This Month
World’s poorest nations to crumble in Trump’s trade war
Madagascar, the “mountain kingdom” of Lesotho and Pacific island Nauru are on the list of countries hit with punishing US tariffs.
March
Myanmar quake death toll hits 1700 as aid scramble intensifies
The devastation has piled more misery on Myanmar, already in chaos from a civil war that grew out of a nationwide uprising after a 2021 military coup.
Chinese company faces probe over Bangkok skyscraper quake collapse
The death toll from an earthquake that hit Myanmar and Thailand passed 1600, as authorities launched an investigation into the toppling of a partly built high-rise.
Earthquake rocks Myanmar and Thailand, Bangkok high-rise collapses
The 7.7 magnitude quake struck on Friday with an epicentre near Mandalay. The death toll has risen to nearly 700 and one agency says it could top 1000.
November 2024
SE Asian defence chiefs in security talks with US, China
The closed-door talks put US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun in the same room a day after a snub at ASEAN.
Prabowo pledges co-operation with Trump
Washington sees Indonesia, the most populous country in South-East Asia, as an important partner in a region where its rival Beijing has deep trade and investment ties.
October 2024
Albanese to press China on trade
The Association of South-East Asian Nations leaders’ summit will take place in Vientiane, Laos this week, the latest international push by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
A year later, for many Australian Jews it’s still October 7
A year after the Hamas massacre in Israel, many Australian Jews feel they are still there, as they navigate a world that often seems upside-down.
Leaders depart UN empty-handed, facing wider Middle East war
There was no expectation of major breakthroughs at the annual gathering of presidents, premiers and other leaders. There rarely is. But this year was especially grim.
May 2024
Has Julie Bishop taken on an impossible task?
The military is losing ground in Myanmar. What follows could be a failed state – and Australia’s former foreign minister will be right in the thick of it.
April 2024
India’s global power ambitions come down to economic reform
Without reform, India will continue to be marked by the paradox that characterises China – having a large economic mass that does not translate into high levels of distributed prosperity.
World Bank warns of slowing growth across Asia amid China slump
The drag is partly due to the expected deceleration in the world’s second-largest economy, whose expansion is forecast to slow to 4.5 per cent this year.
March 2024
When the minister met the ‘mischievous’: What Wong said to Curran
Foreign Minister Penny Wong parried with James Curran at The Australian Financial Review Business Summit this week. This is an edited transcript of that discussion.
Sense of urgency as Australia finds its true international identity
There is a meaning to be extracted from the ASEAN summit for Australia’s international identity.
South-East Asia signals it won’t be picked off by China
A tick of approval from one of Asia’s most respected statesmen for AUKUS was just one positive sign from the ASEAN summit.
February 2024
No detention orders sought for freed immigration detainees
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said applications were under way by the government, but any orders had to meet a high legal threshold.
November 2023
What Henry Kissinger told the Financial Review in 1995
The diplomatic powerhouse has died at age 100. Here is an extract from a 1995 speech in Sydney.
Nicholas Moore on how to get in early on the next big growth story
Former Macquarie CEO Nicholas Moore proposes an atypical use of large-scale government financing facilities and political risk insurance to encourage corporate investment in SE Asia.
September 2023
Biden’s summit no-show adds to ASEAN’s relevance crisis
The absence of the US president, who typically attends, magnifies the already sombre backdrop of the 10-state bloc’s traditional show of unity and group handshakes.
August 2023
Why speculative investors dominate in rare earths debate
Australia is racing to bypass China in the hunt for the rare earths that are critical to the global economy and to national security. But the West is far behind.