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Asia Opinion

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My Take
Macroscope
Illustration: Craig Stephens
Asean

Opinion | Why China’s warning over military blocs is finding listeners in Asia

For regional governments, strategy is about preserving options. China has read this instinct carefully and given it a diplomatic vocabulary.

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Banking & finance

Macroscope | Australia’s interest rate rise signals growing hawkish stance in Asia

The Philippines

Opinion | US allies in Asia are looking to build middle-power coalitions

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Diplomacy

Opinion | As power flows through submarine cables, law of the sea must evolve

The global commons of the seabed is in effect being governed by private actors with the capital and tech to build and maintain cable systems.

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An Estonian naval ship sails in the Baltic Sea on January 9, 2025, as part of stepped-up Nato patrols in the region following suspected sabotage of undersea cables. Photo: AP
An Estonian naval ship sails in the Baltic Sea on January 9, 2025, as part of stepped-up Nato patrols in the region following suspected sabotage of undersea cables. Photo: AP
Asean

Opinion | Asia must unite to avert an Iran war food crisis

The energy and fertiliser shocks come amid crucial planting windows for Asia’s farmers, exposing the region’s dire dependencies.

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Japan

Opinion | The domestic dynamics driving Japan’s remilitarisation

Sanctions, diplomatic warnings and aggressive rhetoric create a perilous loop, reinforcing the very domestic tendencies China seeks to deter.

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Japan

Asian Angle | Why Japan-China ties can benefit from promoting people-to-people exchanges

Filling the information gap through direct contact between the two peoples can help improve both countries’ public images and ease tensions.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (left) shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping ahead of their talks in Gyeongju, South Korea, on October 31, 2025. Photo: Kyodo
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (left) shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping ahead of their talks in Gyeongju, South Korea, on October 31, 2025. Photo: Kyodo
Thailand

Asian Angle | A year after corporal punishment ban, Thailand needs to curb resurgence

Two school incidents show corporal punishment remains prevalent, and Thai authorities must strengthen accountability to prevent a recurrence.

United States

Opinion | Why US may regret pushing allies towards greater defence autonomy

The challenge for US policymakers in the aftermath of Trump’s presidency may be to restore US importance among like-minded countries.

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US, Israel war on Iran

Macroscope | How the AI boom is helping Asia weather the Iran war energy shock

The war in Iran might as well be over for investors as positive sentiment, strong corporate earnings and the AI boom lift Asian markets.

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Currency traders work near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index and the dollar-won exchange rate at the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul on April 29. Photo: AP
Tourism

Opinion | From Japan to India, overtourism cries out for new success metrics

Arrival numbers are important, but the impact on local communities, public services and environments is too often overlooked.

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A rider has a phlegmatic manner as tourists crowd a street lined with blooming cherry blossom trees in Kyoto on March 28. Japan received 42.7 million international visitors in 2025. Photo: Reuters
A rider has a phlegmatic manner as tourists crowd a street lined with blooming cherry blossom trees in Kyoto on March 28. Japan received 42.7 million international visitors in 2025. Photo: Reuters
US, Israel war on Iran

Opinion | Why an era of managed Hormuz disruption wouldn’t bode well for Asia

As the Gulf moves from war to managed disruption, the risk may become more enduring for markets, governments and companies.

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Japan

As I see it | A remilitarised Japan threatens more than just China

As Japan expands its defence posture with the backing of major allies, its leaders seek to portray Beijing’s objections as an overreaction.

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Diplomacy

Opinion | Without diplomacy, deterrence in Asia is a path to escalation

The danger is that every state insists it is acting defensively while collectively building the habits and infrastructure of confrontation.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
Asia housing and property

The View | Asian private wealth an emerging force in property investment

Hong Kong is just one of several markets across the Asia-Pacific seeing rapid growth in investment by private wealth.

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Luxury residential properties on The Peak in Hong Kong. Photo: Roy Issa
Luxury residential properties on The Peak in Hong Kong. Photo: Roy Issa
Diplomacy

Opinion | 122 years on, Mackinder’s ‘heartland’ remains geopolitically decisive

Conflicts in Ukraine and Iran have returned strategic focus to the idea of Eurasia as central to the global power contest, challenging the viability of the Indo-Pacific pivot.

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Banking & finance

Macroscope | The real reason stock markets are still flying high despite grave risks

For all the talk of market resilience, too much portfolio investment is chasing too few real-world investment areas.

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Taiwan

As I see it | Kuomintang gets the carrots, DPP the stick

Beijing and Taiwan’s opposition KMT want to foster cross-strait interdependence but DPP offers only isolation and endless confrontation.

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Kuomintang leader Cheng Li-wun shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, on April 10. Photo: CTI via Reuters
Kuomintang leader Cheng Li-wun shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, on April 10. Photo: CTI via Reuters
Food and agriculture

Outside In | The Iran war is brewing a food crisis we must avert

The world’s focus has been on energy shortages but famine and widening food insecurity are faces of the same coin.

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Japan

Macroscope | Why fixing Japan’s monetary policy isn’t getting any easier

The wrong kind of inflation and the effects of the war in Iran complicate the outlook for Japanese interest rates.

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Asean

Opinion | How new US-Indonesia defence pact sharpens China’s ‘Malacca dilemma’

The US is investing in the systems, skills and relationships that would matter if access to the Strait of Malacca ever came under pressure.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth hosts an honour cordon for Indonesia’s Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin at the Pentagon, in Washington, US, on April 13. Photo: Reuters
Asean

Opinion | As Iran war fallout hits Southeast Asia, US is losing influence to China

Asean survey reflects China’s growing strategic influence but also concerns. The question is: will China crowd the US out of the region?

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
Illustration: Craig Stephens
United States

Asian Angle | The Thucydides Trap is a lie created to justify a US-China war

Ancient Greece offers no lessons for Asia. The Global South must stop letting America’s war machine write history.

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Hong Kong economy

Opinion | How Hong Kong can beat Singapore as the launch pad for Chinese firms

Chinese enterprises going global is this decade’s economic story. Hong Kong needs a system to guide them through each stage of their journey.

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Japan

Macroscope | Will Japan’s corporate bond initiative signal a shift in Asia financing?

Japanese authorities are promoting the domestic corporate bond market as an alternative for firms seeking funding without losing control.

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A man stands in front of an electronic board displaying the closing numbers of the Nikkei Stock Average on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, in Tokyo, on April 2. Photo: AFP
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