https://www.scmp.com/rss/523268/feed ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute: A government-run research institute and statutory board in Singapore dedicated to the study of socio-political, security, and economic trends in Southeast Asia and its wider geo-strategic environment. Established in 1968 by an Act of Parliament, it aims to stimulate research, enhance public awareness, and facilitate solutions for regional challenges. The institute was renamed in 2015 to honour Singapore’s first President, Yusof Ishak. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Kolette Lim,Jean Iau Kolette Lim,Jean Iau Singapore’s economy will inevitably be hit by the global energy crunch even though it is in a better position to deal with the crisis compared with its neighbours, according to analysts, as the city state unveiled a raft of measures to help households and businesses. The conflict in the Middle East has roiled supply chains and sent fuel prices soaring in Southeast Asia, with governments scrambling to enforce measures such as fuel caps and work-from-home mandates. Singapore ministers in... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3349276/singapore-set-be-hit-global-energy-crisis-it-unveils-countermeasures?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3349276/singapore-set-be-hit-global-energy-crisis-it-unveils-countermeasures?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Apr 2026 10:20:15 +0000 Kolette Lim Kolette Lim Most Southeast Asians would choose China as a strategic partner over the US if forced to pick, as analysts attribute the findings of an annual survey to recent geopolitical and trade uncertainties driven by Washington’s policies. But analysts warn against interpreting the respondents’ sentiment in the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute survey as a zero-sum game between the superpowers, saying that Asean is looking to diversify partners in a multipolar world. When asked which superpower the region... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3349247/most-asean-prefer-china-over-us-partner-poll-trump-cited-biggest-concern?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3349247/most-asean-prefer-china-over-us-partner-poll-trump-cited-biggest-concern?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Apr 2026 08:05:32 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou Despite land reclamation efforts in the fiercely contested South China Sea, an unusual silence has fallen between Beijing and Hanoi over their rival claims. Observers said this suggested both sides were prioritising pragmatism to keep tensions in check. In March, months into reports suggesting continued Chinese dredging activities at Antelope Reef in the Paracel Islands, Hanoi broke its silence by lodging a protest with Beijing over what it called “illegal and invalid” foreign... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348763/why-china-and-vietnam-are-shifting-confrontation-calm-south-china-sea-claims?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348763/why-china-and-vietnam-are-shifting-confrontation-calm-south-china-sea-claims?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Apr 2026 09:01:08 +0000 Joseph Sipalan,Ushar Daniele Joseph Sipalan,Ushar Daniele For a few weeks after the bombs started falling on Iran, Southeast Asian governments told their people not to worry. Emergency funds would cushion the blow. Subsidies would hold. Prices would stabilise. A month on, with oil well above US$100 a barrel, long queues for fuel forming at petrol stations across the region and Thailand restarting coal plants it had mothballed years ago, the reassurances have worn thin. Against this backdrop, an old question has resurfaced with fresh urgency: why does a... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3348186/iran-war-energy-shock-revives-aseans-power-grid-plans-its-way-go?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3348186/iran-war-energy-shock-revives-aseans-power-grid-plans-its-way-go?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Mar 2026 00:00:13 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran As trade tensions and new US tariff investigations rattle global supply chains, Southeast Asian economies are looking to broaden their options. But analysts say that the region’s deep links with the United States and China mean any shift will be gradual rather than a clean break – and may yet work in Asean’s favour. The disruption could accelerate supply-chain diversification, drawing more manufacturing to the region from markets such as Europe, India and the Middle East. For now, however, the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3346594/how-asean-can-loosen-dependence-us-china-amid-trade-war-fallout?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3346594/how-asean-can-loosen-dependence-us-china-amid-trade-war-fallout?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Mar 2026 02:00:11 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran #SEAblings – short for “Southeast Asian siblings” – has increasingly been used by young Southeast Asians to signal regional solidarity, be it over a controversial concert or a political event. Whether such moments are fleeting or have the potential to morph into a sustainable movement is a subject of debate. The hashtag’s latest surge in use followed a dispute over camera rules at a K-pop concert in Kuala Lumpur, which escalated into a much wider online clash. For some sociologists, the point is... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3345477/why-seablings-became-southeast-asias-symbol-digital-solidarity?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3345477/why-seablings-became-southeast-asias-symbol-digital-solidarity?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Mar 2026 03:30:09 +0000 Samer Elhajjar ,Niraj Dawar Samer Elhajjar ,Niraj Dawar For years, debates about US-China competition have defaulted to the obvious categories: ships, chips, tariffs and security pacts. Soft power was often treated as America’s home turf, the domain of Hollywood, top universities, global brands and a political ideal that still attracts even when it disappoints. That assumption is getting riskier. The world has entered a new emotional weather pattern: fatigue. It’s a structural condition shaped by overlapping shocks: pandemic after-effects, inflation... