The United Nations votes on North Korea, does the failure of ASEAN mean more trouble in the South China Sea, and Japan’s snap election. These stories and more are on the November 21st edition of Asia News Weekly.
North Korea and the ICC
A UN report submitted earlier this year on human rights atrocities in North Korea detailed wide-ranging abuses, including prison camps, systematic torture, starvation and killings comparable to Nazi-era atrocities. A draft resolution prepared for the Third Committee by the EU and Japan, urged the General Assembly to send the regime to the International Criminal Court in The Hague to stand trial for crimes against humanity.
In New York on Tuesday, the Third Committee held their vote and its decision was definitive. Joanna Hosaniak, Deputy Director General, of the Citizens’ Alliance for North Korean Human Rights returns to the podcast to discuss the results, why nations may have changed their votes, and what lays in store for North Korea and the United Nations.
G20 Summit: Economic booms and a message for Putin
Leaders around the world have completed their series of high profile meetings. It started with the APEC Summit, transitioned into the ASEAN Summit, then the East Asia Summit, and just recently, the G20 meeting in Australia. As expected, there were a number of economic deals announced as these leaders met.
During the meeting, several leaders took the opportunity to chastise Vladimir Putin for Russia’s actions in Ukraine. All this occurred under the watchful eye of Chinese President Xi Jinping. Host Steve Miller explains that by observing how the world responds to the situation in Ukraine, Xi can adjust his policy and strategies in the region. Does Europe’s failure to take a tougher stance doom weaker nations in Asia?
The Code of Conduct and why can’t it get passed?
Before the G20 Summit in Australia or even the East Asia Summit in Myanmar, there was the ASEAN Summit. It was hoped that at that meeting, leaders would finally come together and approve a binding Code of Conduct for behavior in this highly contested South China Sea. So what is this Code of Conduct, what’s the hiccup, and where do we go from here? To get those answers, Scott Harold, Political Scientist with the RAND Corporation returns to the podcast and explains the difficulty in getting the binding resolution in place and what might be in store for 2015.
Are East Asia Trilateral talks possible?
South Korea’s President Park has proposed a trilateral summit between South Korea, Japan, and China. When news first broke about the meeting last week, some thought she proposed a sit-down between Chinese President Xi Jinping, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and herself.
Park’s proposal was that the foreign ministers of the three nations meet, and do so before the end of the year. It’s a grand notion, and one that may take place; however, a comment from an old podcast highlights the underlying mistrust shared by both South Koreans and the Chinese towards Japan’s political leaders and explains why the rest of the world simply wishes the three Asian giants to simply put the past behind them.
Hong Kong Streets
Authorities in Hong Kong have begun clearing the streets. The High Court bailiffs, backed by police, dismantled barricades outside Citic Tower after the building’s owners complained about blockages and were granted an injunction. Student protestors did not resist, and in some instances, assisted in the removal of tents and barricades – the ultimate example of protesting the government while adhering to the rule of law.
For the most part, events in Hong Kong were benign, but one incident did cast a disparaging shadow on the week’s event when some protesters illegally entered the city’s legislative office building Wednesday morning. Roughly 100 police, outfitted with complete riot gear, rushed onto the scene and quelled the uprising.
Where does Hong Kong go from here? Miller shares his insights about the stalemate.
Snap Japan Election
Things aren’t going well for Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. While he did get the long sought after face-to-face meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the APEC Summit, it’s often described as chilly, with a clear look of disinterest on the Chinese leader’s face. Believe it or not, that’s probably the best news for Abe.
Economists have confirmed this week, that Japan’s economy, the world’s third largest has slid into recession. It’s a clear indicator that Abe’s economics stimulus plan hasn’t worked. Furthermore, the second phase of a planned tax increase that was set to go into effect next year, has been put off, if not abandoned, due to low public support. Now the Prime Minister is looking to hold a snap election, two years ahead of schedule to try and shore up support for his administration and policies.
What’s he hoping to achieve? Michael Cucek, Adjunct Fellow at the Institute for Contemporary Asian Studies at Temple University Japan explains Abe’s possible motive.
If you have thoughts on any of the stories in this week’s podcast or feedback for the show, please email them to podcast@asianewsweekly.net or tweet them to @SteveMillerANW.
Asia News Weekly is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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