https://www.scmp.com/rss/523286/feed The latest news and top stories on Institute of South Asian Studies (ISAS) in Singapore. Established in 2004 and affiliated with the National University of Singapore, the primary mission of ISAS is to promote understanding of the South Asia region. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji A suspected Chinese underwater drone hauled out of Indonesian waters this month has sharpened global focus on a security race that analysts say has been years in the making across South and Southeast Asia: undersea surveillance. The torpedo-shaped device was found near the Lombok Strait, one of the few deepwater channels through which submarines can transit submerged between the Pacific and Indian oceans and a passage closely watched by the United States and Australia. Beijing said it did not... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3351348/chinese-drone-discovery-sharpens-focus-asias-undersea-security-race?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3351348/chinese-drone-discovery-sharpens-focus-asias-undersea-security-race?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Apr 2026 11:27:31 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow India’s agreement to review Dhaka’s request for Sheikh Hasina’s extradition could hint at more flexibility over a deeply political issue, but observers warn that does not mean New Delhi is ready to hand the former Bangladesh ruler over just yet. The ex-prime minister fled to India in August 2024 after her regime fell to protesters. India’s Ministry of External Affairs confirmed on April 17 it was conducting a formal review of Dhaka’s extradition request. The announcement – a significant shift... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3351243/india-opens-door-sheikh-hasina-extradition-talks-delhi-dhaka-thaw?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3351243/india-opens-door-sheikh-hasina-extradition-talks-delhi-dhaka-thaw?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Apr 2026 03:46:34 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow Two days before the United States and Israel launched their war on Iran, Washington asked Sri Lanka to let two armed warplanes use an airport on its southern coast. Colombo said no, Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake recently revealed – a decision analysts said reflected the Indian Ocean island nation’s desire to avoid being drawn into a foreign conflict from which it had “nothing to gain”. The request, made on February 26, reportedly sought to relocate two aircraft from a US base in... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3347854/sri-lankas-refusal-host-us-warplanes-iran-war-risks-trade-backlash?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3347854/sri-lankas-refusal-host-us-warplanes-iran-war-risks-trade-backlash?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Mar 2026 09:00:12 +0000 Joseph Sipalan,Biman Mukherji Joseph Sipalan,Biman Mukherji Malaysia’s government has been forced onto the defensive over its much-touted tariff deal with the United States, after a minister walked back an earlier claim that the agreement had been rendered “null and void” by a US Supreme Court ruling. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s administration signed the deal in October, promising US$240 billion in investments and purchases of American goods, including beef and aircraft, in exchange for continued access to the world’s largest consumer market at a... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3346749/confusion-over-malaysia-us-trade-deal-null-and-void-claim-retracted?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3346749/confusion-over-malaysia-us-trade-deal-null-and-void-claim-retracted?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Mar 2026 09:14:40 +0000 Bibek Bhandari Bibek Bhandari Nepal’s incoming government has signalled it will pursue a more pragmatic foreign policy centred on national interests, as the newly victorious Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) seeks to recalibrate relations with both China and India after years of shifting political alignments. In its election manifesto, RSP pledged to pursue “balanced and dynamic diplomacy” with both neighbours, emphasising economic cooperation, cross-border connectivity and trade while transforming Nepal from a “buffer state... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3346179/nepals-new-government-signals-shift-india-china-relations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3346179/nepals-new-government-signals-shift-india-china-relations?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Mar 2026 06:03:07 +0000 Junaid Kathju Junaid Kathju The United States’ latest trade deal with India may be linked to a freeze on discounted Russian oil purchases, but analysts say it is unlikely to upset New Delhi’s decades-old defence ties with Moscow. Announcing the agreement last week, US President Donald Trump said tariffs on India imports would be cut from 18 to 50 per cent, tying the reduction to India halting its intake of Russian crude. “India has committed to stop directly or indirectly importing Russian Federation oil,” Trump said in an... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3342912/why-us-tariff-deal-cannot-sever-india-russia-defence-ties-structural-reality?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3342912/why-us-tariff-deal-cannot-sever-india-russia-defence-ties-structural-reality?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Feb 2026 08:30:16 +0000 Fan Chen,Shi Jiangtao,Cao Jiaxuan Fan Chen,Shi Jiangtao,Cao Jiaxuan In the deepening shadow of US-China rivalry, India’s back-to-back trade pacts with the United States and the European Union mark a major tilt towards stronger economic ties with the West. While critical details – especially the scope of any reduction in Russian energy imports under the vague US agreement – remain unclear, experts predict the twin deals will give India leverage in its relationship with China and may slow the fragile thaw between New Delhi and Beijing. Meanwhile, New Delhi is... