Northeast Asia Geostrategic Forum

[sinait]

The NMP isn't considered opposition but neutral.

Are you mistaking me to be from China?
Anyway I won't discuss Singapore politics in detail in a foreign public forum.
But would like to know what non Singaporean members here think of Singapore's system.

 

[Mista]

Are you mistaking me to be from China?

Err no?

 

[mike2000 is back]

Before 1997, we were ruled by a fat white British citizen called Chris Patten

Lol

 

[bbccdd1470]

I don't know what these guys are protesting.
1, Nobody got killed in the movement. Not even one. What "They can't kill us all" means? You should say that after some one was killed by government.
2,HK does have press freedom. CCP didn't interfere HK medias.

They are protesting something that doesn't even exist.

All those banners were for the western audience, where to create a mislead information about how bad HK governance are. This is the same trick that used in Ukraine and Taiwan before their own political crisis and instability. Ordinary foreigners, who know nothing about the true situation, will believe that kind of misinformation and pay their sympathy, and eventually their government will this as a excuse for intervention, such as economic sanction or arming the opposition. All those press freedom and "kill us all" are only the tool to brainwash their own citizens to get their support of the illegal intervention of other countries.

Just saying, CKF's post have a lot of misinformation there. And I don't have time for all those fixing or arguing, so for other people who read that, should not take it seriously.

 

[neolithic]

The astronomical cost of asking China to restrain North Korea

 

[beijingwalker]

Before 1997, Hong Kong people never knew what freedom is, the head of the government was appointed by the British monarch from 1843 to 1997.

Problem is you argue as if you have the CHOICE to adopt democracy or not.
If a begger says i dont like money or luxury cars and choose to live a simple life , his words have no value.
But if a ambani says i want a simple life and shuns luxury , ppl respect his words.
Dont argue any further , i win.

Did Indians have freedom under the British rule? you were under their rule for 300 years, you should know them better than we do.

 

[kankan326]

All those banners were for the western audience, where to create a mislead information about how bad HK governance are. This is the same trick that used in Ukraine and Taiwan before their own political crisis and instability. Ordinary foreigners, who know nothing about the true situation, will believe that kind of misinformation and pay their sympathy, and eventually their government will this as a excuse for intervention, such as economic sanction or arming the opposition. All those press freedom and "kill us all" are only the tool to brainwash their own citizens to get their support of the illegal intervention of other countries.

Just saying, CKF's post have a lot of misinformation there. And I don't have time for all those fixing or arguing, so for other people who read that, should not take it seriously.

I agree what you said except one thing. Their real target is not HK government but the China government. In their plan, HK was supposed to be the first domino to fall. But the result is, no one gave them a shit. They made themselves look like a bunch of clowns.

China is focusing on economic development and has no interest to play with these traitors now. Eventually they'll pay for what they did and how sick they were.

 

[bbccdd1470]

I agree what you said except one thing. Their real target is not HK government but the China government. In their plan, HK was supposed to be the first domino to fall. But the result is, no one gave them a shit. They made themselves look like a bunch of clowns.

China is focusing on economic development and has no interest to play with these traitors now. Eventually they'll pay for what they did and how sick they were.

The target is always China, and attacking HK government served the purpose of encouraging foreign investment leaving in both China and HK back to America (instability). Not to mention, they also want to send the message to Taiwan that "One country and two systems" is failed and disrupt the peaceful reunification of the Greater China. The only thing different that happened in 2014 from other countries which suffered the same tactic, that was HK is back by China and CIA cant operate a false flag operation, unlike what happened in Ukraine. Also the HK police put a lots of restrain on themselves that prevented any bloodshed accident that will give the Western press a bullet to attack, so the only one that had spitted blood were the HK police, but no Western press give a shit.

One thing that is worth mentioning here that is Chinese members should not fall in the "China and HK's conflicts" trap which "they" want us to hate each other. This is the same trap that make many HK people hate China irrationally. Remember there are still many HK people that are pro-china, like all HK members here.

 

[grey boy 2]

China confirms six Japanese men arrested amid spying allegations
May 22 2017 - 8:35PM
Kirsty Needham
Beijing: The Chinese government has confirmed that six Japanese men have been arrested in China for "illegal activities".

A foreign ministry spokeswoman declined to comment on reports the men had been involved in spying or what the "illegal activities" were.

The Chinese government has been carrying out an investigation into six Japanese in China and has informed the Japanese consular office in China, she said.

The Japanese news agency Kyodo reported earlier on Monday that the six men had been in custody since March. Three were detained in Shandong province and three were detained in Hainan, on the southern coast.

Kyodo cited an unnamed Japanese government source as saying the men were facing possible espionage charges, and the three men arrested in Hainan, which has a naval port, had entered China to work on a hot spring.

