U.S.-Japan Business Council’s Post

*** 📑 2024.01.25. 🌏, 🗳️ & 🏝️s, 🇹🇼, 🇨🇳 & aftermath... #Asia 🔁 #SouthChinaSea 🔂 #EastChinaSea 🔂 #ROC 🔛 #PRC... 🕛🔀⌚s... 🌐. #Geography 🔄 #History 🔃 #Conflict 🔂 #IR 🔀 #Diplomacy 🔁 #GEOPOLITICS 🌐 #GEOECONOMICS 💱 #GÉ ➿ #POLIS. 🆓🀄. ☔🏝️. ***

"Veteran Singapore envoy on what the West gets wrong about China, ASEAN as a bellwether region and why the US should prepare for No 2 status." In the late 1980s and 90s Kishore Mahbubani, as a Singaporean Minister, led the charge against universal values, in other words the human rights in the two UN covenants on economic and social and civil and political rights, by advocating Asian Values. Quite useful in accommodating the authoritarian bent of his and other regional governments. He was wrong, Asians are also human and human rights therefore extend to them. However, he gets a lot right in this article and the stance he's been adopting of late. (Subscription may be required) #asean #southeastasia #uschinarivalry #us #china Kishore Mahbubani: why China is well set up in Southeast Asia, and the US isn’t https://lnkd.in/giJHUBSj Want to read more from SCMP? Subscribe and save. https://lnkd.in/gmABrqAJ

NEW | China-Taiwan Weekly Update, January 25, 2024: The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and Kuomintang (KMT) are preparing for the election of the speaker and deputy speaker of the Legislative Yuan. The party that secures the role will steer legislative processes in a divided legislature. Full report: https://lnkd.in/etEXugaS Key Takeaways: PRC Premier Li Qiang appealed to foreign business leaders to invest in China at the World Economic Forum (WEF) summit in Davos, Switzerland. The PRC is increasingly emphasizing economic cooperation with Europe as fraying relations with the US threaten to dampen the PRC’s growth. The Philippines and PRC began bilateral negotiations over South China Sea disputes on January 17. The CCP's track record of engaging in dialogue while driving crises in the region to achieve its political objective indicates that the Philippine-PRC dialogue will not change the party’s behavior in the region. A loss of Compacts of Free Association (COFA) funding for Palau, Micronesia, and the Marshall Islands would enable the CCP to expand its leverage points over these countries. Tuvalu is considering switching its diplomatic recognition from the ROC to the PRC.

Explore the strategic policy directions shaping Korea's future at the AMCHAM Korea Government & International Affairs Committee Meeting. We are excited to host Dr. Jongsu Kim, Policy Chief of the Democratic Party of Korea, in a dialogue with Ji Eun Chung, CEO of CODIT, to examine his insights on the party's major policy directions and priorities for the 22nd National Assembly. With the Democratic Party securing a significant number of seats in the recent election, this seminar is crucial for understanding the legislative landscape and its implications for international business and government affairs. Don't miss this chance to gain valuable knowledge and engage with key policy insights. RSVP below the link! DATE: Thursday, June 27, 2024 TIME: 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM VENUE: Two IFC, The Forum 301 (3 Fl.) TOPIC: Strategic Policy Directions in Korea: Insights from Dr. Jongsu Kim, Policy Chief of the Democratic Party of Korea COST: KRW 0 for members KRW 0 for non-members RSVP BY: Noon, Tuesday, June 25, 2024 at: https://bit.ly/3VvrdfJ #AMCHAM #AMCHAMKorea #AMCHAMevents #AMCHAMFlyer #AMCHAMCommitteeMeeting #AMCHAMGovernmentandInternationalAffairsCommittee #DemocraticParty #NationalAssembly #PolicyInsights #PolicyDirections #GovernmentAffairs #InternationalAffairs #암참 #주한미국상공회의소 #암참행사 #암참세미나 #암참커미티미팅 #정책세미나 #민주당 #정치방향 #국제비즈니스 

China's economic pressure on Taiwan, including suspending preferential tariff rates for Taiwanese goods, is expected to continue until the middle of June in response to President William Lai's inaugural speech and actions perceived as promoting Taiwanese independence. Analysts believe that Beijing will ease its stance after the middle of the month, with measures to enhance people-to-people exchanges and promote economic integration between the two entities. Despite the pressure, cross-strait relations are not a top priority for President Lai, who aims to maintain the status quo. #AsiaRisk #GeopoliticalConflictandDisputes #Taiwan Follow us for daily updates on risk and operations in Asia! https://lnkd.in/gZKMyMF3

