It is not the bad bilateral bond between them but history that calls for China and the U.S. to build a new type of major power relations.With history beckoning, the way to handle China-U.S. relations is not to pursue the best-case scenario, but to avoid the worst. This will not be achieved without the realization of a new type of major power relations. In other words, building a new type of major power relations should not be an option but an inevitable trend.However, there are several key perce

I learned to drive when I was 16 years old.It was essentially my first foray into a world outside my rather conservative home setting. Insisting that I learn to drive the “correct” way, my father hired a driving instructor. I still owe this female instructor for providing me with my first window into how class operates alongside gender strictures in Pakistan.Having lived, by every stretch of the imagination, a “privileged” existence and based on just the size of my house and my address, my new i

The presidential office’s response to the release of a Social Weather Stations survey showing that 43 percent, or about 9.3 million Filipinos, considered themselves hungry, and 55 percent, or some 12.1 million Filipino families, thought themselves poor, was true to form.The survey isn’t accurate, the palace said in so many words. Why, the National Economic and Development Authority and the Philippine Statistics Authority had declared that poverty in fact decreased in early 2013 to 24.9 percent,

Xinjiang’s image has been tainted with negative perceptions.No thanks to the merciless terror attacks and violent clashes carried out by some people from the autonomous region, Xinjiang natives are suffering from prejudice against them.Kurbanjan Samat, a 32-year-old Uighur, believes the stereotype stems from the lack of understanding and has vowed to change that, one person at a time.“Photography is my passion. When I am holding a camera, I feel a sense of social responsibility,” he said.He star

The deadly landslide in Sri Lanka on Oct. 29, which wiped out an entire village and buried about 200 people alive in Koslanda, came as no surprise. Described as the worst ever natural disaster since December 2004, when massive waves barreled across the Indian Ocean and had a disastrous landfall, the collapse of the mountain slope had been predicted. Landslide warnings had been issued well in advance for several years but no action had been taken to evacuate the people living in the area, we are

In the current war against the Islamic State, several voices have been calling for a review of the mindset with which a fundamental resolution of terrorism will be achieved. Some articles, such as “The Reign of Terror” by Tomis Kapitan, published in the New York Times, have pointed out that even as the world presents a united front in condemning terrorism, the rhetoric of destroying a vile enemy may be hindering efforts at identifying causes ― despite their nonjustifiability ― behind the frenzie

Hallyu top star Ha Ji-won flaunted her curves in TROA shirts and tuxedo jeans by designer Han Song, exuding charm at a cocktail party with U.S. fashion muses. The action blockbuster queen showed up at a cocktail party that was hosted by TROA on Oct. 28, wearing white shirts and shiny-textured tuxedo jeans that were made of “hanjisa,” one of Korea’s finest raw materials. Actress Ha Ji-won poses at a cocktail party that was hosted by TROA on Oct. 28, wearing white shirts and shiny-textured tuxedo

As a little girl, Lee Mei Li longed to play with her elder sister’s Hello Kitty supermarket set, but to no avail ― she wasn’t even allowed to touch it. Instead, she made do with her Hello Kitty mug, which she drank from throughout her primary school years.Imagine little Mei Li’s joy had she just known that two-and-a-half decades later, she would be delighting fans the world over by authoring a book on making crocheted Hello Kitty dolls.Featuring step-by-step instructions on creating 24 character

The spy show “All Quiet in Peking” has surprised everyone by infiltrating the top ranks of Chinese TV.Domestic TV productions have been losing younger viewers because of their inferior quality and fierce competition from U.S. serials. But young, well-educated viewers who comment on creative works on douban.com rated “All Quiet” in Peking 9.1 out of 10 ― a score that surpasses most U.S. productions and perhaps all Chinese TV series.The 53-episode serial focuses on the social upheaval before New C

The Sakura Collection fashion event started Sunday, in Osaka Prefecture, hosting models and designers from five Southeast Asian countries as they showcase the designers’ remarkable creations, mainly made from Japanese textiles on a Japanese theme.Organizers hope the event will draw more people who are interested in Japan and help spread Japanese traditional industry around the world.The organizing committee selected Kansai Airport in Izumisano for Sunday’s activities and Osaka Castle in Osaka fo

