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China Hosts Informal Thailand-Cambodia Peace Talks in Shanghai

China hosted informal trilateral talks in Shanghai on Wednesday involving Cambodian and Thai representatives, aiming to reinforce the fragile ceasefire agreed upon earlier this week following deadly clashes along their disputed border. The discussions were facilitated by China's Vice-Minister for ...

Indonesia Avoids U.S. Tariffs Deadline Pending Deal: Minister

Indonesia will avoid the incoming 19 percent U.S. tariff hike on exports scheduled for August 1, as negotiations over the underlying bilateral trade agreement remain ongoing, said Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto on Monday. Speaking on Monday, Airlangga ...

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 ...

Thailand-Cambodia Clash Draws China, U.S. Into Mediation Push

A 24-hour burst of rockets and artillery on the Thailand-Cambodia border conflict has done more than kill civilians and send 100,000 people fleeing; it has set off a diplomatic sprint that pits China’s offer of “impartial” mediation against a U.S. treaty ally’s insistence on going it alone. ...

U.S.–Philippines Trade Agreement Terms Still Under Negotiation

Negotiations between the United States and the Philippines over the details of a new trade agreement remain ongoing, Philippine officials confirmed Thursday, even as both sides finalize the structure of a 19 percent tariffs on Philippine exports, slightly down from the previously proposed 20 percent.

Analysis from Cobus van Staden

Plugging into African Agency

After several years of declining funding, the African end of the Belt and Road Initiative seems to be roaring back. The newest Griffith University/Green Development Finance Center data on the Belt and Road Initiative shows that engagement with Africa jumped by 395%, while a few big projects boosted engagement in Nigeria alone more than twelvefold.
These shifts indicate a window of opportunity for African electrification. 60% of Africans still ...

U.S.–Indonesia Trade Deal Unveiled with China in the Crosshairs

The United States and Indonesia on Tuesday unveiled a joint announcement on a reciprocal trade framework that, though never mentioning China by name, echoes its presence at every turn. While the U.S.-Indonesia trade deal slashes tariffs significantly, it introduces strict supply chain provisions, measures widely viewed ...

BYD Tops Southeast Asia EV Sales, Tesla Drops in Hong Kong

BYD overtakes Tesla in Hong Kong and dominates Indonesia’s EV market in the first half of 2025. With tariffs rising in the West, China’s electric vehicle giants are rapidly expanding across Southeast Asia. In the first half of 2025, ...

Vietnam, China Launch First Joint Army Drill Amid U.S. Tension

China and Vietnam are conducting their first-ever joint ground forces training this month in the Guangxi Zhuang, a border area in southern China. The drill is seen as signaling a deliberate expansion of military engagement between the two Communist-led neighbors. ...

Western Aid Cuts Cede Ground to China in Southeast Asia: Study

China is poised to expand its influence over Southeast Asia's development as the Trump administration and other Western donors reduce aid, a study by an Australian think tank said on Sunday. The region is in an "uncertain moment", facing cuts in ...

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 ...

Indonesia Elevates Security Concerns in ASEAN–China Talks

Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono’s recent remarks at the ASEAN–China Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Kuala Lumpur mark a welcome and necessary development in regional diplomacy. Amid long-standing discussions dominated by trade and economic cooperation, his decision to highlight transnational crime and maritime security brings long-overdue attention to issues ...

Q&A: Indonesia’s Ex-Chief Negotiator Warns ASEAN of Trump’s U.S. “Tariff Trap”

The U.S. tariffs regime is exposing fractures in Southeast Asia’s trade posture. When Indonesia’s former chief trade negotiator, Iman Pambagyo, looks at the region’s response to the latest wave of U.S. tariffs, his message is clear: Southeast Asia cannot afford to keep falling for Trump’s tariff trap. ...
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