Politics

ASEAN's headquarters in Jakarta. This year's meetings of foreign ministers take place at a critical juncture as unrest in Myanmar threatens the bloc's unity and tensions in the South China Sea rise. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Myanmar Crisis

ASEAN ministers seek Myanmar breakthrough with 'troika' model

Laos, Indonesia, Malaysia to hold 'informal consultation' as regional talks begin

24 July 2024
Meth seizures in Thailand like this one have become commonplace as more drugs from Myanmar flow into and through the country.
Crime

Myanmar crisis pushes Asian meth seizures to new highs

Flow of drugs increases as armed rebels use sales to fund war efforts

23 July 2024
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. delivers his third State of the Nation address on July 22. (Photo by Ezra Acayan/Getty Images)
Politics

Marcos says South China Sea claim isn't 'imaginary,' urges diplomacy

Philippine president also orders online casinos closed in State of the Nation

22 July 2024
To Lam's rise to lead the Communist Party of Vietnam follows a 20-month period of political turmoil.
Opinion

Why To Lam's pragmatic authoritarianism will be good for Vietnam

Nguyen Phu Trong had been the last of a dying breed of Marxist ideologues

22 July 2024
Vietnam's Bamboo Airways Chairman Trinh Van Quyet applauds near an Airbus A321 aircraft at a ceremony at Noi Bai airport in Hanoi on Jan. 16, 2019. 
Crime

Vietnam $28m stock pump-and-dump trial opens

FLC property and airline founder accused of 'sky-high' price manipulation

22 July 2024
A Taiwanese fishing boat sets sail to Taiping Island, Taiwan's sole holding in the disputed Spratly Islands, in protest against a tribunal's ruling on the South China Sea on July 20, 2016. 
Opinion

The tragic cost of Taiwan's silence on its South China Sea claims

Pressure from Washington undermines Taiwan's sovereignty and self-advocacy

22 July 2024
Chinese Coast Guard vessels fire water cannons toward a Philippine resupply vessel on its way to a mission at Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea during March.
South China Sea

China, Philippines reach deal seeking to end South China Sea clashes

Manila says Beijing dropped inspection demand for supply ships to Second Thomas Shoal

22 July 2024
The RTS Link, seen here in an artist rendering, will have the capacity to handle 10,000 passengers per hour in each direction. (Singapore Land Transport Authority)
International relations

Singapore and Malaysia bolster ties with rail, special economic zone

Commuter line to ease border congestion while 3,500 sq. km area to promote investment

21 July 2024
Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the government's full annual budget on July 23. It is expected to focus heavily on welfare programs and infrastructure.
Your Week in Asia

India budget, ASEAN foreign ministers meetings, SK Hynix earnings

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

21 July 2024
Vice President Sara Duterte, left, resigned from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s cabinet last month and has made it clear she won't attend this year's State of the Nation Address. (Source photos by Reuters and Getty Images)
Opinion

Marcos-Duterte war is a battle for the soul of Philippine democracy

Annual speech gives president chance to rally elite, pin down rival family

21 July 2024
Vietnam's President Nguyen Phu Trong greets media at a news conferance in Hanoi, Feb. 1, 2021.
Politics

Vietnam to hold state funeral for party chief Trong on July 26

Two-day national mourning for late Nguyen Phu Trong set on Thursday and Friday

20 July 2024
China's President Xi Jinping, left, and Vietnam's Communist Party chief Nguyen Phu Trong shake hands at the Central Communist Party office in Hanoi in November 2015.
International relations

Xi mourns Vietnam Communist Party chief at embassy: Xinhua

Chinese president among foreign dignitaries Nguyen Phu Trong was close to

20 July 2024
Vietnamese Communist Party leader Nguyen Phu Trong speaks at a news conference in Hanoi in 2021.
Obituaries

Vietnam Communist party boss dies at 80; succession in balance

Trong kept lid on graft, navigated U.S.-China rivalry as country grew

19 July 2024
Taiwan's Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung speaks to foreign media in Taipei on July 19. (Photo by Lauly Li)
International relations

Taiwan to go global with 'New Southbound Fund,' foreign minister says

Top diplomat seeks cooperative tech investment and a 'democracy supply chain'

19 July 2024
Vietnamese President To Lam, right, has taken over the duties of Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong. (Vietnam News Agency)
Politics

Vietnam succession in focus as president stands in for party chief

Former public security chief To Lam gains more clout

19 July 2024
New Indonesian Vice Finance Minister Thomas Djiwandono, a nephew of President-elect Prabowo Subianto, attends a swearing-in ceremony on July 18. (Photo by Ismi Damayanti)
Politics

Jokowi appoints Prabowo's nephew as Indonesia vice finance minister

Incoming president's family likely to gain prominent roles in new administration

18 July 2024
Vietnamese Communist Party General-Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, left, and Vietnamese President To Lam. (Source photos by AP)
Politics

Vietnam President To Lam takes over party leader Trong's duties

80-year-old top government official to focus on treatment, official statement says

18 July 2024
Thai Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa meets with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to pave the way for Thailand to join the BRICS grouping. (Photo from Maris Sangiampongsa's X)
International relations

Thailand attempts to strike a balance with BRICS and OECD bids

New foreign minister makes first visits to China, India and Saudi Arabia

18 July 2024
Myanmar has faced economic turmoil since the military takeover in February 2021 and subsequent civil unrest. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar's corporate crackdown grows beyond Japan retailer Aeon

Inflation and capital outflows push regime to tighten grip on economy

18 July 2024
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Chinese President Xi Jinping will try to de-escalate their South China Sea disputes by making it easier for their foreign ministries and coast guards to talk.
South China Sea

Philippines and China bet on hotlines to avoid South China Sea clashes

Talks focus on opening three lines of communications between the nations

17 July 2024
Chinese and Russian warships conduct maritime drills in July. (China PLA Navy)
South China Sea

China and Russia extend military cooperation to South China Sea

Activities follow increased drills among Japan, U.S. and Philippines

17 July 2024
Indonesian and U.S. flags flying alongside in Jakarta. Indonesia is rich in nickel, copper and bauxite, and keen to promote itself as a production hub for batteries and electric vehicles.
International relations

U.S. approaches Indonesia to join Mineral Security Partnership

EU and 14 countries already collaborating on critical mineral supply chains

15 July 2024
Vietnam has this year detected 660 African swine fever outbreaks nationwide, compared to 208 outbreaks during the same period last year.
Agriculture

African swine fever outbreaks spreading in Vietnam, government says

Culling so far this year fives time that of a year ago, official document shows

15 July 2024
Vietnam's President To Lam, right, and Russia's President Vladimir Putin attend a reception at the Hanoi Opera House on June 20. In recent months Vietnam have also hosted Chinese leader Xi Jinping and U.S. President Joe Biden.
Opinion

Vietnam is the master of neutrality in a polarized world

Hanoi's 'bamboo diplomacy' seen in hosting of Chinese, U.S. and Russian leaders

15 July 2024
Members of the China Coast Guard approach Philippine troops on a resupply mission in the Second Thomas Shoal in the disputed South China Sea on June 17.
Opinion

Philippines and Vietnam's South China Sea strategies have failed

Manila's 'transparency' and Hanoi's 'opacity' are outdated approaches to deter China

15 July 2024