Opinions

ASEAN at the Crossroads: 'Progress Towards SDG Targets by 2030'
27 May 2023
By Ms Ayu Pratiwi Muyasyaroh, Research Associate: The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) represent a universal appeal to end poverty, safeguard the environment, and ensure peace …

ASEAN Must Reengage with Myanmar
23 May 2023
By Mr Kavi Chongkittavorn, Senior Communications Advisor: Indonesian President Joko Widodo, or Jokowi, was frank in saying that no progress had been made over the …

How US Debt Affects the Indonesian Economy?
19 May 2023
By Dr Lili Yan Ing, Secretary General of International Economic Association (IEA) and ERIA's Lead Advisor, Southeast Asia Region: Lately, I have been asked …

Empowering Women Entrepreneurs in Eastern Indonesia
17 May 2023
By Ms Rubeena Singh, ERIA’s External Consultant on Inclusive Education: Eastern Indonesia boasts a rich cultural heritage and natural resources. It is an untapped region …

Diplomacy a Very Different Ball Game
16 May 2023
By Mr Kavi Chongkittavorn, Senior Communications Advisor: With the election now over, a new government can be expected to emerge fairly soon. The time is, …

ASEAN Digital Community (ADC) 2045
13 May 2023
By Dr Lili Yan Ing, Secretary General of International Economic Association (IEA) and ERIA's Lead Advisor, Southeast Asia Region, and Ms Yessi Vadila, ERIA's Trade …

Inclusive ASEAN: Women, Young, and People with Disabilities
13 May 2023
By Dr Lili Yan Ing, Secretary General of International Economic Association (IEA) and ERIA's Lead Advisor, Southeast Asia Region: Have you ever been treated …

ASEAN Welcomes Friendly Japan-ROK Ties
10 May 2023
By Mr Kavi Chongkittavorn, Senior Communications Advisor: The region’s two economic giants’ recent steps on the road to recovery, in terms of their friendship and …

Can Jakarta Push Peace in Myanmar?
09 May 2023
By Mr Kavi Chongkittavorn, Senior Communications Advisor: By this weekend, the world will find out whether the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) -- under …

Women and Leadership in the ASEAN Digital Economy
05 May 2023
By Ms Rubeena Singh, ERIA’s External Consultant on Inclusive Education: Women's lack of representation in digital leadership in policy, media, and research is a critical …

Don't Forget Fringe Parties in the Election
02 May 2023
By Mr Kavi Chongkittavorn, Senior Communications Advisor: A total of 70 political parties with 4,781 candidates are contesting 400 MP seats, and 1,898 candidates from …

Vietnam's 'Bamboo' Foreign Policy Clout
25 April 2023
By Mr Kavi Chongkittavorn, Senior Communications Advisor: Vietnam is the only Southeast Asian country at this critical moment to be facing a major challenge as …

Thai Diplomacy Has Come Full Circle
18 April 2023
By Mr Kavi Chongkittavorn, Senior Communications Advisor: After eight arduous years, Thai diplomacy has come full circle. With less than a month to go before …

France – in Search of 'Strategic Autonomy'
14 April 2023
By Mr Kavi Chongkittavorn, Senior Communications Advisor: French President Emmanuel Macron’s three-day visit to China turned out to be a game-changer in ways no one …

East Asian Economies Resist Decoupling
14 April 2023
By Prof Fukunari Kimura, ERIA's Chief Economist and Professor at the Faculty of Economics, Keio University: Media on global trade frequently puts forward the narrative …

Can ASEAN be an Epicentrum of Growth?
14 April 2023
By Dr Lili Yan Ing, Secretary General of International Economic Association (IEA) and ERIA's Lead Advisor, Southeast Asia Region, and Ms Yessi Vadila, ERIA's Trade …

Cambodia and the Rise of a Small Power
11 April 2023
By Mr Kavi Chongkittavorn, Senior Communications Advisor: For Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen, Prime Minister of Cambodia, timing is everything. Therefore, it …

