Politics

A mourner pays respects to late former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was shot while campaigning for a parliamentary election, in Taipei, Taiwan, 11 July 2022. (Ann Wang/Reuters)

21st century strategist: Shinzo Abe left an indelible mark on geopolitics in Asia-Pacific

Political commentator William He observes that the late Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was a statesman who influenced US foreign policy and a key player in making “the Indo-Pacific strategy” and “the Quad” the lexicon of recent times. He was also an active defender of stability in the Taiwan Strait. All said, he might have been a controversial figure, but the legacy he leaves behind is a tangible record that history can be the judge of.
Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee attends question and answer session at Legislative Council, in Hong Kong, China, 6 July 2022. (Lam Yik/Reuters)

The Hong Kong story according to John Lee amid criticisms from the West

At his first Legislative Council meeting on 6 July, Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee laid out his work plan and likened Hong Kong to a “gentleman” that has to respond robustly to attacks from “nasty people” bent on smearing the city. Zaobao’s associate editor Han Yong Hong examines how he plans to tell the Hong Kong story well.
A screen displays a CCTV state media news broadcast showing Chinese President Xi Jinping addressing world leaders at the G20 meeting in Rome via video link at a shopping mall in Beijing, China, 31 October 2021. (Thomas Peter/Reuters)

Xi Jinping's misguided return to ideology

East Asian Institute senior research fellow Lance Gore argues that two contexts made Xi’s resurrection of ideological orthodoxy almost inevitable — Leninist party rule and China’s rise on the global stage. But Xi’s return to ideology may be to China’s detriment, as it could reverse achievements of the reform and opening up era, and also set China on a collision course with Western liberal democracies.
A woman walks past candidates' posters for the July 10, 2022 Upper House election in Tokyo, Japan, 22 June 2022. (Issei Kato/Reuters)

Foreign and security policy in Japan’s upper house elections

With the upper house elections in Japan fast approaching, the various political parties are putting forward their platforms on key issues such as price hikes, foreign and security policy, and constitutional reform. Japanese academic Shin Kawashima examines the factors that will make a difference in how the votes will go, and whether the Kishida administration will manage to secure victory.
Eric Chu speaking at the Brookings Institution, 6 June 2022. (Facebook/Eric Chu)

Is the Kuomintang 'pro-US' or 'anti-US'? The strategic significance of Eric Chu’s visit to the US

A recent visit by KMT chairman Eric Chu to the US has drawn reactions from both the Green and Blue camps in Taiwan, who question his motivations and the credibility of Chu and the KMT. Academic Albert Tzeng looks at how the KMT’s stance has changed and if so, why it is making a move now.
A man waves the Chinese flag to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the city's handover from Britain to China, in Hong Kong on 1 July 2022. (Isaac Lawrence/AFP)

One country, two systems: Can Hong Kong hold on to its characteristics?

Despite Chinese President Xi Jinping’s recent speech reaffirming Hong Kong’s future as well as the “one country, two systems” policy, many are worried that Hong Kong’s unique advantages are weakening fast amid a tightening of political space. Zaobao journalist Tai Hing Shing tells us more.
A general view of the city skyline in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 2 February 2021. (Lim Huey Teng/File Photo/Reuters)

China’s divided image in Malaysia

In a recent poll conducted by Malaysia’s Merdeka Center and the Institute of China Studies at the University of Malaya, public perception of China seems to have improved slightly from the last time a similar survey was done in 2016. That said, opinions are divided among ethnic groups and hinge on a few deciding factors.
This screen grab made from a video released by Chinese state broadcaster CCTV shows the launch ceremony of the Fujian, a People's Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft carrier, at a shipyard in Shanghai, China, on 17 June 2022. (CCTV/AFP)

China’s third aircraft carrier: No need to panic just yet

China’s third aircraft carrier is not yet nuclear-powered and won’t be battle-ready for some years yet. Besides, in terms of possible warfare, it’s the numerous surface combatants China possesses that the US should be worried about, says Loro Horta. But with every iteration of China’s aircraft carrier, its ambitions of eventually taking on the US in the open Pacific is increasingly clear.
US President Joe Biden during a news conference following the final day of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit at the IFEMA congress center in Madrid, Spain, on 30 June 2022. (Valeria Mongelli/Bloomberg)

What a ‘resurrected’ NATO means for China and the world

The recent NATO summit in Madrid seems to indicate that NATO is making a comeback in full force. For China, painted as presenting “systemic challenges” to NATO, this should sound a warning that when the time is ripe for the US to contain China, key countries in the Asia-Pacific and the EU will not be on its side.