Malaysia’s Push for the ASEAN-GCC-China Summit: Connecting Past and Present
Kuik Cheng-Chwee
Malaysia’s initiative to establish the ASEAN-GCC-China summit underscores a long-standing desire to connect past and present.
Articles
Rethinking GenAI Visuals in Government Communications
Brandon Tan Jun Wen
Governments are turning to generative AI to assist in public communications, sparking backlash from the public over the quality and intent of such visuals. A better approach would be to pair GenAI with human expertise.
Global Inequality and Digital Vulnerability: Unpacking Online Scams and Human Trafficking
Surachanee Sriyai
Online scams and digital-enabled human trafficking have escalated into complex transnational operations. An estimated 220,000 people were coerced into scam compounds in Cambodia and Myanmar in 2023 alone. A holistic, people-centred strategy is urgently needed. Solutions must include economic inclusion, social safety nets, digital literacy, and international cooperation to tackle root vulnerabilities.
The Missing Link in Philippine Infrastructure: Local Governments
Camille Bismonte
To realise its ambitions to build better infrastructure across the country, the Philippines needs to empower government units at the local level.
Will Vietnam’s Tariff Deal with the US Make Its Exports More Competitive?
Juthathip Jongwanich|Archanun Kohpaiboon
On the surface, it appears that Vietnam’s securing of lower tariffs from the US could make it more competitive than its regional rivals. A deeper examination shows that this might not be the case.
Manufacturing Malaysia’s Future: Hope or Hype?
Liew Chin Tong
Fulcrum editor Lee Hwok Aun and Malaysia Studies Programme Coordinator Francis Hutchinson speak with Liew Chin Tong, Malaysia’s Deputy Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry. Their conversation spans Malaysia’s challenges in engineering a second industrial take-off, implementing reforms, and navigating global uncertainties.
Rubio’s Reassurances to ASEAN Ring Hollow
Joanne Lin
US Secretary of State came to Malaysia with well-crafted words about the importance of ASEAN, but his rhetoric is undermined by Washington’s protectionist trade policies.
A ‘Reverse Nixon’ Attempt by Trump? A Chinese View
Qian Yuming
In 1972, US President Nixon forged ties with China to counter the Soviet Union; will – or can – President Trump do the reverse today by aligning with Russia against China?
Caught in the Crossfire: Vietnam and the Chinese Transshipment Dilemma
Le Hong Hiep
Vietnam is caught in the middle as the US seeks to clamp down on China using it as a backdoor into the American market.
Myanmar’s Opposition to Timor-Leste’s ASEAN Membership
Max Lane
ASEAN faces an intriguing test of its own decision-making procedures, as consensus might be elusive given the apparent obstruction of one member to the full accession of its eleventh member.