12 h. ago Thai ruling party courts voters by vowing to end Cambodia conflict, close scam hubs

Thailand’s ruling party, which is seeking to retain power in next month’s election, has vowed to resolve the country’s conflict with Cambodia and clean up its image as a transit hub for trafficked scam victims. The conservative Bhumjaithai Party, which took power in September, has cast itself as the most suitable defender of Thai sovereignty during the border dispute between the two Southeast Asian countries. Clashes erupted for five days last July and reignited in December before a...

Events

19 h. ago Vietnam’s To Lam eyes supreme power, seeks presidency at party congress

Vietnam’s leaders convene next week for a once-every-five-years congress, where General Secretary To Lam is looking to cement control over the Communist Party ruling one of Asia’s fastest-growing economies. The nation of 100 million people is both a repressive one-party state and a regional economic bright spot, with the party seeking to deliver rapid expansion to underpin its claim to legitimacy. But its leaders face challenges from tensions between its main trading partners, the United States...

Politics

66 h. ago Trump prevails in US Senate showdown over Venezuela war powers

US President Donald Trump’s pressure campaign to unify his party behind his takeover of Venezuela succeeded Wednesday when all but three Senate Republicans voted to block a resolution opposing further military action in the country. US Vice-President J.D. Vance broke a tie vote in order to stop the resolution. The 51-50 vote followed fiery phone calls from Trump to Republican defectors who last week voted to advance the resolution. Trump’s success in flipping votes effectively ends one of the...

Politics

68 h. ago Vietnam's Leader Mirrors Xi's Style in Seeking Tighter Grip on Power

Vietnam's Leader Mirrors Xi's Style in Seeking Tighter Grip on Power  Bloomberg.com

Politics

5 d. ago Vietnam Party Chief Lam Seeks Dual Role in Shift Toward China

Vietnam Party Chief Lam Seeks Dual Role in Shift Toward China-Style Power Model  Modern Diplomacy

Events

5 d. ago Vietnam's Communist Party Chief Lam Seeks Presidency in China

Vietnam's Communist Party Chief Lam Seeks Presidency in China-Style Expanded Power Mandate  U.S. News & World Report

Politics

7 d. ago Horse power: brands in China seek sales boost with Lunar New Year items

Horse power: brands in China seek sales boost with Lunar New Year items  South China Morning Post

Economics

9 d. ago South Korea’s conservatives attempt break from Yoon with martial law apology

South Korea’s conservative People Power Party (PPP) has issued a belated apology for Yoon Suk-yeol’s failed attempt to impose martial law – more than a year after it sparked a constitutional crisis that toppled his government. Yet analysts described the gesture as a tactical retreat by the ex-president’s former party, aimed at salvaging electoral fortunes rather than confronting its role in the fiasco. Delivered on Wednesday by PPP chairman Jang Dong-hyuk, the apology laid bare the...

Politics

1 week ago Venezuela seeks to show it is operating free from US control

The Venezuelan government has sought to show its people and the world that the country is being run independently and not controlled by the United States following its stunning weekend arrest of President Nicolas Maduro. Lawmakers aligned with the ruling party, including Maduro’s son, gathered in the capital, Caracas on Monday, to follow through with a scheduled swearing-in ceremony of the National Assembly for a term that will last until 2031. Delcy Rodriguez, who served as vice-president to...

Politics

1 week ago New KMT chair hopes to take peace message to Beijing while on Taiwan political tightrope

A plan by the chairwoman of Taiwan’s main opposition party to visit Beijing – where she hopes to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping – early this year carries hopes of improving communication amid high tension between the two sides of the strait. While supporters portray Cheng Li-wun’s trip as a potential opening to ease cross-strait tensions, critics warn it risks signalling political alignment with Beijing at a time of rising military pressure. Cheng, who was elected chairwoman of the Kuomintang...

Politics

1 week ago North Korean missiles fall near Japan; South Korea, Japan on alert

North Korea fired multiple ballistic missiles off its east coast on Sunday, Seoul’s military said, its first launch of the year just hours before South Korea’s leader heads to China for a summit. Sunday’s launch follows a US military operation against Pyongyang’s socialist ally Venezuela that snatched President Nicolas Maduro out of his country – for decades a nightmare scenario for North Korea’s leadership, which has long accused Washington of seeking to remove it from power. Seoul’s defence...

Events

2 w. ago Why Myanmar’s junta election cannot hide a collapsing economy

Myanmar’s junta-held election will not mask the nation’s dire economic condition, experts warn, as civil war drives some of the highest inflation in Asia, power shortages hack at production and the country’s military rulers seek fast cash from the sale of rare earths and kickbacks from drugs and scams. The military has begun a phased election, with voting in some areas taking place on Sunday and further rounds planned in January, a process critics say is designed to project control rather than...

Politics

2 w. ago Myanmar polls open amid civil war as junta seeks to prolong power

Overshadowed by civil war and doubts about the credibility of the polls, voters in Myanmar were casting their ballots in a general election starting on Sunday, the first since a military coup toppled the last civilian government in 2021. The junta that has since ruled Myanmar says the vote is a chance for a fresh start politically and economically for the impoverished Southeast Asian nation. But the election has been derided by critics – including the United Nations, some Western countries and...

Events

3 w. ago Former China Life president expelled from Communist Party after corruption probe

Former China Life president expelled from Communist Party after corruption probe  Reuters

Politics

3 w. ago Vietnam’s To Lam may secure dual role as party and state head in rare move

Vietnam’s Communist Party will nominate current General Secretary To Lam to stay in the top job, according to people familiar with the matter, paving the way for him to push on with a reform programme that is reshaping the nation. In a rare and politically significant move, Lam will also be put forward to hold the dual role of the nation’s presidency, the people said, asking not to be identified because they are not authorised to speak publicly. This could face a challenge when it gets to the...

Politics

3 w. ago Can Beijing count on Taiwan’s KMT to advance reunification plans?

All eyes are on how Beijing’s “Chinese dream” of eventual Taiwan reunification will unfold at a time when the leader of the United States – Taipei’s top international backer – appears less likely to intervene in case of a cross-strait conflict. In the second of a three-part series, Amber Wang looks at the challenges facing the new Kuomintang leader. Read the first part here. There have been seven chairs of the Kuomintang, Taiwan’s main opposition party, since President Xi Jinping took the top...

Politics