Whenever Philippine officials boast that the country is “meeting ASEAN standards,” it sounds reassuring until one asks a fundamental question: whose standards, exactly? If “ASEAN standards” mean the organization’s own…
IN 2026, the Philippines will chair the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) under the banner “Navigating Our Future, Together.” It is an appealing slogan, but also a risky one.…
Why Manila’s chairmanship could make—or break—its regional credibility. The Philippines’ upcoming ASEAN chairmanship in 2026 will be one of the country’s most consequential leadership tests in recent memory. After Laos…
ASEAN today finds itself in an uncomfortable but unavoidable position: seated squarely at the fault line of U.S.–China rivalry. The question often asked — Is ASEAN being forced to choose…
The signing of the China–ASEAN Free Trade Area (CAFTA) 3.0 Protocol during the 2025 Kuala Lumpur ASEAN Summit marks a historic step in the region’s economic evolution. What began in…
The recently concluded ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, marked one of the most consequential moments in the bloc’s history. For the first time since the 1990s, ASEAN expanded its…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHGUaaMD4Ic The discussion centers on the recently concluded ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, specifically the upgraded CAFTA 3.0 and the RCEP Leaders’ Summit, Kuala Lumpur Accord, and the accession…
Yesterday, October 25, 2025, the foreign and economic ministers of ASEAN gathered in Kuala Lumpur for the first-ever joint ASEAN Ministerial Meeting (AMM-AEM). The event seemed routine at first glance.…
A young couple from Vietnam sell fruit pastries and Vietnamese coffee in Dongxing, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, in April. Cross-border trade has thrived in the small city, which borders Vietnam's…
Recently held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the 46th ASEAN Summit marked a critical moment for advancing ASEAN’s collective agenda amidst shifting geopolitical and economic landscapes. The "Kuala Lumpur Declaration" signed…