The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), now being negotiated between ASEAN and its six existing trade agreement partners 2 , is an opportunity of underappreciated global significance. If the negotiations are successfully concluded and the agreement is ratified and implemented, it will be the largest trade deal in GDP and population terms since the GATT Uruguay Round agreement in 1994 ...

The outlook for Southeast Asia for 2017 reflects more than challenges this broader view. 2016 saw changes to major power interests in the region as well as disruptive political dynamics in five of the six most populous Southeast Asian countries. These will play out in 2017 and beyond.

The objective of this Perspective is twofold. First, it presents an analysis of the role of foreign direct investment in helping Singapore evolve into one of the world leading oil trading and refinery hubs; and second, it discusses Johor’s ambitious plans to establish itself as a new centre for petrochemicals and offshore equipment. For this research, the fDi Markets database has been used. It ...

ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute recently commissioned a public opinion survey of East Malaysian’s perspectives on Federal-State relationship, identity/religion, education/language and selected current issues. Where Sabah was concerned, a sample of 803 respondents were interviewed via fixed-line and mobile phones. Respondents consisted of Malaysian citizens aged 21 and above who resided in Sabah. The ...

In March this year, leaders from Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam gathered in Hanoi for their tenth biannual summit, focused on deepening comprehensive cooperation among the three countries and building “integrated, sustainable and prosperous CLV economies”, which is believed to be an “indispensable part of ASEAN Community Vision 2025”. The leaders declared a new chapter in the Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam ...

Riau Islands (Kepri) is one of Indonesia’s youngest provinces, having separated from Riau province in 2004. Economically, it is distinctive because of its close proximity to Singapore and the Indonesian government’s efforts to exploit its strategic position on maritime trading routes that cover Australia, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. The province’s major islands of Batam, Bintan, and Karimun ...

Malaysia is one of the world’s most open economies. Trade is equivalent to 130% of its GDP. Its trade policy, which is fairly liberal and transparent, has contributed to its economic growth, which has averaged 5% over the past few years, in spite of the vagaries of global economic environment. This essay provides a brief overview of Malaysia’s trade, industrial and investment policies and proposes ...

The 2018 Budget for Malaysia was unveiled by the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib bin Tun Abdul Razak, in Parliament on 27 October 2017. The budget was crafted with a clear sight on a general election that must be called by August 2018. Not surprisingly therefore the budget contains well-spread sweeteners for key constituencies, but not overly generous as to derail the medium term ...

This Perspective analyses the trade and investment relations that Southeast Asian economies have with China and compares these to those they have with the US, Japan, the EU and South Korea.4 The paper concludes that although China has leverage in terms of trade, its investments are yet to catch up with those from other developed countries. China can therefore not really as yet be called a dominant ...

Taking food assistance as its starting point, this article examines the underlying system of ideas that the Bangladeshi government and humanitarian organizations have about the term ‘refugee’. Through a consideration of refugee coping strategies, host government responses and humanitarian organizations’ operations on food assistance, I show that the provision of food aid is not just an apolitical ...