Development

China’s Development Aims: More Nuanced than “Soft Power”

Thursday, April 15, 2021

Such generalizations about China’s nuanced and growing influence detract from real understanding of what brand China is pushing abroad and why.

ASEAN

The Belt and Road and the Pandemic: Impact on Southeast Asia Amid the US-China Rivalry

Thursday, March 25, 2021

Beijing is now seeking to turn the tide in its favor through fresh narratives centering on China’s goodwill in providing public goods for international cooperation.

ASEAN

The Belt and Road Has Moved China to Center Stage in World Affairs

Thursday, March 25, 2021

A look at how the Belt and Road has put China in a more influential and favorable position than its critics would allow.

ASEAN

What is Missing from the Debate on Technology in Southeast Asia

Thursday, January 14, 2021

For the ASEAN community as a whole to benefit from technology, economics should not be the sole determining driver.

ASEAN

Economic Restructuring and Political Governance: Challenges for Asia's Emerging Economies

Thursday, January 7, 2021

Financial crises, rapid technological advances, shifting competitive advantages, and the pandemic are straining emerging Asian economies.

Asia Pacific

Post-Covid-19, Will Urbanization Be a Thing of the Past?

Thursday, October 15, 2020

A rethinking of development strategy and planning beyond the traditional economic- and city-centric world is essential, especially in the Global South.

ASEAN

Palm Oil: A Case for Conciliation over Confrontation

Thursday, August 20, 2020

Europe might have done better to conduct a more informal, consultative approach involving all stakeholders instead of a unilateral ban on palm oil imports.

ASEAN

Vulnerability and Resilience: Technology and Covid-19 Should Initiate Reskilling

Thursday, July 23, 2020

As Covid-19 grips the world, the Filipino workforce looks increasingly vulnerable, despite strong growth in recent years.

Bangladesh

The Interplay between Corruption and Development: Bangladesh’s LDC Graduation

Thursday, July 16, 2020

The country’s deeply rooted corruption and fragile political institutions should be a source of continuing concern to the international community.

ASEAN

After Covid-19 Success: Vietnam’s Economic Opportunities and Challenges

Thursday, July 16, 2020

Vietnam will have to improve in a number of areas – including sustainability and infrastructure – to maintain any kind of post-pandemic economic momentum.

China

Russia, China and Central Asia: Cooperation over Competition

Thursday, February 6, 2020

Central Asia has become an important arena of collaboration for Russia and China, with Moscow focusing on the region's security and Beijing promoting trade and commerce

ASEAN

ASEAN’s Infrastructure Dilemma

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Japan-financed urban railway project in Ho Chi Minh City: ASEAN needs a collaborative and coordinated approach to infrastructure development

China

Time for a European Response to China's Belt and Road

Thursday, July 11, 2019

In response to China's Belt and Road Initiative, European countries should develop their own infrastructure program for emerging Asia-Pacific economies.

China

With Belt and Road Projects, Consider the China Risk

Thursday, July 11, 2019

China’s Belt and Road Initiative has been heralded as both the largest cooperative infrastructure programme in global history and an attempt by Beijing to achieve world domination. In reality, the opportunities and risks are more nuanced, writes George Abonyi, Senior Research Fellow and Visiting Professor, at the Sasin School of Management of Chulalongkorn University in Thailand.

ASEAN

Belt and Road in Southeast Asia: Inevitable Storms

Thursday, July 11, 2019

China recognizes that poor governance and lack of transparency of Belt and Road Initiative projects could undermine its strategic interests in Southeast Asia. While Beijing will continue to build economic cooperation networks in the region, China’s interests could collide with those of other major powers, leading to geopolitical storms, which ASEAN member states will have to weather, argues Xue Gong of the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore.

Global

High-Speed Rail Rivalry: Can China and Japan Drive Sustainability?

Thursday, June 20, 2019

This month, G20 leaders will endorse guiding principles for “quality infrastructure investment”, a priority for Japan. China’s support of these principles signals a willingness to address criticism of its Belt and Road Initiative. China and Japan, rivals in delivering high-speed rail, appear open to collaborating on projects that would meet high sustainability standards, writes Motoko Aizawa, President of the Observatory for Sustainable Infrastructure, who for 12 years headed the Policy and Standards Unit in the Environmental and Social Department of the International Finance Corporation (IFC).

India

Acche Din, Redux: The Business Outlook for Modi’s Second Term

Thursday, May 30, 2019

The resounding election triumph of the ruling BJP gives Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi a strong second mandate and a fresh opportunity to make his ambitious dreams for India a reality, says Hong Kong-based strategic adviser and entrepreneur Alan Rosling, the author of "Boom Country?: The New Wave of Indian Enterprise".

ASEAN

China’s Railway Dreams Have Missing Link

Thursday, July 12, 2018

The Pan-Asia Railway, meant to stretch from Kunming to Singapore, is seen by China as one of the crown jewels of its Belt and Road Initiative. While the project has seen early success in Laos, stronger Southeast Asian countries are pushing back against Beijing’s plans.