https://www.scmp.com/rss/510078/feed Sharon Seah is senior fellow and coordinator of the Climate Change in Southeast Asia Programme at ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Sharon Seah Sharon Seah Derided by most international observers and the Myanmar diaspora as a sham, the recently concluded three-phase elections in Myanmar have entrenched military rule under a new constitutional government. For Asean, the outcome throws into sharp relief an increasingly uncomfortable question: should it continue to marginalise the intransigent junta until it complies with the bloc’s Five-Point Consensus (5PC), or find a way to re-engage without betraying the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ own... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3343518/how-asean-can-resolve-its-myanmar-dilemma-post-election?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3343518/how-asean-can-resolve-its-myanmar-dilemma-post-election?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Feb 2026 04:30:18 +0000 Julia Lau,Sharon Seah Julia Lau,Sharon Seah East Timor’s application to join Asean has been described as harder than entering heaven. After 14 years of waiting, it may formally become the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ 11th member state at the Asean Summit this October. Its membership journey began with the existing member states expressing reservations about its readiness for accession and showing concern about Asean’s readiness to welcome a new member. While East Timor has the second smallest population (behind Brunei) and the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3322858/what-can-east-timor-bring-asean-its-eleventh-member?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3322858/what-can-east-timor-bring-asean-its-eleventh-member?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 24 Aug 2025 04:00:09 +0000 Over the past five decades, the strategic relationship between Asean and Australia has evolved significantly. Marked by deepening cooperation and partnership across a broad spectrum of issue areas including security, economic development, education and cultural exchange, this relationship is underpinned by shared interests in promoting regional stability, prosperity, and addressing transnational challenges. Both the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and Australia are part of various... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3255572/amid-china-tensions-australia-and-asean-must-iron-out-hard-issues-preserve-regional-stability?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3255572/amid-china-tensions-australia-and-asean-must-iron-out-hard-issues-preserve-regional-stability?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 17 Mar 2024 03:00:19 +0000 The 56th Asean Ministerial Meeting (AMM) on July 11-12 was overshadowed by Thailand’s revelation that days before the event, its foreign minister had met Aung San Suu Kyi, the imprisoned State Counsellor of the National League for Democracy (NLD) government. Outgoing Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai’s clandestine move upstaged Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi’s planned update on Jakarta’s “quiet diplomacy” approach engaging different Myanmar stakeholders,... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3228217/thailands-myanmar-approach-exposes-cracks-asean-external-parties-may-exploit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3228217/thailands-myanmar-approach-exposes-cracks-asean-external-parties-may-exploit?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Jul 2023 06:00:24 +0000 With global leaders jetting off to Bali for a G20 summit and Bangkok for an Apec meeting, Cambodia can heave a sigh of relief after hosting one of the season’s other main get-togethers, Asean, without much drama. Concerns over the global economy, threats of recession and food and energy security took centre stage against the gridlock of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, intensifying US-China rivalry and the problem of Myanmar. Yet, Asean’s 10 members were able to make some difficult decisions on... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3200079/aseans-summit-season-was-smooth-ride-despite-year-turbulence?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3200079/aseans-summit-season-was-smooth-ride-despite-year-turbulence?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 19 Nov 2022 03:00:14 +0000 More than a year after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the Covid-19 outbreak a public health emergency, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) – a region with a combined GDP of US$9.34 trillion and a population of more than 650 million – has not recovered from the global economic tumult resulting from the pandemic. While some economies in the region do appear to be recovering, Asean governments are still prioritising the disbursement of stimulus measures for short-term... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3141363/how-aseans-covid-19-recovery-measures-are-missing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3141363/how-aseans-covid-19-recovery-measures-are-missing?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Jul 2021 03:00:18 +0000 Recent tensions between the US and China escalated due to a trade war before being complicated by the coronavirus pandemic and compounded further by a global economic recession, revealing a sharper and deeper rivalry. The tit-for-tat actions over the South China Sea, closures of consulates, banning of WeChat and the order to sell TikTok have fuelled concerns about a “new cold war”. US President Joe Biden has not minced words when it comes to competition and cooperation with China. Biden has said... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3137951/how-us-china-competition-addressing-climate-change-could-benefit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3137951/how-us-china-competition-addressing-climate-change-could-benefit?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 20 Jun 2021 03:30:00 +0000