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US-Asean relations

US-Asean relations
Breaking news and analysis on US-Asean relations, including trade, defence and diplomacy.
Open Questions series

Zheng Yongnian on what US’ ‘neocolonialism’, Venezuela operation mean for China

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Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

Liu Qian on Chinese innovation, the US rivalry and women holding up half the sky

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Illustration: Victor Sanjinez Garcia

Fuchsia Dunlop tells how she fell for China’s cuisine and names her perfect dish

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

80 years on from WWII, China’s interests lie in peaceful Asia-Pacific: Mitter

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

‘Delusional’: Jeffrey Sachs on why Western hegemony has ended

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Illustration: Henry Wong

Scholar Jing Qian on right-sizing China’s economy in the age of Trump

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

Zheng Yongnian on what US’ ‘neocolonialism’, Venezuela operation mean for China

videocam
15
Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

Liu Qian on Chinese innovation, the US rivalry and women holding up half the sky

7
Illustration: Victor Sanjinez Garcia

Fuchsia Dunlop tells how she fell for China’s cuisine and names her perfect dish

videocam
5
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

80 years on from WWII, China’s interests lie in peaceful Asia-Pacific: Mitter

videocam
18
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

‘Delusional’: Jeffrey Sachs on why Western hegemony has ended

videocam
93
Illustration: Henry Wong

Scholar Jing Qian on right-sizing China’s economy in the age of Trump

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40
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
MORE FROM THIS SERIES
People pick up Labubu toys at a Pop Mart store in Siam Square in Bangkok on May 8, 2025. Photo: AFP
Asean

Opinion | Fatigue is rewriting the US-China soft power contest, starting in Asean

At a time when no one has bandwidth left, soft power is being won by being the partner that feels usable, steady and low-risk.

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Asean

Letters | Asean is not choosing sides, but strategically maximising space

China Conference: Southeast Asia

Asean urged to rewrite trade rule book as US turns transactional

Asean

Opinion | Why Southeast Asia should not fear Trump’s disruption

Instead of joining Trump’s neocolonial ‘Board of Peace’, Southeast Asian leaders should seize the chance to help rebuild a global order that is just and equitable.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
United Nations

Foot in the door or trap? Risks of Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ for Southeast Asia

Nations are likely to try to avoid early commitment while steering clear of outright rejection to minimise US retaliation, analysts say.

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US-China relations

How narrowing China-US gap could reshape global power play by 2035

Political scientist Yan Xuetong predicts Beijing will be on ‘equal footing’ in strategic rivalry with Washington in the post-Trump era.

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Asean

Visa suspension tests US priorities in Southeast Asia

The move reflects an ‘America first’ policy approach and treats certain allies in the region as ‘strategically insignificant’, analysts say.

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Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos and Thailand are among countries affected by the United States’ 75-country visa suspension. Photo: TNS
War and conflict

Opinion | If Trump wants a deal with China, he must rein in US allies in Asia

From Manila to Tokyo, domestic political dynamics are increasing the risks of a dangerous confrontation between Washington and Beijing.

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India

‘Pax Silica’: America’s new AI inner circle and Asia’s chosen few

Japan, South Korea and Singapore made the cut, leaving key partners like India and Vietnam – and even New Zealand – on the sidelines.

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United States

Southeast Asia barely features in America’s new security strategy

The region appears just twice in the new 32-page US National Security Strategy, raising fears it is being relegated to a ‘bargaining chip’.

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US President Donald Trump is pictured next to Malaysian flags before departing Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Air Force One in October. Photo: AFP
Thailand

Cambodia suspends all border crossings with Thailand amid more clashes

Both nations reported attacks on Saturday, the day after US President Donald Trump claimed they had agreed to renew a truce.

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People wait to receive supplies on Saturday at a refugee camp in Banteay Meanchey province in Cambodia amid border clashes between Thailand and Cambodia. Photo: Reuters
China trade

Explainer | Tripwire clauses: why is China alarmed by Malaysia’s new trade deal with the US?

Controversial wording seen as a geopolitical trap designed to force neutral countries to uphold Western containment strategies.

