Geo Politics

BDO Unibank, the largest bank in the Philippines, has partnered with Hyakujushi Bank, a regional bank established in Japan, in a move that will increase BDO’s presence in the Japanese market and provide enhanced financial services to both Japanese and Filipino customers. Under the terms of the agreement, BDO and Hyakujushi Bank will work together to provide trade financing, remittance …

China is Singapore’s largest trading partner, and Singapore is China’s largest foreign investor. China is Singapore’s largest trading partner, and Singapore is China’s largest foreign investor. The two nations inked a free trade agreement (FTA) in 2008 in an effort to strengthen their economic connections. Currently, negotiations are underway to improve the current FTA. Recently, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong …

Singapore’s Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam said on Wednesday that the notion that Singapore has “supplanted” Hong Kong puts too much weight to short-term considerations (Mar 29). Mr. Shanmugam stated, in response to comparisons between Singapore and Hong Kong as financial capitals in Asia, that both economies benefit from each other’s growth and vibrancy in the area. Paul …

Indonesia has made progress in improving the human rights of LGBTQIA+ individuals, while the Philippines has regressed, according to the response of the Asean SOGIE Caucus to the United Nations mechanism that analyzes member states’ human rights records. Monday’s 52nd session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva marked the conclusion of the 4th cycle of the Universal Periodic …

The separate visits to China by the leaders of Malaysia and Singapore this week will demonstrate how Southeast Asian nations are embracing a strategy of “proactively” engaging and bolstering economic ties with Beijing, according to analysts. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong are among the world leaders attending this week’s Boao Forum for Asia, …

According to a tweet sent by the French Minister of the Public Service, Stanislas Guerini, the use of the video-sharing app TikTok, which is controlled by the Chinese government, would be prohibited on the work phones of French civil officials. “In order to guarantee the cybersecurity of our administrations and civil servants, the government has decided to ban recreational applications …

Kuwait Airways and Malaysia Airlines have signed a bilateral interline agreement that enables travellers to purchase tickets through either airline with less effort than if they booked independently. This arrangement will help each airline to grow its presence in various global regions. Maen Razouqi, the Chief Executive Officer of Kuwait Airways, and Izham Ismail, the Chief Executive Officer of Malaysia …

Kim Jong Un supervised drills simulating a nuclear retaliation against the United States and South Korea as a warning to the allies who are intensifying their joint military exercises, official agency KCNA said on March 20. The North’s drills comprised a short-range missile launch, but – unusually – the missile was launched from a subterranean silo, which analysts think may …

North Korea’s state press said on March 18 that about 800,000 of its residents volunteered to join or reenlist in the military to fight against the United States. The Rodong Sinmun daily said that about 800,000 students and employees indicated a willingness to register or reenlist in the military to combat the United States on Friday alone. “The soaring enthusiasm …

On Friday, March 17, authorities from both nations announced that Chinese President Xi Jinping will travel to Russia the following week, weighing in on the Ukraine war just as relations between Moscow and Washington hit a new low. Xi’s visit to Moscow is a diplomatic coup for Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose country has been subjected to unprecedented international sanctions …