Category: South East Asia
As Tensions Between China and the Philippines Surge, Wang Yi Calls on a Few Old Friends in Southeast Asia
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi made a quick sprint through Southeast Asia over the weekend as part of a three-nation tour of Malaysia, Singapore, and Cambodia. Wang met with the prime ministers in the three countries in what appeared to be ...
Asia Society Task Force Urges U.S. to Focus More Attention on Southeast Asia to Compete With China
A joint task force organized by the Asia Society, a New York-based research institution, published a new report with a number of pointed recommendations for U.S. policymakers to improve their engagement in Southeast Asia and become competitive with China in the region.
Indian Navy Transfers Fully Operational Warship to Vietnam, Adding Yet More Naval Hardware to the South China Sea
The Indian Navy gifted the Vietnam People's Navy with an aging yet still functioning warship on Saturday during a handover ceremony for the INS Kirpan in the central Vietnamese port city of Cam Ranh. The transfer comes one month after Indian Defense ...
Graph of the Day: China’s Durian Boom Gives a Whiff of Its Economic Clout in Southeast Asia
This week’s ASEAN Foreign Minister meetings will be shaped by the bloc’s complicated political relationship with China. However, that is only half the story. To fully appreciate the stakes of having to manage issues like China’s claim on large parts of the South China Sea, one has ...
Southeast Asia Inches Closer to China to Survive Harsh Heat Waves
Extreme high temperatures — a ‘once-in-200-years heat wave’ — have been hitting many Asian countries in recent weeks, including those in Southeast Asia. Experts said that it is only the beginning of an era that will see more frequent heat waves and other erratic weather.
Lots of Handshakes, Smiles and an Aircraft Carrier Framed Vietnam PM’s Visit to China
Vietnamese Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính wrapped up a jam-packed three-day visit to China on Tuesday with a meeting with President Xi Jinping while a giant U.S. aircraft carrier was docked back home near the central city of Da Nang. Vietnam's ...
Vietnam PM Arrives in China for Visit as a U.S. Aircraft Carrier Arrives
Vietnam's legendary great power hedging strategy was on full display this weekend when the massive U.S. aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan arrived in the central city of Da Nang for a rare port of call -- in fact, only the third time that a U.S. aircraft carrier has docked ...
Southeast Asia’s Climate Goals Are Ultimately Economic Goals: U.S. Vows to Help, But China Delivers
Two weeks ago, Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and his ministers received a visit from the U.S.-ASEAN Business Council (U.S.-ABC). Green industries — particularly electric vehicles — were at the top of Indonesia’s talking points. “How can Indonesia get facilities to ...
Report: China is Top Source of Development Finance to Southeast Asia, but Competitors Rapidly Catching Up
China remained Southeast Asia's largest source of aid and development finance even as competitors from G7 countries step up their engagement in this geopolitically strategic region, according to the findings from a new data project done by the Australian think tank Lowy Institute.
Qin Gang Makes First Visit as Foreign Minister to Myanmar, Part of a Week-long Diplomatic Outreach With Border States
The isolated military government in Myanmar got a big boost on Tuesday when Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang made his inaugural visit to the Southeast Asian country, marking the highest-level visit by a Chinese official since the junta overthrew the democratically-elected government in February 2021. ...
In the U.S.-China Duel, the Philippines Has Chosen a Side, Says Xiamen University Southeast Asia Scholar
When Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. was elected president of the Philippines last year, there was a lot of hope in Beijing that he would reset ties with China after six turbulent years of Rodrigo Duterte's unpredictable foreign policy. Now, less than a ...
Blinken Tries to Bolster Ties With Vietnam Amid Rising U.S. Tensions With China
Vietnam was again at the center of great power politics this weekend during a brief visit by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, his first trip to the country as Washington's top diplomat. Blinken's one overriding priority on this trip was ...