A report by the International Crisis Group (ICG) this week pointing out that Myanmar’s Shan State is one of the world’s largest producers of crystal methamphetamine is hardly surprising.There have been record seizures of meth in the last two years in ASEAN countries and the surrounding region – 1.6 tonnes in Indonesia, 1.2 tonnes in Malaysia, 788 kilograms (kg) in Thailand, 1.2 tonnes in Western Australia and 0.9 tonnes in Melbourne – all of which is thought to have come from Shan State.Autho

Secrets may be among the most valuable assets that governments have: the Trojan Horse, the Enigma code, the Manhattan Project, and surprise attacks such as Pearl Harbor, the Six-Day War, and the Yom Kippur War are just a few of the best-known examples. But in some cases, governments’ desire for secrecy is hard to square with national interest – and may even be among the most dangerous threats to it.

By hosting North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for a fourth time, China has signalled again that it will not be side-lined in the diplomatic dance between its Cold War-era ally and Washington.With another nuclear summit looming between Kim and United States (US) President Donald Trump, a meeting between President Xi Jinping and the North Korean leader was inevitable, according to analysts.It has become something of a ritual: Last year, Kim briefed Xi before and after his historic summits with Tru

Chinese President Xi Jinping offered North Korean leader Kim Jong-un firm backing in deadlocked nuclear talks with the United States (US) and reasserted Beijing's key role in the wider process, according to the two allies' state media Thursday.Kim visited Beijing by train this week for two days of talks with Xi seen as a strategy session ahead of a second summit between the North Korean leader and US President Donald Trump.At their first meeting in Singapore in June, Kim and Trump s

Malaysia said Tuesday it was investigating alleged claims China offered to help bail out scandal-hit state fund 1MDB and get foreign probes into the controversy dropped in return for securing infrastructure deals.Huge sums were purportedly looted from the Malaysian government fund in an audacious fraud, which allegedly involved former prime minister Najib Razak and contributed to his shock poll defeat in May 2018.The Wall Street Journal reported Chinese officials allegedly offered in 2016 to

Aside from election fever and concerns over free trade, it is likely that Southeast Asia will play a much bigger role in global geopolitics in 2019.

President Xi Jinping hailed China's "reconstructive reforms" in a New Year speech, but the sorely needed changes could be put on ice in favour of averting a potentially devastating economic downturn.The way ahead is further complicated by a volatile trade dispute with the United States (US) that – if unresolved – will add to the burden of Beijing’s policymakers as they seek to fuel an economy that is running out of steam.Beijing has for years come under pressure to introduce mu

Apple cut its revenue outlook for the latest quarter Wednesday, citing steeper-than-expected "economic deceleration" in China and emerging markets.The rare revenue warnings from Apple suggested weaker-than-anticipated sales of iPhones and other gadgetry, in part because of trade frictions between Washington and Beijing.Apple shares slid some 7.6 percent in after-hours trade on the news.The company slashed its revenue guidance for the first fiscal quarter of 2019, ended 29 December,

In 1950, the Canadian-born Princeton University economist Jacob Viner explained a customs union produces a “trade creation” effect, as lower tariffs and non-tariff barriers spur increased flows of goods among member countries. But Viner noted that a customs union also generates a “trade diversion” effect, as countries that are not part of it face reductions in their trade with countries that are.

China heads into the new year with its factories back in contractionary territory as the threat of a prolonged trade war dampens sentiment and stimulus struggles to gain traction.The manufacturing purchasing managers index dropped to 49.4 in December, the weakest since early 2016 and below the 50 level that denotes contraction.