Government
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 ...
Lancang-Mekong Vocational Education Training Center launched in Cambodia
The China-funded Lancang-Mekong Vocational Education Training Center, along with the Cambodia Luban Workshop, was inaugurated here on Sunday. The center was established under the cooperation between the National Polytechnic Institute of Cambodia (NPIC) and China’s Tianjin Sino-German University of Applied Sciences. It is located in ...
75th joint patrol on Mekong River starts
The 75th joint patrol on the Mekong River, with law enforcers from China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand, started Tuesday. Eight vessels and more than 100 law enforcement personnel participated in the patrol between China’s Guanlei port and waters near the Golden Triangle. Keep reading ...
Rising number of cross-border challenges in Asia and Pacific
Regional cooperation is increasingly necessary to tackle a rising number of cross-border challenges in Asia and the Pacific, according to a new report from the Asian Development Bank. Keep reading ...
Dynamics of cooperation mechanisms in the Mekong
There are several Mekong cooperation mechanisms between the lower Mekong countries (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam) with China, India, Japan, Republic of Korea, and the US. The leading mechanisms in terms of sizeable project funding are Mekong-Lancang Cooperation and the Mekong-Japan Cooperation. Keep reading ...
Japan offers ‘quality’ alternative to China’s BRI
When Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe hosted five Southeast Asian leaders for discussions in Tokyo last week, he also had China on his mind. Dubbed the Mekong-Japan Summit, the meeting was the tenth to bring together national leaders from Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam ...
