Asia-Europe Issues
Burma’s Junta Untroubled by EU Sanctions
By David Cronin
BRUSSELS, Mar 11 (IPS) - Economic sanctions imposed by the European Union on Burma are unlikely to have any effect on its military junta, a former Singaporean diplomat has said.
After Burmese authorities used force to break up peaceful protests by Buddhist monks in the capital Rangoon in late 2007, EU governments decided to ban imports of gemstones, timber and metal from the country in October.
Chindia Rising
BRUSSELS, Jan 28 (IPS)- Despite their stark differences on various levels, including in political systems, China and India together are knocking on the doors of the western world -- and it could just be a matter of time before economic world powers let them in.
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in Search of Itself
BRUSSELS, Feb 19 (IPS Asia-Pacific) – The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) has acquired some heft since its birth in 2001. But how it picks its way across the minefield of different, at times conflicting interests -- in the shadow of giants China and Russia – remains its biggest challenge in the coming years.
World Powers Woo Central Asia
BRUSSELS, Dec 11 (IPS Asia-Pacific) - The world's economic and political superpowers have been making a beeline for Central Asia, eyeing long-term agreements with the region.
Burma, ‘A Volcano That May Easily Erupt Again’
By Peter Dhondt
BRUSSELS, Nov 16 (IPS) – Short-term prospects remain dim for democracy and
human rights in Burma, but the hardship that drove monks and protesters into the streets in August and September may worsen the instability there and force neighbouring countries to press for drastic change.
Pakistan Pulled in Different Directions
BRUSSELS, Oct 30 (IPS) —Pakistan's political leaders are involved in a dangerous game that is pulling the South Asian nation in different -- and perilous directions that further entrench the dominance of the military, Pakistani military and political analyst retired Lt Gen Talat Mansood says.
South-east Asia Heeds Lessons of '97 Shock
BRUSSELS, Sep 19 (IPS Asia-Pacific) - South-east Asia is back on the development path more than a decade after the 1997 Asian financial crisis, which sent many economies reeling and slashed their growth rates. Experts, however, caution that pre-crisis levels of economic growth have yet to return.
Indonesia, Turkey Crucial for Democracy in Islamic World
By Peter Dhondt
BRUSSELS, Jun 19 (IPS) – People in Europe and the United States may tend to associate Islam with immigrants, autocratic regimes in the Middle East and political violence. But many more Muslims live in democratic countries in Asia, where political developments are less spectacular and not as headline-grabbling, but as decisive.
NORTH KOREA: Back to Square One on Nukes
BRUSSELS, Mar 21 (IPS) - Is the Korean peninsula really heading for denuclearisation Amb Han Sung Joo after North Korea’s surprise move in February of agreeing to shut down a reactor?
Experts like Han Sung-Joo, former South Korean foreign minister, remain sceptical and say it is ''unlikely that the North Korean regime will ever give up its nuclear weapons''.
China’s Development is No Threat - Official
By IPS Correspondents
BRUSSELS, Mar 9 (IPS Asia-Pacific) – China rising? The China threat? No, says a former Chinese envoy, China's sustained rapid growth and development in the last 25 years should not be considered a threat by the western world but a natural outcome of the country's foray into globalisation and modernisation.
Speaking at the ‘Asian Voices in Europe’ seminar series here on Mar. 7, Mei Zhaorong, president of the Development Research Centre at the State Council of China (highest organ of state administration that carries out the principles and policies of the Communist Party of China) acknowledged that China-Europe relations are “generally in good shape”. But the level of understanding between the two countries is still relatively low due to several reasons, he explained.
