Korea

The chip battle wears on amid greater technological rivalry between China and the US. (Florence Lo/Reuters)

Micron ban: Will there be a winner in the China-US chip war?

With China barring domestic operators of critical information infrastructure from procuring products from US chipmaker Micron as the latest move in the China-US chip war, there are concerns about whether moving too strongly might lead to China hurting itself instead. Zaobao correspondent Chen Jing takes a look at how the chip war might play out.
Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (right) and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol shake hands during their bilateral meeting as part of the G7 Leaders' Summit in Hiroshima on 21 May 2023. (Hiro Komae/AFP)

South Korea's unwavering determination to improve Japan-South Korea relations

There have been recent signs of thaw in Japan-South Korea relations, not least with Japanese President Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol visiting the monument dedicated to the Koreans who died in the Hiroshima atomic bombing at the sidelines of the G7 summit. What are the larger motivations for the rapprochement and how will this affect the regional dynamics?
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol (centre) departs after addressing a Joint Meeting of Congress in the House Chamber of the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on 27 April 2023. (Stefani Reynolds/AFP)

South Korea's 'global pivotal state' ambition is a tall order

South Korea has far-reaching geopolitical ambitions but focusing on the regions closest to it will bring more dividends in a competitive world.
This picture taken on 25 April 2023 and released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on 26 April hows soldiers and civilians offering attending a wreath-laying ceremony at the bronze statues of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il on Mansudae Hill in Pyongyang to mark the 91st founding anniversary of the Korean People's Revolutionary Army (KPRA). (KCNA via KNS/AFP)

China can do more on the North Korean nuclear issue

With North Korea declaring itself a nuclear state and indicating that it would only enter negotiations in its position as one, the situation in the Korean peninsula is getting more unstable. Among the global stakeholders in the issue, China is in a position to do more. Trilateral cooperation between the US, South Korea and China is even possible if China changes its perceptions and long-held approaches.
A woman walks along a street with two children in Beijing, China, on 3 February 2023. (Jade Gao/AFP)

It's not just China: Asia faces a shrinking population

Lianhe Zaobao associate editor Peter Ong looks into why Asian countries are facing a declining population, especially those that have witnessed successful economic transformation. What social conditions have led to the staggeringly low birth rates? And is migration a solution?
People visit a traditional Spring Festival flower market in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, China, on 20 January 2023. (AFP)

China and the world renew economic ties post-pandemic

As economic activities pick up in China after the country lifted its strict Covid-19 control measures, foreign businesses are raring to return to the world’s second-largest economy. However, they remain hesitant due to the long time away and geopolitical considerations. Zaobao associate editor Han Yong Hong finds out if China can easily rebuild its economic ties with foreign businesses and the outside world.
A South Korean soldier wearing personal protective equipment guides a group of Chinese tourists for Covid-19 tests upon their arrival at the Incheon International Airport in Incheon, South Korea, 4 January 2023. (Kim Hong-Ji/Reuters)

China-South Korea relations challenged amid tit-for-tat travel controls

Since last month, China and South Korea have been engaged in a tussle of tit for tat when it comes to Covid-19 travel controls. From visa suspensions to “yellow tags” on Chinese travellers entering South Korea, it remains to be seen whether the current back and forth will affect months of China’s diplomatic efforts with South Korea, especially since Yoon Suk-yeol took office.
South Korea's President Yoon Suk-yeol arrives for the G20 Leaders' Summit in Nusa Dua, on the Indonesian resort island of Bali on 15 November 2022. (Mast Irham/AFP)

South Korea's new Indo-Pacific strategy: Seeking the best of both worlds

South Korea’s new Indo-Pacific strategy underscores the country’s ambitions to be a “global pivotal state”. Seoul seeks to effect a careful balance: inclining towards the US-led grouping advocating a “free and open Indo-Pacific”, while at the same time engaging China.
Cambodia's Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn and Secretary General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Lim Jock Hoi pose for pictures before a meeting with Southeast Asian foreign ministers at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Secretariat in Jakarta, Indonesia, 27 October 2022. (Galih Pradipta/Pool via Reuters)

George Yeo: ASEAN’s advantage in an emerging multipolar world

Delivering the keynote address of the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute’s Regional Outlook Forum 2023, Singapore’s former Foreign Minister George Yeo spoke about the ways that ASEAN’s weakness is also a strength in the transition to a multipolar world.