Showing 1 - 10 of 110
Our tariff-era dollar, your problem
Oped, Qiyuan Xu, Published on 04/02/2026
» In 2025, the dollar index, which measures the greenback's strength against a basket of major currencies, fell by roughly 9.4%. Over the same period, the United States' average effective tariff rate rose by around 14.4 percentage points, from 2.4% to 16.8%, according to the Yale Budget Lab. Taken together, these shifts imply that, in the import trade domain, the US experienced an effective exchange-rate depreciation of around 24%.
Middle powers can do their bit
News, Moreno Bertoldi & Marco Buti, Published on 02/02/2026
» Amid escalating geopolitical tensions, the world is increasingly caught between the United States -- an extractive superpower -- and China, a "dependency superpower" whose global influence rests on making other countries reliant on its exports. In the absence of meaningful resistance, both are likely to remain on this course, leaving middle powers to comply with their demands or face retaliation.
Trump's 'America First' in overdrive
News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 23/01/2026
» President Donald Trump's extraterritorial capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife on cocaine-trafficking and terrorism-related charges earlier this month and repeated demand to take over Greenland at the World Economic Forum this week are part and parcel of a belligerent and transformative "America First" paradigm that dates back at least four decades.
Trump's doubling of tariffs is hitting India hard
Oped, Shashi Tharoor, Published on 05/12/2025
» US President Donald Trump's doubling of tariffs on a wide range of Indian goods, from a steep 25% to a catastrophic 50%, is reshaping India's export economy. Half of what India sells to the United States -- its largest trading partner -- is now prohibitively expensive, and ordinary Indians are suffering as a result.
How gender equality boosts the economy
Oped, Pinelopi Koujianou Goldberg, Published on 26/09/2025
» With protectionism and industrial policy returning to advanced economies, and with geopolitical tensions on the rise, this is an inauspicious moment for trade-led growth strategies. Since future growth will increasingly depend on sound domestic policies, low- and middle-income countries should focus on ensuring that existing resources are fully and efficiently deployed. And no resource is more valuable than human capital.
Asean must strengthen cohesion
Oped, Anwar Ibrahim, Published on 17/09/2025
» Since its founding in 1967, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) has cultivated a reputation for trust and dialogue that has made the region synonymous with peace, stability, and dynamism. The achievements of our ten member states -- soon to be eleven with Timor-Leste's expected admission later in 2025 -- are rooted in a culture of consensus, open communication, and solidarity. This tradition of cooperation has enabled Asean to manage tensions, prevent conflict, and nurture prosperity across one of the world's most diverse regions.
Put America first
Oped, Postbag, Published on 05/08/2025
» Re: "Trump hurting global trade in ideas", (Opinion, Aug 4).
Trump hurting global trade in ideas
Oped, Sally Tyler, Published on 04/08/2025
» Much attention has been focused on Thailand's scramble to achieve a bilateral trade agreement with the United States to avoid a 36% tariff on all exported goods. Yet a different restrictive trade policy has received comparatively less scrutiny -- the Trump administration's clampdown on American universities, including a possible ban on the enrolment of international students.
China's unbeatable new export is not a product
Oped, Jeffrey Wu, Published on 24/07/2025
» The Chinese "cannot be allowed to export their way back to prosperity", argues US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, who claims that China's economy is the "most unbalanced in history". Such remarks reflect the growing fear in Washington that China's overcapacity, subsidies, and dumping are distorting global trade.
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.