Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s choice of making his first State visit to India in December was significant because of the perception that his party, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna, is …
Economy
Microsoft Expands Data Center Footprint in Johor
Microsoft is increasing its investment in Malaysian data centers with the purchase of another plot of land in Johor. Its data center arm, Microsoft Payments Malaysia, acquired a 91,249-square-meter si…
Laos Is Turning to Its Neighbors to Loosen China’s Economic Grip
Laos has a debt problem. By some estimates, the country’s public debt has swelled to more than $15.9 billion, exceeding its GDP. And ballooning debt is simply the most striking symptom of a wider, pro…
The Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone, Explained
An agreement on the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ) was announced in early January, after several months of negotiations. The project encompasses a large part of the southern Malaysian …
Bangladesh and Pakistan Are Changing South Asia’s Geopolitical Landscape
Since the overthrow of Sheikh Hasina’s authoritarian rule in August of 2024, two shifts in the region are reshaping its geopolitical environment. The first shift has been the steady deterioration in I…
The Quad Under Trump 2.0: Early Signs of Shift Amid Continuity
One of the Trump administration’s first foreign policy acts, less than a day after the inauguration, was convening the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (FMM) on January 21. The FMM involved wide-rangin…
How a flood of finance for sustainable seafood could help save the ocean
Aquaculture is a leading contributor to the failing health of the ocean. Shrimp ponds in Lombok, Indonesia, have devastated climate-critical mangrove forests and contaminated the groundwater. Seaweed …
Malaysia positions for AI-driven economy
Boasting a young, mobile savvy population, widespread internet penetration and relative political stability, Southeast Asia (SEA) has emerged as a prime foreign direct investment (FDI) destination in …
100 Days of Prabowo-Gibran: Opportunities to Accelerate Indonesia’s Energy Transition
The administration of President Prabowo Subianto and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka will complete 100 days on January 28, 2025. The Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR) believes that …
Cambodia likely to gain from Trump tariffs
Cambodia is expected to benefit from US President Donald Trump’s focus on imposing tariffs against China and possibly also Vietnam to address bilateral trade imbalances, Mekong Strategic Capital says.…