David Hutt

After Vietnam's lawmakers unanimously elected Communist Party chief To Lam as the country's president, analysts are asking whether Vietnam aims to copy Chinese President Xi Jinping's political model.

The bloc remains Southeast Asia's preferred hedge against U.S.-China rivalry, but the countries that matter most to the EU appear to trust it the least.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi's visit to Southeast Asia shows how Beijing is trying to present itself as a steady regional partner as Southeast Asia grapples with war, tariffs and doubts over Washington's reliability.

The release earlier this month of the 2026 State of Southeast Asia survey, an annual poll of regional “elites,” ought to have given Brussels some reason for satisfaction. As in most years, the survey, conducted by the ASEAN Studies Center at Singapore’s ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute, found that when it comes to trust in the EU, there is reason for good cheer, although only at first glance. For another year running, the EU is the most preferred “third party” for Southeast Asians to hedge against the uncertainties of U.S.-China rivalry, with 37.7 percent support, above the 34.2 percent who said Japan. Australia, India, Britain, and South Korea trailed by some distance.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi used a visit to Vietnam to update Japan's Indo-Pacific strategy, putting energy security, critical minerals and ASEAN resilience at its center.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi used a visit to Vietnam to update Japan's Indo-Pacific strategy, putting energy security, critical minerals and Asean resilience at its center.

The transfer of Aung San Suu Kyi from prison to house arrest has been welcomed cautiously abroad, but experts say Myanmar's military may be using it to boost legitimacy as the nation remains engulfed in civil war.

With oil, gas and fertilizer imports squeezed by the Iran war, Southeast Asian governments are brushing off EU pressure and treating Russian energy as a tool of economic survival.

Bangkok's decision to end MOU 44, a long-stalled maritime agreement with Cambodia, is win for Thai nationalists. This comes as Cambodia struggles to garner international support amid controversy over scam centers.

Malaysia’s ban on under-16s using social media has been framed as a child-safety measure, but critics warn it could prove difficult to enforce and may come at the cost of online privacy.