College Student, Part II
“I think Kobe will make it,” said Gia. “He goes to class every day. He completes his homework every night.” Then she spoke in Bisaya, turning toward the taxi driver, who maneuvered his three-wheeled...
Tagged: Asia Pacific
Xi Jinping’s New Bank
The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank will replace the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, according to Xi Jinping and his colleagues in the Chinese Communist Party. The new bank, known as the AIIB,...
A South Korean Hell
On the Korean peninsula north of the demilitarized zone, established in 1953 at the end of the Korean War, the population remains trapped in a prison built by the Kim dictators. But south of...
Xi Jinping Gets Serious
Xi Jinping wants more time to execute his plans for China. One analyst, Willy Lam, a professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, says, “Like his good friend Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping wants...
Indonesia Checks China’s Advances
Last Tuesday, August 16, Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo appeared before the nation’s parliament in the capital, Jakarta, to deliver two speeches. It was one day before the nation’s annual holiday to celebrate independence from...
Xi Jinping’s Existential Crisis
Chinese President Xi Jinping is fighting a war he can’t afford to lose. If he fails to address emerging challenges to his authority, the future of the communist regime could be at risk. But...
Tsai Ing-wen Takes Over in Taiwan
The Republic of China, or Taiwan, was established in 1949 on an island 100 miles off the coast of China and has flourished because of the flexible diplomacy of its leaders. They have accepted...
Defeat in Court Upsets Xi Jinping
“China will never accept any claim or action based on those awards,” Chinese President Xi Jinping said in a show of defiance. It was a Tuesday in the middle of July, outside Beijing. A...
South Korea’s Next President
Though he hasn’t said he’ll run in the December 2017 election, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon is an early favorite to be South Korea’s next president. Polls show voters in the East Asian nation...
Professional Woman, Part II
I looked at Rosalie over my left shoulder from my front seat next to the taxi driver. It was a Saturday afternoon, around 4:30. We were traveling along Torres Avenue in downtown Davao and...