It’s fair to say that ASEAN is finding itself in between a rock and a hard place. With the trade war between the US and China seeing no sign of concluding, the region’s export-oriented
Originally published in TheEdge Malaysia, 19th – 25th August 2019 edition. I have recently been working in the Greater Bay Area (GBA), evaluating how the concept of the “eco-civilisation” – an objective of the
Originally published in TheEdge Malaysia, 29 July – 4 August 2019 edition. The controversy over the rare earths industry in Malaysia seems to have fallen down a rabbit hole of simplistic questions chasing simplistic
The people of Indonesia exercised their democratic rights when they participated in the general presidential and legislative elections on 17 April 2019. The presidential election, in particular, has been seen as arguably the most
Originally published in TheEdge Malaysia, 20th – 26th February 2019 edition. Countries do not have perpetual friends or perpetual enemies – only perpetual interests. That was as true in Lord Palmerston’s time as it
Originally published in TheEdge Malaysia, 18th – 24th February 2019 edition. The Chinese economy is not about to implode despite the alarming media headlines of late. Things are not that bad … but they
Originally published in TheEdge Malaysia, 19th – 25th November 2018 edition. The “Fourth Industrial Revolution” or IR4.0 was a central theme in the World Economic Forum on ASEAN last September. But if ASEAN is
Originally published in TheEdge Malaysia, 16-22 July 2018 The festering hostilities between China and the United States have finally boiled over. What’s next is not so much a trade war or even a cold
Originally published in the Australian Financial Review on 18 March 2018. Over the past week Australia has been building engagement with the neighbours. The ASEAN-Australia Special Summit was the climax, but the program of
Originally published in The Edge Malaysia, 19 – 25 March 2018 edition. ASEAN-EU relations are of a special quality in international relations as they bring together two of the most advanced regional integration mechanisms