Japan - Times in Asia

The Southeast Asia Aid Map showing international expenditure and committed development finance to the region from 2015-23

SEA turns to China as Western aid retreats – Lowy report

A new Lowy Institute report shows how Western aid cuts and rising loans from China, the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank are reshaping development finance across Southeast Asia.

Trump to attend ASEAN summit after call with Malaysian PM

Trump’s attendance would mark the first time a Republican president has attended an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) leaders’ meeting, following several years of lower-level US representation.

South Korea targets lunar base, deep space missions by 2045

2 min read South Korea, Korea AeroSpace Administration, KASA roadmap, Korean National Space Counci, Lee Jong-ho, resource extraction, Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter, Mars, US, Japan, China, India

The strategy, presented at a national hearing in Daejeon, central South Korea, on 17 July, forms part of the KASA roadmap, introduced in 2024 as an agenda item for the Korean National Space Council.

Singapore cyberattack on critical infrastructure attributed to China-linked hackers

3 min read K Shanmugam, Cyber Security Agency, UNC3886, Fortinet, VMware, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Volt Typhoon, APT, Singtel, Japan, The US, Cybersecurity Act, cybersecurity, ASEAN Digital Ministers’ Meeting, the UN

What makes UNC3886 particularly dangerous is its ability to exploit zero-day vulnerabilities. These are software flaws unknown to its vendor and for which no patch yet exists, making them especially valuable and dangerous for attackers.

ASEAN economies should look to CEE to escape middle-income trap - ex-finance minister

4 min read Bambang Brodjonegoro, ADBI, ASEAN, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, CEE, FDI, EU, Poland, Czechia, Hungary, China, Japan, South Korea, World Bank, Prabowo Subianto, Nikkei Asia, Nickel, middle-income trap, steel

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.