Farlina Said and Farah Nabilah explore ways to enhance ASEAN’s cybersecurity and intellectual property protection mechanisms to strengthen the region’s digital economy.
Karthik Nachiappan analyses the recent election outcomes in India, their significance for India’s foreign policy, and implications for India’s future engagements with ASEAN.
Gatra Priyandita outlines strategies for ASEAN countries to responsibly adopt the use of artificial intelligence in the military and law enforcement.
Thursday, 30 May 2024 – In this hybrid seminar, Mr Carlos Kuriyama and Mr Emmanuel A. San Andres provided insights from recently concluded APEC meetings, including an analysis of the May 2024 issue of the APEC Regional Trend Analysis (ARTA). They also discussed key regional economic and trade-related trends.
Dorcas Gan investigates the opportunities and challenges arising from promoting film tourism in Southeast Asia.
Joanne Lin examines India’s dwindling strategic relevance in Southeast Asia and how it can enhance its image as a trusted partner in the region.
Damon Chee examines the rise of transnational education in Southeast Asia and how it influences the region’s educational landscape.
ASEANFocus is privileged to feature H.E. Tiffany McDonald, Australia’s new Ambassador to ASEAN. Ambassador McDonald sheds light on the ASEAN-Australia relationship after 50 years and how Australia can actively work with ASEAN to shape a shared future for the region.
The State of Southeast Asia 2024 Survey conducted by the ASEAN Studies Centre at ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute reveals that Southeast Asia’s top preoccupations are with unemployment, climate change, and intensifying economic tensions between major powers. The Israel-Hamas conflict is the region’s top geopolitical concern, while China has edged past the US to become the prevailing choice if the region were forced to align itself in the ongoing US-China rivalry.
ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) building is a long journey. For continued relevance and impact, the AEC must remain dynamic while taking into consideration evolving contexts and emerging opportunities and challenges.
Notable progress has been made under the two AEC Blueprints (2015 and 2025), particularly in laying down the frameworks for regional economic integration and community building. Nonetheless, gaps remain in implementation, calling for a more streamlined but result-oriented agenda and stronger institutional coordination.
Today, the AEC is faced with a markedly different context and unprecedented challenges resulting from a poly-crisis, involving geo-economic fragmentation, supply chain restructuring, and climactic changes. Without adjustment, ASEAN’s pillar and sector-centric approach can be expected to fall short in effectively responding to these challenges.
As AEC 2025 enters its final quarter, ASEAN needs to recalibrate its priorities. It also increasingly needs to take a whole-of-community approach to integration, as issues and their solutions are spread across multiple sectors. Furthermore, as it develops the AEC Post-2025 agenda, it needs to strike a balance between ambition and pragmatism, and to support substance with institutions and processes.