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3344992/fatigue-rewriting-us-china-soft-power-contest-starting-asean?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3344992/fatigue-rewriting-us-china-soft-power-contest-starting-asean?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Mar 2026 08:30:08 +0000 Seong Hyeon Choi Seong Hyeon Choi China’s push to sell its J-35 fifth generation fighter jet in the Asia-Pacific was likely to face stiff competition from US rival the F-35 as well as cheaper alternatives, military analysts said after the plane featured at this year’s Singapore Airshow. They said political and economic considerations apart from performance would weigh on potential buyers, and questioned how many countries would want to buy the Chinese plane. In Singapore this month, the booth operated by China National... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3344208/can-china-find-market-its-fifth-generation-j-35-warplanes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3344208/can-china-find-market-its-fifth-generation-j-35-warplanes?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Feb 2026 14:00:09 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran As foreign ministers from Asean member states gathered in the Philippine city of Cebu this week, the bloc faced a familiar dilemma: how to keep pushing for peace in Myanmar without sliding into what critics warn could become “de facto acceptance” of its military regime. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, held on Wednesday and Thursday, is the first major gathering hosted by the Philippines since it assumed the bloc’s chairship this year. Much of its... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3341678/asean-cautioned-against-legitimising-myanmar-junta-ministers-meet-peace-plan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3341678/asean-cautioned-against-legitimising-myanmar-junta-ministers-meet-peace-plan?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Jan 2026 08:33:17 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran As Asean tourism leaders met this week to discuss regional matters, observers say a common visitor visa for the bloc and aligned digital connectivity will even out tourism growth and help lagging countries like the Philippines catch up. The 63rd Asean National Tourism Organisation Meeting, held in Cebu in the Philippines on Monday, was also attended by tourism chiefs from Japan, China and South Korea – countries that were instrumental in boosting tourism in the region. In 2024, 20 million... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3341622/how-shared-asean-visa-could-help-philippines-find-its-travel-feet?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3341622/how-shared-asean-visa-could-help-philippines-find-its-travel-feet?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Jan 2026 03:55:49 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow Vietnam’s Communist Party five-yearly congress is set to consolidate more power for General Secretary To Lam, whom observers say has behaved like he “expects a mandate”. But term and age limits on the leadership are expected to remain, they add, leaving Lam as just a “first among equals” when the conclave concludes on Sunday. The congress – where the one-party state’s highest decisions are made – opened on Monday and will set key economic targets for the country as well as pick new... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3340666/will-one-man-model-work-vietnam-lam-looks-set-consolidate-power?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3340666/will-one-man-model-work-vietnam-lam-looks-set-consolidate-power?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 Jan 2026 00:00:10 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow A US-led meeting with its allies to reduce the global reliance on rare earths from China was an “easy sell”, even as analysts warn that such an ambitious goal would depend on their long-term investment commitments and ability to narrow differences over national policy. On Monday, the US hosted a meeting in Washington with G7 finance ministers and other allies, including Australia, India, South Korea and the EU, to address vulnerabilities in the rare earth supply chain, as they close ranks... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3340241/can-us-led-bloc-ease-chinas-vice-grip-rare-earths?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3340241/can-us-led-bloc-ease-chinas-vice-grip-rare-earths?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 18 Jan 2026 08:00:28 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran A visit by the Philippines’ foreign minister to Myanmar has raised concerns over how Asean will be perceived under Manila’s chairmanship this year, with critics arguing it risks appearing as tacit support for the junta amid an election widely condemned as a sham. Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro met Senior General Min Aung Hlaing and other junta leaders in Naypyidaw on January 6 in her capacity as special envoy from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ 2026 chair, according to official... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3339844/philippine-ministers-premature-myanmar-visit-casts-doubts-over-aseans-role?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3339844/philippine-ministers-premature-myanmar-visit-casts-doubts-over-aseans-role?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Jan 2026 08:02:59 +0000 Reuters Reuters The Trump administration plans to ‌replace the US ambassador to Vietnam with a nominee set on addressing “imbalanced” trade relations, as Hanoi’s goods trade surplus ‍with Washington surpassed China’s in recent quarters while it was locked in unresolved tariff negotiations with Washington. On Sunday, current ambassador Marc Knapper will end his tenure after being abruptly recalled before Christmas alongside several other career diplomats. His designated successor, career diplomat Jennifer Wicks... