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Asean

Asean
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or Asean, was established on 8 August 1967 in Bangkok, Thailand, with the signing of the Asean Declaration by Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. Since then, membership has expanded to include Brunei, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. Its aims include accelerating economic growth, social progress and cultural development of its member states and the protection of regional peace and stability.
President Xi Jinping attends a high-level reception to ring in the Lunar New Year at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, on January 27, 2025. Photo: Xinhua
US-China relations

Opinion | China has Trump 2.0 to thank for emerging stronger in tech and trade

As intense US-China competition becomes the new normal, pressure has strengthened China’s capacity to adapt rather than deter it from its long-term ambitions.

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Diplomacy

Opinion | Why so many states reject bloc rivalry to choose partnership with China

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US-Asean relations

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

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Elon Musk

As more nations block Grok for obscene content, calls for Asean-wide curbs mount

The Philippines should push the fight against deepfakes high on the Asean agenda as the bloc’s chair, analysts say.

The Grok AI website displayed on a mobile phone as a nationwide restriction on the service took effect in Malaysia earlier this month. Photo: EPA
Malaysia

Video | Malaysia’s king vows to ‘hunt for the corrupt’

A former army chief and dozens of other officers and civilians have been arrested in recent weeks as the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) seized 52 million ringgit (US$12.8 million) in cash, gold, cars and luxury watches.

Singapore

US ambassador to Singapore’s much ‘larger gifts’ call to mark July 4 rankles

In light of recent US actions, Anjani Sinha’s call could be deemed as the embassy trying to ‘shake down businesses’, an analyst says.

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Hong Kong economy

Hong Kong to develop low-altitude sector blueprint as firms eye overseas expansion

Logistics chief Mable Chan says city well positioned for growth given established legal regime and status as financial hub.

Hong Kong industry players are set to go for their first overseas trip to explore belt and road markets alongside mainland Chinese firms. Photo: Sam Tsang
Diplomacy

China bids to host High Seas Treaty secretariat, even as US exits UN bodies

China puts forward Xiamen as potential future home of Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction secretariat as treaty comes into force.

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Banking & finance

HKMA unveils 20-point road map to modernise Hong Kong’s trade finance ecosystem

Project CargoX aims to digitalise Hong Kong’s trade finance, expand SME lending and strengthen connectivity with mainland China and Asean.

Thailand

Feathered fortunes, sky-high stakes: inside Asia’s richest pigeon race

In eastern Thailand, 5,000 pigeons brave predators and exhaustion in a gruelling sprint for a US$2 million purse.

Pigeons are let fly in Mukdahan, Thailand, at the start of a Pattaya International Pigeon Race. Photo: Rathapon Nanthapreecha
Donald Trump

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
Malaysia

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.

Myanmar

Video | Police find village-sized meth labs in Myanmar jungle

Junta authorities said they made the discovery after regaining control of land previously run by rebel groups.

Myanmar

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.

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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Cambodian soldiers repatriated from Thailand receive roses following their release on December 31, 2025. Photo: Reuters
Diplomacy

Opinion | High Seas Treaty will both boost China’s power and hold it accountable

Beijing realises that maritime leadership will be measured not just by fleets and bases but also by who protects the planet’s last great commons.

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Hong Kong economy

73% of Hong Kong, Greater Bay Area firms ramping up expansion into Asean: survey

Survey by Hong Kong Trade Development Council and United Overseas Bank also shows 98 per cent of companies plan to keep or expand Asean operations.

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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.

A woman casts a ballot during the second phase of Myanmar’s election in Yangon on Sunday. Photo: EPA
India

Opinion | Is India fuelling an arms race in Asia or closing a deterrence gap?

The challenge for New Delhi is to solve its deterrence shortfall without letting competition harden into permanent confrontation.

Singapore

Singapore urged to expand Johor SEZ to Indonesia to deepen Asean integration

The city state’s business federation and accounting firm PwC Singapore say such a move will ramp up the region’s allure to global investors.

South China Sea

Claims of lies, coercion in Beijing-Manila war of words over South China Sea

On Monday, a Manila maritime council accused China of aggressive tactics; the next day Beijing said the Philippines was ‘provoking trouble’.

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The Chinese coastguard is said to have fired water cannons at Philippine fishing boats near Sabina Shoal in the South China Sea in December. Photo: Handout
Taiwan

Opinion | The US wants to block China’s peaceful reunification. It won’t work

US weapons sales to Taiwan violate the one-China principle but won’t sway Asean or the wider international community.

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The Patriot missile system is deployed at a park in Taipei on July 11, 2025. Photo: AFP
US-Venezuela conflict

Opinion | Why US ops in Venezuela have shaken Asia-Pacific’s middle powers

Middle powers fear a return to ‘rules of the jungle’ geopolitics as rival powers carve out spheres of influence.

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Japan

Japan’s top diplomat heads to Philippines with South China Sea top of mind

The talks are likely to focus on Manila’s push for a South China Sea code with ‘teeth’ as this year’s Asean chair, analysts say.

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Thailand

4 injured in bombings in Thailand’s south amid ongoing insurgency

Security agencies believed the attacks were a ‘signal’ timed with elections for local administrators taking place on Sunday, and ‘not aimed at insurgency’.

A petrol station following a bomb attack in Thailand’s southern province of Narathiwat on Sunday. Photo: AFP
Indonesia

Asian Angle | Indonesia’s digital 2045 ambition rests on a fragile seabed spine

With few domestic repair ships and convoluted laws, Indonesia struggles to safeguard the 115,000km of cables powering its digital future.

An illustration of a submarine cable. The main threats to Indonesia’s undersea infrastructure are fishing and anchor damage. Photo: Shutterstock
2025 Cambodia-Thailand conflict

US pledges millions to bolster Thailand, Cambodia truce amid Trump peace claims

Trump has listed the conflict as one of a number of wars he claims to have solved as he loudly insists he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize.

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The Philippines

Philippine navy ‘up to the challenge’ of defending territory in South China Sea

Manila is banking on modern ships and global alliances to challenge China’s increasing presence in the contentious waters.

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