Showing 1 - 10 of 10
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.
Challenging Asean digital sovereignty
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 16/09/2025
» Members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) are busy finalising a draft of a Digital Economic Framework Agreement (Defa) -- this digital framework is hoped to boost regional bloc intra-trade, attract foreign investment, and transform the grouping into a global digital hub. As the current chair, Malaysia is eager to see the world's first such agreement concluded under its leadership.
The rise and fall of Srettha Thavisin
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 20/08/2024
» While leaders come and go, they leave behind a legacy that can be mixed, varying from glory to ignominy. Only a few leave nothing much to remember. As for Thailand's 30th prime minister, Srettha Thavisin, it was cursory at best. Overall, it's a good case study on how pomposity and self-adulation affect leadership.
Imagining a post-coronavirus world
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 31/03/2020
» Prior to the World Health Organization categorising the Covid-19 outbreak as a global pandemic, nobody would have imagined that the most of the world would be in lockdown as it is today, with over one billion people forced to stop doing their daily routines as they are advised to stay at home to avoid contracting and/or spreading the virus. To survive, each affected country, big or small, will have to use whatever skills and resources they have to fight this common enemy.
RCEP finale: Double U-turn intrigue
News, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 21/01/2020
» With the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) approaching its final stages, some Asean countries are revealing what can only be described as erratic behaviour. They have unexpectedly come up with a new position, one previously hidden under their smiles. In other words, they have made another U-turn from their previous position.
Vietnam is powering full steam towards the future
News, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 08/10/2019
» These days, I get nostalgic every time I make a trip to Hanoi. This time around, it was about Vietnam's street food scene. When I first came to Hanoi in 1986, my favourite eating place was at the corner of Ly Thuong Kiet and Pham Chu Trinh streets, where one could have bun cha on the pavement of the street, which was lined with numerous haircut booths.
Trump visit could bolster US Indo-Pacific strategy
News, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 01/10/2019
» With only four weeks to go before the 35th Asean-related summits kick off at Muangthong Thani, the White House has said nothing to indicate whether President Donald Trump will be coming to Bangkok. Asked about it these past couple of days, Washington movers and shakers have said in unison: Anything can happen. Mr Trump is now facing the threat of impeachment from a Democratic Party-led inquiry. It is pretty common these days to factor in a high level of unpredictability for all transactions with the US, especially when they involve the US presidency.
Learn from past visa-waiver mishap
News, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 27/08/2019
» In September 2003, the Thai government undertook the most incredible step by signing a visa-waiver agreement with Russia. No other Asean country had dared to do that before.
Time for Japan and S Korea to end spat
News, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 20/08/2019
» Japan and South Korea must stop their tit-for-tat measures before their worsening relations reach the point of no return. The ongoing spat between Asian's two economic giants has sent chills down the spines of regional leaders, who are very concerned that it could spiral out of control and break down the longstanding spirit of East Asian community-building. If that happens, the post-war stability and prosperity of the past seven decades would quickly disappear. Difficult as it is, now is the time to mend fences.
'New Pakistan' faces big challenges
News, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 21/08/2018
» Pakistan's newly sworn-in Prime Minister Imran Khan has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make his country's presence felt both regionally and globally.