china



STORY OF THE DAY • Nov 13, 2020 • 10 min read

US elections Watching and waiting: What’s to come under Biden for Southeast Asia?

By Andrew Haffner • Nov 13, 2020
While the US election result remains officially undeclared, the Democrats look to have won the race. Since 2016, the Trump administration's stance towards Southeast Asia has been erratic at best – what could the next four years look like under Biden?

STORY OF THE DAY • Nov 12, 2020 • 4 min read

ASEAN Huge China-backed trade pact to be signed at Southeast Asian summit

By Alice Philipson and Martin Abbugao/AFP • Nov 12, 2020
The world's largest trade pact is set to be signed today the 37th ASEAN summit in Hanoi. The Chinese-led pact, seen a major coup boosting Beijing's influence in the region, will loop in 10 Southeast Asian economies

STORY OF THE DAY • Aug 28, 2020 • 8 min read

Analysis Does Japanese FDI grow negative media coverage of China in ASEAN?

By Elizabeth Gooch, Katharina Grimm and Christopher Hayes • Aug 28, 2020
Analysing 175,000 news articles by Southeast Asian media outlets, researchers from the Naval Postgraduate School in the US observed a trend – perceptions of Chinese in-country activities are less positive in countries with greater Japanese investment

STORY OF THE DAY • Jul 31, 2020 • 11 min read

Belt and Road Onboard China’s Belt and Road Express: Does Laos stand to benefit?

By Alexi Demetriadi • Jul 31, 2020
The first piece of track on Kunming-Vientiane railway was laid in April as part of China's Belt and Road Initiative. But with the project steaming ahead, does Laos stand to actually see any benefits from the project, or is it merely in Beijing's interest?

Jul 30, 2020 • 2 min read
Corruption

China denies harbouring Malaysian alleged 1MDB mastermind

China has denied that it is harbouring Jho Lo, the Malaysian financier and alleged mastermind behind the 1MDB plot, the same week former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak was convicted for corruption for his part in the scandal
By Agence France-Presse • Jul 30, 2020

Jul 23, 2020 • 3 min read
Hong Kong

Will Hong Kong become like tightly-ruled but stable Singapore?

Limited democracy but high living standards and stability form a trade-off that most Singaporeans seem willing to live with – and some now suggest rival Asian finance hub Hong Kong can emulate the model as China tightens control
By Sam Reeves and Martin Abbugao/AFP • Jul 23, 2020

Jul 23, 2020 • 6 min read
Human rights

As Uighur abuses condemned, Southeast Asia’s silence is deafening

As fresh evidence of alleged rights abuses committed against the Uighur in China's Xinjiang province emerges, much of the world has called out Beijing for its treatment of the ethnic minority group. But in Southeast Asia, the silence is once again deafening
By Alexi Demetriadi • Jul 23, 2020

Jul 08, 2020 • 5 min read

Survive and prosper: Huawei’s quest for self-reliance

Publicly Huawei has expressed that their priority remains survival following severe restrictions placed on the Chinese giant by the US leadership. But a pivot towards recruiting Taiwanese talent reveals their greater ambition – prospering through self-reliance
By Mark Manantan • Jul 08, 2020

Jul 03, 2020 • 7 min read
Wildlife trade

Pangolin trade continues unabated as pandemic lessons go unheeded

With the wildlife trade strongly linked to the Covid-19 outbreak, conservationists had hoped that one long-term positive effect may be a reduction in the illegal pangolin trade. Not so, it seems, as traffickers and consumers fail to heed the lessons of the pandemic
By Adolfo Perez-Gascon • Jul 03, 2020

Jul 01, 2020 • 7 min read

The balancing act: How Vietnam should manage the superpowers

For decades, Vietnam has been a geopolitically significant theatre of competition for the superpowers. Today, leaders in Hanoi must navigate and leverage the competing interests of China, the US and Russia to protect its citizens, national integrity and economy
By Alex Shykov • Jul 01, 2020

Jun 17, 2020 • 9 min read

As the great powers vie for influence, how can ASEAN stay united?

The importance of economic, political and security cooperation among ASEAN member states has become increasingly apparent in recent decades. But as the great powers vie for influence in the region, the cracks in this fragile unity are at risk of growing
By Thi Mong Tuyen Tran and Jun Jie Lee • Jun 17, 2020

Jun 02, 2020 • 12 min read
International sanctions

Despite sanctions, how active is North Korean business in Southeast Asia?

The deadline to adhere to UN sanctions on North Korean businesses passed in late-2019, with notable efforts made to close ventures across Southeast Asia. But with attention elsewhere and the pressure off, sanctions adherence may fall on the backburner
By Alexi Demetriadi • Jun 02, 2020