Politics

Malaysians in traditional dress hold flags of ASEAN ​member countries. The Southeast Asia's club of nations, ASEAN, will turn 50 on Aug. 8 and already it appears to be grappling with midlife crisis.
Economy

ASEAN's awkward midlife crisis

Regional bloc needs closer integration to withstand challenges

7 August 2017
Greater solidarity is needed if ASEAN is to fulfill its potential.
Politics

China looms ever larger over ASEAN as US steps back

Realities of Trump era confront 50-year-old bloc

7 August 2017
A photo taken by the Philippine Air Force in April shows China's steady construction of buildings and airstrips on the Spratly Islands.
Politics

ASEAN alarmed by China's militarized South China Sea islands

Southeast Asian bloc quiet on need for legally binding code of conduct

7 August 2017
The flag of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, on the far right, stands with those of the bloc's 10 members.
Politics

For ASEAN, collective security is key to future

As the group marks its 50th anniversary, security concerns loom as a deeply divisive issue

6 August 2017
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, second from left, is escorted by Zhao Jianhua, left, China's ambassador to the Philippines, upon arriving in Pasay City, suburban Manila, on August 5.
Politics

Vietnam defies China's maritime aggression

Rest of ASEAN shrugs its shoulders at South China Sea issue

6 August 2017
ASEAN Foreign Ministers take part in a meeting of the 50th Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Manila, Philippines August 5.
Politics

ASEAN firmly condemns North Korean missile tests

Diplomats express 'grave concerns' over Pyongyang's provocations

5 August 2017
Thousands of pagodas and stupas are spread across the plain of Bagan near the great Irrawaddy river. (Photo by Yuichi Nitta)
International relations

Cambodia, Myanmar discuss joint promotion of Angkor, Bagan

Direct flights between two ancient cities would benefit Myanmar

5 August 2017
A delegate at a meeting of the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights, during the grouping’s foreign ministers’ summit in Myanmar in August 2014.
Economy

How ASEAN can stay relevant in next 50 years

Leaders must develop a unified and coherent strategy

5 August 2017
Personnel prepare flags before a press briefing for the first meeting of the opening session of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers meeting at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on August 29, 2013. (Getty Images)
Asean at 50

To survive another 50 years, ASEAN must learn from its past

Internal divisions and big power interventions are likely to persist

4 August 2017
The North Korean flag, center, flies near the site of the upcoming ASEAN meetings in Manila on Thursday.
International relations

ASEAN shows little sign of closing ranks on North Korea

Kim Jong Nam killing, Chinese clout dampen bloc's interest

4 August 2017
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3 August 2017
Set Aung speaks to reporters in October 2014, while serving as deputy governor of Myanmar's central bank.
Economy

Suu Kyi government brings back Myanmar's 'Mr. SEZ'

Set Aung, the last president's special economic zone architect, to push reforms

2 August 2017
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte gestures during his second State of the Nation Address at the House of Representatives in Quezon city, north of Manila, on July 24.
Politics

Duterte's moves could hasten regional 'Pax Sinica'

Beijing benefits amid deepening security crises in Philippines

1 August 2017
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Economy

Toyota supply chain is Exhibit A of deepening ASEAN integration

Carmaker capitalizes on falling trade barriers with plants across the bloc

29 July 2017
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Economy

At 50, ASEAN is reaping the rewards of economic integration

Falling trade barriers are boosting growth and changing how the bloc does business

27 July 2017
Amitav Acharya
Economy

ASEAN must stay out of great-power tussles in Asia

Amid rising China-US tensions, Southeast Asia should focus on its home ground

27 July 2017
Massive traffic jams like this are a daily occurrence in Jakarta. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Economy

ASEAN is looking good, but now looking up to China and India

Even with solid growth through 2050, region will still be dwarfed by two giants

27 July 2017
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Economy

Then and now: ASEAN by the numbers

The bloc has grown steadily richer over the years. Can it continue its climb?

27 July 2017
Rohingya Muslims, like these villagers in Rakhine State, face strict government surveillance and often violence. (Photo by Yuichi Nitta)
Politics

Myanmar's civilian leaders soft-pedal Rohingya abuses

The military keeps up the pressure on minority Muslims, drawing UN criticism

27 July 2017
Leaders attend the signing ceremony for the ASEAN Community, which includes the ASEAN Economic Community, in Kuala Lumpur in November 2015.
Economy

Ever-adaptable ASEAN confronts new tests

After a fruitful 50 years, the bloc is divided by uneven wealth and China's rise

27 July 2017
Surin Pitsuwan
Economy

ASEAN needs more cohesion to stand on its own

Bloc's ex-chief sees inequality, reliance on external trade as vulnerabilities

27 July 2017
Rohingya Muslims, like these villagers in Rakhine State, face strict government surveillance and often violence. (Photo by Yuichi Nitta)
Politics

Oppression of Muslim minority continues in Myanmar

Villagers recount abuses by military to foreign media

25 July 2017
Myanmar workers wait before leaving Thailand at Mae Sot Immigration office in Tak province on July 3.
International relations

Prospects fade for ASEAN migrant worker deal

New arrests, penalties suggest region's governments in no mood to compromise

22 July 2017
The cabinet committee room where Gen. Aung San and his colleagues were assassinated in 1947. (Photo by Fiona MacGregor)
Politics

Yangon's home of murdered dreams and fragile hopes

Thousands tour building where nation's founding father was gunned down

22 July 2017
Yanghee Lee, U.N. special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar, speaks to reporters at a Yangon hotel on July 21.
Politics

Myanmar's meddling in Rohingya probe 'unacceptable': UN envoy

Government has refused to allow international fact-finding mission

22 July 2017