Globalisation connotes massive flows of people, goods, services and capital, resulting in increased integration and interdependence of economies and societies. This process has created unprecedented economic growth and development. However, the transformation has been uneven. Increased inequality has emerged, while development has often come at...
When the leaders of Singapore and Malaysia met at end-October, a broad agenda appropriately reflected the breadth of ties. Notwithstanding this, or that it was the first leaders’ retreat held with Anwar Ibrahim as Malaysia’s Prime Minister, there is something that deserves special attention and...
Expectations are rising about a meeting between United States President Joe Biden and China’s leader Xi Jinping in mid-November. “We’re aiming to have a constructive conversation, meeting between the leaders in San Francisco in November,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said recently of the long-awaited talks....
After some years of blue skies, the fires and haze have returned, and these are triggering responses. Malaysia’s Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change Minister Nik Nazmi blames fires abroad for unhealthy air levels in Kuala Lumpur and other urban centres; Indonesia, however, quickly questions...
The return of haze pollution in the region is cause for shock and concern. In recent weeks, air quality in parts of Malaysia and Indonesia has been poor and over the weekend, Singapore’s readings hit the unhealthy range for the first time since 2019. The haze has recurred...
THE recent Asean Summit and related meetings in Jakarta generated many headlines about the high politics of the region. A new map in the South China Sea drew considerable concern, as did ongoing violence in Myanmar. Diplomatic gestures were noted, particularly that US President Joe...
Business and investment in Thailand and Malaysia have been slow in the first half of 2023. To be fair, growth across the entire region has been less than hoped for, but in both countries, there were more than economic factors at play. After indecisive election...
It is an axiom of our anxious, poly-crisis times that politics now matters more to business than ever. Yet the well-known Shakespearean quote also warns us to be watchful of “sound and fury, signifying nothing”. There continue to be political events that occupy attention and...
Our post-pandemic world faces many challenges in the search for economic recovery. As countries see the digital economy as a golden opportunity to boost growth, the urgency for climate action is also growing as they cope with record temperatures, droughts, fires and floods. It may seem like...
The World Health Organization has just declared an end to the COVID-19 emergency after three years and 20 million deaths. Even before this, most countries have eased restrictions and international travel has resumed. The region’s largest economies, China and Japan, changed their cautious COVID-19 policies...