Indonesia’s deployment of warships to the Natunas this week has fuelled speculation that the regional bloc could finally act as one against China’s maritime assertiveness.

The outbreak of the new strain of coronavirus comes just weeks before tens of millions of Chinese travellers take part in the ‘world’s largest human migration’.

David Kabua, a son of its founding leader, is likely to maintain the Pacific island’s relations with Taiwan, observers say.

With continuing disputes in the South China Sea, a leadership transition on the cards in Malaysia and no end in sight for the Hong Kong protests, there’s plenty to watch out for.

The US is interested in funding infrastructure in the pro-Taipei province of Malaita, complicating existing political divisions in the Pacific nation

Singapore’s fake news law, denuclearisation in North Korea, South China Sea friction: here are the stories that shook the continent this year, with aftershocks that will be felt long into 2020.

US financial support expires in 2023 and Beijing has sought to ‘loosen the screws’ on regional alliance with lucrative development deals.

Washington’s decision to block the nomination of new judges to the court sees the organisation facing its biggest ever crisis, experts say.

Proponents of new monitoring technology being developed by an international team of scientists say it will provide data on tsunami threats. Sceptics say it could be used for espionage.

A push to connect Pacific nations highlights a submarine struggle for dominance over the world’s technology infrastructure.

Public health experts warn the outbreak is a cautionary tale for nations with vaccination rates below 90 per cent – such as the Philippines, which reported more than 42,000 cases this year.

The election raises the possibility the island nation – one of Taiwan’s four remaining Pacific allies – will pick a pro-Beijing leader, which could also jeopardise the Marshall Islands’ relationship with the US.

Once torn apart by civil war, the autonomous region in Papua New Guinea kicks off a two-week independence vote amid rivalry between the US and China.

Tensions in the US-Korea relationship have flared over rumours of a troop drawdown and mixed messages from Washington, causing concerns that Seoul could look to others, including Beijing, for security and defence support.

International students are being called home or face the agonising decision of whether to wait out the unrest.

Highest-ranking officer Admiral Karl Schultz says American assistance at sea is an ‘alternative to chequebook diplomacy’.

The Pakistani designer has made clothes for some of the world’s wealthiest celebrities and royalty, including Princess Diana. But he is also behind a project to revive disappearing craft traditions like needle and threadwork.

Russia sold US$6.6 billion in arms to the region between 2010 and 2017, as Southeast Asian nations spend more on defence as a hedge against China’s rise – particularly those involved in disputes in the South China Sea.

Russian overtures have been welcomed by Southeast Asia amid trade war uncertainties and disputes in the South China Sea. But even in embracing Moscow, the countries are well aware of the limits of this courtship.  

Protests over changes to Indonesia’s anti-corruption agency present a difficult balancing act for the president, who must tiptoe the line between conservative elites and populist pressures.

Thousands of students have protested against controversial legal changes that would discriminate against minorities, restrict free speech and hamper graft investigations.

The last time the Fed slashed rates, central banks from India to Indonesia followed suit. Experts expect a similar response this time. And that’s a good thing – but there are caveats.

Singapore economist Tan Kong Yam said the economic confrontation had roiled other economies more and could end up being the ‘sideshow’ as Washington and Beijing battle it out for technological supremacy.

With China pumping funds into aid and infrastructure projects in the Pacific, island nations are reassessing their ties with Taiwan.

The overlap between Huawei and the Chinese government ‘raises very serious concerns’, says Robert Strayer, deputy assistant secretary of state for cyber and international communications.

The Thai and Indonesian business titans discuss how the city played an essential role on their way to the top – and will do so today for investments related to Xi Jinping’s ambitious global trade strategy.

Manila recently reignited an old row with Malaysia over Sabah, a founding state of the Malaysian Federation that was historically under the rule of a Philippines-based sultanate.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison pledged to invest in naval infrastructure in East Timor and connect it to an Australian undersea cable system during his visit to the country, to mark the 20th anniversary of its independence referendum.

The drinks giant’s attempt to market its product in smaller bottles has been met with a social media backlash in the Himalayan nation, which is already grappling with litter and pollution.

The island nations are unified in support of a UN investigation into human rights abuses in the province, putting pressure on Jakarta, as growing Chinese influence in the region provides them an alternative source of financial support.