The success of a Chinese role-playing game featuring a famous cultural icon from China has made headway in Indonesia, highlighting how these symbols can resonate internationally.
Author Archives: blackbox
Has China Changed its Policy Towards Chinese Overseas?
In 2024, senior Chinese diplomat Liu Jianchao made a clear distinction between Huaqiao and Huaren, emphasising that they possess different political loyalties. Huaren’s political loyalty, he noted, is tied only to the country of citizenship. In substance, however, Beijing’s policy of blurring the distinction between Huaqiao and Huaren remains unchanged.
Tug of Wealth: Malaysian States Seek a Fairer Deal in Oil and Gas
A potential legal tussle between Sarawak and Petronas has implications for Malaysia’s approach to development and for the country as a whole.
So Near Yet So Far: The Philippines’ Lower-Middle-Income Country Trap
Despite claims of strong growth by economic managers, the Philippines remains stuck in a lower-middle-income trap, lagging behind its ASEAN peers.
Middle East Conflicts will Impact Security in Asia
Washington’s involvement in wars in the Middle East will intensify anti-US sentiment in Southeast Asia, and divert US bandwidth and military resources from the Indo-Pacific.
China’s Increased Investment in Vietnam: Opportunities and Challenges
Chinese investments in Vietnam have surged. But they bring not only opportunities but also challenges for the latter.
Trump 2.0 Presidency: What Is in Store for Southeast Asia?
Southeast Asia is unlikely to be a priority in Trump’s foreign policy agenda, but the region will need to strategise its response to the President-elect’s trade and security stances, and his transactional approach.
Does the Arakan Army have the Capacity to Govern Rakhine?
The Arakan Army (AA) in Myanmar appears to be making enough headway in Rakhine to make it a plausible rival authority someday, not just in the context of warfighting but also administration.
Naquib Al-Attas’ Royal Professorship: Whither an Inclusive ‘Madani’ Malaysia?
The implications of a rare Royal Professorship award on Malaysia’s civil society and government could be significant, not least because the awardee has a strong following within some parts of the country’s intelligentsia.
An Accommodative Transitional 2025 Budget for Indonesia
Indonesia’s 2025 budget is a negotiated outcome accommodating both Joko Widodo’s legacy and some of Prabowo Subianto’s priority programmes. While the formation of this “transition” budget was driven by the Jokowi administration, the new administration may still revise the budget in accordance with Prabowo’s policy priorities.