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A delivery driver transports liquid petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders in Amritsar, Punjab state, in India on March 24. Two more Indian-flagged tankers carrying LPG passed through the Strait of Hormuz on March 23, marking a fresh set of exceptions in the chokepoint disrupted by the Middle East war. Photo: AFP
US, Israel war on Iran

Macroscope | Iran war: Why a Trump climbdown won’t save Asia’s economies

Markets might be convinced Trump will chicken out again, but that won’t reassure Asian nations scrambling to deal with energy shortages.

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Middle East

Opinion | As the Gulf grows riskier, the Arctic is gaining strategic weight

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China-Middle East relations

Opinion | When it comes to the Persian Gulf, China’s top priority is economics

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Diplomacy

Opinion | Look East? South Asia’s fate is far more intertwined with Middle East

Beyond oil, remittances and cultural ties, trade and defence pacts in recent years have added to strategic and security interconnectedness.

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Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif hug after signing a defence pact, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on September 17, 2025. Photo: Reuters
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif hug after signing a defence pact, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on September 17, 2025. Photo: Reuters
Asia housing and property

The View | War-induced interest rate shocks unlikely to upset Asia’s property markets

While monetary tightening would add to affordability pressures, it would have little bearing on the forces driving up prices and rents.

War and conflict

Opinion | Another war, another trade chokepoint crisis. Who is hit the hardest?

Those with narrow trade structures are hit the hardest but those with broad networks of partners, such as China, tend to be more resilient.

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Indonesia

Opinion | Indonesia’s new aircraft carrier is more vanity project than war machine

The jet-less carrier might buy Jakarta a seat at the elite table, but it offers no advantage in modern naval warfare.

The Italian aircraft carrier Giuseppe Garibaldi pictured in 2016. Photo: AFP
The Italian aircraft carrier Giuseppe Garibaldi pictured in 2016. Photo: AFP
War and conflict

Macroscope | Trump’s war is uniting the world, just not how he might have expected

The war on Iran could prompt middle powers to go beyond forming coalitions independent of the US and align more openly with China.

Malaysia

Asian Angle | Malaysia’s LGBTQ crackdowns aren’t hypocrisy, they’re politics

Anwar’s government isn’t failing its ideals. It’s navigating a reality where Malay-Muslim legitimacy dictates the limits of social change.

China economy

Macroscope | China is weathering the Iran war oil shock better than others in Asia

As the conflict threatens Asian economies, the best protected are those that can leverage import diversification and energy independence.

A petrol station attendant gestures in Beijing on March 11. Photo: AP
Asean

Opinion | Tariffs grab headlines, but non-tariff barriers decide winners in Asean

Trump’s flashy tariffs get the attention, but non-tariff barriers are what truly kill competition and leave firms and consumers worse off.

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US President Donald Trump (left) and Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim hold up signed documents on a trade deal in Kuala Lumpur on October 26, 2025. Photo: AFP
US President Donald Trump (left) and Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim hold up signed documents on a trade deal in Kuala Lumpur on October 26, 2025. Photo: AFP
China-India relations

Opinion | India’s reopening to Chinese investment reflects strategic pragmatism

Concerns about signalling weakness misread India’s careful policy design. Foreign investment rules have not been abolished, only recalibrated.

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War and conflict

Opinion | Who will be the real winner from the Iran war fallout? Not the US

With no clear goal or timetable for ending the war, the US president is running out of options.

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Asia housing and property

The View | Why Iran war disruption isn’t enough to unsettle Asia’s hotels

While higher energy prices pose a threat to global travel, Asia’s strong regional travel demand and diversified source markets offer resilience.

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A tourist poses for a photo doing the traditional Thai greeting during his visit to the Temple of Dawn in Bangkok on January 19. Photo: EPA
Asean

Opinion | Underwater and unprotected: why Asean and the EU must secure subsea lifelines

With global data at risk from hybrid threats, Southeast Asia and Europe need to look past declarations to secure our shared data arteries.

Workers install a submarine communications cable in western France. Photo: AFP
Workers install a submarine communications cable in western France. Photo: AFP
War and conflict

Opinion | US attack on IRIS Dena shows that wars know no borders

The sinking of an Iranian naval frigate off Sri Lanka’s coast is a grim reminder of how easily conflicts can spill into unexpected places.

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US, Israel war on Iran

Macroscope | Trump hasn’t counted on financial blowback from his war with Iran

As Washington fights a war with global economic ramifications, allies may soon begin to reassess their financial support of US coffers.

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Myanmar

Opinion | Myanmar’s junta staged an election. It couldn’t stage legitimacy

A closer look at the vote raises doubts about whether the generals can hold the country hostage in the long term.

Supporters of the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party wave party flags in Naypyidaw, Myanmar, in October 2025. Photo: AP
Supporters of the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party wave party flags in Naypyidaw, Myanmar, in October 2025. Photo: AP
Hong Kong economy

Opinion | Hong Kong can play vital part in boosting crucial China-India relations

India is a vibrant, emerging and complex power with much to offer the city and China as a whole.

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US, Israel war on Iran

As I see it | Trump and Netanyahu’s Iran quagmire is wrecking the global economy

While bombs are being dropped on communities that may seem far away for some, the ripple effects of war in the Middle East are truly worldwide.

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War and conflict

Opinion | US-Israeli war on Iran makes a mockery of global governance rules

Inevitably, the world will be split between those committed to peace and harmony, and those who want to fight to secure dominance.

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US President Donald Trump gestures during a visit to Verst Logistics in Hebron, Kentucky, US, on March 11. Photo: Reuters
Hong Kong housing

Opinion | When homes are small and costly, dreams of having a family shrink

In Asian cities, imagining family life has become the real work of adulthood – shaped by square footage, commute times and childcare options.

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Potential homebuyers visit a development sales office in Hong Kong on November 15, 2025. Photo: Dickson Lee
Potential homebuyers visit a development sales office in Hong Kong on November 15, 2025. Photo: Dickson Lee
Energy

Opinion | Why Asia’s future depends on breaking the shackles of fossil fuels

The choice facing Asia is clear: pay the large, one-time cost of transition or keep paying the unpredictable price of vulnerability.

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War and conflict

Opinion | Iran strikes are a wake-up call to regulate military AI

Amid a lack of regulations and binding agreements on the use of artificial intelligence in war, the risks to civilians will only increase.

Asia housing and property

The View | 4 reasons Asia’s property will endure despite Iran war headwinds

Asian property’s sources of resilience are potent and multifaceted, with the drivers of sentiment distinct from those in financial markets.

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A view of residential and commercial buildings in Tokyo on August 18, 2025. Photo: dpa
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