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3339757/vietnams-us-trade-surplus-overtakes-china-trump-replaces-envoy-fix-imbalance?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3339757/vietnams-us-trade-surplus-overtakes-china-trump-replaces-envoy-fix-imbalance?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Jan 2026 10:43:04 +0000 Joseph Sipalan Joseph Sipalan Fresh allegations of violence threatened to derail peace efforts on Monday as Cambodia claimed Thai F-16s bombarded Siem Reap and Preah Vihear, undercutting an earlier announcement by Malaysia that the two sides had agreed to a Christmas Eve ceasefire meeting. Cambodia’s defence ministry said the Thai military shelled areas of Siem Reap and Preah Vihear provinces. “At 4.18pm, the Thai military deployed F-16 fighter jets to bombard further deep into the Cambodian sovereign territory in the area... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3337327/malaysia-says-asean-must-do-whatever-necessary-ease-thailand-cambodia-conflict?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3337327/malaysia-says-asean-must-do-whatever-necessary-ease-thailand-cambodia-conflict?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Dec 2025 08:28:07 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran Thailand and Cambodia took their renewed border dispute to a United Nations forum on landmine prohibition in Geneva this week, each vying for international support as their ties continued to unravel. Both governments used the meeting of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention, also known as the Ottawa Convention, to appeal to the international community. Cambodian Senior Minister Ly Thuch met International Committee of the Red Cross vice-president Gilles Carbonnier on the sidelines of the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3335030/thailand-cambodia-clash-un-mine-ban-talks-fragile-border-truce-teeters?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3335030/thailand-cambodia-clash-un-mine-ban-talks-fragile-border-truce-teeters?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Dec 2025 08:01:49 +0000 Jean Iau Jean Iau The United States’ new ambassador to Singapore has come under fire for his remarks defending the 10 per cent tariff on the city state by framing it as the US seeking help from a friend after it had played an important role in Singapore’s economic miracle. Orthopaedic surgeon Anjani Sinha, who officially started his tenure on November 17, told government-funded local media outlet The Straits Times that the US was asking friends such as Singapore to help President Donald Trump “rebalance” and... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3334800/debt-collector-us-ambassador-irks-singaporeans-justifying-tariff?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3334800/debt-collector-us-ambassador-irks-singaporeans-justifying-tariff?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Dec 2025 12:12:28 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran A US-led crackdown on online scams may hand Southeast Asia an opportunity to combat the scourge, analysts say, as Washington and Beijing find common purpose in dismantling criminal networks that exploit lax governance and human trafficking. The United States launched its “Scam Centre Strike Force” last week to counter cryptocurrency fraud linked to Southeast Asia, estimating that such crimes defraud Americans of nearly US$10 billion a year. Many of these schemes, dubbed “pig butchering” scams,... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3333072/what-us-anti-scam-strike-force-means-southeast-asias-cybercrime-fight?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3333072/what-us-anti-scam-strike-force-means-southeast-asias-cybercrime-fight?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 17 Nov 2025 07:08:47 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow Indonesia’s move to name Suharto a national hero has revived debate over the country’s uneasy relationship with authoritarianism and whether the legacy of a brutal yet transformative ruler should be celebrated. President Prabowo Subianto, Suharto’s former son-in-law, conferred the honour on Monday, drawing sharp criticism from historians, academics and human rights organisations, who argue the move sanitises one of Southeast Asia’s most repressive regimes. But the muted public reaction also... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3332351/why-indonesias-hero-status-successful-autocrat-suharto-splits-opinion?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3332351/why-indonesias-hero-status-successful-autocrat-suharto-splits-opinion?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 11 Nov 2025 10:00:12 +0000 Iman Muttaqin Yusof Iman Muttaqin Yusof When New York elected its first Muslim mayor, Zohran Mamdani, on Tuesday, Malaysians were quick to notice how many Americans blundered in pronouncing his surname as “Madani”, the slogan Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has spent three years trying to brand as the heart of his government. The viral gaffe began when a right-wing US podcaster, intending to refer to the newly elected mayor, claimed on Wednesday that “Madani” had tried to ban the late conservative commentator Charlie Kirk from an event... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3331889/malaysia-madani-mamdani-mix-goes-viral-after-new-york-mayors-win?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3331889/malaysia-madani-mamdani-mix-goes-viral-after-new-york-mayors-win?