author

 
 

Meta

Eric Teo Chu Cheow
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 25, 2003
Hu recasting China's foreign policy
SINGAPORE -- China's new president, Hu Jintao, appears to be remaking his country's foreign policy. Taking over in mid-March after the 16th Communist Party Congress, Hu was immediately plunged into one of China's biggest crises in modern times, the battle against severe acute respiratory syndrome.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 15, 2003
Different strokes for different war critics
SINGAPORE -- One of the most notable moments at the Group of Eight summit (June 1-3) in Evian, France, was the bilateral meeting between U.S. President George W. Bush and his French counterpart, Jacques Chirac, the first such encounter following their dramatic falling out over Iraq.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 5, 2003
Breakwalls against U.S. tide
SINGAPORE — Big-power rapprochement was high on the agenda in both St. Petersburg, Russia, and Evian, France, this past week a month after U.S. President George W. Bush declared victory in Iraq aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. But how does this rapprochement mesh with perceived American unilateralism?...
COMMENTARY / World
May 22, 2003
Aceh won't derail Indonesia
SINGAPORE -- Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri has signed a presidential decree putting Aceh under martial law and authorizing military operations after the latest peace talks collapsed in Tokyo last weekend.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 28, 2003
A silver lining to the SARS epidemic
SINGAPORE -- The outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, is sending shivers down the spines of Asian governments and citizens alike. China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Vietnam have been the most affected by this scourge, while other Asian countries are desperately trying to prevent the disease...
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 12, 2003
Sizing up America after Iraq
SINGAPORE -- Three weeks into the war in Iraq, the main protagonists are already retooling their strategies for dealing with the United States. China, Russia, France, Germany, Britain, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, the Philippines and, lastly, North Korea (most likely the next target of American ire) have...
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 3, 2003
Will war affect Asian vision?
SINGAPORE -- The Asian financial crisis of 1997-1998 was a defining moment for a majority of East Asian countries. It made them more aware of their individual vulnerabilities, and impressed upon them the need for regional stability to ensure continuous economic growth.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 22, 2003
ASEAN counting on China
SINGAPORE -- As the third generation of Chinese leaders since 1949 hands power over to the fourth, Southeast Asia and the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations are following the landmark political transition with keen interest. What does ASEAN expect from the transition?
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 16, 2003
U.S. risks danger of 'global overstretch'
SINGAPORE -- Although U.S. President George W. Bush appears determined to rid Iraq of President Saddam Hussein, the world is deeply divided. On one hand, Hussein has been ruthless, even with his own people, and may have hidden weapons of mass destruction and sponsored al-Qaeda terrorists. On the other...
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 3, 2003
Rising challenges to American power
SINGAPORE -- U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell's recent visits to Japan, South Korea and China were a key test of U.S. diplomacy in Northeast Asia. His renewed focus on the region comes amid growing anxiety in Tokyo and Seoul over Pyongyang's nuclear brinkmanship and increasing resistance on the part...
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 15, 2003
Few hawks in Southeast Asia
SINGAPORE -- As the world awaits the outcome of another report by United Nations weapons inspectors in Iraq, and perhaps a second resolution (following U.N. Security Council Resolution 1441), war drums are beating ever louder in the United States, Britain and some allied nations.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 2, 2003
Asian bridges via Okinawa
SINGAPORE -- Earlier this month a closed-door workshop and open public symposium focused on bridging the divisions within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and those between Japan and Okinawa as well as on strengthening the ASEAN-Japan partnership through governance, human security and community-building....
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 11, 2003
Anti-Americanism rises in Asia
SINGAPORE -- The United States has been perceived differently by Asian countries since President George W. Bush took over the helm in Washington. Asian governments have noticed a fundamental shift toward a more "unilateralist" stance in U.S. foreign policy -- a trend that became even more accentuated...
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 23, 2002
A vital role for Japan in Asia
SINGAPORE -- As Japan becomes mired in its own political, economic and financial problems and grapples with serious geostrategic concerns on the Korean Peninsula, there is great temptation for it to look inward. Such a shift, however, is to the detriment of the region, which is experiencing one of its...

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?