Tag - southeast-asia

 
 

SOUTHEAST ASIA

The new French ambassador to Singapore said France and Europe do not want their Asian partners to have to choose between the United States and China.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 18, 2025
Asia should not have to pick U.S. or China, France's envoy to Singapore says
France sees increasing pressure, "maybe more on the U.S. side," that partners in Asia make a choice, its envoy to Singapore said.
According to a prepared text of Singaporean Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen's remarks posted on a government website over the weekend, the image of the U.S. "has changed from liberator to great disruptor to a landlord seeking rent."
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 17, 2025
Singapore says Asia now views U.S. as a ‘landlord seeking rent’
The image of the U.S. as a liberator has changed, Singapore Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen says in remarks prepared for the Munich Security Conference.
The 50th ASEAN-Japan commemorative summit was held in Tokyo in December 2023. Japan has strong relations with ASEAN member countries and should continue leveraging this position to pursue its Free and Open Indo-Pacific vision.
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Feb 14, 2025
Why ASEAN is crucial to a Free and Open Indo-Pacific
Tokyo understands ASEAN's centrality to the Free and Open Indo-Pacific vision better than Washington does and should continue leading in defending this regional order.
Volunteer Nhoun Niyok shows villagers how to use a mosquito net to prevent malaria in Cambodia's northeastern Mondulkiri province on Jan. 16.
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Feb 14, 2025
Cambodia nears Khmer Rouge survivor's dream of eradicating malaria
The hope is for zero cases this year — a remarkable turnaround for a country that was formerly an epicenter of multi-drug resistant strains.
Fredric Gushin, president and CEO of Spectrum Gaming Group
BUSINESS
Feb 12, 2025
Thailand's big casino gamble hangs on fine print of regulations
Experts warn success will come only by playing its cards right on regulation.
Donald Trump has halted most U.S. government-funded aid globally for 90 days, while moving to dismantle USAID, which he accused of being run "by a bunch of radical lunatics."
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Feb 11, 2025
U.S aid freeze risks handing influence to China in Beijing's backyard
Trump has halted most U.S. government-funded aid globally for 90 days, while moving to dismantle USAID, which he accused of being run "by a bunch of radical lunatics."
Southeast Asian economies, once seen as beneficiaries of the U.S.-China trade war, now face challenges as escalating tariffs and trade tensions threaten their growth and regional stability.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 5, 2025
Winners of the first trade war may not be so victorious
Stuck between the U.S. and China, Southeast Asia’s challenges this time around are much greater.
A protester holds a flag as he shouts slogans during a demonstration to mark the anniversary of Myanmar's 2021 military coup, outside the United Nations office in Bangkok, on Feb. 1, 2024.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jan 30, 2025
Risk of violence escalates in Myanmar's civil war as election looms
With many forces opposing the junta and the election, tensions are set to rise ahead of the ballot.
A train during the handover ceremony of the high-speed rail project linking Kunming, China, with Vientiane, Laos, in 2021. Thailand expects to complete its first high-speed rail network linking the country to China through Laos by 2030.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 29, 2025
Thai high-speed rail linking Bangkok to China eyes 2030 opening
Southeast Asia’s second-biggest economy is looking to improve its connectivity with China, its biggest trading partner.
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto salutes during a welcoming ceremony at the government palace, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, in Lima, Peru, on Nov. 14, 2024.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jan 28, 2025
New Indonesian president's reliance on military tests fragile democracy
Replacement of civilian functions with the military is raising comparisons to an authoritarian-era doctrine that let the armed forces crush dissent and dominate public life.
A man walks pastthe ASEAN logo during the ASEAN foreign ministers' retreat in Langkawi, Malaysia, on Saturday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jan 19, 2025
Malaysia takes on ASEAN mantle but tempers expectations on Myanmar and South China Sea
Malaysia is committed to addressing regional issues, but expectations on Myanmar and disputes in the South China Sea should be measured, a top official said.
Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya and Philippine Foreign Minister Enrique Manalo hold a joint news conference in Taguig City, Metro Manila, the Philippines, on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Jan 17, 2025
Japan looks to up the ante with more money and partners in military aid program
As funds for Japan's official security assistance increase, so will Tokyo's efforts to boost the number of countries it assists, according to the Foreign Ministry.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba (left) shakes hands with Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto after giving a press statement following their meeting at the Presidential Palace in Bogor, Indonesia on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 12, 2025
Ishiba hopes diplomacy will give boost to parliamentary management
As the Ishiba administration will have to go into the parliamentary session leading a minority government, he is hoping diplomacy will give his administration a boost.
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto (right) and Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba during a ceremonial welcome at the Presidential Palace in Bogor, Indonesia, on Saturday
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 12, 2025
Ishiba turns to Southeast Asia amid growing international uncertainty
Experts say that Ishiba's decision to prioritize Malaysia and Indonesia was a sign of the importance of the two major regional economies.
Ekkalak Paenoi, a suspect in the assassination of former Cambodian politician Lim Kimya, is escorted by police officers in Bangkok on Saturday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Jan 12, 2025
Thai suspect confesses to killing Cambodian ex-lawmaker
A Thai man suspected of killing a former Cambodian opposition lawmaker in Bangkok confessed to the crime in a livestream video.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba extends for a handshake with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto after giving a press statement following their meeting at the Presidential Palace in Bogor, Indonesia, on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 11, 2025
Indonesian and Japanese leaders agree to boost defense and energy ties
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba became the first foreign leader to visit Indonesia this year, meeting President Prabowo Subianto a day after visiting neighboring Malaysia.
A train passes over downtown Kuala Lumpur
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 26, 2024
ASEAN's second renaissance is now
The bloc’s economies, despite varying political landscapes, rank among the world’s most dynamic.
Workers retrieves tsunami buoy Thai 23461 in the Andaman Sea on Nov. 28.
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Dec 25, 2024
The tsunami detection buoys safeguarding lives in Thailand
They form part of a warning system intended to ensure no disaster is as deadly as a huge December 2004 tsunami caused by an earthquake under the Indian Ocean.
Christians take selfies after a Christmas Eve Mass at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Banda Aceh, Sumatra, Indonesia, on Tuesday, ahead of the 20th anniversary of a magnitude 9.1 earthquake that struck the coast of Sumatra on Dec. 26, 2004, triggering a huge tsunami across the Indian Ocean.
BUSINESS / Tech
Dec 25, 2024
Blogs to Bluesky: Social media shifts responses after 2004 tsunami
In two decades, the online social media landscape has experienced a vast change, allowing information — as well as rumor and misinformation — to flow in real time.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet speaks during the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Sept. 22, 2023.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 24, 2024
Under Cambodia’s new leader, room for dissent narrows
While Prime Minister Hun Manet has often spoken of the need for independent media and civil society in Cambodia, his government has moved in the opposite direction.

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