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People at the Merlion statue in Singapore. The city state has emerged top among Southeast Asians who chose an Asean member as their preferred relocation destination, according to a survey. Photo: AFP
Asean

Asian Angle | Where Southeast Asians really want to live, work and travel

While Thailand leads for tourism, Singapore and Japan are the top draws for work, revealing uneven regional soft power dynamics.

Ageing society

Opinion | East Asia’s population challenge isn’t just about raising birth rates

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Banking & finance

Macroscope | Why bond yields are going up everywhere

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Malaysia

Asian Angle | Malaysia’s 3R catch-all risks turning every grievance into a threat

Conflating local governance concerns with racial and religious slights threatens pluralism and stifles legitimate public policy debate.

Thousands of protesters rally near a mosque in Kuala Lumpur to celebrate the Malaysian government’s withdrawal of plans to ratify a UN anti-discrimination convention in 2018. Photo: AP
Thousands of protesters rally near a mosque in Kuala Lumpur to celebrate the Malaysian government’s withdrawal of plans to ratify a UN anti-discrimination convention in 2018. Photo: AP
Asean

Opinion | Why the Philippines walks a delicate balance as Asean chair

Manila’s success at the helm will depend on its ability to make the Association of Southeast Asian Nations more operational than before.

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Middle East

Outside In | How Trump’s war on Iran is jeopardising Asia’s remittance lifeline

In Gulf economies, lost migrant jobs and remittances risk plunging millions across Asia into crisis.

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Diplomacy

Opinion | Heroics will only turn middle power dreams into nightmares

Successful middle powers do not defy systemic pressures but recognise structural change early enough to avoid becoming trapped.

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Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on January 20. He called for a “third path” and middle power resistance, receiving a standing ovation. Photo: EPA
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on January 20. He called for a “third path” and middle power resistance, receiving a standing ovation. Photo: EPA
Diplomacy

Opinion | The 4 trilateral frameworks defining northeast Asia future

As great-power bargaining between the US, China and Russia collides with three regional triangles, finding a balance will be key to managing competition.

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Asia housing and property

The View | The 2 main sources of resilience in Asian real estate

The shock absorbers of supply constraints, a flight to quality, the search for safe havens and domestic demand provide a robust base.

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Ageing society

Asian Angle | Asia’s silver dividend can offset ageing’s economic toll

Research shows demographic decline hits productivity, not workforce size. Keeping older workers active through technology is the solution.

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A street food hawker waits for customers by a roadside in Bangkok, Thailand, on May 12. Photo: EPA
US-China relations

Asian Angle | What the China-US stability pact means for Southeast Asia

The real test of Beijing and Washington’s adoption of ‘constructive strategic stability’ will be how words translate into action.

US President Donald Trump (left) shakes hand with China’s Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on May 14. Photo: Reuters
US President Donald Trump (left) shakes hand with China’s Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on May 14. Photo: Reuters
China-India relations

Outside In | India and China are cautiously getting closer, thanks to Trump

The US trade war has prompted India to rethink China. While relations might be short of a breakthrough, deeper engagement is here to stay.

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Bonds

Macroscope | Bond market sell-off raises stakes for Asia’s tech-driven economies

Stakes are high for Asia’s tech-driven economies amid a global sell-off in bond markets that signals investor fears.

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War and conflict

Opinion | Malacca Strait could be the next hinge point if Asia isn’t careful

Straits like Hormuz and Malacca are pressure points where commerce and power converge. What once defined success now defines vulnerability.

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A motorcyclist passes by liquefied natural gas tankers in the Malacca Strait off the coast of Malaysia on April 15. Photo: EPA
Asia housing and property

The View | Japan no longer Asia’s only rental housing market attracting investors

While Japan remains the most developed market, property investors are finding new opportunities elsewhere in the region.

Tokyo Skytree is pictured between residential buildings on February 20, 2025. Photo: AFP
Tokyo Skytree is pictured between residential buildings on February 20, 2025. Photo: AFP
China-Asean relations

Asian Angle | China offers Southeast Asia clear advantages in nuclear power

With its experience in exporting nuclear reactors, China can offer long-term energy security and technological upgrades.

Mainland China

Being Chinese | How to deal with this ‘very Chinese time’ in Western lives

The question is not whether outsiders are getting China or Chinese culture right, but what we choose to do with their attention.

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Diplomacy

Opinion | North Korea is not Iran. The same pressure tactics won’t work

North Korea’s nuclear reality and the overlapping interests of the US, China and Russia make tension reduction a prerequisite.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
Illustration: Craig Stephens
Climate change

Opinion | How bad water management is turning up the heat on South Asia

Regional governments should stop blaming shortages on the failure of treaties, diverting attention from much-needed internal reforms.

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Diplomacy

Opinion | Just because Brics isn’t a coherent bloc doesn’t mean it’s impotent

The grouping has a future, not as a binding structure demanding policy alignment but as a tool for members to enhance leverage and maximise options.

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US-China relations

Opinion | China shouldn’t view a tired US as signifying a Europe ready to pivot

As fractures within the US’ network of alliances deepen, China’s strategic window opens a little wider, with some key caveats.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
China-Philippines relations

Asian Angle | 3 reasons Marcos’ South China Sea energy gambit won’t work

The Philippine president has mooted the idea of joint oil and gas development. China is willing, but history shows this road leads nowhere.

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An aerial drone photo shows China’s Deep Sea No 1 energy station in the South China Sea off Hainan province in April last year. Photo: China National Offshore Oil Corporation/Xinhua
An aerial drone photo shows China’s Deep Sea No 1 energy station in the South China Sea off Hainan province in April last year. Photo: China National Offshore Oil Corporation/Xinhua
Japan

Macroscope | How Japan’s new economic model could inspire others to ‘look east’

As Tokyo seeks to boost its economic security, policymakers are tapping into household wealth and assets to advance industrial ambitions.

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United States

Opinion | Thanks to Trump, the gloves are off. There may be no new global order

With the UN, IMF and World Bank mired in old power structures, universities could be the platform to shape how the global future unfolds.

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Asean

Opinion | Why China’s warning over military blocs is finding listeners in Asia

For regional governments, strategy is about preserving options. China has read this instinct carefully and given it a diplomatic vocabulary.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
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