On Monday the New York Times reported that China had systematically broken an American intelligence network in China between 2010 and 2012 by shooting or imprisoning between 18-20 of the CIA's Chinese informants.

The foreign ministry spokeswoman said she was "not aware" of the New York Times story, but added that China's national security agencies followed a legal mandate to carry out investigations into groups that harm national security.

She said the Chinese government had no comment on "the normal discharge of duties by national security organisations".
http://www.smh.com.au/world/china-c...-amid-spying-allegations-20170522-gwalsu.html

 

[TaiShang]

Asia needs deeper financial integration
By Gao Haihong | China Daily | Updated: 2017-05-26

A clerk counts Chinese 100 yuan banknotes at a branch of China Construction Bank in Nantong, Jiangsu province, Dec 2, 2014. [Photo/Agencies]


The ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office, the regional macroeconomic surveillance unit of the Chiang Mai Initiative Multilateralization, released the Regional Economic Outlook Report 2017 on Wednesday, the first release in China since its establishment in 2011.

The 1997-98 Asian financial crisis led to the creation of the Chiang Mai Initiative, and subsequently the CMIM, which in turn led to the establishment of the ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office.

In the 20 years since the Asian financial crisis, Asia has integrated itself in many aspects. But compared with trade and investment, the region's financial integration has lagged behind. According to the Asian Development Bank's Asian Economic Integration Report 2016, about 60 percent of Asia's trade is intra-regional but only 20 percent of financial flows are within the region.

There are many reasons for the poor financial integration: Asia's relatively less developed financial market and uneven financial openness across the region's economies. Besides, China could have become a leading regional financial player and market maker, but unfortunately, it has been struggling with the trade-off between financial openness and stability.

Poor financial integration has many downside effects on the region. It has been a drag on regional growth and reflects the misallocation of savings. Most Asian economies have high rates of savings－Singapore's household savings rate is more than 50 percent, China's nearly 50 percent and that of Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand somewhere between 30 percent and 40 percent. Normally, high savings can be a driver for growth, as long as they are effectively transformed into investment.

Regrettably, Asia's high savings have been misallocated. They are recycled outside the region－about 70 percent to 80 percent has been invested in the United States, Europe and other regions. This is especially the case when it comes to portfolio flows.

Apart from such misallocation, Asia continues to face the challenge of excessive short-term capital flows that are pro-cyclical, speculative and risk-appetite driven. These factors have put Asia in a situation where accumulation of foreign exchange reserves is crucial as self-insurance against a possible sharp decline in the trade balance and rise of foreign debt.

In fact, Asia still sees the US dollar as an anchor; dollar assets remain the major destination of Asian investors' reserves. In short, Asia is still caught in the "dollar trap". Therefore, to strengthen its financial integration, Asia has to not only retain the savings within the region, but also reduce its reliance on the dollar.

China can play a key role in correcting the situation, by encouraging Asian economies to use their currencies for trade, investment and financial transactions. Adequate financial infrastructure, such as Credit Guarantee and Investment Facility, can provide support for banks and financial sectors to invest locally. More importantly, the ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office, together with the ADB, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and other regional arrangements, can contribute to regional financial stability and development, and facilitate regional financial cooperation.

Strengthening regional financial cooperation is also important for building a global financial safety net. Asia faces the challenge of dealing with massive capital flows. The fallout of long-lasting easy monetary condition makes the region extremely vulnerable, because the financial cycle dominates cross-border capital flows that are irrelevant to the real economy. Helene Rey, a professor at London Business School, has argued that traditional "trilemma" is dead; instead, central banks face a dilemma, that is, in her context, monetary policy's independence can be achieved only if capital flow is well managed. A debate on the subject is still going on, because capital flow is still sensitive to interest rate differentials and exchange rate policy still plays a vital role.

However, what really matters is the scale, volatility and a potential sudden stop of capital flow, as was seen during the Asian financial crisis. In such cases, a strong global financial safety net would be needed for minimizing the damage and preventing contagion. There are layers of options, from foreign exchange reserves to bilateral currency swaps and from regional to global resources, for that. In this regard, the CMIM certainly plays a key role for Asia.

The author is a researcher with the Institute of World Economics and Politics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

@Shotgunner51

 

[TaiShang]

In Japan, Yang calls for trust
By Cai Hong in Tokyo (chinadaily.com.cn)Updated: 2017-05-30 04:12

State Councilor Yang Jiechi started a three-day visit to Japan on Monday, co-chairing with Shotaro Yachi, head of the secretariat of Japan's National Security Council, during the fourth high-level political dialogue between China and Japan on Monday, as Yang kicked off his three-day visit to Japan.

