[Andrew Browne] Detroit could be next victim of a tech cold war

These are testing times for Detroit’s big automakers as they puzzle over where to place their bets. Pickup trucks or driverless cars? Internal combustion engines or electric motors? Hardware or software?Now, an even larger question looms, just as a mobility revolution reshapes the industry: America or China?Tensions over technology, if not an outright cold war, are threatening to become a permanent feature of the US-China relationship. In an extreme case, as White House hard-liners press to limi

April 1, 2019

[Lionel Laurent] Xi Jinping and Huawei are a serious threat to European unity

To understand Europe’s muddle over China, look at Monaco.The tiny tax haven, famous for its casinos, has forged an unlikely partnership with the communist state that would have Lenin spinning in his grave. It is going to become a 2-square-kilometer test bed for a new fifth-generation mobile network from Huawei, the Chinese telecommunications equipment maker. The deal has been promoted by Monaco as an attempt to build a “smart nation,” and China is happy no doubt to have a display window in the h

April 1, 2019

[Lee Jae-hyon] Indonesia, a central pillar of Korea’s New Southern Policy

For many Koreans, attention will turn toward Vietnam as President Moon Jae-in implements his New Southern Policy targeting ASEAN countries and India, given the substantial economic relations between Vietnam and Korea, the success of the Vietnamese national football team led by Korean coach Park Hang Seo, and the Hanoi Summit between North Korea and the United States. But one should not forget that the NSP was first unveiled in Indonesia in 2017. Under the leadership of Joko Widodo, widely known

March 31, 2019

[David Ignatius] Moscow shouldn’t misjudge the Mueller moment

Russian claims this week that the country has been exonerated by Robert Mueller’s final report make my skin crawl. But they highlight the critical question of how the US and Russia can begin to move back toward a saner relationship. Frankly speaking (as Russians like to say), the first step is for Russia to stop pretending that it didn’t meddle in the 2016 US presidential election. The Kremlin got caught red-handed, one could say, and if its representatives keep claiming otherwise, they obstruct

March 31, 2019

[Leonid Bershidsky] How the Reimanns can atone for their Nazi past

There is no adequate remedy for the crimes the Reimanns, Germany’s second-wealthiest family, committed in the Nazi era. But it’s still worth trying to figure out what kind of redress is possible now that the events are receding so far into the past that few victims are alive.Through their JAB Holdings company, the family own brands from Pret A Manger sandwich shops to Krispy Kreme Doughnuts. The Reimanns also once owned part of what became consumer goods giant Reckitt Benckiser.Bild am Sonntag,

March 27, 2019

[Kim Seong-kon] Reminiscences of 1980s Korea

When I returned from the States to begin teaching at Seoul National University in the early 1980s, Korea’s socio-political turmoil reached its pinnacle. It was the time when Gen. Chun Doo-hwan seized power after a military coup and ruthlessly crushed students’ anti-government demonstrations on university campuses. The clashes between riot police shooting tear gas and teargassed students were rampant and became a daily ritual on Seoul National University campus, too. At the time, students were di

March 26, 2019

[Robert J. Fouser] Looking at mayors for future leaders

The race for Democratic nomination for president in 2020 is almost full. Only the front runner, former Vice President Joe Biden, has yet to declare his candidacy. The race has more women and African-Americans than any in history. The candidates range from age 37 to 77, and they are diverse in ethnic and religious background. The race is the first time since 2004 that the Democrats do not have a dominant front-runner or an incumbent president running.For all its diversity, the race has plentiful

March 26, 2019

[Jeffrey Frankel] Xi and Trump miss their chance

President Donald Trump has postponed until at least April the supposed deadline for concluding the United States’ current trade negotiations with China. A good outcome for both sides would be reached if China agreed to protect property rights better and reduce the state’s role in its economy; the US agreed to strengthen national saving and public investment; and both sides agreed to reverse their recent tariff increases. Unfortunately, this is not the deal that is likely to materialize.For start

March 25, 2019

[Noah Feldman] Trump’s collusion nightmare is over

The summary of special counsel Robert Mueller’s report submitted to the US Congress on Sunday by Attorney General William Barr can only be described as a significant win for President Donald Trump. Mueller did not find that the Trump campaign coordinated with or colluded with Russian efforts to subvert the 2016 election. And Mueller did not reach a conclusion on whether Trump himself committed obstruction of justice.On top of that, Barr and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein determined separ

March 25, 2019

[Adam Minter] China’s hydrogen economy is coming

There was little excitement in the air when China’s State Council convened a press conference on March 15 to announce and explain 83 revisions to the annual Government Work Report. A few equity investors paid attention anyway. Among the revisions was a proposal to promote the development and construction of fueling stations for hydrogen fuel-cell cars. It was a Friday, and too late to trade on the news. On Monday, Chinese punters were ready: In the first few minutes of trading, fuel cell-related

March 24, 2019

[Trudy Rubin] America now inspires world for wrong reasons

The mass murderer of 51 worshippers in New Zealand mosques last week issued a manifesto in which he asked himself this question: “Were/are you a supporter of Donald Trump?”His answer: “As a symbol of renewed white identity and common purpose? Sure. As a policy maker and leader? Dear god no.”In other words, there was no linear connection between Trump and the New Zealand massacre, nor can he be directly blamed for the carnage. Yet Trump has become an important symbol for white nationalists and bi

March 24, 2019

[Adam Minter] China’s electric cars hit potholes

For several days last week, the often distressingly poor quality of China’s electric cars was a leading topic across Chinese media. According to one survey ricocheting across the web, nearly 70 percent of respondents said they regretted buying a new-energy vehicle. Many expected the industry to be targeted in China’s wildly popular “Consumer Rights Day” gala television special, which shames corporate giants for service and quality lapses. While privacy-invading tech companies were harangued inst

March 21, 2019

[Leonid Bershidsky] Kazakh strongman shows Putin a path for staying in power

Nursultan Nazarbayev, the president of Kazakhstan since 1990, announced that he is stepping down at age 78. The way he is ostensibly relinquishing power could be an example for a younger counterpart and, in some ways, faithful student: President Vladimir Putin of Russia.Post-Soviet Central Asian dictators don’t resign. The first presidents of Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, who, like Nazarbayev, ascended to their posts while the Soviet Union still existed, died in office, leaving behind regimes rem

March 21, 2019