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Asean

Opinion | In its year under Malaysia, Asean tried to set systemic reform in motion

Despite grumbles about loss of focus and misgivings about the longevity of new networks, Malaysia, ironically, perhaps didn’t go far enough.

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US-China relations

US lawmakers urge Trump to condemn Myanmar’s China-backed ‘sham’ elections

Call comes after government’s plan to stop legal protections for Myanmar nationals in US, citing elections as proof situation was improving.

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People gather around an officially published eligible-voter list to check names at a ward administrative office in Naypyidaw, Myanmar, before next month’s election. Photo: AP
Thailand

Why Trump won’t let Thailand keep tariff, border talks separate

The US president views the Thai-Cambodia ceasefire deal as a ‘diplomatic trophy’ and will use trade leverage to protect it, analysts say.

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US President Donald Trump shakes hands with Thailand’s Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul (left) during the ceremonial signing of a Thai-Cambodia ceasefire agreement in Kuala Lumpur on October 26. Photo: AFP
Scams and swindles

What US anti-scam ‘strike force’ means for Southeast Asia’s cybercrime fight

Analysts say the US initiative can serve as a coordination blueprint to push back against transnational criminal enterprises.

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US-China trade war

Asean, China, Japan and South Korea hold ‘transformative’ critical minerals opportunity

Director of Asean+3 Macroeconomic Research Office says some Southeast Asian economies have notable reserves.

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Thailand

Trump calls Thailand and Cambodia after new clashes upend his ceasefire deal

The US president co-signed a truce between the two countries, but a landmine blast prompted Thailand to suspend the agreement.

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A convoy of Cambodia’s SH-1 howitzers is seen along a street in Preah Vihear province on November 1. Photo: Agence Kampuchea Press via AFP
Thailand

Exclusive | Thailand’s top diplomat calls for Asean to rethink non-interference principle

In an exclusive interview, Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow argues Asean’s consensus model needs reform amid US-China rivalry.

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Asean

Opinion | How Asean quietly became China’s buffer against US tariffs

China and Asean now have a lawful way to cushion tariffs by shifting where value is added, how it is recorded and which standards to meet.

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Thailand

Trump’s Thailand-Cambodia truce unravels 2 weeks after it was signed

Analysts say the pact the US president helped broker was tenuous from the outset.

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Thailand’s Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul (centre) looks on as Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet (left) shakes hands with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the Asean summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on October 26. Photo: EPA
US-China trade war

US ‘knocking on every country’s door’ as it races to secure rare earth supplies

Washington is determined to break China’s rare earths chokehold in case ties with Beijing fray once again, analysts say.

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China has increasingly used its dominance of global rare earth supplies as leverage in its negotiations with the United States amid the trade war. Photo: AFP
Malaysia

Who wins the US-China trade war? Maersk’s mega-bet backs Southeast Asia

The shipping giant sees Southeast Asia as a net beneficiary of Trump’s tariff turmoil.

Asean

Opinion | Manila’s biggest challenge as next Asean chair? Staying neutral

The Philippines’ challenge, given its assertive South China Sea policy, is to keep the bloc out of great power politics.

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Vietnam

Avoiding ‘strategic suicide’: Vietnam’s US-Russia-China diplomatic dance

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth’s visit pushed military cooperation, but Vietnam wants to ensure it keeps all its geopolitical options open.

US and Vietnamese flags fly during a welcome ceremony for visiting US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in Hanoi, Vietnam, on November 2. Photo: AP
Cambodia

Cambodia resumes military drills with US to rebalance ties beyond China

The Angkor Sentinel drills signal renewed US interest in the region and allow Cambodia to recalibrate its ties beyond China, analysts say.

The USS Savannah combat ship prepares to dock in Cambodia’s southern port city of Sihanoukville on December 16, 2024, in the first American military port call to one of China’s closest regional allies in eight years. Photo: AFP
China trade

China pushes for trilateral trade pact with Japan, South Korea amid US tension

Divergent interests, new governments and Washington’s influence complicate Beijing’s efforts to forge deeper economic ties with Japan and South Korea.

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US-China relations

China, US to revive military channels but more steps deemed essential for trust

US and China agree to ‘set up military-to-military channels to deconflict and de-escalate any problems that arise’, Hegseth says in post.

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