China Struggles to Emerge from U.S. Shadow

In early June China rejected a proposed visit by Defense Secretary Robert Gates. On July 1 it announced that a Gates visit would be welcomed ...

Reflections After a Trip to Old Europe

One of the more vivid memories from my recent Europe trip is being startled by a small pack of drunk young Americans rushing out of ...

The Yen Shocks and a Brave New Yuan

Predictably the world applauded China's announcement that it is ending its currency's 2-year peg to the dollar even as China insisted that a stronger yuan

The Irresistible Pull of a Decaying World

Anyone who has tried booking a Europe trip feels the continent's decline in the most practical sense — things literally don't seem sustainable.

A World Without North Korea

Anyone who has seen images of the suffering in N. Korea brought on by a regime that puts self-preservation above the welfare of its people ...

End of U.S. Consumer Hegemony A Boon for Asian Americans

Economists have taken as an article of faith that U.S. consumers drive global growth.

Evolving from Ching-Chong to Mandarin AP Classes

I don't have to remind anyone about those unfortunate kids who spout mock Chinese gibberish as a way to display their racist ignorance. The irony, ...

Europe and Asia Flip-Flop in American Tastes

I recently tried a French restaurant housed in a charming cottage on Ventura Boulevard in Sherman Oaks. The service was impeccable, the food

Eating, Sleeping and Alkalizing for pH Balance

"I don't know if I'm hungry or just tired." That's a refrain most of us have heard coming out of our own mouths. It's a ...

The Importance of Being Asian (Not Generic) American

Those of us who grew up in the America of the 60s, 70s or 80s know what it's like to be ambivalent about one's ethnicity. ...

China Reaches Inflection Point Between Needy and Needed

It has been 31 years since Deng Xiaoping won acclaim as history's greatest pragmatist by declaring, "It does not matter if the cat is red ...

Hypocrites, Grandstanders Pose As Tiger Tamers

No question that Tiger's recent life makes for some of the best entertainment on the crowded media market today. It's all the more fun

Insomnia and Missing Dreams

I caught a bad cold over the weekend and slept over seven hours last night. For me an illness is a blessing because it gives ...

Obama's Biggest Challenge: Surviving Better Times

Barack Obama's presidency is a child of some of the hardest years most of us have known. Whether it can flourish now that hard times ...

The Irrationality of Scapegoating China

In tough times politicians look for scapegoats. Recently they've zeroed in on China, as they've done so often in the past. They rant that our ...

Grading Hawaii Five-O

If there is an Asian American home on American network TV these days, it has to be CBS's Hawaii Five-O. It's set in the nation's ...

Asian American Near-Thanksgiving List

Thanksgiving is more than just a time to gather with family to enjoy dim sum and Korean barbecue while feeling sorry for those gnawing on ...

Little Emperor Syndrome and China's Me Generation

A recent encounter with a group of young Chinese tourists left me wondering what it will be like for the rest of the world when ...

Korean Mishaps, Obama Failure Among G20 Summit Ironies

The Seoul G20 summit was supposed to be a chance for South Korea to put on the dog, show that it belongs comfortably among the ...

Asian American Consumer Clout Over Premium Brands

No one in California will be surprised to learn that Asian Americans determine the outcome of the tight competition among the top three premium

A New World Order and the New Asian Face

In less than half a century Asia has gone from being the world's problem child to the world's prosperity engine. During that same time Asian ...

American Democracy and the Tyranny of Old Prejudices

Identity, The Ultimate Luxury

Identity is the Asian American Rorschach inkblot test. Depending on your character and personality, it conjures up a different association.

How Hallyu-wood Is Challenging Hollywood

Hallyu is a term coined in 1999 by a Beijing journalist to describe the craze for Korean goods. It has since become synonymous with the ...

Racism, Democratic Reforms and China's Reverse Brain Drain

The world has been clamoring for China to adopt democratic reforms. That wish will likely come true within a decade due to competitive pressures

North Korea, the Ultimate Reality Show

North Korea looms larger in humanity's consciousness than all but a handful of major nations. Why? It's the ultimate reality show and we are gripped

The Dangers of Scape- goating China's Yuan

Leaders of distressed economies like to direct rhetoric at a scapegoat. The ideal scapegoat has little or no political clout and is an easy target

Rutgers's Shameful Asian American Duo

Tyler Clementi jumped from the George Washington Bridge after his Rutgers University roommate hid a webcam in their dorm room to broadcast

Reflections on Summer in Lake Tahoe

When I was going to school Lake Tahoe was synonymous with skiing by day and poker by night. Even then the slopes and casinos were ...

Mao's Last Dancer Satisfies Asian American Audiences

The movie version of Mao's Last Dancer deserves our admiration and support. The film has everything we Asian Americans

Recognizing China As America's Growth Engine

Americans are fretting about a 9.5% jobless rate that isn't budging, a half-trillion dollar trade deficit that isn't narrowing and a million houses

How Japan Can Reverse Its Decline

Today the Nikkei 225 index closed at 9,161.68. The same index, widely used to track the state of Japan's stock market, ended 1989 at 38,915.90.

Why Asian Americans Are Leading America's Cultural Evolution

An Wang, Amar Bose, Charles Wang, David Ho, Jerry Yang, Steven Chu and many tens of thousands of other scientists and technologists

Asian American Men in a Colorblind World

Living in a supposedly colorblind world can be hard on Asian American men because we have to be the kid who has to tell the ...