This Week in Asia /

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Chinese President Xi Jinping and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing in November 2024. Xi will be in Malaysia for a three-day visit starting on Tuesday. Photo: China Daily via Reuters

Malaysia to host China’s Xi as Asean seeks shelter from Trump tariff storm

Xi’s three-day visit to Malaysia will give local firms the chance to look for better access to China to offset potential tariff pain, analysts say.

14 Apr 2025 - 4:26PMvideocam

How far should Indonesia go to appease Trump on tariffs?

14 Apr 2025 - 3:42PMvideocam

Iran’s meth cartels target Australia via Malaysia’s Port Klang

14 Apr 2025 - 8:34AMvideocam

India’s new submarine base targets China’s growing sea power

The Rambilli base’s network of pens aim to provide India’s submarines with an undetected gateway to the Bay of Bengal – and beyond.

13 Apr 2025 - 6:00PM

A diesel-electric attack submarine of the Indian Navy is seen off the coast of Mumbai in 2019. Photo: Indian Ministry of Defence/AFP

Desperate measures: can Cambodia’s tariff trim save it from Trump’s trade axe?

Phnom Penh has offered to slash import taxes, but analysts warn it could still miss the mark with a transactional Trump administration.

13 Apr 2025 - 12:00PMvideocam

Will Malaysia’s car industry face a Trump-tariff price war from Chinese EVs?

Chinese EV makers, facing US tariffs, are targeting Southeast Asia, threatening Malaysia’s auto industry with steep discounts and potential job losses.

12 Apr 2025 - 3:30PMvideocam

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US-Asean relations

Asean’s ‘illusion of solidarity’ splinters amid Trump’s tariff threats

While Malaysia calls for a united front, the reality is a race for bilateral deals, with Vietnam leading the charge – as China watches on.

13 Apr 2025 - 12:21PMvideocam

Illustration: Huy Truong

Are Malaysia’s whistle-blower laws protecting the wrong people?

A businessman who exposed alleged corruption is now facing scrutiny himself, raising questions about Malaysia’s anti-graft legal framework.

11 Apr 2025 - 10:28PMvideocam

India speeds up UK, EU trade deals to buffer against Trump’s tariffs

Analysts warn of potential ‘winners and losers’ if deals are rushed – though 90 per cent of the UK deal is already reportedly done.

11 Apr 2025 - 6:30PMvideocam

The Philippines

Murder of Chinese-Filipino businessman fuels crime fears in the Philippines

The ‘brutal’ murders of businessman Anson Que and his driver have reignited urgent calls for authorities to crack down on crime syndicates.

11 Apr 2025 - 9:06AMvideocam

Anson Que – CEO-owner of Elison Steel and also known as Cong Yuan Guo and Anton Que – was abducted together with his driver Armanie Pabillo in the afternoon of March 29 in Bulacan province. Photo: Handout

Urine trouble: Air India probes bizarre peeing case on Bangkok flight

The carrier has formed an independent committee to review the matter and determine potential disciplinary actions.

10 Apr 2025 - 8:37PM

Air India is investigating after a drunk passenger urinated on a fellow traveller during a flight, prompting safety reviews. Photo: TNS

Musk’s SpaceX set to transform India’s space sector with Jio and Airtel tie-ups

Reliance Jio and its rival Bharti Airtel have signed separate deals with SpaceX to bring the Starlink internet service to India.

10 Apr 2025 - 3:12PMvideocam

Asean rules out retaliation against US tariffs, to seek ‘frank dialogue’

The bloc said the levies will lead to ‘significant challenges’ for businesses and affect livelihoods of millions of people in the region.

10 Apr 2025 - 3:18PMvideocam

Trump’s tariffs: Asean urged to tap East Asia’s trillions in forex reserves

By diversifying its market investment sources, Asean can be less reliant on American capital, a former Malaysian central banker says.

9 Apr 2025 - 6:30PMvideocam

Asean nations should look to tap East Asia’s huge foreign exchange reserves to boost their stock markets, a former Malaysian central banker says. Photo: Reuters

Australia boosts Philippines’ South China Sea defence with 20 drones

Australia’s gift comes days after a near-collision between Philippine and Chinese coastguard vessels in the South China Sea.

