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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 J-35A stealth fighter at the Zhuhai Airshow in 2024. Photo: Xinhua
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

Asean

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

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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.

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.

US President Donald Trump and China’s President Xi Jinping after their talks at the Gimhae Air Base in Busan on October 30, 2025. Photo: TNS
Vietnam

Vietnam’s To Lam gets another 5-year term as Communist Party chief

Lam, who is also seeking to become president, has pledged to speed up growth in the export-reliant country.

Vietnam’s Communist Party chief To Lam (second right) holds up a bouquet after being re-elected to the position in Hanoi on Friday. Photo: VNA via AP
Vietnam

Efficiency or autocracy? What To Lam’s power grab will mean for Vietnam

The Communist Party’s general secretary is already behaving as if he ‘expects a mandate’ to add the presidency to his portfolio, experts say.

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US-China trade war

Chips, soybeans, tariffs: what’s on tap for US-China talks before a Trump visit?

Analysts expect any pre-summit talks to focus on deliverables such as easing semiconductor curbs and boosting agricultural sales, setting the stage for Xi and Trump.

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Malaysia

How a crop of young farmers is reshaping agriculture in Southeast Asia

Young people across Southeast Asia are using city spaces and new technologies to improve on traditional farming methods to grow produce.

Once seen as an unlikely career path for university graduates, farming is quietly being rebranded across Southeast Asia. Photo: Ushar Daniele
US-China relations

Can US-led bloc ease China’s ‘vice-like grip’ on rare earths?

Washington is working with its allies to accelerate projects in rare earths and diversify their supply in response to China’s export curbs.

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A rare earth mine in Ganxian county in central China’s Jiangxi province. Photo: AP
Asean

Visa suspension tests US priorities in Southeast Asia

The move reflects an ‘America first’ policy approach and treats certain allies in the region as ‘strategically insignificant’, analysts say.

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Asean

Asian Angle | To win the future, Southeast Asia must rewrite its industrial rule book

Success relies on five key pillars, including deeper regional coordination and targeted industrial upgrading.

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Asean

Asean urged to rethink stance as Myanmar election risks normalising junta rule

The bloc should encourage Indonesia’s approach of engaging key stakeholders in efforts to resolve the Myanmar crisis, observers say.

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An official of the Union Election Commission displays a ballot for counting during the second phase of the general election at a polling station in Yangon, Myanmar, on Sunday. Photo: Xinhua
2025 Cambodia-Thailand conflict

Token gesture? Why US is spending US$45 million on Thai-Cambodian border war

Washington is looking to reposition itself as the main peacemaker in Southeast Asia following Beijing’s mediation successes, analysts say.

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US-China trade war

Why China may buy Nvidia’s AI chips as US eases curbs – and replace them later

As the US reverses Biden-era restrictions, Beijing likely to take advantage – without compromising own industry, analysts say.

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Myanmar

Philippine minister’s ‘premature’ Myanmar visit casts doubts over Asean’s role

Critics say the visit may be viewed as the bloc’s new chair endorsing a controversial junta-led election in Myanmar.

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A woman casts a ballot during the second phase of Myanmar’s election in Yangon on Sunday. Photo: EPA
US-China trade war

Trade reset? China, Canada look to revive ties after US tariffs force rethink

Crude, copper and iron top Canada’s exports to China, as prime minister seeks to mend relationship with Beijing.

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Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carne shakes hands with President Xi Jinping at the start of a meeting in Gyeongju, South Korea, on October 31, 2025. Photo: AP
China trade

Will Trump’s Iran tariffs send China searching for new oil sources?

Analysts urge China to protect strategic interests abroad after unexpected announcement, which is likely to push up oil import costs.

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Vietnam

As Vietnam’s US trade surplus outpaces China, Trump tries to fix ‘imbalance’

Jennifer Wicks McNamara is set to replace Marc Knapper as US ambassador to Vietnam as Hanoi’s trade surplus with US surpasses Beijing for first time.

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Asean

Why investors continue betting on Southeast Asia amid global tensions

The region’s young labour force, rapid urbanisation and emergence as a tech hotspot have made it attractive to investors, analysts say.

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People walk across the Anderson bridge in the backdrop of the skyline in Singapore. The city state is poised to continue leading the charge in attracting FDI into the region, observers say. Photo: AFP
US-China trade war

‘Bad policy’: China’s drone makers to shrug off US ban, analysts say

The addition of foreign drone makers, including those from China, to a US trade blacklist is unlikely to heat up relations, observers said.

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Dai Shuying operates a plant protection drone under the guidance of her grandson Wang Tiantian in east China’s Anhui province. Photo: Xinhua
2025 Cambodia-Thailand conflict

Malaysia: Cambodia, Thailand set for Christmas Eve truce talks after Asean push

The breakthrough was quickly threatened as Cambodia accused Thailand of bombing border provinces with F-16s just hours later.

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China travel

China eases visa rules for India, tapping into US$21.6 billion travel market

Indian nationals will now be able to apply for Chinese visas online as Beijing and New Delhi gradually move to normalise economic ties.

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