The threat of COVID-19 has not prevented the international community from communicating and cooperating with one another through the “new normal” mode of interaction – video conferencing. Many organisations have resorted to this type of communication in order to maintain contact with its members. This includes the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) which held an online summit on 4 May, 2020. The NAM was established in 1961 in Belgrade during the post-World War II period.

The COVID-19 pandemic has sent the world into perilous, uncharted territory from which no country will emerge unscathed. Over half of the global population is under some form of lockdown. All economies, rich and poor, are falling into recession and can limit the fallout only by working together.China – the pandemic’s first epicentre – offers insight into the need to work together.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe recently declared a state of emergency for the coronavirus pandemic and unveiled a massive stimulus package to help the economy overcome the crisis.The rescue package, which at JPY108 trillion (US$992 billion) or about 2.7 times Malaysia’s gross domestic product (GDP) is the biggest in Japan’s history.

At the start of this year, things seemed to be looking up for the global economy. True, growth had slowed a bit in 2019: from 2.9 percent to 2.3 percent in the United States (US), and from 3.6 percent to 2.9 percent globally.

Labour rights violations in ASEAN are among the negative effects of an increase in production due to the United States (US)-China trade war which has resulted in a shift of some production from China to this part of the world. While the region is embarking on the Fourth Industrial Revolution, numerous industries in ASEAN still rely on labour-intensive factories.

While growth in Southeast Asia remains robust, data from the first half of 2019 indicates it has been slower than forecasted. The most recent Asian Development Bank (ADB) data suggests that Southeast Asia has grown less than anticipated, resulting in slight downward revisions to growth forecasts which now stand at 4.8 percent (2019) and 4.9 percent (2020), down from 4.9 percent and 5.0 percent, respectively.

In April 2017, the European Parliament passed a resolution restricting the import of uncertified palm oil.

Vietnam is struggling to curb fraud in exports destined for America, custom officials said Thursday, as manufacturers seek to dodge punishing tariffs due to the US-China trade spat by illegally using "Made in Vietnam" labels.Exporters have started shifting production from China to Vietnam to avoid steep tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump on hundreds of billions of dollars worth of Chinese goods.The move has also prompted concerns on a rise in manufacturers illegally claimi

The unveiling of the United States’ (US) Blue Dot Network raises several questions about the country’s commitment to ASEAN after signs of fading interest in the region.Seen as a counterbalance to China’s extensive Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the Blue Dot Network aims to promote sustainable infrastructure development in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond.

Southeast Asian leaders met for a second day in Thailand on Sunday, hoping for a breakthrough in talks over the world's largest trade deal to help throw off the torpor which has gripped the global economy since the United States (US)-China tariff war began.The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) opened its annual summit in Bangkok on Saturday hoping to secure a China-backed free trade pact at the three-day event, which knits together half the world's population