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ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute

ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute
ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute: A prominent Singapore-based research institute and statutory board, ISEAS is dedicated to the study of Southeast Asia’s socio-political, security, and economic trends. Established in 1968 and renamed in 2015 in honour of Singapore’s first President, Yusof Ishak, it serves as a national and regional resource centre. Its main activities include conducting extensive research programmes, hosting conferences, and publishing academic works. The institute is recognised for stimulating scholarly debate and enhancing public awareness of the region.
A street food hawker waits for customers by a roadside in Bangkok, Thailand, on May 12. Photo: EPA
Ageing society

Asian Angle | Asia’s silver dividend can offset ageing’s economic toll

Research shows demographic decline hits productivity, not workforce size. Keeping older workers active through technology is the solution.

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US-China relations

Asian Angle | What the China-US stability pact means for Southeast Asia

Indonesia

Indonesia’s oil hub pitch collides with Asean’s trust deficit

China-Asean relations

Asian Angle | China offers Southeast Asia clear advantages in nuclear power

With its experience in exporting nuclear reactors, China can offer long-term energy security and technological upgrades.

Researchers inspect an alloy material sample used to build a Thorium Molten Salt Reactor at a laboratory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics in October last year. Photo: EPA
Indonesia

Jakarta pushes back after Chinese chamber complains tougher rules hurt investors

A letter from the China Chamber of Commerce in Indonesia cited six major issues, including lower nickel ore quotas and project suspensions.

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Vietnam

Beyond bamboo: Vietnam’s To Lam mounts a diplomacy offensive

The security chief turned paramount leader is chasing the markets and capital required to reach high-income status by 2045.

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2026 Xi-Trump summit

‘Transactional’ but pivotal: how Xi-Trump talks could redefine fault lines

Chinese and US leaders are likely to focus on stability and achievable outcomes rather than breakthroughs when they meet in Beijing.

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Illustration: Henry Wong
US-China relations

US and China in ‘unprecedented’ cooperation against scam centres in Dubai

Nine fraud centres dismantled and 276 suspects arrested in joint operation between FBI, Chinese Ministry of Public Security and Dubai Police.

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2026 Xi-Trump summit

After nearly 9 years, Trump is landing in a totally changed China. Is he ready?

China has strengthened its position since the US president’s last visit, analysts said, predicting more equitable results from any potential agreement.

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Myanmar

‘Tentative step’: Asean weighs bringing Myanmar back into the fold

Virtual talks may offer a ‘sensible middle ground’ for reconciliation after Myanmar’s years in the political wilderness, analysts say.

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Myanmar’s newly elected President Min Aung Hlaing waves as he leaves after a swearing-in ceremony in Naypyidaw on April 10. Photo: AP
2026 Xi-Trump summit

China’s AI ascent leaves Trump a stark choice: escalate or relax chip controls?

Beijing and Washington are locked in an era-defining contest – and China’s rapid technological progress raises questions about limits of containment.

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Illustration: Henry Wong
China-Philippines relations

Asian Angle | 3 reasons Marcos’ South China Sea energy gambit won’t work

The Philippine president has mooted the idea of joint oil and gas development. China is willing, but history shows this road leads nowhere.

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China trade

How a China-backed highway may turn landlocked Laos into a trade gateway

The project is part of wider efforts to build overland trade corridors linking southern China with the Mekong region.

Malaysia

Well-oiled diplomacy: Malaysian king visits Moscow as Anwar eyes Russian energy

Though Sultan Ibrahim’s visit is officially ceremonial, its timing coincides with the energy squeeze plaguing Malaysia and much of Asia.

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Malaysia’s King Sultan Ibrahim meets Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin on August 6, 2025. Photo: Reuters
Thailand

Asian Angle | A year after corporal punishment ban, Thailand needs to curb resurgence

Two school incidents show corporal punishment remains prevalent, and Thai authorities must strengthen accountability to prevent a recurrence.

The World Health Organization asserts that corporal punishment increases behavioural problems, impairs socio-emotional development and, crucially, violates children’s rights to good health and physical integrity. Photo: Shutterstock
Thailand

Bridge too far? Hormuz crisis revives Thailand’s controversial plan

While the plan to bypass the Malacca Strait is popular with Anutin’s government, economists and environmentalists say it is not realistic.

Malaysia

At Malaysia’s arms bazaar, drone dealers chase Southeast Asian market share

‘Drone warfare is the future,’ say arms dealers in Kuala Lumpur – and the region’s militaries are buying in.

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China’s Communist Party

China must ‘strengthen education’ of Tibetan Buddhists, Beijing official says

On inspection tour, Li Ganjie urges local authorities to promote new ‘unity’ law to ethnic minority groups.

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Li Ganjie is head of the Communist Party’s United Front Work Department and a member of the now 22-man Politburo. Photo: Xinhua
Asean

Why Indonesia is ceding its role as Asean’s natural leader to Singapore

For decades, Indonesia’s standing was a given. A new survey suggests the region’s opinion leaders are no longer so sure.

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Japan

Vietnam, Philippines trust Japan. But Indonesia’s more cautious

Analysts say Indonesia worries about its neutrality as Tokyo ramps up ties with the US and lags behind China on green investment.

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Renewable energy

China begins building US$1 billion hydropower station in Cambodia

As focus switches to renewable energy, pumped-storage hydropower project in Koh Kong province expected to be completed by 2029.

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The groundbreaking ceremony for the Upper Tatay pumped storage hydropower project in Koh Kong province, Cambodia, on April 10. Photo: Xinhua.
Japan

Why Japan will remain the most trusted power in Asean despite military push

A survey by ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute shows respondents trusted Japan more as a power than the EU, the US, China and India.

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Japan’s National Defence Academy students participate in a parade in Yokosuka, Kanagawa prefecture on April 5. Photo: AFP
Singapore

Singapore balances national interest with rising anti-US sentiment

Negative public sentiment does not immediately translate to worsening bilateral ties as the US remains an important partner, experts say.

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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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Vietnam

Asian Angle | Who is Vietnam’s new Prime Minister Le Minh Hung?

The ex-central banker has the credentials to succeed. Whether he has the political capital remains to be seen.

Le Minh Hung (centre) attends a swearing-in ceremony in Hanoi on Tuesday after being elected as Vietnam’s new prime minister. Photo: Vietnam News Agency/Xinhua
China trade

‘Cancelling orders’ in China: Hormuz oil crisis hits transport and manufacturing

Analysts and industry insiders say higher costs are squeezing margins, with some of China’s wary industrial heartland compelled to make day-to-day purchases.

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Employees work on an assembly line producing smartphone holders at a plastic-accessories factory in China’s Guangdong province earlier this month. Rising oil prices are driving up production costs for plastic manufacturers. Photo: Reuters
US, Israel war on Iran

Iran’s Hormuz toll threat lays bare Asia’s energy vulnerability

Analysts warn that charging ships to pass through Hormuz could set a dangerous precedent for other strategic waterways and hit Asia hardest.

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Singapore

Singapore set to be hit by global energy crisis as it unveils countermeasures

Among the measures, the government announced an increase of US$155 to a cost-of-living cash payment to eligible Singaporeans.

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