Perspective

Police officers investigate the body of an alleged drug dealer, his face covered with packing tape and a placard reading "I'm a pusher," on a street in Manila, the Philippines, July 8, 2016.

Thailand’s Novel Approach to Drugs Could Offer Lesson to Neighbors

Bangkok's junta is considering removing Ya Ba from list of illegal narcotics and focusing on treatment.

China's Watershed Year

China 'unnecessarily' offended neighboring countries last year, causing likely obstacles to its 'peaceful rise.'

Just the Tip of the Iceberg

China's banging of the nationalist drum over an islands row with Japan is a prelude to a much bigger historical claim.

More Than a Rock

China's territorial dispute with the Philippines highlights a resource competition and diverging views of history.

End Sanctions Now

Now is the time to cast aside doubts and caution and press for the early removal of almost all sanctions on Burma, a veteran Asia observer says.

Hong Kong Media Exposes Flaws

The press in the Chinese territory shows that freedom of expression can make for better governance than the authoritarian democracy in some Asian nations.

Taiwan's Democracy Is Maturing

Gone are the times when the self-governing island's politics was the butt of jokes.

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By Philip Bowring

Philip Bowring has been based in Asia for 38 years, writing on business, financial, and political issues.

Since 1992, he has been an opinion page columnist for the International Herald Tribune and The South China Morning Post.
He also contributes to www.asiasentinel.com, a website he founded.

For many years prior to 1992, he was with the weekly Far Eastern Economic Review, eventually rising to the position of deputy editor and then editor.

Prior to joining the Review, Bowring worked for many years as Southeast Asia correspondent for The Financial Times, covering stories from South Korea to Pakistan.