Trump to meet 'Rocket Man'

13 March 2018

Trump agrees to meet “Rocket Man’

Developments on the Korean peninsula are suddenly moving at breakneck speed. Following the Olympic detente, President Kim Jong-Un hosted a dinner for a high-ranking South Korean delegation in Pyongyang on 5 March. He told his startled guests that North Korea was committed to denuclearisation and, for as long as dialogue continued, the North would refrain from further missile or nuclear tests. But the most surprising bombshell was that Kim also said he was eager to meet with the President Trump as soon as possible. The South Korea delegation rushed to Washington to inform Trump who, without consulting anyone, immediately accepted the invitation.

Will the Olympic Thaw Hold?

28 February 2018

On 25 February the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang ended with a spectacular closing ceremony – K-Pop, fireworks, a lightshow involving 300 Intel Shooting Star drones. And yet it was, again, North Korea, who put on the real show, stating they were ready for direct talks with the US. 

The Korean Olympic Détente - Sport, Diplomacy and the Army of Beauties

8 February 2018

On 9 February the Winter Olympic Games will commence in Pyeongchang, just 80 km from the demilitarized zone that divides Korea. But to the surprise of many, South and North Korea will march together at the opening ceremony under a Unification Flag – a pale blue shape of the Korean peninsula against a white background, designed to represent all of Korea. It won’t be the first time this happens; North Korea has quite a history at the Olympics which it boycotted only twice – the 1984 Games in Los Angeles and the 1988 Games in Seoul. But there will be a number of “firsts” at this year’s games.

Theresa May in China

4 February 2018

Even if the results were meagre, a beleaguered Theresa May probably welcomed the opportunity to escape the febrile Westminster atmosphere for a three day visit to China this week. The British prime minister heads a minority government and continues to be haunted by a possible leadership challenge as well as constant Cabinet in-fighting over a hard v soft Brexit.

Her principal aims in China were to try and convince Chinese leaders that she would be in power for some time and that post-Brexit, there would be a new ‘golden age’ of UK-China relations. President Xi and Prime Minister Li said that there could be close relations whatever the UK’s future status.

“Makelong” visits China

19 January 2018

During his 8-10 January visit to China, the first by an EU leader since the 19^th CCP Party Congress, President Macron ( 马克龙 “Makelong” in Chinese) made a strong plea for closer EU-China cooperation based on reciprocity.

Macron’s visit started in Xi’An, the departure point of the ancient Silk Road, and thus a highly symbolic choice to endorse Xi Jin Ping’s flagship Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Whole welcoming Xi’s initiative, Macron warned that cooperation should not be “one-way”. Reciprocity and better access to the Chinese market were thus catchwords of Macron’s visit, as he seeks to reduce France’s trade deficit with China.