Lost at Sea
Chinese dredging vessels are purportedly seen in the waters around Mischief Reef in the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. Reuters
It’s now official: the South China Sea does not belong to China.
Category: Global Challenges
The Interconnected Social and Economic Cost of Gun Control
Another week in America, another week of sadness and hand wringing prompted by gun violence.
Changing North Korea’s Course will Take Cooperation
The 26th meeting of the North East Asia Cooperation Dialogue (NEACD), a one and a half track forum whose membership mirrors the Six-Party Talks, was held in Beijing late last month. North Korea began to attend the NEACD in 2002, but failed to show up in 2014 and 2015.
UNCLOS Ruling May Not Go China’s Way
International media have come to focus on Tuesday’s anticipated decision in the Philippines’ arbitration against China. Beijing’s recent propaganda and diplomatic blitz has raised the prominence of the case to new heights.
The dispute involves no fewer than 15 issues, many of them highly technical. Yet the basic issue in the case — whether the decision will be legally binding on China as well as the Philippines — is reasonably straightforward. Still there appears to be widespread misunderstanding surrounding it.
Exporting Human Rights Abuses Using Adult Entertainment
The history of the Japanese military’s wartime sexual enslavement of women still plays on the mind of East Asia. Japanese leaders make it hard to forget. Most recently, deputy foreign minister Shinsuke Sugiyama told the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women that his government knew of no documents confirming the forcible wartime recruitment of so-called ‘comfort women’.
Can Turkey Learn from Asia’s Refugee Deals?
The global refugee crisis took another twist this year when the European Union struck a deal with Turkey to take refugees that make it to Greece. Turkey is not an EU member, so in exchange the EU promised to reenergise talks on Turkey’s EU membership and accelerate visa liberalisation, making it easier for Turkish nationals to work and travel in the EU.
However, amidst growing claims of human rights violations, there is mounting concern that Turkey does not meet the standards of a ‘safe third country’ for refugees.
Asia could be the World’s Brexit Shock Absorber
The shock of Britain’s vote to exit the European Union (EU) will reverberate around the world for decades to come. In addition, Asia isn’t immune. The direct effect on stock markets and exchange rates around the region is a modest harbinger, but that’s only the beginning.
OECD: Air Pollution May Cost World Economy $2.6 Trillion per Year by 2060
At this point, there are few that contest that air pollution reduces the quality of life in urban centers and may be a major contributor to climate change. However, a recent study by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) examined the economic consequences of air pollution and arrived at some disturbing findings.
Small Business, Big (Environmental) Impact
Understanding how businesses engage in environmental management is important given growing global concerns about the depletion of natural resources and reductions in biodiversity. There has been a great deal of focus on large businesses, but small businesses have a role to play too. The fact that small businesses are neglecting this is of great concern.
