A Pan-Asian super grid connecting electrical transmission networks across the continent providing clean and renewable power to more than half the world’s population may be a fantasy for now.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has urged China to "temper" its behaviour in the South China Sea in a rare criticism of the Asian superpower over its programme of island-building in disputed waters.China has alarmed and angered its neighbours by claiming dominion over most of the South China Sea and building a string of artificial islands and military airbases.

Even with sketchy financial information, research academics agree that China’s island building in the Spratly archipelago is a multi-billion-dollar undertaking. Some estimates note that building up Fiery Cross island alone, with its three-kilometre runway and military facilities including missile and radar installations, have cost around US$11 billion. But this is the pointed-end of the spear, and it is only one part of China’s global expansion plans. What about their soft-power initiatives?

China wants to stage joint military exercises with Southeast Asian nations in disputed waters, according to a draft document, but insists other countries should be excluded in what analysts say is a bid to diminish the United States’ (US) influence.Beijing's suggestions, which also call for joint oil and gas exploration, as part of efforts to expand its influence in the South China Sea, which it claims almost entirely, and to push back at Washington which has backed countries with overla

United States (US) President Donald Trump’s inability to think strategically is undermining longstanding relationships, upending the global order, and accelerating the decline of his country’s global influence – or so the increasingly popular wisdom goes. But this assessment is not nearly as obvious as its proponents – especially political adversaries and critics in the mainstream US media – claim.America’s relative decline was a hot topic long before Trump took office.

Over the past two decades, China has been achieving rapid technological progress, thanks in no small part to its massive investment in research and development, which totaled some 2.2 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) last year. Yet China is nowhere near the technological frontier.

Rio Tuba, located in the Municipality of Bataraza on the island of Palawan in the Philippines is a predominantly mountainous region with roads riddled with potholes making it almost inaccessible especially during bad weather conditions. This makes it difficult for households in the area to be connected to the national grid.

The Mekong is Southeast Asia’s lifeblood, pumping life into some of the region’s biggest cities. It is the seventh longest river in Asia and the 12th longest in the world. The 4,350-kilometre river runs from the Tibetan Plateau through China’s Yunnan Province, Myanmar, Lao PDR, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. The Mekong is important to the region for a number of reasons. First, it acts as an important fishery resource for the countries it flows through.

With China and the United States (US) as its largest export destinations, Vietnam is seeking ways to insulate itself from an escalating trade war between the world’s two biggest economies.The National Center for Socio-Economic Information and Forecast has submitted a report detailing the potential impact of the trade war to the planning and investment ministry, Luong Van Khoi, deputy director general at the centre in Hanoi, said in an interview.“If the US and China escalate the tension with t

Filipino citizens were caught by surprise yesterday as large banners saying “Welcome to the Philippines, Province of China” appeared on bridges throughout Manila and other cities. The banners popped up on the second anniversary of the Philippines’ legal victory against China at the Hague.