IHT COLUMNS BY PHILIP BOWRING
Hongkong: Neighbors may need to worry as much about Korean nationalism as about China. Revanchism and xenophobia are as Korean as electronics and Ban Ki Moon. For full story click here
Chita, Russia: On the Trans-Siberian near China and Mongolia history has served many surprises. What's next for this mineral rich land of Russians and Buryats? For full story click here
Hongkong: Developing Asia has mostly itself to blame for the soaring price of oil. It is the main source of new demand thanks in part to its consumption subsidies. For full story click here
Hongkong: Corn is soaring but sugar is dirt cheap. Subsidies and trade restrictions explain the panic over food supplies and the obstacles to efficient farming. For full story click here
Hongkong: Tsunami and earthquakes in Sumatra, cyclones in Bangladesh give insights into the human role in losses from natural disasters in Sichuan and Burma. For full story click here
Hongkong: Following the rice price surge, Asia is awash with un-neighbourly and counter-productive proposals. Badly needed is more rice trade, and fewer subsidies. For full story click here
Hongkong: The Olympic torch relay shows the Hongkong government excelling at bringing politics into sport, and bangs a drum of ethnic identity as well as nationalism. For full story click here
Hongkong: The rice price spike is more than a passing problem. Land, labour, water and environment are output restraints not shared by all other food staples. For full story click here
Kuala Lumpur: The struggle for UMNO leadership and the future role of Anwar Ibrahim make exhilarating post-election politics but with fears as well as hopes. For full story click here
Hongkong: Tibetans have a strong case but mixing it with the Olympics and Darfur threatens nationalist reaction and enhanced trade and international tensions. For full story click here
Hongkong: Ma Ying-jeou's election significance lies as much in economic and foreign policy issues and the end of legislative deadlock as in cross-straits ones. For full story click here
Ho Chi Minh: Vietnam is now paying the price in inflation and falling stocks for 2007over-exuberance. More financial stress lies ahead but the longer term is still positive. For full story click here
Hongkong: Troubles in Tibet, more probably in Xinjiang and perhaps with Koreans. Communist centralism, Han chauvinism and security issues impede compromise. For full story click here
Hongkong: Malaysia's election may decide if Abdullah Badawi's gets stronger or even weaker but wont solve the problem of a static, race-based political system. For full story click here
Hongkong: Western support for Kosovo independence worries an Asia with its own potential Kosovo's and like the Balkans still struggling with old imperial borders. For full story click here
Hongkong: Thailand again has an elected prime minister but the truce between pro- and anti-Thaksin forces is uneasy and dubious names cloud Samak's ministry. For full story click here
Hongkong: Media obituaries of Suharto are over the top, a focus on brutality and corruption being out of perspective and at odds with most local perceptions. For full story click here
Hongkong: Tax boosts and interest cuts in the US boost markets but delay global adjustment and increase the threat of protectionism which will hurt Asia. For full story click here
Hongkong: Thaksin's surrogate People Power Party victoryis a blow to the conservative camp but a Samak-led government may be little advance for democracy. For full story click here
Hongkong: The landslide KMT victory was a verdict on Chen Shui-bian. But Ma Ying-jeou cannot be sure that voters want a KMT president as well as parliament. For full story click here
Hongkong: Benazir's killing adds to the problem of Musharraf. But neither she nor Nawaz Sharif had political careers which inspired hope for improved government. For full story click here
Hongkong: The US and EU are opening the money supply spigots even further. But their Asian creditors need beware of inflation eroding paper assets. For full story click here
Sydney: Prime minister Rudd is quick to embrace Kyoto and brings new attitudes to foreign policy. But cutting carbon is tough and foreign policy options limited. For full story click here
Hongkong: A mass demonstration by Malaysia's Indians raises the domestic temperature and the likelihood of its racial policies becoming an international issue. For full story click here
Hongkong: ASEAN's charter and fortieth anniversary summit are a flop. The lowest common denominator (Burma) and empty declarations rule the meeting. For full story click here
Hongkong: Macau and Hongkong money machines are becoming the cockpit for a struggle for the soul of an increasingly corrupt Chinese party leadership. For full story click here
Hongkong: Malaysia's weak leadership by Abdullah Badawi is exposing deep problems arising from an outdated race-based political and privilege structure. For full story click here
Hongkong: US ability to influence its friends, let alone its enemies, has been seriously eroded by Iraq and other policies as rebuffs in India, Japan and Korea illustrate. For full story click here
Jakarta: Indonesia needs to play a larger role in regional and international affairs. It has much to teach others about diversity in Islam, pluralism and democracy. For full story click here
Hongkong: The Chief Executive's agenda for his new term suggests a push for patriotism and One Country rather than leveraging its Two Systems advantages. For full story click here
Hongkong: It should not be as dfficult as assumed to revive North Korea's once industrialized economy. But Kim Jong-il remains fearful of the neccessary steps. For full story click here
Hongkong: Western outrage over Burma's brutal regime is justified but change will only come with luck, many carrots and the leadership of Asian neighbors. For full story click here
London: The financial crisis in the west is a reminder of the Asian crisis. But the US resists the same nasty but necessary medicine it once prescribed for Asia. For full story click here
Hongkong: Philippine Ex-president Estrada has been found guilty. But do not imagine that this is the beginning of a general clean-up of political corruption For full story click here
Dalian: China is beginning to export inflation.The era of falling goods prices is over as food and energy plus a rising Yuan feed into wages and export prices For full story click here
Hongkong: The APEC summit in Sydney may be the last to attract so many heads of state. Bilateral meetings take precedence over the group's vapid agenda. For full story click here
Hongkong: Malaysia has much to celebrate after 50 years of independence. But it has a lot to do to create a real Malaysian identity transcending race and religion. For full story click here
Hongkong: Asia has sneezed violently following the US credit crisis. But that is partly because of its own liquidity. Expect a bad cold when the US gets pneumonia. For full story click here
