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Asia Opinion

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My Take
Macroscope
A family photo during the 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Koror, Palau, on September 2. Photo: AAP via Reuters
Pacific nations

Opinion | Pacific island states are trapped in Cold War 2.0

Geopolitically, it’s like a feudal hierarchy: small island nations as vassals, Australia and New Zealand as local lords and the US as king.

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China-North Korea relations

Opinion | New North Korea-Russia bridge delivers a powerful message to China

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Diplomacy

Opinion | Middle powers don’t have to wait for a Trump-Xi-Putin summit

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Vladimir Putin

Opinion | Why the Global South keeps its doors wide open to Russia

Far from being isolated, Moscow’s relationships across the non-Western world are a geopolitical constant the West cannot break.

Russian President Vladimir Putin waves while boarding a plane upon his departure from India on September 13. Photo: Kremlin/Sputnik/EPA
Russian President Vladimir Putin waves while boarding a plane upon his departure from India on September 13. Photo: Kremlin/Sputnik/EPA
2026 China-Nepal flash floods

Opinion | What the China-Nepal floods teach us about crisis communication

In an unfolding disaster, families need quick, practical updates and journalists need access the moment safety allows.

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North Korea nuclear crisis

Opinion | A new Trump-Kim summit would be a nightmare for everyone but Pyongyang

A bilateral deal that is acceptable to both Washington and Pyongyang would come at a steep cost to US allies and the region as a whole.

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Banking & finance

Macroscope | Who’s in control of Japanese monetary policy? Tokyo or Washington?

Bessent’s intervention could have adverse implications for Japan’s economy, the BOJ’s credibility and tech-heavy stock markets in Asia.

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The Bank of Japan building in Tokyo on June 15. Photo: Reuters
The Bank of Japan building in Tokyo on June 15. Photo: Reuters
Asean

Opinion | As the global order fragments, at least Asean is still talking

A modest lesson in a multipolar world is that sometimes the achievement is simply that disagreement does not end the conversation.

United States

Opinion | The world is not so much embracing China as recoiling from Trump’s US

The US is haemorrhaging goodwill around the world, but China will have to build up its own trustworthiness and credibility to win hearts and minds.

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China economy

Opinion | Western businesses need to crack the new CIA: China, India and Asean

The businesses that adapt early to engage China, India and Asean will help draft Asia’s next chapter and profit from it.

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The Huaihai Road commercial district in Shanghai, China, seen on March 6. Photo: AFP
Education

Opinion | The classic Chinese parenting playbook won’t survive the AI age

Controlling and achievement-oriented parenting stifles creativity, autonomy and critical thinking – qualities that will be needed more than ever.

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Illustration: Mario Cameira
Illustration: Mario Cameira
China technology

Opinion | China’s J-10CE has foreign buyers, but not yet a market

In service in Pakistan and Uzbekistan and on Bangladesh’s radar, the fighter jet is not yet a threat to Western market dominance.

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Vietnam

Asian Angle | Politics aside, young Vietnamese are warming to China

Hit dramas, trendy consumer brands and economic opportunity are drawing a new generation into China’s cultural orbit.

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Urban planning

Opinion | Warming cities can’t afford to sacrifice their urban parks

Green spaces lower urban temperatures and boost quality of life. Cities may be short of space, but trading parks for concrete is a bad bargain.

Illustration: Huy Truong
G20

Macroscope | As US leadership proves unreliable, Asia needs to start focusing on itself

Asian policymakers should start laying the groundwork for a new organisation that has this region’s interests at its core.

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A miniature model of the White House is seen at the Omni Grove Park Hotel during the Group of 20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors’ meeting in Asheville, North Carolina, on August 31. Finance leaders from the G20 major economies opened talks at the US-hosted gathering, with the Trump administration seeking to escalate economic pressure on Iran amid a renewed exchange of fire with Tehran. Photo: AFP
A miniature model of the White House is seen at the Omni Grove Park Hotel during the Group of 20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors’ meeting in Asheville, North Carolina, on August 31. Finance leaders from the G20 major economies opened talks at the US-hosted gathering, with the Trump administration seeking to escalate economic pressure on Iran amid a renewed exchange of fire with Tehran. Photo: AFP
Diplomacy

Opinion | The Global South cannot afford to let its maritime border disputes fester

Cambodia’s compulsory conciliation with Thailand under UN sea law shows how international law can deliver peaceful outcomes before tensions boil over.

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Climate change

Opinion | Cop31: Forget climate pledges, countries like Nepal need actual cash

No payout from the loss and damage fund has reached vulnerable nations. Cop31 must focus on delivering the money already promised.

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Brics

Opinion | Delhi’s test: make Brics work without making it work against India

Success for India isn’t replacing the West or empowering China – it’s walking away with more strategic choices and leverage.

Passengers wait at a bus stop with a signboard featuring India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on September 3, ahead of the Brics summit this weekend. Photo: Reuters
Passengers wait at a bus stop with a signboard featuring India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on September 3, ahead of the Brics summit this weekend. Photo: Reuters
India

The View | To match China’s economy, India must accept its investment

Border rivalries shouldn’t block Chinese capital, just as wartime history never stopped Japanese investment from powering East Asia.

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Japan

Opinion | A tension lies at the heart of Japan’s foreign labour policy

As Japan raises fees for residence permits and tightens the requirements for permanent residency, the effect on long-term settlement warrants attention.

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China's population

My Take | Why China’s shrinking population may be a blessing, not a curse

Research co-authored by Nobel laureate Daron Acemoglu finds labour shortages can spur, rather than slow down, productivity and growth.

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Children experience an intelligent assisted travel robot at the 2026 China International Big Data Industry Expo on August 29 in Guiyang, China. Photo: Xinhua
Climate change

Opinion | Is air conditioning Hong Kong’s only weapon against hotter summers?

In Hong Kong, air conditioning is ubiquitous but conventional models harm the environment. More responsible solutions are needed.

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Illustration: Mario Rivera
Illustration: Mario Rivera
Nepal

Asian Angle | After Nepal-Tibet floods, recovery depends on grass-roots solidarity

Rebuilding devastated border villages means backing local support networks long after foreign aid money disappears.

Chinese overseas

Being Chinese | A Singaporean in Guangzhou wonders: why do I feel so at home here?

Guangzhou set me at ease in a way other cities didn’t. I began to understand what it means to be descended from early Chinese migrants.

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Global monetary policy

Macroscope | Asia is not on the edge of a new 1997-style financial crisis

While risks to Asia’s financial stability exist, they have nothing to do with the policy and structural weaknesses behind the 1997 crisis.

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A South Korean dealer looks at an electronic signboard showing the benchmark Kospi index at Hana Bank in Seoul, South Korea, on September 2. Photo: EPA
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