One of the region’s foremost voices on US-China relations and Southeast Asian geopolitics says the region faces a twin vulnerability energy import dependence and trade route disruption while dismissing ASEAN as an organisation incapable of delivering meaningful unity in a fractured world. BY TENGKU NOOR SHAMSIAH TENGKU ABDULLAH KUALA LUMPUR, April 10 – As the…
By TENGKU NOOR SHAMSIAH TENGKU ABDULLAH Column No. 3 — 27 March 2026 — TNS News ASEAN’s Crowded In-Tray: Digital Ambition, Energy Reckoning, and a War That Will Not Wait ASEAN entered 2026 with an ambitious agenda: a landmark digital economy agreement, new strategic partnerships, and a chairmanship designed to showcase Manila’s regional leadership. Then…
MARCH 18, 2026 A war in the Middle East is rapidly becoming Southeast Asia’s economic crisis, as oil shocks, trade disruptions and policy pressure test ASEAN’s resilience like never before. When the United States and Israel launched Operation Epic Fury on 28 February 2026, few in Southeast Asia expected the shockwaves to arrive so swiftly….
BY TNS NEWS TEAM TUESDAY, 17 MARCH 2026 | DAY 18 OF OPERATION EPIC FURY Editor’s Summary Operation Epic Fury enters its 18th day with the war widening in scope while remaining stalled in resolution. Over the weekend, the United States struck Kharg Island, targeting military infrastructure at the hub that processes the majority of…
Dr James Gomez of the Asia Centre says ASEAN unity is fraying, China is being sidelined, and Southeast Asian economies face a convergence of inflation, supply disruption and narrowing diplomatic room as the conflict widens. KUALA LUMPUR, Mar 4 – As US and Israeli military operations against Iranian targets enter their fifth day, with President…