Hongkong: Japan remains out of fashion but at a time of credit crisis it is wel to remember that low interest rate, low goal Japan is the safest rich country on earth. For full story click here
Hongkong: Obsessing about the Middle East while ignoring Asia and ASEAN, the US is disappointing its friends and neglecting its long-term interests. For full story click here
Hongkong: Sovreign Wealth Funds are in vogue. But rising nationalism and the sheer size of east Asian and oil-exporter reserves limit them as investment vehicles. For full story click here
Hongkong: With a new constitution to be put to voters, normalcy may be returning to Thailand. But do not count on it. Too many similarities to 1992 exist -- plus Thaksin. For full story click here
Hongkong: Ten years after the crisis, Asia has learned lessons but the west fails to see how similar are now its debt, asset bubble and currency mismatches. For full story click here
Taipei: Contrary to fears, Taiwan elections and the Beijing Olympics may combine to improve cross strait rerlations and boost Taiwan's economy, currency and stocks. For full story click here
Hongkong: Expectations then determine today's handover scorecard. No disaster and an OK economy. But missed opportunities, cronyism and erosion of autonomy. For full story click here
Hongkong: Arrests in Indonesia, arrests and releases in Singapore suggest success in the war on terror. But fog abounds while bigger local wars continue. For full story click here
Hongkong: A major but unspoken reason for China to avoid pricking the stock bubble is that IPOs are the easiest legal way for party insiders to get rich very quick. For full story click here
Kuala Lumpur: Court decisions in Malaysia (on religion) and Thailand (on Thaksin) are blows by entrenched political interests against liberal and plural democracy. For full story click here
Hongkong: The US-China Strategic Economic Dialogue needs to focus more on what they can do to safeguard the global trading and financial systems. For full story click here
Kyoto: East Asia's abysmal birth rates suggest it may have something to learn from North European welfare systems, and even from women's sexual independence. For full story click here
Kyoto: The Philippine mid-term election has no chance of inducing change. The electoral system reinforces feudal structures and promotes celebrity status over policy. For full story click here
Hongkong: The focus of Shinzo Abe's Washington visit on the issues of 70 years ago shows his failure to use Japan's US links to raise its own global role. For full story click here
Hongkong: Wen Jiabao's Japan visit demonstrates China's finesse in hiding hard realism while using soft power and Wen's modest charm to good effect. For full story click here
Hongkong: Charges of lese majeste are again being wheeled out in Thailand as the junta endeavours to stifle criticism. In the longer run the monarchy could be the loser. For full story click here
Hanoi: Vietnam's investment attractions could be damaged by a flood of foreign money, driving up stock prices and perhaps endangering a half-reformed banking system. For full story click here
Hongkong: The US-Korea Free Trade Agreement may bring the two short term benefits but proliferation of FTAs are a danger to the world trading system. For full story click here
Hongkong: Chosen by a tiny electorate, Chief Executive Tsang will need to show that he is not entirely a creature of self-serving business and bureaucratic interests. For full story click here
Macao: The once sleepy enclave has lost its charm as it rivals Las Vegas. The gamblers are coming but hotel and shopping investments are an outsize gamble. For full story click here
Hongkong: Most of Asia has kept its eyes shut and hoped for the best rather than taking pre-emptive action to limit theimpact of an inevitable US recession. For full story click here
Hongkong: Steep falls in global markets started in Shanghai but China's role is exaggerated. The US and Japan are more to blame for global asset bubbles. For full story click here
Sydney: Australia's tradition of cutting "tall poppies" down to size is fast disappearing as money trumps mateship and egalitarianism gives way to inquality. For full story click here
Sydney: John Howard's criticism of Barack Obama over Iraq is hypocritical, focuses attention on Australia's policy failings and will help rising Labor star Kevin Rudd. For full story click here
Hongkong: A decade after the handover not too much has changed. Even on a 30 year scale it has developed rather than being transformed like many Asian cities. For full story click here
Hongkong:Optimism about India has boiled over. The economy and stocks are over-heated and hubris is behind buying big foreign names rather than investing at home. For full story click here
Hongkong: The Bank of Japan's failure to raise interest rates is prolonging the carry-trade and global financial bubbles and doing nothing to spur local consumption. For full story click here
Hongkong: Viewing Davos 2007 from afar suggests nothing has changed in its western, trend following focus. It is fun for participants but over-hype by the media. For full story click here
Hongkong: China's satellite destruction may signal the start of the overt militarisation of space. The US may respond by stepping up efforts to protect its space assets. For full story click here
Hongkong: The ASEAN and East Asia summits in Cebu underline the low profile in the regional of a Mid-east focused US. As a result, China scoresmany points. For full story click here
Hongkong: A dubious rape conviction of a US marine underlines the downside of the US miitary presence and the deep split in Philippine attitudes to the US. For full story click here
Hongkong: Thailand has made a mess of trying to rein in the baht with currency controls but Japanese and Chinese currency policies are the root cause of disorder. For full story click here
Hongkong: A new king for Malaysia and survival doubts for Nepal's king reminds that Asian monarchs rise and fall. And some wait in hope of restoration. For full story click here
Hongkong: The Paulson led delegation to Beijing suggests a US obsession with the China trade deficit to the exclusion of other issues and countries. For full story click here
Bangkok: The King's Birthday and Constitution Day remind of the instability of Thai institutions and the metropolis' uncertain commitment to democracy. For full story click here
Hongkong: Failure to tackle pollution threatens Hongkong and reveals a political system beholden to money. In Indonesia too money trumps the environment.For full story click here
Hongkong: The Delhi China-India summit says more about their views of themselves as global players than reflecting mutual commercial or political interests. For full story click here
Hongkong: The APEC summit's focus on a strategic issues -- North Korea -- not crucial trade and economic onesemphasises its lack of a real role. For full story click here
Hongkong: The US mid-term election results offers promise and problems for Asia -- a move away from unilateralist politics, but also towards protectionism. For full story click here
