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This Week in Asia /

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Illustration: Huy Truong
Singapore

Singapore shines as a stable investment oasis in a global storm

Wealthy families are trading global uncertainty for Singapore’s regulatory rigour, driving record inflows and a revitalised stock exchange.

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Asean

Asean to step up push for South China Sea code, energy security

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India

Can India’s rice farmers reap from US$30 million Amazon carbon credit deal?

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Malaysia

Malaysia’s EV import curbs to protect local sector criticised for inconsistency

The move contradicts the country’s aim to grow the EV sector and use more renewable energy sources, analysts say.

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Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim touches the first locally made electric vehicle, Proton’s e.MAS 7, at its launch in Kuala Lumpur on December 16, 2024. Photo: AFP
Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim touches the first locally made electric vehicle, Proton’s e.MAS 7, at its launch in Kuala Lumpur on December 16, 2024. Photo: AFP
Asean

Asean’s pivot to energy security leaves long-standing issues on summit sidelines

Southeast Asia is one of the worst affected by the global fuel crisis due to its high imports of oil and gas coming from the Gulf.

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Vietnam

Vietnam burns red tape but growth may be harder to rekindle

Vietnam’s drive to energise its economy may take time to materialise in the face of rising fuel costs and trade barriers, analysts say.

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India

India’s military turns to green energy options as Iran war prompts new strategy

The Indian army is looking to green sources for its cooking, vehicles and installations due to surging oil prices.

Indian soldiers perform drills in Kargil, Ladakh, India, in July last year. The Indian army is increasing its use of green energy sources due to rising oil prices caused by the impact of the Iran war. Photo: NurPhoto via Getty Images
Indian soldiers perform drills in Kargil, Ladakh, India, in July last year. The Indian army is increasing its use of green energy sources due to rising oil prices caused by the impact of the Iran war. Photo: NurPhoto via Getty Images
Indonesia

Indonesia posts fastest first-quarter growth in 3 years, but headwinds loom

The 5.6 per cent growth was propelled by robust household consumption during the festive season and a surge in government spending.

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

Malaysia seeks to charge 2 over US$278 million Arm semiconductor deal

Ex-economy minister Rafizi Ramli, who is questioned by the MACC, previously pitched the deal as key to the Malaysian chip sector’s future.

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Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Rene Haas, CEO of chip tech provider Arm attend an event where Anwar announced the multi-million deal with Arm in Kuala Lumpur in March last year. Photo: Reuters
Indonesia

Can Indonesia turn holiday island Bali into a global financial hub?

Having a financial centre on the island will help boost national economic competitiveness, officials say.

The sun rises behind boats moored at a pier near Denpasar on Indonesia’s resort island of Bali on April 12. Photo: AFP
The sun rises behind boats moored at a pier near Denpasar on Indonesia’s resort island of Bali on April 12. Photo: AFP
Singapore

Lawrence Wong warned of ‘storm clouds’ for Singapore. Was it an understatement?

Wong and his team have to prove they are ‘more than equal’ to the task of helping Singapore navigate coming headwinds, analysts say.

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Indonesia

Course correction: Indonesia reshapes ride-hailing sector with state power

The new commission scheme shows the state’s support for ride-hailing drivers, but may not necessarily boost their incomes, observers say.

Singapore

‘No longer nice-to-have’: AI skills boost Singapore software engineer pay by 25%

Companies are increasingly prioritising engineers who can work effectively with AI tools, especially in senior roles.

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Men work with the help of AI. Salaries of AI-savvy software engineers have shot up in Singapore. Photo: Shutterstock
Middle East

‘Structural shift’: new routes for Middle East freight to bypass Hormuz

Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the UAE lead a push for a new trade architecture with multiple nodes linking the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea.

The port of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates on April 17. Photo: EPA/The UAE Presidential Court
The port of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates on April 17. Photo: EPA/The UAE Presidential Court
Asean

Why Singapore, Thailand are among the world’s ‘happiest’ economies

Southeast Asian countries outdid larger economies in the 178-nation Hanke’s Annual Misery Index for 2025.

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Indonesia

Deadly train crash in Indonesia exposes severe safety gaps, dangerous crossings

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto pledges to spend US$230 million to upgrade level crossings after the accident that killed 16 passengers.

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Central banks

Gold loses its shimmer in Asia over rising oil prices, hawkish Fed stance

Demand for the metal is likely to remain weak, with central banks not expected to cut interest rates for some time due to high energy prices.

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Gold prices fell by 12 per cent from US$5,247.90 per troy ounce on February 27 to US$4,620 on Friday morning. Photo: Shutterstock
Gold prices fell by 12 per cent from US$5,247.90 per troy ounce on February 27 to US$4,620 on Friday morning. Photo: Shutterstock
Singapore

Singapore PM reassures workers over AI fears, vows job opportunities

The city state cannot promise there will be no disruption from the new technology but it will protect every worker, the prime minister says.

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Pakistan

Pakistan’s IMF-backed recovery under pressure as Iran-US mediation stalls

While Islamabad continues to push for peace, the war threatens to erode its foreign exchange reserves and make financing harder to secure.

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Sri Lanka

Elephant in room: can Sri Lanka’s ‘world’s emptiest airport’ attract investors?

Since opening in 2013, Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport has failed to generate enough revenue to cover even its electricity bills.

Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport in Sri Lanka. Photo: Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport
Japan

What’s behind Japan’s novel move to share Mogami warship design with India?

Tokyo has offered to give Delhi the plans to its US$500-million Mogami-class ship so that it can be built in India using Japanese materials.

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A Mogami-class stealth frigate JS Mikuma anchors at the Japan Self-Defence Forces’ naval base in Yokosuka, Kanagawa prefecture, on September 5, 2025. Photo: AFP
A Mogami-class stealth frigate JS Mikuma anchors at the Japan Self-Defence Forces’ naval base in Yokosuka, Kanagawa prefecture, on September 5, 2025. Photo: AFP
Brics

Brics to push for intra-currency payments as ‘immunity’ against Western clout

New Delhi has to be wary of any move to challenge the US dollar as it seeks to sign an interim trade deal with Washington, analysts say.

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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.

US, Israel war on Iran

Why UAE’s exit from Opec is good news for oil-thirsty Asia

Once free of Opec’s production caps, the world’s sixth-largest oil producer plans to flood the market with 5 million barrels a day.

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An oil technician climbs down a tower at a refinery in Jebel Ali, UAE. Photo: AP
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