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WEEK IN REVIEW: China’s Lunar New Year Travel Splits Asia
China warned that a newly announced Indonesia–U.S. trade agreement should not target or harm “any third party.” The comment came after Indonesia and the United States unveiled new cooperation arrangements, prompting Beijing to weigh in publicly on the deal’s potential regional implications. (JAKARTA GLOBE)
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Chinese New Year Travel: Southeast Asia Back in Focus
China’s Lunar New Year travel surge is once again reshaping tourism flows across the Global South, with Southeast Asia emerging as a key beneficiary, though not uniformly. Outbound trips have rebounded strongly, but geopolitics, visa policies, and safety perceptions are increasingly ...
Russian Oil Tankers List Singapore as Destination Amid Sanctions and Shift to China, LSEG Data Shows
Russian oil tankers are increasingly listing Singapore as their official destination, signalling a shift in export flows from India to China and growing concerns over Western sanctions, traders said and LSEG shipping data shows. LSEG data shows tankers carrying about 1.4 million metric ...
Singapore Investment Commitments Rise in 2025 as China’s Share Soars
By Jun Yuan Yong Singapore drew more investment in 2025 despite geopolitical and economic uncertainties, with China forming a larger share of total commitments and business expenditures, according to data released on Monday by the city-state's Economic Development Board. ...
China Flexes Its Muscle at Singapore Airshow as U.S. Isolated
China used this week's Singapore Airshow to flex its military and aviation muscle, drawing heavy attention from regional delegations as Beijing sharpens its bid for influence in Southeast Asia. The U.S. military has demonstrated its power this year through ...
U.S. Drone Makers Seek Asia Sales as China Threat Rises
Several U.S. drone firms made their debut at the Singapore Airshow this week, seeking to expand their business beyond the Pentagon into Asia, where countries are increasingly concerned about the threat posed by China's military build-up. The lethal success of drones on both ...
China Says It Drove Away Philippine Aircraft Over Disputed Scarborough Shoal
China’s military said on Tuesday it mobilized naval and air forces to warn and drive away a Philippine government aircraft it said “illegally intruded” into the airspace over the Scarborough Shoal, a contested South China Sea feature. Beijing urged Manila to halt what it called provocations; Philippine ...
WeChat Pay Starts Using China’s Unified QR for Foreign Wallets
WeChat Pay’s international arm, Tenpay Global, is now integrated into China’s unified QR payment gateway, which has begun handling live cross-border traffic from overseas wallets. Regulators say the shift lets them see far more of the overseas wallet traffic moving ...
China Among Top Investors as Thailand Logs $42.6 Billion in 2025 Projects
Chinese and regional investors are backing Thailand’s push to become a high-end production and data hub for Southeast Asia. The country’s Board of Investment said investors filed about $42.6 billion worth of new projects this year to build EV battery plants, semiconductor production and large data ...
China Backs RCEP, Warns Protectionism Threatens Region
China backs RCEP, told Asian governments that it will defend open trade and keep regional supply chains stable through the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). Chinese Premier Li Qiang, at a summit in Kuala Lumpur on Monday, said China ...
Singapore Probes Firm Accused of Illegally Supplying Nvidia Chips to China Amid U.S. Export Crackdown
Singaporean authorities have launched an investigation into a local firm, Megaspeed, that allegedly sold millions of dollars' worth of Nvidia chips to users in China, a violation of U.S. export controls. “The Singapore Police Force confirms that investigations are ongoing into ...
Singapore Denies Entry to HK Activist, Citing ‘National Interests’
Singapore said Monday it had refused entry to Hong Kong democracy activist Nathan Law over the weekend as his presence would not be in the city-state's "national interests". The activist, who holds a UK refugee travel document, told AFP that he ...
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 ...
