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ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute

ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute
ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute: A prominent Singapore-based research institute and statutory board, ISEAS is dedicated to the study of Southeast Asia’s socio-political, security, and economic trends. Established in 1968 and renamed in 2015 in honour of Singapore’s first President, Yusof Ishak, it serves as a national and regional resource centre. Its main activities include conducting extensive research programmes, hosting conferences, and publishing academic works. The institute is recognised for stimulating scholarly debate and enhancing public awareness of the region.
Illustration: Henry Wong
2026 Xi-Trump summit

‘Transactional’ but pivotal: how Xi-Trump talks could redefine fault lines

Chinese and US leaders are likely to focus on stability and achievable outcomes rather than breakthroughs when they meet in Beijing.

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US-China relations

US and China in ‘unprecedented’ cooperation against scam centres in Dubai

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2026 Xi-Trump summit

After nearly 9 years, Trump is landing in a totally changed China. Is he ready?

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Myanmar

‘Tentative step’: Asean weighs bringing Myanmar back into the fold

Virtual talks may offer a ‘sensible middle ground’ for reconciliation after Myanmar’s years in the political wilderness, analysts say.

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Myanmar’s newly elected President Min Aung Hlaing waves as he leaves after a swearing-in ceremony in Naypyidaw on April 10. Photo: AP
2026 Xi-Trump summit

China’s AI ascent leaves Trump a stark choice: escalate or relax chip controls?

Beijing and Washington are locked in an era-defining contest – and China’s rapid technological progress raises questions about limits of containment.

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China-Philippines relations

Asian Angle | 3 reasons Marcos’ South China Sea energy gambit won’t work

The Philippine president has mooted the idea of joint oil and gas development. China is willing, but history shows this road leads nowhere.

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China trade

How a China-backed highway may turn landlocked Laos into a trade gateway

The project is part of wider efforts to build overland trade corridors linking southern China with the Mekong region.

An aerial drone photo taken on April 13 shows a train of the China-Laos Railway, departing from Kunming in southwest China’s Yunnan province, arriving in Vientiane, Laos. Photo: Xinhua
Malaysia

Well-oiled diplomacy: Malaysian king visits Moscow as Anwar eyes Russian energy

Though Sultan Ibrahim’s visit is officially ceremonial, its timing coincides with the energy squeeze plaguing Malaysia and much of Asia.

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Thailand

Asian Angle | A year after corporal punishment ban, Thailand needs to curb resurgence

Two school incidents show corporal punishment remains prevalent, and Thai authorities must strengthen accountability to prevent a recurrence.

Thailand

Bridge too far? Hormuz crisis revives Thailand’s controversial plan

While the plan to bypass the Malacca Strait is popular with Anutin’s government, economists and environmentalists say it is not realistic.

Cargo ships are loaded with containers at the port of Bangkok on April 3, 2025. Photo: Reuters
Malaysia

At Malaysia’s arms bazaar, drone dealers chase Southeast Asian market share

‘Drone warfare is the future,’ say arms dealers in Kuala Lumpur – and the region’s militaries are buying in.

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Malaysian army officers visit the booth of Special Technology Control, a Russian developer of unmanned systems, at the Defence Services Asia exhibition in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Tuesday. Photo: EPA
China’s Communist Party

China must ‘strengthen education’ of Tibetan Buddhists, Beijing official says

On inspection tour, Li Ganjie urges local authorities to promote new ‘unity’ law to ethnic minority groups.

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Asean

Why Indonesia is ceding its role as Asean’s natural leader to Singapore

For decades, Indonesia’s standing was a given. A new survey suggests the region’s opinion leaders are no longer so sure.

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Japan

Vietnam, Philippines trust Japan. But Indonesia’s more cautious

Analysts say Indonesia worries about its neutrality as Tokyo ramps up ties with the US and lags behind China on green investment.

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Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and US President Donald Trump share a glance during remarks at White House dinner on March 19. Photo: Kyodo
Renewable energy

China begins building US$1 billion hydropower station in Cambodia

As focus switches to renewable energy, pumped-storage hydropower project in Koh Kong province expected to be completed by 2029.

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The groundbreaking ceremony for the Upper Tatay pumped storage hydropower project in Koh Kong province, Cambodia, on April 10. Photo: Xinhua.
Japan

Why Japan will remain the most trusted power in Asean despite military push

A survey by ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute shows respondents trusted Japan more as a power than the EU, the US, China and India.

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Singapore

Singapore balances national interest with rising anti-US sentiment

Negative public sentiment does not immediately translate to worsening bilateral ties as the US remains an important partner, experts say.

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Asean

Asian Angle | Doubts about Trump strain Southeast Asia’s US-China balancing act

An increasingly unpredictable Washington is making the region’s traditional hedging strategy harder to sustain.

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US President Donald Trump (centre) stands for a group photo with Southeast Asian leaders at the 13th Asean-United States Summit in Kuala Lumpur on October 26, 2025. Photo: AFP
Vietnam

Asian Angle | Who is Vietnam’s new Prime Minister Le Minh Hung?

The ex-central banker has the credentials to succeed. Whether he has the political capital remains to be seen.

China trade

‘Cancelling orders’ in China: Hormuz oil crisis hits transport and manufacturing

Analysts and industry insiders say higher costs are squeezing margins, with some of China’s wary industrial heartland compelled to make day-to-day purchases.

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US, Israel war on Iran

Iran’s Hormuz toll threat lays bare Asia’s energy vulnerability

Analysts warn that charging ships to pass through Hormuz could set a dangerous precedent for other strategic waterways and hit Asia hardest.

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Tankers sail in the Gulf, near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from northern Ras al-Khaimah, near the border with Oman’s Musandam governance, on March 11. Photo: Reuters
Singapore

Singapore set to be hit by global energy crisis as it unveils countermeasures

Among the measures, the government announced an increase of US$155 to a cost-of-living cash payment to eligible Singaporeans.

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Storage tanks and oil refineries in Jurong Island, Singapore. Photo: Reuters
Asean

Most in Asean prefer China over US in survey, Trump cited as biggest concern

Support for China was stronger in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore, according to the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute survey.

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Vietnam

To Lam emerges as Vietnam’s ‘supreme leader’ after being elected president

The Communist Party chief is the first person to secure the top two jobs through the party’s normal leadership selection processes.

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South China Sea

Why China and Vietnam are shifting from confrontation to calm in South China Sea

Disagreements continue, but the two sides are showing notable restraint in contrast with Beijing’s fierce exchanges with Manila.

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Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi with Vietnamese counterpart Bui Thanh Son, in Hanoi on March 17. They co-chaired a meeting on bilateral cooperation. Photo: Xinhua
Indonesia

Indonesia slashes free meals budget to save US$2.3 billion as fuel prices soar

President Prabowo Subianto had previously insisted that the meal programme would be untouched.

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Students pray before eating food supplied by the Indonesian government’s free meal programme at an elementary school in Banda Aceh, Aceh province, Indonesia, on October 30 last year. Photo: AFP
Asean

Burning daylight: Asean’s power grid plans get an Iran war jolt

Oil is up, coal is back and so are fuel queues. As the Middle East burns, Southeast Asia dusts off an old plan to rewire its future.

Indonesia

Opinion | Indonesia’s new aircraft carrier is more vanity project than war machine

The jet-less carrier might buy Jakarta a seat at the elite table, but it offers no advantage in modern naval warfare.

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