Politics
-
On the Offensive: China’s K-Visa and the Global Race for Talent
Historically, China experienced a sustained exodus of its brightest minds, as students, researchers, and entrepreneurs left for countries offering greater academic freedom and professional opportunity. For decades, Beijing focused on internal reform aimed at stemming its persistent brain drain. On October 1st, 2025, China introduced the K-visa, joining the ranks…
-
ASEAN’s Data Governance Strategy
The ASEAN Digital Masterplan aims to triple the size of the regional digital economy by 2030. To build effective technological infrastructure against the backdrop of bipolar competition, ASEAN states must pursue a standardized data governance approach to protect citizens, information, and economic viability. Background: Expansive Digital Economy ASEAN states have…
-
Has Indonesia’s New Sovereign Wealth Fund Stumbled Before It Could Run?
Danantara’s governance has raised many concerns throughout its first half-year in existence. While much will need to be ironed out as the fund is in its infancy, the current governance and structure raises many flags that need to be resolved if Indonesia truly and seriously wants its very own Temasek.…
-
China’s Nickel Empire: The Hidden Costs of Green Tech and AI Ambitions in Indonesia
China’s drive to dominate the green-tech and AI supply chains has turned Indonesia into one of the world’s leading producers of nickel. Industrial growth has brought jobs and improved local infrastructure, but it has also accelerated deforestation, excreted waste into rivers, and harmed the livelihood of traditional communities. The transformation…
-
Competition in the Ocean: China’s Vertical Expansion and India’s Horizontal Dominance
As China deepens its strategic footprint through vertical port development and energy corridors, India counters with a horizontally expansive maritime network rooted in historical connectivity. Both powers have increasingly prioritized the Indian Ocean as a geopolitical landscape, where ancient trade routes meet modern rivalries. In their ancient maritime treatises, “Bahr…
Sino-Southeast Initiative 