Africa-Asia Relations Beyond China
Africa was especially hard hit by Donald Trump's "Liberation Day" tariffs, which ended years of duty-free access to the U.S. and triggered a rush to find new markets. China's announcement that it will remove all tariffs on African imports undoubtedly provides ...
The Trump, Xi Foreign Policy Duel in Southeast Asia
Two sharply contrasting foreign policy visions emerged this week from China and the United States. In Beijing, President Xi Jinping outlined an agenda in talks with fellow BRICS leaders that directly challenged Donald Trump’s “America First” doctrine, urging instead for stronger ...
Indonesia, U.S. and Allies Launch Joint Military Drills
Indonesia and the United States launched joint military drills on Monday that will last more than a week, joining allies from 11 countries in exercises aimed at ensuring stability in the Asia-Pacific region. The annual "Super Garuda Shield" drills will take ...
Singapore Calls in Military as Alleged China-Linked Hackers Target Critical Systems
Units in Singapore's military have been called in to help combat a cyberattack against critical infrastructure, the country's defense minister said Saturday -- a hack attempt attributed to an espionage group experts have linked to China. Defense Minister Chan Chun Sing ...
Singapore Facing ‘Serious’ Cyberattack by Espionage Group With Alleged China Ties
Singapore announced it was battling a "serious" cyberattack against its critical infrastructure, attributing the hack to an espionage group that experts have linked to China. The attack, a kind of Advanced Persistent Threat (APT), poses a serious danger to the city-state, ...
China’s Xi Urges Singapore Leader to Jointly Resist ‘Hegemony’
Chinese President Xi Jinping called on Singapore's prime minister to join the fight against "hegemony" and protectionism in trade as they met in Beijing on Tuesday. Prime Minister Lawrence Wong's first official visit to China lasts until Thursday. ...
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 ...
Singapore PM’s China Visit: U.S. Tariffs Destabilizing Global Trade
Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has warned that rising protectionism and unilateral tariffs, particularly those imposed by the United States, are a concern. He warned of the risk of destabilizing global trade and disproportionately harming smaller, export-dependent economies. In an interview ...
Pentagon Chief Warns China ‘Preparing’ to Use Military Force in Asia
By Ty McCormick U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth warned Saturday that China was "credibly preparing" to use military force to upend the balance of power in Asia, vowing the United States was "here to stay" in the Indo-Pacific region.
Macron Urges Asia, Europe to Unite to Resist ‘Spheres of Coercion’
By Damon Wake and Francesco Fontemaggi French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday urged Europe and Asia to build a new alliance to hold off big powers seeking to build "spheres of coercion", in a swipe at China and Russia.
No Top Defense Officials in China Delegation at Key Summit
No top Chinese defense officials will attend a key regional summit in Singapore this week, Beijing said Thursday, despite ongoing tensions with the United States. The Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia's top international defense forum, kicks off in the city-state on Friday.
Beijing Slams Video Posted by U.S. Embassy in Singapore About South China Sea
China slammed a video shared on social media by the U.S. embassy in Singapore, which criticizes Beijing's South China Sea claims, comparing them to the actions of an inconsiderate neighbor who intrudes on others' space. The roughly 90-second video shows a ...
Chinese EV BYD Dethroned Toyota in Singapore 2025 Car Sales, Signals EV Shift
Chinese electric vehicle giant BYD has become the best-selling car brand in Singapore for the first time, surpassing Toyota and far outselling Tesla in the first four months of 2025, according to newly released government data. The milestone marks a significant ...
Chinese EV BYD Dethroned Toyota in Singapore 2025 Car Sales, Signals EV Shift
Chinese electric vehicle giant BYD has become the best-selling car brand in Singapore for the first time, surpassing Toyota and far outselling Tesla in the first four months of 2025, according to newly released government data. The milestone marks a significant ...
Vietnam’s FDI Surges 40% on Reinvestments Amid Global Tensions
Amid intensifying global U.S.-China tensions and global efforts to diversify supply chains, Vietnam is consolidating its position as a key Southeast Asian industrial hub. In the first quarter of this year, Vietnam's FDI is surging 40% on reinvestments. According to ...
