Under Lee, bilateral ties were upgraded through economic initiatives and dialogue platforms – despite occasional political hiccups.
The drills extended into the grey area where the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone rubs up against the territory claimed by Beijing in the South China Sea.
Economic engagement such as the Belt and Road Initiative has helped stabilise and strengthen China’s relationship with Southeast Asian countries.
It is a consumer’s right to shun a global business, but it may end up missing the target as local franchise holders are the ones bearing losses.
Policymakers can ill afford to dither or send mixed signals in their efforts to rejuvenate the economy. The immediate danger facing China today is systemic contagion.
Such requests rarely seem sincere when they are essentially asking other nations to act against their own strategic goals
Saigon Commercial Bank’s losses could cause the national treasury to dry up, as the government injects ‘special loans’ to keep the bank afloat.
The government is seeking to inject short-term stimulus, but what Thailand really needs are measures that can enhance long-term productivity growth.
The Australian PM was incensed after Musk’s X ignored a court order to remove videos of a stabbing attack in Sydney.
Prabowo’s visits may indicate that influential countries recognise him as the next Indonesian president and lend him more legitimacy.
Asian firms worry that Iran-Israel tensions could spill over to the Strait of Hormuz – a vital oil corridor for Asia – and provide more fuel to oil prices.
The Gaza war resonated deeply among Southeast Asian respondents in a recent survey, given the significant proportion of Muslims in the region.
Japan was an early supporter of Aukus, viewing the alliance as a positive step for regional security that would counterbalance China’s heavy-handed influence.
The crisis reveals decades of official inertia in dealing with long-term resource planning and decrepit water infrastructure in Sabah.
TikTok challenges have encouraged trends such as Gen Z users believing they are ‘ageing like milk’ and changing up their image to fish for compliments.
Shifting gears on foreign relations brought by leadership change may bear on how a country’s commitment to deals is viewed by other disputants.
A new survey shows rising regional acceptance of the US-Japan-Australia-India grouping that’s been derided by Beijing as an anti-China ‘tool’. More tangible, visible projects will be needed to strengthen ties with Asean, however.
The ‘Allah’ socks scandal has escalated tensions among Malay Muslims, and raised fears among the ethic Chinese community of a more serious racial confrontation.
Comedian Ronny Chieng hit a raw nerve among Singapore’s netizens by calling out the city state’s smug attitudes and narrow world view.
Few members of Australia’s Asian diaspora have been nominated as Canberra’s 10 new Southeast Asian business champions to boost commercial ties with Asean.
If Chinese workers were to make less and buy more, other countries could grow faster and so buy more solar panels, electric vehicles, and other advanced manufactured goods from China.