Global Courant 2023-05-04 16:59:04
Dear ST Reader,
We hope you’ve been doing well.
In this week’s Asian Insider Newsletter, we take a look at how the US has stepped up its game on security engagements in the Indo-Pacific, with visits to Washington by Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol .
Marcos, who has been in power for just ten months, has moved closer to the US than his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte, but is still mindful of maintaining cordial relations with Manila’s biggest trading partner China, write Nirmal Ghosh and Mara Cepeda . And while the Yoon summit with President Joe Biden produced a new defense pact that strengthens the US nuclear umbrella over South Korea, questions remain over Seoul’s pledge not to develop its own nuclear weapons, report Charissa Yong and Chang May Choon .
Also read about how the rivalry between the US and China continues to flare up – at a rapid pace.
Women and babies round out our offerings this week. First, Mrs patongtarn Shinawatra, a candidate to become Thailand’s next prime minister, has given birth to her second child only two weeks before the kingdom goes to the polls. Meanwhile, May Choon gives us the lowdown on how different Korean women differ in real life from their onscreen personas.