Hongkong: The summit of African leaders in Beijing reminds of Chou Enlai's 1964 drive for African friends. China is now more powerful -- but others are too. For full story click here
Hongkong: North Korea's goal? The bomb aims of Pyongyang and would-be national hero Kim Jong-il are psychological: face, glory and US recognition. For full story click here
Hongkong: The mania for Chinese bank shares not only looks a dubious investment but defines the excess global liquidity created by the US & China. For full story click here
Hongkong: The Malay elite is giving Islam and Malaysia a bad name, clinging on to racial privileges and silencing those who claim NEP goals have been reached. For full story click here
Hongkong: International alarm over the North Korean nuclear test is not reflected by financial markets, even in east Asia. The markets are most likely right. For full story click here
Hongkong: Asia will welcome Abe's desire for Japan to play a larger role. History and current interests explain why most do not share the fears of China. For full story click here
Hongkong: A stronger central government (and Communist Party) may be needed to address China's pollution, water, corruption and wealth distribution issues. For full story click here
Hongkong: The Thai coup is the result of the failure of three parties to follow democratic rules. One is Thaksin, another the Democrats and the third: a power hungry palace. For full story click here
Jakarta: President Yudhoyono's first two years have seen unity and stability achieved by balancing forces. But more decisive leadership is also needed. For full story click here
Jakarta: Sending 1,000 peacekeepers to Lebanon is evidence of Indonesia's desire to projectitself and Muslim moderation and pluralism in the Middle East. For full story click here
Hongkong: Malaysia's identification of Malays with Muslims looks increasingly at odds with Islam and national unity, particularly vis a vis Sabah and Sarawak For full story click here
Cebu: A dirty war between the government and NPA rebels is less noticed than Muslim insurgency but is more dangerous to democracy and the rle of law. For full story click here
Cebu: As Doha stumbles, APEC members needs to face trade reality not take refuge in the "noodle bowl" of competing so-called Free Trade Agreements. For full story click here
Hongkong: Australia's John Howard is to fight yet another election. But is he pushing his luck a little too far given the possibility of an early end to a golden decade? For full story click here
Hongkong: China needs bolder steps to slow investment.Forcing profitable state companies to pay dividends to fund social spending would help greatly. For full story click here
Hongkong: Near collapse of the Doha Round is very dangerous given trade imbalances, a plague of bilateral deals and the demands of global demographics. For full story click here
Hongkong: Japan and the US have got a verbal UN condemnation of Pyongyang's missile tests. But Japan's domestically hard-line irritates Seoul and Beijing. For full story click here
Tokyo: After years of no inflation, Japan is exceptionally competitive. It is only a matter of time before the Yen makes a desirable great leap forward of 25% or more. For full story click here
Tokyo: Japan's is looking to boost its birth rate. But economics as much as social policies may be to blame for low fertility in almost all industrialised countries. For full story click here
Taipei: President Chen will survive noisy politics but under the table deals and all-party corruption in the legislature sully Taiwan's economy and democracy. For full story click here
Hongkong: King Bhumipol's 60-years should be a reminder of the unresolved issues of the succession and the relationship between monarchy and democracy. For full story click here
Hongkong: China is channelling new religious fervour in ways which do not threaten the supposedly Marxist state.Buddhism is best but national Catholics are OK too. For full story click here
Hongkong: The vanishing toothfish tale is a reminder of the destruction of the stocks of the South China Sea and western Pacific by uncontrolled fishing. For full story click here
Manila: Economic optimism reigns despite coupe threat thanks to fiscal and current account gains. But feeble investment and social stress cloud the longer term. For full story click here
Hongkong: Singapore's PAP has won another sweeping election victory. But the voting suggests growing uncertainty of the regime future after Lee Kuan Yew. For full story click here
Manila: The Asian Development Bank is trying to play a more active role in regional trade and financial issues, including a warning against the plethora of FTAs. For full story click here
Hongkong: Friction between Japan, China and Korea over uninhabited islands reminds of the dangers of nationalism as US hemgemony in NE Asia recedes. For full story click here
Hongkong: Maoist chaos in Nepal has reminded prompted Manmohan Singh to focus on India's growing problems with Naxalites in backward north central provinces. For full story click here
Hongkong: Despite good intentions Abdullah has done little to reverse racial privilege and religious intolerance and make Malaysia competitive in a secular world. For full story click here
Sydney: Wen Jiabao's visit is a reminder of the increasing complexity of Australian policy as it tries to balance relations with the US, China, Japan, Indonesia. For full story click here
Hongkong: China and the US could ease economic frictions if they recognised that currency issues are global and avoided FTA competition which damages the WTO. For full story click here
Hongkong: The visit of Bangladesh prime minister to Delhi is an overdue sign that the subcontinent, especially India, can put economic interests before political squabbles. For full story click here
Kuala Lumpur: Two years on, Abdullah has failed to capitalise on his election triumph. But the 9th Malaysia Plan provides an opportunity to match words with deeds.For full story click here
Hongkong: China's measures to reduce urban/rural income gaps is a palliative. The cure lies in freeing up movement of people, and allowing peasants to sell their land. For full story click here
Hongkong: Bush's visit to India and Pakistan shows how improving bilateral relations can be counterproductive for big issues -- nuclear proliferation and Kashmir. For full story click here
Hongkong: Fed chairman Bernanke's theory about excess Asian savings causing the US trade deficit will be exposed by Japan and rising Asian consumption. For full story click here
Hongkong: Manila, again in turmoil, has lessons for Thailand in what not to do to promote constitutional democracy and the rule of the ballot box and the law. For full story click here
Hongkong: Bi-partisan US opposition to Dubai's P&O ports purchase reveals much ignorance and prejudice and raises questions about US financial commitments. For full story click here
Hongkong: An Asian should be the next UN Secretary General. But no candidate so far is ideal and national rivalries could mean Asia misses out to an east European. For full story click here
