Why more countries are favouring China over the US

Singapore has escalated its concerns about Southeast Asia’s worst haze in more than a decade, demanding answers from ten Indonesian companies it suspects are linked to fires that cause it. The Singaporean government has sent notices that are seen as a shot across the bow, ordering the firms to fight the fires but not directly blaming them or punishing them with fines. It’s the latest chapter in a problem the region has failed to solve for decades. Fires in Indonesia for land clearing send smoke across international borders every dry season. Despite the country having strict laws to prevent widespread burning, the problem has accelerated this year due to an unusually long dry season. Peatland fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan have created hazardous air for communities living there. Schools have temporarily closed in Malaysia and Brunei. Indonesia was slow to accept offers of help from Malaysia and Singapore, and a government spokesman’s remark that neighbours should be grateful for the oxygen that Indonesian forests create outside of the haze season deepened the row. Singapore has a Transboundary Haze Pollution Act that allows for the government to target companies that cause haze, even though the fires are overseas. Yet to date, no companies have been punished. So what could work to prevent another prolonged haze season in future? On this episode of Asia Specific, host Mariko Oi is joined by Bloomberg Opinion columnist David Fickling and BBC World Service Jakarta-based journalist Astudestra Ajengrastri. Asia Pacific, unpacked by those who know it best. Bringing you essential insights and conversations on the stories shaping the region - an economic powerhouse, geo-political flashpoint and the birthplace of global cultural trends. Hear Asian perspectives on international issues and in-depth analysis on news from a region that’s home to nearly 2.5 billion people. Whether it is the latest on trade between the US and China, the rise and fall of political dynasties in Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines, or South Korea’s K-pop inspired soft power strategy, we find out what key players are thinking and dive into the stories that matter. Hosted in Singapore by Mariko Oi, alongside BBC experts in Beijing, Bangkok, and beyond – listen to new episodes twice a week. Episodes of Asia Specific are also available on YouTube, here: https://bit.ly/4iJyeVt Get in touch: [email protected]

Electric vehicles, online shopping, and more – China’s ability to scale up and lower costs for the masses has never been disputed. But does China truly create inventions, or does it excel at perfecting pre-existing ideas? Critics have long accused China of copying, stealing and scaling up innovations from the West or Japan in recent decades. But is this accusation true? Is the ability to scale and improve existing products part of the innovation process? And has China now created the ecosystem to facilitate more innovations of its own? In this episode of Asia Specific, host Mariko Oi speaks to Kenneth Huang, professor at the National University of Singapore (NUS) in the Department of Industrial Systems Engineering and Management (ISEM) and Asia Specific journalist Derek Cai. Also in this episode, David Hsu, a professor at Wharton University of Pennsylvania, explains the separation between invention and innovation, and the benefit of scaling up.

Singapore’s prime minister Lawrence Wong will see his salary raised by about US$1.1m, bringing his annual remuneration to US$2.85m. The change is part of a broader pay increase for Singapore’s ministers - the first rise in 15 years. Singapore’s government has long viewed high salaries as a way to attract top talent and keep corruption at bay. Lawrence Wong has pledged to donate the increased pay to charity for the next five years, but critics on social media have still branded the move as "tone deaf” amid public concerns about job security and the rising cost of living. Wong is the highest paid political leader in the world, far surpassing the official salaries of major power leaders such as China’s Xi Jinping or the United States’ Donald Trump. So is Singapore’s rationale sound - that higher salaries attract better politicians? And how do you even measure "better" for a politician’s performance? On this episode of Asia Specific, host Mariko Oi is joined by BBC digital reporter Tessa Wong, Nicholas Dickinson from the University of Sheffield, and Kimberly McArthur, co-CEO of Better Politics Foundation. Asia Pacific, unpacked by those who know it best. Bringing you essential insights and conversations on the stories shaping the region - an economic powerhouse, geo-political flashpoint and the birthplace of global cultural trends. Hear Asian perspectives on international issues and in-depth analysis on news from a region that’s home to nearly 2.5 billion people. Whether it is the latest on trade between the US and China, the rise and fall of political dynasties in Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines, or South Korea’s K-pop inspired soft power strategy, we find out what key players are thinking and dive into the stories that matter. Hosted in Singapore by Mariko Oi, alongside BBC experts in Beijing, Bangkok, and beyond – listen to new episodes twice a week. Episodes of Asia Specific are also available on YouTube, here: https://bit.ly/4iJyeVt Get in touch: [email protected]

