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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.
Illustration: Huy Truong
Asean

Burning daylight: Iran war energy shock revives Asean’s power grid plans

Oil is up, coal is back and so are fuel queues. As the Middle East burns, Southeast Asia dusts off an old plan to rewire its future.

Indonesia

Opinion | Indonesia’s new aircraft carrier is more vanity project than war machine

China-Japan relations

Why Beijing has struggled to rally Asia against Japan over PM’s Taiwan remarks

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Asean

New US trade offensive threatens to test Asean ties

The trade probes may compel Southeast Asia to continue diversifying away from the US, with analysts predicting recent deals could unravel.

Southeast Asia’s trade chiefs pose for a group photo during the Asean Economic Ministers’ Retreat in Manila, the Philippines, last week. Photo: EPA
US-China relations

With Trump’s China trip in limbo, further trade talks loom: analysts

As the US president cites the Iran war for his delay and Paris talks see only minor progress, experts said more negotiations were likely.

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Asean

Can Asean break free from US-China supply chain grip?

The bloc will look for new markets and deepen regional cooperation to reduce trade uncertainty, economic ministers say.

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Asean

Opinion | Underwater and unprotected: why Asean and the EU must secure subsea lifelines

With global data at risk from hybrid threats, Southeast Asia and Europe need to look past declarations to secure our shared data arteries.

Workers install a submarine communications cable in western France. Photo: AFP
Myanmar

Opinion | Myanmar’s junta staged an election. It couldn’t stage legitimacy

A closer look at the vote raises doubts about whether the generals can hold the country hostage in the long term.

Two Sessions 2026

China codifies ethnic assimilation with new ‘unity’ law as it counters the West

Legal safeguards heed Xi Jinping’s call to foster ‘shared spiritual home’ with an eye on staving off ‘domestic friction’, analysts say.

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Asean

‘We will go to war’: why #SEAblings became a Southeast Asian rallying cry

The hashtag went viral following a row over a South Korean band’s concert in Kuala Lumpur in January and protests in Indonesia last year.

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A social media post using #SEAblings and an illustration over a row following South Korean rock band Day6’s concert in Kuala Lumpur. Photo: X/Boju
Asean

Opinion | Fatigue is rewriting the US-China soft power contest, starting in Asean

At a time when no one has bandwidth left, soft power is being won by being the partner that feels usable, steady and low-risk.

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People pick up Labubu toys at a Pop Mart store in Siam Square in Bangkok on May 8, 2025. Photo: AFP
Singapore

Singapore strives to stay non-aligned amid US-China rivalry, new conflicts

Foreign minister says the city state must assert its distinctiveness to remain relevant and will not act as a proxy for any major power.

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Artificial intelligence

Asian Angle | Southeast Asia needs AI sovereignty – the Grok scandal proved it

From Singapore’s SEA-LION to Malaysia’s ILMU, Southeast Asian nations aim to build AI that reflects their own languages, cultures and values.

Vietnam

Build fast, grow rich: To Lam’s blueprint for a rising Vietnam

Vietnam’s Communist Party chief is staking his legacy on 10 per cent growth, domestic megaprojects and an overseas charm offensive.

Illustration: Huy Truong
US-ally trade wars

Opinion | Southeast Asia, do not mistake Trump’s tariff defeat for a reprieve

One court loss won’t end the trade wars. But if ‘Peak Trump’ has arrived, the region’s negotiating hand may have just got stronger.

Vietnamese workers stitch apparel at a garment factory in Thai Nguyen province on July 2, 2025. Photo: AFP
US-China trade war

After Trump’s tariff setback, will US firms rush to stockpile Chinese goods?

Front-loading expected but not at levels seen ahead of last year’s sweeping “Liberation Day” duties, analysts say.

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China trade

Trump’s USMCA exit threat seen pushing Canada into China’s arms

Analysts expect Ottawa to diversify trade as future of North American trade pact remains uncertain, while a US departure would ‘hit Canada like an earthquake’.

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Lunar New Year

Sharing the luck: inside Southeast Asia’s embrace of Lunar New Year

Malay and Indian households are increasingly embracing the festivities, tossing ‘yusheng’ and giving hongbao to show ‘unity in diversity’.

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The Lourdes family take part in the traditional “yusheng” toss on Lunar New Year’s Eve. Photo: Alyssa Ann Lourdes
China's military weapons

Can China find a market for its fifth-generation J-35 warplanes?

Analysts are uncertain how much demand there will be for the fighter in the face of competition from the US F-35 or cheaper alternatives.

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Indonesia

Indonesians weigh peril and promise of Jakarta – the world’s most populous city

Extreme heat, floods, pollution, congested traffic and a tough job market are some of the major challenges faced by the city’s residents.

Asean

Asian Angle | How Asean can resolve its Myanmar dilemma post-election

Asean should not discard the Five-Point Consensus, but translate it into a politically astute strategy of conditional engagement.

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Vote counting takes place on January 25 in Yangon for Myanmar’s general election. Photo: Kyodo
Thailand

Thailand rejects radical change with Anutin’s ‘right-wing turn’

Voters weary of upheaval embraced Bhumjaithai’s technocratic promises of debt relief and subsidies, sidelining the reformist People’s Party.

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Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul poses as he arrives at the Government House in Bangkok on February 9. Photo: AFP
Vietnam

Friend or foe? Leaked Vietnamese military document labels US ‘belligerent’

While noting that ‘there is little risk of a war’, document urges vigilance to prevent the US from finding a pretext to invade Vietnam.

Belt and Road Initiative

China to step up investment in Nepal’s hydropower sector: Nepalese official

China has ‘already proposed some projects’ in Nepal, as it looks to tap the country’s huge hydropower resources and sell power to India.

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Asean

How far can Asean engage Myanmar without legitimising military rule?

The bloc’s foreign ministers meet in Cebu amid concerns that diplomacy could slide into tacit acceptance of military rule.

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Asean foreign ministers pose for a group photo in Cebu City on Thursday where they discussed the bloc’s response to the Myanmar crisis. Photo: Reuters
Asean

Just 1 visa to rule them all? How European-style pass could help Asean tourism

While Asean members such as Malaysia and Vietnam have shown strong post-pandemic growth, tourist numbers have lagged in the Philippines.

Tourists have fun in the Cambugahay Falls on the Philippine island of Siquijor on December 10 last year. Photo: AFP
Indonesia

Peace or chaos? Indonesia’s participation in Trump-led board stirs debate

Critics say the decision runs contrary to Jakarta’s support for Palestine and decades-old foreign policy strategy of multilateralism.

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Asean

Asian Angle | What a US-China ‘grand bargain’ would mean for Southeast Asia

Washington’s Venezuela raid has resurrected old fears about ‘spheres of influence’, sounding alarm bells for Southeast Asian autonomy.

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