Lam Le

6 days ago | restofworld.org | Lam Le |Jane Seidel

Chinese President Xi Jinping’s ongoing tour of Vietnam, Malaysia, and Cambodia has drawn U.S. ire as he promotes free trade in a region facing some of the stiffest American tariffs. During Xi’s stop in Vietnam, the two countries signed agreements on supply chains and a joint railway.

2 weeks ago | restofworld.org | Lam Le |Mehboob Jeelani

Vietnam remains on edge, even though Donald Trump has put sweeping tariffs on hold, granting the Southeast Asian country a 90-day window for negotiations. As Trump announced 46% tariffs on Vietnamese imports last week — the highest among Southeast Asia’s six largest economies — the country’s manufacturing hub of Bac Ninh was gripped by uncertainty.

3 weeks ago | restofworld.org | Lam Le

As Myanmar remains shaken by last week’s devastating earthquake, which has claimed more than 3,000 lives, a lack of connectivity is proving to be an obstacle to relief and rescue work. Htaike Htaike Aung, a leading digital rights advocate, is monitoring the situation in the most-affected areas. Myanmar’s Sagaing region, the quake’s epicenter and a battleground between the military and resistance forces, remains under a strict communications blockade.

3 weeks ago | restofworld.org | Lam Le

Vietnam’s leading automaker remains undeterred despite a botched U.S. expansion and $9.8 billion in accumulated losses. VinFast shipped its first electric vehicles to the U.S. in 2022, and has been reeling under poor sales and disappointing reviews in the country. Ithas now turned its focus to Southeast Asia, India, and the Middle East.

3 weeks ago | restofworld.org | Lam Le |Jane Seidel

China’s satellite internet upstart seems to be taking aim at Starlink. SpaceSail, a Chinese space company backed by the Shanghai municipal government, has been entering markets where Elon Musk has faced friction. SpaceSail has launched around 90 satellites since last year. It is in talks with over 30 countries, with plans to have 648 satellites launched by the end of 2025, and 15,000 by 2030. Currently, Musk’s Starlink has more than 7,000 satellites in orbit.