Showing 1 - 10 of 59
Trump ready with Asean policy 2.0
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 21/01/2025
» Last week's Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing for Senator Marco Rubio was very insightful, especially regarding comments related to US-Asean relations. Mr Rubio demonstrated knowledge about Asean and the need for flexibility in engaging with the countries in the region. His comments have also calmed surging concerns over a potential tariff hike under the Trump administration. Certainly, he is expected to be confirmed and replace Antony Blinken as Secretary of State.
US looks to deepen Asean partnership
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 08/10/2024
» Annual meetings between Asean leaders and major powers from both the West and East have made Asean an important strategic partner. The upcoming Asean-related summits in Vientiane this week are no different. After the pandemic, Asean has become more prominent, though sometimes passive, in the region. By not fully taking sides in the East-West divide, Asean keeps its influence and room to handle the complex global security issues.
Give a man a fish...
Oped, Postbag, Published on 14/09/2024
» Re: "Thai household debt at record high", (BP, Sept 10). The average debt per Thai household is now 606,378 baht, up 8.4% from 2023 -- the most since the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce began its survey in 2009.
Asean's united front amid global shifts
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 30/07/2024
» This year's Asean Ministerial Meeting (AMM) was notable for the unity of its members, as the bloc has faced increased pressure to align with major powers. Kudos to the humble Asean chair, Deputy Prime Minister Saleumxay Kommasith, also Laos' Minister of Foreign Affairs, who emphasised at the annual meeting's outset that amid rapid and complex geopolitical and geo-economic changes, Asean must remain united and enhance its centrality.
Nato's blame game
Oped, Postbag, Published on 30/07/2024
» Re: "Blinken set for talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang in Laos", (World, July 28).
Nato's Washington summit deepens spat with China
News, Peter Apps, Published on 16/07/2024
» During Nato's 75th anniversary summit held in Washington last week, China's defence ministry made a surprise announcement.
How Sino-American rivalry reshapes world order
Oped, William R Rhodes & Stuart PM Mackintosh, Published on 12/06/2024
» Tensions between the United States and China continue to flare, even as Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and several other senior US officials visit the country for talks. The two sides may disagree on most things, but maintaining dialogue is an essential part of geopolitics. The breakdown in communication last year, following visits to Taiwan by prominent American politicians and the US downing of a Chinese spy balloon, was dangerous and destabilising, because when adversaries do not engage, misperceptions -- and the risk of a clash -- mount.
For China, Europe visit part of a wider confrontation
News, Peter Apps, Published on 14/05/2024
» In the Serbian village of Budjanovci outside Belgrade, people have talked for years about the Chinese teams that descended on the area following the shooting down of a US F-117 stealth fighter in March 1999, offering to buy pieces of wreckage taken by villagers as souvenirs.
Blinken's diplomatic dance in China
Oped, John J Metzler, Published on 01/05/2024
» US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited China for whirlwind discussions with the People's Republic political grandees in Shanghai and Beijing with the hope of "stabilising the relationship" between both countries. So into the Beijing/Washington political turbulence, Mr Blinken flew to smooth the Sino-American political rivalry, especially over China's military assertiveness towards the South China Sea, Taiwan, the Ukraine war, and naturally two-way trade.
Is China stockpiling resources in case of future war?
News, Peter Apps, Published on 29/04/2024
» In the eastern Chinese port of Dongying, the start of 2024 has often seen several tankers docked simultaneously discharging Russian crude oil into a new 31.5-million-barrel storage facility completed late last year.