ARTICLES

8 Oct 2025

India’s Rising Profile in Southeast Asia and the Test of Strategic Relevance

Joanne Lin

Joanne Lin examines why improved perceptions of India in Southeast Asia remain fragile, and what it will take to turn momentum into meaningful cooperation.

1 Oct 2025

The Gender Dimension in ASEAN–Canada Relations: A Beacon of Hope

Mutiara Indriani|Bernadette P. Resurrección|Cynthia Couette

ASEAN and Canada should seize the present opportunity to champion democracy and gender equity — and to follow through with meaningful action.

ASEAN Canada Gender Equality

26 Sep 2025

From Defensive to Dynamic: Vietnam’s Thirty-Year Journey in ASEAN

Hoang Thi Ha|Pham Thi Phuong Thao

This Long Read reviews the historical significance of Vietnam’s ASEAN accession and examines how Vietnam’s approach to ASEAN has evolved in tandem with its national development, shifting security outlook, and institutional maturation over the past three decades.

ASEAN Vietnam Vietnamese Politics

25 Sep 2025

Operationalising the AEC Strategic Plan 2026-2030: From Aspirations to Real Action

Denis Hew

Denis Hew analyses the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) Strategic Plan 2026-2030, focusing on its ambitious goals and how they can be expanded, while highlighting concerns over its actionability and the broader implications on ASEAN.

ASEAN ASEAN Connectivity ASEANFocus Economic Development

19 Sep 2025

Outlook for Agriculture and ASEAN’s Role in Southeast Asia’s Food Security

Elyssa Kaur Ludher|Paul Teng

Southeast Asia’s agriculture sector’s growth rates are not keeping pace with population and national economic growth due to chronic underinvestment. Southeast Asian nations need to prioritise actions that help ensure its food security, especially amid increasing challenges from climate change.

ASEAN Climate Change Food Security

17 Sep 2025

Enhancing ASEAN’s Intra-Regional Trade Need Not Require Bells and Whistles

Kristina Fong Siew Leng

Kristina Fong discusses how steps to strengthen ASEAN's intra-regional trade need not require re-inventing the wheel but rather concerted efforts in practical measures to reduce trade facilitation frictions.

ASEAN ASEAN Connectivity Asean Trade ASEANFocus Trade

16 Sep 2025

ASEAN-ROK Security Cooperation in a Dual Contingency

Ju Hyung Kim

There is a possibility of a dual contingency in the Taiwan Strait and the Korean Peninsula. ASEAN and the Republic of Korea need to consider modes of cooperation in such difficult times.

ASEAN South Korea Taiwan

11 Sep 2025

Why Advancing Intra-ASEAN Student Mobility Can Help Boost ASEAN’s Integration Journey

Melinda Martinus

Melinda Martinus contends that increasing intra-ASEAN student mobility could unlock economic opportunities, strengthen human capital, and foster a shared regional identity, provided the bloc can overcome structural barriers.

ASEAN ASEAN Connectivity ASEANFocus Education

4 Sep 2025

The Mango Flavour: India and ASEAN After a Decade of the Act East Policy

Gurjit Singh

ASEANFocus+ is delighted to feature Ambassador Gurjit Singh, author of The Mango Flavour: India and ASEAN After a Decade of the Act East Policy (ISEAS Publishing, 2025). Drawing on his decades of experience as a diplomat, Ambassador Singh reflects on ten years of India's Act East Policy and assesses whether it has fulfilled its goal of deepening engagement with Southeast Asia.

ASEAN ASEAN-India Relations ASEANFocus India

29 Aug 2025

In Search of Effective and Peaceful ASEAN Dispute Settlement Mechanisms

Him Raksmey

Him Raksmey argues that the effectiveness of ASEAN’s dispute settlement mechanisms depends on the comfort level of each member state vis-à-vis one another and ASEAN as a regional institution.

ASEAN ASEAN Unity ASEANFocus