Chheang Vannarith
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen's visit to Myanmar has sparked controversy. The Cambodian view is that fostering a conducive environment for dialogue with the military junta would pave the way for the implementation of ASEAN's five-point consensus.
Sharon Seah
By visiting Myanmar, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has demonstrated some derring-do in trying to resolve the crisis in the country. That said, it could be argued that the trip has not moved the needle much.
Joanne Lin|Moe Thuzar
Hun Sen's visit to Myanmar has provoked some controversy. As ASEAN chair, it behoves Cambodia to operationalise the grouping's five-point consensus on Myanmar.
Dien Nguyen An Luong
The Vietnamese government can rightly be proud of the great strides made in its vaccine rollout, but needs to do better in addressing the economic fallout of the pandemic.
Sithanonxay Suvannaphakdy
Digitalising paperless trade across ASEAN will help the grouping strengthen supply chains amid the Covid-19 pandemic. But ASEAN has a long way to go.
Policymakers’ View
Teo Chee Hean
In an increasingly fractious world, Singapore and like-minded countries can reclaim the middle ground and build greater consensus and cooperation. Speaking at ISEAS’ 25th Regional Outlook Forum today, Teo Chee Hean, Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security, spoke of how this can be achieved. The full text of the speech at the online forum is below.
Htet Myet Min Tun|Moe Thuzar
The National Unity Consultative Council has built on earlier models to map out a vision for Myanmar’s federal future. A key challenge would be to gain the trust of ethnic armed groups and political parties towards Bamar-dominated processes.
Ian Storey
Last month Myanmar became the first Southeast Asian country to take delivery of a made-in-China submarine. In doing so, China has upped the stakes in its competition with Russia to supply Myanmar with a new fleet of submarines. Price and geopolitics will decide which country wins.
Truong-Minh Vu|Tram Nguyen
Vietnam’s water diplomacy since November 2017 reflects the country’s concerns over the Mekong Delta Region’s sustainable development prospects. Treating Mekong issues as a national security matter, Vietnam has mobilised resources for the development of the region and promoted regional cooperation towards a sustainable Mekong River Basin.
A'an Suryana|Norshahril Saat
A recent public spat between President Joko Widodo and a prominent cleric underscores how the former is facing challenges in reining in conservatives in his inner circle.