AirMax (ON) by Testonics! (Why we urgently need Korean studies in Groningen)
One of the delights of visiting Korea, apart from bibimbap of course, is that there is always something brand new to catch your attention. Something so novel it has not reached the outside world yet: an idea, a product or an entire city build on land...
IKEA gets it wrong in Korea
It must be your marketers worst nightmare. The opening of the first IKEA in Korea (the largest in the world, I read) drew already negative attention before the shop opened its doors and after all homework was done. Operating in different countries and...
Understanding East Asia using the ‘Subway Theory’
The subway theory is something that I have used many times to help begin to explain the differences and similarities between the countries within East Asia. It normally starts off with somebody asking me “How was your trip in …. (insert East Asian...
5 Signs Japanese robots are taking over the world
You probably have seen the movie I, Robot, where Will Smith is saving the world by fighting robots that outsmarted the human race. You also probably sat way too comfortable on your big couch, thinking these things only happen in movies. Well guess what,...
A modern day tributary system is far from distinctly Chinese
Having read a glimpse of When China Rules the World, the infamous book by author Martin Jacques, I was most struck by one of the eight tenets he describes, eight characteristics of China’s return to the global field. Jacques predicts that we might very...
Remonstrance without hope in Hong Kong
Dutch version (Volkskrant)
I am writing this having just returned from the Chinese University Campus of Hong Kong, where the university is brimming with students from all of Hong Kong´s Universities. This week, demonstrations will take place against Chinese...
China and Crimea (in Dutch)
Ja; China is een fervent voorstander van nationale soevereiniteit en territoriale integriteit. Maarnee; China heeft opvallend genoeg geen afstand genomen van de recente Russische militaire inname van de Krim. Beijing bekritiseert bondgenoot Rusland niet,...
Law, conflict and airspace: understanding air defense identification zones
On November 23, 2013, a relatively obscure and benign security practice, which traces its origins to the early years of the Cold War, made global headlines with China’s declaration of an Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) over the East China Sea...
Dealing With The Past To Repair The Present: Why Transitional Justice Matters In Asia
In Asia, from diplomatic tensions between Japan, China and South Korea, to peace agreements that have ended long-running conflicts, such as Aceh’s Helsinki Memorandum of Understanding, to on-going mediation efforts in Mindanao and southern Thailand,...
Een Oeigoer… is dat een diersoort?! (in Dutch)
Aldus een woordvoerder van een niet nader te noemen instantie op de vraag van een journalist of ze meer informatie konden geven over deze minderheidsgroepering in China. Dit naar aanleiding van de grootschalige rellen die in 2009 redelijk plotseling en...