US-Asia relations

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

President Donald Trump (left) with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung. The US leader was gifted a replica of the golden Cheonmachong crown.

South Korea awards Trump its highest medal, gifts him a golden crown

President Lee Jae-myung says the move recognises the US president’s role as a ‘peacemaker’ on the Korean peninsula

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, speaking in May at the Shangri-La defence conference in Singapore, warned that China was “credibly preparing to potentially use military force to alter the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific.”

Pentagon chief Hegseth set to visit Japan, Malaysia, Vietnam and South Korea

A key theme of Hegseth’s trip will be “America‘s focus on the Indo-Pacific, the Department’s priority theatre,” the Pentagon said

Action must be taken now in “building new trade connections and keeping up the momentum of trade liberalisation”, says PM Wong.

Singapore’s prime minister warns of ‘messy’ transition to post-American order

No other country can fill the vacuum left by the US, says Lawrence Wong

Takaichi (above) will likely ask Trump about his wider plans for a regional economic and political framework.

Asian geopolitics could shift with Takaichi-Trump meetings

New Japanese PM Sanae Takaichi will push for more assertive security role in alignment with US strategy

After slapping India with 50% tariffs and bashing the country for buying oil from Russia, US President Donald Trump has softened his rhetoric in recent weeks.

India says it’s narrowing gap with US on trade deal dispute

[GREATER DELHI] India said it’s making solid progress in trade negotiations with the US as it looks to clinch a trade deal and bring down punitive tariffs.

The rapport between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (left) and US President Donald Trump was once viewed as a stabilising force in the bilateral relationship.
THE BOTTOM LINE

A partnership at a crossroads: The new reality of US-India relations

The growing rift between Washington and New Delhi threatens to alter the strategic balance of the Indo-Pacific region