Economy
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Malaysia’s Silent Trade War: China’s Overproduction, Malaysia’s Overreliance
Malaysia is facing a silent trade war with China, as cheap imports erode the local market and weaken its domestic industrial base. Chinese dumping, which is driven by subsidies and overcapacity, has accelerated Malaysia’s premature deindustrialization. Anti-dumping duties can only provide a temporary buffer. Thus, only by attracting long-term, high-quality…
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Coercion by the Kilogram: Rare Earths and the Next Phase of US–China Competition
On April 4, 2025, China’s Ministry of Commerce imposed new licensing requirements on exports of seven rare earth elements (REEs) and their associated products, including permanent magnets. While not an outright ban, this move adds regulatory friction to the global supply of critical materials such as samarium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium,…
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Neo-Colonialism and the Entrenchment of Palm Oil Exploitation in Indonesia
In July 2025, Indonesia transferred 400,000 hectares of seized plantation land to a state-owned palm oil company. Just weeks earlier, President Prabowo Subianto urged the country to expand palm oil production without worrying about deforestation. At first glance, this may seem like a routine economic decision to support a key…
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China’s Semiconductor Investment Defies Economics—But Makes Perfect Strategic Sense
In 2024, China launched the third instalment of its National Integrated Circuit Industry Investment Fund, a $48 billion investment vehicle to turbocharge the nation’s semiconductor industry, even as it continues to lag behind industry leaders. The country has decided to double down on what appears to be an economically irrational…
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The Strategic Relations of ASEAN and the EU: Trade, Green Economy, Geopolitics
Guest Article by Jit Soon Aw Once colonial, now collaborative: the EU and ASEAN are evolving history’s imbalance into a mutually lucrative partnership. The Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN) and the European Union (EU) are undoubtedly two of the most successful regional blocs with the shared aim of enhancing…
Sino-Southeast Initiative 