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Asean

Asean
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or Asean, was established on 8 August 1967 in Bangkok, Thailand, with the signing of the Asean Declaration by Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. Since then, membership has expanded to include Brunei, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. Its aims include accelerating economic growth, social progress and cultural development of its member states and the protection of regional peace and stability.
The Kuala Lumpur skyline is shrouded in haze, as seen from Ampang, Malaysia, on August 26. Photo: Reuters
Malaysia

Letters | Could Indonesia be sued for the haze in Malaysia? Yes and no

Readers discuss a recourse for victims of transboundary air pollution, tourist spending, tourism videos past and present, and Hongkong Post’s options.

Extreme weather

Southeast Asia’s extreme heat exposes holes in safety net for outdoor workers

Malaysia

Malaysia declares emergency in Sarawak town as haze pollution level hits 521

Singapore

Video | Watch leaders of Thailand and Singapore croon Beatles tune

The performance in the Thai capital on Wednesday came as Thai PM Anutin hosts the Singapore-Thailand Leaders’ Retreat in Bangkok.

Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul crooned the Beatles song “Let it Be” accompanied on guitar by visiting Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.
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Pacific nations

Exclusive | New Zealand ‘must never be seen as a proxy’, former PM Helen Clark warns

Calling the US Pacific strategy a ‘game of bluff’, Clark urges Wellington to defend its independent foreign policy tradition.

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Belt and Road Initiative

Opinion | 3 key belt and road connectivities that Hong Kong drives

Hong Kong’s Belt and Road Office is focusing on strengthening links related to infrastructure, rules and standards, and people-to-people connections.

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Singapore

Can Singapore be the ‘natural choice’ to bridge Asean and Central Asia?

Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong says Singapore aims to explore ways to boost cooperation between both regions in various sectors.

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Singapore’s Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong (left) and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev reaffirm the long-standing relations between both states last month. Photo: Ministry of Digital Development and Information
China trade

China’s US$10.8b short cut: new Pinglu Canal prepares to supercharge Asean trade

Delivery of first command vessel looks to signal imminent opening of megaproject connecting inland factories directly to Southeast Asian markets such as Vietnam.

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China-Japan relations

How Japan aims to convert ageing warships into leverage to counter China

Tokyo plans to send retired destroyers to Manila and Jakarta, but it may not demand alignment against China as part of deal.

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Vietnam

South China Sea island build-up heightens Vietnam’s security concerns

Hanoi voices strong objections after reports emerge about Chinese construction works in the Paracels archipelago.

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A satellite image taken by Vantor on August 17 shows China’s construction work at Yagong Island. Photo: Vantor / AFP
The Philippines

Manila’s ‘acutely unhealthy’ air due to Indonesian haze spurs health warnings

The haze has led Quezon City to suspend classes in schools and health experts to urge residents to wear N95 masks outdoors.

A thick haze shrouds Metro Manila due to smoke from ongoing fires in Kalimantan, Indonesia, on Tuesday. Photo: Reuters
Malaysia

As rice output falls, Malaysia looks to China’s ‘2 yields, 1 land’ model

Chinese rice-prawn farms could help boost Malaysia’s farming production as it faces hurdles to meet its rice self-sufficiency goal.

The Philippines

Asean urged to take on Big Tech after Meta’s record payout

Asean cannot pass EU-style laws, but a ‘coalition of the willing’ could force Big Tech to adopt safeguards against scams and child harm.

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Hong Kong economy

Exclusive | Hong Kong, Singapore aren’t ‘enemies’, our competition is healthy, envoy says

Consul General Eric Teo calls for ‘win-win collaboration’ in wealth management despite competing tax packages to attract capital.

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Singapore Consul General Eric Teo at his office in Admiralty. Photo: Jonathan Wong
Singapore

Small state, big agenda: Singapore prepares to steer Asean through crisis

The city state takes the helm on Asean’s 60th anniversary amid civil war, tariff threats and rising global tensions.

Singapore’s Lawrence Wong attends an Asean meeting in 2023. Photo: EPA-EFE
Malaysia

Malaysia’s Anwar unveils cost of living measures as opposition rises

Anwar ⁠has faced declining support over a perceived failure to deliver on reforms as well as the mishandling of several high-profile corruption cases.

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K-pop idols

Can Southeast Asian artists replicate K-pop’s global success with SEA-pop?

Even as more regional artists are performing overseas, they should not blindly copy the K-pop playbook, industry observers say.

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US-Asean relations

Opinion | Why Southeast Asia isn’t buying the US’ offer of ‘flexible realism’

Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby talked up US partnerships with Asean nations during his trip to the region, but Washington’s actions contradict its ‘Asia first’ rhetoric.

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Illustration: Henry Wong
Artificial intelligence

Opinion | As the US and China compete over AI, Asean must secure strategic autonomy

Asean’s choice is not between technological dominance and isolation but between dependence and agency.

Hong Kong politics

Hong Kong lawmaker urges firms to expand into emerging markets amid US visa pause

Jonathan Lamport tells SCMP the local business community is closely monitoring whether business visa processing, approvals will be affected.

US-China relations

Opinion | The security-obsessed global economy needs its own Helsinki process

Cold War rivals used ground rules to make competition more transparent, bounded and predictable. Today’s weaponised trade needs the same ambition.

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Illustration: Henry Wong
Indonesia

Indonesian teen with ‘Superman’ cape fights haze fires, ‘forest hero’ hailed

The teen has been using his free time after school to help his father douse fires since 2023, as videos of his feats have gone viral.

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Indonesian student Rudiansyah dressed in a Superman costume helps extinguish a forest and land fire at Petuk Katimpun in Palangka Raya, Central Kalimantan, last week. Photo: AFP
Indonesia

1,500 Indonesian soldiers deployed to fight Borneo wildfires

Fires between January and July burned over 200,000 hectares of land, driven by a powerful El Nino weather pattern causing dry conditions across the country.

Myanmar

Myanmar air strike kills 14 praying at monastery, rebel witnesses say

Public buildings, most often monasteries and schools, are frequently the sites of reported air strikes according to a UN report from last week.

US-China relations

Exclusive | Waico vs Pax Silica: Southeast Asia caught between China and US in AI race

Beijing reportedly offers exclusive perks to attract Global South partners while describing the American-led body as exclusionary.

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Protesters march in Manila on August 13 against Pax Silica, a US-led initiative established in December with the aim of reducing “coercive dependencies”. Photo: AFP
Malaysia

Malaysia’s Sarawak shuts almost 600 schools as haze hits ‘very unhealthy’ level

Asean’s consensus-based approach limits the effectiveness of a regional response to tackle the haze, a climate expert says.

Motorists drive on a haze-shrouded road in Palangka Raya city, central Kalimantan on Thursday. Photo: AFP
China-Latin America relations

Peru vows to apply Hong Kong trade deal, but is silent on mainland China

Prime Minister Luis Galarreta says country aims to become trade and investment bridge between South America and Asia-Pacific.

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South China Sea

Opinion | How China can turn its ‘blue cradle’ into a bridge with Southeast Asia

A jointly governed, tiered South China Sea ocean data framework would transform knowledge of a contested sea into stewardship of a shared one.

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