Asean

Indonesia’s long-term geostrategic ambition: What’s missing?
Indonesia’s long-term geostrategic ambition: What’s missing?
President Joko Widodo recently unveiled Indonesia’s preliminary long-term development plan (RPJPN) of 2025–2045, which lays out the country’s grand ambition to attain a “Golden…
Economic diplomacy: ASEAN bound, but words are not enough
Economic diplomacy: ASEAN bound, but words are not enough
Legacy land One of the curiosities of former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s memoir of his time in office is that he makes very little of the 2018 gathering of Southeast…
Amid great power visits, don’t underestimate middle power cooperation
Amid great power visits, don’t underestimate middle power cooperation
This week, US President Joe Biden visited Vietnam as part of a trip “to strengthen alliances around the world to maintain stability”. One widely reported outcome is the…
ASEAN, China and the trust deficit
ASEAN, China and the trust deficit
Trust (or the lack of it) seems to be the central theme in describing relations between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and China. Several ASEAN leaders emphasised this…
In Australia’s big play in Southeast Asia, mobilising the private sector is critical
In Australia’s big play in Southeast Asia, mobilising the private sector is critical
There is an unmistakable disconnect between Australia’s trade and investment flows and the geo-economic importance of Southeast Asia. The combined economies of the Association…
Weeks of living dangerously in Jakarta, all over again
Weeks of living dangerously in Jakarta, all over again
The 1978 novel by Australian author Christopher Koch, titled The Year of Living Dangerously, set primarily in the Indonesian capital Jakarta, describes events leading up to…
Pipe dreams: Turning an interconnected ASEAN gas market into a reality
Pipe dreams: Turning an interconnected ASEAN gas market into a reality
The development began in the 1960s when the Southeast Asian natural gas sector grew significantly after discoveries in Indonesia, Brunei and Malaysia. In the decades that followed…
Acting East on the seas: India’s naval cooperation with ASEAN
Acting East on the seas: India’s naval cooperation with ASEAN
In recent years, New Delhi has increasingly focused on expanding its strategic footprint in Southeast Asia. While key states have expressed impatience with India’s slow steps…
Indonesia’s dilemma as China pushes a “Global Security Initiative”
Indonesia’s dilemma as China pushes a “Global Security Initiative”
China’s vision for a “Global Security Initiative” was first set out by President Xi Jinping at the Boao Forum in April last year. While promising ambitious change, especially for…
Quad should ask ASEAN to a diplomatic dance
Quad should ask ASEAN to a diplomatic dance
In early 1979, fearing the growing security cooperation between Hanoi and Moscow, China invaded Vietnam. A year earlier, the then-Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping met Singapore’s…