threatened with China’s expansive claims and military buildup in the South China Sea. But the world’s two largest economies have reason to cooperate in Asia, argues...

Japan Races to Become the Robot Capital of the World

Alisa Yamasaki November 11, 2016
Japan’s median age is 46, and the aging country confronts labor shortages. So the government invests in robotic technology and subsidizes development, aiming to “position the nation as the world’s largest society supported by robotic technology,” writes Alisa Yamasaki for the Japan Times. “In order to become the global robot leader, Japan must incorporate robotic technology into factories and...

China Bars Activists From Taking Seats in Hong Kong Legislature

Jason Thomson November 8, 2016
China bypassed courts by blocking two Hong Kong legislators from taking office – not allowing them to retake oaths after they modified the oath the first time and failed to swear allegiance to the larger power. “The move by mainland China is the latest chapter in an ongoing tussle between Beijing and Hong Kongers who worry that the city’s relative autonomy, protected until 2047 under the handover...