Geopolitics looms large over the polls in Solomon Islands, where Beijing and Washington have been vying for influence for years. But for voters just struggling to make ends meet, Wednesday’s election may be decided by issues much closer to home.
Talks on March 19 are expected to involve Japan’s Self-Defence Forces and police taking part in local and regional responses as well as training.
Analysts warn economic strife and cultural violence have been intensifying, threatening national stability
The lack of urgency is causing alarm inside the United States among those hyper-aware of the speed at which China may step in while Congress dawdles over a small sum of money by aid standards.
Papua New Guinea’s PM James Marape has cancelled a trip to Davos as he fends off calls to resign while trying to defuse the national crisis sparked by a police pay dispute.
The move comes after the island nation was rocked by two nights of riots and looting, triggered by a sudden police walkout over a pay dispute.
Pacific nations, especially Kiribati, Marshall Islands and Tuvalu, are among the most vulnerable nations to be nearly entirely inundated by rising sea levels.
Fiji is ‘strategically important’ for Pacific maritime routes, and its deep water port access appeals to Beijing amid stronger competition in the Pacific.
Solomon Islands’ PM Manasseh Sogavare has alarmed the West with his pro-Beijing engagement and increasingly authoritarian reflexes. He told This Week in Asia that Honiara’s ties with China ‘were never better’.
Macau was long a backdrop for Hollywood movies such as Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom starring Harrison Ford. Now it is local stories that filmmakers want to tell and audiences want to see.
From its medicinal uses and Buddhist connections to its arrival in China and flourishing trade in Asia, sandalwood, with its heady scent, has been sought after for over three millennia.
In September, Macau University of Science and Technology opened its Faculty of Medicine. The former Portuguese colony’s success in controlling the Covid-19 outbreak has led to calls for help from around the world.
