Category: ASEAN

U.S. Defense Chief Lauds China Ties, Then Sounds Alarm Over Beijing’s Aggression at ASEAN Meeting

U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth conveyed two seemingly contradictory messages on China during his discussions with his Southeast Asian counterparts during the ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting (ADMM) in Kuala Lumpur on Friday. On the one hand, Hegseth was downright effusive ...

ASEAN Heading Into Tense New Era as Philippines Takes the Helm

The Philippines became the new chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations this week, taking over from Malaysia. The shift marks a new phase that could see the 11-member body become more embroiled in U.S.-China geopolitics. Manila is expected ...

Trump, China, and Stalled Diplomacy: Five Takeaways From ASEAN Summit

By Isabelle Leong The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) concluded on Tuesday its biannual summit attended by foreign leaders including U.S. President Donald Trump, with trade and regional tensions on the agenda. Here are ...

China and ASEAN Sign Updated Free Trade Deal

China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) signed an updated free trade agreement on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday. Negotiations on upgrading their earlier trade agreement started in 2022. The ASEAN-China Free Trade ...

China Leads Influence in Southeast Asia, but Neighbors Come First

China leads the Lowy Institute’s Southeast Asia Influence Index by a point, 65 to 64 over the United States on the latest reading, but the study finds neighbors are more important than any external power, including China. However, Lowy records ...

Analysis from Cobus van Staden

The Pain of Un-Polarity

“THE G2 WILL BE CONVENING SHORTLY!”
This post by U.S. President Donald Trump in the run-up to his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping last week may end up leaving a more lasting mark than the actual summit he attended.

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ASEAN Economic Ministers’ Meeting Pushes Regional Integration Amid Trade Tensions

The trade relationship between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is expected to take center stage at the ASEAN Economic Ministers (AEM) gathering in Kuala Lumpur tomorrow. A consultation between the ten-country bloc and China will happen ...

China–U.S. Rivalry: Singapore FM on ASEAN Pragmatic Non-Alignment

Singapore’s foreign minister, Vivian Balakrishnan, at a public forum moderated on Friday, said Southeast Asia is refusing a China–U.S. binary choice between China and the United States. Balakhrisnan thinks Southeast Asia is pivoting to integration, keeping economies open to ...

ASEAN Parliamentarians Call for China Meeting on Rohingya

ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR), a body of current and former legislators from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), called for a conference involving the ten member countries of the bloc, Bangladesh, and China to resolve the longstanding problems facing the Rohingya ethnic minority.

China Slams Vietnam Over Island-Building in South China Sea

China condemned Vietnam over a report it had sped up island-building in an area of the disputed South China Sea that Beijing claims as its own. "China firmly opposes the relevant country’s construction activities on islands and reefs they have illegally ...

Vietnam Expands Island-Building in the South China Sea

Vietnam's development of 21 Vietnamese-claimed rocks and low-tide elevations in the South China Sea has expanded considerably since 2021 to the point where it will match and possibly even exceed Chinese reclamation activity in the region. The findings in a new report ...

China Exports Top Forecasts as EU, ASEAN Shipments Offset U.S. Drop

By Isabel Kua and Peter Catterall China's exports rose more than expected last month, with official data on Thursday showing a jump in shipments to the European Union and other markets offsetting a drop in those to the United States.

China Backs ASEAN-Mediated Cambodia and Thailand Ceasefire

Cambodia and Thailand agreed to an immediate and unconditional ceasefire on Monday following a special meeting hosted by Malaysian PM Anwar Ibrahim, as the chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The meeting was attended by leaders from both countries, as well as ...
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