Doha: East Asia and India have good reason to want to cool western hostility to Iran. Their dependence on gulf oil far exceeds the US and even Europe and is rising. For full story click here
Doha: Oil money is funding new ideas and buildings. But the Middle East lacks the cooperation, demographics and manufacturing links to create needed jobs. For full story click here
Davos: The World Economic Forum accurately reflects western perceptions of the world and the China/India surge but other perspectives are missing, For full story click here
Davos: Low interest rates are supposed to be beneficial for economic growth. But they are creating assetbubbles today and pension crises tomorrow. For full story click here
Hongkong: The Iran nuclear issue is exposing the weakness of the west as energy needs drive the clout of China and India who can live with a nuclear Iran. For full story click here
Hongkong: Australia is least noticed of the big Anglo-Saxon debtors. But its 6% of GDP current deficit despite huge terms of trade gains is shocking. For full story click here
Hongkong: Western views of economic freedom and competitiveness are often bizarre.indices putting HK and Singapore on top ignore basic domestic realities. For full story click here
Hongkong: Badawi's efforts to push a inclusive, modern Islam suitable for Malaysia's ethnic mix is in trouble from entrenched religious/political interests. For full story click here
Hongkong: China's GDP revise is no surprise and the boom will continue for now. But the Soviet Union and Brazil remind that stunning growth spurts do not all endure. For full story click here
Hongkong: The WTO ministerial made scant progress against EU intransigence but developing country unity and commitment to freer trade was a silver lining. For full story click here
Hongkong: The first East Asia Summit was a defeat for China. India and Australia inclusion and spats with Japan were reminders of why the US still matters. For full story click here
Bangkok: The King has lectured Thaksin on tolerance of criticism. But underlying this is a conflict between liberal and authoritarian populist democracy. For full story click here
Geneva: Economics, technology and demographics spur increasing migration. But few governments face up to hard issues of choice and cohesion. For full story click here
Hongkong: Remittances matter to hundreds of millions of the poor. But crude and ineffective anti-terror, anti-money laundering rules are a huge burden. For full story click here
Hongkong: 30-years on, another attempt is being made to develop a Non-Aligned News Network. News diversity is needed but not from state propaganda machines. For full story click here
Hongkong: Summits in Busan, Dhaka and KLshow up the weakness of regional groupings and emphasise why the WTO meeting is vital and needs higher level support. For full story click here
Hongkong: Singapore has a large underclass, mostly non-Chinese. At the bottom, foreign domestic helpers who may now be entitled to one day off a month! For full story click here
Hongkong: Media scares stories that bird flu will likely mutate and cause a pandemic killing millions are more alarmism than science. Fear is the bigger threat. For full story click here
Hongkong: The EU farm position is not just threatening Doha but shows it unable to negotiate as a single entity.Trade partners may need to re-think how to deal with it. For full story click here
Sydney: Australian plans for further "anti-terror" legislation are a major threat to liberties.With Labor silent, former Liberal PM Malcolm Fraser is unlikely lead critic For full story click here
Hongkong: Chief Executive Tsang should be closely quizzed by US and British hosts on trade, competition, environment, autonomy and constitutional issues. For full story click here
Hongkong: Treasury Secretary Snow has again missed the point. China is just part of global trade and currency imbalances which involve the whole of East Asia. For full story click here
Hongkong: The UN's migration report is mostly waffle -- a missed opportunity to get to grips with one of the world's biggest, most complex issues. For full story click here
Hongkong: Taiwan's failure to buy promised US arms is straining the relationship. It must overcome misgivings and show willingness to defend itself. For full story click here
Dandong, China: Korean reunification? Think Shenzhen not Germany.The economic cost to the South need not be as great as usually assumed. For full story click here
Hongkong: Mammon trumps ethics. Yahoo's kowtow to China threatens freedom of information and compounded by its push to have it own correspondents. For full story click here
Hongkong: Talk of another Asian economic crisis is nonsense. High oil prices hurt and subsidies should go but external positions are strong and stimulus needed. For full story click here
Hongkong: Long term global fall-out from US response to Katrina is likely. Will it end the housing/consumption boom, bring back thrift or spur protectionism? For full story click here
Yalu River: The 100th anniversary of the Russo-Japanese war end is reminder of power shifts in NE Asia and the dangers of frustrating new powers. For full story click here
Hongkong: Korean effort to raise fertility reminds that demographics in Confucian NE Asia are even worse than Europe. But SE Asia is different. For full story click here
Hongkong: Sino-Russian military excercises are not so much a sign of friendship but an opportunistic display which underscores US over-stretch. For full story click here
Hongkong: China's currency policy remains a puzzle. An announced basket suggests very slow appreciation. But the yuan is not following the basket. For full story click here
Kuala Lumpur: Forty years after Singapore's expulsion from Malaysia the two are wider apart but still have enough common interests to stay friendly enough rivals. For full story click here
Kuala Lumpur: Abdullah Badawi has been slow to make changes. But UMNO, Ringgit and Proton show that there is now momentum behind reform. For full story click here
Hongkong: How will a rising China use its power? For southeast Asia, the 600th anniversary of Zheng He's voyages reminds of Ming imperial tendencies. For full story click here
Hongkong: China's de-pegging is the belated start of Asian currency adjustment to reflect economic power. But timidity and mercantilism still impede change. For full story click here
Bangkok: Thaksin's extraordinary powers in the South deserve and get strong criticism. Corruption and autocratic methods are also under attack by a revived opposition. For full story click here
Hongkong: The EU may be in trouble but few doubt its relevance. ASEAN is a different story as Myanmar tests whether it is more than a geographical expression. For full story click here
Hongkong: Arroyo is badly wounded by the desertion of cabinet, Cory and business. But all is not lost thanks to Ramos. Constitutional change may be the silver lining. For full story click here
