South China Morning Post
China’s dam-building programme must take neighbours into account
The building of large dams has increasingly run into opposition in established democracies but gained momentum in autocratic states, which often tout their benefits for combating droughts and water shortages. But, as the Mekong basin illustrates, giant upstream dams can contribute to river depletion and ...
Brahma Chellaney
China’s Mekong ambitions cause concern for Thai locals (Video)
The Mekong River is possibly the most important waterway in Southeast Asia. It feeds 60 million people in six countries and there have been long-standing concerns that China is trying to control it. China recently halted plans in March to blast rapids along the river ...
Yuki Tsang
Vietnam has a new partner in its old rivalry with China – the US
When Dang Duc Toai completed the Aviation Leadership Programme at Columbus Air Force Base in Mississippi last month, he became a trailblazer among pilots from his native Vietnam. Dang, a captain in the Vietnam People’s Air Force, was the first of his countrymen to graduate from ...
John Power
China’s Belt and Road Initiative criticised for poor standards and ‘wasteful’ spending
China’s massive infrastructure spending in Southeast Asian nations under the Belt and Road Initiative has run into a series of problems including substandard work and money wasted on unprofitable projects, a new report has warned. The Belt and Road Initiative, launched by Chinese President Xi Jinping ...
Teddy Ng
Southeast Asia to suffer intense, more frequent drought without government action: UN and Asean report
Drought in Southeast Asia may become even more frequent and intense if countries do not take steps to reduce its impact, according to a joint study from the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and ASEAN. “Ready for the Dry Years: ...
Dozens of companies launch US$1 billion bid to end plastic pollution in Asia but environmentalists dismiss it as ‘greenwashing’ stunt
The “Alliance to End Plastic Waste” (AEPW) consortium of more than 30 companies launched last month, dedicating a combined total of US$1 billion over the next five years – aiming for US$1.5 billion if more conglomerates join – to develop better plastic recycling practices and ...
What Does China’s Belt and Road Have to Do with Myanmar’s Meth Problem?
If Myanmar is to break an addiction to methamphetamine production that has seen it become one of the world’s largest suppliers there is one country above all others that must act: China. That’s according to a report released on Tuesday that highlighted how complexities in ...
Chinese companies top human rights ‘dirty list’ of firms complicit in Myanmar violations
Chinese companies make up the bulk of a “dirty list” of corporations accused of involvement in human rights and environmental violations in Myanmar, or of doing business with the country’s military. The list of 49 companies from the US, UK, France, Switzerland, China and elsewhere, compiled ...
Cambodia frees 32 surrogate mothers after they vow to keep their babies following
Thirty-two Cambodian women who were charged with human trafficking for serving as surrogate mothers have been provisionally released from detention after agreeing to keep the babies rather than giving them up as originally planned, officials said on Wednesday. []Surrogacy was banned in 2016 because the country ...
China's Trade War Pain Can Be ASEAN's Gain
The current trade war between the United States and China is causing considerable stress to businesses in the line of fire. Even after the US midterm elections next month, the tension will not go away. []As the world adjusts to a shifting geopolitical landscape, the greatest ...
