Indonesia under President Prabowo Subianto appears to have entered a post-Islamist arrangement, with no major Islamist party standing in open opposition. But this convergence rests on state coercion ...

India and Nepal are upgrading their bilateral partnership, with a landmark power trade agreement, cross-border transmission upgrades and petroleum pipeline expansion marking a new phase in the ...

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's visit to Australia in late April 2026 coincides with the eve of the 50th anniversary of the Basic Treaty of Friendship and Co-operation. Both countries face an ...

ASEAN has long framed trade diversification as a strategic priority, but in practice its economic ties have become more regionally concentrated, with engagement with the Gulf Cooperation Council ...

The final days of 2025 saw Taiwan surrounded by Chinese warships, aircraft and coast guard vessels in what the Chinese Ministry of Defence described as a serious warning to ‘Taiwan independence’ ...

2026 will see renewed cabinet-led reform of Japan’s Labor Standards Act, featuring provisions for ‘diverse work styles’ and self-discretionary work hours. Proponents say employers and workers alike ...

US tariff policy towards Southeast Asia remains uncertain against the backdrop of ongoing US–China tensions. While headline ‘reciprocal’ tariffs are largely uniform across the region, effective rates ...

With Western unity on globalisation and democratic norms fraying, Asia can no longer rely on developed-world leadership for global economic governance. ASEAN has preserved space for cooperation ...

Economic discontent erupted in protests across Indonesia in late August 2025. The trigger was the proposal to give generous housing allowances to members of parliament, but unrest had been bubbling ...

The concentration of rare earth magnet supply chains in China has exposed vulnerabilities in global high-tech and defence industries, amplified by Chinese export curbs imposed in response to US ...

The Japanese upper house election last week offered voters an opportunity to embrace stability or deliver change. The results landed somewhere in between, and the indecisive result will pose a ...

Metro Manila has long been notorious for its traffic jams. In 2023, the Philippine capital earned the unenviable distinction of having the world’s longest average travel time — 25.5 minutes just to ...