Myanmar's military leader Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, right, talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Naypyitaw, Myanmar, on Aug. 14. (Myanmar Military Information Team via AP)
Opinion

What does China really want from Myanmar?

The fall of Lashio marks a turning point for Beijing's pro-regime strategy

16 August 2024
Paetongtarn Shinawatra is set to become Thailand's 31st prime minister.
Turbulent Thailand

Paetongtarn Shinawatra rises to become Thailand's second female PM

37-year-old novice leader under shadow of father Thaksin's influence

16 August 2024
Vietnamese President To Lam attends a press briefing at the Presidential Palace in Hanoi on June 20. (Pool photo via Reuters)
International relations

Vietnam's top leader to visit China from Sunday

To Lam meeting with Xi Jinping to strengthen Communist nations' ties

15 August 2024
Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the leader of Thailand's ruling Pheu Thai Party and a daughter of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, speaks to reporters during a press conference in Bangkok on Aug. 15. (Photo by Adryel Talamantes)
Turbulent Thailand

Thai ruling coalition backs Paetongtarn Shinawatra for prime minister

Conservative allies unite behind Thaksin's daughter in bid for stability

15 August 2024
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, left, meets with Myanmar's military chief Min Aung Hlaing in Naypyitaw on Aug. 14.
Myanmar Crisis

China's Wang Yi urges war-torn Myanmar to seek 'political reconciliation'

Top envoy meets regime leader Min Aung Hlaing, calls for 'resuming democratic transition'

15 August 2024
Thailand's Constitutional Court on Wednesday ousted Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin from his post, citing a serious ethics violation. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Ken Kobayashi and Getty Images)
Opinion

Thai PM Srettha is out. Was this constitutional overreach?

Court blurs line between legal adjudication and political maneuvering

15 August 2024
Dismissed Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin speaks to reporters after the Constitutional Court's verdict on Aug. 14.
Politics

Thai Constitutional Court removes PM Srettha Thavisin from office

House of Representatives to select new prime minister on Friday

14 August 2024
China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi is expected to hold talks with Myanmar's military regime officials on Wednesday. 
International relations

China's top envoy to meet military regime officials in Myanmar

Wang Yi's trip to region comes as wary Beijing pushes Naypyitaw to restore stability

14 August 2024
The new Techo Takhmao International Airport, under construction outside Phnom Penh on March 12. (Photo by Hiroki Endo)
Transportation

Cambodia resolves Phnom Penh airport tensions with new rights grant

France's Vinci to operate capital's new Chinese-built international gateway

14 August 2024
Workers construct a pedestrian walkway near the State Palace and the eagle-shaped Garuda Palace in Indonesia's new capital Nusantara on Borneo.
Business trends

Indonesia's new capital Nusantara attracts increased investor interest

Prabowo asserts support for project amid private sector doubts

14 August 2024
Amid surging labor demand in an AI boom, Vietnam aims to train at least 50,000 chip engineers and designers by 2030 as industry giants look to offset severe staff shortages in their home markets. (Illustration by Yoshiko Kawano)
The Big Story

Vietnam turns chip sector magnet with affordable, quality talent pool

US, Taiwan, South Korean players beat path to Vietnam though boom strains resources

14 August 2024
The employee of Japanese retail chain Aeon was released immediately after sentencing. (Nikkei)
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar's release of Aeon exec signals struggle to retain investment

Military government wants to appear tough on inflation while propping up economy

14 August 2024
Philippine Coast Guard personnel, right, salute a Vietnam Coast Guard vessel during their joint drills conducted in Manila Bay on Aug. 9. (Photo by Ramon Royandoyan)
South China Sea

Philippines-Vietnam drills show ASEAN a solution to China

Big step as partners cooperate in South China Sea without presence of U.S. or Japan

13 August 2024
An Aug. 5 speech by Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, Myanmar's military ruler, was released with Chinese subtitles. (Screenshot of video by Myanmar's military)
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar's ethnic armed groups widen grip, threatening stability

Ethnic Chinese forces capture key base as persecution of Rohingya continues

13 August 2024
Thai authorities are purchasing blackchin tilapia at above market prices in an effort to control the population. (Thailand Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives)
Fisheries

Thailand grapples with invasive tilapia from Africa as CP deflects blame

Conglomerate brought in nonnative fish for research, pledges cooperation

13 August 2024
Indonesian President Joko Widodo (center, in white shirt) leads a plenary cabinet meeting at the Garuda Palace in Nusantara on Aug. 12. The president is in a hurry to move capital functions out of Jakarta before he leaves office in October.
12 August 2024
A China Coast Guard ship near the disputed Scarborough Shoal in 2017. China has been growing more assertive in the South China Sea, with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos calling its latest actions "unjustified, illegal and reckless."
South China Sea

Philippines to file protest with China over South China Sea air incident

China's PLA says Philippine aircraft illegally intruded despite warnings

12 August 2024
Foreign ministers of Southeast Asian countries pose for a photo in Vientiane on July 25. ASEAN now faces significant centrifugal forces amid the reshaping of global orders. 
Comment

OECD or BRICS? Key members' differences might weaken ASEAN unity

Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand all pursue different 'diversification' strategies

12 August 2024
India's Nita Ambani attends the inauguration of the Indian House at the 2024 Olympics on July 27. India is among the hopefuls already jockeying to host the 2036 Games.
Sports

Asian cities and nations make their case to host the 2036 Olympics

India, Indonesia, Istanbul, Qatar and others are already touting their strengths

12 August 2024
Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, who was recommended by Bangladeshi student leaders as the head of the interim government, speaks during a press briefing as he arrives at the Hazarat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka on Aug. 8.
Opinion

After Hasina, Bangladesh needs a foreign policy reset

Interim government under Yunus is off to a promising start but must tackle entrenched interests

12 August 2024
Groups of Rohingya cross the Naf River near Palong Khali, Bangladesh, in 2017.
Myanmar Crisis

Mass civilian casualties trigger accusations in Myanmar's Rakhine state

At least 150 Rohingya may have been killed in artillery and drone attack

11 August 2024
Taliban fighters outside the Interior Ministry in Kabul in August 2021, after the militant group retook power in Afghanistan.
Your Week in Asia

Taliban takeover anniversary, Japan GDP, Greater China earnings

Your weekly lineup of Asia's biggest business and political events

11 August 2024
People's Party leader Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut, second from left, and other members pose for a photo during a press conference in Bangkok on Aug. 9. (Photo by Adryel Talamantes)
Politics

Thailand's disbanded Move Forward reborn as People's Party

New group becomes largest opposition in parliament with over 140 lawmakers

11 August 2024
A Chinese fighter jet flies during a patrol over the South China Sea in this undated photo released Aug. 6, 2016, by China's Xinhua News Agency.
South China Sea

Philippine military condemns China air force for 'dangerous' acts in South China Sea

PLA aircraft interfered with lawful flight operations, armed forces chief says

10 August 2024
China's ACM Research is among the chipmaking equipment companies considering participating in the joint Malaysian-Chinese expo. (Photo by Shunsuke Tabeta)
Semiconductors

Malaysia and China deepen chip cooperation with joint expo

Kuala Lumpur seeks foreign investment to upgrade its 'Silicon Valley'

8 August 2024