Geopolitics

South Korea’s pivot to ASEAN

If anything is clear from the ASEAN Summit and the East Asian Summit held in Singapore last November is that Southeast Asia is now hot property. The heads of state that attended the summit says it all, from Russia’s Vladimir Putin to Japan’s Shinzo Abe – everyone is realising the geostrategic importance of the region.The opportunity presented in Southeast Asia is clear; the region’s economy is one of the fastest growing in the world and it has a market with over 600 million consumers.

24 February 2019
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Trade wars and human rights violations

The world’s eyes are fixated on Myanmar. Numerous online petitions have been set up among the international community to voice concerns for the Rohingya Muslims.

24 February 2019
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Myanmar army warns against changing constitution

Myanmar's military Saturday said they would thwart any attempts by leader Aung San Suu Kyi's party to alter the "essence" of the country's controversial constitution, putting the army and civilian administration on a collision course over the politically-charged issue.Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) dominated the 2015 elections ending decades of military-backed rule.But because of a 2008 charter scripted by the military, the NLD was forced into an u

24 February 2019
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Youth key to Brunei’s development

As Brunei celebrates its 35th National Day today, the country’s residents can be heartened by their progress in the last three and a half decades. A British protectorate since 1888, Brunei gained independence in 1984 and is an active member of the international and regional community – joining ASEAN the same year.

23 February 2019
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Rebel leaders to govern new Philippine territory

The Philippines on Friday handed over the reins of a new Muslim-led territory to rebel leaders who waged a decades-long fight for autonomy, but are now tasked with securing peace and prosperity.President Rodrigo Duterte personally swore in Murad Ebrahim, head of the Catholic-majority nation's largest Muslim group, as interim chief minister at a symbolic Manila ceremony.It comes after voters decisively backed in January the founding of the so-called Bangsamoro region in the south, the cul

23 February 2019
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Taiwan unveils long-awaited gay marriage bill

Taiwan's ruling party unveiled its latest attempt to create Asia's first gay marriage law on Thursday, a bill offering same-sex couples "permanent unions" as well as limited adoption rights, despite stiff opposition from conservatives.The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has had a stuttering and troubled journey towards delivering on their 2016 election promise to grant same-sex couples equal marriage rights.In November, conservatives won a referendum against revising th

22 February 2019
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Hundreds of students flee violence in Papua

Hundreds of students have fled fighting in Indonesia's restive Papua province, a local NGO said, amid unconfirmed reports of violent military reprisals after a massacre of civilian workers by separatist rebels.The death of 16 government-linked employees at a remote jungle work camp in early December, marked a dramatic escalation from decades of mostly sporadic skirmishes between poorly armed and disorganised guerrillas and a powerful Indonesian military.Subsequent clashes prompted the Nd

21 February 2019
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How The CPTPP Could Widen Inequality

On 8 March 2018 in Santiago, Chile, the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) was formally signed. The trade agreement was signed by 11 countries – Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam – making it the third largest free trade area in the world by gross domestic product (GDP) after the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and European Single Market.

20 February 2019
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Thai junta won’t slash defence spending

Thailand's junta defended its US$7 billion defence budget and annual draft this week after political opponents proposed slashing military spending by 10 percent and ending conscription after the upcoming general elections.

20 February 2019
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Thai junta pegs economic fortunes to China

After generals seized power in Thailand in a 2014 coup, they turned to Beijing to kickstart growth and buff up their vision of an innovative, developed country steered by wise leaders and buoyed by China-backed infrastructure.Thailand's economy sagged in the first years after the power grab but the junta is staking its hopes for an economic turnaround on the Asian giant.Yet concerns are mounting of an over-reliance on Beijing and the opacity of deals cemented by the generals.

19 February 2019
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Singapore plans budget with an eye on election

Singapore Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat will aim to strike a delicate balance in Monday’s budget: preaching fiscal prudence while doling out more social spending ahead of elections that could come as early as this year.While not expected to be as headline-grabbing as last year – when Heng flagged a hike in the goods-and-services tax (GST) – the 2019 budget will cover a range of familiar policy priorities.

18 February 2019
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