New Global Order

NEW GLOBAL ORDER

The AI work that will compound for Asean

Five ways South-east Asia could pull together to achieve more with the technology

US President Donald Trump's positions have forced into focus a collision of economic, trade and strategic imbalances that are reshaping the global order, says the writer.
NEW GLOBAL ORDER

The collision of imbalances shaping a more contested world – and why tariffs are not the answer

Uneven gains and strategic tensions are driving politics and fuelling scepticism towards globalisation

Asean is now viewed by the survey’s respondents as the most credible platform for upholding the rules-based order.
NEW GLOBAL ORDER

Asean’s test in a fragmented global economy

South-east Asia’s resilience will depend on greater economic integration within the region and continued strategic engagement with external partners

US President Donald Trump (left) with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Busan in October 2025. The most plausible outcome of US-China rivalry is not a clean transition from one hegemon to another, but a fragmented order.
NEW GLOBAL ORDER

US-China rivalry and the Kindleberger Trap: Why inaction – not escalation – is the biggest risk

In periods of transition, the greatest threat may not be the clash of powers but the absence of leadership

Leaders at the fifth Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Summit in Kuala Lumpur last October. The 10 Asean states, along with Australia, China, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea, are signatories to the trade pact.
NEW GLOBAL ORDER

Strengthening Asean’s economic resilience through RCEP’s 2027 review

Practical reforms will make South-east Asia’s biggest trade pact more effective and beneficial

Energy security requires diversification across fuels, technologies and equipment, backed by stronger regional institutions and coordination.
NEW GLOBAL ORDER

Why renewables alone cannot deliver energy security for S-E Asia

Asean countries should go beyond diversification of oil import sources

The current crisis in the Middle East may drive a qualitative leap in China-Asean economic intereaction.
NEW GLOBAL ORDER

A new logic of China-Asean economic integration emerges from the Middle East conflict

The global economy is moving from one driven by the gains of globalisation to one shaped by the pricing of security risks

As the EU’s first-ever standalone digital deal, the EUSDTA demonstrates a shared determination to work together amid the heightened global economic uncertainty.
NEW GLOBAL ORDER

Europe and Singapore: A reliable partnership in contested times

It offers a compelling model that combines openness with resilience, innovation with trust, and ambition with responsibility

While voluntary commitments from frontier labs signal intent and set reference points for accountability, soft norms alone cannot bend behaviour towards safety, says the writer.
NEW GLOBAL ORDER

AI governance: The summit stage is necessary but it isn’t sufficient

As the geostrategic environment deteriorates, we must accelerate efforts to boost international coordination and build governance infrastructure

Renewable energy has become the most cost-competitive option for new power generation in many markets.
NEW GLOBAL ORDER

A new decisive moment for renewable energy

Decentralised, regionally integrated energy systems grounded in renewables offer greater predictability