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Q&A: Reading China’s Military Parade and Southeast Asia’s Optics Right

In Asia’s high-context politics, the stage often speaks as loudly as the words. Welcoming ceremonies, traditional dances, marathon speeches, China's military parade, and photo ops are never just pomp. They are signals to multiple audiences. At home, they convey respect and access. 

Malaysia Opens First EV Plant with Backing from China’s Geely

Malaysia’s Proton launched its first electric vehicle assembly plant on Thursday with backing from China’s Zhejiang Geely Holding Group. The country aims to position itself as a regional hub for EV production. The facility is located in the Automotive High-Tech ...

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 ...

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 ...

China in Focus as ASEAN Pushes Back on U.S. Tariffs at Kuala Lumpur Summit

By Jan Hennop and Isabelle Leong Southeast Asian leaders met Monday in Kuala Lumpur for their first summit since U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs upended global economic norms, with the trade-dependent nations expected to issue a joint message of deep concern. ...

Analysis from Cobus van Staden

Revealing Reactions to China’s Festival of Optics

In terms of geopolitical optics, this week was nothing short of a banquet. It served up at least two sets of images that seem to crystallize our historical moment and that will live on in the Wikipedia of history as shorthand for where the world was in 2025.
One is the waves of uncannily synchronized soldiers and a bewildering array of high-tech weaponry gliding down Beijing’s Chang’an Avenue. The ...

U.S. Tariff Tensions Test Southeast Asian Leaders at Regional Summit

By Jan Hennop in Kuala Lumpur and Martin Abbugao in Singapore Southeast Asian leaders will express deep concern over U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff blitz when they meet at a summit Monday, warning that the unilateral move poses huge challenges to ...

The Inaugural ASEAN-GCC-China Summit: Economic Aspirations Amid Strategic Ambiguity

BY Sufian Jusoh and Joanne Lin The ASEAN-GCC-China Economic Summit, set to take place in Kuala Lumpur on 27 May, under the Malaysian Chairmanship of ASEAN, marks a significant diplomatic first. It will bring together leaders from ASEAN, ...

ASEAN Eyes Closer China Trade Ties Ahead of Summit

Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said ahead of a high-stakes ASEAN summit set to open Monday in Kuala Lumpur, Southeast Asia’s 10-nation bloc is called to deepen trade ties with China and other partners as it faces sweeping U.S. tariffs. Prime ...

ASEAN Faces a Tougher Balancing Act in U.S. and China Trade Relations

By Kristina Fong Siew Leng The first 100 days of the Trump 2.0 presidency has been a rocky ride. On the trade front, countries continue to navigate trade negotiations with the U.S. in the current 90-day pause granted on the imposition ...

ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement Will Be Finalized Soon: PM

Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on Monday that talks to upgrade a free trade agreement (FTA) between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will be finalized soon. Malaysia currently chairs the regional grouping. The 3.0 version of the ...

China’s Xi Meets Malaysian Leaders, Vows to ‘Safeguard’ Asia Allies

By Isabelle Leong President Xi Jinping on Wednesday urged greater cooperation with Malaysia in the face of "shocks to the global order", during the Chinese leader's regional tour against the backdrop of a U.S. trade war.

Malaysia’s PM Takes Veiled Swipe at U.S. ‘Economic Tribalism’ While Meeting Xi Jinping

Malaysian PM Anwar Ibrahim warned against "economic tribalism" in a veiled swing to Washington, praising Xi Jinping's conduct as a model of steadiness. Anwar delivered an emphatic endorsement of China’s global role on Wednesday in a speech brimming with ...
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