East Asia
Behind the smiles
There has been an unusual burst of diplomatic activity between Beijing and Pyongyang in recent months, capped by Xi Jinping's visit to Pyongyang in June. As Xi prepares for talks with Donald Trump again in September, Howard Zhang questions why Beijing is redefining its relationship with North Korea and how that plays into the wider US-China competition for influence over the peninsula.
The shrinking dragon: China's population crisis
Three years ago, China lost its status as the world's most populous nation to India, a crossover driven as much by India's continued growth as by China's population shrinkage. Rahul Jaywant Bhise examines measures Beijing is using to fight a demographic decline that is alarming the country's leaders.
Japan’s chrysanthemum paradox
Japan stands at a historic crossroads. Deep within the stone walls of the Imperial Palace, an existential crisis is unfolding that pits 1,500 years of tradition against the demographic realities of the 21st century. At the heart of this controversial debate is an increasingly urgent question: should women be allowed to ascend the Chrysanthemum Throne? From Tokyo, Yoshiteru Uramoto reports.
South Korea in recovery mode
Is a clampdown on free expression the legacy of President Yoon Suk Yeol's attempt in 2024 to declare martial law? Or is it, as current president Lee Jae-myung's party argues, a necessary measure to restore the people's trust in government? Ifang Bremer reports from Seoul.
Remembering Tiananmen
In China, June 4th is a sensitive date. As the anniversary approaches, an old ritual unfolds: censors spring into action, social media posts disappear and searches for ‘Tiananmen’, ‘June Fourth’, ‘1989’ are scrubbed from the internet. Activists are placed under surveillance, while foreign journalists mark an event that officially never happened. For the writer and former factory worker Lijia Zhang, the date holds special significance.
Is Japan aiming to be a regional power?
Japan was not at the table when Donald Trump and Xi Jinping agreed to a ‘constructive relationship of strategic stability’ in Beijing. It did not need to be. At the time of the Beijing talks its navy was engaged in a seven-country naval exercise off the Philippines, writes Howard Zhang.
Trump, the nation builder
President Trump’s state visit to China in May attracted enormous attention across the country. Social media buzzed with commentary, speculation and mockery in equal measure. Lijia Zhang writes that beneath the jokes lies something more serious: Donald Trump has become a symbol of how profoundly Chinese perceptions of the United States have changed.
China is not winning the Iran war
As Hormuz tensions rise, China’s words – and silences – tell a clearer story than the headlines. China is not winning the Iran war, but it is not losing it either, as Howard Zhang reports.
While Trump gambles on Iran Xi doubles down in China
With President Trump preoccupied with the war in the Middle East this may not be the best moment to meet Xi Jinping of China, who has just endorsed the country’s latest Five-Year Plan. Howard Zhang has been looking at the plan and at issues between the two superpowers.
Landslide victory strengthens Japan's Iron Lady
The lady known affectionately as Japan’s ‘Iron Lady’ has led the country’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) to a landslide electoral victory – the party won more than two-thirds of seats in the House of Representatives or Diet.
What Democracy means in a country where the word is avoided
In the West we talk of democracy as if it is universally understood and incapable of more than one interpretation. As Lijia Zhang explains, it can mean something different to the people of China.
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