The Soviet Union lost the Cold War, but China is now giving the West a run for its money in the sequel. And, as with the twentieth century’s decades-long superpower conflict, Southeast Asia is once again emerging as a major theater. Read More Here
The Joe Biden administration has rarely missed an opportunity to stress the critical importance of Southeast Asia to its Indo-Pacific agenda of containing China’s influence and rise. But until a string of recent high-level visits to the strategic region, observers noted that little had been done to match its words with deeds. Read More Here
The ruling communist parties of Vietnam and Laos have formally named their new leadership teams after five-year reshuffles, and the new lineups appear very peculiar. Politicians whose experience should have made them ideal candidates for certain roles were installed in positions ill-suited to their skills. Round pegs have been placed in square holes. Read Here […]
When India and Vietnam’s prime ministers held a virtual summit on December 21, the two allied leaders nominally agreed to a joint vision for peace and prosperity against the backdrop of perceived rising Chinese aggression in the wider Indo-Pacific region. Read Here | Asia Times
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 […]
Through early and efficient border closures, uncharacteristic official transparency and strategic Covid-19 diplomacy, communist-run Vietnam is fast emerging as a likely post-pandemic winner. For a nation that has long-sought to secure it’s place as a reliable and responsible global actor, the coronavirus outbreak and its minimal impact on Vietnam has presented the nation an opportunity […]
It is clear that U.S.-based technology companies will continue to shape the geo-economic trajectory of data governance, and thus play a key role in the trade, investment and diplomatic landscape in Asia. So long as the Big Tech lobby works closely in consultation with the governments of emerging economies to respect sovereign autonomy and promote […]
The US president promised tariffs on Chinese goods as part of the trade war would help bring jobs back to the United States, but while firms are leaving China, it is the likes of Vietnam, Indonesia, Cambodia, Mexico, and Bangladesh that are benefiting the most. Read Here – South China Morning Post
One of the most celebrated diplomats of his generation, Richard Holbrooke helped normalise U.S. relations with China; served as U.S. ambassador to a newly reunified Germany and then to the United Nations; and, most famously, negotiated the 1995 Dayton peace agreement that ended the war in Bosnia. But he began and ended his career struggling […]
US President Donald Trump and North Korea’s Kim Jong-un have wrapped up the first day of a summit in Hanoi that the American president hopes will get Pyongyang to curtail its decades-long push for nuclear weapons. The two-day summit comes after their first meeting in Singapore more than eight months ago, and is taking place […]
looking beyond borders 