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This Week in Asia /

Politics

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The logo of Huawei Technologies is seen on the facade of a building in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Photo: EPA-EFE
Malaysia

Will Malaysia’s potential Huawei AI deal risk clash with US trade pact?

The reported move, tied to a US$494 million sovereign AI project, underscores Kuala Lumpur’s superpower balancing act.

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Australia

Australian group calls for ties with US ‘war machine’ to be severed

Vietnam

Vietnam’s To Lam visits Russia and France amid South China Sea tensions

Singapore

Singapore ministers set for pay rise with entry-level pay up to US$1.4 million

First pay update since 2012 aims to ensure political salaries do not ‘fall further behind’ market rates, the prime minister says.

Singapore’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong attends a press conference in Bangkok last week. Photo: Reuters
Singapore’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong attends a press conference in Bangkok last week. Photo: Reuters
South Korea

Can Japan, South Korea move past the ‘comfort women’ issue?

The issue is set to continue rattling ties between Tokyo and Seoul even as they seek to find common ground on security and trade issues.

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Malaysia

PAS chief to face Malaysian police over explosive US remarks

The US has rejected Abdul Hadi Awang’s claim that it offered help to change Malaysia’s political leadership during Obama’s visit in 2014.

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North Korea

What North Korea’s new warship reveals about Kim’s aim to secure nearby waters

Kim’s promised ‘important plans’ that will deepen the ‘concerns of the enemies’ are likely to be nuclear, observers say.

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North Korean sailors march past the Kang Kon during its commissioning ceremony at Wonsan Port on Sunday. Photo: KCNA / AFP
North Korean sailors march past the Kang Kon during its commissioning ceremony at Wonsan Port on Sunday. Photo: KCNA / AFP
The Philippines

Filipino-Americans rattled by Trump’s anti-migrant ‘xenophobia’ games

Immigrant advocates say the ‘frightening’ games normalise human suffering and violence, deepening fear among the migrant communities.

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Malaysia

Malaysia’s PAS eyes new pecking order as it rekindles ties with Umno

Analysts say their renewed courtship gives Umno greater leverage over Anwar while allowing both sides to test cooperation limits.

India

Old heads, young hands: Japan and India build ties from missing pieces

From stealth warship tech to a 500,000-strong talent exchange, Tokyo and New Delhi are pairing Japanese precision with Indian scale.

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India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi (right) shakes hands with Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi before their meeting in New Delhi on July 2. Photo: AFP
South Korea

South Korea weighs ‘contributions’ to Hormuz as US pressure mounts

If carried out, the deployment would mark South Korea’s first dispatch of troops overseas at the request of the US in 22 years.

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Commercial vessels lie anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, on Friday. Photo: AP
Commercial vessels lie anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, on Friday. Photo: AP
The Philippines

Philippine court orders Sara Duterte to be arrested for threatening President Marcos, his wife

The alleged ‌threats are also among the allegations included in the impeachment ⁠complaint against the Philippine ‌vice-president.

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The Philippines

What a jailed pastor’s mega-arena says about the Philippines’ Dutertes

Though in custody on sex charges, Apollo Quiboloy still drew 80,000 followers and Duterte backing for his 75,000-seat Kingdome launch.

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Japan

US wants foreign warships for its navy. Japan is hoping to be picked

Should Washington commission Mogami-class frigates, it will become Japan’s largest deal since relaxing the rules on weapon exports in April.

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Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force Mogami-class stealth frigate JS Mikuma anchors at a naval base in Yokosuka on September 5, 2025. Photo: AP
Bangladesh

Bangladesh’s talk of joining an ‘Islamic Nato’ raises red flags in India

Joining the Saudi-Turkish-Pakistani security alliance offers Dhaka leverage, but could also threaten its non-aligned stance.

India’s Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar (right) shakes hands with his Bangladeshi counterpart Khalilur Rahman during a meeting in New Delhi in April. Photo: AFP
India’s Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar (right) shakes hands with his Bangladeshi counterpart Khalilur Rahman during a meeting in New Delhi in April. Photo: AFP
South Korea

US military’s cyber unit plan threatens South Korea’s diplomatic balancing act

A proposed dispatch of specialist troops signals Washington’s focus is expanding beyond the Korean peninsula, experts say.

Pacific nations

Exclusive | New Zealand ‘must never be seen as a proxy’, former PM Helen Clark warns

Calling the US Pacific strategy a ‘game of bluff’, Clark urges Wellington to defend its independent foreign policy tradition.

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India

Has India’s Modi found new mediator clout?

Analysts say while India could act as a potential bridge in engaging parties locked in conflict, ensuring a resolution works will be harder.

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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (left) and Russian President Vladimir Putin shake hands at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on Monday. Photo: EPA
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (left) and Russian President Vladimir Putin shake hands at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on Monday. Photo: EPA
Vietnam

South China Sea island build-up heightens Vietnam’s security concerns

Hanoi voices strong objections after reports emerge about Chinese construction works in the Paracels archipelago.

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North Korea

North Korea’s next ruler? Kim Jong-un’s daughter, Seoul’s spies say

She has the leather coat and state media backing, but analysts say Kim Ju-ae’s youth and gender will complicate her rise.

The Philippines

UK-Philippines troop deal to boost Nato’s South China Sea reach

If finalised, the UK would be the fourth Nato member to reach a deal with the Philippines allowing troops to train on each other’s soil.

Troops from the Philippines, Britain, the US, Japan and South Korea take part in a military exercise in the Philippines in 2023. Photo: Philippine Marine Corps / Handout
India

‘Aloof’ but engaged: what India’s SCO comeback reveals

New Delhi’s re-engagement with the China-led bloc serves as a reminder to the US that it has other options, analysts say.

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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi disembarks from an aircraft upon his arrival in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on Sunday. Photo: Kyrgyzstan’s Presidential Press Office / AP
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi disembarks from an aircraft upon his arrival in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on Sunday. Photo: Kyrgyzstan’s Presidential Press Office / AP
Thailand

Thailand eyes economic boost as massive US fleet nears port call

Pattaya has faced a grim low tourist season, driven in part by the economic downturn triggered by the Iran war.

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Japan

He called staff ‘human trash’. Now another Japanese mayor falls

The fall of Yokohama’s mayor suggests the end of an era for local Japanese leaders treating staff and public funds with contempt.

Singapore

Small state, big agenda: Singapore prepares to steer Asean through crisis

The city state takes the helm on Asean’s 60th anniversary amid civil war, tariff threats and rising global tensions.

Singapore’s Lawrence Wong attends an Asean meeting in 2023. Photo: EPA-EFE
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