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East Asia Forum

September

People check out Huawei’s new smartphone in Beijing. Ultimately, reflation hangs on revived consumer confidence.

China’s had deflation before. This is what it needs to do this time

Balance sheet issues were central to the contraction in previous deflationary episodes, and the resolution of these was key. Policymakers should focus on that.

  • Updated
  • Huw McKay

August

Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin in Beijing earlier this year. In China, Russia and many parts of the Global South there is suspicion that the rules-based order is really a liberal order crafted after the Second World War, largely to suit the purposes of Western powers.

Australia should focus on rules, not ‘rules-based order’, in Asia

Support for the transition from a US-led world to a multipolar world is gaining traction.

  • Anthony Milner

June

The Qingdao container port in China’s Shandong province.

Global supply chains at risk without new WTO rules for digital trade

The World Trade Organisation, despite its flaws, remains the only single vehicle able to attract multilateral participation, and business needs it more than ever.

  • John Denton
Narendra Modi, right, is sworn-in as prime minister in New Delhi.

Modi faces skills shortage in India superpower vision

Narendra Modi, sworn-in as prime minister on Sunday, must adopt a paradigm shift in development to lift millions out of poverty and accelerate India’s growth.

  • Updated
  • Rojan Joshi
A BYD Denza Z9 GT EV at the Beijing Auto Show in April. US tariffs on Chinese EVs are particularly punitive.

History will judge the new era of US protectionism harshly

The unseemly contest by Joe Biden and Donald Trump to outdo each other in trade protectionism will make the world become less prosperous and more unpredictable.

  • Gary Hufbauer
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May

Geely’s electric vehicles bound for shipment to Europe at the Port of Taicang.

US, China protectionism race benefits no one

To counter competition from China, the United States is becoming more like China, and Australia and other nations have joined the game.

  • Shiro Armstrong
A Geely Zeekr 001 EV at the Zeekr Centre in Shanghai. The shift in the US approach towards China from engagement to full-throttle competition is no longer in doubt.

The US-China trade war has helped polarise ASEAN

Regardless of their alignment or dependence on one side or the other, South-East Asian states need to stay focused on their common regional interests.

  • Joseph C. Liow
Lawrence Wong is set to become Singapore’s new prime minister.

‘Nothing to see here’ as Singapore gets new PM

Lawrence Wong is considered a safe pair of hands. But Singapore is facing many challenges that need radical new ideas rather than technocratic continuity.

  • Michael Barr
Japan suffers from a severe labour shortage that will be exacerbated over the coming decades, creating problems in different sectors of the economy.

Japan’s outdated policies keep too many women out of workforce

Japan has few options to prevent the labour supply from diminishing to a disastrous level. The underutilised potential of women offers room to lift productivity. 

  • Updated
  • Sagiri Kitao

April

South Korea’s President Yoon Suk-yeol suffered a blow at recent elections.

South Korea’s president faces revolt over US security ties

After his party’s loss in parliamentary elections, Yoon Suk-yeol is under pressure over his pivot to a stronger US alliance and perceived anti-China policies.

  • Daniel Sneider
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How long before the yen is again a safe-haven bet?

If inflation remains positive and interest rates continue to rise, the yen is likely to eventually strengthen.

  • Shiro Armstrong
President Xi Jinping. China’s twin goals of economic modernisation and internal stability are inextricably linked, but circumstances and leadership calculations change the weight given to each objective.

China has prioritised security over economic growth

The US must avoid setting its strategic goals in a way that implies it is trying to keep China eternally weak and isolated.

  • Updated
  • David Lampton and Thomas Fingar

March

A molten salt tower solar thermal power station in Jiuquan, China.

Crackdown on China’s solar industry casts long shadow

Proving China’s solar supply chains are free from forced labour is onerous, with a lack of trust and transparency on all sides raising geopolitical tensions.

  • Joseph Negrine
Fumio Kishida

Kishida likely casualty in Japan’s political slush fund scandal

Japan’s prime minister is unlikely to survive beyond the end of his term as LDP leader in September.

  • Ben Ascione
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Philippines President Ferdinand R Marcos jnr last week.

ASEAN must anchor regional security through co-operation

Australia needs ASEAN leaders now, more than ever, to be an effective anchor for security in the region.

  • Peter Drysdale and Mari Pangestu
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February

Japan’s new entrepreneurs could save its economy

Today, talented young adults are more willing to risk leaving a big company, and good firms are more willing to make mid-career hires.

  • Richard Katz
South Korean K-Pop group NewJeans. Feminism is being wrongly blamed for South Korea’s falling birth rate.

South Korea’s fertility crisis could shift regional power balances

The Asian nation has the worst fertility rate in the world. Without radical changes, sustaining the country’s formidable military posture will become impossible.

  • Dylan Motin

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/topic/east-asia-forum-6gje