Hongkong: Claiming the Islamic world's is in particular denial of AIDS is bigoted and contradicted by realities in Asia where Burma, India and China score worst. For full story click here
Hongkong: Sharks and whales are an East-West dispute over what is proper to eat. Dogs, pangolins and horses are also issues of taste, emotion and conservation. For full story click here
Hongkong: Cardinal Sin played major roles in the removal of Marcos and Estrada. But this political priest was a major obstacle to badly needed family planning. For full story click here
Hongkong: CNOOC's bid for Unocal underscores both the contradictions in US/ China attitudes to each other and the dangers of their giant trade imbalance. For full story click here
Hongkong: The failure of the of the EU constitution is reminder that that Asia is several sub-continents, not one, and that regional pacts must have popular support. For full story click here
Hongkong: Arroyo is hoist on the same petard as her predecessor -- jueteng. The problem lies with the Philippine constitution as well as with the political class. For full story click here
Hongkong: The "election" of Donald Tsang by 800 voters is not just a foregone conclusion. It is showing up his authoritarian instincts and flexible principles.For full story click here
Hongkong: Australian popular reaction to the trial and conviction of a young women drug smuggler shows the country at its arrogant worst. For full story click here
Meanwhile Singapore: English usage in Asia may be peaking. But what can replace it? Chinese, maybe. But Malay and or even Tamil may thrive. For full story click here
Phuket: Insurgency not jihad. See southern Thai Muslim/Malay troubles as a product of history and Bangkok policies from Pibul to Thaksin. For full story click here
Hongkong: Chinese export tariffs are one of many current political assaults on the WTO and multilateralism in trade. The trend must be reversed. For full story click here
Hongkong: Taiwan's election suggests little change in the political balance despite the high profile visits of Lien Chan and James Soong to China. For full story click here
Dhaka: Bangladesh's economy is a paradox -- or the triumph of individual effort and group social initiative over nature and corrupt, incompetent government. For full story click here
Hongkong: KMT leader Lien Chan's visit is a propaganda coup for Beijing but do not expect a cross-straits breakthrough or big shift in Taiwan's stance. For full story click here
Hongkong: China and the US are on a collision course as hubris and over-expectations blind both to sustainable economic and trade policies.For full story click here
Hongkong: Australia's relations with Asia provide an insight into the jockeying for position as some countries seek to balance China's role in the region. For full story click here
Dhaka: Problems of political violence, fundamentalism and corruption have been growing. But overall Bangladesh remains a secular, open society. For full story click here
Hongkong: China's verbal onslaught on Japan contrasts with smooth words in South Asia. But India will also suffer from lack of Security Council expansion. For full story click here
Dhaka: Wen Jiabao's south Asian tour highlights dilemmas for India in dealing with its neigbors, particularly a Bangladesh feeling Delhi is a bully. For full story click here
Bangkok: Most of ASEAN at last is impatient with a Myanmar which is embarassing them. But the generals are stubborn and do not lack for friends. For full story click here
Hongkong: Condi Rice's tour of Asia underlines the conflicting elements of US foreign policy with too many agendas and a Mideast bias. For full story click here
Hongkong: Black is white in interpreting Hong Kong's Basic Law. The HK succession shows that for Beijing convenience matters more than words. For full story click here
Hongkong: Cricket and a bus service in Kashmir are hopeful signs. But the Indus waters may be the biggest barrier to Indo-Pak cooperation. For full story click here
Hongkong: The political system's faults are glaring. How to get a better leader than Tung Chee-hwa able to deal with Beijing and tycoons? For full story click here
Hongkong: The joint US/Japan reference to the Taiwan issue highlights the likely costs to Beijing of placing Taiwan too high on its agenda For full story click here
Bangkok: Pres. Yudhoyono's visit to KL underlines the scope, difficulties and opportunities of income and demography-driven migration within ASEAN. For full story click here
Hongkong: The Thai election is not about the result. Will Thaksin learn wisdom or further his tendencies to a money-centric populist authoritarianism.For full story click here
Hongkong: The Dhaka SAARC summit postponement says a lot about India's inability to put bright regional prospects above bilateral disputes . For full story click here
Davos: Western bias forgets there are more Muslims in the east than the Middle East and Asia has different priorities than Iran's nukes or Israel/Palestine. For full story click here
Davos: World Economic Forum is a misnomer. It is mainly a meeting of Europeans and North Americans. Asian giants are conspicuously absent. For full story click here
Hongkong: Zhao Ziyang's death is a reminder that the causes of Tiananmen are again evident. So current leaders will continue to fear liberalism. For full story click here
Hongkong: Debt relief is a bad way to help tsunami-hit nations But it opens the way for similar help for other countries hurt by natural calamities. For full story click here
New Delhi: The tsunami has been a reminder of India's neglect of its eastern seaboard and the role that twin coastlines should play for the nation. For full story click here
Sydney: Howard may be a very ordinary man but his near record stretch as PM says much about his understanding of a conservative, suburban electorate. For full story click here
Hanoi: Vietnam is doing well enough. But it must raise its game to keep up with neighbours and face the reforms associated with WTO membership. For full story click here
New Delhi: India is emerging from its Pakistan obsession, more confident and aware of its strategic need to build Asian links and economic power. For full story click here
Hongkong: The 2004 ASEAN summit has avoided awkward issues and ignored currency values. But it has been another win for Chinese diplomacy. For full story click here
Meanwhile Hochiminh: The scale of old Saigon is giving way to overpowering high rises. Better to follow other Asian cities by creating new districts For full story click here
Hongkong: Euro-Asia exchange rates are moving to centre stage. Europe is hurting but Asian currencies are beginning to reflect economic strength. For full story click here
Meanwhile: Hongkong's grand cultural vision to many looks like a massive apartment project with the terms rigged for favored developers. For full story click here
Meanwhile: The death of the Far Eastern Economic Review is cause for much lament and soul searching about originial regional journalism. For full story click here
