Opinion | How China can help change the game for clean energy in Southeast Asia

Although opinions vary on the scale and scope of the required investment, there is a wide consensus that the investment needed for the progress of the region’s energy transition is substantial, far exceeding what the public sector can provide, despite traditionally being the main source of funding. From 2016 to 2020, a total investment of … Read more

China needs new strategy to counter US moves on global trade, analysts say

Washington’s efforts to divert international supply chains from China are already making enough of an impact to drive recommendations for a new game plan from analysts and manufacturers, in their view an essential step to counter a fragmentation of trade that is already under way – and likely to worsen in the coming years. “The … Read more

Singapore, Indonesia await start-up investors’ return, as Malaysia eyes regional launch pad status

“Because of the more challenging investment environment, investors are becoming more selective and investing in companies that are past the ideation stage,” said Lawrence Loh, a professor at the National University of Singapore Business School. Who is Truong My Lan? From market stall to Vietnam’s biggest fraud case Singapore – home to about 4,000 tech … Read more

Singapore has ‘engineered’ a society that lives to 100 – here’s how

This Asian country has one of the longest-lived populations in the world. Koh Sze Kiat | E+ | Getty Images Singapore is the world’s latest “blue zone” — defined as a place where people live longer and healthier lives. “Singapore has … the highest health-adjusted life expectancy in the world. So whatever Singapore did, it … Read more

Consumer boycott widens to include Israeli dates as Muslims in Malaysia, Indonesia observe Ramadan

Now Israeli dates, a sweet fruit eaten to break fast during Ramadan, are in the cross hairs of a consumer campaign which is flying across Malaysian and Indonesian chat groups over fears Israeli dates are being sold to unwitting buyers in the Muslim nations. A Muslim man breaks his fast during the Muslim holy month … Read more

Opinion | Plant-based meat’s success in Asia boils down to cost and outreach

For starters, consider which survey respondents were most enthusiastic about plant-based meat. Vegetarians? No. Those reducing their meat consumption? No. In all six markets featured in the study – Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines – the consumers who expressed the most enthusiasm for plant-based meat were the people who eat conventional meat … Read more

Prabowo leads in unofficial presidential vote count

Indonesia’s presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto gestures after he cast his ballot to vote in the country’s presidential and legislative elections at a polling station in Bogor on February 14, 2024. Indonesians began voting for a new president on February 14 with Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto the frontrunner to lead Southeast Asia’s biggest economy despite concerns … Read more

Indonesians are electing Jokowi’s successor

Presidential candidate and former Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan, vice presidential candidate Muhaimin Iskandar, presidential candidate and Indonesia’s Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto, vice presidential candidate Gibran Rakabuming Raka, presidential candidate and former Central Java governor Ganjar Pranowo and vice presidential candidate Mahfud MD (from left to right) react on the stage during the last presidential election … Read more

What is ‘blue carbon’? Southeast Asia’s net zero answer faces setbacks

From Bali to Phuket, Southeast Asia’s beaches have always captured the imagination of tourists. But rarely has anybody recognised another potential of its vast coastline – the ability of its rich marine life to achieve carbon neutrality. The ocean system comprising tiny phytoplanktons to mangrove belts and sea grasses can store up to five times … Read more

Gen Zers lead the way in Singapore’s online shopping space

Logos of online social media and social networking sites displayed on a smartphone screen on August 01, 2023 in Bath, England. Matt Cardy | Getty Images News | Getty Images SINGAPORE — As more businesses turn to social media to sell their merchandise, online shoppers in Singapore are exploring new buying experiences — and Gen … Read more