Society

What Happened: Some 500 Asian feminists gathered in Chiang Mai, Thailand for the Asia Pacific Feminist Forum (APFF) from September 12 to 14. The attendees represented 31 countries and territories in Asia and the Pacific, from Central Asia to the Pacific Islands. The forum highlighted the jaw-dropping diversity of feminist issues and efforts in the Asia-Pacific: “Pakistani fisherwomen, Indigenous peoples fighting imperialism in West Papua, queer Dalits in India, Central Asian migrant workers, Filipina careworkers” and more were among the speakers.

Our Focus: The Diplomat’s Catherine Putz attended the APFF, which sought to expand the definition of “feminism” to include many intersecting issues. That includes rights for LGBTQ+, disabled and Indigenous peoples as well as less-traditional themes like fighting militarization (“feminists do not speak about the defense industry to the extent… it should be spoken about,” a Pakistani speaker noted) and debt in the developing world (which a Sri Lankan activist explored under the theme of economic justice). Women are “oppressed by different systems,” Misun Woo, who works for the APFF’s organizer, the Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development (APWLD), told The Diplomat. Thus “we cannot exist as just feminist movements… [W]e have to have capacity and solidarity toward other social justice and people’s movements.”

What Comes Next: While the APFF was a celebration of feminist activism, there were also some glaring omissions. Countries where feminist groups (or indeed any grassroots political advocacy) are banned did not have any APWLD-affiliated groups to send representatives. Thus countries like North Korea, Turkmenistan, and Afghanistan were not represented. The lack of discussion on Afghanistan, where women are suffering a “gender apartheid,” was especially jarring. (Afghanistan is not considered part of the APWLD’s geographic mandate.) Ultimately, in too many Asia-Pacific countries simply the existence of a feminist movement – whether or not progress is being made in improving women’s lives – counts as a victory.

INTERVIEW

Mariya Omelicheva, a professor of strategy at the National War College, National Defense University, Washington, D.C. and co-author of the book “COVID-19 ‘Humanitarianism’: Geopolitical Logics of Chinese, American, and Russian Assistance,” on China’s approach to humanitarian aid: “China, therefore, has tied its humanitarian aid to development assistance bundled in the packages of ‘aid-investment-trade.’ Consistent with this view, Beijing has added a humanitarian and health cooperation component to its already ambitious Belt and Road Initiative.”

Northeast Asia

Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) founder and presidential candidate Ko Wen-je is back in jail, after a court overturned its previous decision to release him without bail. The corruption scandal – Ko is accused of illegally approving a real estate company’s land development plan – points to much deeper issues in Taiwan’s politics, especially the nexus between real estate and government. The case – along with several other scandals still developing – also poses a potentially existential threat for the TPP, Taiwan’s largest third party. The TPP won popularity through its insistence that it did not engage in “business as usual” politics, like the DPP or KMT.

South Asia

On September 21, Sri Lanka will elect a new president. While there are 38 candidates, four are seen as the main contenders: Anura Kumara Dissanayake of the National People’s Power (NPP), opposition leader Sajith Premadasa of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), President Ranil Wickremesinghe contesting as an independent candidate, and Namal Rajapaksa of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP). While Sri Lankans are focused on domestic issues, from the economy to women’s rights, India and China have their own preferences, based on the expected foreign policies of each candidate.

Southeast Asia

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) this week reassured the public that it was not ceding control of a disputed shoal to China, after withdrawing its flagship from the South China Sea feature. On Sunday, the BRP Teresa Magbanua withdrew unexpectedly from Sabina Shoal, the site of several recent clashes with the China Coast Guard (CCG). The 2,200-ton vessel was deployed to the area in April to monitor CCG movements and investigated suspected Chinese land reclamation activities. It soon became clear that the Teresa Magbanua had been forced to withdraw due to a Chinese blockade, which had prevented any supplies from reaching the vessel. While the PCG has pledged to send another vessel and to maintain a constant presence at Sabina Shoal, the incident has worrying implications for Manila’s ability to maintain control over its nine features in the Spratly Islands.

Central Asia

On September 17, Astana hosted the second edition of a summit bringing together the five Central Asian leaders and Germany’s chancellor, Olaf Scholz. Berlin had hosted the first iteration in October 2023. The summit continues the trend of growing interest in Central Asia from Germany – and the entire European Union – since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, resulting in a rapid mushrooming of high-level dialogue platforms.

Source: Gallup Korea

South Korea’s President Yoon Suk-yeol has been plagued by low approval ratings for nearly his entire term – and the figure hasn’t broken the 30 percent mark since March 2024.

Security

Literally meaning the “Three Pa’s,” it refers to grassroots organs under the National Unity Government (NUG), comprising the People’s Administration Teams (Pa-Ah-Pha), the People’s Security Teams (Pa-La-Pha), and the auxiliary People’s Defense Teams (Pa-Ka-Pha).