By Simon Tay and Meixi Gan If not for the COVID-19 pandemic, most countries would be at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow this month. Governments had pledged to negotiate rules for a global carbon market and improve their nationally determined contributions (NDCs)...
By Simon Tay For The Straits Times It is too early to expect the incoming Biden administration to seriously relook American policies in Asia. Domestic concerns will be paramount – the pandemic and economic recovery. Yet, with less than full attention on developments in Asia, there is...
By Simon Tay and Sarah Loh For The Business Times MYANMAR'S election results have yet to be officially released, but are unlikely to surprise. The National League of Democracy (NLD) and Aung San Suu Kyi have claimed victory, and most observers believe they have won decisively. If...
By Simon Tay and Meixi Gan For The Straits Times The world last year suffered many outsized fires, which are recurring this year in the Amazon and parts of the United States. This year, South-east Asia has largely been spared the fires and haze that often trouble...
By Simon Tay and Aaron Choo For The Business Times One positive development emerging from the current pandemic is the aim not only to recover but to emerge stronger and better. To many, moreover, "better" also means to be more sustainable. Pre-pandemic concerns about climate change and...
By Chen Chen Lee For Bangkok Post Two events happened last month that went largely unnoticed by most of the mainstream media in Southeast Asia. One was the third Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) Leaders' Meeting between China and the five Mekong members of Asean -- Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar,...
By Simon Tay For The Straits Times Sino-US rivalry is growing in many areas. Wrapping them all within a war narrative risks making things worse. Talk is growing about a “New Cold War”, or even outright war, between the United States and China. This impacts not only...
COVID-19 has resulted in unprecedented costs for ASEAN and the world in terms of human lives and economic growth. In this article for the Journal of Greater Mekong Studies, Associate Professor Simon Tay, Chairman of the SIIA, and Sarah Loh, Policy Research Analyst (ASEAN), discussed...
By Simon Tay and Sarah Loh For the Asia Media Centre The COVID-19 pandemic has affected lives and livelihoods across the world, but there has been little global leadership. Each country has responded in its own way and primarily with its own resources, and with varying outcomes. As...
By Simon Tay and Jessica Wau For the Straits Times The region is entering a difficult period with pandemic numbers climbing and closed borders hitting business, trade and tourism. Economies are slowing or even contracting. Some voices in neighbouring countries are turning towards nationalism and protectionism - becoming...