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The Pakistan Air Force’s J-10C fighter jets perform at a rehearsal ahead of the country’s national day parade in Islamabad, on March 21, 2024. Photo: AFP
War and conflict

Opinion | How China’s military tech proved its worth in India-Pakistan clashes

The battlefield testing of Chinese weapons systems during the India-Pakistan clash may signal a paradigm shift in global military dynamics.

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United States

Macroscope | No, stock markets are not a barometer of the world’s economic health

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United States

Opinion | Britain has capitulated to Trump’s coercive trade. Others must resist

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Diplomacy

Opinion | Strategic clarity can calm the waters between China and Asean

Beijing and Southeast Asian capitals can build confidence by upholding local autonomy over foreign agendas and keeping each other accountable.

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The Japanese warship Bungo docks at Ream Naval Base in Preah Sihanouk province, Cambodia, on April 19. Photo: EPA-EFE/ Ream Naval Base Handout
The Japanese warship Bungo docks at Ream Naval Base in Preah Sihanouk province, Cambodia, on April 19. Photo: EPA-EFE/ Ream Naval Base Handout
India-Pakistan tensions

Opinion | China faces a tough balancing act with India and Pakistan

Beijing must juggle regional stability, global trade tensions and its standing as a responsible major power.

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Technology

Opinion | Beware the hubris of an AI narrative centred on the US and China

It would be a mistake to neglect the agency of states, multinational organisations and powerful firms not fully aligned with either side.

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Myanmar

Opinion | How Myanmar’s devastating earthquake threatens to leave a lasting economic scar

The earthquake in central Myanmar poses serious risks to its fragile economy, with damages disrupting agriculture, trade and infrastructure.

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People drive on a motorbike past a collapsed building in Mandalay on March 28 after the earthquake in central Myanmar. Photo: TNS
People drive on a motorbike past a collapsed building in Mandalay on March 28 after the earthquake in central Myanmar. Photo: TNS
Malaysia

Asian Angle | Will Malaysia gravitate further towards China in ‘new golden era’ of ties?

A flurry of agreements signed during the Chinese president’s visit last month signals Malaysia’s economic pivot towards Beijing.

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United States

Opinion | Either way, Trump’s push for a global monetary reset will be painful

There will be pain, either shared by all voluntarily through peaceful negotiation or imposed on all through force. Take your pick.

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Donald Trump

My Take | Facing US tariffs, Asia can transform to lead the world in innovation

Asia should move beyond its low-cost assembly model and scale up the value chain, such as in green technology.

An industrial drone flies over a green field and sprays useful pesticides to increase productivity and destroys harmful insects. If Asian economies leverage their strengths, they could be at the forefront of a new economic paradigm. Photo: Shutterstock
Taiwan

Macroscope | There’s more to Taiwan’s currency shock than meets the eye

The surge in the New Taiwan dollar has exposed how trade policy, capital flows, geopolitics and sovereign risk have become closely intertwined.

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A bank employee poses with US$100 notes in Taipei on May 6. The US dollar rose in Asia on May 6, fuelled by hopes for trade deals to avert US President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs. Photo: AFP
A bank employee poses with US$100 notes in Taipei on May 6. The US dollar rose in Asia on May 6, fuelled by hopes for trade deals to avert US President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs. Photo: AFP
US-China relations

Opinion | Picking a global fight may not be the best strategy, as Trump is finding out

Trump wildly overestimated the strength of the US position and underestimated the strength of its trading partners.

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Asean

Opinion | Malaysian flag gaffes expose how AI can inflame deep social divisions

Spate of inaccurately rendered national flag images suggests a careless reliance on AI, which can have grave implications in a polarised society.

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Sex and relationships

Opinion | ‘Think of your husband as a dog.’ A Korean monk’s wise marriage tip

Your husband ignores your complaint? Does a dog answer your questions? Zen Buddhist asks. He’s calling for us to manage our expectations.

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Most owners do not spend their lives frustrated by their dogs; they love them anyway. Like dogs, human spouses have flaws, but if we manage our expectations and practise acceptance, much suffering will end, Korean monk Venerable Pomnyun is telling us. Photo: Shutterstock
Thailand

Asian Angle | Trump’s tariffs: can Thailand escape the US trade trap after 90 days?

