Staff Writers
Politics
Yang Ming is a Law & Social Science (Politics & International Relations) student at the University of New South Wales Sydney. He was formerly part of the Malaysian National Debate Team and a Foreign Policy Research Assistant at Bait Al-Amanah, Malaysia.
Hilmie, born and raised in Malaysia, is a graduate of the University of Toronto (UofT), where he studied Statistics, Mathematics, and Political Science. His research focuses on Southeast Asian identity, electoral politics and international relations. He was a Methods Lab Peer Tutor at the UofT Department of Political Science. Passionate about data-driven insights, he explores the intersection of politics and statistical analysis, particularly in Southeast Asia’s evolving political landscape and its relations with global superpowers.
Mikael Jay Borres
Mikael Jay Borres is a writer based in Manila, Philippines. A former student journalist at the University of San Carlos, where he studied political science, he is currently working on his passion project, Fascinating Features—a website dedicated to spotlighting individuals and their profound stories.
Maggie Hung
Maggie Hung is a Toronto-based analyst from Hong Kong. A graduate of the United World College, Maggie developed a passion for addressing international issues rooted in historical precedence. While interning at the Hong Kong Competition Commission, Maggie conducted research on global antitrust regulation and emerging issues in competition law. Her experience in business regulation has grown her interest in the applications of policy in commerce.
Security
Erica Ruoxin Zhang
Erica Zhang is a Humanities student at the University of Toronto St. George with a membership to Woodsworth College from White Rock, British Columbia. She is currently Vice Director for UTMUN UNESCO, formally a writer for her high school newspaper, and has placed in essay competitions such as the John Locke Institute Essay Competition and the Royal Commonwealth Society Writing and Speaking Contest.
Emily Callista Adiwijaya
Emily is an International Merit and Trinity One Scholar at the University of Toronto, where she studies Ethics, Society, Law (Pre-law), Public Health, and International Relations. She has completed a legal internship with SHP Lawyers and serves as a mentee in UofT’s Law and Mentorship Program. A national awardee in writing and newscasting, she is passionate about healthcare law, equitable access to care in conflict zones, and peace journalism.
Economy
Aw Jit Soon
Jit Soon is an undergraduate student at the University of Nottingham Malaysia, studying International Relations. He is set to pursue an academic exchange at Sciences Po Toulouse next year. Currently serving as the Head of Internal Affairs at Malaysian Youth Diplomacy, he is particularly passionate about research in East Asian studies and trade diplomacy, with a focus on regional cooperation and policy development.
Pravin Periasamy
Pravin Periasamy is a Malaysia-based philosopher and director at the Malaysian Philosophy Society. He has authored over 100 articles on politics, economics, and philosophy in national editorials such as The Star, Business Today, and Malaysiakini. Periasamy was named among Wiki Impact’s Top 100 Changemakers for his contributions to social justice in Malaysia. He is a graduate in Business from Sunway University.
Tee Jia Yang
Tee Jia Yang is an economics student at the University of Nottingham Malaysia with a strong interest in international economics, development economics, finance, and market research. He has gained hands-on experience in literature review, data analysis, budgeting, and financial planning through his role as a Research Assistant with the School of Economics at UNM and as a Finance Intern with Malacca Securities. He is passionate about analyzing market trends and economic issues and is currently preparing articles that will be published in local media outlets.
Business
Alexander Rafael Tjipta (Rafa)
Rafa, born and raised in Jakarta, Indonesia, is an undergraduate student at the University of Toronto studying Commerce and Economics. His interests lie in the field of industrial organization — currently writing his undergraduate thesis on this topic, as well as competition policy and antitrust. Rafa loves Chipotle, snowboarding, and the Vancouver Canucks.
Arnav Singh is an undergraduate student at the University of Toronto, pursuing a double major in Economics and Strategy. Originally from New Delhi, Arnav has served as an Assistant Director at multiple debates and Model UN Conferences hosted by Harvard, Yale and Oxford. Currently, he is a competitor on the Rotman Case Competition Team, and is interested in international politics, and macroeconomic policy.
Jacob Tam
Jacob Tam is an undergraduate student at the University of Toronto from Victoria, BC. He holds extensive experience in writing and public speaking and was ranked among the top 15 debaters in British Columbia last year. He currently serves as a Committee Director for the University of Toronto Model United Nations Conference (UTMUN) and Tournament Staff with the UofT Students’ Pre-Law Association. Tam is a Bachelor of Commerce candidate at Rotman Commerce and part of the Munk One program at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy.
Joshua An
Joshua An is an undergraduate student at the University of Toronto studying economics and political science. His current research interests focus on the socioeconomic dimensions of the global supply chain and international trade. Joshua’s experiences in banking, corporate law, and the Korean government have allowed him to examine these issues from diverse perspectives. Joshua currently leads a non-profit on campus.
Science & Technology
Michael Sun
Michael is a writer based in Toronto and an undegraduate in the Munk One program at the University of Toronto. His interests lie in Economics, Diplomacy, and Geopolitics, with a particular focus on China’s role in global affairs.
Hengshuo Zhang
Hengshuo is an undergraduate student at the University of Toronto majoring in international relations. Originally from Beijing, China, he has studied in both domestic Chinese and international educational contexts. Hengshuo’s research interest lies in the restructuring of the international order amid developments in artificial intelligence. Having interned at a e-commerce and a AI-powered robotics company, he is keen to bring industry knowledge into his writing.
Contributing Writers
Mohammadreza is a PhD candidate in International Relations at Tehran University of Science and Research, Iran. With a dedicated focus on the Middle East since 2015, he has authored and translated over 10 books and published more than 15 scholarly articles in his field. His expertise encompasses issues related to the Middle East, the Persian Gulf, crisis studies and Iran Issues. Currently, he serves as a university lecturer, Vice President of the Center for Future Research of the Islamic World (IIWFS), and Associate Editor of the scientific journal Fundamental and Applied Studies of the Islamic World.
James is a Master of Science in Foreign Service student at Georgetown University specializing in AI and digital governance. Born in China and raised in Singapore, he completed his bachelor degree in Canada. James has worked with the G20 Research Group and the NATO Association of Canada, focusing on global governance, security policy, and multilateral diplomacy.
Sino-Southeast Initiative 