Leaders from around the globe descended on Asia. This week, Asia News Weekly host speaks with Milken Institute's Curtis S Chin and EastWest Institute's Jonathan Miller to unpack the Apec and Asean summits, and glean their key takeaways. Faced with difficulties in resolving the comfort women issues, South Korea looks to criminalize a planned protest and regional headlines round out the Nov 27th edition of the podcast.
Asean Summit in Malaysia
Less than a week ago, leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, as well as other prominent political players like US President Obama, descended on Kuala Lumpur for the this year's Asean summit. As it is one of the most prominent meetings of its kind, Jonathan Miller, Fellow on East Asia with the EastWest Institute once more returns to the podcast to help discern the key takeaways.
Unpacking Apec 2015
When it comes to business and the Asia-Pacific region, the annual Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation is one leadership meeting to watch. This year the gathering was held in Manila -- and as one might expect there were protests by those opposing what they saw as a meeting of the world's elite who get rich off the backs of those less fortunate. To unpack the meeting get to the key takeaways, Miller spoke with Curtis S Chin, Asia Fellow with the Milken Institute who was in Manila at the Apec 2015 gathering.
Despite viable plans to resolve comfort women issue, roadblocks remain
One of the big takeaways from the bilateral meeting between South Korean President Park Guen Hye and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was a renewed effort to resolve the longstanding issue of the Comfort Women that has given rise to much of the frayed relations between the two countries. Despite both countries having avenues to finally resolved the matter in their wheelhouses, roadblocks remain.
The Asia Brief
Miller rounds out the podcast this week with a series of stories from around the Asia-Pacific region. First, in South Korea, the President is under fire for what many see as a significant step backwards in terms of personal freedom as the leader attempts to use the Paris terror attacks to push through tough policing measures. Then news of China offering up US$10 billion in infrastructure loans to Southeast Asia may make you ask why? Plus the US Ambassador to Thailand raises questions over the junta's use of the nation's else majesty laws and headlines that shape the region.
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The writer is an Internet, radio, and television travel/news expert based in South Korea, and a member of the Asia American Journalists Association. Asia News Weekly is a weekly podcast that presents commentary and analysis of the region's biggest stories.
