Advertisement
Advertisement
TOPIC

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.
(From left) Undersecretary for Commerce and Economic Development Bernard Chan, Philippine Trade Secretary Cristina Roque, and Thai Deputy Prime Minister Suphajee Suthumpun display the signed protocol in Manila. Photo: ISD
Hong Kong economy

Hong Kong secures expanded equal treatment and investment guarantees across Asean

Hong Kong authorities say signing of the protocol will bring legal certainty, enhance the investment environment and boost investment flows.

Infrastructure

Can the new Pinglu Canal become China’s Yangtze of the southwest?

John Lee policy address 2026

Hong Kong’s new training visa could be available in first quarter of 2027

videocam
China exports

China launches Pinglu Canal, slashing transit time to Southeast Asia

Newly opened Pinglu Canal will allow cargo from inland provinces to reach the Gulf of Tonkin, avoiding a 560km detour, deepening trade ties.

videocam
10
A trial vessel moving through the Pinglu Canal in south China’s Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. Photo: Xinhua
Diplomacy

Opinion | As the global order fragments, at least Asean is still talking

A modest lesson in a multipolar world is that sometimes the achievement is simply that disagreement does not end the conversation.

China economy

Opinion | Western businesses need to crack the new CIA: China, India and Asean

The businesses that adapt early to engage China, India and Asean will help draft Asia’s next chapter and profit from it.

videocam
6
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Thailand

Southeast Asia weighs energy transition amid LNG supply crunch

At Gastech 2026, policymakers implore pragmatism over net-zero targets and closer cooperation to ensure affordable LNG supplies.

People attend Gastech Bangkok 2026, in Bangkok, Thailand, on Monday. Photo: Reuters
The Philippines

Philippines holding historic election in Muslim autonomous region

Under a 2014 peace deal brokered by Malaysia, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front gave up its goal of a separate state in exchange for autonomy.

Indonesia

Up in smoke: why Southeast Asia failed to halt the haze

Asean was going to eliminate transboundary haze by 2020. What happened?

videocam
7
The Philippines

Why Marcos’ Brics trip is ‘low-risk’ chance for Philippines to make new friends

The president, attending in his capacity as Asean chair, should not miss the opportunity to diversify ties beyond the US, analysts say.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr (left) delivers a speech as US Trade and Development Agency Deputy Director Thomas Hardy looks on during the Luzon Economic Corridor Investment Forum in Taguig City on Thursday. Photo: EPA
China-Philippines relations

Video | Beijing accuses Philippine defence chief of ‘grandstanding’

Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro read out a handwritten memo reportedly from the Chinese embassy at the Seoul Defence Dialogue on Tuesday.

Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro read out a handwritten memo reportedly from the Chinese embassy at the Seoul Defence Dialogue on Tuesday
02:29
Banking & finance

Yuan use grows as supply chains reshape global trade, Deutsche Bank says

Europe’s first foreign RMB clearer says Chinese firms’ overseas expansion is strengthening the currency’s role in cross-border commerce.

China trade

China’s export machine strengthens in August as trade imbalance concerns mount

While Western officials still name China’s trade surplus as an area of concern, analysts said the 2026 surplus is on track to beat last year’s record.

videocam
14
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.

The Kuala Lumpur skyline is shrouded in haze, as seen from Ampang, Malaysia, on August 26. Photo: Reuters
Extreme weather

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

Many Southeast Asian cities lack adequate heat risk assessments, and have weak regulations protecting outdoor workers, a report says.

A farm worker sprays fertiliser on a paddy field in Selangor’s Sabak Bernam district, Malaysia, on April 1. Photo: EPA
Malaysia

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

Indonesian police have arrested 112 people suspected of starting the recent forest and peatland fires in 10 provinces on Sumatra and Borneo.

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.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
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.

videocam
14
New Zealand’s former prime minister Helen Clark. Photo: AFP
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.

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.

4
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.

11
Trial vessels are seen at a navigation lock on the Pinglu Canal in China’s Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region on August 12. Photo: Xinhua
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.

videocam
Japan and Indonesia are discussing the transfer of Asagiri-class destroyers, which experts say is part of Tokyo’s broader effort to cultivate a “desirable security environment”. Photo: Kyodo
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.

videocam
4
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.

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.

Malaysian Agriculture and Food Security Minister Mohamad Sabu (centre) visits a rice-prawn farm in the city of Wuhu in China’s eastern Anhui province in August. Photo: Facebook/Mohamad Sabu
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.

videocam
Apps owned by Meta Platforms include Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. Photo: Dreamstime/TNS
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.

videocam
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.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.
SUPPORT NOW
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement