Deasy Pane|Siwage Dharma Negara
As trade policy takes a volatile turn under the US leader, ASEAN can seize the moment to diversify global partnerships and assert a stronger voice in the international trade order.
Surachanee Sriyai
The repercussions of the US’ funding freeze on foreign assistance resonate deeply in Southeast Asia, including in one of the countries where press freedom and independent reportage are most threatened.
Phan Xuan Dung|Nguyen Khac Giang
China has embarked on a charm offensive in Southeast Asia in the wake of the US’ “Liberation Day” tariffs. This is unlikely to allay concerns about its regional behaviour.
Daljit Singh
Interpreting the US’ intentions for East and Southeast Asia, given the uncertainty unleashed by the present American leadership, is challenging but necessary. At stake is nothing less than the region’s strategic balance.
Hoang Thi Ha
Vietnam has been navigating the potential trade headwinds from the second Trump administration with pragmatism and opportunism, aligning with Trump’s transactional approach. The focus has been on fostering corporate partnerships, framing Vietnam-US economic ties as win-win instead of virtue-signalling on free trade.
Le Hong Hiep
If all goes well, Vietnam’s bold administrative reform to trim its local and provincial bureaucracy and governments could unleash more power in the country’s socioeconomic engines and secure its leader’s legacy. Teething problems can be expected, nonetheless.
Paul Teng
Southeast Asia could use this disruption in food trade to strengthen collaboration, reduce dependency, and create a truly integrated regional market.
Pieter E. Stek
China has led the way in providing 'open weight' large language models (LLMs) such as DeepSeek-R1. This means that governments and companies in Southeast Asia can access them more easily and cheaply.
Amalina Anuar
Sarawak is embarking on a broad effort to reclaim full autonomy over its oil and gas sector from Putrajaya. But the risks might outweigh the benefits.
Hoang Thi Ha
Hanoi’s welcome of the Chinese president amid the global tariff war is a harbinger of steadfast commitment to serving Vietnam’s national interests and development, rather than a picking of sides.