ARTICLES

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.

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

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

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

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

1 Aug 2025

Rooted in Community: Bridging Gaps in Mangrove and Peatland Conservation

Gauri Sasitharan

Gauri Sasitharan argues that, in the absence of strong legal protections for mangrove and peatland conservation in ASEAN, grassroots communities are emerging as the region’s most important stewards of these ecosystems.

ASEAN ASEANFocus Environment Sustainable Development

9 Jul 2025

Eating Chinese Soft Power

Isabelle Chua

Isabelle Chua analyses the rapid expansion of Chinese food brands, highlighting how this trend has become an informal yet influential form of Chinese soft power in Southeast Asia.

ASEAN ASEAN-China Relations ASEANFocus China F&B

24 Jun 2025

Roundtable on the Future of Global Trade

On 2 April 2025, the Trump 2.0 administration announced sweeping reciprocal tariffs aimed at eliminating the US trade deficit with individual countries – in a move hailed by US President Donald Trump as “Liberation Day”. Southeast Asian countries have not been spared, with Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, and Myanmar among the hardest hit. Some countries, including China, have responded with retaliatory measures, raising the risk of further escalation from the US. While a temporary 90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs offers a brief respite, this period is set to expire in early July.

ASEAN ASEAN-US Relations ASEANFocus Economic Development US