Asia
Data Snapshot
Constrained Recovery: Global Shocks and Emerging Southeast Asia
How growth and development in Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam have been reshaped by the Covid-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
With balloons in the sky, North Korea keeps its feet on the ground
North Korea is finally delivering on its promise, although with an unusual payload. After warning South Korea that it would scatter “mounds of wastepaper and filth” on Sunday in…
Does India’s Act East Policy matter to Southeast Asia?
This year marks the 10th anniversary of India’s “Act East Policy”. Previously known as the “Look East Policy” when launched in the early 1990s, the redesignation by Prime Minister…
The message behind China’s high-profile “comfort women” lawsuit against Tokyo
The history of China’s “comfort women” – a term used to describe the sex slaves of the wartime Japanese military – is a potent case illustrating the power of national identity…
Water woes: Cambodia and Vietnam clash over the Funan Techo Canal
In August 2023, Cambodia sent an official notice to the Mekong River Commission flagging the construction of a new major canal project on the Mekong River. The Mekong, long a…
A growth agenda for India-Australia economic ties
Energy, technology, education, and agriculture – India and Australia have taken significant steps in each sector over recent years to enhance cooperation and build on existing…
What do Biden’s big new China tariffs mean for global development?
The United States has imposed stunning tariff hikes on Chinese electric vehicles (EVs), quadrupling them to 100%, as well as 25-50% tariffs on a raft of other Chinese products,…
The “Squad” is a welcome spin-off, but the Quad is the main game
In light of the successful first-ever US-Japan-Philippines trilateral summit and joint maritime patrols in the South China Sea involving the United States, Japan, Australia, and…
The extraordinary logistics of India’s election
The world’s largest democratic election is well underway in India, with approximately 968.8 million registered voters. That’s almost a billion people registered to vote, roughly…
Malaysia: The Sarawak secession?
The ruling coalition in the Malaysian state of Sarawak, Gabugan Parti Sarawak (GPS), has been assiduously working since 2018 towards the political goal of establishing the most…