Hongkong: The deaths of 84 Thai Muslims is not a local affair. Thaksin's attitudes invite extremism and threaten relations with Malaysia and ASEAN. For full story click here
Hongkong: Chinese are getting bigger but so is the rural-urban physique gap. Obesity and road deaths offset many advances in nutrition. For full story click here
London: Britain has woken up to its pensions gap. But like Europe and unlike Asia will not face the issue of how to raise the birth rate. For full story click here
Hongkong: Japan's more forward defense posture is under fire, especially by China. But it is a realistic response to China and a changing NE Asia. For full story click here
Hongkong: Shanghai's Grand Prix and the Party's latest platform point up the contradictions of Chinese "socialism" -- and its new ideology, patriotism. For full story click here
Seoul: Ideology and exhortation are no way to stop nuclear proliferation. Only self-interest can trump the inevitable growth of know-how. For full story click here
Hongkong: The winner will lose the Hongkong election.Victory is assured for narrow interest groups. The better democrats do the more difficult Beijing may be. For full story click here
Hongkong: Which Anwar has been released? Will he improve on his mixed record on human rights, religion , reform and money politics. For full story click here
Hongkong: Philippines needs a financial crisis to force it and and its lenders to face fiscal reality -- or will get a much bigger one later. For full story click here
Hongkong: Recent Asian history has been re-written by politicians.But Koreans may not be the only one to find that truth can catch up. For full story click here
Hongkong: Can Lee Hsien Loong lead Singapore into a freer, more entrepreneurial, innovative future or is he stuck with his father's system and institutions? For full story click here
Hongkong: Malaysia's reputation for modernity could be in danger from pro-Muslim laws and lack of free choice. Pro-Malay economic policies complicate the issue. For full story click here
Hongkong: China's steep grain price increase could be as important as oil, minerals and easy money in sparking a new inflation which will reach the west. For full story click here
Hongkong: Philippine nationalism and populism lie behind decision to succumb to threats and pull troops from Iraq despite the cost to US relations. For full story click here
Hongkong: The crown jewels of corporate Korea have mostly fallen into foreign hands. But a weak currency and local rules are the main culprit.For story click here
Hongkong: The Malay world is now largely democratic. Could populist Malay self-awareness revive Maphilindo and create new regional dynamics? For full story click here
Hongkong: The July 1 demonstration again surprised Beijing but local misgovernment lies at the root of the demand for democracy. For full story click here
Sydney: The coming election might have echoes of 1966 and 1972 landslides linked to foreign policy.More likely marginal differences on domestic issues will decide it. For full story click here
Hongkong: The EU's fixation with Burma and Suu Kyi is hypocritical and arrogant. It angers ASEAN while simultaneous silence over Zhao Ziyang and Singapore is deafening. For full story click here
Hongkong: The G8 summit is outdated, irrelevant and arrogant. The world today needs a G10 with China, India, Brazil and S.Africa, or G15 with Indonesia, Korea, Mexico etc. For full story click here
Hongkong: Currency revaluation not credit controls or interest rates hikes is the way for Asia, especially China to offset the high oil price and stimulate consumption. For full story click here
Manila: Arroyo's has a mandate and six years to tackle a tax averse elite, issues-averse politicians and family planning averse church. Can she reverse national decline? For full story click here
Manila: International migration is Asia-centric. Governments mostly ignore its evils, but demographics and economics ensure it will flourish and on balance be positive. For full story click here
Hongkong: India's election surprise is more a usual reaction against incumbents than a rural protest. Elsewhere in Asia rural voters matter but don't make the agenda. For full story click here
Hongkong: Belt-tightening by Beijing does not spell trouble for Asia. The new China myth ignores the region's diversity and underlying export and savings strengths. For full story click here
Hongkong: Indonesia's legislative election has gone smoothly.The results show good sense: Megawati is the loser, Golkar is stalled and clean government is in demand. For full story click here
Meanwhile: Hongkong: Hong Kong, Xianggang, etc are the tip of an iceberg of confusion over Romanisation and translation of state and city names and spellings. For full story click here
Hongkong: Britain says it is fighting for democracy in Iraq but does nothing to protect Hongkong's liberties and self-government promised in the Joint Declaration. For full story click here
Hongkong: Blaming el-Qaida for all revolts by oppressed Muslims is the Arab fanatics' best recruiting tool. It has few natural allies, but Bush is creating them. For full story click here
Hongkong: Electoral politics is getting messy (Taiwan and Korea) or may produce little benefit (Philippines, Indonesia). But it still beats China's system. For full story click here
Jakarta: Outsiders may be obsessed about Islamic extremism, but in democratic Muslim southeast Asia Islamic issues take a back seat to secular battles for power and spoils. For full story click here
Sydney: The Spanish election has shocked Howard's government. Iraq and a combative new Labor leader pose a threat to Bush's closest non-European ally. For full story click here
Hongkong: The NPC shows that leaders understand China's key problem but are making scant progress in addressing power and income imbalances. For full story click here
Hongkong: Their passport histories show the hypocrisy of leading businessmen now claiming to be Chinese patriots. They are a danger to Hongkong. For full story click here
Hongkong: Asians should be beginning to worry about the security of their gigantic holdings of US debt. History shows that obligations are subject to rules changes. For full story click here
Meanwhile: SARS, ebola etc are sparking out-of-proportion responses. So did plague in the 19th century. An earlier Bowring's views on useless but despotic quarantines. For full story click here
Hongkong: Beijing's resort to "patriotism" to fight Hongkong's demands for representative government shows Leninism runs deep in the Communist party. For full story click here
Hongkong: Abdullah Badawi's early days as PM show a quiet determination to clean house.. But elections will show if he can build a new consensus. For full story click here
Hongkong: Prime Minister Thaksin has many admirers in Asia countries with less dynamic leadership, but after three years success may be going to his head. For full story click here
Meanwhile in Hongkong: The maiden voyage of the QM2 is exactly 32 years after the death the Queen Elizabeth in a still mysterious fire while C.H. Tung was aboard. For full story click here
