Advertisement
Advertisement
Opinion /

Asia Opinion

Related Topics:
My Take
Macroscope
Shipping containers are seen at the port in Nanjing, China’s eastern Jiangsu province, last month. Photo: AFP
China-Asean relations

Asian Angle | Why a second ‘China shock’ is good for Southeast Asia

Fear of Chinese imports is misplaced. Roughly 90 per cent of what the region buys is inputs and machinery driving local manufacturing.

Pacific nations

Opinion | Panic over China’s missile test is born of Western bias

videocam
6
War and conflict

Outside In | How AI is changing the nature of war and conflict

Japan

Macroscope | 3 reasons behind the Japanese yen’s persistent decline

The continued slide in the yen has raised concern, but what happens in the bond market will determine whether the bearishness extends far beyond Japan.

videocam
A local hunter touches a bear dummy during an emergency response drill for bear and other wildlife intrusions in Isehara, Kanagawa prefecture, Japan on July 3. Photo: AFP
A local hunter touches a bear dummy during an emergency response drill for bear and other wildlife intrusions in Isehara, Kanagawa prefecture, Japan on July 3. Photo: AFP
India

Opinion | To boost manufacturing, India need not choose between Japan and China

Without Chinese suppliers on the ground, potential Japanese investments will struggle to reach the scale or speed the moment demands.

5
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
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Singapore

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

While major powers employ coercion, Singapore is using flexible, legally binding templates to keep trade open.

videocam
Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (right) and Singapore’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong sign a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement during a meeting in Canberra on October 8, 2025. Photo: EPA
Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (right) and Singapore’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong sign a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement during a meeting in Canberra on October 8, 2025. Photo: EPA
Central Asia

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

Instead of being caught between great powers, the five Central Asian nations are using hegemonic rivalries to advance their own interests.

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
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
A staff member talks about China’s “east data, west computing” initiative at a data centre in Qingyang in northwest China’s Gansu Province on January 6, 2025. Photo: Xinhua
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.

A boy waves a flag at a rally attended by thousands of Indonesian Islamists in Jakarta in 2018. Photo: AFP
A boy waves a flag at a rally attended by thousands of Indonesian Islamists in Jakarta in 2018. Photo: AFP
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.

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
People shop at a city market in Bangalore on June 23. India’s equity market is no longer in the world’s top five by market capitalisation, having fallen behind Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea in recent years. Photo: EPA
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
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
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
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
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
China and Asean sign a free-trade upgrade protocol in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on October 28, 2025. Photo: Xinhua
China and Asean sign a free-trade upgrade protocol in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on October 28, 2025. Photo: Xinhua
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
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.

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
Workers load flash-frozen fish onto a truck from a longline vessel at the Benoa fishing port near Denpasar, on Indonesia’s Bali island, on March 16, 2025. Photo: AFP
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
(From left) Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, US President Donald Trump, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz prepare for a group picture at Hotel Royal during the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France on June 16. Photo: EPA
(From left) Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, US President Donald Trump, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz prepare for a group picture at Hotel Royal during the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France on June 16. Photo: EPA
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
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
A real estate agent presents the view from a property in Niseko, Hokkaido prefecture, Japan, on February 20. Photo: AFP
Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.
SUPPORT NOW