Brunei Darussalam

Cambodia

Indonesia

Laos

Malaysia

Myanmar

Philippines

Singapore

Thailand

Vietnam

Military & Security

Politics

Foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) began their annual meeting on July 25 in Vientiane, Laos, Nikkei Asia has reported.

ASEAN: Foreign Ministers Meet in Laos for Annual Summit

Economics

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

Malaysian authorities arrested eight suspects involved in what they say were terrorist-linked threats against King Ibrahim Iskandar, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, other top government officials and top police brass, the New Straits Times reported on June 24. 

Malaysia: Authorities Thwart Alleged Terrorist Threats Against King, Prime Minister

Malaysia will apply for membership in the BRICS pact, according to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, New Straits Times reported June 18.

Malaysia: Country to Apply for BRICS Membership

United States

U.S. officials said the United States would immediately start applying a 14.25% tariff on imported double-sided solar panels from Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam, E&E News reported on May 16.

U.S.: Washington To Raise Tariffs on Southeast Asian Solar Panels

Iran

Energy

U.S.-Iran Relations

Malaysia informed a visiting U.S. Treasury Department delegation that it will not abide by unilateral U.S. sanctions against transshipments of Iranian oil, BenarNews reported on May 10.

Malaysia, U.S., Iran: Kuala Lumpur Refuses Washington's Request To Abide by Iran Sanctions

Israel

Palestinian Territories

In Malaysia, 108 KFC locations have "temporarily closed" amid a popular boycott of the fast food chain, along with smaller-scale closings of Pizza Hut, Starbucks and McDonald's locations, and there is currently no timeline for reopening, CNA reported on April 30. 

Malaysia: Anti-Israel Boycotts Affecting Western Brands

Bangladesh

India

Countries across South and Southeast Asia are issuing extreme heat warnings for at least the next three days, though likely longer, as the region grapples with an extended heat wave, portending health risks, business and school closures, and strained electric grids, VnExpress reported on April 29. 

Southeast Asia: Extreme Heat Wave Creates Health and Business Risks, Stresses Energy Grids

Three KK Super Mart convenience stores in Malaysia were attacked with Molotov cocktails in recent days after selling socks with the word "Allah" embroidered on them, Bloomberg reported on April 5.

Malaysia: Retail Controversy Highlights Divisions Within Ruling Coalition

Assessments

The main dome of the Malaysian prime minister's office in Putrajaya is seen on June 4, 2024. 

A bigger parliamentary majority will enhance the government's staying power, freeing it to more avidly pursue its plans to attract foreign investment, among other policy initiatives.

Political Stability Will Help Malaysia Hit Its Economic and Foreign Policy Goals

South Africa

Australia

China

New Zealand

Germany

Switzerland

Ukraine

President Cyril Ramaphosa is sworn in as member of parliament during the first sitting of the new South African parliament on June 14 in Cape Town, South Africa. Ramaphosa will be inaugurated to a second term in a ceremony scheduled to take place June 19 in Pretoria.

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: Ukraine's Peace Summit, South Africa's Inauguration

An aerial photo taken on Sept. 25, 2022, shows solar panels at the Sao Mai solar energy plant in Vietnam’s An Giang province. 

Several ASEAN countries are on track to develop substantial renewable power capacities in the short term, but technical, political and financial constraints, coupled with incentives to keep burning fossil fuels, will impede long-term decarbonization goals.

The Challenges Facing Southeast Asia's Decarbonization

U.S.-China Relations

Malaysia's experienced workforce and neutral status in the U.S.-China rivalry will continue to draw interest to its chip sector, but the country will struggle to move up the value chain.

Malaysia's Place in the Race for Semiconductor Business

Japan

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida delivers a speech at the gala dinner for the ASEAN-Japan commemorative summit in Tokyo on Dec. 17, 2023. 

Over the next year, Tokyo will provide ASEAN countries with military equipment and more infrastructure investment, which will raise threat perceptions and further deteriorate Japan's ties with China.

The Implications of Japan's Growing Interest in Southeast Asia

Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (R) delivers an opening address at the start of a bilateral meeting with Laos' Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone (L) at the prime minister's official residence in Tokyo, Japan, on Dec. 16, 2023.

Laos' vulnerabilities will weaken its ASEAN chairmanship, although the bloc's economic interconnectivity will likely continue to grow.

Laos' Limitations Portend a Lukewarm Year for ASEAN

Malaysian Muslim activists and Palestinian nationals gather to express solidarity with the people of Palestine as they march toward the U.S. Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Oct. 13, 2023. 