Vietnam’s FDI Surges 40% on Reinvestments Amid Global Tensions
Amid intensifying global U.S.-China tensions and global efforts to diversify supply chains, Vietnam is consolidating its position as a key Southeast Asian industrial hub. In the first quarter of this year, Vietnam's FDI is surging 40% on reinvestments. According to ...
China’s Trade With Southeast Asia Jumps in First Quarter of the Year
Chinese trade with the ten countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) increased to $233 billion in the first three months of the year, a 7.1% increase compared to the same period in 2024. The region now accounts for ...
Singapore Downgrades Growth Forecast Amid U.S.-China Trade War
Singapore on Monday downgraded its economic growth forecast for this year, the government said, as the trade-dependent nation braces for the effects of sweeping U.S. tariffs and the U.S.-China trade war. Although President Donald Trump imposed the baseline 10 percent tariffs ...
China and the New World Trade War
U.S. President Donald Trump insisted on Monday that he will not back down from his massive tariff campaign that he launched last week and even promised to impose even higher duties on Chinese goods in response to Beijing's 34% tariff retaliation ...
Singapore Probes Final Destination of Possible Nvidia Chip Servers
Servers that may contain AI-powering Nvidia chips shipped from the United States to Singapore ended up in Malaysia, but their actual final destination remains a mystery, the city-state's interior minister said Monday. The United States is cracking down on exports of ...
Asian Markets Climb on China Fiscal Hopes Against Trump Tariffs
Asian markets climbed on Monday in hopes that China would announce a huge stimulus package to help offset U.S. President Donald Trump's looming tariffs on Chinese goods. Investors were also watching for any last-ditch deals to ward off the levies hitting ...
Singapore’s Defense Chief: To Asia, the U.S. Has Shifted from Liberator to ‘Landlord Seeking Rent‘
Singapore’s defense chief, Ng Eng Hen, highlighted Asia’s shifting view of the U.S. during a roundtable at the Munich Security Conference. Eng Hen said that once seen as a force of “moral legitimacy” following World War II, Asia now views the ...
[WEEK IN REVIEW] Who Gets to Tell the China-Africa Story?
Chinese engagement in Africa is seen by many people as a classic example of neo-colonial exploitation. China, according to the narrative, is merely the latest in a long line of predatory foreigners seeking to drain the continent's vast reserves of oil, ...
BYD Tops Singapore’s Car Market in 2024, Surpassing Toyota as EV Sales Surge
BYD (Build Your Dreams) has become Singapore’s top-selling car brand, surpassing Toyota for the first time in 2024. The Chinese electric vehicle (EV) giant registered 6,191 cars, a 337% increase from 2023, when it sold 1,416 cars.
Malaysia’s Anwar Says Don’t Single out China in Sea Tensions
There will always be border disputes in Asia, and China should not be singled out because of tensions in the South China Sea, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said Wednesday. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Anwar said ...
Asian Ride-Hailing Grab and Chinese EV BYD to Deploy 50,000 EVs Across SE Asia
In a move that could reshape Southeast Asia’s electric vehicle (EV) landscape, ride-hailing giant Grab has teamed up with China’s BYD to deploy up to 50,000 EVs across six countries. The partnership, announced on Wednesday, targets the financial and logistical ...
Thailand’s Record Investment Boom: How China and Tech are Shaping the Future
Thailand reached a significant milestone in 2024, attracting $33 billion in investment applications, the highest in a decade. China played a key role in this growth, supporting 810 projects worth $5 billion and strengthening its presence in Southeast Asia’s evolving economy.
‘Once-in-a-Lifetime’: Fans Revel China-India Chess Showdown
By Martin Abbugao In a large room separated from spectators by a one-way glass panel, two chess combatants Wednesday faced each other in a silent battle of cunning, calculation and patience. World chess champion Ding ...