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 07 Nov 2025 05:55:15 +0000 Amy Chew Amy Chew Indonesia is still “considering” acquiring Chinese J-10 fighter jets, but no decision has been made yet, according to Jakarta’s Ministry of Defence, clarifying earlier reports that the country was set to buy up to 42 units to modernise its military. “It’s still being analysed and reviewed. At the moment, we are considering all platforms that can fulfil our need to help guard our sovereignty and territorial integrity,” ministry spokesman Brigadier General Frega Wenas Inkiriwang said. On October... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3330979/indonesia-still-considering-buying-chinese-j-10-fighter-jets-modernise-its-military?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3330979/indonesia-still-considering-buying-chinese-j-10-fighter-jets-modernise-its-military?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 31 Oct 2025 02:00:16 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran The deals that US President Donald Trump sealed with several Asean partners in Kuala Lumpur earlier this week have been called a “mixed blessing” by critics, with the long-term economic costs potentially outweighing the short-term trade benefits. Trump finalised agreements on trade and critical minerals with four members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations on Sunday, including pacts with Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam to address trade barriers. Washington maintained the 19 to... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3330771/did-asean-members-get-shortchanged-trump-trade-deals-strings-attached?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3330771/did-asean-members-get-shortchanged-trump-trade-deals-strings-attached?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Oct 2025 09:27:11 +0000 Ralph Jennings,Mia Nurmamat Ralph Jennings,Mia Nurmamat China and a bloc of 11 Southeast Asian countries signed an upgrade to their free-trade agreement on Tuesday, expanding its terms to cover product quality, environmental protection and help for small businesses, in a sought-after strengthening of multilateral economic ties for Beijing amid its ongoing trade war with the US. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), a group with a combined population of 680 million and a total gross domestic product of US$3.8 trillion in 2023, signed the... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3330635/china-asean-free-trade-pact-gets-upgrade-beijing-touts-regional-ties?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3330635/china-asean-free-trade-pact-gets-upgrade-beijing-touts-regional-ties?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Oct 2025 10:00:17 +0000 Anand Mathai Anand Mathai As the streets of Dili thrum with anticipation, East Timor is preparing for a diplomatic victory decades in the making. Next weekend, Asia’s youngest nation is set to take its place as the 11th member of Asean – concluding a campaign for acceptance hard won through an unflinching belief in its own destiny. For the country of some 1.4 million people on the eastern half of Timor island, it represents both a declaration of belonging and an affirmation that its future lies squarely within Southeast... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3329435/asias-youngest-nation-nears-end-its-years-long-quest-belong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3329435/asias-youngest-nation-nears-end-its-years-long-quest-belong?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Oct 2025 00:00:15 +0000 Anand Mathai Anand Mathai A viral hot mic moment in which Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto was heard asking US President Donald Trump if he could meet his son Eric shortly after the Gaza ceasefire summit in Egypt has raised questions about Jakarta’s diplomatic strategy and whether the move was tied to any business agenda. The offhand exchange, however, is not expected to have much political bearing in Indonesia as observers note Prabowo enjoys strong support back home. The brief conversation between the two... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3328998/indonesian-presidents-hot-mic-moment-trump-amplifies-private-public-debate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3328998/indonesian-presidents-hot-mic-moment-trump-amplifies-private-public-debate?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Oct 2025 11:45:49 +0000 Ji Siqi,Kandy Wong Ji Siqi,Kandy Wong Analysts said a mutual de-escalation is expected in the short term between the US and China, a development that would provide some relief for global markets after last week’s barrage of economic sanctions, export controls and vows of triple-digit tariffs threatened to send the world’s two largest economies into another devastating escalatory cycle. On Sunday, US President Donald Trump adopted a softer tone compared to previous comments on the tensions with Beijing, telling reporters, “I think... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3328829/us-china-trade-flare-short-term-scare-both-sides-seek-ramp-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3328829/us-china-trade-flare-short-term-scare-both-sides-seek-ramp-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Oct 2025 15:00:08 +0000 Ralph Jennings Ralph Jennings The Bali heat proved too much for Zhang Min, a 30-year-old tourist from Chengdu, one afternoon last month. She had made it to a cliff above one of the Indonesian holiday destination’s most sought-after scenic spots, but was exhausted by the journey. “The roads are really poor,” Zhang said as her group stopped above the T. Rex-shaped headland – a unique land mass that has made Kelingking one of the world’s most photographed beaches. Her group opted against hiking down a steep, sun-exposed trail... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3328027/will-chinese-firms-bali-beach-lift-project-alter-local-landscape?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3328027/will-chinese-firms-bali-beach-lift-project-alter-local-landscape?