Category: Asia

China to employ AI & sharp power in ‘risky play’ for global leadership

     

China could overtake the United States in artificial intelligence technologies capable of disrupting every aspect of society, the leaders of a House panel said in a report released Tuesday. Artificial… Read more »

Did trade war help dissident Liu Xia win freedom?

     

Writer and human rights advocate Liao Yiwu says the US president’s trade war with China may have helped Liu Xia, the widow of Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo, win her release,… Read more »

Media reform in the ‘New Malaysia’ (as Bangladesh backtracks)

     

On May 9th, 2018, Najib Razak’s United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) Government was defeated in general elections that stunned the world. Today, nearly five months on, the International Federation of… Read more »

Maldives election halts authoritarian drift: a blow to China’s sharp power

     

Maldives leader Abdulla Yameen conceded defeat on Monday to a candidate who has pledged to reverse the country’s slide toward authoritarianism, marking a setback for China, which had forged strong ties with the president… Read more »

China’s ‘Belt and Road Power Play’ imperils democracy

     

The United States and China are in a competition to shape the course of the 21st century. At stake is whether the prevailing international order that has backstopped peace, prosperity,… Read more »

Beijing complains as US kicks back against Chinese sharp power

     

Beijing has complained to the US following reports that Washington has ordered two Chinese state-run media agencies to register as foreign agents, The Guardian (London) reports: The US Department of… Read more »

Advancing or retarding democracy? Soft power is out; sharp power is in

     

Authoritarian states are attempting to exert influence through sharp power, which typically stems from ideologies that privilege state power over individual liberty and are fundamentally hostile to open debate and independent… Read more »

Vietnam’s punitive authorities target democracy advocates

     

  Vietnam’s authorities should quash the politically motivated conviction of pro-democracy activist Nguyen Van Tuc and immediately release him without conditions, Human Rights Watch said today. The court of appeals… Read more »