Daniel Michaeli: Asia Ruminations

Let’s Negotiate an Investment Treaty with China

Daniel Michaeli — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 14:38:10 +0000

Date: 8 April 2011. Publication: The Huffington Post. Author: Daniel Michaeli. In recent years, Beijing has asked repeatedly for a treaty that would give U.S. investors in China greater and more enforceable rights. It is high time for the Obama administration to respond seriously — by concluding its open-ended review of bilateral investment treaties and working one out with China. The U.S. and China should work aggressively over the next several weeks to prepare to announce a timeline for negotiations at the U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue in Washington next month. American firms have ...

Is Democracy in China’s Future?

Daniel Michaeli — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 13:35:35 +0000

In recent weeks, many in the West, and even some in China, have speculated about the resilience of China’s authoritarianism. Could what happened in Egypt happen in China? (For some U.S. perspectives, see a Forbes.com article by Gordon Chang from January 30th and a Wall Street Journal article by Loretta Chao from a couple weeks ago.) China is clearly playing it safe as it reacts with force to even the smallest hints of protest this week. The Tiananmen Square massacre remains the template for authoritarian responses to popular pro-democracy movements. “The unity ...

Hu Jintao’s State Visit (Radio Interview)

Daniel Michaeli — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 00:52:28 +0000

Media: Colombia National Radio – “Coffee and News” Morning Show (Live). Subjects: Issues likely to come up in the state visit; human rights; valuation of the Chinese Renminbi and risk of a “currency war.” Length: 8:07. This was a live interview conducted in English; Spanish interpretation follows each question and answer. Note: If you have trouble with the embedded MP3 file above, you can open or download the interview directly here. The story on the Colombia National Radio web site can be accessed here.

Obama in India: Testing a New World Order, Starting with the Security Council

Daniel Michaeli — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 20:01:14 +0000

Date: 8 November 2010. Publication: The Huffington Post. Author: Daniel Michaeli. The future of American global influence will be decided in Asia, and India’s success could be a prerequisite for America’s long-term position in the region. So President Obama just made a substantial step towards securing U.S. interests in Asia by endorsing India’s aspiration to greater global and regional influence. He declared today in New Delhi, “I look forward to a reformed U.N. Security Council that includes India as a permanent member.” Indians have been waiting for this for a long time. Successive U.S. ...

Foreign (Mis?)perceptions of India

Daniel Michaeli — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 04:22:37 +0000

This week’s shooting of two tourists in front of Delhi’s Jama Masjid drew a great deal of unwanted attention just days before the Commonwealth Games, expected to bring some 8,000 athletes and 100,000 tourists to India beginning on October 3rd. The security fears exacerbated existing worries that New Delhi won’t be ready in time (a footbridge collapsed Tuesday, for example, injuring 27 people). After the incident, Australia warned its citizens of a “high risk of terrorism” at the games and the United States issued a travel advisory. At least three major ...

Legacies of War: Yasukuni Shrine

Daniel Michaeli — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 23:03:08 +0000

This past Sunday, August 15th, was the 65th anniversary of Japan’s surrender to end World War II, in which tens of millions perished, from Europe and North Africa through Russia to Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, and the United States. In a departure from my usual blogging style, I want to share some more personal reflections on one of the historical legacies that continues to haunt Northeast Asia. On a trip to the region earlier this month, I met with scholars from Japan, China, and Korea, in part to explore the ways ...

Keeping Southeast Asia Peaceful

Daniel Michaeli — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 04:02:33 +0000

Southeast Asians want the United States active and engaged in the region, and the U.S. is clearly trying to deliver. But Southeast Asian countries cannot hope to receive full U.S. support in the South China Sea until they resolve ongoing disputes among themselves. This burst of U.S. activity in Southeast Asia is, in part, a response to China’s recent assertiveness, particularly in the maritime space (more on that here). Southeast Asians hope drawing the United States more deeply into the region can help balance China’s heft in multilateral organizations and deter China ...

U.S.-South Korea Ties Strengthen as China Shirks Responsibility

Daniel Michaeli — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 22:53:53 +0000

On Friday, the UN Security Council came out with a weak statement that failed to assign blame for the attack and sinking of a South Korean naval ship in March. China and Russia declined to participate in an international inquiry, watered down the Security Council statement, and now willfully look the other way as North Korea continues denying its involvement. The Council’s statement mentioned the results of the internationally-backed inquiry that showed a North Korean torpedo was responsible, but that was all. Frankly, Korean president Lee Mung-bak failed to take advantage ...

Progress in the Taiwan Strait

Daniel Michaeli — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 21:43:56 +0000

An Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) between China and Taiwan was signed yesterday in Chongqing, promising a substantial boost to Taiwan’s export industry. (A Taiwan government-sponsored study claims the deal will create 260,000 jobs and add 1.7 percentage points to Taiwan’s GDP growth each year over the next seven years.) This agreement has been called a “game changer” by both proponents and opponents, though it still requires the approval of Taiwan’s legislature. In 2003, China became Taiwan’s largest trading partner, replacing the United States. This is a good thing–it reflects the role ...

Obama Skips Asia (Again)

Daniel Michaeli — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 15:56:36 +0000

The fact that President Obama canceled yet another trip to Asia (after having canceled his March trip and deciding to skip Indonesia in November) is disappointing. This makes sense from the narrow American political perspective; Obama is afraid the Gulf oil spill could become his “Hurricane Katrina” incident, exposing the U.S. government as aloof and unable to respond to crises. But the message sent to the Asia-Pacific region is not a good one. Australia, like the United States, is a “Pacific” but not an “Asian” power. While Japan has jumped at opportunities ...