9 Apr 2025 - 3:24PMvideocam

A drone hovers above a Philippine coastguard patrol vessel during a handover ceremony in Bataan province on Tuesday. Photo: EPA-EFE

Will Trump’s tariffs on Vietnam derail Hanoi’s digital economy ambitions?

Analysts say a deal with Washington on tariffs could unlock Vietnam’s ‘key player’ potential in Southeast Asia’s digital value chain.

9 Apr 2025 - 9:30AMvideocam

Trouble ahead for Malaysia’s green future as Trump’s tariffs rattle solar sector

Analysts warn the new levies, coupled with the US’ retreat from climate commitments, could derail renewable energy growth across the region.

9 Apr 2025 - 3:39PMvideocam

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Trump’s tariffs: Asean urged to explore trade diversification, tap FTAs

The call by analysts comes as Asean countries are among the hardest hit by US President Donald Trump’s universal tariffs.

9 Apr 2025 - 3:47PMvideocam

Asean is facing growing calls for the 10-member bloc to step up its trade diversification and seal more free trade agreements. Photo: Reuters

Trump’s tariffs: Singapore’s Lawrence Wong slams US – ‘not actions by a friend’

Wong says Washington’s tariffs are a repudiation of the global trade system that the US once championed.

8 Apr 2025 - 6:28PMvideocam

Malaysia’s Anwar urges Asean to ‘hold its nerve’ over Trump’s tariffs

The Malaysian prime minister invokes Asean’s 57-year history, saying the bloc has withstood bigger challenges in the past.

8 Apr 2025 - 3:52PMvideocam

Renewable energy

Asia’s green energy appetite fuels the Gulf’s renewables revolution

As the world transitions, the Gulf’s growing renewable-energy ties with China and Southeast Asia are poised to reshape global power dynamics.

8 Apr 2025 - 5:44PMvideocam

An Emirati man walks beneath photovoltaic panels on a solar farm south of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. Photo: AFP

Amid Trump’s tariff war, 1 Asia sector could emerge unscathed – clean energy

Asia and other regions are expected to boost renewable partnerships with China, the world’s clean energy leader, analysts say.

10 Apr 2025 - 11:08AMvideocam

Solar panels on the roof of a house in a village on Sumba Island, Indonesia. China is set to cement its lead in the global clean energy market, analysts say. Photo: AP

Malaysia warns of slump over US tariff as visit by China’s Xi spurs trade hopes

President Xi Jinping’s coming visit to Malaysia, Cambodia and Vietnam has turned attention to China as a potential economic stabiliser.

7 Apr 2025 - 6:05PMvideocam

Myanmar earthquake: can Asean step up to fill US aid vacuum?

The US aid retreat opens ways for China and India to use their humanitarian assistance to build influence.

7 Apr 2025 - 8:12AMvideocam

Sinking feeling: is Australia’s navy ready for a Pacific conflict?

For years, Australia assumed it had time on its side. But experts warn its maritime defences are woefully unprepared for a modern conflict.

6 Apr 2025 - 8:00AMvideocam

HMAS Parramatta, and Anzac-class frigate of the Royal Australian Navy. Photo: Shutterstock

Open Questions series

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

10 Feb 2025 - 12:57PMvideocam

Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

US-China rivalry doesn’t have to be a zero-sum game: Jessica Chen Weiss

10 Feb 2025 - 6:49AMvideocam

Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

China’s rise, potential recession, no WWIII yet: 11 key interviews from 2024

23 Dec 2024 - 2:30PM

Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

Why eco-warrior Ma Jun sees hope for China’s role in Cop29 amid US uncertainty

22 Nov 2024 - 12:38PMvideocam

Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

Historian on why we aren’t heading towards WWIII yet and how wars have changed

8 Nov 2024 - 12:01AMvideocam

Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

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

10 Feb 2025 - 12:57PMvideocam

Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

US-China rivalry doesn’t have to be a zero-sum game: Jessica Chen Weiss

10 Feb 2025 - 6:49AMvideocam

Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

China’s rise, potential recession, no WWIII yet: 11 key interviews from 2024

23 Dec 2024 - 2:30PM

Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

Why eco-warrior Ma Jun sees hope for China’s role in Cop29 amid US uncertainty

22 Nov 2024 - 12:38PMvideocam

Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

Historian on why we aren’t heading towards WWIII yet and how wars have changed

8 Nov 2024 - 12:01AMvideocam

Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

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