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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.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi with Vietnamese counterpart Bui Thanh Son, in Hanoi on March 17. They co-chaired a meeting on bilateral cooperation. Photo: Xinhua
South China Sea

Why China and Vietnam are shifting from confrontation to calm in South China Sea

Disagreements continue, but the two sides are showing notable restraint in contrast with Beijing’s fierce exchanges with Manila.

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Indonesia

Indonesia slashes free meals budget to save US$2.3 billion as fuel prices soar

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Asean

Burning daylight: Asean’s power grid plans get an Iran war jolt

Indonesia

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

The jet-less carrier might buy Jakarta a seat at the elite table, but it offers no advantage in modern naval warfare.

The Italian aircraft carrier Giuseppe Garibaldi pictured in 2016. Photo: AFP
China-Japan relations

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

Many in the region harbour security concerns similar to Tokyo’s and prefer to stay neutral between the Asian heavyweights, analysts say.

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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.

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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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US President Donald Trump speaks after signing an executive order regarding a task force on fraud in the Oval Office of the White House on Monday. Photo: AP
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.

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.

Supporters of the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party wave party flags in Naypyidaw, Myanmar, in October 2025. Photo: AP
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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Ethnic minority delegates leave a plenary session of the National People’s Congress (NPC) held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Monday. Photo: AP
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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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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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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Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan has said Singapore will not act as a proxy for any major power and that it must be prepared to “courteously stand up and say no”. Photo: Xinhua
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.

A link to the Grok website is seen in a social media post. Grok released a feature in December that allowed users to generate non-consensual sexualised images of women and children. Photo: Getty Images
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.

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.

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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’s exports soared to record highs in 2025, but those to the US fell 20 per cent for the year, according to customs data.
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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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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A J-35A stealth fighter at the Zhuhai Airshow in 2024. Photo: Xinhua
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.

A view of traffic during evening rush hours in the business district in Jakarta, Indonesia, on February 3. Photo: Reuters
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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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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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.

A US Marine honour guard holds the Vietnamese flag to welcome Defence Minister Phan Van Giang to the Pentagon on September 9, 2024. Photo: AP
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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The site for one of Nepal’s proposed hydroelectric dams, the Budhi Gandaki project. The country is keen to attract more foreign investment to tap its huge hydropower resources. Photo: SCMP
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

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.

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