BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping will kick off a five-day, three-nation Southeast Asia tour on Monday (Apr 14) as Beijing seeks to tighten regional trade ties and offset the impact of huge tariffs unleashed by his US counterpart Donald Trump. Xi will visit Vietnam, Malaysia and Cambodia in his first overseasContinue Reading
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has expressed its concern about the punitive U.S. tariffs announced last week, but says that it will seek dialogue rather than retaliating against the American move. The 10-nation bloc, which was hit particularly hard by the “reciprocal” tariffs announced by Trump on AprilContinue Reading
KUALA LUMPUR: ASEAN must “act boldly” to accelerate regional economic integration as sweeping US tariffs leave much of the world caught in the middle of a devastating trade war, the bloc’s chief said on Wednesday (Apr 9). The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which count on the United States asContinue Reading
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries, especially Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, and Indonesia, are navigating the complexities of expanding petrochemical, plastic, and plastic waste recycling industries amidst criticism for being main contributors to marine plastics while suffering from pollution caused by waste imports. These developing economies must navigate the dualityContinue Reading
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 provoked global outrage and isolated the country from many of the world’s most important global markets and institutions. Three years later, Russia remains estranged from the West but is far from lonely. Outside of its near abroad, partnership with Moscow is less encumberedContinue Reading
SUSTAINABLE ENERGY TRANSITION The actions by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will be critical to meeting the global environmental targets, she noted. The region is the world’s fourth-largest energy consumer, and is still heavily dependent on fossil fuels. However, she noted that eight out of the 10 ASEANContinue Reading
HANOI: Singapore welcomes Vietnam’s support for Singaporean companies to grow their presence in the country, as both sides expand their cooperation under a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP), said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Tuesday (Mar 25). Speaking on the first day of his visit to Hanoi, Mr Wong described Vietnamese PrimeContinue Reading
The world is once again grappling with a rapidly shifting trade landscape. Since his return to power on January 20, the second administration of Donald Trump has moved swiftly to reshape global trade policy – leveraging tariffs as a primary tool to address trade imbalances. But while Washington is dominatingContinue Reading
NAVIGATING GEOPOLITICAL WATERS As big power rivalries play out in the Indo Pacific, fostering better regional ties is especially important, Kiya noted. “ASEAN has managed many big power rivalries for decades. And Japan has always supported ASEAN in maintaining peace and promoting prosperity,” he added. The ambassador pointed to Japan’s supportContinue Reading
