With every tweet, Donald Trump seems to be eroding America’s leadership position within the rubrics of the liberal international order. His latest tirade that “trade wars are good, and easy to win” has more than sullied America’s position as the bastion of free trade in the world. To be fair, his poise towards economic protectionism was not unexpected.

The European Union (EU) and ASEAN celebrated 40 years of diplomatic relations in 2017, with trade characterising the strongest dimension of their relationship thus far. As ASEAN chair, Singapore this year hosted the sixth ASEAN-EU Business Summit, which coincided with the 24th ASEAN Economic Ministers’ (AEM) Retreat in Singapore from 1-3 March, 2018. At the ASEAN-EU Business Summit, opening remarks were delivered by Donald Kanak, Chairman of the EU-ASEAN Business Council, H.E.

Singapore’s government is imposing new airport taxes starting from July 2018. The hike in taxes is drawing the ire of passengers who now have to pay in advance for the future development of Changi airport. According to a report by Changi Airport Group (CAG), the Passenger Service Charge (PSC) and Passenger Security Service Charge (PSSC) will be combined into the Passenger Service and Security Fee (PSSF) starting from 1 July, 2018.

Thailand is set to develop more smart cities following their pilot project involving three cities. Deputy Prime Minister, Prajin Jungtong said in a speech in November 2017 that the aim is to have 100 smart cities within two decades to improve the quality of life in urban centres. The three cities involved in the pilot smart cities programme are Phuket, Chiang Mai and Khon Kaen.

Islam has had firm roots in Southeast Asian history – from the Arabian who traded at the ports of Melaka, the Sufi mystics who spread their influence in Aceh and now, through developments in Islamic finance and banking.What is Islamic finance?While not exclusive to Muslims, Islamic finance offers an alternative to its Western alternatives and is regarded as scrupulous by those who use it.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has answered the clarion call for the global shift towards renewable energy, in line with the pursuit of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and combatting global warming.

Earlier this month, the Maharashtra government in India signed a Memorandum of Understanding with British billionaire and Virgin Hyperloop One chairman, Richard Branson to build a hyperloop between Mumbai and Pune. The hyperloop system between Mumbai and Pune will be built by Virgin Hyperloop One and will cover a distance of 150 kilometres.

Last week, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a loan of US$235 million for B.Grimm Power Public Company Limited, also known as B.Grimm Power, one of the largest power producers in Thailand.

South Korea’s second largest conglomerate by market capitalisation, SK Group has set its sights on expanding to the ever growing and dynamic market that is Southeast Asia. Why is Southeast Asia a lure?The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region has been the apple of every investor’s eye given its tremendous prospects and excellent economic growth rates.

 University of Oxford published a study last year titled “Troops, Trolls and Troublemakers: A Global Inventory of Organised Social Media Manipulation” which highlighted “cyber troops” that governments or political parties would use to manipulate public opinion over social media. One of the countries that was included in the study was the Philippines.