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Asia Opinion

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My Take
Macroscope
Illustration: Craig Stephens
Diplomacy

Opinion | Without diplomacy, deterrence in Asia is a path to escalation

The danger is that every state insists it is acting defensively while collectively building the habits and infrastructure of confrontation.

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Asia housing and property

The View | Asian private wealth an emerging force in property investment

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Diplomacy

Opinion | 122 years on, Mackinder’s ‘heartland’ remains geopolitically decisive

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Banking & finance

Macroscope | The real reason stock markets are still flying high despite grave risks

For all the talk of market resilience, too much portfolio investment is chasing too few real-world investment areas.

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A trader works, as a screen broadcasts a press conference by US Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell following a rate announcement, on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on March 18. Photo: Reuters
A trader works, as a screen broadcasts a press conference by US Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell following a rate announcement, on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on March 18. Photo: Reuters
Taiwan

As I see it | Kuomintang gets the carrots, DPP the stick

Beijing and Taiwan’s opposition KMT want to foster cross-strait interdependence but DPP offers only isolation and endless confrontation.

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Food and agriculture

Outside In | The Iran war is brewing a food crisis we must avert

The world’s focus has been on energy shortages but famine and widening food insecurity are faces of the same coin.

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Japan

Macroscope | Why fixing Japan’s monetary policy isn’t getting any easier

The wrong kind of inflation and the effects of the war in Iran complicate the outlook for Japanese interest rates.

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Customers queue at a discount ticket shop at Akihabara Electric Town in Tokyo on March 24. The weak yen is fuelling inflation by increasing the cost of imported goods, sapping consumers’ purchasing power and making it harder to tackle Japan’s cost-of-living crisis. Photo: EPA
Customers queue at a discount ticket shop at Akihabara Electric Town in Tokyo on March 24. The weak yen is fuelling inflation by increasing the cost of imported goods, sapping consumers’ purchasing power and making it harder to tackle Japan’s cost-of-living crisis. Photo: EPA
Asean

Opinion | How new US-Indonesia defence pact sharpens China’s ‘Malacca dilemma’

The US is investing in the systems, skills and relationships that would matter if access to the Strait of Malacca ever came under pressure.

Asean

Opinion | As Iran war fallout hits Southeast Asia, US is losing influence to China

Asean survey reflects China’s growing strategic influence but also concerns. The question is: will China crowd the US out of the region?

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United States

Asian Angle | The Thucydides Trap is a lie created to justify a US-China war

Ancient Greece offers no lessons for Asia. The Global South must stop letting America’s war machine write history.

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Iranian women walk past a memorial in Tehran to a school that was targeted by a US air strike in February killing 165 children and staff. Photo: EPA
Hong Kong economy

Opinion | How Hong Kong can beat Singapore as the launch pad for Chinese firms

Chinese enterprises going global is this decade’s economic story. Hong Kong needs a system to guide them through each stage of their journey.

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Hong Kong’s dense, chaotic urban environment is not a flaw; it is an invaluable living laboratory for innovation. Photo: Getty Images / iStockphoto
Hong Kong’s dense, chaotic urban environment is not a flaw; it is an invaluable living laboratory for innovation. Photo: Getty Images / iStockphoto
Japan

Macroscope | Will Japan’s corporate bond initiative signal a shift in Asia financing?

Japanese authorities are promoting the domestic corporate bond market as an alternative for firms seeking funding without losing control.

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China-Asean relations

As I see it | Vietnam and China are now perfectly aligned

The emerging partnership enables Vietnam to preserve diplomatic flexibility and advance economic diversification in the face of US pressure.

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South China Sea

Opinion | Without restraint, Beijing and Manila can’t deliver the South China Sea code

Much hinges on how China and the Philippines manage the distrust between their frontline maritime forces.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
India

Opinion | Why India feels exposed by Pakistan’s diplomacy in Iran war

Pakistan, with its contested reputation, leapt into diplomatic action while India, despite its heft and concerns, was absent from the frame.

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English and Urdu newspapers at a roadside stall after the US-Iran peace talks in Islamabad on April 12. Photo: AFP
English and Urdu newspapers at a roadside stall after the US-Iran peace talks in Islamabad on April 12. Photo: AFP
India

Macroscope | How the rupee’s fall shows India’s struggle to overcome vulnerabilities

While India’s economy is stronger than it was in previous sell-offs, lingering weaknesses are coming to the fore and driving new tensions.

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North Korea

Opinion | After years of neglect, China emerges as North Korea’s ‘top priority’

In a world of shrinking options and rising risks, Pyongyang recognises its alliance with Beijing is too important to ignore.

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Diplomacy

Opinion | How Pakistan outmanoeuvred India in Iran war diplomacy with China’s help

Beijing’s indirect influence has allowed Islamabad to take advantage of New Delhi’s strategic constraints.

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Workers remove a billboard after the failed peace talks between the United States and Iran, in Islamabad, Pakistan, on April 12. Photo: EPA
Workers remove a billboard after the failed peace talks between the United States and Iran, in Islamabad, Pakistan, on April 12. Photo: EPA
US, Israel war on Iran

Opinion | Pakistan has the world’s attention. Now it must focus inwards

For Islamabad, sustaining its diplomatic success will also depend on how effectively it addresses internal challenges.

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Singapore

The View | Others in Asia would love to have Singapore’s housing market problems

The city state’s problems pale beside those in other Asia-Pacific markets facing supply shortages that drive up prices and rents.

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Central Asia

Opinion | Why China is looking to Central Asia as Middle East grows riskier

The region’s strategic value as a corridor of resilience is becoming harder to ignore.

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An oil and gas industry worker operates a drilling rig at the Zhetybay field in Kazakhstan’s Mangystau region, on November 13, 2023. Photo: Reuters
Technology

Opinion | AI pessimism is a luxury the Global South cannot afford

Young, developing states must ride the tech waves if they don’t want to fall further behind and learn from others’ mistakes.

Leaders attend the AI Impact Summit at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, India, on February 19. Photo: Agencia Brazil/dpa
Leaders attend the AI Impact Summit at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, India, on February 19. Photo: Agencia Brazil/dpa
Asean

Asian Angle | Doubts about Trump strain Southeast Asia’s US-China balancing act

An increasingly unpredictable Washington is making the region’s traditional hedging strategy harder to sustain.

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Renewable energy

Opinion | Hormuz crisis a chance to spur Asia’s shift to clean, secure energy

The US war on Iran should be a catalyst for governments and industries to accelerate the transition to renewables.

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Banking & finance

Macroscope | Can World Bank and IMF leaders rescue a global economy on the brink?

By attacking Iran, the US has put the global economic order in jeopardy.

The International Monetary Fund logo is seen outside its headquarters in Washington. Photo: Reuters
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