Showing 1 - 10 of 43
2026 outlook calls for recalibration
News, Mohamed A El-Erian, Published on 17/01/2026
» For global markets, 2025 was defined as much by what did not happen as by what did. The year offered a masterclass in the power of a single narrative, with massive, concentrated bets on AI masking various other unanswered questions. Yet as we move further into 2026, the AI narrative is unlikely to prove strong enough to continue overshadowing other lingering uncertainties, many of which reflect deeper structural shifts. For investors, central banks, and governments alike, the situation demands adaptation.
Pageant fallout
Oped, Postbag, Published on 18/11/2025
» Re: "Turmoil in tiaras at Miss Universe in Thailand", (BP, Nov 6). There was an international furore a couple of weeks back over comments made by the co-organiser of the Miss Universe Pageant, Nawat Itsaragrisil, to Miss Mexico, Fatima Bosch.
AI set to replace most humans
News, Stephen Jen, Published on 22/08/2025
» Is technology more job augmenting or job replacing? This has been a long-standing debate. But recent academic work suggests that technology has been a net destroyer of jobs for decades.
Rare earths are definitely China's trump card
Oped, Angela Huyue Zhang, Published on 15/08/2025
» China's weaponisation of rare earths has emerged as a major flash point in US-China trade negotiations. These critical materials, especially the high-performance magnets they make possible, are vital components in electric vehicles (EVs), wind turbines, industrial robotics, and advanced defence systems. In response to China's strict rare-earths export controls, the United States has quietly lowered tariffs, relaxed export controls on AI chips, and even softened visa restrictions for Chinese students.
Asean+3's role in a rapidly fragmenting world
News, Hoe Ee Khor & Jae Young Lee, Published on 20/06/2025
» The risks posed by the fragmentation of the multilateral trading system transcend mere inefficiencies. Without a coherent, rules-based framework, global value chains will become vulnerable, investment risks will rise, and smaller, trade-dependent economies will be left increasingly exposed to the arbitrariness of bigger nations.
Meaningful digital transformation
News, Atsuko Okuda and Shamika N Sirimanne, Published on 20/11/2024
» The relentless pace of technological advancement is nothing short of breathtaking. Quantum computers, soon to compute 47 years faster than today's supercomputers, are nearly a reality. ChatGPT, once a novelty, has seamlessly integrated into daily life. Drones now traverse the skies, delivering food, medicine, and disaster relief to the most remote corners of the globe.
Kids: quality not quantity
Oped, Editorial, Published on 25/10/2024
» Labour Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn recently floated a way of resolving the declining birth rate by increasing the amount of financial support to parents from 1,000 baht to 3,000 baht per month per child for a period of seven years.
Overcapacity in China causing global concern
Oped, Yi Fuxian, Published on 18/09/2024
» Chinese overcapacity is raising concerns worldwide. It is easy to see why: China accounts for nearly one-third of the world's value-added manufacturing, and one-fifth of global manufacturing exports. But there is good reason to believe that the decline of China's manufacturing sector is imminent.
Refugee deaths an immigration wake-up call
News, Pinelopi Goldberg, Published on 24/07/2023
» For around a week in late June, Western media were obsessed with the fate of the Titan, a small submersible carrying a few billionaires and others to the sunken Titanic and later found to have imploded within hours of beginning its descent. Meanwhile, a boat carrying some 750 economic refugees capsized off the Greek coast, killing hundreds who had boarded in Libya after making perilous journeys from places like Afghanistan, Pakistan and Syria. Pakistan declared a national day of mourning for its citizens lost at sea. But the West paid hardly any notice.
Thailand's development model splutters
Oped, Peerasit Kamnuansilpa, Published on 16/03/2023
» Location-based economic development (LED) strategies, defined as government efforts to improve a particular area's economic and social conditions, were implemented in economically advanced countries long before they were in Thailand.