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Deprived of robust family or societal support, many young Thais are left to navigate stress, loneliness and relentless academic pressures alone. Photo: Shutterstock
Thailand

Asian Angle | Thailand’s youth mental health crisis is fuelled by neglect and legalised weed

Young Thais are beset by anxiety and debt – and turning to readily available cannabis to self-medicate their isolation and despair.

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Nepal

Asian Angle | Nepal found out what Thailand already knew: digital repression is risky

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Malaysia

Asian Angle | Malaysia is not Palestine. False equivalence fuels ethnic polarisation

Thailand

Asian Angle | Thailand’s ‘China plus one’ successes mask a middle-income quagmire

FDI figures hide the painful truth: an ageing workforce, structural challenges and low-value assembly threaten economic stagnation.

Workers on an assembly line at the Great Wall Motors manufacturing plant in Rayong, Thailand. Photo: Xinhua
Workers on an assembly line at the Great Wall Motors manufacturing plant in Rayong, Thailand. Photo: Xinhua
Diplomacy

Opinion | Diplomacy in the age of populism is fast, fickle and unbound by the rules of old

Swift, informal deals can quickly defuse crises, but without a new rules-based order, global stability is being held hostage to chance.

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Diplomacy

Opinion | What Syria’s post-war pivot to China reveals about the new world order

Damascus views engagement with Beijing as a pathway to legitimacy, leverage – and the US$216 billion it needs to rebuild.

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Malaysia

Asian Angle | Why Malaysia’s fuel subsidy reform is stuck in the slow lane

Fears of a 2008-style backlash and poor public transport are keeping Anwar’s government from slashing the huge, regressive fuel subsidy bill.

Fuel pump nozzles are seen at a petrol station in Sarawak, Malaysia. Photo: AFP
Fuel pump nozzles are seen at a petrol station in Sarawak, Malaysia. Photo: AFP
China-Asean relations

Asian Angle | How China can anchor Southeast Asia’s future in an uncertain world

The promise is simple: a trajectory of growth with fewer surprises, built on China’s pillars of capital, diplomacy and shared development.

Asean

Asian Angle | Caught in the crossfire: how Asean can survive a US-China economic cold war

Trapped between duelling trade wars and tech blockades, Asean must unite to avoid becoming a casualty of the US-China rivalry.

Asean

Asian Angle | Safer than cash? The real risks cryptocurrency poses to Southeast Asia

Crypto’s champions argue the technology offers unmatched transparency and security. But a closer look at the numbers tells a different story.

Attendees pass cryptocurrency signage at a crypto conference in Singapore on October 1. Photo: Reuters
Brics

Opinion | Why New Zealand joining Brics makes sense in Trump’s ‘America-first’ era

Brics is a maturing economic and diplomatic powerhouse. Joining could help New Zealand spread its diplomatic wings and secure its future.

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Brics leaders and other officials pose for a group photo during the latest summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on July 7. Photo: Xinhua
Brics leaders and other officials pose for a group photo during the latest summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on July 7. Photo: Xinhua
Asean

Opinion | Asean’s newest prospective member confronts a Chinese triad threat

A senior official’s claims, backed by a UN report, allege triad gangs from China and Southeast Asia are corrupting East Timor’s democracy.

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Israel-Gaza war

Opinion | Gaza, Trump and New Zealand’s moment of truth on Palestinian statehood

Trump’s Gaza peace plan offers hope, but also forces New Zealand to confront uncomfortable questions about its role.

Malaysia

Asian Angle | Malaysia’s politics is becoming an ageing ‘poster boy’ personality contest

As elderly political figures jostle for power, they risk missing what Malaysians actually want from the government.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is 78 years old. Photo: AFP
Vietnam

Asian Angle | False positive? Vietnam’s attempts to recruit influencers risk backfiring

Social media platforms value posts that spark outrage and emotional reactions over manufactured positivity.

A man watches a TikTok video on his smartphone in Hanoi. Photo: AFP
A man watches a TikTok video on his smartphone in Hanoi. Photo: AFP
Indonesia

Asian Angle | TikTok Live blackout in Indonesia exposes fragility of digital freedoms

The suspension shows how global platforms are intertwined with state power and digital infrastructure can be disabled in a political crisis.

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Thailand

Asian Angle | Thai politics is no longer orange, yellow and red. Anutin turned it blue

The political colours of 2023 have faded as Thailand’s progressive and dynastic parties embrace the new PM’s Bhumjaithai blue of compromise.

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South China Sea

Asian Angle | Will China’s marine reserve gambit push the Philippines to breaking point?

The best path to de-escalation at Scarborough Shoal would be a joint stewardship agreement, not China’s unilateral marine park.

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A Filipino fisheman rows his boat near the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, Photo: Reuters
A Filipino fisheman rows his boat near the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, Photo: Reuters
Indonesia

Asian Angle | Can Indonesia’s new haj ministry fix its pilgrimage problems?

The new ministry must overcome a history of corruption and nepotism in quota allocations, with some pilgrims waiting decades to go on haj.

Malaysia

Asian Angle | Malaysia’s 13th plan offers pocket-sized reforms for a middle-income quagmire

With a focus on economic complexity and social mobility, the 13th Malaysia Plan aims to address decades of underperformance and stagnation.

Australia

Opinion | The online radicalisation of Australia is here and Elon Musk is a part of it

Backed by global far-right figures, the ‘March for Australia’ highlighted transnational links and social media’s role in spreading extremism.

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Protesters hold a banner during a “March for Australia” anti-immigration rally in Melbourne on August 31. Photo: AFP
US-China relations

Asian Angle | Anatomy of choice: why Southeast Asia is aligning with China

The US-China rivalry is forcing difficult choices, with the results of a 30-year study suggesting Southeast Asia is drifting towards Beijing.

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China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi (centre) joins hands with his Southeast Asian counterparts at an Asean meeting in July. Photo: AFP
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi (centre) joins hands with his Southeast Asian counterparts at an Asean meeting in July. Photo: AFP
Malaysia

Asian Angle | Watering down Malaysia’s petrol subsidy reform will cost the country dearly

The government keeps delaying the inevitable with full RON95 subsidy reform, but diluting it will cost the country in the long run.

Asean

Opinion | China, Southeast Asia and the shared legacy of anti-fascist struggle

China’s ambassador to Asean reflects on the lessons of WWII and why the region’s destiny must be determined together.

China-India relations

My Take | Are Trump’s tariffs nudging India and China to mend their ties?

Narendra Modi’s coming visit to Tianjin shows India and China are finding common ground, regardless of Trump’s policies.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi during their meeting in New Delhi on August 19. Modi is reportedly expected to discuss with Chinese leaders in Tianjin later this month on issues ranging from trade to climate cooperation. Photo: EPA
Open Questions series

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

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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93
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
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