Showing 1 - 10 of 35
It's never been more important to strengthen ties
Oped, Genevieve Donnellon-May, Published on 09/03/2026
» Australia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) face a defining moment. Intensifying great-power competition, climate crises and economic fragmentation are reshaping the Indo-Pacific, raising urgent questions about how the two sides can build a truly resilient partnership.
Keeping Asia's growth engine on track
News, Thomas Noto Suoneto & Genevieve Donnellon-May, Published on 28/02/2026
» Asia stands at a decisive crossroads. The region remains the world's most powerful growth engine, with many Asean economies expanding above 5% and Asia-wide growth projected to exceed 4% in 2026 -- well above the global average of roughly 3.1%. Strong domestic demand, rising middle classes, and rapid technological adoption continue to propel the region forward, cementing its role as the central driver of global economic growth.
Climate disasters demand swift action
Oped, Genevieve Donnellon-May, Published on 10/12/2025
» Southeast Asia is in crisis. Less than a week after the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) concluded in Brazil, the region is grappling with devastating floods and landslides, underscoring the urgent climate challenges that countries have repeatedly raised on the global stage.
Time to help Rohingya refugees
Oped, Kannavee Suebsang, Mercy Chriesty Barends & Andrew Hudson, Published on 29/09/2025
» Just over eight years since 700,000 Rohingya were forced out of Myanmar over the border into Bangladesh in what the UN has described as a "textbook example of ethnic cleansing", people continue to languish in camps in Cox's Bazar without access to work or education. Those remaining in Myanmar are largely confined to internally displaced camps, or forcibly conscripted to fight for the military junta.
Time to rethink the casino debate
Oped, Andrew W Scott, Published on 13/06/2025
» I've been visiting and studying the world's casinos since 1986, particularly those in Asia. And boy, have they changed a lot in the past 40 years.
China, Malaysia eye food security
Oped, Genevieve Donnellon-May, Published on 18/02/2025
» Can Malaysia and China help secure Asia's food future? A landmark agreement signed between the two nations late last year aims to do just that.
China takes aim at democracy
News, Adam Nelson and May Butoy, Published on 06/01/2025
» In April 2024, a spokesman for former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte suggested that the Philippines and China had entered into an undisclosed "gentleman's agreement" between 2016 and 2022. China would not challenge the status quo in the West Philippine Sea, and the Philippines would send only basic supplies to its personnel and facilities on the Ayungin Shoal. But now, the Philippines is emerging as an essential player in resisting China's strategic ambitions in the region, with President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr's administration asserting Philippine maritime claims through naval confrontations and new legislation.
We need a food sharing mechanism
News, Genevieve Donnellon-May, Published on 26/08/2024
» During the Asean-Australia Post-Ministerial Conference in Vientiane last month, Indonesia's foreign minister Retno Marsudi once again highlighted the critical role partners like Australia must play in easing the region's food insecurity.
Lifting Asean's efforts with Myanmar
Oped, Andrew Ong, Lina Alexandra & Min Zin, Published on 27/04/2024
» About three years ago, Asean leaders gathered in Jakarta for an emergency summit on Myanmar at which the Five-Point Consensus (5PC) -- entailing the cessation of violence in the country, constructive dialogue among parties to the conflict, the appointment of a special Myanmar envoy and the provision of humanitarian assistance -- was agreed upon with the State Administration Council's (SAC) senior general Min Aung Hlaing.
Building a much stronger food system in Laos
Oped, Genevieve Donnellon-May, Published on 29/03/2024
» One of the smallest and most sparsely populated nations in Southeast Asia, the Lao Peoples' Democratic Republic, a mountainous, landlocked country wedged between Vietnam, Thailand and China, has long grappled with challenges associated with supplies of food. A recently released Food and Agriculture Organization/World Food Programme joint report warns that food insecurity continues to increase in Laos, last year affecting more than a million people out of the 7.2 million population.