Commentaries | FULCRUM

How the Lianyungang Forum Packages China’s Public-Security Diplomacy

The Lianyungang Forum, which increasingly draws Southeast Asian participation, seeks to validate China’s state-centric approach to public-security governance and diffuse Chinese public-security technologies.

The Return of the Trump Tariffs: How Will Southeast Asian Firms Respond?

The Trump administration’s dogged determination to reintroduce tariffs on Southeast Asia should spur long-run measures to diversify markets and reduce reliance on the US.

Distrusting Beijing, Encountering ‘Everyday China’ in the Philippines

Younger Filipinos seem to have more nuanced attitudes towards China and encounter its soft power in different ways than their parents’ generation, but this does not mean a sea change has occurred.

Regional Haze Casts a Pall on ASEAN’s Influence

The return of smoke haze underscores a sobering reality: while ASEAN has policies designed to combat it, the problem continues to occur.

The Diplomatic Limits of Cambodia’s Engagement with Myanmar

Myanmar is using bilateral diplomacy to establish a semblance of normality with ASEAN member states, even as the bloc’s collective restrictions remain formally in place.

For Southeast Asia, the AI Race Is About Access, Not Supremacy

The region’s stake in AI is not simply which great power builds the most capable model. The key is to ensure that AI remains affordable, locally relevant, continuously available and politically accessible.