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Brunei Darussalam

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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.

Military & Security

Politics

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

U.S.-China Relations

Assessments

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

Japan

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. 

Economics

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

Supply Chains

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. 

Environment, Science & Technology

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

COVID-19

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

2020 Second-Quarter Forecast

Centered on the western rim of the Pacific Ocean, the Asia-Pacific region includes the easternmost countries of continental Asia as well as the archipelagos that punctuate the coast. 

Asia-Pacific

<p>The Asia-Pacific is home to more people than any other region. Centered on the western rim of the Pacific Ocean, this region includes the easternmost countries of continental Asia as well as the archipelagos that punctuate the coast. Several of these countries, most notably China, experienced rapid economic growth in the second half of the 20th century, giving the region a new sense of global economic relevance that continues today. That relevance, however, depends largely on China, a power in transition whose rise is testing the network of U.S. alliances that have long dominated the region. How effectively Beijing manages its transition will shape the regional balance of power in the decades to come.</p>

Sub-Saharan Africa

Americas

Hong Kong SAR, China

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.

Stratfor Threat Lens

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

2020 Annual Forecast

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

2019 Fourth-Quarter Forecast

2019 Third-Quarter Forecast

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

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

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

Cyber

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) circulated an alert revealing that Chinese-linked hackers stole 30 GB of data and over 10,000 emails from ASEAN countries and the ASEAN secretariat in February 2022, BenarNews reported March 3.

China, ASEAN: Trove of Stolen Data Revealed Ahead of South China Sea Negotiations

China and Singapore announced 19 memorandums of understanding and bilateral cooperate on trade, finance, public health, and current and future pandemic responses following the conclusion of the 18th China-Singapore Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation in Singapore, the South China Morning Post reported Nov. 3.

Singapore: Chinese Official Visit Will Help Keep Relations Stable Amid Potential Leadership Change

Singapore announced a flexible five-year work visa initiative for foreign nationals making at least $21,500 per month beginning in January 2023, and targeted sectors include banking and finance, international law firms, and chemicals and engineering firms, Bloomberg reported Aug. 30.

Singapore: Government Unveils New Work Visa Initiative for High Earners

Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced that Finance Minister Lawrence Wong will become the country's deputy prime minister on June 13, the Malay Mail reported June 6.

Singapore: Lawrence Wong Will Become Deputy Prime Minister on June 13

During U.S. President Joe Biden's visit to Tokyo, Japan, he announced the basic framework for the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), which seeks to create standardization across nations and new, redundant supply chains to prevent future disruptions, Reuters reported May 23.

Asia-Pacific: Biden Unveils Indo-Pacific Economic Framework Basics

Afghanistan

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A view of the Register in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

Angola

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Lithuania

Covering an area that spans the entire width of the continent beginning at the Sahara Desert and ending at the southernmost tip of South Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa is home to countless cultures, languages, religions, plants, animals and natural resources.

Barbados

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Burkina Faso

Iraq

The President palace in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan

The administrative center of the Gakh region of Azerbaijan, located at the foot of the southern slope of the Greater Caucasus, on the river Kurhumchai.

Brazil

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Finland

Nepal

Cameroon

Canada

Georgia

Jordan

Pakistan

Mir Castle in the Minsk region of Belarus.

Cabo Verde

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Central African Republic

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A horse grazes in front of Kara-Kul lake in the Chon-Ak-Suu valley, 300 kilometers southeast of Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan.

Morocco

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France

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Mongolia

<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>

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SITUATION REPORTS

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

China, ASEAN: Trove of Stolen Data Revealed Ahead of South China Sea Negotiations

Singapore: Chinese Official Visit Will Help Keep Relations Stable Amid Potential Leadership Change

Singapore: Government Unveils New Work Visa Initiative for High Earners

Singapore: Lawrence Wong Will Become Deputy Prime Minister on June 13

Asia-Pacific: Biden Unveils Indo-Pacific Economic Framework Basics

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