Eric Teo Chu Cheow - The Japan Times

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Eric Teo Chu Cheow

For Eric Teo Chu Cheow's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:

COMMENTARY / World

Jun 22, 2004

One country, many systems?

SINGAPORE -- China is said to be changing fast and profoundly, but three recent issues highlight best the changing concept of regionalism in China:

COMMENTARY / World

Jun 6, 2004

Superpower-in-the-making faces hurdles

SINGAPORE -- The enlargement of Europe on May 1 was another historic milestone for the world's only "federal" entity of sovereign states sharing a common currency and an increasing number of foreign-policy and security attributes. Today's Europe stands at 25 nations with a combined population of 455 million and a gross domestic product of more than $12 trillion, surpassing the population and GDP of the United States.

COMMENTARY / World

May 23, 2004

How separate are religion, government?

SINGAPORE -- Religion and the state in East Asia have always had a tenuous relationship. But as political and social development accelerate with the accumulation of wealth and a growing middle class, East Asia appears to be ultimately confronting the issue of separating religion from secular politics.

COMMENTARY / World

May 14, 2004

Controversies stoke Chinese nationalism

SINGAPORE -- Controversy in Taiwan over the March 20 presidential poll as well as political stirrings in Hong Kong over China's "final" say in deciding reforms have probably contributed to rising nationalism in China. These three trends could affect the future development of China and the stability of the Asia-Pacific region.

COMMENTARY / World

Apr 19, 2004

Malaysia gives Islam a chance to shine

SINGAPORE -- The 11th Malaysian general election March 21 was a historic moment in Malaysian politics and a political watershed in the country's history. It may also have been the turning point in the universal Islamic debate over religion and development, especially as these polls constitute the first victory for a progressive Islamic regime against Islamic conservatives or fundamentalists in the Muslim world since 9/11.

COMMENTARY / World

Mar 27, 2004

Tale of three Asian elections

SINGAPORE -- Taiwan held its landmark presidential election last Saturday, Malaysia organized legislative elections last Sunday, and Indonesian legislative elections are scheduled April 5.

COMMENTARY / World

Mar 9, 2004

Taiwanese stretch envelope before polls

SINGAPORE -- In the runup to Taiwan's presidential election on March 20, political sparks are flying not only in Taiwan but also in China and the United States. Moreover, the commemoration in Taiwan of the Feb. 28, 1947, killing of some 10,000 Taiwanese by Kuomintang (KMT) troops -- otherwise known as the 2-28 celebrations -- has provided an occasion to defy the mainland further ahead of the elections and referendum. The 2-28 "Hand-in-Hand to Protect Taiwan" rally, organized by the Democratic Progressive Party, or DPP, of Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian, linked between 1 1/2 million and 2 million people in a human chain from Hoping Island to southern Changlung, sending the mainland wishes of peace as well as a message of defiance toward the 496 Chinese missiles pointed at Taiwan.

COMMENTARY / World

Feb 29, 2004

'Opening up' to raise risks of instability

SINGAPORE -- At a Feb. 23 international conference in Tokyo titled "Future Prospects of the East Asian Economy and Its Geopolitical Risks," which was organized jointly by the Policy Research Institute, Japan's Finance Ministry and the Reischauer Center for East Asian Studies at Johns Hopkins University, I presented a paper on the geopolitical risks in Southeast Asia.

COMMENTARY / World

Feb 13, 2004

Bird flu lessons highlight change in Asia

SINGAPORE -- Avian flu has spread across 10 countries in Asia -- from China and Pakistan to Indonesia. A meeting in Bangkok at the end of January highlighted the flu's "regional dimension" as well as the necessity for a regional approach to eradicating it.

COMMENTARY / World

Feb 1, 2004

China-Southeast Asia relations blossom

SINGAPORE -- Chinese worldwide ushered in the Year of the Monkey on Jan. 22. The outgoing Year of the Goat had been excellent for China -- despite the outbreak of SARS last winter -- and a relatively good year for Southeast Asia.

COMMENTARY / World

Jan 12, 2004

China lights Vietnam's path

SINGAPORE -- Profound similarities bind China and Vietnam together today more than ever. Twelve years after their brief border war in 1979, Hanoi and Beijing normalized relations in 1991 after resolving the "Cambodian problem" at the Paris Peace Conference. This normalization of relations put to rest a historically tumultuous 1,000-year relationship of enmity, subjugation, "liberation" and ideological collaboration.

COMMENTARY / World

Dec 28, 2003

A firmer Japan in the tussle with China

SINGAPORE -- The ASEAN-Japan Summit in Tokyo on Sept. 11-12 came at a crucial moment in ties between Tokyo and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi met with the ASEAN heads of state just as Japan is bottoming out from a decade of economic doldrums. Moreover, Japan became the third partner to sign the ASEAN Treaty of Amity and Cooperation, after China and India.

COMMENTARY / World

Dec 5, 2003

China dreads contagion of unrest

SINGAPORE -- The heavy losses suffered by proadministration and pro-Beijing parties in Hong Kong's Nov. 23 municipal elections clearly bore out a prodemocracy message.

COMMENTARY / World

Nov 22, 2003

Weaker LDP worries ASEAN

SINGAPORE -- Japan's Nov. 9 general election was generally regarded as a political setback for Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and his reforms program. His Liberal Democratic Party emerged with fewer seats in the Diet than before -- but bolstered by a political merger with a smaller party, the governing coalition did retain a comfortable majority in the Lower House. In contrast, the opposition Democrat Party of Japan gained 40 seats.

COMMENTARY / World

Nov 17, 2003

U.S. continues to stir Muslim resentment

SINGAPORE -- In an Oct. 1 report to the U.S. Congress, titled "Changing Minds, Winning Peace," a high-level panel warned that "hostility toward America had reached shocking levels." It recommended that the administration overhaul and increase public-relations efforts to salvage its plummeting image among Muslims and Arabs.

COMMENTARY / World

Oct 30, 2003

Malaysian mood resurgent as Mahathir bids farewell

SINGAPORE -- After more than 20 years at the helm of Malaysia, Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad will step down Friday to make way for his chosen successor, Abdulla Badawi, who will become the country's fifth prime minister. All indicators point to a smooth and successful political transition, only the fourth in Malaysia's history.

COMMENTARY / World

Oct 10, 2003

Bali summit moves ASEAN toward sense of community

SINGAPORE -- At the Ninth ASEAN Summit in Bali, Indonesia, this week, the 10 leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations signed the Bali Concord II, an action plan aimed at realizing a more integrated ASEAN in terms of economy, culture and security.

COMMENTARY / World

Aug 15, 2003

A new tide of nationalism

SINGAPORE -- Leaders in Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia have become increasingly vocal in calling for more independent policies and outlook in Southeast Asia, especially in the context of post-American military intervention in Iraq.

COMMENTARY / World

Aug 1, 2003

Terrorists find new haven in a quiet corner of Asia

SINGAPORE -- The failed mutiny by 300 Philippine Army soldiers, which gripped Manila's financial district for 21 hours on Sunday, highlighted the intricate problem of security and terrorism in Southeast Asia.

COMMENTARY / World

Jul 11, 2003

Paris plays multilateral card

SINGAPORE — Although one of the most notable moments at the June 1-3 Group of Eight summit in Evian, France, was the rapprochement between U.S. President George W. Bush and French President Jacques Chirac, Franco-American relations have not been completely restored. Senior Bush administration officials and Congress still harbor a hope of "punishing" France and reducing its international relevance.

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By Alex K.T. Martin

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