Prime Minister Anwar's ardent backing of the Palestinian militant group will help pacify his government's pro-Islam factions, but it may come at the cost of reduced foreign investment and U.S. sanctions.

The Drivers and Risks of Malaysia's Vocal Support of Hamas 

Snapshots

Rare earth elements. Malaysia's recently announced plan to ban exports of rare earth elements is the latest example of the deepening regional trend of resource nationalism.

Malaysia's move will negatively impact its international partners in the sector, but give Malaysia a strategic advantage in the marketplace.

With a Rare Earth Ban, Malaysia Is Poised to Join the Regional Resource Nationalism Trend

Regional leaders pose for a group photo before the ASEAN-Australia summit, held as part of the 43rd ASEAN summit in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Sept. 7, 2023. From left to right stand the Philippines' President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Thailand's Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Sarun Charoensuwan, Vietnam's Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Indonesia's President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, Laos' Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone, Brunei's Prime Minister Hassanal Bolkiah, Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Manet, Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and East Timor's Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao.

ASEAN's most recent summit underscored chronic passivity within the bloc that will only worsen in 2024. 

Amid ASEAN's Inaction, the Block's Members Look to External Partners for Security

A woman casts a vote at a polling station during Malaysia's general election on Nov. 19, 2022. 

A poor performance by members of the fragile unity government would portend yet more political instability that could negatively impact the Southeast Asian country's economy.

The Significance of Malaysia's State Elections

A Chinese coast guard ship sails past anchored Philippine fishing boats in the Scarborough Shoal, in the disputed South China Sea, on Feb. 3, 2023.

A binding code of conduct in the South China Sea remains unlikely, despite the resumption of negotiations between claimant states.

With No Deal in Sight, South China Sea Claimants Continue to Militarize

A voter shows a fading inked finger from casting a vote during Malaysia's Nov. 19 general election on Nov. 22, 2022, in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia. Whatever government emerges victorious will be less able to engage in major domestic reforms and foreign policy initiatives as it contends with a weak mandate.

Whatever government emerges victorious will struggle to engage in major domestic reforms and foreign policy initiatives as it contends with a weak mandate.

A Hung Parliament in Malaysia Portends Further Instability

Malaysia straddles Southeast Asia's key geopolitical divide, between the mainland and the archipelago. Peninsular Malaysia occupies the southernmost tip of Southeast Asia's Malay Peninsula. East Malaysia, however, is on the island of Borneo, over 600 kilometers away across the South China Sea.       Peninsular Malaysia is defined by north-south mountain ranges flanked by coastal lowlands. The nation's core is its west coast from Penang to Johor Bahru, including the capital, Kuala Lumpur. This coastline fronts major east-west trade routes through the Malacca Strait, whose shores are divided between Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore. Malaysia's primary geographic challenge is to secure this coastline in order to extract revenue from east-west trade. Today, Malaysia's substantial manufacturing center is concentrated in this core region. Johor Bahru also benefits from proximity to Singapore, which left Malaysia in 1965.        Malaysia's ethnic minority Indian and Chinese communities are also concentrated in the core, comprising 30 percent of the population. These groups wield outsized economic power and form the basis of the political opposition. Their population growth is slower than the ethnic Malay majority, creating an increasingly volatile political environment.      East Malaysia makes up 60 percent of the country’s landmass but has only 20 percent of the population. This sparse population is tipped toward the ethnic Malays and is growing in electoral significance. East Malaysia is playing a growing role in energy production — key to sustaining the country’s decades of steady economic growth.     Borneo also fronts the South China Sea, where Malaysia's maritime claims overlap with the claims of the Philippines, Brunei, Vietnam and China. As Borneo's offshore fields become more important to Malaysia, the nation's South China Sea claims could bring it into conflict.  

SITUATION REPORTS

ASEAN: Foreign Ministers Meet in Laos for Annual Summit

Malaysia: Authorities Thwart Alleged Terrorist Threats Against King, Prime Minister

Malaysia: Country to Apply for BRICS Membership

U.S.: Washington To Raise Tariffs on Southeast Asian Solar Panels

Malaysia, U.S., Iran: Kuala Lumpur Refuses Washington's Request To Abide by Iran Sanctions

Malaysia: Anti-Israel Boycotts Affecting Western Brands

Southeast Asia: Extreme Heat Wave Creates Health and Business Risks, Stresses Energy Grids

Malaysia: Retail Controversy Highlights Divisions Within Ruling Coalition

Forecasts

ANALYSES

SECTIONS

Explore

Subscribe

Help & Support