Taipei: Mr Bush's scolding is an embarassment, but President Chen's referendum issue has shifted the center of Taiwan politics. Beijing and the US must take note. For full story click here
Jakarta: Aceh presents a grim picture. But do not expect domestic or international pressures to have much impact on a democratic Indonesia set on unity above all else. For full story click here
Hongkong: World concern about China's exporting might is being matched by China's concern about its resources needs.Strategic and financial implications are huge. For full story click here
Hongkong: Resounding defeat for pro-government parties and a high voter turnout show that people want democracy, and a check on crony and bureaucratic power. For full story click here
London: Bush's visit is divisive, weakening strong trans-Atlantic bonds. He commands little respect and reminds Britons of their own subservience to his Iraq policy. For full story click here
Hongkong: Philippine democracy is in trouble. A move against the chief justice is the latest problem. The president is weak but it is the structure which is the root cause. For full story click here
Mahe, Seychelles: Former Marxist Albert Rene is still President 26 years after his coup. But a currency black market signals problems and maybe time for change. For full story click here
Kuala Lumpur: Dr Mahathir is finally leaving. A look at the what drove his remarkable career, and why his successor Abdullah Badawi is so different. For full story click here
Kuala Lumpur: Malaysia has focussed the OIC summit on business and modernisation,and given a reminder that most Muslims do not live in the Middle East. For full story click here
Hongkong: ASEAN is never lacking for long term free trade visions. But nationalism dominates current issues such as currencies. The APEC summit is unlikely to help. For full story click here
Hongkong: The failure at Cancun and Asian currency valuations put China in a key position to to end the WTO impasse and avoid currency driven a trade war. For full story click here
Hongkong: Foreign media assumptions of the guilt of alleged Islamic terror leader Abu Bakar Basyir ignore the evidence, anger Indonesians and help extremists. For full story click here
Beijing: Yuan revaluation will come before long but the US would do better to explain the benefits for China, and the need for the rest of east Asia to follow. For full story click here
Hongkong: The death of the governor of Sahkalin is a setback for efforts to revive the Russian far east. Oil and gas are the base but mining and tourism could come too. For full story click here
London: A "perfect storm" is brewing as the young are threatened by the excessive benefits, too-early retirement and underfunded pensions of the baby boomers. For full story click here
Hongkong: Hambali's capture is a bonus. But its significance is exaggerated and US unwillingness to hand him over for trial in Asia is counter-productive. For full story click here
Hongkong: Thailand's repayment of IMF loans signals of how far the wheel of fortune has turned since 1997. But Asia must not be smug about the West's excesses. For full story click here
Hongkong: The Yuan's value has become central to resolving huge US and global trade imbalances. Where China's undervalued currency goes, Asia will follow. For full story click here
Hongkong: Australia's foray into the Solomons is more than a police action.It reflects a US-centric shift which is undermining its efforts to link closer to Asian. For full story click here
Hongkong: The July 1 demonstration was a quiet revolution against unrepresentative as well as incompetent government. Beijing has kept cool but has real worries. For full story click here
Hongkong: Half a million people on the streets. Premier Wen Jiabao missed the demo but got the message of Tung's incompetence and the implications for the mainland. For full story click here
Hongkong: Closer Economic Partnership Arrangment (CEPA) with China is a feel-good deal which has minimal benefits and undermines Hongkong's trade autonomy. For full story click here
Geneva: Developing countries must unite against the EU. The Franco-German stitch-up of its Common Agricultural Policy threatens the whole Doha trade agenda. For full story click here
Hongkong: Detention of Aung San Suu Kyi is an affront to foreign efforts at conciliation. ASEAN must distance itself from Myanmar's junta and its bizarre economics. For full story click here
Manila: Mrs Arroyo's standing has been raised by her US visit and lack of attractive presidential may induce her to run in 2004. But governance problems in the Philippines run deep. For full story click here
Hongkong: Hysteria is rising as SARS and terror threats are blown out of proportion by media and officialdom. Lack of perspective on risk is a global danger. For full story click here
Flash backs: In response to a reader's accusation of being "wise after the event" of financial sector disasters, two 1999 IHT columns which were previously not posted on this site are now here. They concern investment bank/broker/auditor/media etc conflicts of interest in promoting the bull market. For November 1999 column click here and for March 1999 column click here
Manila: Mrs Arroyo's state visit to the US is reward for support for the Iraq and terrorism wars. But there are dangers for both sides, and she is lame duck. For full story click here
Hongkong: Asian undervaluation, now partly SARS-drive, has been exacerbated by the rise of the Euro etc. Appreciation of Yen, Yuan etc is unavoidable to shrink the US deficit.For full story click here
Hongkong: The biggest danger of SARS may be economic-- impact on the one previously robust region of growth, Asia.Foreign over-reaction is partly responsible. For full story click here
Hongkong: Reactions to SARS have shown varying characteristics of government and society in Asia. Will they learn from the drawbacks of secrecy or hysteria? For full story click here
Hongkong: The WHO is in the forefront of the SARS battle but it has another on its hands too -- a US food industry trying to sabotage its anti-obesity campaign. For full story click here
Hongkong: The Iraq war was unpopular throughout Asia, but its impact on strategic thinking in Asia will now depend more on US post-war policies and attitudes.For full story click here
Hongkong: Over-reaction to the SARS virus could be at least as dangerous as the virus itself. Fear of the unknown exceeds the virulence of the virus. For full story click here
Hongkong: Reponse to the pneumonia epidemic is just the latest example of failure by an incompetent, self-serving, mean and racist administration. For full story click here
Hongkong: Why are anglophones keen on war with Iraq? Could the dominance of English have led to imperialist assumptions on the part of Australia and Britain? For full story click here
Geneva: Europe has a crisis of demography, asylum seeking and immigration. But events post 9/11, and now the Iraq war, are holding up a realistic approach to it. For full story click here
