The Latest Breaking News from ASEAN

AMRO holds Asia's 2026 growth forecast steady at 4%, but said it would have been higher if not for the Iran war

"The Middle East conflict has shifted the balance of risks to the downside,” says Dong He, chief economist of the ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office.

Fortune · Apr 6

Antipathy no more: diplomacy wins out as Australia and the EU sign a free trade agreement

After an often acrimonious relationship over more than half a century, Australia and the European Union have signed a Free Trade Agreement (FTA). During a visit to Canberra by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the FTA has come to fruition after many years of negotiations and stalled talks.…

The Conversation · Mar 24

The Iran war cripples Asia’s supplies of fertilizer and helium, threatening farms and chipmakers alike

Agriculture is the backbone of many ASEAN economies like Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Fortune · Mar 23

Myanmar expels East Timor's top diplomat over a criminal complaint alleging military abuses

Myanmar’s military government ordered East Timor’s senior diplomat to leave the country after judicial authorities from the fellow Southeast Asian country accepted a criminal complaint against Myanmar's armed forces

The Independent UK · Feb 16

Asia's young, tech-savvy population will power the region's growth: AIIB chief investment officer Kim-See Lim

The Beijing-based multilateral development bank is targeting sustainable infrastructure projects across Southeast Asia, particularly in energy and transit.

Fortune · Feb 10

With international law at a ‘breaking point’, a tiny country goes after Myanmar’s junta on its own

Just four months ago, Timor-Leste formally became a member of the Association of Southeast Asian States (ASEAN).

The Conversation · Feb 6

ASEAN to stick to Myanmar peace plan despite its failure to stop deadly civil war

Thailand’s top diplomat says a 5-year-old plan by Southeast Asian leaders to end Myanmar’s civil war has failed but could still help restore peace

The Independent UK · Jan 30

ASEAN should adhere to rule of law in face of 'unilateral actions,' Philippines' top diplomat says

Philippine Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro says Southeast Asian countries should steadfastly maintain restraint and adhere to international law as acts of aggression across Asia and “unilateral actions” elsewhere in the world threaten the rules-based global order

The Independent UK · Jan 29

ASEAN's top diplomats under pressure to end Myanmar war and manage South China Sea disputes

Southeast Asia’s top diplomats are holding their first major meeting in the central Philippine city of Cebu under growing pressure to beat a deadline to conclude talks on a nonaggression pact with China this year and push a peace plan that has so far failed to end Myanmar’s civil war

The Independent UK · Jan 28

Asia is the 'next big frontier' for sustainable aviation fuel as governments push green mandates

Malaysia may soon consider an SAF mandate, the latest policy in Southeast Asia's tentative embrace of green aviation.

Fortune · Jan 28