By choosing Vietnam and Indonesia as first destinations abroad, Suga has underscored Japan’s commitment to Southeast Asia, as well as providing a counterbalance to China. Expanding Japan’s defense and strategic ties with both Vietnam and Indonesia, Suga emphasized the centrality of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to regional security, and reinforced Japan’s “free and […]
With another US presidential election comes another debate about the merits of American foreign policy over the preceding four years. But the Donald Trump administration’s record in strategic Southeast Asia – a key battleground for influence vis-à-vis China – elicits more polarized opinions than usual. Read Here | Asia Times
As most Southeast Asian governments anticipate China’s potential reaction and adjust their behaviours accordingly, China no longer needs to exert explicit pressure. The COVID-19 crisis has made this trend more obvious, highlighting not only the internalisation of this “privileged relationship” but also a more disturbing – but unspoken – reality: Southeast Asian countries’ acceptance of […]
Chinese companies appear to be trying to dodge the tariffs imposed by the United States as part of a punishing trade war by redirecting their shipments through Cambodia. China’s exports to Southeast Asian country have been steadily rising since start of trade war. Meanwhile, Cambodia’s exports to US in first three months of 2019 rose […]
Various countries in the region are under pressure to support Washington or Beijing as their tariff dispute bleeds into bigger issues. But wariness of putting one offside means most will try to wait for the two giants to work through their differences. Read Here – South China Morning Post
Did the recently concluded Shangri-La Dialogue talk shop, long a gauge of the Indo-Pacific’s geo-strategic temperature, presage a coming conflict between China and the United States, and potential end to decades of relative peace and stability in the region? Read Here – Asia Times
More than 75 nations participate in China’s Belt and Road Initiative, launched in 2013 to develop trade and connect Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Europe with ports, roads and railways. But some countries worry about adding to already heavy debt burdens, and some projects have become an issue in local politics. Among the most […]
Is US President Donald Trump really going to amp up trade tariffs against China? And with its back against the wall, will Asia’s biggest, most influential economy use a sharp currency devaluation as a form of retaliation? In Southeast Asia, home to some of the world’s most China-dependent economies, astute market watchers say they are as clueless […]
The Foreign Policy White Paper paints a picture of an uncertain world and troubling times. With this understanding as its foundation, the White Paper outlines what approaches Australia should take to protect its national interests. While some elements are new, these approaches are still a means to preserving the status quo. What the White Paper does not do is […]
Farmers in oxcarts, Buddhist monks, businesspeople launching startups—they all now have the world at their thumbs. But what is it like to endure, in just a few short years, the transition Western countries have had a quarter century to work through? Tech is powerful anywhere, but it’s particularly powerful when it’s brand-new and easy to […]
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