Cambodia’s Warming Ties with Washington Reflect Continuity, Not Realignment
Taylor Coplen
Maintaining flexibility in its diplomacy towards two big powers is the clear pragmatic option for Cambodia in today’s geopolitical climate.

Taylor Coplen
Maintaining flexibility in its diplomacy towards two big powers is the clear pragmatic option for Cambodia in today’s geopolitical climate.
Archanun Kohpaiboon|Ratchanon Ketramrit
The Trump administration has threatened to levy an additional 40 per cent reciprocal tariffs on transshipments to the US. The logic for doing this is not so clear cut.
Derek Grossman
The Trump administration’s recent overtures to Southeast Asia had some silver linings. But Washington risks long-term harm to its regional reputation with its transactionalism.
Jayant Menon
Amid the gloom brought about by the US’ reciprocal tariffs, there appears to be a glimmer of hope for Asian exporters.
Pongkwan Sawasdipakdi
The Thai government is focused on dealing with the repercussions of the US tariffs on the country. It needs to craft a broader foreign policy narrative.
Angel Hsu|Silvia Landa
The US government has withdrawn globally from climate and clean energy engagement, undermining prospects for clean energy and climate collaboration with Southeast Asia. On the flipside, China’s historic climate-related finance in the region has far outpaced that of the US, particularly in infrastructure-heavy projects. While the loss of US climate finance may not be detrimental in the near-term, it does undermine the region’s support of environmental governance, and civil society and institutional capacity to pursue its climate efforts.
Stephen Olson
A decades-long governance evolution in the US has vested the Executive Branch with tremendous power when it comes to trade.
Lisandro E. Claudio|Aries A. Arugay
American conservatism and evangelicalism have found their way into the Philippines.
John Lee
China is best positioned to achieve mass implementation of ‘embodied AI’, i.e., the integration of AI with robotics. This provides significant opportunities for Southeast Asian economies keen to develop real-world applications of AI. However, how far countries will go in adopting China’s AI technology stack will be shaped by US-China strategic competition, which is increasingly being played out in the AI and robotics sectors.
Deasy Pane
Despite the US’ Liberation Day tariffs, exports from many countries continue to be sustained. In particular, China’s exports to Southeast Asia continue to grow, thanks to market orientation and state subsidies.