Author: Rangga Putri

Chinese Ambassador to ASEAN Hou Yanqi emphasized in celebration of China’s 74th National Day that China’s growth is not to advance alone, but to advance together with other countries in the region. JAKARTA, KOMPAS — Strategic and inclusive cooperation between ASEAN and China, Japan and South Korea is the key to regional growth and stability. This was conveyed by the Chinese Ambassador to ASEAN Hou Yanqi at the commemoration of China’s 74th National Day in Jakarta, Tuesday (26/9/2023). “Our relationship is equal and mutually respectful. “The ASEAN Plus Three (China-Japan-South Korea) mechanism will be mutually beneficial cooperation for all,” said…

A bright future is on the horizon for Thailand’s transport and logistics system. The Transport Minister, Suriya Juangroongruangkit, has recently outlined his ambitious plans for the country’s railways and maritime sectors. Revealed during his inaugural speech, these policies are set to be formally announced next week. Suriya believes that by focusing on these areas of transport improvement, Thailand can significantly enhance its competitiveness in logistics, a sector brimming with growth potential. Suriya’s key priority is the timely completion of the country’s double-track rail projects. These projects are crucial to the nation’s infrastructure, with one of the most significant being the 29.7-billion-baht upgrade between Khon Kaen…

It has long been assumed within the upper reaches of the CCP that Laos and Cambodia had become vassal states of the PRC, and would do the bidding of Beijing whenever openly or covertly asked to do so. Such an opinion ignores the fact that both Laos and Cambodia have a rich civilisational heritage. The Laotians and the Cambodians are a proud people, aware of the immense depth of their cultural and historical heritage, and would never allow themselves to once again come under the control of a foreign power. With each passing generation, such self-confidence and self-assurance has grown,…

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines trails its Southeast Asian counterparts in terms of the contribution of the digital market to the entire economy, according to a study. Data compiled by Tech for Good Institute (TFGI) showed that in the Philippines, the contribution of digital economy to gross domestic product (GDP) stood at only 9.4 percent. When compared to Southeast Asian countries of the same size, Vietnam credits 14.26 percent of GDP to the online economy, followed by Malaysia (14 percent), Singapore (13 percent) and Thailand (13 percent ). The Philippines was slightly ahead of Indonesia, placing the share of its…

JAKARTA (The Straits Times/ANN): The regional summit of South-East Asian leaders concluded on Thursday with some strides made towards tackling the Myanmar crisis, little progress on the South China Sea territorial dispute and a whopping US$38 billion (S$52 billion) worth of deals in the bag, analysts say. Expectations were high that Indonesia – chair of Asean in 2023 – would make breakthroughs in resolving the Myanmar conflict, given its vocal criticisms against the atrocities committed there after a military coup in 2021 wrested power from the democratically elected government. Indonesia is also a founding member of the 10-nation grouping, and…

VIENTIANE, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) — A preparatory meeting of the ASEAN Senior Officials on Environment for the 17th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Environment was held here on Tuesday to review the implementation of environmental strategic priorities. Director General of the Department of Planning and Finance under the Lao Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment Phakkavanh Phissamay presided over the meeting in the Lao capital Vientiane. Phakkavanh said the meeting’s key objectives are to gear up for the 17th Ministerial Meeting on Environment of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which will take place on Wednesday. “ASEAN Senior Officials on…

Jakarta (ANTARA) – Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi called on France to sign the protocol to the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ) Treaty in order to maintain peace and stability in the region. Marsudi held a bilateral meeting with her French counterpart, Catherine Colonna, in Paris on Friday (July 21). During the meeting, she discussed some issues, including ASEAN stability and the Indo-Pacific. France, along with China, the United Kingdom, Russia, and the US, is one of the nuclear-weapon states that the ASEAN is focusing on for signing the protocol to the SEANWFZ Treaty. Earlier, during the ASEAN Foreign…

Geneva, London (29/7 – 50) Mary Lawlor, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, condemned the arrest and imprisonment of journalists, bloggers and civil society activists in Tajikistan, and questioned the credibility of the evidence presented in court against them. Lawlor was on a two-week official visit to Tajikistan last December. The report prepared by her and members of the delegation on the results of this visit was published in May of this year, but only now became available to the public. The authorities of Tajikistan will have to prepare an official response to the document, which…

Taiwan sighted two Russian frigates sailing off its eastern coast on Tuesday and deployed surveillance ships and aircraft to monitor their movements, the island’s Ministry of National Defense said. The Russian warships were “detected sailing from south to north in the waters off our eastern coast” as of 11 p.m. local time (15:00 GMT), it said in a statement on Tuesday. Taiwan’s military monitored their movements and “dispatched aircraft, ships and [activated] shore-based missile systems to keep watch,” it added. The ministry did not say how far the warships were from Taiwan’s coast. Self-ruled Taiwan reports a near-daily presence of…

HÀ NỘI Việt Nam’s gross domestic product (GDP) expanded 3.72 per cent in the first half of this year, the General Statistics Office (GSO) said yesterday. The expansion is nearly the lowest half-year GDP growth in 13 years, only higher than H1 of 2020, which recorded growth of 1.74 per cent. The information was released at a conference held Thursday in Hà Nội by GSO. Speaking at a press conference, GSO General Director Nguyễn Thị Hương said that the agro-forestry-fishery sector expanded by 3.07 per cent and contributed 9.28 per cent to the GDP growth. The industry and construction sector…