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Oct 2025 03:00:08 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has prioritised pragmatism over ideology in sticking to his guns on inviting US President Donald Trump to attend the Asean summit this month, observers say. They add that the move aligns with the long-standing practice and principles of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, with Kuala Lumpur as chair taking a “low-risk” decision to maximise the member states’ trade aspirations with America and engage Trump on regional issues. Mahathir Mohamad, former... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3327606/anwars-trump-card-why-malaysia-wants-us-president-asean-summit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3327606/anwars-trump-card-why-malaysia-wants-us-president-asean-summit?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Oct 2025 06:56:56 +0000 Alice Li,Kandy Wong,Ralph Jennings Alice Li,Kandy Wong,Ralph Jennings Washington’s decision to broaden its trade blacklist could put many overseas subsidiaries of Chinese firms under scrutiny, potentially disrupting their “going global” strategies and reigniting trade tensions between the two superpowers, analysts said. The US Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) announced on Monday that any company at least 50 per cent owned by firms already on the US Entity List or the Military End-User List – which target entities Washington deems a security threat – will now... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3327401/chinas-going-global-strategy-risk-after-us-widens-its-trade-blacklist?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3327401/chinas-going-global-strategy-risk-after-us-widens-its-trade-blacklist?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Sep 2025 11:00:08 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran Southeast Asia is set to be the region hardest hit by American tariffs, according to a new UN report, with observers saying the fallout could push Asean deeper into China’s orbit as the US raises the price of entry to its vast consumer market. The report from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) forecasts a 6.4 per cent slump in exports to the United States from the wider Asia-Pacific, driven by price increases from tariffs. But for Southeast Asia – a linchpin in global supply chains... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3327338/us-tariffs-nudge-asean-closer-china-un-says-billions-exports-line?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3327338/us-tariffs-nudge-asean-closer-china-un-says-billions-exports-line?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Sep 2025 05:30:08 +0000 Alice Li,Kandy Wong Alice Li,Kandy Wong As China and the United States approach the next phase of trade talks, Beijing has launched anti-dumping and trade barrier probes into Mexico after the Latin American country proposed higher tariffs on Chinese goods. Analysts said the move signalled a warning from Beijing, as Mexico’s planned duties – affecting a range of countries, but sparing the US and Canada – are widely seen as an attempt to curry favour with Washington. On Thursday, China’s Ministry of Commerce launched an anti-dumping... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3327011/chinas-trade-probes-mexico-send-clear-warning-not-bow-us-pressure-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3327011/chinas-trade-probes-mexico-send-clear-warning-not-bow-us-pressure-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Sep 2025 12:00:09 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran Myanmar and Asean leaders are locked in a “diplomatic impasse” with the military junta determined to prevent the bloc from interfering with its plans for a general election later this year, according to observers. Four foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations last week postponed their planned trip to Myanmar to discuss the election, which is set to begin in December, and other matters. The diplomats from Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines were originally... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3326361/aseans-failure-meet-myanmar-junta-over-election-shows-its-limited-leverage?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3326361/aseans-failure-meet-myanmar-junta-over-election-shows-its-limited-leverage?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Sep 2025 07:01:42 +0000 Ralph Jennings,Xinyi Wu Ralph Jennings,Xinyi Wu Despite a slowdown in automotive shipments from China to Russia, there is room for them to advance trade settled in yuan and roubles as both countries continue to be pressured away from the US market, analysts said on Tuesday during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to the world’s second-largest economy. Russians want consumer goods, personal electronics and common machinery that are difficult to import from the West because of trade sanctions over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that began... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3324077/despite-dip-chinas-exports-russia-new-deals-show-room-grow-amid-us-pressure?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3324077/despite-dip-chinas-exports-russia-new-deals-show-room-grow-amid-us-pressure?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Sep 2025 15:00:09 +0000 Frank Chen,Ralph Jennings Frank Chen,Ralph Jennings When David Bruntz, vice-president of the US Meat Export Federation, recently began looking for drones to monitor the cattle on his Nebraska ranch, he found that only one brand offered a “reasonably priced” solution: the Chinese tech giant DJI. The Shenzhen-based company already dominates the US drone market, and its products are now rapidly being adopted across the agricultural sector as the firm rolls out specialised solutions for sowing fields, spraying crops and tracking livestock. “It’s... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3322013/hard-switch-why-us-farmers-are-embracing-chinese-drones-despite-concerns?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3322013/hard-switch-why-us-farmers-are-embracing-chinese-drones-despite-concerns?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 17 Aug 2025 12:00:11 +0000