In The News

Asians Concerned by Extreme Comments of US Presidential Campaign

Satu Limaye and Robert Sutter October 4, 2016
US presidential candidates are promising new directions on trade relations with Asia. Varying levels of concern have emerged in China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, suggests “America’s 2016 Election Debate on Asia Policy and Asian Reactions,” a report prepared by Robert Sutter and Satu Limaye for the East-West Center. The center promotes good relations and understanding between the United States...

Submarine Sanctuary: Why China Is Determined to Establish Dominance Over South China Sea

Nayan Chanda September 29, 2016
China is expanding reefs and rocks in the South China Sea and installing military equipment. “Establishing dominance of the semi-closed South China Sea is but the first essential step in achieving China’s blue water ambitions, which Washington is unlikely to support,” explains Nayan Chanda, founding editor of YaleGlobal Online, in his column for Times of India. He adds that Beijing expects other...

Britain Approves Controversial Chinese-Financed Nuclear-Reactor, With a Catch

Griff Witte September 22, 2016
British Prime Minister Theresa May hesitantly agreed to a nuclear power plant, Britain’s first in decades, financed in part by China with a controlling stake by EDF, a French firm. May, who came to power after the Brexit referendum in June, and others in her staff have expressed concern that a large Chinese investment in British energy could leave Britain vulnerable should geostrategic interests...

Abe to Seek Cuba’s Help Over North Korea and Boost Trade

Ayako Mie September 21, 2016
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is making an unprecedented trip to Cuba off the heels of North Korea’s fifth nuclear test and the UN General Assembly. Cuba has been an ally of North Korea, while Japan and North Korea have strained relations due to the abduction of Japanese citizens and the potential for a close-range nuclear attack. Increased investment in Cuba reflects a larger pattern in...

Unpalatable Choices: Facing North Korea's Nuclear Reality

Bennett Ramberg September 20, 2016
North Korea has alarmed the international community by detonating another nuclear weapon, its fifth, along with other missile tests. The United States and other nations must develop new military and diplomatic strategies as Pyongyang positions itself as a credible nuclear-armed state, urges author and security analyst Bennett Ramberg. Unfortunately, North Korea cannot be trusted and the regime...

Consumer Giants Court Muslims with Halal Face Creams, Shampoos

Martinne Geller and Randy Fabi September 15, 2016
Not waiting for a new law to take effect, multinational corporations such as L’Oreal and Unilever are embracing a mandate on halal labeling. “The law, the first of its kind, requires food to be labeled halal or not in 2017, followed by toiletries in 2018 and medicines in 2019,” explain Martinne Geller and Randy Fabi for Reuters. Such products, free of pork and alcohol, are made at production...

Study: Climate Change in East Asia Caused by China’s Air Pollution

Viola Zhou September 13, 2016
Manufacturers reduced costs by relocating factories to China where wages were low and regulations few. Researchers from China, Britain and the United States published a study in Nature Geoscience that suggests China’s role in producing goods for the West is contributing to a changing climate for East Asia. New climate patterns are linked to factory and export activities, as well as a reliance on...