Government
International relations
China and Japan’s power struggle is good news for Southeast Asia
The Japan-China rivalry in Southeast Asia is good for the economic development and strategic autonomy of Southeast Asian states. This is particularly so for the poorer countries of the region that harbour the greatest fears of becoming solely dependent on China. Keep reading ...
Rohingya crisis, Suu Kyi under the microscope at Southeast Asia summit
The customary cordiality of Southeast Asian summits may be missing when the region’s leaders meet next week due to sharp differences over Myanmar, whose military has been accused of genocide against the country’s Rohingya Muslim minority. Keep reading ...
China Focus: Wider opening-up brings closer ties with Asian neighbors
A grain of jasmine rice “jumps” to a freighter in Cambodia. It, together with thousands of its companions, will arrive in China in about a week. The jasmine rice from Cambodia sells very well in Yunnan, a border province in southwestern China. As a gateway ...
Myanmar-Laos border gate receives international status
The border gate between Myanmar and Laos has been upgraded and given international status, according to the Ministry of Labour, Immigration and Population. The ministry has upgraded the Wan Pong check point in Tachilek, Shan State, making it an international border entry point for Myanmar ...
What does Chinese ‘reciprocity’ mean for Mekong’s dams?
China is exploring new ways to cooperate over water with Mekong countries, but any agreement must address civil society and environmental concerns, argues Carl Middleton. Keep reading ...
Why the Mekong matters
China’s growing influence – through its new multilateral institution – is reshaping the environmental and economic future of Southeast Asia. The countries of the Mekong should build a “community of shared future”, said China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi, in December last year. Keep reading ...
What’s in the First Vietnam-Laos-Cambodia Trilateral Border Exchange?
Later this week, Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia will hold the first iteration of a new trilateral border exchange between them in Vietnam. Though the event was just one among many developments within the management of border relations between these countries, its significance nonetheless bears noting ...
Thai post-coup foreign policy
On the surface, it seems that Thailand has been able to exploit its relationship with China to offset Western sanctions. But reconciliation with the West was also perceived as a success of Thailand’s pro-China policy. Keep reading ...
China to work with ASEAN on 'stabilizer' sea code
China said Monday it was “ready to work” with the Philippines and ASEAN towards a code of conduct in disputed waters, which will serve as a “stabilizer” in the region. Beijing and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations or ASEAN earlier this year agreed to ...
ASEAN to sign MOU allowing smaller vessels to travel in region’s waters
Transport ministers of the 10-country Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN) will sign next month a memorandum of understanding (MOU), allowing non-conventional size ships, including wooden boats, to cross the maritime borders of the countries within the region, Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) Executive Director Romeo ...
