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Sep 6, 2024 | 
eastasiaforum.org | Abdul Rahman Yaacob |Purnendra Jain |Maria Monica Wihardja
On 22 July 2024, US Forces Japan Commander Lieutenant General Ricky Rupp announced the creation of a new joint US–Japan forum to address the endemic issue of crimes committed off base by US military personnel stationed in Okinawa — particularly sex crimes. How Rupp’s forum will differ from the Cooperative Working Team established in October 2000 to address similar concerns is not clear. The Cooperative Working Team met 27 times until petering out in April 2017.
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Sep 4, 2024 | 
eastasiaforum.org | Abdul Rahman Yaacob |Genevieve Donnellon-May |Maria Monica Wihardja |Jayant Menon
The July 2024 East Asia Summit’s statement reinforces ASEAN’s vision to implement the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP). But the AOIP faces significant challenges from two major trends that could alter its relevance in the region — the proliferation of minilateral defence arrangements and economic fragmentation. The AOIP advocates for ASEAN’s pivotal role in regional cooperation and decision making.
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Aug 21, 2024 | 
thinkchina.sg | Maria Monica Wihardja
China’s purported industrial overcapacity is a double-edged sword for Southeast Asian economies. How can Southeast Asian countries attract investments from China without becoming too reliant on them? Overcapacity, dumping and unfair trade practices are not new terms in the history of trade politics.
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Jul 25, 2024 | 
iseas.edu.sg | Burhanuddin Muhtadi |Maria Monica Wihardja
During Indonesia’s 2024 election campaigns, many AI-generated deepfake images, videos and audio recordings went viral, among which were a video featuring an audio recording of the National Democratic Party’s General Chairman, Surya Paloh, reprimanding presidential candidate Anies Baswedan, and another portraying President-elect Prabowo delivering a speech in Arabic.
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Jun 10, 2024 | 
thinkchina.sg | Maria Monica Wihardja
US tariff hikes on Chinese goods have raised US imports from Southeast Asia. The medium- and long-term impacts are more uncertain and potentially disruptive; the region must be on guard. The US recently announced a ballooning of tariffs on Chinese goods. The move will see tariffs quadrupling on electric vehicles (EV), tripling on lithium-ion EV batteries, battery storage and battery parts, and doubling on solar cells — as well as new tariffs on critical minerals.
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Jun 2, 2024 | 
fulcrum.sg | Maria Monica Wihardja
The US recently announced a ballooning of tariffs on Chinese goods. The move will see tariffs quadrupling on electric vehicles (EV), tripling on lithium-ion EV batteries, battery storage and battery parts, and doubling on solar cells — as well as new tariffs on critical minerals.
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Jan 19, 2024 | 
eastasiaforum.org | Barbara Stallings |Maria Monica Wihardja |Sharon Seah |Joseph Bouchard
Countries in the Global South are becoming increasingly important actors on the global stage. While the term ‘Global South’ is vague — and some have argued for abolishing it — it is used here to mean the larger and richer developing nations. The demands made by the Global South have created political and economic shifts that the West will need to adapt to. These countries have become more powerful due to their economic growth.
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Dec 11, 2023 | 
fulcrum.sg | Ming Tan |Maria Monica Wihardja
Guided by the 2021 ASEAN Bandar Seri Begawan Roadmap, the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA)—slated to be the first regional digital economy agreement in the world—is timely. Just like existing traditional free trade agreements and other digital economy agreements, DEFA will be legally binding. DEFA aims to unlock an additional USD1 trillion to the region’s digital economy by 2030, compared to the business-as-usual trajectory.
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Sep 25, 2023 | 
eco-business.com | Maria Monica Wihardja
Indonesian voters are gearing up to elect their next president on Valentine’s Day 2024. While Indonesia is still enjoying resilient economic growth, its long-term prospects are not as rosy as it may seem. Immediate policy action is direly required to address long-term developmental challenges as Indonesia’s demographic window of opportunity will close soon.
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Sep 24, 2023 | 
channelnewsasia.com | Maria Monica Wihardja
JAKARTA: Indonesian voters are gearing up to elect their next president on Valentine’s Day 2024. While Indonesia is still enjoying resilient economic growth, its long-term prospects are not as rosy as it may seem. Immediate policy action is direly required to address long-term developmental challenges as Indonesia’s demographic window of opportunity will close soon.
