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Uncertainty Lingers As The Trial Of Lee Ming-che Commences

The Chinese government announced Wednesday September 6 that it would begin proceedings on the trial of Lee Ming-che, the Taiwanese democratic and human rights advocate who disappeared in March while attempting to cross the China-Macau border and who was later confirmed to have been taken prisoner by the central Chinese government. The announcement came in the form of a phone call to his wife, Lee Ching-yu, from a man name Zhang Zhongwei who claimed to be her husband’s state-appointed attorney...

After Nuclear Testing By North Korea, Uncharted Territory For The International Community Lies Ahead

With recent nuclear testing by North Korea, following claims by the rogue nation that it has manufactured a hydrogen bomb, times are highly dangerous not only for the Asia Pacific, but the world at large. North Korea was rocked by strong tremors on Sunday, with North Korea claiming that this was hydrogen bomb testing. This was North Korea’s sixth nuclear weapons test and was ten times more powerful than its fifth weapons test, making the test on Sunday North Korea’s most powerful weapons test yet...

The Tsai Administration To Turn Over A New Leaf Though A Cabinet And Premier Reshuffle?

With Lin Chuan's resignation as premier and his replacement by William Lai, as well as an impending cabinet shuffle, changes would be afoot in the Tsai administration. As has been pointed out, very likely the Tsai administration has its eye on midterm approval ratings with its reshuffle, but the switch is probably also aimed at turning over a new leaf in the public eye...

The Battle For Hong Kong’s Courts

The struggle over the integrity of Hong Kong’s judiciary is shaping up to be an important political battle both domestically and internationally. The Hong Kong Basic Law provides for the establishment of the Hong Kong judiciary. Article 85 of the Basic Law states that these courts will act independently and “free from any interference”. This, however, is coming under fire from those who claim that the courts are becoming more and more an arm of the Chinese Communist Party in Hong Kong...

Harvard Anti-Affirmative Action Lawsuit Reveals White Conservatives’ Attempts To Use Asian-Americans As A Racial Wedge

A recent lawsuit filed alleging racial discrimination at Harvard against Asian-Americans due to affirmative action programs purports to be in the interest of Asian-Americans, but this would in fact be the attempt of white conservatives to repeal affirmative action programs to deny black and Latino students access to institutions of higher education...