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Russia’s President Vladimir Putin speaks with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi after making a press statement at the Hyderabad House in New Delhi on December 5. Photo: AFP
India

Opinion | Why India can’t afford to let relations with Russia crumble

Partnering with Moscow brings New Delhi important leverage on Washington and Beijing as well as support for continued strategic autonomy.

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China technology

Opinion | Why the Global South is embracing Chinese AI

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Asia housing and property

The View | Asia’s housing affordability squeeze shows no signs of slowing

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China-Russia relations

Opinion | Despite their strong ties, Russia and China are emotional opposites

Moscow is haunted by a longing for Western approval in contrast to Beijing, which focuses on borrowing what works and changing what doesn’t.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
Illustration: Craig Stephens
Vietnam

Asian Angle | Vietnam’s anti-drug police are speaking Gen Z, and it’s working

Ho Chi Minh City’s police have found a way to wrap dry state messaging in viral humour, mirroring China’s digital playbook.

Technology

Opinion | Does AI’s rise have to mean job losses? East Asia tells a different story

Studies from Vietnam to South Korea show AI adoption has not cannibalised jobs. Instead of simple mechanisation, economies are synergising.

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Climate change

Opinion | Fashion industry must tailor climate plans to Asian suppliers’ reality

Efforts to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions in the fashion industry will not work if they rest on a Western design paired with Eastern sacrifice.

A worker holds a piece of clothing at a factory in Depok, Indonesia, on April 25, 2022. Photo: EPA-EFE/ADI WEDA
A worker holds a piece of clothing at a factory in Depok, Indonesia, on April 25, 2022. Photo: EPA-EFE/ADI WEDA
Thailand

Asian Angle | The Thai influencer bringing viral warfare to Cambodia’s border

Gun Jompalang is a self-styled ‘justice crusader’ with over 9 million followers but no commander. He’s not a soldier, but he is waging war.

Hong Kong politics

Opinion | Legco poll a chance for Hong Kong to show its resilience after Tai Po fire

The election is an opportunity for the city to display maturity in the face of loss and prove civic participation can coexist with national security and solidarity.

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India

Opinion | Not just China: India also a piece of the US opioid puzzle

Like China, India has a large pharmaceutical sector that provides precursor chemicals. But it lacks China’s drug policy control.

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Tricia Theriault, from New Hampshire, reacts during the Fourth Annual National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day event in Times Square, New York City, US, on August 21. Photo: Reuters
India

Macroscope | India and Japan show impact of Trump’s tariffs extend beyond trade

While Japan is grappling with acute policy dilemmas and AI bubble fears stalk markets, India seems relatively resilient and forward-looking.

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Workers put switches and connectors on solar panels after they come out of automated framing at a ReNew solar panel manufacturing plant on the outskirts of Jaipur, India, on August 21, 2025. Photo: AP
Workers put switches and connectors on solar panels after they come out of automated framing at a ReNew solar panel manufacturing plant on the outskirts of Jaipur, India, on August 21, 2025. Photo: AP
Myanmar

Opinion | Why China is succeeding in Myanmar while the West has been sidelined

The West’s incoherent strategy is no match for a ruthless, integrated Chinese approach that leverages economic links to its advantage.

Japan

Opinion | Why Chinese are cancelling their trips to Japan

The Japanese prime minister crossed a red line and reopened old wounds in employing language that echoed rhetoric used by imperial Japan to justify invasion.

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India

Opinion | If China can cut its pollution, why can’t India?

India’s pollution crisis demands sustained, year-round action, not just emergency steps that kick in when the air turns toxic.

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People protest about a lack of action to control air pollution in New Delhi, India, on November 18. Photo: AP
Climate change

Opinion | How Cop30 laid bare the new geopolitics of climate action

Fractures, even among the Global South, show the energy transition is not just a technical challenge but a deeply political negotiation.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
Illustration: Craig Stephens
Asean

Opinion | In its year under Malaysia, Asean tried to set systemic reform in motion

Despite grumbles about loss of focus and misgivings about the longevity of new networks, Malaysia, ironically, perhaps didn’t go far enough.

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Technology

Opinion | How AI, quantum and space technologies will define the Asian century

Together, they form an engine that will determine which nations shape the century ahead and which struggle to keep pace.

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Britain

Opinion | Self-interest is now the main driver of Britain’s Asia policy

There are a great many reasons why the UK government should pay more attention to the Asia-Pacific, but that does not mean that it will.

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UK military personnel stand on board Britain’s HMS Prince of Wales aircraft carrier as it arrives in Tokyo, Japan, in August. Photo: Reuters
UK military personnel stand on board Britain’s HMS Prince of Wales aircraft carrier as it arrives in Tokyo, Japan, in August. Photo: Reuters
United States

Opinion | How South Korea’s nuclear sub deal with US could torpedo inter-Korean peace

Seoul is clearly prioritising advancing its military capabilities with Washington’s help, rather than improving ties with Pyongyang.

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South Korea

Opinion | Why US-South Korea nuclear sub deal adds fuel to unstable region

Nuclear-powered submarines will heighten South Korea’s profile and China’s anxieties about US-led maritime groupings across East Asia.

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European Union

Opinion | Why Asia can’t wait for Europe to lead on deforestation-free timber

Asia’s dependence on regulatory developments in Brussels risks importing the same contradictions that hinder decisive action by the EU.

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An aerial view of a cleared forest area under development for palm oil plantations in Kapuas Hulu district of Indonesia’s West Kalimantan province. Photo: Reuters
Taiwan

Opinion | Reinventing Kaohsiung: Taiwan’s port city transcends its industrial past

From shipyards and smokestacks to a smart, green metropolis, Kaohsiung shows urban renewal can succeed in the unlikeliest of places.

Pier-2 Art Centre in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, is home to museums and performance spaces and easily accessed by public transport. Photo: Donald Low
Pier-2 Art Centre in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, is home to museums and performance spaces and easily accessed by public transport. Photo: Donald Low
China economy

Opinion | The rise of a Beijing-led ‘Global South Consensus’

As the Global South seeks a better development model and China looks for alternatives to mature markets, a match made out of mutual need is emerging.

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United States

Outside In | Trump’s G20 boycott sums up a year of US attacks on multilateralism

Despite the duress, most countries clearly do not prefer Trumpian unilateralism. But while multilateralism is not dead, it is limping badly.

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South Korea

Macroscope | South Korea’s challenges a taste of what’s to come for global economy

While South Korea has been a big beneficiary of the AI boom, the surge is also highlighting its domestic and geopolitical vulnerabilities.

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A cyclist rides past residential buildings in Seoul on November 11. Flat prices in the capital increased at the sharpest pace since 2018 last month while rents rose at the fastest clip on record. Photo: AFP
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