As the 9th TICAD, the Tokyo International Conference on African Development concluded in Yokohama City, late last month, a seemingly innocent initiative to foster “hometown” partnerships was launched by the Japan International Development Agency (JICA) in four African cities. JICA announced that four partner countries, Mozambique, Nigeria, Ghana and Tanzania, would be matched with four regional Japanese cities, Imabari, Kisarazu, Sanjo and Nagai. Public reception was not as expected, and decidedly negative.
During Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra’s recent meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, one of the main topics of discussion was the proliferation of scam centers close to Thailand’s borders in Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos. Recently, under Chinese pressure, Thailand has initiated a number of measures to combat scam operators in eastern Myanmar, such as tightening visa rules and cutting electricity and fuel from Thailand into Myanmar. After her meeting with Xi, Paetongtarn agreed to “strengthen law enforcement cooperation with China” and take steps to address the crisis of cross-border crime, including online gambling and fraud.
In the first few weeks of his second term, President Donald Trump has resumed his advocacy for a renegotiation of trade deals, namely with Canada, Mexico and China. While the tenor of Trump’s discourse on trade is ideological, the justification for trade protectionism and the subsequent levying of punitive tariffs on imported goods is based on their potential ben efit to American workers, manufacturers, and consumers.However, with the bluster and pace of policy changes combined with a lengthy history from his first term as evidence, were tariffs on China in alignment with America’s national interests? I argue that what is past is prologue.
After more than three decades in service with the United States Air Force, the Northrop-Grumman-built B-2 Spirit is set to retire, along with its older sibling, the B-1, replaced by the new B-21 Raider. Also manufactured by Northrop, the sixth-generation bomber represents an evolution in technological advancement, with an open architecture that allowed for rapid inclusion of new weaponry, and advanced digital manufacturing (AM) that is claimed to help mitigate the substantial risk of production.
Recently, Japan’s Parliamentary Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs, Matsumoto Hisashi, went to Riyadh to visit to the Saudi Judo Federation in hopes of strengthening bilateral relations. He also met with Saudi officials to discuss opportunities under Riyadh’s “Vision 2030,” a restructuring and modernization of the Saudi economy under the leadership of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. For Riyadh, the strategy is of critical importance given its growing need for outside investment. Many countries are making a transition away from fossil fuels, thus reducing global oil demand.
The phrase “Free Tibet” is so ubiquitous to so many, that it has almost lost its meaning. Why does Tibet need to be freed, and from whom? Tibet has been occupied by Communist China since 1950, after the controversial Seventeen Point Agreement created a semi-independent state, although signed without the authorization of the 14th Dalai Lama. So worried were the Tibetans, that in 1959, a rebellion began where the Dalai Lama escaped and remained in exile. The consequence of that rebellion was an undoing of the tenets of the Agreement and the beginning of decades of social, cultural, and political repression.
While at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar commented that New Delhi will not decouple from the US dollar, noting that it was not in his country’s economic interests. While noting that New Delhi was pursuing other means as well, he said: “[India has] never actively targeted the dollar. That’s not part of our economic, political, or strategic policy. Some others may have done so. What I will say is that we have a natural concern.”
The more things change the more they stay the same. In the 2024 Diplomatic Bluebook, recently released through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan assertively labeled China a global threat, while still carefully trying to balance both positive and negative terms. The new edition employs much stronger language about its regional rival, characterizing Beijing’s activity in the South China Sea as “unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion.” The not-so-subtle change in the language in the new edition is predicated on the central theme of Beijing’s progressively coercive efforts.
As Indonesia’s term as ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Chair ended, there was both reservation and alarm at the possibility of Laos serving as its successor. In late 2023, ASEAN moved ahead with a “troika” format, with the previous chair, the current chair, and the next chair (Malaysia) serving to boost Laos’ capacity to perform its duties concerning the crisis in Myanmar, now dragging past its third year. While the first few months of Laos’ term have been unsurprisingly quiet, regional expectations for 2024 have dipped past their already low predecessors. That is highly problematic.