“Yalu River Delta, North Korea” Jack Upland Wikipedia (Looking from China towards DPRK). 

                              by David Parmer

If you mentioned the Amnok River, most people, even those familiar with Asia would probably draw a blank. But if you mentioned the Yalu River, you would certainly get a much better response. And yet they are the same: Amnok to Koreans and Yalu to Chinese. The river has played a part in three wars, the first Sino-Japanese war, the Russo-Japanese war, and the Korean war of the 1950s.

In the Korean conflict it was U.S. General Douglas McArthur’s plan to cross the Yalu into China the prompted Chairman Mao Zedong to send Chinese volunteers across the river and into the fight.

These days, photos and videos show not a war zone or DMZ, but rather a peaceful body of water flowing 795 kilometers (493 miles) from the scenic Changbai Mountains to  the Korea Bay. Along its route to the sea the Yalu passes five scenic areas and rushes by 205 islands, 178 of  which are Korean and 78 of which are Chinese.

 The river exhibits a steady drop along it circuitous route which, combined with seasonal rains, makes it an ideal source of hydroelectric power. Six dams harness the enormous power of the river. Three are managed by China, two by the DPRK, and one jointly. A joint administration overseas operations and power output is shared equally by both parties. River management and fish resource management are also a joint ventures. 

The Friendship Bridge by Night (Dandongexpat.com)

The Yalu enters Korea Bay at its southwest terminus and is flanked by the city of Sinuiju on the DPRK side and Dandong on the PRC side. The cities are connected by the Friendship Bridge which carries a steady stream of traffic across the river. (There is a railway bridge further upstream). To relieve traffic congestion and to expand infrastructure a new bridge across the Yalu has been built. Roads on the DPRK side have yet to be built and the opening of the bridge has been postponed from its scheduled 2014 opening. 

                           The New Yalu River Bridge  (nknews.org)

 Lush, green and scenic most of the year, the Yalu or Amnok river not only marks the border between continues, but also offers the promise of peaceful development  of one of Asia’s more important water features.

 

 KMT Chairman Eric Chu ( “Llchu” by 邱鈺鋒 Wikimedia)

                             by David Parmer

The KMT chairman, Eric Chu has his work cut out for him. Chu was elected chairman on January 19, 2015 to replace Ma Ying-jeou who stepped down to take responsibility for the KMT’s crushing defeat in the November 2014 elections. Chu, the popular mayor of New Taipei City, has three major tasks ahead of him. First he must reform the KMT, next he must bring back the voters, particularly young people, and finally, he must prepare the party for elections in 2016. This is no small task given the anti-KMT sentiment expressed by the voters in November 2014 that saw the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) victorious in almost all electoral districts.

Some commentators saw the KMT defeat as a referendum on President Ma’s cross Straits policy, but most observers believe that the dissatisfaction had to do more with issues like the gap between rich and poor, no trickle down of benefits from increased trade with the PRC, wage stagnation and high real-estate prices.

Chu has not ruled out running for president, but indicates that “unity and reform” of the KMT are his priorities now. Elections are scheduled for early 2016, so there is less than a year for him to create a turnaround of the KMT’s fortunes. The job is there and it is huge-and maybe even impossible. Is Eric Chu the man for the job? The answers will not be long in coming.

 

 

 President Obama and PM Modi in Washington  (Photo: white house.gov)

U.S. President Barack Obama is in India this weekend for his second visit to the country. He will be attending India’s Republic Day ceremonies on January 26, as its chief guest at the invitation of India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi. India has figured large on the American agenda this year with the arrival of a new ambassador of Indian-American background, a visit by Secretary of State John Kerry, and finally Mr. Obama.

There are several substantive issues that will be discussed including

• Defense
• Climate change
• Trade

 Mr. Obama is accompanied by U.S. business leaders, and a key Defense Department official has also visited India prior to the presidential visit to discuss possibilities for co-development and cop-production of hi-tech military equipment under the Defense Trade and Technology Initiative (DTTI). During the time Mr. Obama is in India there will also be a meeting of the U.S.-India Business council, and top CEOs will have a chance to discuss important bilateral issues and possible trade deals.

