caption Activists march towards the Chinese consulate for a protest in Manila on February 10, 2018, against Beijing’s claims in the South China Sea. source TED ALJIBE/AFP/Getty Images The Philippines is close to accepting loans from China that are 1,100% more expensive than ones from Japan. The country’s chief economist said it will accept the loan as it needs “more friends,” as relations between the two countries warm after years of territorial disputes in the South China Sea. The loan is part of a so-called debt-trap diplomacy in which China engagest targets infrastructure projects in poorer countries, a it has done to establish its global Belt and Road initiative. The Philippines is close to accepting Chinese loans that are up to 1,100% more expensive than those from Japan, in another instance of China’s debt-trap diplomacy. The loans from China, which will be used to … [Read more...] about China’s debt-trap diplomacy reaches the Philippines, which is likely to accept Chinese loans 1,100% more expensive than other options
Diplomacy
Disaster diplomacy governs who gets help after catastrophic events around the world
caption A building tilts to one side after a 6.5-magnitude earthquake on February 7, 2018 in Hualien County, Taiwan. source Unioncom/VCG via Getty Images Recent emergencies in the Asia Pacific show countries respond to disasters in line with their existing political alliances. This pattern is called “disaster diplomacy,” according to an expert who spoke with Business Insider. Disaster diplomacy was evident after Taiwan’s earthquake and during the Maldives’ state of emergency, as leaders made nuanced overtures in search of help from India, China, and Japan. Most people were in bed when they felt it. Shortly before midnight on February 6, a 6.4-magnitude earthquake tore through the city of Hualien, Taiwan. Buildings shook, roads ripped up, and many people escaped onto the streets. All told, 17 people died and 285 were injured. A major hotel collapsed and rescue workers spent more … [Read more...] about Disaster diplomacy governs who gets help after catastrophic events around the world
Kim Jong Un’s sister shook hands with South Korea’s president in a historic show of diplomacy at the Winter Olympics
Kim Jong Un’s sister Kim Yo Jong greeted Moon Jae In at the Pyeongchang opening ceremony. It is a rare show of warmth and diplomacy between the warring nations. Kim Yo Jong is the first of her family to visit South Korea in decades. Kim Jong Un’s sister shook the hand of the South Korean president in a show of diplomacy, as the 2018 Winter Olympics got underway in Pyeongchang. She smiled and shared a warm greeting with Moon Jae In, South Korea’s leader, as the divided countries marched under a single flag in the contest’s opening ceremony. Kim Yo Jong was sent south of the Korean demilitarized zone by her brother Kim Jong Un, along with a delegation from their country.<!-- /5908/ US Vice-President Mike Pence was sitting nearby when the gesture took place. He earlier decided not to shake hands with Kim Yong Nam, the man formally in charge of North Korea’s delegation. The games have … [Read more...] about Kim Jong Un’s sister shook hands with South Korea’s president in a historic show of diplomacy at the Winter Olympics
Koreas stickhandle uneasy truce with puck diplomacy
PYEONGCHANG, SOUTH KOREA—There was ping-pong diplomacy which opened American relations with China.There was rugby diplomacy when President Nelson Mandela used his country’s hosting of the World Cup to reconcile a majority Black nation with a sport that had been played almost exclusively by white athletes in South Africa.“Sport has the power to change the world,” said former amateur boxer Mandela, before a team suddenly embraced by the Black population defeated New Zealand in the 1994 championship final.So why not hockey diplomacy, with North and South Korea sending a combined women’s team to the Olympics, coached by a Canadian?And why not figure skating diplomacy, with a pairs team — trained in Canada — the only athletes from north of the 38th parallel who have qualified for these Games on merit? … [Read more...] about Koreas stickhandle uneasy truce with puck diplomacy
Pressure, not diplomacy highlights Vancouver summit on North Korea
Tuesday’s Vancouver summit on North Korea underscores how impossibly difficult the standoff between Washington and Pyongyang has become.The summit, co-hosted by Canada and the U.S., was billed as an attempt to reinject diplomacy into a situation that is becoming increasingly dangerous.But in opening remarks by key foreign ministers from the 20 countries invited to Vancouver to deal with the crisis over North Korea’s development of nuclear weapons, there was little talk of diplomacy.In fact, both U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono lauded countries that have broken off diplomatic relations with the North, urging more to do the same.Kono said it was “naïve” to read too much into the North’s sudden decision to reopen talks with South Korea. Pyongyang, he said, was merely trying to drive a wedge between South Korea and its allies. … [Read more...] about Pressure, not diplomacy highlights Vancouver summit on North Korea