Asia Watch Archive

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung made state visits to India and Vietnam this week to deepen ties with two of Asia’s fastest-growing economies and reduce dependence on Seoul’s traditional U.S.–China trade binary.

In 2024, an estimated 37 per cent of South Korean goods exports were destined for either mainland China or the U.S., while 10.8 per cent went to Vietnam and India.

One of Asia's largest military exercises kicked off on Monday in the Philippines, bringing together 17,000 personnel from seven countries for land, sea, air, space, and cyberspace drills designed to project strength and solidarity as regional tensions heat up.

China is working with Pakistan to end the conflict in the Middle East to reinforce its image as a “responsible and stable” global power, but other diplomatic manoeuvres risk undermining that goal and China’s relations with the U.S. and Gulf states.

Ottawa is making inroads towards its goal of doubling non-U.S. exports over the next decade, thanks in part to blossoming Canada–China trade, practical co-operation on the ground, and warming ties between Canadian provinces and Beijing.

Southeast Asians are most worried about climate change, major-power rivalry, and the U.S.’s volatile foreign policy, according to an annual pulse-check of regional elites.

On Tuesday, the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, a research centre in Singapore, released its State of Southeast Asia 2026 Survey.

China hosted the leader of Taiwan’s main opposition party this week for the first time in a decade, sidelining Taiwan’s democratically elected government and reigniting debates in Taipei over the ‘right’ approach to China: dialogue, deterrence, or a mix of both.

French President Emmanuel Macron showed this week that uncertain times call for unconventional tactics, as he embarked on rare trips to Tokyo and Seoul to mine untapped partnerships in the Indo-Pacific.

Canadian finance minister François-Philippe Champagne is in China on a four-day visit that wraps Saturday, following up on Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s landmark January trip to the country.

Hope for Canada–China ties hit a high point in January when Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney visited China, the first trip to the country by a Canadian prime minister since 2017.

Australia and the European Union signed a historic deal this week, liberalizing bilateral trade, weakening American and Chinese leverage over both, and cementing a crucial middle-power partnership.

Trade talks between Brussels and Canberra started in 2018 but collapsed in 2023; Australia wanted to export more beef and lamb to Europe, while the EU wanted lower tariffs on manufactured goods and better access to Australian critical minerals. This time around, both sides were ready to compromise.

On Sunday, millions of Vietnamese voters headed to the polls to select the 500 deputies of Vietnam’s unicameral National Assembly, in addition to members of provincial and commune-level People’s Councils.

On Friday, Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan unanimously approved a plan to allow the government to sign a US$9-billion arms deal with the U.S., easing concerns that further delays would push Taiwan to the back of the production queue. The four arms packages include anti-tank missiles, howitzers, rocket systems, and Javelin missiles.

The war in the Middle East continues to spill over into Asia, as countries grapple with sensitive diplomatic issues and elevated oil prices.

On March 4, an American submarine torpedoed an Iranian warship, IRIS Dena, in international waters off the coast of Sri Lanka, killing at least 87 sailors. From February 15–25, IRIS Dena was participating in India-led naval exercises, alongside navies from 40 other countries, including the U.S.

China’s ‘Two Sessions,’ dual meetings of top Chinese Communist Party (CCP) members, brought thousands of delegates to Beijing to greenlight plans for the year ahead and the government’s 15th Five-Year Plan, spanning 2026–30.

The weeklong sessions of the National People’s Congress (NPC), China’s “rubberstamp” legislature of 2,900, and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, an advisory body of 2,170 representatives, concluded today.

The wave of attacks by the U.S. and Israel on Iran — and the killing of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei — has prompted reactions from across the Indo-Pacific.

Canada and India tried to turn the page on a “challenging period” in the bilateral relationship this week, as Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney visited Mumbai and met his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, in New Delhi, the first trip to India by a Canadian prime minister in eight years.

The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision to invalidate some of U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs (and Trump's subsequent set of new tariffs) is the latest chapter in a yearlong tale of backtracks and “chaos,” disorienting American trading partners as they seek trade deals with Washington.

Today, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney embarks on a major Indo-Pacific trip, criss-crossing the region on a 10-day tour of India, Australia, and Japan.

Bangladesh held its first fair, competitive election in nearly two decades last week, with rivals of the ousted Sheikh Hasina — the country’s long-time authoritarian leader, who fled in 2024 following a youth-led uprising — securing a majority.

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party won 209 out of 300 seats, and Jamaat-e-Islami, an Islamist party, won 68 seats. Voter turnout was 59.44 per cent.

New Delhi hosted a massive artificial-intelligence summit this week — the first of its kind in the ‘Global South’ — that convened world leaders, academics, policy experts, and high-profile CEOs for talks on the responsible use of AI, building a sustainable AI future, and retooling India’s workforce to meet market needs.