Geneva: Forget el-Qaida, the big threat to rich and middle income nations is not terrorism or smoking. Poor diet is causing a pandemic of diabetes and circulatory diseases. For full story click here
Hongkong: US troops in Sulu may help Bush image at home but not aaborad. It will exacerbate bigger insurgency problems and underlines Arroyo's weakness. For full story click here
London: The Blair government's attitude from everything from hunting with dogs, to democracy, to truth to war on Iraq reflects Orwell's Animal Farm, 1984, Burmese days etc. For full story click here
London: East and West are drifting apart. Iraq, the UN, Davos, Porto Alegre are showing how interests differ and how Asia's economic self-confidence is influencing attitudes. For full story click here
Davos: North Korea's nuclear moves are serious but they could well be the prelude to major change, if other countries pay hefty bills to prop Kim's economic reform. For full story click here
Dhaka: Relations with India are strained as Hindu communalism, border problems and fallout from Afghanistan put pressure on a secular, moderate Muslim Bangladesh. For full story click here
Meanwhile: Dhaka: Things are looking up in Asia's poorest mega city. Pollution has been slashed and crime is down thanks to controversial draconian measures.For full story click here
Bangkok: Taksin's two years in office have seen economic progress and increased political stability. But one is a legacy and the other a source of unsettling intolerance. For full story click here
Hongkong: President Arroyo's decision not to run in 2004 is both a reminder of the problems created by the way she came to power, and an opportunity to try to make reforms work. For full story click here
Hongkong: Cautious regional unity shown by China, Japan, South Korea and Russia in response to North Korea has benefited the US and set an example over Iraq. For full story click here
Hongkong: A greater maturity in Asia has been shown by disperate events -- Korean election, possible peace in Aceh and other acceptance of outside mediation. For full story click here
Hongkong: Currency tensions are building as the dollar falls,Japan wants a weaker yen, China sticks to a dollar peg which squeeze the rest of Asia. Needed: a new Plaza accord.For full story click here
Sydney: Comfort and prosperity assumptions have been shaken by drought and Bali. Australia thinks about Muslims, multiculturalism and migration policy. For full story click here
Hongkong: Anti-subversion legislation is needed by the Basic Law but vague wording says more about Hongkong's crony-based political structure than about Beijing pressure. For full story click here
Hongkong: As the Korea demonstrates, deterrence and alliances, not pre-emption, are the best security against the unstoppable spread of weapons of mass destruction. For full story click here
Hongkong: Convincing prosecution of the real Bali culprits is needed to overcome local plot theories, western prejudices and regional use of the tragedy for political ends. For full story click here
Hongkong: EU horse trading on agriculture is a major blow to farm trade reform and hence to developing country acceptance of freer trade, and a blow to EU economies. For full story click here
Meanwhile: A victim of the Bali bombers, Ed Waller,26, was their antithesis:- friend to all, optimist, enthusiast, internationalist. Follow his spirit: keep going to Bali, to bars. For full story click here
Kuala Lumpur: Asian belief in globalization is waning because of external events -- China, OECD, waning FDI -- rather than ideology. Do substitutes exist? For full story click here
Hongkong: There is almost no support in Asia for Bush's Iraq policies, and concern that the shift from deterrence to pre-emption will cause problems for Asian allies. For full story click here
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky: The eastern tip of Eurasia, once a closed area, may get an boost from tourism and mining. But questions remain over Russia's long term hold. For full story click here
London: Tony Blair's zeal for following President Bush on Iraq keeps him on the world stage but could add to domestic failings and be his undoing. For full story click here
Hongkong: On the September 11 anniversay, Asians find their sympathy for the US eroded by time, by Iraq and other aspects of unilateralism. For full story click here
Seoul: Korea's stock market recovery could stall in the short term, but lower investment, emphasis on profits, and pension reform could give it a golden decade. For full story click here
Sydney: Australia offers much that Asians can admire and profit from. But over-eagerness to play a global role in tune with America limits its regional clout. For full story click here
Hongkong: Brazil underlines the fickle behaviour of international banks and US talk of Saudi asset freeze may frightens others, especially China, into selling US assets. For full story click here.
Hongkong: The "war on terror" looks ragged. Indonesian Islamic extremism is exaggerated while the NPA and MILF gain ground in the Philippines. The US should stay out. For full story click here
Seoul: Resumption of dialogue between North and South and major economic changes by Pyongyang are very significant, forcing the US to move beyond "axis of evil" talk. For full story click here
Hongkong: Wall Street's tumble has been mild by Asian standards. Cycles imply reversion to a mean. The Dow and Dollar were in orbit. Now they are re-entering reality. For full story click here
Hongkong: Washington has woken up to China's increasedability to threaten Taiwan.. But its post September 11 agenda is too diverse for a focussed, long term China policy. For full story click here
Hongkong: North Korea is nuisance for the South and useful "evil" for the US, but it is a bigger headache for friend and neighbour. Can China change anything there? For full story click here
Kuala Lumpur: Mahathir is committed to retire. But will be use his last months to build party unity or for a final push for modernisation of Malays by reducing their preferences.For full story click here
Hongkong: Brazil could be the latest emerging market casualty. Has nothing been learned since the Asian crisis? Its past time to address the failings of the system. For full story click here.
Hongkong: The World Cup has come the occasion for short sighted policies in defence of local vested interests: trying to criminalise rather than capitalise on internet betting. For full story click here
Hongkong: Big powers should avoid small wars. The India-Pakistan confrontation and the Abu Sayyaf illustrate the uses and abuses of overwhelming US power. For full story click here
Moscow: Fear of Islam has created a bond between Russia, China and the West with several immediate benefits.But economic advances must now have priority if Russia's relations with the west are to be cemented. For full story click here
Hongkong: East Asia has its difficulties but it looks to have fewer fundamental political problems than other regions and economies which are proving their worth. The World Cup will provide