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This Week in Asia /

Politics

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Asean
South China Sea
the Asian angle
Malaysia’s anti-corruption agency is seeking the help of former government aide James Chai as a witness over a US$250 million deal with Arm Holdings. Photo: Facebook/James Chai
Malaysia

Malaysian anti-corruption body offers to pay for witness’s flight in chips probe

Ex-government aide James Chai, who is in London, said he was a ‘nobody’ who did not influence the US$250 million deal with Arm Holdings.

Pakistan

What Pakistan gains by playing peacemaker in Iran war

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Japan

Japan races to limit fallout from Chinese embassy break-in

Japan

What Macron’s Tokyo visit means for an anxious Japan and its ties with France

Japan is enlisting French support amid a global energy shock and a diplomatic rupture with Beijing.

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French President Emmanuel Macron waves to journalists in Paris last week. Photo: Reuters
French President Emmanuel Macron waves to journalists in Paris last week. Photo: Reuters
The Philippines

Ahead of first Philippine visit since WWII, Japan’s past catches up with troops

Critics oppose the return of Japanese troops over Tokyo’s lack of a formal apology for the wartime abuse of Filipino ‘comfort women’.

North Korea

North Korea tests powerful missile engine. Will an ICBM launch follow?

The engine may be used in the Hwasong-20, which analysts say is capable of hitting targets around the globe.

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Cambodia

A US$19 billion scam industry is fleeing Cambodia. Where will it end up?

Scam bosses and their multibillion-dollar crime networks are fleeing to Myanmar, Laos and Thailand ahead of an April deadline.

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A Thai soldier shines a torch into a room disguised as a Chinese police station inside an abandoned scam centre on the Thai-Cambodian border on March 12. Photo: AFP
A Thai soldier shines a torch into a room disguised as a Chinese police station inside an abandoned scam centre on the Thai-Cambodian border on March 12. Photo: AFP
US, Israel war on Iran

Trump’s Iran gamble falters as war drags on amid concerns of long-term chaos

With Iran emboldened despite US and Israeli strikes, analysts warn of the ‘permanent risk of repeated disruption’ for the global economy.

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Artificial intelligence

‘Economic own goal’? Vietnam’s AI law sets a risky pace for Southeast Asia

From Malaysia’s sovereign cloud to Vietnam’s data curbs, critics say the rush to regulate will deter investment.

Asean

Burning daylight: Iran war energy shock revives Asean’s power grid plans

Oil is up, coal is back and so are fuel queues. As the Middle East burns, Southeast Asia dusts off an old plan to rewire its future.

Illustration: Huy Truong
The Philippines

Why Philippines may face ‘strategic dilemma’ over Nato partnership, US demands

Manila has been forging closer ties with several Nato members amid tensions between the transatlantic security alliance and the US.

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Philippine military servicemen take part in a live fire exercise during the 2025 US-Philippines joint military “Balikatan” exercise in Rizal, Palawan. Photo: AFP
Philippine military servicemen take part in a live fire exercise during the 2025 US-Philippines joint military “Balikatan” exercise in Rizal, Palawan. Photo: AFP
The Philippines

As Philippines battles fuel crisis, will Marcos postpone Asean summit?

Lawmakers have urged the president to postpone or scale down the event and redirect funds towards softening the blow of rising energy costs.

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The Philippines

Why Japan’s troops are returning to Philippine soil for first time since WWII

The return marks an upgrade from the region’s previous ‘hub and spoke’ strategy to one of overlapping minilaterals, experts say.

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The Philippines

Why Filipinos blame Marcos, not Trump, for the Iran war fuel crisis

A Philippine senator wants Filipinos to hold Trump accountable for their surging fuel bills. But public anger has a different target.

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Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr gives a press conference on the Philippines’ national energy emergency at Malacanang Palace in Manila on Wednesday. Photo: EPA
Nepal

Nepal’s probe into deadly uprising finds ex-prime minister, officials ‘reckless’

The report is proposing prison sentences of up to 10 years for K.P. Sharma Oli and other top government officials.

People burn tyres during a demonstration in Kathmandu on September 9 to condemn the Nepali police’s deadly crackdown on protesters. Photo: AFP
People burn tyres during a demonstration in Kathmandu on September 9 to condemn the Nepali police’s deadly crackdown on protesters. Photo: AFP
India

Pakistan steps in as Iran mediator while India watches from the wings

India’s ‘surprising’ silence on Iranian attacks amid uneasy ties with Tehran could affect its strategic relevance in the Gulf, analysts warn.

India

As India and US seek to reset defence ties, Iran war threatens to be wild card

An Iranian vessel’s sinking in the Indian Ocean has triggered anger in India, while New Delhi is worried about the Strait of Hormuz blockade.

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Japan

Japan plans to deploy missiles to a faraway island in the Pacific. Here’s why

The deployment is a response to China’s military activity near Minamitorishima, a defence ministry researcher says.

Japan’s Ground Self-Defence Force unveils a Type 12 coastal defence anti-ship missile launcher vehicle during a training exercise in June last year. Photo: Handout
Japan’s Ground Self-Defence Force unveils a Type 12 coastal defence anti-ship missile launcher vehicle during a training exercise in June last year. Photo: Handout
Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka’s refusal to host US warplanes before Iran war risks trade backlash

Trying to keep conflict at arm’s length by distancing itself from the US could bring Sri Lanka’s economy ‘to its knees’, analysts say.

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Japan

Trump’s ‘wind-up doll’? Japan’s PM faces backlash over White House fawning

White House imagery showing Sanae Takaichi cheering for a rock song and laughing at a jibe at Joe Biden left some in Japan feeling ‘ashamed’.

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North Korea

North Korea’s Kim slams US ‘state terror’ but spares Trump in third-term address

Mindful of the fate of Iran and Venezuela’s leaders, Kim Jong-un used his speech to cast nuclear weapons as a non-negotiable shield.

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North Korean leader Kim Jong-un delivers a policy speech during the second and final day of the first session of the Supreme People’s Assembly in Pyongyang on Monday. Photo: KCNA/Yonhap/dpa
The Philippines

US eyes a Philippine ammo facility as opposition warns of ‘warmongering’

The Philippines has long been the closest US ally in Asia. Now Washington wants something more: a place to make bullets and shells.

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Philippine soldiers load ammunition into an Autonomous Truck Mounted Howitzer System (Armos) during a live-fire exercise in 2024. Photo: AFP
Philippine soldiers load ammunition into an Autonomous Truck Mounted Howitzer System (Armos) during a live-fire exercise in 2024. Photo: AFP
Japan

Can Japan offer Indonesia a ‘credible alternative’ to China on Prabowo’s visit?

Defence and minerals to dominate the agenda as Tokyo offers hi-tech warships and energy pacts to secure Indonesia as a ‘trusted partner’.

India

Why India faces dilemma over Iran war while seeking ‘diplomatic flexibility’

India has to carefully navigate the fallout from the war, given its huge stakes in the Middle East, analysts say.

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The Philippines

Philippine military uncovers alleged new China spy tactics in sea row

China called the allegations ‘malicious smears’ after three people were arrested on suspicion of leaking sensitive information to foreigners.

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A Philippine vessel distributes supplies in the contested South China Sea last month. Photo: China’s coastguard/Xinhua
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