https://www.scmp.com/rss/319875/feed Stephen R. Nagy is a distinguished fellow of the Asia Pacific Foundation and a senior associate professor at the International Christian University, Tokyo. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com China and the US are likely to reach an agreement to end their trade war soon. Both sides will characterise the deal as a suitable compromise to mitigate the current trade friction between the countries. Beijing cannot and does not want to deal with the structural imbalances in the trading relationship, but it will placate President Donald Trump by offering sweeteners in exchange for him dropping threats to impose more tariffs on Chinese imports into the US. China will offer to reduce tariffs on... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/united-states/article/3001729/us-china-trade-deal-will-come-it-just-will?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/united-states/article/3001729/us-china-trade-deal-will-come-it-just-will?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 17 Mar 2019 17:00:08 +0000 Critics argue that the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is a geopolitical tool and an ABC (anybody but China) trade agreement designed to contain a rising China. Others suggest it is not only the core pillar of the US "rebalance" to Asia but also the agreement that will set the rules for 21st-century trade. China itself has wavered in its views of the pact, from initial deep suspicion to a more nuanced view that acknowledges the benefits of the standards upheld in the agreement. READ... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1866937/why-trans-pacific-partnership-deal-no-threat-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1866937/why-trans-pacific-partnership-deal-no-threat-china?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Oct 2015 09:45:00 +0000 The passing of the new security law allowing for collective self-defence in Japan has been described as a "move away from pacifism", "opening Pandora's box" and the "unsheathing of a new Japanese sword". Considering the nature of the bill, its extreme limitations and Japan's domestic constraints such as a greying and shrinking population, mounting domestic debt and deeply embedded pacifist norms at a sociocultural and institutional level, one wonders how and why this narrative has taken root so... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1860657/cynical-narrative-japans-war-bill-stokes-regional-fears-its?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1860657/cynical-narrative-japans-war-bill-stokes-regional-fears-its?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 23 Sep 2015 02:15:45 +0000 On the 70th anniversary of the end of the second world war in Asia, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe faces the conundrum of recognising Japan's past while explaining its future in East Asia. This includes coming to terms with Japan's imperial past. Abe's nationalist and conservative credentials make him the ideal candidate to deliver both messages, which would strengthen Japan's regional reputation. Besides, finally dealing with the historical demons of its past would also benefit Japan. This... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1849237/why-sorry-still-hardest-word-say-japan-70-years-after-second?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1849237/why-sorry-still-hardest-word-say-japan-70-years-after-second?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Aug 2015 09:00:07 +0000 On the 70th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, the passing of Japan's controversial, new state security law in the lower house comes at an auspicious time. Critics argue that the law violates Japan's post-war commitment to pacifism enshrined in Article 9 of its constitution, in which it forever renounces the right of belligerence. They charge Prime Minister Shinzo Abe with "undemocratically ramming" through the legislation and express the fear that Japan could be entrapped in an... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1846760/70-years-after-hiroshima-japan-grapples-adapting-its?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1846760/70-years-after-hiroshima-japan-grapples-adapting-its?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 05 Aug 2015 09:11:08 +0000 For China, South Korea and Japan, the second world war has different starting points, meaning and impact on each country's respective identities. The inability of each nation to accept and relate to that self-understanding plays a crucial role in the lack of reconciliation up to present and, I would argue, into the future. For most Japanese, the war began with the Mukden/Manchurian Incident in 1931 and ended with the atomic destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. A victim mentality... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1835737/no-reconciliation-possible-china-japan-and-korea-without?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1835737/no-reconciliation-possible-china-japan-and-korea-without?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 Jul 2015 03:00:34 +0000