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US-Asean relations

US-Asean relations
Breaking news and analysis on US-Asean relations, including trade, defence and diplomacy.
Open Questions series

Zheng Yongnian on what US’ ‘neocolonialism’, Venezuela operation mean for China

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Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

Liu Qian on Chinese innovation, the US rivalry and women holding up half the sky

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Illustration: Victor Sanjinez Garcia

Fuchsia Dunlop tells how she fell for China’s cuisine and names her perfect dish

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

80 years on from WWII, China’s interests lie in peaceful Asia-Pacific: Mitter

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

‘Delusional’: Jeffrey Sachs on why Western hegemony has ended

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Illustration: Henry Wong

Scholar Jing Qian on right-sizing China’s economy in the age of Trump

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40
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

Zheng Yongnian on what US’ ‘neocolonialism’, Venezuela operation mean for China

videocam
15
Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

Liu Qian on Chinese innovation, the US rivalry and women holding up half the sky

7
Illustration: Victor Sanjinez Garcia

Fuchsia Dunlop tells how she fell for China’s cuisine and names her perfect dish

videocam
5
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

80 years on from WWII, China’s interests lie in peaceful Asia-Pacific: Mitter

videocam
18
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

‘Delusional’: Jeffrey Sachs on why Western hegemony has ended

videocam
93
Illustration: Henry Wong

Scholar Jing Qian on right-sizing China’s economy in the age of Trump

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40
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
MORE FROM THIS SERIES
US President Donald Trump greets Chinese President Xi Jinping before a bilateral meeting at the Gimhae International Airport terminal in South Korea in October. Photo: Daniel Torok/White House/dpa
Asean

Most in Asean prefer China over US in survey, Trump cited as biggest concern

Support for China was stronger in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore, according to the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute survey.

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United States

Opinion | Fixing US branding woes starts with rebuilding trust Trump has damaged

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Asean

Opinion | Tariffs grab headlines, but non-tariff barriers decide winners in Asean

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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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Regional ministers pose for a group photo during the Asean Economic Ministers’ Retreat in Manila on Friday. Photo: EPA
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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Asean

Letters | Asean is not choosing sides, but strategically maximising space

Readers discuss how Southeast Asian governments have gained bargaining power, the benefits of cheap public transport, and a harbourfront project.

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China Conference: Southeast Asia

Asean urged to rewrite trade rule book as US turns transactional

The US and China are the top two trading partners for Asean but it is questionable how long that status quo will last, observers say.

Mohamed Amersi (centre) and Bernardino Moningka Vega (right) take part in a plenary panel hosted by SCMP Executive Editor Zuraidah Ibrahim at the China Conference: Southeast Asia 2026 on Tuesday. Photo: SCMP
Asean

Opinion | Why Southeast Asia should not fear Trump’s disruption

Instead of joining Trump’s neocolonial ‘Board of Peace’, Southeast Asian leaders should seize the chance to help rebuild a global order that is just and equitable.

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United Nations

Foot in the door or trap? Risks of Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ for Southeast Asia

Nations are likely to try to avoid early commitment while steering clear of outright rejection to minimise US retaliation, analysts say.

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US-China relations

How narrowing China-US gap could reshape global power play by 2035

Political scientist Yan Xuetong predicts Beijing will be on ‘equal footing’ in strategic rivalry with Washington in the post-Trump era.

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China and the US have been working to keep the peace ahead of possible reciprocal visits by US President Donald Trump (left) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (right), shown here in Busan, South Korea, on October 30. Photo: AFP
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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Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos and Thailand are among countries affected by the United States’ 75-country visa suspension. Photo: TNS
War and conflict

Opinion | If Trump wants a deal with China, he must rein in US allies in Asia

From Manila to Tokyo, domestic political dynamics are increasing the risks of a dangerous confrontation between Washington and Beijing.

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India

‘Pax Silica’: America’s new AI inner circle and Asia’s chosen few

Japan, South Korea and Singapore made the cut, leaving key partners like India and Vietnam – and even New Zealand – on the sidelines.

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United States

Southeast Asia barely features in America’s new security strategy

The region appears just twice in the new 32-page US National Security Strategy, raising fears it is being relegated to a ‘bargaining chip’.

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US President Donald Trump is pictured next to Malaysian flags before departing Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Air Force One in October. Photo: AFP
Thailand

Cambodia suspends all border crossings with Thailand amid more clashes

Both nations reported attacks on Saturday, the day after US President Donald Trump claimed they had agreed to renew a truce.

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People wait to receive supplies on Saturday at a refugee camp in Banteay Meanchey province in Cambodia amid border clashes between Thailand and Cambodia. Photo: Reuters
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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Asean

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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US-China relations

US lawmakers urge Trump to condemn Myanmar’s China-backed ‘sham’ elections

Call comes after government’s plan to stop legal protections for Myanmar nationals in US, citing elections as proof situation was improving.

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People gather around an officially published eligible-voter list to check names at a ward administrative office in Naypyidaw, Myanmar, before next month’s election. Photo: AP
Thailand

Why Trump won’t let Thailand keep tariff, border talks separate

The US president views the Thai-Cambodia ceasefire deal as a ‘diplomatic trophy’ and will use trade leverage to protect it, analysts say.

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Scams and swindles

What US anti-scam ‘strike force’ means for Southeast Asia’s cybercrime fight

Analysts say the US initiative can serve as a coordination blueprint to push back against transnational criminal enterprises.

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US-China trade war

Asean, China, Japan and South Korea hold ‘transformative’ critical minerals opportunity

Director of Asean+3 Macroeconomic Research Office says some Southeast Asian economies have notable reserves.

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US President Donald Trump signed a critical minerals deal with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on the sidelines of the Asean Summit in Kuala Lumpur on October 26. Photo: AFP
Thailand

Trump calls Thailand and Cambodia after new clashes upend his ceasefire deal

The US president co-signed a truce between the two countries, but a landmine blast prompted Thailand to suspend the agreement.

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A convoy of Cambodia’s SH-1 howitzers is seen along a street in Preah Vihear province on November 1. Photo: Agence Kampuchea Press via AFP
Thailand

Exclusive | Thailand’s top diplomat calls for Asean to rethink non-interference principle

In an exclusive interview, Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow argues Asean’s consensus model needs reform amid US-China rivalry.

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Asean

Opinion | How Asean quietly became China’s buffer against US tariffs

China and Asean now have a lawful way to cushion tariffs by shifting where value is added, how it is recorded and which standards to meet.

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Thailand

Trump’s Thailand-Cambodia truce unravels 2 weeks after it was signed

Analysts say the pact the US president helped broker was tenuous from the outset.

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Thailand’s Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul (centre) looks on as Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet (left) shakes hands with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the Asean summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on October 26. Photo: EPA
US-China trade war

US ‘knocking on every country’s door’ as it races to secure rare earth supplies

Washington is determined to break China’s rare earths chokehold in case ties with Beijing fray once again, analysts say.

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China has increasingly used its dominance of global rare earth supplies as leverage in its negotiations with the United States amid the trade war. Photo: AFP
Malaysia

Who wins the US-China trade war? Maersk’s mega-bet backs Southeast Asia

The shipping giant sees Southeast Asia as a net beneficiary of Trump’s tariff turmoil.

Asean

Opinion | Manila’s biggest challenge as next Asean chair? Staying neutral

The Philippines’ challenge, given its assertive South China Sea policy, is to keep the bloc out of great power politics.

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