Showing 1 - 10 of 19
Rethinking finance beyond aid
Oped, Justin Yifu Lin & Yan Wang, Published on 06/11/2025
» Traditional donors have sharply scaled back their aid commitments to developing countries over the past year. Some, like the United States, have virtually eliminated their aid programmes. According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), official development assistance (ODA) from member countries declined by 7.1% in 2024, its first annual drop in six years.
Flawed Asean needs to regain footing
Oped, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 10/10/2025
» Nearly six decades after its founding, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) finds itself back where it began -- divided, uncertain, and vulnerable to the influence of major powers. Once hailed as a model for regional cooperation in the developing world, Asean now faces a crisis of purpose. Unless it can rediscover the unity and collective way forward that defined its early decades, Southeast Asia's flagship institution risks slipping into irrelevance.
Thai EV bets in a changing landscape
Oped, Ye Yuan, Published on 28/08/2025
» In late July, electric vehicle (EV) company Omoda & Jaecoo announced it would increase investment in Thailand after pledging to build a manufacturing plant.
Can 'Land Bridge' ignite growth?
Oped, Dai Kadomae, Published on 18/06/2025
» Thailand has long struggled to escape the middle-income trap. Despite its strategic location at the heart of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), the country continues to trail regional peers in GDP growth, capital market performance, and infrastructure competitiveness.
Earthquake shakes Myanmar military regime
Oped, John J. Metzler, Published on 03/04/2025
» Two powerful earthquakes jolted and devastated Myanmar, causing widespread death and destruction for a country already reeling from the effects of ongoing civil conflict. The M7.7 quakes created stunning devastation in central Myanmar as well as in neighbouring Thailand, killing more than 2,000 people and damaging the storied city of Mandalay.
Trump, Rubio and the Panama Canal rhumba
Oped, John J. Metzler, Published on 12/02/2025
» The Panama Canal is back in the headlines after President Donald Trump raised political and security concerns over the future of the strategic waterway linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The heart of his argument is that the canal, built and paid for by the United States in the early 20th century is now coming under Chinese communist influence.
China: Benefactor or imperial menace?
Oped, Kasit Piromya, Published on 06/09/2024
» Since the start of the 21st century, China has shown its desire to recapture its previous position as the world's most powerful and influential nation. Centuries ago, China -- going by the name of the "Middle Kingdom" -- was the world's most influential nation until Western European countries arrived on the shores of the Chinese empire in the early 16th century.
Southeast Asian banks must stop funding coal
Oped, Nabilla Gunawan, Published on 11/04/2024
» Indonesia is by far a major top producer of dangerous climate emissions -- more than any country in the Southeast Asian region, mainly due to its burning of coal. The country is also feeling the full force of worsening climate disasters, from floods and storms to deadly landslides. My hometown, Jakarta, is sinking -- and this is compounded by regular catastrophic flooding and air pollution that disrupts millions of lives. Indonesia faces huge risks as it currently sits as the second most disaster-prone country in the world, according to the World Risk Report 2023.
Land bridge needs rethink
Oped, Editorial, Published on 25/10/2023
» The government deserves praise for its quick work to promote investments in Thailand. That said, speed is not always of the essence when the project in question has a considerable impact on the country.