 While some breakthroughs and progress might be made during this visit, what might be the real breakthrough is a resetting and warming of the U.S.-India relationship that has been somewhat cool in the past few years. The chemistry between Mr. Modi and Mr. Obama might set the stage for more movement forward for the relationship itself, and for the issues of interest to the two great powers.

 

 

 

 

 

                  Myanmar President Thien Sien

Myanmar’s year as ASEAN chair for 2014 ended on November 13th when the gavel was handed to Malaysia who will be ASEAN’s 2015 chair. The transfer took place at a ceremony at the close of the 25th ASEAN  Summit in Naypyidaw, Myanmar. So how did Myanmar handle the job in 2014? Most observers seem to agree that they did it pretty well.

The 2014 theme was “Moving Forward In Unity to a Peaceful and Prosperous Community.” Myanmar faced a lot of challenges as it began its year. Internationally, Myanmar had to balance its relations with China with its obligations to ASEAN. Members Vietnam and The Philippines had ongoing disputes with China regarding the South China Sea. Domestically, the recently-emerging Myanmar, led by Thien Sien, had to deal with its problems relating to minorities, specifically the Rohingya and Rakhine peoples. Also, domestically, the country was forced to deal with hosting 21st century events and meetings with antiquated infrastructure.

Myanmar chaired the organization in the year leading up to the establishment of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) in 2015. Malaysia is expected to move the agenda forward, but some observers speculate that implementation of the AEC, featuring a single market and production base, by the end of 2015 is ambitious at best.

 For Myanmar, its term as ASEAN chair can be seen as a further example of its reform and opening to the world. Focus will now be shifted to elections scheduled for autumn 2015. This year will probably see Myanmar occupied with its internal development and human rights issues, so there will probably be no major developments on the foreign policy front either regionally or internationally. For its 2014 ASEAN chair, it looks like Myanmar got a B+, and that’s pretty good.

http://asiafoundation.org/in-asia/2014/01/08/asean-chairmanship-offers-opportunity-for-myanmar/ 

http://www.stimson.org/images/uploads/myanmar_issue_brief_4_final_web.pdf

          Davos-Klosters Switzerland (WEF)

It’s January again, and from the 21st to the 24th of the month, business, political and social leaders will be in Davos-Klosters Switzerland for the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum. This has been going on since 1971 when Klaus Schwab, Professor of Business Policy at the University of Geneva, chaired the first event. Now it is enough to  simply say “Davos” to conjure up images of leaders from a broad spectrum of fields meeting in an idyllic Swiss resort.

On its website the WEF describes it simply as “the world’s foremost multistakeholder community of leaders.”  These include:

• CEOs
• Political Leaders
• Heads of International Organizations
• Young Global Leaders
• Social Entrepreneurs
• Technology Pioneers
• Media Leaders Spiritual and Cultural Leaders

 Political leaders attending will include Ahmet Davutoglu, Prime Minister, Beji Caid Essebsi, President of Tunisia, Francois Hollande, President of France, Li Keqiang, Prime Minister of the People’s Republic of China, Angela Merkel, Federal Chancellor of Germany, John Kerry, US Secretary of State, Matteo Renzi Prime Minister of Italy and Jacob Zuma, President of South Africa, among others.

 The theme for the 2015 meeting will be the “New Global Context” which will focus on ongoing issues including:

• Growth and Stability
• Crisis and Cooperation
• Society and Security
• Innovation and Industry

  One of the key concepts of the event is for leaders from different disciplines and domains to meet, network and exchange ideas. A ticket to Davos costs a reported $70,000 which gives the ticket holder admission to 250+ sessions in the busy, four-day event. For the rest of us, 100 of the high-powered sessions will be broadcast online. 

Video: Professor Klaus Schwab on Davos 2015

https://agenda.weforum.org/2015/01/video-professor-klaus-schwab-on-davos-2015/