Nguyen Khac Giang|Dien Nguyen An Luong
As George Orwell noted in his seminal 1972 essay, "Unpopular ideas can be silenced, and inconvenient facts kept dark, without the need for any official ban". As our authors argue, Vietnam’s state plan to reform its media could create more problems than it solves.
Peter T. C. Chang
China’s soft power comes in various guises. Fan Bingbing’s appointment as Melaka’s tourism ambassador represents a new, private-sector driven form that will likely grow.
Pham Vu Thieu Quang
Cambodia’s Funan Techo Canal, which aims to connect Phnom Penh to the Gulf of Thailand, has sparked regional concerns, particularly from Vietnam, due to potential environmental impacts and geopolitical implications.
Lance Wu
Lance Wu investigates the prevalence of cyber scams in the region and the challenges in responding to them while protecting ASEAN’s digital transformation.
JC Punongbayan
The education system in the Philippines is floundering. It is time to implement some urgent reforms, such as addressing the spending gap and decentralisation.
Jared Bissinger
This article reviews the complex drivers of post-coup business performance and the factors that have contributed to business survival under Myanmar’s State Administrative Council. Not all of the reasons stem from having close links with the military regime.
Archanun Kohpaiboon|Prasert Vijithnopparat
Apart from tariffs and import bans, there are more reasonable options to address the surge of Chinese imports into Thailand.
Max Lane
The new president has been in power nearly two months but many questions remain unresolved.
Outlook 2025
Kristina Fong Siew Leng
As ASEAN’s chair next year, Malaysia is well-placed to pilot ASEAN through economic turbulence, particularly at a time of intense geopolitical flux.
Julie de los Reyes|Katrina Navallo
Julie de los Reyes and Katrina Navallo suggest several strategies to make carbon trading between Japan and ASEAN effective.