Singapore State Investor Temasek Focuses on U.S. After China ‘Underperformance’
Singapore state investor Temasek, one of the world's top funds, said on Tuesday it would prioritize investments in the United States after the "underperformance" of Chinese capital markets over the past year. Temasek said its net portfolio value rose 1.8% in ...
U.S., Chinese Defense Chiefs Meet in Singapore
By Jing Xuan Teng and Martin Abbugao The U.S. and Chinese defense chiefs held rare direct talks in Singapore on Friday, offering hopes for more military dialogue that could help prevent disputes over Taiwan and other flashpoint issues from spinning out ...
Singapore FM Warns of ‘Bleak’ Future if Conflict Erupts in South China Sea
Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan issued a sober warning in Manila Tuesday about the devastating consequences that a war in the South China Sea between the Philippines and China would have on Southeast Asia and across Asia. “The moment you have ...
Survey: China Passes the U.S. for the First Time as the Preferred Partner of Choice in Southeast Asia
For the first time, more people in Southeast Asia prefer that their countries align with China over the U.S., according to findings of an influential new survey published by ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore. China's favorability rating in the region jumped more ...
The First Made-in-China Jetliner Arrives in Vietnam
China's first domestically-made commercial airliner arrived in Vietnam on Tuesday, its second overseas stop after it made its public debut at the Singapore Air Show last weekend. The plane's manufacturer, COMAC, is eying Southeast Asia as a primary market for the ...
Southeast Asia: Best Place To Celebrate Chinese New Year Outside China
Chinese migration is one of the oldest and largest movements of people in the world. The latest tide lasted for over 300 years, which intensified in the sixteenth century and again in the nineteenth century due to the Opium Wars. As a result, there are about ...
China’s Huawei Sets up Commodities Hedging Team in Singapore, Hong Kong
Huawei Technologies (HWT.UL) is building a commodities team to hedge and trade metals and energy products, according to the Chinese technology company's job posts on professional social network LinkedIn. The company was looking for a commodity trader and a commodity market ...
Why Boosting Africa-Southeast Asian Trade & Investment Makes So Much Sense
There's been a surge of activity in Africa-ASEAN relations in recent weeks highlighted by Indonesian President Joko Widodo's recent African tour and the Singapore-Africa Business Forum that took place earlier this month in the Lion City. Closer trade and investment ties ...
Q&A: China’s Transsion’s Little-Known Phone Repair Business Thrives in Global South, Offers Clues To Sustainable Hardware Services
Carlcare, a post-sales repair service provider, is a little-known unit of Transsion Holdings, a Chinese maker of mobile phones beloved across Africa, India, and Southeast Asia. Like its parent company, Carlcare’s business is thriving in developing countries thanks to its adept localizing; in this case, tapping into ...
Why African Immigrants Won’t Help Offset China’s Declining Population
China, like other large northeast Asian industrial economies, is facing a rapidly declining population that threatens its long-term economic growth. The fundamental problem is that there aren't enough younger working-age people to support a ballooning population of retirees who often require ...
China’s Southeast Asian Diplomatic Blitz
This is a busy time for diplomacy between China and its Southeast Asian neighbors. Senior Chinese officials are holding numerous meetings with their counterparts in the region. Following the recently-concluded visits from Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Singaporean Prime Minister ...
What China’s Past Tells Us About the Future of its Foreign Policy in Asia
Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim both wrapped up state visits to China last week and their discussions with President Xi Jinping revealed some fascinating linkages between contemporary Chinese foreign policy objectives and Beijing's historical ...
