Category: East Asia

With a crisis raging in the African Congo, the then-UN Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld set off in 1961 to broker a ceasefire with Moise Tshombe, the leader of the secessionist State of Katanga. Yet Hammarskjöld tragically…

Of the 11 million Uighur Muslims living in China's northwestern region of Xinjiang, up to two million of them, including ethnic Uzbeks and Kazakhs have been detained inside camps, while those remaining on the outside…

The Myanmar crisis has spilled well beyond its borders, with Karen refugees seeking protection in neighbouring Thailand and the Tatmadaw targeting civilians protesting the February coup d’état. Increasing cases of violence have registered with the…

Historically, there has been both animosity and brotherhood between China and Thailand. Famously quoted from a song written by Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, the relationship has been characterised as that of “brothers, which will last…

After more than two months of negotiations, the Afghan peace process has resumed in Doha, Qatar, with the Afghan government and the Taliban having finalized a set of procedures and principles that will govern the…

Last week, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, speaking at the opening of a US$85 million amusement park funded by a Chinese company in Kandal Province (and repeated in a barely-noticed tweet, posed a simple question,…

Hong Kong residents are scrambling to pick up the pieces after the implementation of the draconian national security law of 30 June 2020. As China’s new Iron Curtain descended around Hong Kong, pro-democracy activists either…

The sudden resignation of Shinzo Abe, the longest-serving Prime Minister of Japan, due to health reasons could impact Japan’s relations with some countries unpredictably. Abe had not only nurtured Japan’s new-age policy with nuanced revisionism…

Abe’s departure due to ill health will not immediately mean dramatic change. His successor will be chosen from a list of Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) candidates that largely share his views on foreign policy, though…

After a record stint at the helm, Shinzo Abe is resigning as prime minister because of health complications. His departure comes in the middle of an epic security dilemma with China and could signal the…