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A charging dock at a public electric vehicle charging station in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia, in November 2023. Photo: EPA-EFE
Indonesia

Can Indonesia build a lasting EV ‘ecosystem’ and not just a market?

Analysts say stricter local-content rules and a stronger production framework will be needed to boost Indonesia up the EV supply chain.

India

Russia-India rail link plan: a ‘strategic’ shift in energy transport?

South Korea

Anchors aweigh in South Korea as Trump loosens US shipbuilding grip

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Thailand

How Cambodian worker exodus exposes Thailand’s fragile labour model

An estimated 780,000 Cambodian workers have left Thailand since last year’s border conflicts, affecting a wide range of industries.

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Cambodian migrant workers cross the border at Ban Laem Border checkpoint in Chanthaburi province, Thailand, in July last year to return to their home amid the deadly border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia. Photo: Reuters
Cambodian migrant workers cross the border at Ban Laem Border checkpoint in Chanthaburi province, Thailand, in July last year to return to their home amid the deadly border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia. Photo: Reuters
Australia

Cable ties: Australia urged to lead Indo-Pacific in protecting subsea links

Australia should treat cable resilience not only as a domestic security issue but also as a shared regional project, analysts say.

The Philippines

Philippines’ Marcos sees progress on China oil deal despite maritime row

The president also confirms for the first time a ‘provisional understanding’ with China over the resupply of WWII warship Sierra Madre.

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Singapore

Singapore’s provision shops struggle to keep shutters open in HDB heartlands

Owners say they face hurdles including stiff competition, rising costs and a lack of desire from their children to take over the business.

Ramasamy Vellasamy has been running a provision shop on the ground floor of a housing block in northern Singapore since 1986. Photo: Kolette Lim
Ramasamy Vellasamy has been running a provision shop on the ground floor of a housing block in northern Singapore since 1986. Photo: Kolette Lim
Asean

AI threatens nearly a quarter of Southeast Asia’s workforce but not all is lost

Being most exposed to AI does not mean that jobs would be replaced – just that some could move up the value chain or evolve, analysts say.

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India

Trump’s tariffs plan threatens India’s ‘pharmacy of the world’ status

Analysts warn that steep tariffs on generic medicines will disrupt supply chains, squeeze investment capital from India and raise freight costs.

Vietnam

Vietnam’s To Lam eyes trade, defence boost during trip to Australia, New Zealand

China’s actions in the South China Sea will be discussed but unlikely to be explicitly condemned, observers say.

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Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (right) greets Vietnamese President To Lam at Parliament House in Canberra on Tuesday. Photo: AAP/dpa
Indonesia

Indonesia’s strong GDP data prompts ‘resilient but uneven’ growth forecasts

While manufacturing and household spending rose in Q2, growth expectations are tempered by a decline in the mining and trade sectors.

Containers being stacked at Tanjung Priok Port in Jakarta. Photo: AP
Containers being stacked at Tanjung Priok Port in Jakarta. Photo: AP
Vietnam

Vietnam pays the price at home for sending workers abroad

Between 130,000 and 150,000 Vietnamese go abroad to work annually, leaving seafood and garment sectors scrabbling for labourers.

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Myanmar

Can war-torn Myanmar finally realise its economic potential?

Myanmar’s economy has shown signs of life after years of sky-high inflation and negative growth, but experts say it is far from recovering.

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The Philippines

Beyond call centres? Philippines reopens Manila for outsourcing edge

Analysts say the move could help the Philippines compete for higher-value offshore functions and boost countryside development.

Filipino call centre agents attend to US clients at a call centre facility in Quezon city in 2007. Photo: AFP
Indonesia

Reality bites for Indonesia’s Prabowo as approval rating falls

The decline reflects a disconnect between Indonesia’s still-respectable headline growth and how voters experience the economy, analysts say.

Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto. Photo: AFP
Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto. Photo: AFP
Japan

US-Japan trade thaw driven by shared yen for stronger currency

How long this boost in relations will last, though, depends on whether the yen can hold its value, experts say.

Malaysia

Malaysia faces EV speed bumps with planned levy amid stalled investments

Observers warn Malaysia’s appeal as a manufacturing base could weaken amid regional competition for EV investment.

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Indonesia

Are Indonesia’s Prabowo and ultra rich ‘9 Dragons’ on a collision course?

Analysts say the pressure on Indonesia’s older business elite forms part of a broader two-pronged strategy of state capitalism.

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Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto. Photo: Reuters
Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto. Photo: Reuters
South Korea

South Korea tightens grip on high-risk ETFs as investor losses mount

Regulators are eyeing curbs such as reducing the leverage ratio of single-stock ETFs and raising the minimum investment requirement.

Asean

What Turkey’s upgrade to Asean dialogue partner status means

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan calls the development ‘of utmost importance’ in its relationship with Asia-Pacific countries.

Cambodia

Cambodian jobseekers fear debt trap over Thailand’s border reinforcement

While Cambodia is becoming less reliant on Thai imports, its people in the western provinces are feeling the brunt of the border row.

A Thai soldier stands guard while workers in the Pong Nam Ron district of Chanthaburi erect a section of the border fence between Thailand and Cambodia. Photo: SOPA Images
Pakistan

Pakistan, Bangladesh face economic squeeze as US-Iran crisis widens

Another energy-price shock could mean renewed pressure on their currencies, subsidies and public finances.

A worker refuels a vehicle at a petrol station in Islamabad, Pakistan, on Monday, amid rising fuel prices. Photo: EPA
A worker refuels a vehicle at a petrol station in Islamabad, Pakistan, on Monday, amid rising fuel prices. Photo: EPA
Malaysia

Happy buyers, sad sellers: Malaysia’s trade dilemma as cheap goods pour in

Investment authority chairman Tengku Zafrul Aziz says Putrajaya has to strike a balance between an open economy and helping local firms.

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US-Asean relations

Inside America’s US$1.5 billion play for Southeast Asian energy

Gas exports and mini reactors serve US interests as much as Asia’s – provided promised projects actually lead anywhere.

Indonesia

Limited dual citizenship gives Indonesian diaspora hope of return, better future

The plan targeting the diaspora holding important skills comes as thousands of Indonesians have renounced their citizenship in recent years.

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A passenger jet lands at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport during sunset in Badung, Bali, Indonesia. Photo: AP
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