𝐀𝐒𝐄𝐀𝐍: 𝐀 𝐔𝐒𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄! The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) @ASEAN has often been criticized for its perceived inaction or limited effectiveness in addressing disputes in the South China Sea, particularly involving China and the Philippines. Several factors contribute to this situation: 1. **ASEAN's Consensus-Based Decision-Making**: ASEAN operates on a principle of consensus, meaning all member states must agree on any action or statement. This can lead to watered-down responses or inaction, especially when member states have differing interests or close ties with China.🇨🇳 2. **Diverse Member Interests**: ASEAN includes countries with varying degrees of economic and political dependence on China. Some members, like Cambodia and Laos, are seen as more aligned with China's interests, which can hinder a unified stance. 3. **Fear of Economic Repercussions**: Many ASEAN countries have significant economic ties with China. Fear of economic retaliation can make these countries reluctant to take strong positions against China. 4. **Diplomatic and Strategic Balancing**: ASEAN nations often try to balance their relationships with both China and the United States, making it challenging to take a firm stance in the South China Sea disputes. 5. **Limited Military Capacity**: ASEAN as a regional bloc does not have a collective security or defense mechanism comparable to NATO. Its members have varied military capabilities, limiting their ability to confront a powerful nation like China. 6. **Role of External Powers**: The involvement of external powers, such as the United States, in the South China Sea issue adds another layer of complexity. ASEAN countries may prefer to avoid actions that could escalate tensions between major powers. Despite these challenges, ASEAN has made some efforts to address the South China Sea disputes, including the establishment of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) in 2002 and ongoing negotiations for a Code of Conduct (COC). However, progress has been slow, and the effectiveness of these measures remains debated. The South China Sea remains a contentious issue, with the Philippines, among other ASEAN members, advocating for a stronger stance against China's assertive actions, such as the militarization of artificial islands and encroachments into their exclusive economic zones (EEZs). The ASEAN Secretariat ASEAN Briefing

Just a thought. In many engagements with PRC's officials on the South China Sea issue, their primary argument is that the PRC and ASEAN states do not have issues with each other, but the involvement of a third party or parties is the driver for worsening ASEAN-PRC relations. There are two critical issues here. First, does the PRC's officials genuinely believe that third party is behind the worsening situation in the South China Sea. Second, the third party issue is just an excuse to use aggression to enforce its claim in the South China Sea. If it is the first point - ASEAN states could do more to convince Beijing that third party is not the main driver, and once convince, hopefully Beijing may soften its stance and assertiveness.  If it is the second point, then perhaps ASEAN states will have to consider other hard options.

While it has been over the past few years that the Czech-Taiwanese relations have grabbed headlines over the world, the two sides’ ties have not come from nowhere. In fact, the recent intensification of cooperation has been built on a very solid foundation jointly forged by the two sides since the early 1990s. Taiwan has become an important investor in the Central European countries already in the 2000s, especially through the investment of electronic manufacturer Foxconn, which has become a major exporter and tax payer in the country.     However, it cannot be denied that the ties have gained new momentum in the context of the developments of the past few years, with the interests of the two sides coalescing. In Czechia, the efforts by the political establishment around the Social Democratic Party (ČSSD, Česká strana sociálně demokratická), President Miloš Zeman, and business circles to court China since 2013 have ended in abject failure. At the same time, they have created a backlash in the Czech society and opposition that, in some part, also led to more support for engaging Taiwan as a democratic mirror image of China and as a hallmark of returning to the values-based foreign policy which was said to have guided the country before 2013. https://lnkd.in/dvMTaYaK

Things are heating up transpacific-wise, and I've been keeping an eye on the insights shared by Prof. Dan Sneider from Stanford University's Ford Dorsey Master’s in International Policy and lecturer in East Asian Studies at Stanford, in addition to Toyo Keizai and Nelson Report on Asia. He recently penned a piece for the Asia Times titled "Five Trump 2.0 Nightmares for Japan." Dan also sought the advice of prominent and respected Japan experts in the United States – Richard Samuels of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Sheila Smith of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). Here's a glimpse into what he outlined: - Nightmare 1: Trade war and economic friction - Nightmare 2: U.S. military withdrawal from South Korea and 'deals' with Kim Jong Un - Nightmare 3: Trump abandons Ukraine and accepts Russia - Nightmare 4: Crisis in the Taiwan Strait - Nightmare 5: Authoritarian and dysfunctional America Having said that, former Japan Foreign Minister Motegi on "News Shinso" tonight did not present as dire a prediction. However, the sense was still one of concern, close monitoring and Japan adapting to whatever the November outcome was. It's crucial to stay informed about these potential scenarios. For more details, check out the article here:

The EU-US relationship is built on shared values and cooperation 🤝 To further foster these, the Hungarian Presidency can continue to promote global standards and enable technological leadership https://lnkd.in/e6fuQ6kp #HU24EU