There have been fresh protests in Japan against the longstanding presence of US military forces, after a 20-year-old American military serviceman was arrested by Japanese police over a suspected murder of a woman. US Marine Lance Corporal Devin Jacob Ballard, accused of killing a 39-year-old Japanese woman Anna Yagi, is in Japanese custody on the island of Okinawa. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has registered an official protest with Washington, but some residents think that is not enough. Okinawa hosts the largest US military presence in Japan. It is home to several US military bases and tens of thousands of American troops. The location of those bases has long been a political flashpoint for residents of the country’s southernmost prefecture. Instances of crimes by US service personnel, ranging from drink-driving accidents to rapes and assaults, have built up resentment amongst Okinawans over five decades. On this episode of Asia Specific, the BBC’s Japan correspondent Kurumi Mori joins host Mariko Oi to discuss the anger behind the latest incident. Asia Pacific, unpacked by those who know it best. Bringing you essential insights and conversations on the stories shaping the region - an economic powerhouse, geo-political flashpoint and the birthplace of global cultural trends. Hear Asian perspectives on international issues and in-depth analysis on news from a region that’s home to nearly 2.5 billion people. Whether it is the latest on trade between the US and China, the rise and fall of political dynasties in Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines, or South Korea’s K-pop inspired soft power strategy, we find out what key players are thinking and dive into the stories that matter. Hosted in Singapore by Mariko Oi, alongside BBC experts in Beijing, Bangkok, and beyond – listen to new episodes twice a week. Search Asia Specific on YouTube for video episodes. Get in touch: [email protected]

Malaysia has begun sending migrants from Myanmar home, with the first group of almost 1,500 people arriving in southern Yangon in early October. Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim says in total, 5,000 people will be sent home, and he describes the repatriations as ‘voluntary’, a claim human rights groups question. The migrants being repatriated have been living in detention centers often in poor conditions, with no prospect of long-term residency as Malaysia is not a signatory to the UN Refugee Convention and does not legally recognize refugees or asylum seekers. The country also treats all undocumented migrants as illegal immigrants, leaving them in legal limbo. But human rights groups say returning to Myanmar isn’t much of an alternative. Burmese nationals returning to their home country run the risk of being conscripted into the local military junta or ethnic rebel groups. And the Rohingyas, a stateless ethnic minority group that fled a Myanmar military crackdown in 2017, could face a particularly troubling fate if returned to Myanmar, as they do not have citizenship and have no safe place to return to. Attitudes in Malaysia towards migrants fleeing from Myanmar have been relatively welcoming in the past, and there are now almost 200,000 migrants in the country. So what’s changed? And what does the repatriation policy say about Prime Minister Anwar Ibraham’s political position? On this episode of Asia Specific, host Mariko Oi is joined by BBC South East Asia correspondent Jonathan Head and human rights lawyer for Asylum Access Malaysia, Joanne Chua. Asia Pacific, unpacked by those who know it best. Bringing you essential insights and conversations on the stories shaping the region - an economic powerhouse, geo-political flashpoint and the birthplace of global cultural trends. Hear Asian perspectives on international issues and in-depth analysis on news from a region that’s home to nearly 2.5 billion people. Whether it is the latest on trade between the US and China, the rise and fall of political dynasties in Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines, or South Korea’s K-pop inspired soft power strategy, we find out what key players are thinking and dive into the stories that matter. Hosted in Singapore by Mariko Oi, alongside BBC experts in Beijing, Bangkok, and beyond – listen to new episodes twice a week. Episodes of Asia Specific are also available on YouTube, here: https://bit.ly/4iJyeVt Get in touch: [email protected]