Southeast Asia
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Who Will Build ASEAN’s Digital Future? The Education and Talent Gap Behind the Region’s Digital Economy
ASEAN’s digital economy is expanding rapidly, with e-commerce, AI, data centres, and regional digital frameworks positioning the region for major growth by 2030. Yet this progress rests on a fragile foundation: ASEAN does not have enough digitally skilled workers to sustain the scale of its ambitions. Weak early digital education,…
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The Ringgit Myth: Why Malaysia’s Export Machine Doesn’t Need a Weak Currency to Win
Does a stronger ringgit really hurt Malaysia’s exports? While economic intuition may suggest yes, the data says otherwise. Despite a rising currency, exports hit record highs. Why? Real competitiveness is not about low prices and a weak currency. It’s about technology, supply chains, and global demand, all structural economic factors.…
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Vietnam’s Semiconductor Strategy: Between Opportunity and Strategic Constraint
Guest Article by Léane Noirot Vietnam is pushing to move up the semiconductor value chain from assembly into chip design and fabrication, backed by national strategy and rising foreign investment. Its success will depend on managing infrastructure, capital, and geopolitical pressures amid intensifying US–China competition. Vietnam has entered a decisive phase…
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Reprioritising Education for Effective Poverty Reduction in Lao PDR
While Laos has made progress in reducing poverty, a deeper problem remains hidden beneath the numbers. Today, poverty is no longer determined by where people live, but rather by whether children finish school. Education deprivation has become the bottleneck in solving Laos’s poverty issue, yet current developmental policies continue to…
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From Haven to Hub: Thailand’s New Trade of Transnational Repression
For decades, dissidents and activists in Southeast Asia have found reprieve and refuge within Thailand’s borders, which once served as a shield against persecution and unlawful silencing. Yet a single coup in 2014 enabled Thai General Prayuth Chan-ocha’s rise and consolidation of power, who tore this veil down with the…
Sino-Southeast Initiative 