WEEK IN REVIEW: Brazilian President Expected to Reschedule China Visit to April 11th
Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong embarked on a week-long trip to China on Monday that will include meetings with both President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang. The visit marks the Singaporean leader's first visit to China since the COVID-19 pandemic. (STRAITS TIMES)
Malaysian PM Anwar Ibrahim Arrives in Beijing for Talks With President Xi Jinping
Malaysian leader Anwar Ibrahim arrived in Beijing on Wednesday on his first visit to the Chinese capital as Prime Minister. Ibrahim, along with a large delegation of ministers and corporate leaders, have a full schedule of high-level talks and deal signings ...
Singapore PM Meets With Guangdong’s Top CPC Official on His Way to Beijing
Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong made a brief stopover in China's southern Guandong province on Wednesday during his six-day visit to China. Lee paid a courtesy call to the province's top official, Communist Party Secretary Huang Kunming, to discuss deeper economic ...
U.S. Plans to Bypass China’s Cobalt Dominance with Arizona Plant
The Singapore-based commodities trader Trafigura announced it will partner with the U.S. battery metals processing firm EVelution to build a battery-grade cobalt sulfate processing facility in Arizona. The facility is projected to produce 7,000 tons of cobalt sulfate by 2027, an estimated 40% of ...
WEEK IN REVIEW: Singapore Prime Minister Said There Is No Consensus yet About China Joining the Trans-Pacific Trade Pact CPTPP
Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Long said there is no consensus yet about China joining the trans-Pacific trade pact CPTPP. Although Prime Minister Lee said on Tuesday that he personally believes China would be able to meet the bloc's admission requirements, Australian Trade Minister Don Farrell is on ...
Xi’s Agenda Troubled by Miscalculations: Top Singapore Diplomat
As strategic competition between China and the United States intensifies, Beijing enters its momentous 20th Party Congress (kicking off on Sunday) saddled with three big foreign policy mistakes. So argues Singapore's former top diplomat, Ambassador Bilahari Kausikan, in an entertaining interview with ...
A View of the Belt and Road from Southeast Asia
Western press coverage of China's Belt and Road Initiative is frequently filtered through anxieties about shifts in the West's own international influence. So it's very interesting to watch this new documentary about the BRI by Singapore's state-owned Channel News Asia. It gives equal time to the opportunities ...
Indonesia’s Decision to Block Exports of Unprocessed Nickel is Paying Off Big Time
Indonesia is the envy of commodity-exporting countries throughout the Global South, who have long tried to find a way to force foreign mining companies to process raw materials domestically prior to export. Unfortunately for most countries, particularly in Africa, a combination ...
Two Southeast Asian States Stand Out in Pew’s Latest U.S. vs. China Public Opinion Survey
Singapore and Malaysia stood apart in Pew Research's latest public opinion poll that surveyed 25,000 respondents in 19 middle and high-income countries about their perceptions of China and the United States. While public views of China in other wealthy countries were solidly negative, two-thirds ...
After Two Years of Laying Low, Xi Emerges With a Flurry of Presidential Diplomacy on the Olympic Sidelines
Chinese President Xi Jinping emerged from nearly two years of relative diplomatic isolation on Friday for a flurry of one-on-one meetings with some of the 30 heads of state in town for the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Beijing. ...
Singapore Study Provokes New Concerns Over Chinese-made Vaccines’ Ability to Combat Omicron Variant
The Singaporean Health Minister, Ong Ye Kung, revealed new findings this week on the efficacy of different COVID-19 vaccines that are once again sparking concerns over the use of Chinese-made vaccines that are predominant in developing countries. In a study of ...
A Taliban security personnel operating an anti-aircraft gun keeps watch for Pakistani airstrikes near the Torkham border crossing between Afghanistan and Pakistan in the Nangarhar province on February 27, 2026 following overnight cross-border fighting between the two countries. Photo by AIMAL ZAHIR / AFP
Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif declared "open war" against Afghanistan on Friday amid a surge of fighting between the two South Asian neighbors. Pakistan said it's retaliating against Afghanistan for a series of attacks, including a suicide bombing in early February that killed at least 36 people ...
