Advertisement
Advertisement
-
This Week in Asia /

Politics

Related Topics:
Asean
South China Sea
the Asian angle
Construction takes place on the Philippine-occupied Thitu island, locally called Pagasa, in November 2024. Photo: AP
China-Philippines relations

Amid Chinese embassy row, Philippines eyes boosting Spratlys population

Filipino leaders from Kalayaan and Chinese embassy officials in Manila have clashed over entry bans for personnel on either side.

videocam
US-Iran tensions

The US dropped proposal of Iran regime change. Could a nuclear deal be next?

videocam
5
Japan

A doomed experiment? Japan’s opposition struggles to regroup amid crushing loss

The Philippines

Leaked letter spotlights Philippines’ South China Sea tug of war

The letter by Foreign Secretary Ma. Theresa P. Lazaro warns against public exchanges that could narrow the country’s ‘diplomatic space’.

videocam
4
A Philippine coastguard vessel sails in disputed waters of the South China Sea during a maritime drill. Photo: EPA-EFE
A Philippine coastguard vessel sails in disputed waters of the South China Sea during a maritime drill. Photo: EPA-EFE
Malaysia

Malaysia courts US to climb critical minerals value chain, keeps raw export ban

Analysts say Kuala Lumpur wants US capital and technology without being drawn into the US-China minerals rivalry.

videocam
Thailand

Vote recount calls grow in Thailand amid claims of election irregularities

The People’s Party, among others, cites ‘clear evidence of irregularities during the tallying process’, including vote-buying and tampering.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Malaysia

In Malaysia, civil war erupts between key opposition leaders ahead of poll

Bersatu, a party in the PN alliance, is riven by a succession fight between its two top leaders ahead of the next general election.

A woman casts her ballot during Malaysia’s 2022 general election in Bera, Pahang. Photo: Reuters
A woman casts her ballot during Malaysia’s 2022 general election in Bera, Pahang. Photo: Reuters
Japan

Japan’s wage squeeze undermines Takaichi’s ‘trickle down’ plans

Fresh labour ministry figures show the cost of living crisis is deepening, as inflation continues to outpace salary increases for workers.

South Korea

What Takaichi’s landslide victory could mean for Japan-South Korea ties

Japan’s conservative tilt has revived South Korean concerns of more nationalist policies that could reopen historical and security wounds.

videocam
Cambodia

What US lifting of arms embargo on Cambodia means for defence ties

Analysts say Cambodia is likely to make only modest US arms purchases given its limited budget, and rely on Chinese weaponry for now.

videocam
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet (right) shakes hands with Samuel Paparo, commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, in Phnom Penh on January 26. Photo: Agence Kampuchea Press via AP
Malaysia

‘Balancing act’: why Malaysia is boosting its missile arsenal amid maritime row

The navy is adding new Norwegian and Turkish missiles to replace its ageing arsenal of decades-old Exocets.

videocam
A Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace naval strike missile is test launched from a ship. Photo: Kongsberg
A Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace naval strike missile is test launched from a ship. Photo: Kongsberg
Thailand

Thailand rejects radical change with Anutin’s ‘right-wing turn’

Voters weary of upheaval embraced Bhumjaithai’s technocratic promises of debt relief and subsidies, sidelining the reformist People’s Party.

videocam
China Conference: Southeast Asia

Indonesia hails ‘strong’ ties as Hong Kong’s CY Leung lauds ‘steady hands’

Indonesia’s top economic minister Airlangga Hartarto and Hong Kong’s Leung were speaking at the SCMP’s China Conference: Southeast Asia.

videocam
4
North Korea

Kim Jong-un vows ‘outstanding’ military role in new 5-year North Korea arms plan

The five-year defence plan will be aimed at bolstering North Korea’s strategic and tactical nuclear capabilities, analysts say.

videocam
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un reviews a guard of honour as he visits the Ministry of National Defence in Pyongyang on Sunday. Photo: KCNA/AFP
The Philippines

Exclusive | Manila ‘will consider’ joining Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’: Philippine envoy to US

Jose Manuel Romualdez says he delivered the invite in person to President Marcos, who is mulling the idea.

videocam
4
Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez speaks during an event in Manila in 2022. Photo: AFP
Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez speaks during an event in Manila in 2022. Photo: AFP
Japan

Japan’s Takaichi won the election, but at what cost to the LDP?

The ruling party’s embrace of a ‘single patriarchal value system’ could paradoxically weaken its long-term dominance, analysts say.

videocam
India

‘Structural reality’: why US tariff deal cannot sever India-Russia defence ties

While the pact demands a halt to Russian oil imports, analysts say New Delhi’s military dependence on Moscow is non-negotiable.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Malaysia

Malaysia’s ‘illegal’ temple row: PM slams vigilantism after rally ban

Police detained 19 people, including a controversial preacher, as Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Monday warned against playing ‘hero’.

A still from footage circulated on social media shows a person being detained in central Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, after police denied permission for an “Anti-Illegal Houses of Worship” rally. Photo: X/bckupacc99
A still from footage circulated on social media shows a person being detained in central Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, after police denied permission for an “Anti-Illegal Houses of Worship” rally. Photo: X/bckupacc99
The Philippines

Why Australia is picking up the tab for Philippine military upgrades

Canberra’s security interests are more closely aligned with Manila than those of Washington, observers say.

videocam
5
Thailand

Conservatives storm to victory in Thailand’s election

The Bhumjaithai Party is forecast to win nearly 200 seats as People’s Party concedes election.

videocam
4
Japan

Japan’s ‘Iron Lady’ Takaichi sweeps election with historic win

Sanae Takaichi’s coalition secures 352 seats in parliament’s lower house, handing the prime minister a supermajority.

videocam
123
Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Sunday. Photo: Reuters
US immigration

‘Deported but not defeated’: the Southeast Asians cast out of Trump’s US

Born in a Thai refugee camp and raised in Texas, Kham Paneboun is now stateless in Laos, one of thousands punished again for old crimes.

videocam
US federal agents enter a residential building in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Thursday. Photo: AFP
US federal agents enter a residential building in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Thursday. Photo: AFP
Indonesia

Exclusive | Inside Indonesia’s inner circle: Hashim Djojohadikusumo on Prabowo’s vision

The Indonesian president’s brother talks ‘fried’ stocks, ‘mosquito’ rivals and MSCI’s Turkmenistan insult in an exclusive interview.

videocam
South Korea

Hope for thaw? Seoul hints at ‘new progress’ in US-North Korea ties

The official’s remarks come amid speculation that US President Donald Trump could seek a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Thailand

As Thailand prepares to vote, can election deliver the change it needs?

Whoever wins will become Thailand’s fourth prime minister in three years but face a daunting task to revive the economy and ease political gridlock.

Thailand’s caretaker prime minister Anutin Charnvirakul, Bhumjaithai Party leader and prime ministerial candidate, with his party’s supporters during an election rally in Bangkok, Thailand, on January 30. Photo: Reuters
Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.
SUPPORT NOW