Category: Southeast Asia
U.S.-Vietnam Trade Deal Sows New China Uncertainty
By Tran Thi Minh Ha Vietnam's trade deal with the United States averts the most punishing of Donald Trump's "reciprocal" levies but analysts warned it could provoke a fresh standoff between Washington and Beijing. The ...
Trump’s Vietnam Trade Deal Signals Harder Line on China Supply Chain Diversions
President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he had struck a trade deal with Vietnam under which the country would face a minimum 20 percent tariff and open its market to U.S. products. The deal comes a week ahead of Trump's self-imposed ...
Indonesia and China’s Battery Alliance Must Be Built on Sustainability
In a bold display of ambition and diplomacy, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto stood beside Chinese executives last week to break ground on what is touted as Asia’s largest integrated electric vehicle (EV) battery ecosystem. Backed by $5.9 billion in ...
Thailand’s Political Crisis Poses Risk to China’s BRI, Warns Scholar
In a recent analysis published by Shanghai-based news outlet The Paper, Yu Haiqiu, a prominent Chinese scholar of Southeast Asian politics, offers a deeper look at the roots and implications of Thailand’s escalating political crisis, focusing on its historical tensions with Cambodia and the fallout for ...
Indonesia Begins $5.9 Billion Chinese EV Battery Project Despite Environment Fears
Indonesia broke ground on Sunday on a $5.9 billion megaproject for EV battery production, backed by the Chinese giant CATL, despite NGOs raising concerns over a lack of environmental guarantees. Indonesia is the world's largest nickel producer, and it is trying ...
China’s Big Bet on Indonesian Nickel Faces a Harsh Reckoning
For years, China raced to secure the critical minerals needed to fuel its economy and the global clean energy transition. Nickel was supposed to be one of the surest bets. Now, one of China’s largest investments in Indonesia’s nickel industry is unraveling—and with it, some of the ...
Why the U.S. Should Pay Close Attention to the Singapore PM’s Visit to China
Singapore's Prime Minister Lawrence Wong landed in Beijing on Sunday night for a week-long visit that will include talks with his Chinese counterpart Li Qiang and President Xi Jinping. In an interview with the state-run Straits Times newspaper, the PM said ...
Malaysia Verifying Report of Chinese Firm Bypassing U.S. Tech Curbs
Malaysia's government is verifying media reports that a Chinese company may be circumventing U.S. export curbs on high-end AI chips by using servers housing Nvidia chips based in the Southeast Asian country. The Wall Street Journal reported that Chinese engineers had ...
China Eases Transit Rules for Indonesians. Jakarta Should Push for More.
China’s recent inclusion of Indonesia in its 240-hour visa-free transit program is a notable, if not entirely surprising, development. While Indonesia is now among the 55 countries benefiting from this arrangement, the move signals a step forward in the broader relationship between the two nations. For ...
China-Linked Mines in Myanmar Blamed for Toxic Pollution Flowing Into Thailand
By Chayanit Itthipongmaetee and Sally Jensen A sprawling new mine is gouged into the lush rolling hills of northeast Myanmar, where civil war has weakened the government's already feeble writ, and pollution levels are rising downstream in Thailand. ...
After Rafale, Now J-10C? Chinese Netizens React to Indonesia’s Ongoing Fighter Jet Procurement Moves
In late May, Indonesia surprised many Chinese military watchers by signing a defense agreement with France, which included the purchase of Rafale fighter jets—despite the J-10C’s widely publicized performance advantage during the ...
Little-Known Country on Track to Join ASEAN Suddenly Sparks Interest in China
According to a May 28 report by Vietnam News Agency, ASEAN leaders have agreed in principle to admit Timor-Leste as the bloc’s 11th member at the upcoming ASEAN Summit in October. The announcement initially flew under the radar on Chinese social ...