Advertisement
Advertisement
Opinion /

Asia Opinion

Related Topics:
My Take
Macroscope
An Iranian woman walks past an anti-US mural, depicting an Iranian and US negotiation table, next to the former US embassy in Tehran, Iran, on June 22. Photo: EPA
Middle East

Opinion | How bitter Persian Gulf rivals can make peace the Asean way

Promoting de-escalation and shared prosperity in the Persian Gulf may seem arduous now. It once looked that way in Southeast Asia, too.

videocam
Singapore

Asian Angle | Singapore’s trade pacts prove small states can shape global rules

videocam
Central Asia

Opinion | In today’s ‘great game’, Central Asian nations are no longer prizes to be won

Artificial intelligence

Opinion | Why the AI future won’t be decided by algorithms and chatbots

Just as geopolitical influence in the 20th century often rested on energy markets, so may the 21st century be dominated by infrastructure.

videocam
Visitors crowd around Huawei’s Ascend AI chip-based CloudMatrix 384 at the 2025 World AI Conference in Shanghai on July 27, 2025. Photo: Xinhua
Visitors crowd around Huawei’s Ascend AI chip-based CloudMatrix 384 at the 2025 World AI Conference in Shanghai on July 27, 2025. Photo: Xinhua
Asia housing and property

The View | Concern over AI’s impact on Asia’s real estate sector is misplaced

Even if the current AI boom falters, demand for digital infrastructure in Asia – especially in developing countries – will remain strong.

videocam
Indonesia

Asian Angle | Liberal Islam in Indonesia is sliding into irrelevance

Political entanglements and ideological schisms have left the pioneering Liberal Islam Network in disarray.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Asean

Asian Angle | Asean’s side deals in Myanmar risk missing where the power truly lies

Trading collective leverage for isolated bargains blinds the bloc to changing realities on the ground.

Myanmar’s Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs U Hau Khan Sum (left) with other Southeast Asian leaders at the Asean summit in Cebu, the Philippines, on May 8. Photo: Pool via Reuters
Myanmar’s Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs U Hau Khan Sum (left) with other Southeast Asian leaders at the Asean summit in Cebu, the Philippines, on May 8. Photo: Pool via Reuters
Chinese culture

Opinion | For many outside China, Dear You reflects family history, not politics

Some call the film soft power, but for many in the Chinese diaspora, it’s simply family history.

videocam
5
India

Macroscope | Is investors’ love affair with India ending?

Investors have flocked to tech-heavy markets, but looming US interest rate rises and volatility fears could see India’s star shine again.

videocam
War and conflict

Opinion | 8 takeaways from the US-Iran war

From the rise of devastating asymmetric warfare to the crumbling of the US maritime hegemony and alliances, the war offers food for thought.

7
Illustration: Craig Stephens
Diplomacy

Opinion | What does US Pacific Command name change mean for China and India?

Reverting to the long-used name reflects a more traditional maritime focus while prioritising deterring China, as the Quad loses relevance.

4
From the left, a Royal Australian Air Force F-35A, a US Air Force F-35A Lightning II, a Japan Air Self-Defence Force F-35A, and a US Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II fly over the US Pacific Command area of responsibility during exercise Cope North on February 7. Photo: US Air Force
From the left, a Royal Australian Air Force F-35A, a US Air Force F-35A Lightning II, a Japan Air Self-Defence Force F-35A, and a US Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II fly over the US Pacific Command area of responsibility during exercise Cope North on February 7. Photo: US Air Force
Retailing

The View | What retail apocalypse? Southeast Asia’s malls are sitting pretty

Unlike in other markets, Southeast Asia’s malls are in a good situation as they embrace experiential retail and adapt to consumer tastes.

videocam
Asean

Opinion | Beyond geopolitics: for Asean, China is a structural reality

Faced with the structural reality of China, Southeast Asia is trying to turn it into an advantage without losing control of its choices.

videocam
Diplomacy

Opinion | China’s Iran strategy an exercise in power without projection

The Iran war may be remembered not just for who won or lost, but for how Beijing quietly altered the terms of great-power conduct.

7
Illustration: Craig Stephens
South Korea

Asian Angle | Korean drama Teach You a Lesson serves up a reality check on education

The hit Netflix series uses a vigilante classroom fantasy to expose deep, real-world anxieties about school violence.

Kim Mu-yeol stars as Na Hwa-jin in “Teach You a Lesson”, the K-drama making waves across Asia. Photo: Handout
Kim Mu-yeol stars as Na Hwa-jin in “Teach You a Lesson”, the K-drama making waves across Asia. Photo: Handout
Human rights

Opinion | Asia excels at tracking fishing vessels but fails those on board

As demand for sustainable seafood grows, the gap between the ability to monitor vessels and protect workers in the fishing industry must be addressed.

videocam
Japan

Macroscope | Why Japan’s proposal for G7 critical mineral stockpiles is a bad idea

Tokyo’s overtures towards the G7 assume that China is a threat to be countered with economic or security measures.

videocam
9
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Vietnam

Asian Angle | When the US comes for Cuba, what can Vietnam do?

Vietnam has stood by Cuba for 60 years. Now Washington is raising the price of that friendship – and Hanoi must decide what it’s worth.

videocam
10
Vietnam’s To Lam (left) and Cuba’s President Miguel Diaz-Canel review a guard of honour during a welcoming ceremony in Hanoi on September 1, 2025. Photo: AFP
Vietnam’s To Lam (left) and Cuba’s President Miguel Diaz-Canel review a guard of honour during a welcoming ceremony in Hanoi on September 1, 2025. Photo: AFP
Diplomacy

Opinion | How Asia can benefit from a Russia-India-China dialogue revival

Far from acting as another bloc, such a grouping could help ensure that regional competition is managed rather than reproduced.

videocam
Banking & finance

The View | What Japanese outbound investment says about Asia’s top property market

While the drivers behind Tokyo’s outbound capital flow accentuate challenges in the domestic market, Japanese real estate still shows signs of promise.

videocam
Japan

Opinion | Short-sellers are circling as Japan’s yen presents a tempting target

A Japan declining in competitiveness presents a tempting target, with short-sellers likely to also target economies like India and Indonesia.

videocam
4
Bank of Japan governor Kazuo Ueda attends a press conference in Tokyo. The central bank kept its ultra-low interest rates unchanged on June 14, pushing the yen to a fresh 34-year low against the US dollar. Photo: AFP
Diplomacy

Opinion | Why the US must get real about North Korea’s nuclear status, and soon

Every year that passes without negotiations with Washington allows Pyongyang to improve its nuclear deterrent.

videocam
Illustration: Craig Stephens
Illustration: Craig Stephens
Asean

Asian Angle | China builds Southeast Asia expertise as the US lets it wither

Yet neither power will truly grasp this complex, diverse region if they continue to treat it merely as a geopolitical chessboard.

videocam
Indonesia

Asian Angle | Indonesia’s nickel rule changes are spooking Chinese investors

A leaked grievance letter reveals how Jakarta’s resource nationalism risks driving essential Chinese capital away.

South China Sea

Opinion | Philippines’ belligerence towards China out of step with Asean trend

Manila’s security-first approach and alignment with extra-regional powers is at odds with the pragmatic direction of China-Asean relations.

videocam
5
Illustration: Craig Stephens
Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.
SUPPORT NOW