Economics, Politics and Public Policy in East Asia and the Pacific
Author: Editorial Board, ANU
When the former mayor of the southern city of Davao, Rodrigo Duterte, surged ahead of his establishment rivals in the 2016 presidential elections, some western media fell back on labelling him the ‘Trump of the East’. Read more…
Author: Editorial Board, ANU
The rule of law isn’t so much about the absence of abuse of power — it’s about the absence of impunity. That’s why Malaysians can be gratified with the guilty verdict handed down against their former prime minister Najib Razak, who on 28 July was sentenced to 12 years in prison and fined US$50 million on charges relating to his role in the 1MDB corruption scandal. Read more…
Author: Editorial Board, ANU
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo now leads the gathering charge in Washington to wage a new Cold War on China. All doubts about that were dispelled in his fiery speech at the Nixon Library last week and in his mission to lock Boris Johnson and the United Kingdom in behind him immediately afterwards. Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne and Defence Minister Linda Reynolds, on their way to Washington for bilateral talks, will fly straight into the middle of this brewing geopolitical cauldron. Read more…
Author: Editorial Board, ANU
Australia’s official outlook on the strategic environment in its region has darkened. On 1 July, Prime Minister Scott Morrison launched the Department of Defence’s Strategic Update, which ‘sets out the challenges in Australia’s strategic environment and the implications for [d]efence planning’.
Author: Editorial Board, ANU
On 10 July Singapore held a general election that was noteworthy for more than its setting amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The governing People’s Action Party (PAP) won reelection with a reduced share of the popular vote — just over 61 per cent, down from just under 70 per cent in 2015, though opposition parties won only 10 seats in the 93-seat parliament.
Author: Editorial Board, ANU
The border clash between China and India on 15 June in the harsh Himalayan terrain of the Galwan Valley resulted in deaths, including at least 20 Indian soldiers, and casualties on both sides. Clashes along the disputed border had become more common in the last few years but this was the most serious conflict since 1962.
Author: Editorial Board, ANU
Tensions on the Korean Peninsula ratcheted up on 16 June when North Korea blew up the Inter-Korean Liaison Office building in the North Korean border city of Kaesong. This is a big blow to South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s efforts to engage North Korea, pursue denuclearisation and establish a permanent peace treaty to succeed the 1953 Korean War Armistice Agreement. The timing is ironic considering that the Moon government recently won a decisive election in April positioning it to double down on its engagement policy.
Author: Editorial Board, ANU
In the tell-all memoir released in part this week by John Bolton, the former US national security adviser alleges that President Donald Trump has spent the past four years using the China relationship for his own electoral purposes.
Author: Editorial Board, ANU
‘Stand your ground, don’t retreat’ is how to survive a bear attack. The same is true for surviving COVID-19. Countries that retreat into themselves will face worse health outcomes, deeper recessions and slower recoveries than open ones. Whatever misguided comfort people may get from closing their country, it cannot overcome the basic arithmetic of national accounting: closed economies will see living standards collapse. Read more…
Author: Editorial Board, ANU
The lockdowns that started in China’s Hubei province on 23 January were a major disruption to the international supply of manufactured goods. Its capital Wuhan, the epicentre of the COVID-19 pandemic, is an industrial powerhouse that produces nearly 10 per cent of all motor vehicles made in China and, for example, is home to more than 100 parts suppliers for Honda alone.
Author: Editorial Board, ANU
China’s National People’s Congress (NPC) convened last week, as part of the annual ‘Two Sessions’ meeting designed to enact national laws previously deliberated upon by the Chinese Communist Party.
Author: Editorial Board, ANU
As most of the world grapples with controlling the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, some governments and societies are facing the next phase of the crisis: testing the gradual lifting of lockdown measures. Australia, China, South Korea, New Zealand, Taiwan and Vietnam are among those lifting restrictions earlier. Japan appears to be close to joining that group. East Asia looks poised to lead the global economic recovery.
Author: Editorial Board, ANU
At the start of the year Donald Trump was poised to run for re-election in November on the back of a strong economy and jobs. Since then COVID-19 has crippled the US economy. The unemployment rate is expected to exceed 20 per cent, rivalling the worst period of the Great Depression. At the same time, America’s lack of accessible healthcare and epidemic preparedness has resulted in a mortality rate much higher than in other countries. Read more…
Author: Editorial Board, ANU
Australia’s domestic response to the COVID-19 health and economic crisis has brought plaudits at home and from around the world, especially from commentators in the United States.
Author: Editorial Board, ANU
Central banks have once again found themselves doing the heavy lifting in responding to economic crisis. Their unprecedented actions have been vital to minimise the economic pain and suffering of COVID-19 by stabilising financial markets and stimulating economies. But the necessary actions of these unsung heroes have consequences, raising challenges for Asian economies and financial systems alike.
