By Hunter Marston The general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong succeeded in advancing Vietnam-Japan relations on his trip to Tokyo from September 15 to 18. At a press conference on September 15, Trong and Japanese…
This week Sumitro Chair for Southeast Asia Studies Ernie Bower joins to analyze Singapore’s general election returns and discuss the future direction of the country’s democracy and foreign policy. Hosted by Colm Quinn. Audio edited by Sam Ellis. Produced by…
By Frank L. Albert When Laos becomes chair of ASEAN and hosts President Barack Obama and other leaders at the East Asian Summit (EAS) in 2016, it will step into the world’s spotlight. If Obama comes to Vientiane for the…
Who is he? Nguyen Sinh Hung is commonly considered the fourth highest-ranking official in the politburo of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV). He serves as chairman of the National Assembly, Vietnam’s legislative body. Born in 1954, he hails from…
By James Wallar The U.S. administration’s rebalance toward Asia is fundamental to U.S. economic, commercial, and security interests and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is the fulcrum for the economic pivot. Although facing headwinds typical in the end game of trade…
By James Wallar The Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) will celebrate the creation of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) at their November summit. ASEAN has reason to be proud of its accomplishments. Virtually non-existent tariffs, measures to ease…
By Rui Hao Puah UK Prime Minister David Cameron picked Southeast Asia as his first major overseas visit outside Europe since his Conservative party won the general elections in May. His four-day trade and diplomatic mission from July 26 to…
By John Juenemann In light of China’s aggressive posturing in the South China Sea, the Philippines has stepped up defense cooperation with a number of other countries that share its concerns about China, including Australia, Japan, the United States, and…
By Zachary Abuza A drought in the middle of monsoon season brought on by the El Niño effect has affected farmers across Southeast Asia, hampering economic growth and exacerbating political tensions between urban elites and farmers. Though rains have recently…
On the podcast this week we take a broader look at developments in the Philippines. Sumitro Chair Fellow Gregory Poling joins to discuss the candidates for next year’s election and what challenges Manila faces in ensuring both economic growth and…