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Asia Opinion

An official stands in front of a sign during the IMF/World Bank annual meetings at Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre in Bangkok, Thailand, on October 13. Photo: Reuters

Asian Angle | Thailand once had an economic miracle. It needs another

With growth stuck below 3 per cent and an ageing workforce, Thailand cannot rely on sector wish lists to revive growth.

2 hours ago

Opinion | Can China champion the Global South without speaking for it?

7 Nov 2026 - 5:30AM

Artificial intelligence

Macroscope | The AI sell-off is a taste of things to come

6 Nov 2026 - 5:30AM

China’s military

Opinion | Understanding China’s October drills and the growing risk factor

Each Chinese move may be calibrated, but its neighbours seem to be reading their accumulation as a trend, which can encourage the cooperation Beijing objects to.

5 Nov 2026 - 9:30AM

Illustration: Henry Wong

Opinion | Singapore’s haze crackdown tests limits of sovereignty within Asean

The city state has moved from conventional environmental diplomacy towards a more assertive model of cross-border corporate accountability.

5 Nov 2026 - 5:30AM

Opinion | As US-Iran war shows, China’s influence can’t secure its line to Gulf oil

The conflict has made clear the limits of China’s efforts to cultivate commercial and diplomatic clout among its energy suppliers in the Middle East.

4 Nov 2026 - 4:30PM

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Opinion | China’s new nightmare: a Japanese containment arc in the Indo-Pacific

A Japan motivated to act in its own defence by an unreliable US is creating a regional security framework that must worry China.

4 Nov 2026 - 5:30AM

Representatives of participating forces attend the opening ceremony of the Keen Sword 27 joint exercise on October 19 at the Japanese Ground Self-Defence Force’s Camp Ishigaki in Okinawa prefecture. Photo: Kyodo

Opinion | Both Japan and China can help Bangladesh reach its full potential

Closer ties with Japan will not harm Bangladesh’s relationship with China. Better transport and energy supply can help no matter where the money comes from.

31 Oct 2026 - 4:30PM

Asian Angle | In Malaysia’s largest state, ‘Sarawak First’ faces a Dayak election test

No party can govern Sarawak without the Dayak vote, yet internal splits dilute non-Muslim indigenous political clout.

31 Oct 2026 - 12:00PM

As I see it | The flaw in Australia’s ‘China threat’ thesis

Instead of adopting Washington’s security priorities, Canberra should leverage superpower rivalry to its own advantage, argues policy veteran John Edwards.

31 Oct 2026 - 5:30AM

Royal Australian Navy Chief Vice-Admiral Matthew Buckley speaks to the media alongside Australias Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy in front of the Ghost Shark autonomous undersea vehicles in Sydney on October 19, during the unveiling of three new autonomous systems capabilities under AUKUS Pillar II. Photo: AFP

The Philippines

Opinion | Manila speaks with 2 voices on China

Conflicting statements from the Philippines’ diplomatic and security arms add uncertainty to an already fraught relationship with Beijing.

28 Oct 2026 - 9:30AM

Illustration: Mario Cameira

Opinion | China may well be the next big competitor for Asian migrant labour

The country that once transformed global labour markets by exporting workers could reshape Asian migration by beginning to import them.

26 Oct 2026 - 4:30PM

Pop culture in Asia

Opinion | East Asia’s cultural economies are bridging politics-driven divides

The cross-border penetration and appeal of cultural products throughout and beyond East Asia is making openings beyond traditional diplomacy.

25 Oct 2026 - 4:30PM

Artificial intelligence

Opinion | How to share AI wealth? Neither the US nor Asia has the answer

US firms offer cash and shares on their own terms while Asian economies still rely on creating jobs to share the dividends of growth.

25 Oct 2026 - 5:30AM

Elon Musk wants to give every child in America one SpaceX share. Photo: Instagram @elonmusk

Opinion | The US has South Korea over a trade barrel – and the world should take notes

Clearly, appeasement doesn’t work and dependence just feeds leverage. Collective action is the only effective stand that states can take.

24 Oct 2026 - 6:23PM

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung talks to US President Donald Trump in New York on September 22, 2025. Photo: EPA / Yonhap

Asian Angle | Can Vietnam sustain its high-growth ambitions amid capital constraints?

Vietnam must choose whether to align its growth targets with the capital it can raise, or accept considerably greater economic risks.

24 Oct 2026 - 1:00PM

Opinion | Why raising Asia’s fertility rate starts with giving people time to date

If city and state governments want young people to fall in love, they should start by giving them the time and space to make it happen.

24 Oct 2026 - 7:49AM

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Macroscope | Investors mistaken to think India, Indonesia sell-offs are the same

Indonesia’s financial woes are home-grown and structural – arising from failures to embrace reform – while India’s are externally driven.

23 Oct 2026 - 8:53AM

People walk past a screen displaying market results outside the Bombay Stock Exchange in Mumbai on April 7, 2025. Photo: Reuters

Opinion | China’s J-35 stealth fighter exports bumps up against the US factor

Pakistan wants to buy J-35s but also has a US F-16 upgrade deal. Will China be happy to risk exposing its stealth technology to US monitors?

22 Oct 2026 - 8:34AM

Opinion | As the world moves towards ‘fractalisation’, China could be the new leader

China has all the signs of world-topping national strength but whether other countries accept its leadership will depend on what’s on offer.

21 Oct 2026 - 5:15PM

Opinion | Energy shock could spark Asia’s next debt crisis

The IMF and World Bank need to step up debt surveillance as rising energy costs drain foreign exchange reserves and make debt repayments harder.

20 Oct 2026 - 4:30PM

A protest against higher fuel prices in Karachi, Pakistan, on April 3. Photo: EPA

Opinion | Southeast Asia need not be a pressure valve for China’s exports

The issue is whether the region can become more capable through trade with China or if it is simply a larger outlet for China’s production.

19 Oct 2026 - 8:53PM

Containers are loaded for a China-Vietnam freight train at the Nanning International Railway Port in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, on September 10. Photo: Xinhua

Opinion | Economic realities threaten Asia’s green aviation ambitions

Even as pressure grows on airlines to adopt sustainable fuel, higher prices driven by the Middle East conflict are squeezing an industry operating on thin margins.

18 Oct 2026 - 4:30PM

Opinion | In Singapore, does unhappiness go hand in hand with fewer births?

A former minister said unhappiness could be a precondition for achievement. But some are opting out of a system optimised for progress.

18 Oct 2026 - 5:30AM

Asian Angle | Why Asean’s Myanmar peace push needs Japan’s ‘silent diplomacy’

Tokyo knows how to back an Asean-led process without taking ownership of it, as decades of regional mediation show.

19 Oct 2026 - 6:48AM

Japanese parliamentarian Hiromichi Watanabe (left) meets U Khin Yi, speaker of Myanmar’s House of Representatives and the leader of the Union Solidarity and Development Party, in Naypyidaw last month. Photo: Handout

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