ARTICLES

Motorbikes and cars pass through a city intersection in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. (Photo by MICHAEL NGUYEN / NURPHOTO / NURPHOTO VIA AFP)

5 Jun 2026

Southeast Asia’s High-Income Aspirants Should Focus on Quality of Growth

Vinod Thomas

The vast minority of middle-income countries graduate to high-income status. Past strategies that prioritised physical capital must give way to a quality of growth approach premised on investment in human and natural capital.

14 May 2026

ASEAN’s Collective Resilience Agenda: Can It Deliver Under Pressure?

Joanne Lin|Kristina Fong Siew Leng|Melinda Martinus

Joanne Lin, Kristina Fong and Melinda Martinus argue that as global crises become increasingly interconnected, ASEAN faces mounting pressure to strengthen energy security, maritime cooperation, and crisis coordination before the next disruption strikes.

ASEAN ASEAN Summit ASEANFocus Energy Supply Chains

13 May 2026

Nuclear Energy Renaissance in Southeast Asia: A Role for China?

Zha Daojiong

As Southeast Asian countries ponder the use of nuclear power, China looks set to be a key player.

China Energy Nuclear Power Renewable Energy

A China Coast Guard ship is seen as residents ride a motorcycle on Thitu Island in the South China Sea on 21 February 2026. A Philippine senator called for deepening defence relationships and "continuous" pushback against China's claims in the South China Sea while visiting one of Manila's tiny possessions in the disputed waterway. (Photo by JAM STA ROSA / AFP)

5 May 2026

Sino-Philippine Energy Cooperation in the South China Sea: A Chimera

Ian Storey

Faced with an energy crisis at home, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos has broached the idea of joint energy cooperation with China. The idea will not fly, for a variety of reasons.

China Energy Philippine South China Sea

17 Apr 2026

The Iran War Shows Why Indonesia Must Accelerate Its Energy Transition

Peh Ko Hsu|Siwage Dharma Negara

Indonesia seeks to shield society from inflation while managing the fiscal deficit. The immediate policy responses must not detract from the country’s paramount transition toward renewable energy.

Economy Energy Indonesia Renewable Energy

A woman walks past a giant billboard reading 'The Strait of Hormuz remains closed' at Revolution Square in Tehran on 12 April 2026. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP)

15 Apr 2026

Passage Through Hormuz in a Time of War and Peace

Nilufer Oral

Many legal experts have used the aegis of international law to challenge Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The reality, however, is that the application of international law to the situation is more nuanced.

ASEAN Economy Energy Law US

15 Apr 2026

The War Against Iran and the Fragility of Southeast Asia’s Energy Responses

Elbinsar Purba

The US-Israeli war against Iran has underscored Southeast Asia’s vulnerability when it comes to energy supplies. But regional countries need to think beyond stopgap measures.

ASEAN Energy

14 Apr 2026

The Energy Crisis is Hitting Myanmar Hard

Jared Bissinger

Rising fuel, fertiliser and logistics prices are squeezing the Myanmar economy — a dire state compounded by conflict and political risks.

Energy Myanmar Myanmar Economy Myanmar Politics

A man fills diesel in a lorry at a Petroleum Sarawak Berhad (PETROS) station, an oil and gas exploration firm established and owned by the government of Sarawak, in Kuching in the Malaysian state of Sarawak on Borneo island on 20 June 2025 (Photo by Mohd RASFAN / AFP)

9 Apr 2026

More Than a Legal Battle: The Political Stakes of the Petronas-Sarawak Dispute

Amalina Anuar

Malaysia’s highest court will decide on the dispute between Petronas and the state of Sarawak. But a legal ruling will not obviate the need to manage the political consequences of the dispute.

Energy Malaysia Malaysian Politics