When the time comes to evaluate United States (US) President Joe Biden’s international legacy, one variable will be enormously significant: the relationship that his administration forges with China.

The year 2020 was a harrowing one, with the COVID-19 pandemic, worldwide economic reversals, widespread climate-related disasters, pervasive social unrest, and even United States (US) President Donald Trump’s phony claims about massive electoral fraud and calls among his backers for martial law. Yet, despite the grim news, the year also brought some powerful reasons for optimism.

Vietnam faced criticism Wednesday from the United States (US) and rights groups after jailing three pro-democracy bloggers weeks ahead of the communist government's party congress.The run-up to a leadership transition later this month is a particularly tense period for the state as candidates jostle for power behind closed doors.In recent months, the authoritarian regime has stepped up its crackdown on dissent and has arrested numerous critics.At a quick trial Tuesday in Ho Chi Minh City

Kudos to the European Commission (EC) for finalising a new investment agreement with China. Europe’s active diplomacy also played a role in China’s recent commitment to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060 – a decision that was quickly followed by Japan’s pledge to decarbonise by 2050.

It has been three years now since the tragic “Marawi Siege”, but until now, terrorist attacks continue to permeate the Philippines making it hard for the government to secure its citizens from those who persistently seek to attack the lives and the way of life of every Filipino. The Marawi Siege just like the tragic events of 11 September (9/11), the Bali bombings, and the home-grown terrorists’ attacks in London, is the quintessence of the country’s long struggle against terrorism.

The signing of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) on 15 November, 2020 marks a milestone for East Asian regionalism. It shows ASEAN’s determination to unify existing ASEAN+1 trade agreements and to showcase the bloc’s central role in regional cooperation. As former Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa noted recently, the RCEP was “a response by ASEAN leaders to a series of initiatives that did not provide for ASEAN centrality”.

Indonesia’s National Commission for Child Protection (KPAI) had received 1,192 reports of violence, including physical, psychological or sexual abuse towards children in the first half of 2019.Unfortunately, as the current coronavirus pandemic has forced people to stay home, some children living with violent parents or guardians have found themselves increasingly at risk of abuse.In July, I Gusti Bintang Ayu Puspayoga, Indonesia’s Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection Minister said that at

While much of the hand wringing over China has abated somewhat during the COVID-19 crisis, the fears animating Western attitudes toward that country have not disappeared, and could resurface at any moment.

The ongoing discrimination against Uyghur Muslims in China continues unabated despite media attention from across the globe. Uyghurs, who mostly live in the Xinjiang administrative region, are known to suffer inhumane treatment at the hands of the Chinese government.

The internet shutdown in Myanmar's conflict-ridden northwest, described by rights groups as the world's longest, entered a second year Sunday with locals and campaigners appealing for an end to the blackout as coronavirus fears grip the region.The Myanmar military has been embroiled in a bloody civil war since January 2019 against the Arakan Army (AA), an insurgent group fighting for more autonomy for ethnic Rakhine Buddhists.The government shut down mobile data in several townships