Government
International relations
Israel, Myanmar to tighten defence ties
After Commander-in-Chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing’s visit to Israel earlier this year, the two countries are looking to further cement defence ties with a formal agreement that will head to parliament later this week. Keep reading ...
ASEAN Community officially formed in landmark declaration
The ASEAN Community was officially declared on 22 November by leaders of the 10 member states of ASEAN in a landmark moment promising greater regional integration for the 48-year-old group. Twelve years in the making, the foremost goal of the ASEAN Community is to turn the region ...
Malaysia hands over ASEAN chair to Laos
Malaysia has handed over the chairmanship of ASEAN to Laos, having fulfilled its eight priorities as ASEAN chair for this year. On 22 November, at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak handed over a gavel to Laotian Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong – ...
US president notes election success at ASEAN Summit
The weekend’s ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur put US President Barack Obama and President U Thein Sein together for the first time since the election. While peddling his Asian pivot trade deal at the meeting, Mr Obama took a softer diplomatic tone than usual, lauding the ...
Cambodian PM urges cooperation on climate problems
Prime Minister Hun Sen on 21 November called for stronger cooperation in implementing the ASEAN-US Joint Statement on Climate Change, noting that the phenomenon is “obviously happening”. The statement, adopted last November, calls on ASEAN members to implement 33 points, such as ratifying Kyoto Protocol goals and ...
Cambodian PM urges US to drop tariffs
Prime Minister Hun Sen urged policymakers in Washington to expand its preferential treatment of goods imported from least-developed countries (LDCs) including Cambodia by increasing the amount of goods permitted duty- and quota-free access to the US market. “Cambodia would like to request that the US provide ...
Chinese premier highlights railway, FTA in talks with Lao, New Zealand PMs
The cooperation on a railway linking China and Laos has been advancing smoothly and the foundation stone will soon be laid to start its construction, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said here on 21 November. Li called the railway one of the new fruits of bilateral cooperation ...
ASEAN Summit: Heavy workload awaits leaders starting to arrive
A gruelling workload and hectic pace awaits 18 heads of states and governments who will be arriving here today to attend the 27th ASEAN Summit and related summits. The two days in Kuala Lumpur is no holiday for them, with 10 summits and 59 documents to pore ...
Vietnam, New Zealand sign four agreements
Vietnamese and New Zealand businesses signed four agreements on 15 November during the official visit by New Zealand Prime Minister John Key to Vietnam. The four business-to-business arrangements – between Global Trust Alliance, AsureQuality and Vinamilk, Airways International and the Vietnam Air Traffic Management Corporation, Airways International ...
US pledges $259m to SE Asian allies for maritime security
The United States said on 16 November it would provide US$259 million to its Southeast Asian allies for maritime security, as tensions rise over Beijing’s island-building in the disputed South China Sea. The pledges of support to the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia came shortly after US ...
