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This Week in Asia /

Politics

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Asean
South China Sea
the Asian angle
French President Emmanuel Macron waves to journalists in Paris last week. Photo: Reuters
Japan

What Macron’s Tokyo visit means for an anxious Japan and its ties with France

Japan is enlisting French support amid a global energy shock and a diplomatic rupture with Beijing.

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The Philippines

Ahead of first Philippine visit since WWII, Japan’s past catches up with troops

North Korea

North Korea tests powerful missile engine. Will an ICBM launch follow?

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Cambodia

A US$19 billion scam industry is fleeing Cambodia. Where will it end up?

Scam bosses and their multibillion-dollar crime networks are fleeing to Myanmar, Laos and Thailand ahead of an April deadline.

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A Thai soldier shines a torch into a room disguised as a Chinese police station inside an abandoned scam centre on the Thai-Cambodian border on March 12. Photo: AFP
A Thai soldier shines a torch into a room disguised as a Chinese police station inside an abandoned scam centre on the Thai-Cambodian border on March 12. Photo: AFP
US, Israel war on Iran

Trump’s Iran gamble falters as war drags on amid concerns of long-term chaos

With Iran emboldened despite US and Israeli strikes, analysts warn of the ‘permanent risk of repeated disruption’ for the global economy.

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Artificial intelligence

‘Economic own goal’? Vietnam’s AI law sets a risky pace for Southeast Asia

From Malaysia’s sovereign cloud to Vietnam’s data curbs, critics say the rush to regulate will deter investment.

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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.

Illustration: Huy Truong
Illustration: Huy Truong
The Philippines

Why Philippines may face ‘strategic dilemma’ over Nato partnership, US demands

Manila has been forging closer ties with several Nato members amid tensions between the transatlantic security alliance and the US.

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The Philippines

As Philippines battles fuel crisis, will Marcos postpone Asean summit?

Lawmakers have urged the president to postpone or scale down the event and redirect funds towards softening the blow of rising energy costs.

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The Philippines

Why Japan’s troops are returning to Philippine soil for first time since WWII

The return marks an upgrade from the region’s previous ‘hub and spoke’ strategy to one of overlapping minilaterals, experts say.

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Japan Ground Self-Defence Force personnel on board amphibious assault vehicles take part in a joint landing exercise with Philippine and US troops in San Antonio, Zambales province, in 2018. Photo: AFP
The Philippines

Why Filipinos blame Marcos, not Trump, for the Iran war fuel crisis

A Philippine senator wants Filipinos to hold Trump accountable for their surging fuel bills. But public anger has a different target.

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Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr gives a press conference on the Philippines’ national energy emergency at Malacanang Palace in Manila on Wednesday. Photo: EPA
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr gives a press conference on the Philippines’ national energy emergency at Malacanang Palace in Manila on Wednesday. Photo: EPA
Nepal

Nepal’s probe into deadly uprising finds ex-prime minister, officials ‘reckless’

The report is proposing prison sentences of up to 10 years for K.P. Sharma Oli and other top government officials.

India

Pakistan steps in as Iran mediator while India watches from the wings

India’s ‘surprising’ silence on Iranian attacks amid uneasy ties with Tehran could affect its strategic relevance in the Gulf, analysts warn.

India

As India and US seek to reset defence ties, Iran war threatens to be wild card

An Iranian vessel’s sinking in the Indian Ocean has triggered anger in India, while New Delhi is worried about the Strait of Hormuz blockade.

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Plumes of smoke rise following reported explosions close to Sepah Square in Tehran on March 1 amid the ongoing US-Israeli attacks on Iran. Photo: TNS
Japan

Japan plans to deploy missiles to a faraway island in the Pacific. Here’s why

The deployment is a response to China’s military activity near Minamitorishima, a defence ministry researcher says.

Japan’s Ground Self-Defence Force unveils a Type 12 coastal defence anti-ship missile launcher vehicle during a training exercise in June last year. Photo: Handout
Japan’s Ground Self-Defence Force unveils a Type 12 coastal defence anti-ship missile launcher vehicle during a training exercise in June last year. Photo: Handout
Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka’s refusal to host US warplanes before Iran war risks trade backlash

Trying to keep conflict at arm’s length by distancing itself from the US could bring Sri Lanka’s economy ‘to its knees’, analysts say.

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Japan

Trump’s ‘wind-up doll’? Japan’s PM faces backlash over White House fawning

White House imagery showing Sanae Takaichi cheering for a rock song and laughing at a jibe at Joe Biden left some in Japan feeling ‘ashamed’.

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North Korea

North Korea’s Kim slams US ‘state terror’ but spares Trump in third-term address

Mindful of the fate of Iran and Venezuela’s leaders, Kim Jong-un used his speech to cast nuclear weapons as a non-negotiable shield.

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North Korean leader Kim Jong-un delivers a policy speech during the second and final day of the first session of the Supreme People’s Assembly in Pyongyang on Monday. Photo: KCNA/Yonhap/dpa
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un delivers a policy speech during the second and final day of the first session of the Supreme People’s Assembly in Pyongyang on Monday. Photo: KCNA/Yonhap/dpa
The Philippines

US eyes a Philippine ammo facility as opposition warns of ‘warmongering’

The Philippines has long been the closest US ally in Asia. Now Washington wants something more: a place to make bullets and shells.

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Japan

Can Japan offer Indonesia a ‘credible alternative’ to China on Prabowo’s visit?

Defence and minerals to dominate the agenda as Tokyo offers hi-tech warships and energy pacts to secure Indonesia as a ‘trusted partner’.

India

Why India faces dilemma over Iran war while seeking ‘diplomatic flexibility’

India has to carefully navigate the fallout from the war, given its huge stakes in the Middle East, analysts say.

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Iranians stand next to damaged residential buildings in southern Tehran on March 15 amid ongoing US-Israeli attacks against Iran. Photo: EPA
The Philippines

Philippine military uncovers alleged new China spy tactics in sea row

China called the allegations ‘malicious smears’ after three people were arrested on suspicion of leaking sensitive information to foreigners.

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A Philippine vessel distributes supplies in the contested South China Sea last month. Photo: China’s coastguard/Xinhua
A Philippine vessel distributes supplies in the contested South China Sea last month. Photo: China’s coastguard/Xinhua
US, Israel war on Iran

Iran war nears 3-front tipping point as Gulf energy hubs burn

Israeli strikes on the world’s largest gas field and Iranian attacks on Saudi and Qatari hubs threaten a global energy crisis.

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South Korea

South Korea’s cut-price interceptor outshines US Patriot in Iran war debut

The Cheongung-II hit 96 per cent of targets at a third of the cost of its US rival, triggering a scramble for the technology.

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Japan

Trump’s Pearl Harbour joke falls flat in Japan over his ‘disrespectful remarks’

As Japan faces pressure over the Iran war, some observers commend Takaichi for steering her meeting with Trump towards trade deals.

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Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi raises her fist while delivering remarks during a dinner hosted by US President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday. Photo: Reuters
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