Philippines
Asian trade jitters spark fresh Malacca Strait monetisation push
The collapse of maritime stability in the Middle East has cast a long, overdue shadow over the busiest maritime chokepoint in Asia: the Strait of Malacca.
Why global population collapse will keep the wars coming
Demographers warned for decades that ageing, declining states grow more dangerous, not less. The wars now spreading from Eastern Europe to the Gulf to East Asia look increasingly like the opening engagements of a long contest over who outlasts whom.
India cannot compete with Russia in defence export markets
India has traditionally been a major defence export market for Russia, and while being mostly a vendor - customer relationship between 1960 and 2000, it has now started to evolve in the 'beyond-visual range' era of multi-domain warfare.
World Bank invests $24.5mn in Philippines' food sustainability
The funding acts as a companion to a $1bn loan intended to pivot the country away from its rigid obsession with rice self-sufficiency.
Asia-Pacific defence spending hits post-2009 high as China-Taiwan tensions drive regional build-up
Military expenditure the Asia-Pacific region increased sharply in the last year, reaching a total of $681bn - an increase of 8.1% year on year and the largest annual expansion in military spending since 2009
Blackouts in the Philippines as power bills soar
The Philippines is grappling with a national energy emergency as soaring fuel prices and extreme heat drive up utility costs and trigger rotational blackouts across the provinces, reported various local officials on April 26.
Paper trail tightens around another Duterte in the Philippines
The investigation has moved into what is being called the "forensic truth" phase. This follows a year of legal stalemate where a previous impeachment attempt was blocked by a Supreme Court ruling on the "one-year bar" rule.
Asia food inflation risks rise on fertiliser shock
Fitch Ratings has warned that emerging markets in Asia could face rising cost pressures across agribusiness sectors and food supply chains if a prolonged US-Iran conflict continues to disrupt fertiliser supplies further into the planting season.
Trump’s Iran gambit leaves APAC region ‘Quad’ dead in the water
The European Union has already, for all intents and purposes broken away from the US. It is only a matter of time before the Quad either ceases to function or decides to go its own way, without the US.
BSP tightens policy in the Philippines as inflation surge overrides growth concerns
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas raised its policy rate by 25bp to 4.50% on April 23, in the process demonstrating the prioritisation of inflation risks after a sharp rise in price pressures throughout March.
China quietly tightens its regional grip across Southeast Asia
Beijing and Hanoi are stepping up co-operation centred on internal security, in the process offering a preview of how China may deepen ties across south-east Asia despite longstanding differences with several countries in the region.
ADB projects slower growth in all of Asia
According to an outlook forecast report by the Asian Development Bank, the broad Asia region including its many developing high growth economies are facing what can be best described as the most complex set of headwinds in years.
Southeast Asia’s energy squeeze
The war in Iran has delivered a systemic shock to global energy markets, but few regions have felt the strain as acutely, or quite as quickly, as Southeast Asia.
China opposes Philippines renaming South China Sea features
Beijing has voiced firm opposition to Manila's plan to rename more than 100 maritime features in the Nansha Qundao on April 2, vowing to defend its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights.
ASIA BLOG: China wins while Iran burns
The world needs a stable Asia – East and West – and would be better served by the removal of the current Iranian regime. Only in the removal of said regime will Beijing be forced back into a more constrained, less opportunistic global role.
Philippines faces economic strain from Iran conflict
The emergency measures, introduced this week amid concerns over the availability and stability of the country’s energy supply, allow the president to direct the distribution of fuel, food, medicines and other essential goods.
Iran war is Asia's Ukraine moment, rapid green energy rollout will accelerate
Three quarters of the world's population live in fossil importing countries and bleed out at least 3% of GDP every year to import oil to run their cars and power plants.
The Philippines declares national energy emergency
The Philippines has declared a nationwide energy emergency, becoming the first country to take such a step in response to disruptions caused by the ongoing conflict involving Iran.
INTERVIEW: Corazon Avecilla-Padiernos, the Philippines' representative to Taiwan
Manila’s position is that “peace, stability, and adherence to international law are essential to safeguarding maritime routes that are vital to regional trade, including for the Philippines and Taiwan.”
Which countries in Europe and Asia have the most reserve coal-fired generating capacity in reserve?
Natural gas prices have already doubled since the start of the war in the Middle East and are expected to rise higher as the last of Qatar’s LNG exports arrive at their destinations. Now everyone is switching to coal.