Maria Siow
Senior Correspondent, Asia
Maria Siow is a long-time China-based correspondent and analyst with keen interest in East Asia. Maria has a masters degree in international relations.
Maria Siow is a long-time China-based correspondent and analyst with keen interest in East Asia. Maria has a masters degree in international relations.
Areas of Expertise:
Chinese foreign relations, Asian affairs, China’s public diplomacyLanguages Spoken:
English, Mandarin
Joining the Saudi-Turkish-Pakistani security alliance offers Dhaka leverage, but could also threaten its non-aligned stance.
Hanoi voices strong objections after reports emerge about Chinese construction works in the Paracels archipelago.
New Delhi’s re-engagement with the China-led bloc serves as a reminder to the US that it has other options, analysts say.
The city state takes the helm on Asean’s 60th anniversary amid civil war, tariff threats and rising global tensions.
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The LDP is mounting an all-out campaign to unseat the incumbent, wagering cash promises can quiet anti-base opposition.
With voters anxious over inflation, swapping cabinet faces offers a convenient distraction from economic pain.
Restarting Angkor Sentinel drills lets Phnom Penh signal strategic autonomy without abandoning Beijing, analysts say.
With its need for Russian gas limiting fresh sanctions, analysts say Tokyo has few economic weapons left to respond.
The result shows that local voters are not as concerned about geopolitical issues as claimed in earlier reports, analysts say.
Tokyo is seeking to mitigate risks linked to potential US munitions shortages and maintain credible deterrence, analysts say.
Analysts say BrahMos could boost Thailand’s deterrence at sea and give it more options as tensions with Cambodia persist.
China’s actions in the South China Sea will be discussed but unlikely to be explicitly condemned, observers say.
Calls for reviving Saarc are likely to fall on deaf ears as long as the two neighbours are at loggerheads, analysts say.
While a visit could boost Indonesia’s diplomatic clout, it also threatens to raise another outcry about Prabowo’s frequent flights.
The move aims to ensure Honiara partners with Western allies in sectors with security implications, analysts say.
Wellington’s four-month diplomatic blitz aims to lock down regional allies as Washington’s commitment wavers.
The case, which alleges abuses in Myanmar’s northwestern Chin state, is now under consideration by the courts in Dili.
Efforts to finalise the code between Asean and China this year are hampered to a large extent by differences between Manila and Beijing.
Removing statues of the country’s founding father appears aimed at stripping democratic legitimacy from his daughter, Aung San Suu Kyi.
The ‘long overdue’ move is expected to boost the defence ministry’s capacity to work more closely with allies and ease operational strain.
A joint study for a 2,790MW hydropower project is more political stunt than power plan, critics say.
While some Pacific Islands Forum members have criticised the test near Tuvalu, Papua New Guinea appears to have backtracked, analysts say.
Agreeing to Kyiv’s co-production proposal risks triggering a backlash from Beijing and Moscow, analysts say.
Wellington’s bid to join the pact flags a hard-security pivot, but analysts ask if such treaties serve Pacific societies’ best interests.
The navy’s first littoral combat ship is arriving later this year without the anti-ship missiles meant to give it offensive teeth.
Half a century after a bruising naval defeat, Pakistan is signalling it can again challenge India on its eastern flank.
Eight years after ‘Indo’ was added to signal India’s importance, analysts say its removal points to a shift in Washington’s priorities.
Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi questions the accuracy of China’s military spending data, contrasting it with Japan’s transparent approach.
China and India have been jostling for influence in Myanmar as the Asean member remains embroiled in civil war.
