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The Debate
The Debate is our home for the best opinions from around Asia. Whether it is negotiating with Iran, responding to North Korean provocations, discussing Japan's looming demographic issues, or considering the new balance of power in the Asia-Pacific, some of the region's leading thinkers offer their take.
Time to End ‘Waste Colonialism’ Through a Global Plastics Treaty
By Mageswari Sangaralingam
Developed countries need to stop exporting their plastic trash to Asian countries under the guise of “recycling.”
The 2024 China-US AI Dialogue Should Start With an Eye on Chem-Bio Weapons
By David Heslop and Joel Keep
Washington and Beijing should focus their forthcoming AI dialogue on platforms that neither want to see in the hands of terrorist groups: those that can aid in the construction of biological and chemical weapons.
Busting 6 ‘Peak China’ Myths
By Wang Wen
A more nuanced look at China's economic indicators is necessary to understand current trends.
Afghan Women’s Woes: Beyond and Before the Taliban
By Freshta Jalalzai
Even under the previous government, horrific cases of violence against women occurred with startling frequency.
The House China Committee Should Convene a Hearing on Taiwan
By Hiro Fu
Amidst the strategic competition between the United States and China, Taiwan's encounters with Chinese aggression offer essential perspectives for U.S. policymakers and the public.
China Should Be Held to Account for Its Companies’ Labor Abuses Abroad
By Qiang Li
The CCP exerts significant control even over notionally private firms operating overseas. Sadly, Chinese citizens’ well-being seems to be the only area that the party does not prioritize.
President Biden Should Congratulate Indonesia’s Prabowo Now
By Ernest Z. Bower
Washington is awaiting until the release of official results before contacting the president-elect. But waiting would be strategically costly.
Global Tech Companies’ Deafening Silence on Deteriorating Internet Freedom in Hong Kong
By Michael Caster
Global tech giants should speak out against attempts to control internet intermediaries and use national security laws as a pretext for censorship and surveillance in Hong Kong.
Why India Became Indispensable to US Foreign Policy and Pakistan Was Left Behind
By Syed Abdul Ahad Waseem
Democracy and “shared values” play a major role in diplomacy – something that Pakistan seems to have overlooked.
Navalny’s Death Highlights the Dangers Facing Cambodia’s Political Prisoners
By Sam Rainsy
The world should ensure that the same fate does not befall the more than 60 "hostages" in the country's prisons.
Asian Care Worker Abuse in the Global North: A Call for Greater Corporate Accountability
By Catriona Fraser
Health and social care companies have the power – and responsibility – to enforce higher standards for foreign workers.
The Hereditary Dictatorships of North Korea, Cambodia Have Shared Soviet Roots
By David Whitehouse
Both nations traveled a similar path from Soviet patronage to personalist autocracy.