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U.S.–Philippines Trade Agreement Terms Still Under Negotiation

Negotiations between the United States and the Philippines over the details of a new trade agreement remain ongoing, Philippine officials confirmed Thursday, even as both sides finalize the structure of a 19 percent tariffs on Philippine exports, slightly down from the previously proposed 20 percent.

U.S.–Indonesia Trade Deal Unveiled with China in the Crosshairs

The United States and Indonesia on Tuesday unveiled a joint announcement on a reciprocal trade framework that, though never mentioning China by name, echoes its presence at every turn. While the U.S.-Indonesia trade deal slashes tariffs significantly, it introduces strict supply chain provisions, measures widely viewed ...

BYD Tops Southeast Asia EV Sales, Tesla Drops in Hong Kong

BYD overtakes Tesla in Hong Kong and dominates Indonesia’s EV market in the first half of 2025. With tariffs rising in the West, China’s electric vehicle giants are rapidly expanding across Southeast Asia. In the first half of 2025, ...

Vietnam, China Launch First Joint Army Drill Amid U.S. Tension

China and Vietnam are conducting their first-ever joint ground forces training this month in the Guangxi Zhuang, a border area in southern China. The drill is seen as signaling a deliberate expansion of military engagement between the two Communist-led neighbors. ...

Malaysia Insists on Sovereignty, Halal Standard in U.S. Tariff Talks

Malaysia insists and will not compromise on sovereignty or halal certification standards in its negotiations with the United States over a 25 percent import tariff tied to U.S. efforts to curb transshipment from China to the U.S. through Southeast Asia, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said Saturday, as ...

Analysis from Cobus van Staden

BRICS Announces Numerous New Initiatives

The BRICS group wrapped up its two-day leaders’ summit in Rio de Janeiro on Monday. The summit’s final communique is a 16,000-word doorstop that covers numerous issues from economics to education.
The communique avoids any direct mention of the United States, and references to “unilateralism” and other coded criticism are also relatively scarce. Rather, the communique keeps the focus on the BRICS’ vision of the strengthening and reform of the global multilateral system ...

Pew Survey: Global South More Concerned About U.S. Than China

A new Pew Research Center survey reveals a surprising shift: in many Global South middle-income countries, people are more concerned about U.S. influence than China’s.

Q&A: Indonesia’s Ex-Chief Negotiator Warns ASEAN of Trump’s U.S. “Tariff Trap”

The U.S. tariffs regime is exposing fractures in Southeast Asia’s trade posture. When Indonesia’s former chief trade negotiator, Iman Pambagyo, looks at the region’s response to the latest wave of U.S. tariffs, his message is clear: Southeast Asia cannot afford to keep falling for Trump’s tariff trap. ...

China Backs ASEAN Nuclear Weapon-Free Treaty, U.S. in Review

China has expressed its willingness to sign the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ) Treaty without reservations in a move that may signal renewed diplomatic momentum for one of the world’s least-recognized nuclear-free zones. The offer, confirmed ...

Southeast Asia’s Responses Split Over Trump’s August 1 Tariffs

Southeast Asia’s biggest exporters are responding differently under the newest U.S. tariff pressure. Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia are pursuing divergent strategies to head off duties of up to 36%, set to begin August 1. Donald Trump sent letters to 14 countries, ...

China Denies Rafale Smear, France Points Finger, Indonesia Silent

China has forcefully denied allegations from France that it mounted a coordinated campaign to undermine and sabotage sales of France’s Rafale fighter jet, pushing back against claims made by French intelligence that Beijing used its embassies and online influence to steer countries like Indonesia toward Chinese-made alternatives ...

How the U.S. and China Misread Southeast Asia in the Tariff War

Southeast Asia is not the world's workshop or a passive trade partner. As the U.S.-China tariff war escalates, the region is asserting a new kind of agency, trade independence rooted in national interest. Economies like Indonesia, Vietnam, and Malaysia, at the end of the day, choose ...

China’s Hainan Islamic Pilgrimage Stopover Reveals Bigger Plans

China is quietly transforming the island of Hainan, located 20 kilometers offshore in the South China Sea, into a strategic transit hub for Muslim pilgrims from Southeast Asia, starting with Indonesian travelers seeking to make the pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia, known as Umrah.
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