Unfinished Business: Why Thailand’s Tariff Talks Are a Diplomatic Test
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.

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The US government has withdrawn globally from climate and clean energy engagement, undermining prospects for clean energy and climate collaboration with Southeast Asia.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.
Ian Storey
Given its ageing fleet of fighter jets, Malaysia needs to get a plane soon. But its choices are limited.
Stephen Olson
With the tariff regime announced on 31 July, Trump has upended the global trade system that has benefited Southeast Asia tremendously.
Ryan Hass
US President Trump and the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement behind him will overlap uneasily with Southeast Asia’s foreign policy orientation.
Maria Monica Wihardja|Siwage Dharma Negara
A fast deal is not necessarily a good deal if Indonesia strikes an unequal trade bargain to avoid higher tariffs.