ARTICLES

26th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum (ARF) in Bangkok on August 2, 2019

3 Dec 2020

Southeast Asia in 2055: Greater Collective Responsibility?

Tim Huxley

Thinking 35 years ahead, Southeast Asia could see two scenarios: one where it has continued to depend on extra-regional powers but China has demonstrated greater staying power; and the other where the region takes greater responsibility for its own security.

2 Dec 2020

ASEAN’s Productive Year

Huong Le Thu

ASEAN has faced growing strategic rivalry in the Indo-Pacific, as well as unprecedented health and economic crises this year. While it might have struggled to retain its ability to bring the region together, Vietnam’s artful chairmanship has ensured that ASEAN has, for now, retained its ability to effectively channel regional cooperation.

ASEAN RCEP Vietnam

South Korean protestors hold up "Yankee go home" placards

2 Dec 2020

Yankee Come Back – But We Will Cope, With or Without You

William Choong

America is in a weaker position in Southeast Asia now than four years ago and regional states are adjusting to this reality.

ASEAN China-U.S. Relations Southeast Asia U.S.

25 Nov 2020

Mind the Gap: Biden’s Opportunity to Reengage Southeast Asia

Zack Cooper

The Biden administration will need to get both its words and actions right to rebuild trust in the USA in Southeast Asia.

ASEAN Southeast Asia U.S. U.S. Foreign Policy

16 Nov 2020

Affirming ASEAN’s East Asian Centrality

Malcolm Cook

The signing of the 15-member Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership is significant, and not only due to the fact that the trade deal will cover a third of the world’s population and GDP. The RCEP also affirms the power of the East Asia concept and ASEAN’s centrality within it.

ASEAN ASEAN Summit RCEP

12 Oct 2020

Act East or Acting? India and ASEAN

Hoang Thi Ha

China is taking action to deepen economic engagement with Southeast Asia. India, despite Prime Minister Modi’s Act East rhetoric, is not.

ASEAN India

21 Sep 2020

ASEAN and the South China Sea Code of Conduct: Raising the Aegis of International Law

Hoang Thi Ha

With Vietnam at the helm of ASEAN this year, the grouping has wielded the aegis of international law to ensure that international and regional concerns about the South China Sea are respected in Code of Conduct negotiations.

ASEAN South China Sea

18 Sep 2020

A Review of the ASEAN Charter: In the Fullness of Time

Sharon Seah

A long-running review of the ASEAN Charter may yet bear fruit – or it may not.

ASEAN

1 Sep 2020

Digital Payments Can Accelerate Master Plan for ASEAN Connectivity

Melinda Martinus

Digital payment systems have proliferated across Southeast Asia, thanks to various platforms provided by banks, ride-hailing apps and fintech firms. For such payments to truly take off, the region needs to work on facilitating cross-border transactions.

ASEAN ASEAN Connectivity ASEAN Master Plan

1 Sep 2020

Non-tariff Barriers to Agri-trade in ASEAN: Taking Down Walls

Sithanonxay Suvannaphakdy

A bid to boost market access for agri-food trade in ASEAN is in jeopardy. Non-tariff measures (NTMs) – policy measures other than tariffs that can potentially hinder trade – have emerged as one of the key obstacles to agri-food trade, namely fisheries and agro-based products. NTMs increase trade costs for producers, importers and exporters through information, compliance and procedural...

Agri-Trade ASEAN Non-Tariff Barriers