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Asean

Asean
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or Asean, was established on 8 August 1967 in Bangkok, Thailand, with the signing of the Asean Declaration by Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. Since then, membership has expanded to include Brunei, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. Its aims include accelerating economic growth, social progress and cultural development of its member states and the protection of regional peace and stability.
People take refuge in Wat Prasat Srahkandal, Banteay Menchey province, Cambodia on Sunday, after fleeing their homes following fighting along the Thailand-Cambodia border. Photo: AP
Thailand

Thailand considers blocking fuel exports to Cambodia as conflict escalates

Thailand last year exported 2.2 billion litres of fuel to Cambodia, according to the energy ministry’s data.

US-Asean relations

Southeast Asia barely features in America’s new security strategy

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The Philippines

Asian Angle | Is the new Philippines-Germany defence pact built to last?

Going Global

Chinese companies expand globally

Chinese firms are investing in overseas factories and marketing to develop global brands. Domestic price wars are pushing more companies to go global – “chuhai” in Chinese – in search of new growth opportunities.

Chinese companies expand globally
China-India relations

Trump, Modi have ‘warm’ phone call – but 2025 unlikely to end with a trade deal

Even after calls for India to contribute more in the Indo-Pacific to counter China and deepen defence ties, Trump refuses to budge on trade concessions.

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Thailand

Video | Thai military drones strike Cambodian border

At least 15 people, including Thai soldiers and Cambodian civilians, have died in the most recent border clashes.

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China economy

Opinion | How China is cementing its central role as the architect of green tech

Beyond climate leadership and capacity building, China is rewriting its own energy system – and the global energy order.

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An aerial view of the No 1 booster station of the Ningxia Power Investment Yongli (Zhongwei) 3-megawatt photovoltaic green power project, in Shapotou district, Zhongwei city, Ningxia. It was officially connected to the grid and began power generation on October 25. Photo : Xinhua
US-China relations

Hegseth’s G2 description for US-China ties ‘problematic’, House Democrat warns

House representative Raja Krishnamoorthi says term sidelines US allies and partners while making Beijing ‘coequal’ to Washington.

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Thailand

‘Credible mediation’: Asean urged to help halt deadly Thailand-Cambodia clashes

Analysts urge Asean to take ‘urgent, coordinated action’ if it hopes to mediate an end to the Thailand-Cambodia conflict.

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US-China relations

China closes capacity and influence gap with US in Asia, power index finds

Think tank says China may weather geopolitical environment but neighbours are ‘anxious about rising tensions and protectionism’.

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Presidents Xi Jinping and Donald Trump ahead of their meeting in Busan, South Korea, on October 30. Photo: AP
South China Sea

Beijing seeks ‘fair and just maritime order’ in South China Sea

Vice-minister Sun Weidong says China rejects 2016 arbitration ruling on disputed waters because it breaches fundamentals in international law.

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A Chinese coastguard vessel (right) fires its water cannon at the Philippine’s BRP Datu Pagbuaya in the South China Sea on October 12. Photo: Philippine Coast Guard via AP
Scams and swindles

Letters | Cambodia is confronting the scourge of online scams head-on

Readers discuss the cross-border effort targeting the syndicates behind Cambodia’s scam farms, Malaysia’s first fully home-grown EV, and the investigation into the Tai Po fire in Hong Kong.

Cambodia

Video | Thai-Cambodian border sees renewed clashes

The neighbouring countries’ fragile peace deal is on the verge of collapse amid fresh violence.

Artificial intelligence

‘We all knew’: is your job safe from the AI you are helping to train?

Asia makes the chips driving the AI boom, but the technology threatens to erase jobs and widen the region’s wealth gap, a new UN report says.

A Thai engineer services AI-powered healthcare robots in Bangkok, Thailand, in 2023. Photo: EPA-EFE
Myanmar

Myanmar’s criticism of Takaichi signals ‘loyalty’ to China ahead of election

A junta spokesman slammed the Japanese prime minister’s comments on Taiwan, saying Tokyo had not shown remorse for its ‘crimes’ in Asia.

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Chinese President Xi Jinping meets Myanmar leader Min Aung Hlaing on the sidelines of celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in Moscow on May 9. Photo: Xinhua
Singapore

‘No longer contentious’: Malaysia to weigh Singapore’s water project plan

The two countries have disagreed over water supply for decades, such as the perceived low prices charged by Malaysia’s Johor.

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Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire tragedy

In wake of Hong Kong blaze, Southeast Asia’s fire hazards come under scrutiny

Serious structural defects and inefficient bureaucracy tainted by corruption are common in the region, fire safety experts say.

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Cambodia

Thailand, Cambodia clash at UN mine ban talks as ‘fragile’ border truce teeters

Analysts warn relations are in a ‘fragile place’ as the neighbours trade barbs and leverage international law at a UN meeting in Geneva.

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A member of the Thailand Mine Action Centre shows a landmine during a media visit to the border province of Surin, Thailand, in August. Photo: Reuters
China manufacturing

Factory of factories: China’s manufacturers join wave of overseas expansions

With many of their clients moving or building sites abroad, China’s factory owners are following suit, seizing a ‘last chance’ for new revenues.

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Singapore

Like a ‘debt collector’? US ambassador irks Singaporeans by justifying tariff

While Anjani Sinha has called on Singapore to help ‘rebalance’ trade, the US also benefits from its ties with the city state, analysts say.

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India

India’s looming BrahMos missile deal with Indonesia challenges US-China binary

New Delhi is emerging as a serious alternative security partner for Southeast Asia, offering hi-tech arms without ‘hegemonic baggage’.

A Indian naval officer walks past a BrahMos weapon systems during a rehearsal for a Republic Day parade in New Delhi, India, on January 20. Photo: Reuters
Malaysia

Malaysia promises millions of gig workers a safety net, but critics see holes

A new law would mandate written contracts and dispute resolution, but labour groups argue it still leaves workers at the mercy of algorithms.

A delivery rider for Grab passes in front of a house in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Photo: AFP
Myanmar

Opinion | Why China is succeeding in Myanmar while the West has been sidelined

The West’s incoherent strategy is no match for a ruthless, integrated Chinese approach that leverages economic links to its advantage.

China trade

Explainer | Tripwire clauses: why is China alarmed by Malaysia’s new trade deal with the US?

Controversial wording seen as a geopolitical trap designed to force neutral countries to uphold Western containment strategies.

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Climate change

Opinion | How Cop30 laid bare the new geopolitics of climate action

Fractures, even among the Global South, show the energy transition is not just a technical challenge but a deeply political negotiation.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
Open Questions series

Open Questions | Ex-PLA colonel on Taiwan, the Ukraine war, China-US ties

Zhou Bo ponders Japanese PM Takaichi’s recent remarks, lessons from the Ukraine conflict and why China won’t be world’s policeman.

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Illustration: Victor Sanjinez
Myanmar

Political show? Why Myanmar is again cracking down on cyber scammers

Myanmar’s junta has been under pressure to raid fraud hubs by China as its citizens have been badly affected by these scammers, analysts say.

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Malaysia

Opinion | In its year under Malaysia, Asean tried to set systemic reform in motion

Despite grumbles about loss of focus and misgivings about the longevity of new networks, Malaysia, ironically, perhaps didn’t go far enough.

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