The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is many things – a group of countries with a lucrative market waiting to be tapped, home to a large and young population and at the precipice of economic greatness as it seeks to capitalise on a rather bullish global economic outlook. One thing ASEAN cannot seem to shake off though is its vulnerability to natural disasters. Collectively, the area encompassing the 10-member organisation is one of the most disaster-prone regions in the world.

The Rohingya crisis receives most of the global media’s attention currently due to the scale and magnitude of the humanitarian crisis that is unfolding there and rightly so. However, there is another deadly ongoing conflict in Myanmar. This conflict is between the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and the government of Myanmar and has often been dubbed “the forgotten war” for that very reason.

Last week, Indonesia was swept with a wave of terror attacks. The most recent attack took place on 16 May, when four sword-wielding insurgents attacked officers at Riau police headquarters in Sumatra. Prior to that, Surabaya – Indonesia’s second largest city – was targeted with a string of bombings. On 9 May, a family of suicide bombers attacked three churches in Central Surabaya, killing at least 15 people.

As a regional association, ASEAN must avoid the pitfalls of becoming a high-minded, elitist organisation, with its inner workings confined within the hallowed hallways of the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta. As it evolves, it must adapt to the needs and demands of its constituents – the ASEAN people.This is where a strong social presence is necessary to help ensure the voices of the people are heard when the next major ASEAN masterplan or roadmap is drawn up.

As Muslims around the globe usher in the holy month of Ramadan, an all-too familiar narrative rears its head once again.

China’s foreign policy exerts a certain weight in the international community, and many have, in fact, likened the country to a superpower within the Asia region. However, like superpowers of the past and present, it cannot rely on just military and economic strength alone, but must also possess considerable “soft power”, manifested in what is referred to as Beijing’s “charm offensive”.

Financial centres across the globe are often named after the specific location they are constructed on. This can be seen with the Marina Bay Financial Centre in Singapore, the Hong Kong International Finance Centre, and Wall Street in New York City, amongst others. In Malaysia, however, this is not the case.

It is no secret that China is fast expanding its influence within the Southeast Asian region as it attempts to win over nations by offering lucrative pipelines of investment and credit. Thus far, the principle benefactor of Beijing’s actions is Cambodia, which hasn’t been shy to admit that China is the country’s “most trustworthy friend.” However, often overlooked in this game of regional geopolitics is the landlocked country of Lao PDR.

China has offered United States (US) President Donald Trump a US$200 billion reduction in its annual trade surplus with the US by increasing imports of American products and other steps, said a Trump administration official.China made the offer during talks in Washington this week as Chinese Vice Premier Liu He visited to try to resolve a trade dispute, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Liu met with Trump Thursday afternoon at the White House.

The Southeast Asian region has had its fair share of natural disasters over the years. In terms of sheer destruction, the most devastating of these was the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami of 2004. While the impact of that disaster was felt regionwide, Indonesia was the hardest hit among ASEAN member states, with more than 130,000 people dead and extensive infrastructural damage.