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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.
July 16, 2021
Foreign Media Face a Trust Crisis in China
By Mu Chunshan
Western media have lost a good deal of their credibility with ordinary Chinese. How can they recover that trust?
July 13, 2021
Torture in Myanmar: Don’t Let the Junta Normalize Cruelty
By Tomas Max Martin, Ergun Cakal, and Hannah Russell
Torture – and the fear that it engenders – has been central to the military junta’s efforts to quell popular resistance.
July 09, 2021
Returning to Multilateralism to Ensure Equitable COVID-19 Vaccine Access
By Chee Leong Lee
Both China and the United States can and should do more to ensure equitable access to vaccines around the world.
July 08, 2021
ASEAN and China Have Entered the ‘Zero Gravity Zone’ in Myanmar
By Phar Kim Beng and Nik Luqman
Neither has shown that it has the ability, let alone the willingness, to address the country's escalating crisis.
July 07, 2021
The CCP Deserves Credit for China’s Phenomenal Economic Growth
By Zhuoran Li
Yes, the CCP has many shortcomings. But it has also contributed significantly to the country’s economic miracle.
July 06, 2021
The Risks of Favoring China
By Rizal Ramli
Beijing needs to ensure that its overseas engagements serve local interests, not just Chinese ones.
July 05, 2021
Global Britain: Why the United Kingdom Needs ASEAN
By Edward Parker
Now is the time for British businesses to look to Southeast Asia and help make the 'Global Britain' slogan a reality.
July 04, 2021
The Global South China Sea Issue
By SAKAMOTO Shigeki
China’s actions in the South China Sea are no longer just a regional issue.
July 02, 2021
70 Years on, the Refugee Convention Still Struggles to Gain Traction in the Asia-Pacific
By Emily Venturi
The Asia-Pacific region counts the smallest percentage of state parties to the 1951 Refugee Convention and the 1967 Protocol – only 20 out of 48.
July 01, 2021
All Style and No Substance? Uzbekistan’s Rebranding Is Hollow Without Human Rights
By Matthew Schaaf
A U.S. trip by Uzbekistan’s foreign minister highlights the gap between Tashkent’s rhetoric and reality on human rights.
June 30, 2021
American Pacific Islanders Deserve Protection – In the Pacific
By Robert C. O’Brien
It’s past time to provide U.S. maritime protection to American Samoa.
June 28, 2021
‘Build Back Better World’ and the Belt and Road Are Not Necessarily at Odds
By Keren Zhu
Notwithstanding China-U.S. competition, there are a lot of ways in which the two initiatives are complementary.