US-Asia relations

Are Asia and Europe at ‘Trump tipping points’?

Developments in Greenland and Iran have fed into a wider reassessment of US power in key Asian and European nations

US military personnel with munitions at the RAF Fairford airbase in Gloucestershire, UK. Defence officials in Asia are growing alarmed that more American firepower will shift over time if the Middle East conflict drags on.

The quiet death of the US pivot to Asia

Iran campaign consumes capabilities America would rely on in any major conflict in the Indo-Pacific

A garment factory in Ho Chi Minh City. Targets of the US probes include Vietnam, which had the largest trade surplus with the US in January.

US tariff turmoil: Will partners in Asia and Europe break away from their 2025 deals?

For economies already hit by the war in Iran, America’s new ‘unfair trade practices probes’ spell only more trouble

Japanese Trade Minister Ryosei Akazawa said that he will continue the tough negotiations, noting that Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi plans to visit the US in March.

Japan, US far apart on US$550 billion fund projects

The grant aims to spur a wave of Japanese investment into key US industries, and is vital to the bilateral tariff deal

Sino-American tensions and US President Donald Trump’s actions are critically important, yet not everything should hinge on the US and China.
POLITICS THAT MATTER

A long year that is not over

Growth has been resilient and fundamentals remain positive, but problems have grown

The Party Central Committee begins its 15th plenum on Monday (Dec 22), to discuss key issues ahead of the twice-a-decade party congress.

Vietnam replaces trade minister as leadership review begins

The current chairman of PetroVietnam, Le Manh Hung, becomes the acting minister of industry and trade

During his Asia tour, Trump hogged the headlines from that first jig when he arrived at Kuala Lumpur airport. When Trump chooses to turn up, it is his agenda for America that is not only first but perhaps the only item on the agenda.
POLITICS THAT MATTER

Asean in a ‘Minus One’ world

When America First means the US chooses when to show up, the region must find its way to live and prosper

Above: Jawaharlal Nehru Port in Navi Mumbai, India. Indian exports to the US dropped 8.6 per cent year on year to US$6.3 billion in October.

Resilient domestic economy gives India space to negotiate US trade deal, sources say

Domestic tax cuts on hundreds of consumer items since September are boosting local demand and helping exporters stay competitive

The inaugural Asean-GCC-China Summit that was held in Kuala Lumpur this year. The continued eastward shift of the Gulf’s trade will aid the region’s evolution into a global middle power, says the Asia House report.

China overtakes West in Gulf trade for the first time in ‘watershed’ moment: report

Structural and fundamental factors suggest the trend will only pick up pace in coming years, says think tank