Thailand is seeking to boost imports from the US to address the challenges of Trump’s tariffs, but this is unlikely to improve its economic position.

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Cargo ships are loaded with containers at a port in Thailand last month. Photo: Reuters
Cargo ships are loaded with containers at a port in Thailand last month. Photo: Reuters
Asean

Asian Angle | The end of ‘Chimerica’ and what that means for Southeast Asia

The breakdown of US-China economic symbiosis leaves Southeast Asian nations bracing for unpredictable shocks.

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United States

Macroscope | Trump’s tariffs are waking Asia up from the dream of export-led growth

Asian economies responded to Western exhortations to pursue export-led growth. The resulting ‘economic miracle’ now looks like a mistake.

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United States

Outside In | Uncertainty unleashed by Trump 2.0 will exact a high price

Companies and countries alike are seeing hedging costs hit the roof amid a loss of trust and certainty in the US, the dollar and Treasuries.

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A trader at the New York Stock Exchange at the opening bell on April 21, as Wall Street stocks opened lower amid lingering uncertainty over US President Donald Trump’s trade policy. Photo: AFP
A trader at the New York Stock Exchange at the opening bell on April 21, as Wall Street stocks opened lower amid lingering uncertainty over US President Donald Trump’s trade policy. Photo: AFP
US-China trade war

My Take | Why China’s ‘Never Kneel Down’ video fails to change US trade war narrative

China’s ‘Never Kneel Down’ video employs nationalistic rhetoric to resonate with a Chinese audience, but is unlikely to influence the global narrative on tariffs.

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US-China relations

Opinion | 4 ways China can reverse its population decline and boost consumption

With the US market largely closed to it, Beijing cannot neglect the wider social impact of couples’ decisions about whether to have children.

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China-Russia relations

Opinion | Russia-China division of power in Central Asia is wearing thin

While Russia held a near monopoly over weapons sales in the region, the war in Ukraine has changed this, offering China an opening.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev walk into a meeting of the 22nd Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Heads of State Council Summit, in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on September 16, 2022. Photo: EPA-EFE/Sputnik/Kremlin Pool
Asia housing and property

The View | 3 Asian property markets could offer shelter from Trump’s tariff storm

Although no property market is fully shielded from the trade shock, Asia’s real estate sector has strong and diverse sources of resilience.

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Luxury waterfront condomiums in the residential enclave of Sentosa Cove in Singapore in 2021. Photo: NurPhoto via Getty Images
Luxury waterfront condomiums in the residential enclave of Sentosa Cove in Singapore in 2021. Photo: NurPhoto via Getty Images
Diplomacy

Opinion | As Trump rides roughshod over trade, China is ready to pick up the pieces

China’s message of stable cooperation is resonating as Trump accelerates the birth of a post-US world with rising powers independent of US whims.

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Asean

Asian Angle | How Asean can turn short-term tariff pain into long-term gain

Intra-bloc trade and diversified supply sources can help reduce dependency on Donald Trump’s United States and expand export options.

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US-China trade war

Opinion | Time for China to align with nations like it’s 1955

The need to unite for fairer international relations has not dissipated. The spirit of the Bandung Conference is a credible counter to ‘America first’.

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A tourist takes notes at the Museum of the Asian-African Conference in Bandung, Java on April 19, during the 70th anniversary of the Bandung Conference. Photo: AFP
Open Questions series

Scholar Jing Qian on right-sizing China’s economy in the age of Trump

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

US-China rivalry doesn’t have to be a zero-sum game: Jessica Chen Weiss

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Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

China’s rise, potential recession, no WWIII yet: 11 key interviews from 2024

Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

Why eco-warrior Ma Jun sees hope for China’s role in Cop29 amid US uncertainty

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

Historian on why we aren’t heading towards WWIII yet and how wars have changed

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31
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

Scholar Jing Qian on right-sizing China’s economy in the age of Trump

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40
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

US-China rivalry doesn’t have to be a zero-sum game: Jessica Chen Weiss

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29
Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

China’s rise, potential recession, no WWIII yet: 11 key interviews from 2024

Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

Why eco-warrior Ma Jun sees hope for China’s role in Cop29 amid US uncertainty

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4
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

Historian on why we aren’t heading towards WWIII yet and how wars have changed

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31
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
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