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3342600/could-indias-twin-trade-agreements-set-back-its-improving-ties-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3342600/could-indias-twin-trade-agreements-set-back-its-improving-ties-china?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Feb 2026 08:00:17 +0000 An excerpt An excerpt In a new memoir No Borders: Journeys Across Islands And Continents, renowned historian Wang Gungwu traces his life across Malaya, London, Australia, Hong Kong and Singapore, sharing both personal anecdotes and perspectives on the changes in China and the modern world. In the excerpt below, Wang reflects on his impressions of Singapore after arriving from Hong Kong with his wife Margaret in the 1990s, the differences between the two cities, and his work on contemporary China with Singapore’s... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3341918/tale-two-cities-singapore-hong-kong-and-their-contrasting-paths?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3341918/tale-two-cities-singapore-hong-kong-and-their-contrasting-paths?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Feb 2026 06:00:14 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones It was a policy meant to ignite a golden age of infrastructure development and put Thailand at the heart of Southeast Asia’s trade and investment for decades to come. Three years – and three prime ministers – after it was first proposed, a multibillion-dollar “landbridge” across Thailand’s southern neck to slash transport times between Asia’s main shipping lanes has now hit a dead end, entangled in the kingdom’s intractable political crisis. As Thais prepare to vote on February 8 for yet another... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3341880/thailand-election-looms-voters-seek-national-reset-end-decade-decline?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3341880/thailand-election-looms-voters-seek-national-reset-end-decade-decline?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 31 Jan 2026 00:00:12 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji US President Donald Trump’s threats of military action against drug cartels in Mexico and Colombia are adding a new layer of uncertainty for Asian exporters shipping to the Americas, analysts have said, compounding the strain from higher import tariffs and already fragile supply chains. Trump has issued explicit warnings about possible strikes in both countries following a major US operation in Venezuela earlier this month, as part of an escalated regional strategy to counter drug trafficking... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3340564/why-trumps-mexico-military-plan-blow-asian-exporters-americas?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3340564/why-trumps-mexico-military-plan-blow-asian-exporters-americas?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 20 Jan 2026 11:00:09 +0000 Zhao Ziwen Zhao Ziwen India earlier this month inaugurated a high-altitude airbase near its disputed border with China, prompting analysts to suggest that the development capped long-term efforts to upgrade infrastructure there rather than posing a threat to Beijing. According to reports from multiple media outlets, the Mudh-Nyoma Air Force Station is perched at a height of about 13,700 feet (4,176 metres) and is only 30km (19 miles) from the Line of Actual Control, the de facto boundary separating India and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3333815/indias-new-airbase-china-border-infrastructure-upgrade-not-threat-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3333815/indias-new-airbase-china-border-infrastructure-upgrade-not-threat-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 23 Nov 2025 04:00:11 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow The United States is likely to seriously consider Pakistan’s proposal for a new port in the Arabian Sea and use it to ship the South Asian country’s rare minerals, even as observers warn of commercial and geopolitical risks of investing in a volatile region. Advisers to Pakistani army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir have approached US officials regarding the proposal for American investors to build and run the port in Pakistan, according to a Financial Times report last week. Located in Gwadar... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3328622/will-plan-port-pakistan-us-involvement-fuel-regional-tensions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3328622/will-plan-port-pakistan-us-involvement-fuel-regional-tensions?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 Oct 2025 09:00:08 +0000 Zhao Ziwen Zhao Ziwen China is closely monitoring social unrest in Nepal, a strategic partner and key point in Beijing’s global infrastructure and investment initiative, following the resignation of prime minister K.P. Sharma Oli. Observers warned that Beijing should be prepared for further instability in the region, citing weak governance and potential external influence in political transitions. The unrest was initially triggered by a social media ban last week, and soon grew into a wider anti-corruption movement... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3325088/beijing-weighs-risks-social-unrest-rocks-strategic-partner-nepal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3325088/beijing-weighs-risks-social-unrest-rocks-strategic-partner-nepal?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Sep 2025 14:44:15 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji India’s stronger-than-expected economic growth of 7.8 per cent in the April–June quarter has been hailed by leaders as a resounding retort to US President Donald Trump’s claim that the country’s economy is “dead”, even as experts warn that retaliatory tariffs from Washington could weigh on the outlook. Bilateral ties have plummeted recently after Trump enacted a 50 per cent import tariff on India last week, doubling a 25 per cent import tariff as a penalty for New Delhi’s purchase of sanctioned... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3323929/indias-dead-economy-growth-hailed-trumps-tariffs-pose-risks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3323929/indias-dead-economy-growth-hailed-trumps-tariffs-pose-risks?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Sep 2025 09:40:53 +0000