Showing 1 - 10 of 62
Rethink Asean-Pakistan relations
News, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 14/04/2026
» Pakistan became an Asean sectoral dialogue partner in 1993. Yet for more than three decades, the grouping's engagement with this nuclear-armed state has remained limited. The time has surely come to reconsider its status and elevate it to a full dialogue partner.
Power rivalry heats up Mekong region
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 24/03/2026
» The Thai saying, maenam maimee promdan (rivers have no boundaries), fittingly applies to the mighty Mekong River, known in China as the Lancang.
Better Canada-China ties boost Asean
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 20/01/2026
» Canada's decision to reset relations with China is extraordinary, coming at a critical time for both countries. It reflects changes in the Western Hemisphere that have led Canada to realise that boosting ties with China is a necessity. Furthermore, it will have far-reaching implications for their future bilateral relations and beyond. It is interesting to note that it took US President Donald Trump's intimidation -- both on trade and annexation -- to push straightforward Canada towards the East.
Upcoming Myanmar vote tests Asean
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 26/08/2025
» Myanmar is heading to the polls from Dec 28 through mid-January 2026. The big question is whether the world community will accept the outcome of the national election.
Time for this unnecessary war to end
News, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 29/07/2025
» It was a war everyone saw coming. After weeks of provocations and inflammatory rhetoric across the Thai–Cambodian border since May 28, the failure to de-escalate tensions finally erupted into deadly border skirmishes. Despite diplomatic efforts, no fruitful progress was made. As diplomacy faltered, ultra-nationalism made inroads, and rhetoric gave way to border clashes beginning last Thursday.
Recalibrating Thai-US ties (once again)
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 22/07/2025
» It is about time for Thailand to discard the two-century-old euphemism about enduring Thai-US ties and be brutally realistic. It is about time for a blunt question -- what can Thailand offer to reduce its soaring trade surplus of US$43 billion with the US? If Thai negotiators don't come up with any interesting offers, then the tariff for exported goods from Thailand to the US will be 36% across the board after Aug 1.
Is Asean now a new 'balancing wheel'?
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 15/07/2025
» Last week's Asean Foreign Ministers' Meeting reflects its continued relevance in an increasingly unstable world. Amid US unilateralism and US President Donald Trump's tariff nationalism, Asean has reasserted itself as a balancing wheel -- a stabilising force on which its dialogue partners can still depend.
Border power cut, but problems remain
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 11/02/2025
» Hooray. After nearly a fortnight of to-and-fro brinkmanship and passing the buck among Thai agencies, the Thai government finally cut power to five border towns in Myanmar last week.
Nay Pyi Taw's goals still out of reach
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 04/02/2025
» As Myanmar's crisis enters its fifth year this week, there is still no light at the end of the tunnel.
Public trust key in Koh Kut challenge
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 19/11/2024
» Recently, the Paetongtarn Shinawatra government and her praetorian guards have been up in arms, defending their position on the 2001 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Thailand and Cambodia. She has said that the government will negotiate with Phnom Penh and will soon establish a joint technical committee to do just that.