Confrontation, militarisation and US–China rivalry made for choppy waters in the South China Sea in 2025, complicating prospects for an ASEAN–China Code of Conduct.

Fresh from joining ASEAN, Timor-Leste faces a defining moment as the shutdown of its main gas field accelerates the push for reform and diversification.

India’s 2025 labour reforms increase flexibility, but without stronger social protection and skills investment they will not deliver sustained manufacturing growth.

Priyaranjan Jha is Professor of Economics at the University of California, Irvine and Fellow at CESifo Network. His research focuses on international trade, economic development and labour markets, ...

Hydrocarbons remained central to the economy, accounting for roughly 45 per cent of GDP in 2025 — and an even more dominant share of government revenue — with natural gas and liquefied natural gas ...

Anutin Charnvirakul’s election victory sees backroom dealmaking moving from Bangkok suites into the heart of government.

Mongolia’s non-mining economy grew unevenly by 5.3 per cent. Agriculture was the standout contributor, surging by 33.8 per cent due to favourable conditions following the severe 2023–24 winters — ...

Thailand’s weak growth in 2025 was not the product of a single shock, but the cumulative cost of decades of underinvesting in ...

Sri Lanka’s governing coalition has prioritised stability and anti-corruption, but delayed reforms and missteps threaten its ...

A two-track approach to critical minerals that separates supply chains for defence and energy transition technologies could ...

Security-first critical minerals policies risk slowing decarbonisation unless governments create a dual-track approach that ...

As governments trade efficiency for security, resilience and strategic control, critical minerals are driving a new era of ...