Her “Miss Saigon” character Gigi opened the door to “amazing” opportunities for Rachelle Ann Go. Thus, although she has until May 2015 to play the jaded bar girl, the 28-year-old Filipino singer-actress said she was exploring options that would require her to either stay in London or come home to Manila after her stint in the musical’s West End revival.Rachelle flew in recently for a three-day engagement with a new clothing brand, and met reporters in a media gathering. She said auditions for ne

In Myanmar, people have strong religious faith. On weekends and even weekdays the major pagodas in Yangon are often packed with worshippers praying for a better life.Myanmar is also famous for its fortune-tellers. Their supposed occult powers made headlines here when then-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra reportedly consulted a famous Burmese soothsayer. For believers, fortune-tellers can offer clues on how and when to act in order to increase personal prosperity.Yet despite their prominence, My

Recently, a referendum was held in Scotland on whether it should become independent of the United Kingdom, or if it should stay in the union. After years of campaigning from both sides and after a contest so close that it was difficult to predict the outcome, the majority in Scotland voted “Yes” to stay with the United Kingdom.The referendum might not have resulted in the breakup of a union that have lasted centuries, but it did change the political landscape of the United Kingdom tremendously.T

Indonesian President Joko Widodo (center) and Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O’Neill walk together after their meeting in Jakarta on Tuesday. (AFP-Yonhap)When Joko “Jokowi” Widodo takes his oath of office as Indonesia’s seventh president on Oct. 20, it will be a testament to the peaceful and orderly succession of the country’s leadership. It will also be a testament to the fact that electoral democracy works. This, more than anything, is probably the most important legacy, yet underapprec

The last words of the deceased official of the Gyeonggi Institute of Science and Technology Promotion, the organizer of the accident-stricken pop concert in Pangyo that killed 16 spectators, were revealed on his Twitter account Saturday, adding to the tragic deaths of the Pangyo grate accident. The 37-year-old official, only identified by his surname Oh, tweeted at 7:01 a.m., only 15 minutes before his body was found. The note gives strong indications of his intention to commit suicide, the loca

The legal representative of Lee Ji-yeon on Thursday stated that the model was in a relationship with top actor Lee Byung-hun.The first hearing on the celebrity blackmailing case, held at the Seoul Central District Court, aroused public criticism nationwide of all three celebrities involved: Lee Byung-hun, Lee Ji-yeon and Kim Da-hee of girl group GLAM. The trial comes a year after Lee Byung-hun married actress Lee Min-jung in Aug. 10, 2013.  Actor Lee Byung-hun. (OSEN)The prosecutor claimed that

Kailash Satyarthi’s journey as an activist began when he was just six ― when he saw a child of the same age polishing shoes alongside his cobbler father outside his school.“I was going to school with a lot of excitement and I saw this child working. I was very disturbed. I spoke to my teacher and headmaster and they said that the child had no option but to work.“So one day I spoke to the father of the boy and he replied that his child had been born to work. That went deep in my heart and made me

There is an image of her where she sits in an auditorium. A lone figure with a notebook and a pen, she sits surrounded by rows of empty seats covered in shiny black leather. The picture tells much about Malala and her struggle: a vulnerable girl out on her own, holding on to her books like a talisman, drawing strength from her belief in the power of education.The empty seats suggest that the teenage female education activist is in a class of her own. But for a country that has the third-largest

Two infectious disease experts from Singapore have been to the heart of the Ebola epidemic in West Africa to help battle the disease.Associate professor Dale Fisher and Sharon Salmon have been to Liberia twice ― in April and last month ― the only people from Singapore to do so. They joined thousands of international volunteers to help hospitals reopen safely, keep infections in check, set up centers to care for patients, train local health care workers on how to cope, and teach people about stay

Luhan, the Chinese member of K-pop boy band EXO, filed for the termination of his exclusive contract against S.M. Entertainment chief executive Lee Young-man and the star agency on Thursday.EXO Luhan (OSEN)Luhan submitted the legal documents to the Seoul Central District Court allegedly to partially nullify the exclusive contract that he had signed on entering the country’s largest entertainment agency by market capitalization. Although the specific cause of the lawsuit was not publicly revealed