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Eric Teo Chu Cheow
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 22, 2004
One country, many systems?
SINGAPORE -- China is said to be changing fast and profoundly, but three recent issues highlight best the changing concept of regionalism in China:
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 6, 2004
Superpower-in-the-making faces hurdles
SINGAPORE -- The enlargement of Europe on May 1 was another historic milestone for the world's only "federal" entity of sovereign states sharing a common currency and an increasing number of foreign-policy and security attributes. Today's Europe stands at 25 nations with a combined population of 455...
COMMENTARY / World
May 23, 2004
How separate are religion, government?
SINGAPORE -- Religion and the state in East Asia have always had a tenuous relationship. But as political and social development accelerate with the accumulation of wealth and a growing middle class, East Asia appears to be ultimately confronting the issue of separating religion from secular politics....
COMMENTARY / World
May 14, 2004
Controversies stoke Chinese nationalism
SINGAPORE -- Controversy in Taiwan over the March 20 presidential poll as well as political stirrings in Hong Kong over China's "final" say in deciding reforms have probably contributed to rising nationalism in China. These three trends could affect the future development of China and the stability of...
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 19, 2004
Malaysia gives Islam a chance to shine
SINGAPORE -- The 11th Malaysian general election March 21 was a historic moment in Malaysian politics and a political watershed in the country's history. It may also have been the turning point in the universal Islamic debate over religion and development, especially as these polls constitute the first...
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 27, 2004
Tale of three Asian elections
SINGAPORE -- Taiwan held its landmark presidential election last Saturday, Malaysia organized legislative elections last Sunday, and Indonesian legislative elections are scheduled April 5.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 9, 2004
Taiwanese stretch envelope before polls
SINGAPORE -- In the runup to Taiwan's presidential election on March 20, political sparks are flying not only in Taiwan but also in China and the United States. Moreover, the commemoration in Taiwan of the Feb. 28, 1947, killing of some 10,000 Taiwanese by Kuomintang (KMT) troops -- otherwise known as...
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 29, 2004
'Opening up' to raise risks of instability
SINGAPORE -- At a Feb. 23 international conference in Tokyo titled "Future Prospects of the East Asian Economy and Its Geopolitical Risks," which was organized jointly by the Policy Research Institute, Japan's Finance Ministry and the Reischauer Center for East Asian Studies at Johns Hopkins University,...
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 13, 2004
Bird flu lessons highlight change in Asia
SINGAPORE -- Avian flu has spread across 10 countries in Asia -- from China and Pakistan to Indonesia. A meeting in Bangkok at the end of January highlighted the flu's "regional dimension" as well as the necessity for a regional approach to eradicating it.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 1, 2004
China-Southeast Asia relations blossom
SINGAPORE -- Chinese worldwide ushered in the Year of the Monkey on Jan. 22. The outgoing Year of the Goat had been excellent for China -- despite the outbreak of SARS last winter -- and a relatively good year for Southeast Asia.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 12, 2004
China lights Vietnam's path
SINGAPORE -- Profound similarities bind China and Vietnam together today more than ever. Twelve years after their brief border war in 1979, Hanoi and Beijing normalized relations in 1991 after resolving the "Cambodian problem" at the Paris Peace Conference. This normalization of relations put to rest...
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 28, 2003
A firmer Japan in the tussle with China
SINGAPORE -- The ASEAN-Japan Summit in Tokyo on Sept. 11-12 came at a crucial moment in ties between Tokyo and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi met with the ASEAN heads of state just as Japan is bottoming out from a decade of economic doldrums....
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 5, 2003
China dreads contagion of unrest
SINGAPORE -- The heavy losses suffered by proadministration and pro-Beijing parties in Hong Kong's Nov. 23 municipal elections clearly bore out a prodemocracy message.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 22, 2003
Weaker LDP worries ASEAN
SINGAPORE -- Japan's Nov. 9 general election was generally regarded as a political setback for Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and his reforms program. His Liberal Democratic Party emerged with fewer seats in the Diet than before -- but bolstered by a political merger with a smaller party, the governing...
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 17, 2003
U.S. continues to stir Muslim resentment
SINGAPORE -- In an Oct. 1 report to the U.S. Congress, titled "Changing Minds, Winning Peace," a high-level panel warned that "hostility toward America had reached shocking levels." It recommended that the administration overhaul and increase public-relations efforts to salvage its plummeting image among...
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 30, 2003
Malaysian mood resurgent as Mahathir bids farewell
SINGAPORE -- After more than 20 years at the helm of Malaysia, Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad will step down Friday to make way for his chosen successor, Abdulla Badawi, who will become the country's fifth prime minister. All indicators point to a smooth and successful political transition, only the...
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 10, 2003
Bali summit moves ASEAN toward sense of community
SINGAPORE -- At the Ninth ASEAN Summit in Bali, Indonesia, this week, the 10 leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations signed the Bali Concord II, an action plan aimed at realizing a more integrated ASEAN in terms of economy, culture and security.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 15, 2003
A new tide of nationalism
SINGAPORE -- Leaders in Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia have become increasingly vocal in calling for more independent policies and outlook in Southeast Asia, especially in the context of post-American military intervention in Iraq.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 1, 2003
Terrorists find new haven in a quiet corner of Asia
SINGAPORE -- The failed mutiny by 300 Philippine Army soldiers, which gripped Manila's financial district for 21 hours on Sunday, highlighted the intricate problem of security and terrorism in Southeast Asia.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 11, 2003
Paris plays multilateral card
SINGAPORE — Although one of the most notable moments at the June 1-3 Group of Eight summit in Evian, France, was the rapprochement between U.S. President George W. Bush and French President Jacques Chirac, Franco-American relations have not been completely restored. Senior Bush administration officials...

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