Brunei Darussalam

Cambodia

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Malaysia

Myanmar

Philippines

Singapore

Thailand

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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

China

China and the Philippines reached a provisional agreement to manage the latter's resupply missions to the Second Thomas Shoal in the disputed South China Sea, the Financial Times reported on July 21.

China, Philippines: Disputes Endanger Provisional Agreement on Second Thomas Shoal

China and the Philippines are working out the final details of an agreement establishing a new multivector hotline mechanism to manage unplanned encounters and crises in the disputed South China Sea, Nikkei Asia reported on July 17.

China, Philippines: Multivector Crisis Response Hotline System Near Completion

Japan

Japan and the Philippines will hold a so-called ''2+2'' meeting between their foreign and defense ministers in Manila on July 8, Nikkei Asia reported July 5.

Japan, Philippines: Meeting Likely To Produce Reciprocal Access Agreement

Chinese and Philippine officials are meeting in Manila to discuss ongoing tensions in the South China Sea, The South China Morning Post reported July 2.

China, Philippines: South China Sea Talks Offer a Breather, but Unlikely to Resolve Dispute

United States

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

Philippine government officials are calling for a formal investigation into an alleged U.S. military disinformation campaign against the Chinese COVID-19 vaccine Sinovac during the height of the pandemic in 2021, The South China Morning Post reported June 18.

Philippines, U.S.: Alleged Pentagon Disinformation Campaign Undermines Trust

Taiwan

A quarterly Octa Research survey found that 73% of Filipinos support "further asserting the Philippines' territorial rights through military action" while 68% say the Philippine military should modernize and strengthen, The South China Morning Post reported June 10. 

Philippines: Poll Finds Strong Support for Military Action, Modernization

China denied Philippine claims that it is undertaking land reclamation to establish a permanent presence at the Sabina Shoal in the South China Sea, the South China Morning Post reported on May 13.

China, Philippines: China Defends Scarborough Shoal Amid Claims of New Land Reclamation

Assessments

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

Economics

Energy

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

Columns

On Geopolitics

Australia

Fiji

New Zealand

North Korea

South Korea

United Kingdom

India

A 3D rendering of Southeast Asia from space at night with city lights showing Southeast Asian cities in Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia.

U.S.-China Relations

In the Asia-Pacific, countries are increasingly pursuing complex networks of political, economic and defense ties as part of a burgeoning "multi-alignment" strategy that seeks to avoid U.S.-China strategic competition.

Examining 'Multi-Alignment' in the Asia-Pacific

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (center), flanked by two other U.S. officials, is seen during a meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa and Philippine Foreign Minister Enrique Manalo (not pictured) on the sidelines of the 78th United Nations General Assembly at the Lotte Palace Hotel in New York City on Sept. 22, 2023.

Cyber

A partnership between the three countries will likely improve freedom of navigation and economic security in the South China Sea, but may also raise the risk of trade disputes and conflict with China.

What To Watch for During the Inaugural U.S.-Japan-Philippines Summit

Iran

Israel

Poland

People attend an April 5, 2024, funeral procession for seven Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps members killed in an Israeli strike in Syria.

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

The Weekly Rundown: The Threat of Iranian Retaliation Against Israel, Polish Local Elections

Venezuela

Egypt

Europe

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on March 14, 2024, at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland.

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

The Weekly Rundown: Dueling U.S. and Chinese Diplomacy, a European Council Summit

Pakistan

Chinese officials at the Fifth Plenary Session of the National People's Congress on March 12, 2023 in Beijing. Beijing will host the annual Two Sessions meetings of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, an industry and societal consultative body, and the rubberstamp National People's Congress from March 4-11.

The Weekly Rundown: Pakistan Selects a New Premier, China's Two Sessions

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. delivers a speech during a political rally in Manila on Jan. 28, 2024. 

Duterte's growing political dispute with his successor could reignite secessionist sentiment on the Mindanao island and derail efforts to attract investment and maintain close U.S. ties.

Tensions Flare Between the Philippines' Current and Former Presidents

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

Snapshots

A photo taken during a Philippine surveillance flight on Sept. 28, 2023, shows a Chinese coast guard ship on patrol near the Scarborough Shoal (seen in the background) in the South China Sea.

The vessel crashes highlight the risk of future crises in the disputed maritime region as China tries to test the U.S.'s commitment to defending the Philippines and the wider Indo-Pacific.

Chinese-Philippine Collisions Bring Attention Back to the South China Sea

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

Media

Podcasts

What's driving the reinvigorated U.S.-Philippines alliance?

Essential Geopolitics: The Impact of Deepened U.S.-Philippines Relations on U.S.-China Tensions

The Philippines is a collection of over 7,000 islands situated at the confluence of the South China Sea, the Indonesian archipelago, the Philippine Sea and Pacific Ocean. It forms the outer edge of maritime Southeast Asia, and for much of its modern history has served as a gateway between western powers and continental Asia.     A former colony of both Spain and the United States, the Philippines today consists of three island clusters: Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. Luzon, with the country’s capital in Manila, is the political, cultural and economic core of modern Philippines. It is highly urbanized relative to the rest of the country, boasts a large port and deep harbor, and accounts for roughly one-third of the Philippines GDP. Mindanao has long been a hotbed for political unrest and insurgent movements and is populated by the predominantly Muslim Moro tribes. It is also an important fruit and produce exporter.    The Philippines is shaped by sharp geographic, economic and social divisions between a primarily urban north — in Luzon — and a heavily agricultural, poorer south. This, along with the fractured island geography, makes effective national integration difficult. It also undermines Manila's efforts to play a stronger role throughout the South China Sea region or guard against external infringement on its territorial waters, especially from China. That weakness is apparent today, as China's increasingly aggressive moves to assert its own maritime claims test Manila's voice in groups like ASEAN as well as its alliance with the U.S.    While the Philippines’ location at the entrance to maritime Southeast Asia makes it geopolitically significant, internal imbalances continue to hamper its ability to actively defend its own claims, let alone project power.

Supply Chains

Asia-Pacific: Among Great Powers

Southeast Asia: Burdened by Consensus

SITUATION REPORTS

ASEAN: Foreign Ministers Meet in Laos for Annual Summit

China, Philippines: Disputes Endanger Provisional Agreement on Second Thomas Shoal

China, Philippines: Multivector Crisis Response Hotline System Near Completion

Japan, Philippines: Meeting Likely To Produce Reciprocal Access Agreement

China, Philippines: South China Sea Talks Offer a Breather, but Unlikely to Resolve Dispute

Philippines, U.S.: Alleged Pentagon Disinformation Campaign Undermines Trust

Philippines: Poll Finds Strong Support for Military Action, Modernization

China, Philippines: China Defends Scarborough Shoal Amid Claims of New Land Reclamation

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