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

Vietnam

Vietnam pays the price at home for sending workers abroad

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Myanmar

Can war-torn Myanmar finally realise its economic potential?

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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
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.

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.

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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.

Malaysia’s first locally produced electric vehicle, the e.MAS 7, is seen during its launch event at Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre in Kuala Lumpur in December 2024. Photo: AFP
Malaysia’s first locally produced electric vehicle, the e.MAS 7, is seen during its launch event at Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre in Kuala Lumpur in December 2024. Photo: AFP
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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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.

Turkey’s Deputy Foreign Minister Berris Ekinci (right) poses for a photo with Philippine Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Leo Herrera Lim (centre) and Asean Political-Security Community Deputy Secretary General Astanah Abdul Aziz during a meeting on the sidelines of the Asean Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on July 22. Photo: EPA
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
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.

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.

A power plant and transmission lines in Thai Nguyen province, Vietnam. The International Development Finance Corporation has reportedly held talks with Vietnam on grid modernisation. Photo: AP
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
A passenger jet lands at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport during sunset in Badung, Bali, Indonesia. Photo: AP
South Korea

How South Korea can ease Brazilian concerns to unlock trade in South America

Money and technology transfer are the keys to opening the door to free trade with Mercosur members, according to analysts.

Singapore

Singapore signals housing market stability by scrapping public housing wait

Private home owners can now buy public resale flats without delay, aimed at boosting a sluggish market after months of slow growth.

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Malaysia

‘Take sides’? Malaysia insists on conditional neutrality in US-China tech ties

To keep US chips and Chinese capital flowing, Malaysia is working overtime to reassure both Washington and Beijing.

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Tengku Zafrul Aziz, senior political adviser to Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, speaks to SCMP at the Nusa Dua Forum in Bali, Indonesia, earlier this month. Photo: Nora Tam
Tengku Zafrul Aziz, senior political adviser to Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, speaks to SCMP at the Nusa Dua Forum in Bali, Indonesia, earlier this month. Photo: Nora Tam
Artificial intelligence

AI competition heats up as US targets Southeast Asia’s public sector

Washington’s launch of AI Spark is seen as a move to counter Chinese AI models that have made inroads in Southeast Asia, analysts say.

Indonesia

Indonesian central banker’s exit signals dilemma over rate policy, growth target

Concerns over the independence of central banks in Indonesia and beyond have grown after Perry Warjiyo’s resignation.

India

Washington offers India a tariff olive branch – for now

New Delhi avoided a higher tariff rate via a timely policy change, but US demands and Russian oil friction leave a trade deal in limbo.

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US President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi shake hands at the White House in February last year. Photo: Getty Images/AFP
Malaysia

How a displaced F1 race could be Malaysia’s ‘blessing in disguise’

The one-off race in Sepang could deliver an economic boost and position Malaysia as a stable regional base for global events, analysts say.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen drives during the Formula One Malaysia Grand Prix in Sepang on October 1, 2017. Sepang will host this year’s Bahrain Grand Prix in October. Photo: AFP
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen drives during the Formula One Malaysia Grand Prix in Sepang on October 1, 2017. Sepang will host this year’s Bahrain Grand Prix in October. Photo: AFP
Cambodia

Cambodia’s tourism slump leaves Angkor Wat eerily quiet

Tourist arrivals have collapsed by nearly 50 per cent this year, forcing local operators to rethink Cambodia’s entire pitch.

The Philippines

Philippines’ Marcos offers relief, but no clear way to pay, in national address

He vowed tax cuts, cheaper rice and corruption cases against “big fish”, but critics questioned how his government would fund the pledges.

Malaysia

Why Malaysia’s 10% US tariff advantage may be short lived

Malaysia’s lower rate hinges on promised forced-labour reforms, even as an overcapacity investigation threatens higher levies.

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US President Donald Trump and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim hold up trade deal documents during a meeting in Kuala Lumpur in October. Photo: Reuters
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