ARTICLES

29 Oct 2025

47th ASEAN Summit: Steadiness Amid Shifting Tides

Joanne Lin|Melinda Martinus|Kristina Fong Siew Leng

Joanne Lin, Melinda Martinus and Kristina Fong examine the outcomes of the 47th ASEAN Summit and assess Malaysia’s achievement as the ASEAN Chair.

27 Oct 2025

Advancing RCEP Integration: Forging a More Resilient and Inclusive Economic Future

Tham Siew Yean

The potential of RCEP can only be unlocked when micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises, which constitute the backbone of the ASEAN economies, can navigate and utilise its provisions with ease.

ASEAN ASEAN Summit Economy RCEP

21 Oct 2025

Securing the ASEAN Economy in an Over-securitised World

Julia Tijaja|Muhammad Habib Abiyan Dzakwan|Rania Teguh

Julia Tijaja, Muhammad Habib Abiyan Dzakwan, and Rania Teguh analyse how ASEAN can navigate the growing overlap between economic and security concerns while preserving regional resilience.

ASEAN ASEANFocus Global Value Chains Trade

17 Oct 2025

Energy Trade in Southeast Asia: The Need to Address Resource Nationalism

Mirza Sadaqat Huda

Resource nationalism can impede energy cooperation in Southeast Asia. ASEAN can use a mix of carrots and sticks to deal with it.

ASEAN Energy Trade

14 Oct 2025

Caught in the Sino-US Crossfire: ASEAN Needs to Act as One

Maria Monica Wihardja|Dennis Trinidad

The economic competition between China and the US portends both opportunities and challenges for Southeast Asia.

ASEAN China-U.S. Relations Trade

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.

ASEAN ASEAN-India Relations ASEANFocus India

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