The term Indo Pacific gained a lot of traction after the President of the United States (US), Donald Trump, used it repeatedly to highlight his country’s foreign policy posture in this region as opposed to the regularly used term, Asia Pacific.

There’s a new party in town that has got everyone excited. Launched last week, the Anakhot Thai or the Future Forward Party is the latest party to enter the Thai political arena. This new party which aims to breathe a breath of fresh air into Thai politics is led by 39-year-old business tycoon, Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit. Thanathorn is the executive vice president and director at Thai Summit Group, one of the largest auto parts manufacturers in Thailand.

Brunei's seemingly vulnerable economic position is seen by China as an opportunity. The Asian superpower looks to engage with Brunei and this rejuvenated relationship could be beneficial to both parties in the long-term. How swift Brunei reacts and takes its chances could result in the petroleum rich nation successfully diversifying its economy for a brighter future.

Indonesian President, Joko Widodo’s – also known as Jokowi – suggestion that it would be a “good idea” for Australia to join the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was certainly cause for some baffled reactions which soon sparked a flurry of speculations. Coming just before the ASEAN-Australia special summit, one cannot be faulted for being sceptical of his endorsement.

During a free trade forum at the Wilson Centre in 2014, United States (US) Trade Representative, Michael Froman addressed a crowd on America’s commitment to free trade.“By leading on trade, we can carry forward the torch that President Wilson held up a century ago, when he said, ‘The time for provincial thinkers has gone by.

Relations between ASEAN and Australia are longstanding, yet substantive action to enforce mutual commitments may have been lacking till now. As the first of its kind, the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit is expected to do much to foster deeper trade relations between ASEAN and Australia, as well as advance joint counter-terrorism efforts within the region.

Earlier this month, China’s National People’s Congress voted to abolish the presidential term limit, effectively allowing President Xi Jinping to rule indefinitely over the world’s most populous country. Previously, under the Chinese constitution, Xi Jinping would have been required to leave office after two five-year term limits.

“Where is ASEAN?”. This is the question that Charles Santiago, chairperson of the ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR), heard the most when he was in Bangladesh recently. Earlier this year, Charles led a team of current and former legislators from Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand on a fact-finding mission to Bangladesh.

United States (US) President Donald Trump’s planned historic meeting with North Korean dictator, Kim Jong Un has raised more questions than answers. By the look of things, it seems like we are finally reaching rapprochement between both sides – a feud which stretches back to the Cold War era. However, the conditions under which these talks are taking place does raise an ire of suspicion.

Earlier this week, a United States (US) navy aircraft carrier made its way to Vietnam for the first time since the end of the Vietnam war in 1975. The central coastal city of Da Nang saw the arrival of the USS Carl Vinson which had more than 5,000 crew members along with a cruiser and destroyer. Da Nang was also the first location where US troops landed during the Vietnam war, making the visit even more significant.