Nobel laureate Jose Ramos-Horta was inaugurated as East Timor's president on Friday, pledging to break a longstanding political deadlock in Southeast Asia's youngest country as it celebrated its 20th independence anniversary.The former Portuguese colony, which became independent from Indonesia in 2002 after 24 years of occupation, marked the occasion with a concert and fireworks for thousands in the capital Dili.The 72-year-old revolutionary hero, himself a former president of East

President Joe Biden on Thursday welcomed Southeast Asian leaders to Washington with promises to support clean energy and maritime security, hoping to showcase a United States commitment as China makes wide inroads.Top leaders from eight of the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) flew to Washington for the two-day summit, which opened with a closed-door White House dinner of thyme poached chicken and vanilla ice cream.The Biden administration, which took office des

The SEA Games open in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi on Thursday after a six-month COVID delay with Southeast Asian pride at stake in everything from football to bodybuilding and eSports.More than 5,000 athletes including Olympic champions are vying for over 500 gold medals in the event, which is staged every two years, in what should be packed arenas.The 11-nation Games include traditional Olympic sports such as athletics, swimming and boxing, but also regional ones like sepak takraw, an eye-c

United States (US) President Joe Biden will meet in mid-May with the leaders of Southeast Asian nations, with a likely focus on the rising power of China, the host country announced Saturday.The summit, originally scheduled for March, "will demonstrate the United States' enduring commitment to ASEAN," White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement, referring to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations."It is a top priority for the Biden-Harris Administration t

A full 99 percent of people on Earth breathe air containing too many pollutants, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Monday, blaming poor air quality for millions of deaths each year.Fresh data from the United Nations (UN) health agency showed that every corner of the globe is dealing with air pollution, although the problem is much worse in poorer countries."Almost 100 percent of the global population is still breathing air that exceeds the standards recommended by the World Health

Few parts of the world paid as high a cost during the Cold War as Southeast Asia.

World leaders came together in Glasgow last November to map out a path to mitigate the worst effects of climate change. But while the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) was undoubtedly a historic moment, most countries are just beginning their work to meet new goals to reduce carbon-dioxide emissions.That is why the announcement by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Indonesian and Philippine governments at COP26 stood out.

President Joe Biden told Southeast Asian nations on Wednesday the United States (US) would stand with them in defending the freedom of the seas and democracy and called China's actions towards Taiwan "coercive" and a threat to peace and stability.Speaking at a virtual East Asia Summit attended by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, Biden said Washington would start talks with partners in the Indo-Pacific about developing a regional economic framework, something critics say his regional

Southeast Asian leaders kicked off an ASEAN summit on Tuesday but Myanmar refused to send a representative after being angered by the bloc's decision to exclude the country's junta chief.The virtual gathering marked the start of three days of meetings hosted by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), with United States (US) President Joe Biden as well as Chinese and Russian leaders set to attend.Myanmar topped the agenda of Tuesday's talks between regional leaders,

This year marks the 30th anniversary of ASEAN-China relations, a significant year indeed. I knew very little about ASEAN until 2003, when I got involved in the Track II processes in East Asia which then resulted in my academic focus on ASEAN-centred regional cooperation. Regarding each other as a strategic opportunity is a key to the extraordinary progress of the 30 years’ ASEAN-China relations.