Singapore

Economics

Politics

Singapore announced that Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will resign in favor of his appointed successor, Finance Minister Lawrence Wong, on May 15, which will make Wong the city-state's fourth prime minister, CNA reported on April 15.

Singapore: Prime Minister To Step Down on May 15

Singapore's Parliament passed the Significant Investments Review bill, a new law allowing the Ministry of Trade and Industry to scrutinize entities deemed critical to national security by blocking or otherwise checking company buyouts, Channel NewsAsia reported on Jan. 9.

Singapore: New Law Grants Ministry Sweeping Authority to Block Company Buyouts

Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced at a convention for the ruling People's Action Party, or PAP, that he will step down and hand the premiership to his deputy, Lawrence Wong, ahead of the city state's next election, Bloomberg reported on Nov. 4.

Singapore: Prime Minister Lee Announces He Will Step Down as Soon as 2024

Singapore's Parliament will establish an inter-ministerial panel to tighten rules and crack down on cross-border money laundering, Bloomberg reported on Oct. 2.

Singapore: Parliament Looks to Bolster Anti-Money Laundering Regime

Brunei Darussalam

Cambodia

Timor-Leste

Indonesia

Malaysia

Myanmar

Thailand

Vietnam

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

Rice prices are up more than 40% in Southeast Asia since late 2022 amid India's rice export ban instituted on July 20 and El Nino conditions that are reducing rice output from harvests, BenarNews reported on Sept. 29.

Southeast Asia: Food Insecurity on the Rise Amid Rice Export Bans, El Nino

Singapore's United Overseas Bank (UOB) will restrict all incoming and outgoing payments to Myanmar accounts, as well as take other measures to restrict transactions with Myanmar entities, Nikkei Asia reported on Aug. 10.

Singapore, Myanmar: Singaporean Bank to Cut off Connections to Junta

China

Singapore's premier Chinese-language newspaper Lianhe Zaobao echoed China's views on topics like human rights in Xinjiang province, protests in Hong Kong and China's COVID-19 policy in over 700 issues from 2022-3, The Washington Post reported on July 24. 

Singapore: Pro-CCP Newspaper Could Prompt Rift in Ties With China

Japan

Laos

Philippines

Military & Security

Kao Kim Hourn, the secretary general of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), said the bloc and Japan will elevate ties to a "comprehensive strategic partnership" before or during a special summit celebrating 50 years of relations in December, Kyodo News reported March 8.

Japan, ASEAN: 'Comprehensive Strategic Partnership' Is Forthcoming

Snapshots

A photo of Singapore's Parliament building against a cityscape.

Singapore's Incoming Prime Minister Brings a Fresh Face to an Old Regime

Assessments

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

Hong Kong SAR, China

People cycle along the promenade at Marina Bay in Singapore on Oct. 13, 2023. 

While it may briefly slow its economy, the city-state's robust response to the crisis will ultimately mitigate the impact on Singapore's reputation as an easy and safe place to do business.

Singapore Races To Keep Money Laundering From Muddying Its Image

United States

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.

U.S.-China Relations

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 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

Australia

New Zealand

South Korea

India

A photo taken on May 23, 2022, in Tokyo shows U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida attending a video call with leaders from countries in the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity. 

Supply Chains

The U.S. and the Balance of Power

Asia-Pacific: Among Great Powers

The narrow scope of the initiative will limit its effectiveness in achieving Washington’s goal of countering China’s regional rise.

The Stumbling Blocks of Biden's New Indo-Pacific Economic Bloc

Columns

On Security

Mozambique

Somalia

Yemen

Royal Malaysian Police Special Forces personnel storm a mock hijacked ship during an anti-piracy demonstration exercise June 13, 2007, in Port Klang, Malaysia.

Piracy tends to occur in globally significant locations and counterpiracy options all come at a cost to shippers.

A Primer on Global Maritime Piracy, Part 2

Guidance

South Africa

Kazakhstan

Israel

A shopkeeper wearing a protective mask serves a client on April 22, 2020, in Berlin from behind a protective plastic screen in a coffee store open for the first time since a COVID-19 shutdown. The world is slowing beginning to emerge from various COVID-19 lockdowns. 

COVID-19

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

The Weekly Rundown: The World Peaks its Head Out From COVID-19 Lockdowns

Nicaragua

Sweden

Turkmenistan

Belarus

Shoppers wearing face masks amid concerns over the COVID-19 novel coronavirus outbreak in a market in Seoul, South Korea, on March 14, 2020.

Whether the lessons of South Korea can be applied in the West remains to be seen.

Learning How to Reopen a Country After COVID-19 Shutdowns

Sub-Saharan Africa

Americas

Asia-Pacific

Europe

Germany

Eurasia

Middle East and North Africa

South Asia

People wear masks against a new coronavirus while walking in Macau on Jan. 28, 2020. The quick and aggressive response to the virus should curb its impact on global public health, but the economic losses will be substantial.

The quick and aggressive response to the virus should curb its impact on global public health, but the economic losses will be substantial.

The Global Impact of the Wuhan Coronavirus: 3 Scenarios

Stratfor Threat Lens

The escalating trade war between China and the United States has placed Southeast Asian countries in the crossfire.

Southeast Asia: Burdened by Consensus

Southeast Asian countries stand to gain -- or lose -- the most from Beijing and Washington's escalating trade tensions. Some have benefited more than others, but all are at risk of taking an economic hit.

Southeast Asia Is on the Front Lines of the U.S.-China Trade War

<p>The city-state of Singapore sits at the southern tip of Southeast Asia&#39;s Malay Peninsula. Malaysia lies to its north and parts of Indonesia lie across a strait to its south. The island nation rests near the end of the Strait of Malacca, which links the Indian Ocean and South China Sea, and is one of the world&#39;s busiest shipping routes. The area emerged in the 13th century as a small trading outpost and gained prominence through its strategic location on the Maritime Silk Road. That location and success repeatedly put it at risk, from Siam and Javanese kingdoms in ancient times, and later from European powers, including the Portuguese and Dutch. It eventually fell into the hands of the British Empire and was later seized by the Japanese in World War II. Since its independence from Malaysia in 1965, it has focused on preserving its dominance of the regional shipping lane that runs near it and on avoiding the domination of outside powers. Though the country is dominated ethnically by Chinese, it has tried to create a distinct national identity. Maritime trade has led to an export-led industrialization that has far outpaced its neighbors, and its vulnerability has led it to develop a strong navy. Now it is striving to maintain a strategic balance among big powers, namely the United States and China, as relations in the region shift.</p>

SITUATION REPORTS

Singapore: Prime Minister To Step Down on May 15

Singapore: New Law Grants Ministry Sweeping Authority to Block Company Buyouts

Singapore: Prime Minister Lee Announces He Will Step Down as Soon as 2024

Singapore: Parliament Looks to Bolster Anti-Money Laundering Regime

Southeast Asia: Food Insecurity on the Rise Amid Rice Export Bans, El Nino

Singapore, Myanmar: Singaporean Bank to Cut off Connections to Junta

Singapore: Pro-CCP Newspaper Could Prompt Rift in Ties With China

Japan, ASEAN: 'Comprehensive Strategic Partnership' Is Forthcoming

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