News

Asia, Europe leaders to discuss South China Sea at Brussels summit

Kyodo News
Posted at Oct 17 09:05 PM

The South China Sea disputes have regularly been high on the agenda at most meetings of the leaders of ASEAN and their dialogue partners, which include the US. Read more »

Abandoned by banks, Indonesia's poor farmers turn to crowdfunding

Michael Taylor, Thomson Reuters Foundation
Posted at Oct 11 12:09 PM

He blamed large-scale poultry farmers who carried out a mass cull after their birds fell sick, flooding the market and sending prices tumbling. Read more »

Southeast Asian cyber-security center opens in Thailand

Patpicha Tanakasempipat, Reuters
Posted at Sep 14 09:32 PM

About 700 cyber-security personnel from Southeast Asia are expected to graduate from the Japan-designed programs, which include cyber defense, digital forensics and malware analysis. Read more »

Automation to cost Southeast Asia millions of jobs, warns World Economic Forum

Agence France-Presse
Updated as of Sep 13 07:12 AM

Automation will soon make millions of low-skilled jobs -- from cashiers and machine operators to waiters and drivers -- redundant across Southeast Asia.  Read more »

At Asian Games, the battle for Southeast Asia's esports market begins

Fanny Potkin and Patpicha Tanakasempipat, Reuters
Posted at Aug 25 01:41 AM

The region's youthful population is already the world's fastest-growing esports market, with PC and mobile games revenues hitting $2.2 billion in 2017. Read more »

PH wants stronger cooperation on disaster management in ASEAN

Willard Cheng, ABS-CBN News
Posted at Aug 22 03:08 PM

The Philippines wants stronger cooperation on disaster management among Southeast Asian countries in the wake of recent natural calamities that have struck the region. Read more »

China proposes regular military exercises with ASEAN in S. China Sea

Kyodo News
Posted at Aug 21 12:07 PM

MANILA - China is proposing to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations that the two sides hold regular joint military exercises in the South China Sea, according to an ASEAN diplomatic source. Read more »

US pledges nearly $300 million security funding for Southeast Asia

Reuters
Posted at Aug 04 03:46 PM

The new security assistance will strengthen maritime security, develop humanitarian assistance and peacekeeping capabilities and counter "transnational threats" Read more »

China, Southeast Asian states hold simulated naval drill

Agence France-Presse
Posted at Aug 03 08:14 PM

China and Southeast Asian states held simulated naval exercises this week for the first time, Singapore said Friday, as they seek to lower long-running tensions in disputed waters.   Read more »

US, ASEAN focus on full sanctions enforcement on North Korea

Kyodo News
Posted at Aug 03 08:11 PM

Washington is expected to urge ASEAN members to fully enforce UN sanctions on North Korea so as to compel it to abandon its nuclear weapons. Read more »

China wants military drills with ASEAN in disputed sea, excluding US

Martin Abbugao and Ayee Macaraig, Agence France-Presse
Posted at Aug 02 06:31 PM

China wants military exercises and energy exploration with Southeast Asian nations in disputed waters, according to a draft document, but insists on outside countries being excluded in what analysts said was a bid to diminish US influence.   Read more »

Southeast Asia seek cybersecurity deal with Russia after series of hacks

John Geddie and Manuel Mogato, Reuters
Posted at Aug 02 01:20 PM

Southeast Asian nations hope to strike a joint agreement on cybersecurity in the coming days with Russia, accused by the United States of meddling in its elections, after a series of high-profile hacks in the region. Read more »

China says foreigners should not interfere in Cambodia after election

Reuters
Posted at Aug 02 01:05 PM

BEIJING - Foreigners should not interfere in Cambodia's internal affairs, the Chinese government's top diplomat told his Cambodian counterpart, following an election in the Southeast Asian nation that critics said was neither free nor fair. Read more »

Rise of robots fuels slavery threat for Asian factory workers

Kieran Guilbert, Thomson Reuters Foundation
Posted at Jul 12 08:10 AM

More than half of workers in Cambodia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines - at least 137 million people - risk losing their jobs to automation in the next two decades, the United Nations' International Labor Organization says. Read more »

Japanese automotive firms seek to hire 50,000 Filipino workers

Katrina Domingo, ABS-CBN News
Posted at Jul 11 07:31 PM

Around 40 Japanese automotive firms are looking to recruit 50,000 Filipinos as the Philippines continues to position itself as an automotive manufacturing hub in Southeast Asia. Read more »

Through the lens: Southeast Asia's 2018 World Cup fans

Karim Raslan -- Ceritalah ASEAN
Posted at Jul 10 07:20 PM

For Southeast Asians, except Filipinos, Cambodians, and Laotians, football is KING.  Read more »

Singapore moves to cool down resurgent property market

Agence France-Presse
Updated as of Jul 06 01:44 PM

Private residential prices in the affluent city-state have surged by 9.1 percent over the past year on strong demand after declining gradually for close to 4 years, the government said. Read more »

China's plastic recyclers go abroad as import ban bites

David Stanway, Reuters
Posted at Jun 26 03:04 PM

In a smoke-filled plant about 50 miles northwest of Shanghai, masked workers feed sacks of plastic scrap into shuddering old machines that transform them into pellets used to make a range of manufactured goods. Read more »

Malaysia could extend tax breaks for key foreign investors: Mahathir

A. Ananthalakshmi, Emily Chow and Kevin Krolicki, Reuters
Posted at Jun 20 11:59 AM

Mahathir's comments could reassure investors in Southeast Asia's third biggest economy after he started a review of major projects sanctioned by former premier Najib Razak. Read more »

In Vietnam, distrust of government's China policy fuels protests

Martin Petty, Reuters
Posted at Jun 19 04:57 PM

Central to the issue is a combustible mix of generations of anger over perceived Chinese bullying, and a lack of faith in Vietnam's ruling communist party to do anything about it. Read more »