Asia-Pacific

Taiwan Unlikely to Return as Part of Mainland China

Viewpoint by Jonathan Power

TAIPEI (IDN) — “And then, there is Taiwan, the issue administration officials and national security experts agree is most likely to tip the scales from power struggle to military conflict. At the White House, the State Department and the Pentagon, officials are trying to figure out if the long-time American policy of “strategic ambiguity”—providing political and military support to Taiwan, while not explicitly promising to defend it from a Chinese attack—has run its course. Pentagon officials say the matter could come to a head within six years,” wrote New York Times recently.

: Jonathan Power; OPINION; 07 September 2021

Photo: Screenshot of gold medalist Dinesh Priyantha Herath with Sri Lankan flag

From War Hero to Sports Hero — Inspirational Story of Sri Lanka’s Paralympics Gold Medallist

By Mohan Srilal

COLOMBO (IDN) — Sri Lanka’s latest sporting hero Dinesh Priyantha Herath is expected to touch down in Sri Lanka to a red-carpet airport welcome on Tuesday. The life story of the F46 Javelin Throw gold medalist at the Tokyo Paralympics is an inspirational one of how to overcome disabilities both economic and physical.

When Dinesh Priyantha using his abled right arm threw the javelin a distance of 67.79 meters creating a world record and winning Sri Lanka’s first ever gold medal at a Paralympics event, it enlivened a depressed nation trying to overcome the Covid-19 pandemic.

: Asia Editor; THE WORLD; Asia-Pacific; 06 September 2021

Photo: Covid testing queue. Source: CIDRAP | Michael Coghlan / Flickr cc

As Lockdown Fetish Fades, Australia Argues Over "Living With Covid"

By Kalinga Seneviratne

SYDNEY (IDN) — Last year, Australia was among the first countries to successfully battle the Covid-19 pandemic with lockdowns and efficient contact tracing, but, with the rapid transmission of the Delta variant, especially in Sydney and Melbourne, the politicians' fetish for lockdowns is now being questioned with Prime Minister Scott Morrison and some state leaders arguing for "opening up" after a certain threshold is reached in vaccinating the population.

: Kalinga Seneviratne; SUSTAINABILITY; Health & Well Being; 04 September 2021

Photo: District councillors collaborated with shops supporting the Yellow Economic Circle to organise a Lunar New Year Fair in Sai Ying Pun on 18 January 2020. CC BY 2.0

The Population Exodus Threatens to Change Hong Kong Forever

By Vera Yuen

The writer is Lecturer in the Faculty of Business and Economics at the University of Hong Kong.

HONG KONG (IDN) — Hong Kong has experienced a series of unexpected political developments since 2019. The government proposed a new extradition law that would have allowed Hong Kong residents to be extradited to mainland China, which triggered months of protests and social unrest.

: Asia Editor; SUSTAINABILITY; Sustainable Cities & Communities; 04 September 2021

Photo: Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi meets with Fijian Minister for Foreign Affairs Inia Seruiratu in Beijing, capital of China, June 11, 2019. (Xinhua/Ding Haitao)

Fiji Keen to Ease US-China Rivalry in the Pacific

By Denghua Zhang, ANU and Shivan, University of Fiji

While Denghua Zhang is a Research Fellow at the Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University (ANU), Shivani is Lecturer in the School of Law at the University of Fiji.

CANBERRA | SUVA (IDN) — As strategic mistrust between the United States and China continues to deepen, Pacific Island countries have taken varying approaches. With the resurgence of COVID-19, Fiji once again sees itself at the centre of great power rivalry as assistance arrives from the two big donors.

: Asia Editor; SUSTAINABILITY; Health & Well Being; 03 September 2021

Photo: ADB data show the impact of Covid-19 on government finance in developing Asia. Source: ADB

ADB Warns Covid-19 Threatens Asia’s Progress Towards Achieving Global Development Goals

By Kalinga Seneviratne

SYDNEY (IDN) — A new report released by the Manila-based Asian Development Bank (ADB) says that an estimated 75 to 80 million people in the developing regions of Asia have been pushed back into poverty last year threatening to derail the region’s progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

: Kalinga Seneviratne; SUSTAINABILITY; Food security, nutrition & sustainable agriculture; 01 September 2021

Photo: The fast-evolving conflict has reportedly reached, Kabul, the centre of Afghanistan’s social and political life. Credit: UNAMA/Fardin Waezi

China and Russia Abstain on UN Resolution Condemning Terrorist Attack in Kabul

By Thalif Deen

NEW YORK (IDN) — When the 15 member UN Security Council (UNSC) voted on a resolution August 30 condemning “in the strongest terms the deplorable attacks” at the Kabul airport on August 26, 13 countries voted in favour and none against.

But two countries abstained on the resolution—and both were permanent members of the UNSC—namely Russia and China, with the other three, the US France and UK, initiating the resolution.

: Thalif Deen; UN INSIDER; 31 August 2021

Photo: Indian evacuation in Afghanistan. Source: DNA.

India Has Lost the First-Mover Advantage in Afghanistan

Viewpoint by Shastri Ramachandaran

NEW DELHI (IDN) — In the wake of the US retreat from Afghanistan, as the world’s leading nations engage with the Taliban in Kabul, India appears to have shot itself in the foot and gone into a sulk. When New Delhi does break its sullen silence, it only serves to remind the world of its seething animus against Pakistan.

As the regional superpower with unique civilisational connections and people-to-people ties with Afghanistan, India ought to have been a prominent player at this juncture of historic transition.

: Shastri Ramachandaran; SUSTAINABILITY; Peace & Justice; 27 August 2021

Countries Around the World Are Still Ill-Prepared to Deal with Multiple Overlapping Crises

Viewpoint by Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana

Ms. Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana is the United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific (ESCAP).

BANGKOK (IDN) — Over the past two decades, the Asia-Pacific region has made remarkable progress in managing disaster risk. But countries can never let down their guard. The COVID-19 pandemic, with its epicentre now in Asia, and all its tragic consequences, has exposed the frailties of human societies in the face of powerful natural forces. As of mid-August 2021, Asian and Pacific countries had reported 65 million confirmed coronavirus cases and more than 1 million deaths.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 25 August 2021

Photo: New Zealand Hercules airlifts evacuees from Kabul. Credit: New Zealand Defence Force.

New Zealand Should Have Stayed Out of the War in Afghanistan

Viewpoint by Keith Locke

Former Green MP Keith Locke was the party’s foreign affairs spokesperson. He writes occasional pieces for Asia Pacific Report. This article was first published by The Spinoff, republished in Asia Pacific Report, our partner, on August 19 with the author’s permission.

WELLINGTON (IDN) — After the fall of Kabul, the obvious question for New Zealanders is whether we should ever have joined the American war in Afghanistan. Labour and National politicians, who sent our Special Forces there, will say yes.

The Greens, who opposed the war from the start, will say no.