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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
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.

Vietnam

How a tree in Hanoi points to flowering of dissent among Vietnam’s Gen Z

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Singapore

Singapore to invest US$173m over 3 years to boost fintech innovation

The Philippines

How the Philippines missed a US$3.8 billion Korean gambling racket

Recent arrests expose a long-running crime network that flourished in the shadow of the nation’s Pogo scandal.

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Security officers stand guard outside a closed Pogo compound in Cavite province, the Philippines, in 2024. Photo: EPA-EFE
Security officers stand guard outside a closed Pogo compound in Cavite province, the Philippines, in 2024. Photo: EPA-EFE
Thailand

All a board: inside Thailand’s bid to wire the world’s AI boom

Malaysia has the chips. Vietnam has the assembly lines. But Thailand’s humble circuit boards help keep the AI boom alive.

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Singapore

Costly lesson: how Singapore investors are lured by foreign-stock scams

Analysts say real overseas stocks, trading platforms and chat groups can give scams a veneer of legitimacy.

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South Korea

South Korea prioritises financial stability with consecutive rate increases

Bank of Korea Governor Shin Hyun-song says the pre-emptive moves aim to help ‘reduce the costs to the economy’.

People walk in a business district in Seoul. The Bank of Korea lifted its benchmark rate by 0.25 percentage point to 3.0 per cent on Thursday. Photo: EPA
People walk in a business district in Seoul. The Bank of Korea lifted its benchmark rate by 0.25 percentage point to 3.0 per cent on Thursday. Photo: EPA
The Philippines

Philippines stakes claim as Latin America’s gateway to Asean

Shared history offers an edge, but analysts say the Philippines must deliver more than nostalgia to rival Singapore or Vietnam.

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Indonesia

Indonesia takes on Malaysia in battle over palm oil pricing

Palm oil is just the start. Indonesia’s new trade exchange also aims to oversee nickel and coal export volumes, prices and taxes.

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Singapore

Singapore PM unveils major pro-family measures amid record low fertility

The government will fully bear the bill for increasing childcare leave for Singaporean parents, instead of co-sharing it with employers.

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A mother in Singapore feeds her baby in a pram at a park. Photo: Shutterstock
India

India joins China and South Korea in push for Arctic shipping routes

With Middle East sea lanes choked by conflict, melting polar ice offers Asia a seasonal two-week short cut to European ports.

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An oil tanker traverses icy waters. Russia’s Northern Sea Route is attracting growing interest from Asia's commercial shipping lines. Photo: Shutterstock
An oil tanker traverses icy waters. Russia’s Northern Sea Route is attracting growing interest from Asia's commercial shipping lines. Photo: Shutterstock
Singapore

Singapore’s carrots for fund managers set to sharpen competition with Hong Kong

Apart from a tax exemption for investment profits, Singapore plans to relax a visa rule for fund management professionals.

Vietnam

Japan’s Aeon exits Thai retail to chase Vietnam’s booming middle class

Aeon is selling its MaxValu stores in Thailand to Central Retail, retreating from a market dominated by local giants.

Scams and swindles

Asia faces scam ‘epidemic’ threat as gangs exploit agentic AI, analyst warns

The technology could allow scam syndicates to carry out multiple tasks to cheat victims at the same time without needing human intervention.

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Losses from transnational online scams in Asia-Pacific surged to US$114 billion last year. Photo; Shutterstock
Singapore

Singapore’s universities race to embrace AI as job demands transform

More employers are emphasising AI literacy and are willing to pay more for graduates with the relevant skills, analysts say.

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The Learning Hub at the Nanyang Technological University. NTU students have been given full access to a suite of Google AI tools. Photo: Universal Images Group/Getty Images
The Learning Hub at the Nanyang Technological University. NTU students have been given full access to a suite of Google AI tools. Photo: Universal Images Group/Getty Images
US-Asean relations

US transshipment ‘scam’ claims put Asean exporters in a bind

Analysts say a report accusing nine Southeast Asian nations of helping China skirt tariffs conflates cheating with legitimate trade.

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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.

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India

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

Moscow is eyeing a direct rail link to India, reflecting a scramble by major powers to build trade corridors beyond Hormuz, analysts say.

Vessels transit the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas in southern Iran on August 10. Photo: TNS
Vessels transit the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas in southern Iran on August 10. Photo: TNS
South Korea

Anchors aweigh in South Korea as Trump loosens US shipbuilding grip

The president is allowing foreign shipbuilders with US investments to build up to two vessels at their parent shipyards.

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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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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.

An underwater cable sits on the sea floor. Australia relies heavily on subsea cables for its data. Photo: Getty Images
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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Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr speaks at a Foreign Correspondents’ Association of the Philippines forum on Friday. Photo: AFP
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr speaks at a Foreign Correspondents’ Association of the Philippines forum on Friday. Photo: AFP
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.

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.

Employees work inside a pharmaceutical company manufacturing unit on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, India, in April 2025. Photo: Reuters
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