International relations

Laos and Australia concluded a customs related agreement in Vientiane last week, aiming to promote customs-to-customs ties between the two countries. According to a press rel ease from the Australia Embassy in Vientiane, Australian Border Force Commissioner Roman Quaedvlieg is visiting the region to further ...

China has said its army is on high alert after armed groups in Myanmar attacked military and police posts close to their shared border at the weekend and that it would act to protect its citizens and their property in the area. The official Xinhua ...

ASEAN and Japanese defence ministers have agreed to further enhance their cooperation on politics, security, economics, and socio-cultural affairs. As a result of positive relations in these areas to date, Japan has become one of the most important dialogue partners and supporters of ASEAN. Lao ...

From China and Japan to India and the countries of south-east Asia, leaders are being confronted by the unknowns of a new American president. Donald Trump’s victory has the potential to radically redraw the geopolitical landscape in Asia, where Barack Obama has been trying to counterbalance ...

Over the past five years, Singapore’s investments in Việt Nam have nearly doubled. Singapore’s Trade and Industry Minister, Lim Hng Kiang, emphasises the development of longstanding economic relations between Singapore and Việt Nam, which have yielded concrete outcomes, including creation of the Việt Nam-Singapore Industrial ...

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is to meet US president-elect Donald Trump next week in New York, officials said November 10, after phone talks between the two following the billionaire’s shock election win. Abe and Trump spoke for about 20 minutes and tentatively set a ...

ASEAN member states and China will further boost their joint efforts through bilateral and multilateral cooperation mechanisms to tackle transnational crime. ​Transnational crime includes drugs and human trafficking which are increasing in scale as reflected by the large number of young people that fall victim ...

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte congratulated US President-elect Donald Trump, hoping for ‘enhanced Philippines-US relations’ while Bangladesh’s Sheikh Hasina invited Trump and his wife to visit Bangladesh. Leaders across Asia congratulated Republican Donald Trump on winning the bitterly fought US presidential election. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte extended his wishes to the US ...

Laos and Cambodia have agreed to open new border crossings to link the two nations more closely and enhance trade and investment cooperation. The plans were agreed to during Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith’s meeting with his Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen in Phnom Penh in June. ...

During long hours stuck in Manila’s choking traffic, taxi driver Maning Yabut constantly hears about the anxieties of Filipinos from all walks of life. These days, the talk is all about whether President Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-U.S. outbursts are good for the Philippines. Particularly concerned, he ...