ASEAN
Southeast Asia (SEA) governments are seeking clarification and concessions after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s first official visit to the region, which followed the Trump administration’s decision to issue new tariff notices to nearly all ASEAN countries.
Indonesia
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto described the deal as a win for economic sovereignty. “We agreed to deepen the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement or CEPA to open up greater opportunities for sustainable trade and investment in the country,” Subianto wrote on Facebook.
The US
According to a White House press release, Rubio’s trip aims to highlight the strength of the US’s Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with ASEAN and to reaffirm the commitment to building on the Comprehensive Partnership with Malaysia.
ASEAN
ASEAN's uneven performance reflects structural problems, including talent constraints, uncoordinated capital flows and a lack of cross-border regulatory support.
Vietnam
Rising labour costs and growing competition from neighbours are threatening Vietnam's long-standing position as Southeast Asia’s top manufacturing hub.
FPDA
Signed in 1971, the FPDA links Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand and the UK in a consultative defence framework that allows for joint military exercises, intelligence-sharing and operational coordination.
Bambang Brodjonegoro
Bambang Brodjonegoro, dean of the ADB’s Tokyo-based think tank, said Southeast Asia’s largest middle-income economies are at risk of long-term stagnation as demographic advantages fade and productivity growth stalls.
ASEAN
As Indonesia asserts control over its vast nickel reserves, a new supply route is forming between Southeast Asia (SEA) and Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). France and Hungary are emerging as key European partners in the electric vehicle (EV) supply chain, linking mineral extraction in Indonesia to battery production in
ASEAN
French President Emmanuel Macron called France “a power that respects its partners” during his 25-29 May tour of Vietnam, Indonesia and Singapore, when he promoted his country as a strategic partner for Southeast Asia (SEA) amid growing US-China rivalry. The trip focused on trade, defence and clean energy cooperation, as
Analysis
The landscape of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) reporting is shifting in 2025 as regulatory mandates grow more stringent globally, even while political pushback intensifies in parts of the world, and most notably the US. The regulatory trend is clear. Governments and oversight bodies are moving to standardise and enforce
Politics
Thailand’s Entertainment Complex (EC) bill, which includes provisions to legalise casinos, has been delayed as Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra deemed it unready for cabinet review. Speaking to reporters outside Government House on Tuesday, she said the government must consider all stakeholders’ views before the bill moves forward. A
Politics
US President Donald Trump has nominated entrepreneur Anji Sinha as his pick for the next US ambassador to Singapore, one of its key diplomatic postings in Asia, following his return to the White House in January. Little is publicly known about Dr Sinha, who has no discernible online presence or
