SNS: Asia Letter, Q3 2019: A New Era

In This Issue
Week of 6/24/2019
Vol. 24 Issue 21

Asia Letter, Q3 2019: A New Era

• Quotes of Note
• 令和 – A New Era in Japan
• Dr. Mahathir Gets a Discount
• Rare-Earths Processing in Malaysia
• Rare-Earths Survey in China
• Singapore: First Stop on the Belt and Road
• Grad Students Talk About the Belt and Road
• Ambassador Wu Meets the Press
• Sri Lanka Diversifies Its Infrastructure
• Nidec CEO Nagamori on the Future of Manufacturing
• Electric Buick in China
• NXP and Hawkeye
• Asia No Longer Your Garbage Dump
• Tightening the Screws on Plastic Waste
• In Accordance with the Rules of Nature
• Solid Environmental Progress
• Japanese Names
• About Scott Foster

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Quotes of Note

“[The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership] has benefited tremendously Canadian citizens, Japanese citizens and businesses and indeed people throughout the region… continuing to move forward on freer more open trade, according to the rules we can all agree on, is something we need more in the world.”

– Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, speaking at a press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo in Ottawa (Nikkei Asian Review, 4/29/19)

Note: The CPTPP is the original TPP minus the US.

“Many of today’s greatest challenges are global and they can only be solved when we work together. That is why Canada stands united with its German, French, and Japanese friends [in the Alliance for Multilateralism].”

– Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland (The Canadian Press, 4/16/19)

The Alliance was announced by the foreign ministers of Germany and France at the beginning of April. Australia, India, Indonesia, and Mexico are also thought likely to join.

“In the 19th century, Japan imported rail technology from the UK. Now we are delivering trains [there] with a feeling of gratitude.”
– Hitachi executive Junichi Kawabata on the commencement of regular operations by the company’s high-speed Azuma trains between London and Leeds (Nikkei Asian Review, 5/15/19)
Hitachi assembles the trains in the UK.

“If you look at electronic systems companies in China – smartphone companies or whoever – basically all of their future designs for as far as we can see for probably decades out now, when they go to do a new design for a system, they are going to be looking at non-US parts…. The fear of God has been put into them… if there is an alternative, they are going to pick it.”

– Bill McClean, President, IC Insights (EE Times, 6/10/19)