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Asean finance ministers and bank governors at the bloc’s meeting in Kuala Lumpur on April 10. Malaysia, as this year’s Asean chair, has called for a coordinated regional response to the US tariffs. Photo: AFP
Asean

Asian Angle | How Asean can turn short-term tariff pain into long-term gain

Intra-bloc trade and diversified supply sources can help reduce dependency on Donald Trump’s United States and expand export options.

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US-Asean relations

Opinion | Trump world: the unravelling of American global leadership

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China-Philippines relations

Asian Angle | Why ignoring China’s Southeast Asia pivot could cost the Philippines

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Malaysia

My Take | As US tariffs put jobs on the line, can Malaysia afford to cut petrol subsidies?

With US tariff uncertainty jeopardising Malaysian jobs, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim must weigh the necessity of slashing subsidies.

A car owner pumps at a petrol station in Kuala Lumpur. The Malaysian government is expected to announce a cut in petrol subsidies. Photo: AP
A car owner pumps at a petrol station in Kuala Lumpur. The Malaysian government is expected to announce a cut in petrol subsidies. Photo: AP
Singapore general election 2025

Opinion | Can the PAP stem a rising opposition tide in Singapore’s election?

Long-term trends favour the opposition, but a fresh approach and focus on global affairs could boost the PAP’s mandate.

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Ukraine war

Opinion | Chinese fighters in Ukraine and the global pipeline feeding Russia’s war machine

Recruitment videos in Mandarin promise high pay and heroism, as Moscow’s desperate need for manpower fuels a global marketplace of fighters.

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Diplomacy

Opinion | Will Trump’s chaos galvanise the Global South?

With trust in Western-dominated institutions waning, the Global South is rallying for a new order that reflects its diverse voices.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gives a speech during the opening ceremony of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkey on April 11. Photo: DIA/AP
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gives a speech during the opening ceremony of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkey on April 11. Photo: DIA/AP
Donald Trump

Opinion | Decoding Trump’s tariffs and the world’s multipolar future

The US president’s trade wars, while ostensibly about economic fairness, are part of a larger narrative of a hegemon’s diminishing dominance.

Vietnam

Asian Angle | The ‘Tariff Man’ cometh: Vietnam’s misplaced faith in Trump 2.0

Hanoi was once confident in navigating a second Trump term. Now it faces the harsh reality of his trade policies eating into economic growth.

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Asean

My Take | Is Trump’s tariff reprieve a false dawn for small Asian nations?

Trump’s tariff pause offers Asian nations a glimmer of hope, but uncertainty looms, as trade talks could squeeze low-income economies further.

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Vietnamese garment factory workers stitch apparel at a factory in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: AFP
Human rights

Opinion | Whose lives matter? Navigating aid and ethics in a divided world

As the West and Global South clash over Gaza and beyond, the question of whose lives are deemed worthy of protection exposes deep fractures.

Internally displaced Palestinians walk past the rubble of destroyed buildings in the Jabalia refugee camp, northern Gaza Strip, on Thursday. Photo: EPA-EFE
Internally displaced Palestinians walk past the rubble of destroyed buildings in the Jabalia refugee camp, northern Gaza Strip, on Thursday. Photo: EPA-EFE
Indonesia

Asian Angle | Can Indonesia’s Batam hold its own against Johor-Singapore SEZ?

Batam has struggled to attract investment, stymied by local-level dysfunctions and a lack of connections to major Indonesian cities.

Japan

My Take | Will Trump’s tariffs push Japan and South Korea closer to China?

Despite recent US efforts to strengthen Indo-Pacific alliances, Washington’s tariffs may drive Tokyo and Seoul towards closer economic ties with China.

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Vietnam

Asian Angle | Will Vietnam’s trade charm offensive be enough to placate Trump?

With a hefty US trade deficit, Vietnam’s leadership is betting on diplomacy and substantial investments to keep American tariffs at bay.

US President Donald Trump speaks at the White House on Wednesday. Photo: Abaca Press/TNS
Malaysia

Asian Angle | Data centres are booming in Johor. Now comes the hard part – job creation

Talent creation, retention and lucrative pay offered by firms in neighbouring Singapore pose challenges to the state’s thriving sector.

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Visitors at the groundbreaking ceremony for Malaysia’s first Google data centre in Kuala Lumpur last year. Photo: EPA-EFE
Visitors at the groundbreaking ceremony for Malaysia’s first Google data centre in Kuala Lumpur last year. Photo: EPA-EFE
Malaysia

My Take | Flags on Malaysian school uniforms a badge of honour or a burden to parents?

The onus to keep flags ‘clean and not faded’ falls on the parents, some of whom are already struggling with day-to-day expenses.

Hong Kong

Opinion | The gravity of ‘space oil’: understanding Hong Kong teens’ new drug of choice

We need to think beyond bans and crackdowns. With creativity, empathy and urgency, young people can be guided towards a healthier future.

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Artificial intelligence

Opinion | A nuclear war started by AI sounds like science fiction. It isn’t

Humans have perhaps five to 10 years before algorithms and plutonium could reduce us to skeletons and skulls.

Major powers are already planning to enhance missiles with AI to locate and instantly destroy moving targets, shifting the kill decision from humans to machines. Photo: Shutterstock
Major powers are already planning to enhance missiles with AI to locate and instantly destroy moving targets, shifting the kill decision from humans to machines. Photo: Shutterstock
US-China relations

Opinion | The decline of the American empire: how Trumpism threatens democracy worldwide

The United States once championed democracy. Now it is retreating behind militarism, demagoguery and despotism.

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US-China relations

Opinion | The rise of China and the retreat of the US: a new global empire takes shape

With the US putting up walls of protectionism and denial, the 21st century belongs to a resilient, dynamic Chinese empire.

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Singapore

Asian Angle | Singapore was once polluted, too. Asia could learn much from its transformation

Asia’s breakneck growth has come at a steep environmental cost, but Singapore’s experience shows where there’s political will, there’s a way.

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Dark clouds gather above commercial buildings in Singapore. Photo: AFP
The Philippines

Asian Angle | What Rodrigo Duterte’s arrest means for Philippines’ politics, global standing

The ex-president’s transfer to ICC risks custody transforming him and his family into political martyrs and stoking civil unrest.

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Rodrigo Duterte pictured at an Asean summit in Bangkok in 2019 when he was president of the Philippines. Photo: Reuters
Rodrigo Duterte pictured at an Asean summit in Bangkok in 2019 when he was president of the Philippines. Photo: Reuters
Renewable energy

My Take | Asia needs new clean-energy partners after US withdrawal from climate aid

Falling fossil-fuel prices may tempt some to switch back to old habits but that will prove a climate-change disaster.

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North Korea

Opinion | Why US aid cuts are a win for North Korea’s Kim Jong-un

Washington’s funding halt threatens to further damage the lives of people living under one of the most egregious authoritarian regimes.

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Hong Kong

Opinion | 3 steps Hong Kong workplaces can take to end sexual harassment

Workplace harassment still affects an alarming number of women in Hong Kong. But a few simple measures can help break the vicious cycle.

Beyond the moral imperative, businesses have pragmatic reasons to address workplace harassment and provide a safe environment for their employees. Photo: Shutterstock
Open Questions series

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

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

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

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Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

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

Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

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

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

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

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

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

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40
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

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

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29
Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

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

Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

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

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

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

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
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