Recent Posts

Ernest Z. Bower – Obama trip shows purposeful Asia Focus in second term

By Ernest Z. Bower Forty-eight hours after winning reelection to a second term, President Barack Obama announced he would visit three countries in mainland Southeast Asia—Cambodia, Myanmar, and Thailand—from November 17 to 20. Actions speak louder than words; the visit shouts Obama’s intent for a purposeful focus on Asia in his second term. This is not a typical Asia visit …

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“Chongqing model” – officially renounced

The long goodbye to Bo Xilai continues as Chongqing Governor Zhang Dejiang, current leader of the southwestern Chinese city, seeks to bury the legacy of its disgraced former top official Bo Xilai. Bo arrived in Chongqing in 2007, pumping money into social housing schemes and advanced infrastructure. It became a bold, alternative mode of growth for China known as the …

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Is Fumiaki Tanaka a game-changer for relations between NZ and Japan?

New Zealand and Japan are two countries that most people would not usually consider as having the potential for strong sporting relations, but it’s time to think again. With the 2019 Rugby World Cup being held in Japan and the exchanges of top level athletes, the opportunities for sporting ties between our two nations has never been higher. The 2019 …

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