State Councilor Yang Jiechi started a three-day visit to Japan on Monday, co-chairing with Shotaro Yachi, head of the secretariat of Japan's National Security Council, the fourth high-level political dialogue between China and Japan.

Yang said the bilateral relationship faces new opportunities and challenges this year, which is the 45th anniversary of the normalization of relations between China and Japan.

Yang said that political trust is fundamental to a healthy, stable relationship between nations. The importance China attaches to developing its relations with Japan remains unchanged, and Japan needs to adapt to the trend of China's development, Yang said.

He suggested that Japan view China as a partner rather than a threat and said China's development is an opportunity.

Japan should be true to its word on history and Taiwan and play by the rules, Yang said. The two countries need to conscientiously abide the spirit of the four-point principled consensus and jointly safeguard peace and stability in the East China Sea.

On the South China Sea, Yang asked Japan to be cautious with its words and actions and play a constructive role when the nations concerned try to settle the relevant issues.

The Chinese official suggested that the two countries quickly upgrade their trade cooperation to a higher level. They need to work together for Asia's development and prosperity as the region aspires for peace and stability, he said.

He said China welcomes Japan's positive discussions on cooperating with China within the Belt and Road Initiative framework. The two nations need to make "painstaking" efforts to promote exchanges on all fronts.

Japan's Yachi said it is of great importance that Japan and China - the two major nations in Asia - cooperate. The two countries need to implement their consensus and not see each other as a threat but as a partner.

 

[beijingwalker]

Japan urges China to pressure North Korea

• By MARI YAMAGUCHI, ASSOCIATED PRESS
  

TOKYO — May 30, 2017, 8:35 AM ET

Japan on Tuesday urged China to exert greater pressure on North Korea to stop its nuclear and missile development, saying Beijing's role in getting Pyongyang to abandon those efforts was "crucially important."

Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida said that during talks in Tokyo he urged Chinese foreign policy adviser Yang Jiechi to have China play a greater role in dealing with Pyongyang.

"Right now it is important to step up pressure on North Korea. For that purpose, China's role is crucially important, and I strongly urged China to play a more active role," Kishida told reporters after the talks. "We agreed to cooperate more closely on the North Korean problem."

The talks come one day after North Korea conducted a missile test for the third straight week. The missile fell in waters about 200 nautical miles off Japan's western coast, within the Japanese-claimed Exclusive Economic Zone.

Beijing has significant influence over Pyongyang, 90 percent of whose trade is with China.

Growing missile threats from North Korea are seen as helping Japan and China improve their ties and cooperate.

Yang and Kishida reaffirmed Tuesday that they will make an effort to improve their ties and restore trust and confidence as the two countries this year mark the 45th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations.

Japan and China in recent years have been locked in dispute over a group of East China Sea islands and nearby undersea gas deposits claimed by both, as well as Japanese World War II atrocities.
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/japan-urges-china-pressure-north-korea-47718789

 

[takeitwithyou]

Arousing documentary profiles Joshua Wong, the adolescent activist who found fame with his protests against the Chinese government

The Joshua of the title is Joshua Wong, an unassuming Hong Kong schoolboy who decided to pick a fight with the next global superpower, and won, at least initially. In 2011 14-year-old Wong and his Scholarism movement managed to defeat an effort to make China’s communist National Education curriculum mandatory in Hong Kong schools through the power of peaceful protest. It was the first victory an activist group managed in the territory since it came under Chinese rule in 1997, when Wong was a year old.

If Wong had cashed his chips in there and then his story might have made for a pleasing if fairly minor documentary. But, as this absorbing new Netflix film shows, he instead got involved in a far more significant battle: over the democratic future of Hong Kong itself.

In 2014 Scholarism became part of the wider Umbrella movement, the Occupy-style group set up to protest a refusal by China to allow Hong Kong to elect their own leaders. Officially the country is afforded a relaxed position within the One China policy, permitted to maintain its present capitalist form for 50 years as part of the handover deal made between China and the UK. Yet, there has been a perceived ratcheting up of influence by Beijing in recent times, prompting a more robust response from those opposed to China’s control, particularly from younger citizens like Wong who see Hong Kong’s semi-autonomy as central to their identity.
(contd)- https://www.theguardian.com/film/20...-hong-kong-schoolboy-takes-the-fight-to-china

 

[nang2]

Interesting. People cannot hire an 14-year-old to work. Yet, they allow such a young boy to participate in a political movement. More like a child soldier in political arena.

 

[kris]

Interesting. People cannot hire an 14-year-old to work. Yet, they allow such a young boy to participate in a political movement. More like a child soldier in political arena.

But age doesn't allow state to grab his legal rights.
He made his move, his choice