Overcoming the Challenge: Effective Solid Waste Management on a Budget
02 April 2023
By Ms Devina Anglingdarma, Assistant, Research Activities: On 21 February 2005, the Leuwigajah landfill in Bandung, Indonesia, experienced a devastating methane gas explosion and subsequent …

Sino-Russia Ties: A Thai Perspective
28 March 2023
By Mr Kavi Chongkittavorn, Senior Communications Advisor: Watching Sino-Russia relations from Beijing gives off a different feeling altogether. Truth be told, the evolution of Sino-Russian …

Giving a Chance to the RCEP’s Dispute Settlement Mechanism
21 March 2023
By Ms Ulfah Aulia, Assistant, Research Activities: The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is the largest free trade agreement in terms of gross domestic product …

Dialogue: A Step in the Right Direction
21 March 2023
By Mr Kavi Chongkittavorn, Senior Communications Advisor: There were more divergences than convergences in views that emerged from the Track 1.5 Dialogue held between Asean …

Rebooting South, SE Asian Cooperation
14 March 2023
By Mr Kavi Chongkittavorn, Senior Communications Advisor: Fresh from the success of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation last year, Thailand is currently chairing another immense …

Technology and Disability: Trends and Opportunities in the Digital Economy in ASEAN
11 March 2023
By Ms Rubeena Singh, ERIA’s External Consultant on Inclusive Education: South-East Asia faces a particularly opportune time. The rapid growth of the digital economy continues …

India Overcomes Leadership Limitations
07 March 2023
By Mr Kavi Chongkittavorn, Senior Communications Advisor: If anything, the outcome of the G20 foreign ministerial meeting was a good barometer of the true nature …

Give Peace a Chance in Ukraine War
28 February 2023
By Mr Kavi Chongkittavorn, Senior Communications Advisor: China's 12-point proposal for peace in Ukraine should be given serious consideration as it encompasses all the necessary …

One Year of the Russia-Ukraine War – A Loss for All
24 February 2023
By Mr Kavi Chongkittavorn, Senior Communications Advisor: One year into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the West is convinced that, with more powerful arms support to …

ASEAN Sticks to Peace Agenda in Ukraine
21 February 2023
By Mr Kavi Chongkittavorn, Senior Communications Advisor: This week marks the first year of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The biggest war in Europe since World …

New Thai-Malaysia Economic Dynamics
17 February 2023
By Mr Kavi Chongkittavorn, Senior Communications Advisor: Without any diplomatic pleasantries, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha kicked off bilateral talks last week with his Malaysian counterpart, …

Asean and Myanmar: The Next Moves
07 February 2023
By Mr Kavi Chongkittavorn, Senior Communications Advisor: Last week, the new ASEAN chair, Indonesia, convened the first two important meetings - the ASEAN Coordinating Council …

Vietnam Boosts ‘Bamboo Diplomacy’
04 February 2023
By Mr Kavi Chongkittavorn, Senior Communications Advisor: After the dramatic Cabinet shake-up over the past several weeks, Vietnam has been quick to restore confidence in …

Myanmar 2023 – Pessimism Deepens
02 February 2023
By Mr Kavi Chongkittavorn, Senior Communications Advisor: As the Myanmar crisis enters its third year, one trend is certain – things will get worse and …

Thailand-Türkiye relations – more than trade and investment
29 January 2023
By Mr Kavi Chongkittavorn, Senior Communications Advisor: At the very beginning, it must be stressed that Thailand and Türkiye share a common national identity – …

The Indonesian Economy in Turbulent Times
18 January 2023
By Dr Dionisius A. Narjoko, ERIA's Senior Economist, and Prof Hal Hill of the ANU: The year 2022 got off to a relatively optimistic start …

Malaysia’s Economy Emerges from the Shadow of COVID-19
17 January 2023
Rebounding from the pandemic-induced economic shock, the Malaysian economy gathered momentum in 2022 as its growth rate surpassed expectations quarter after quarter. The first quarter …

Incoming ASEAN Chief Faces New Challenges
12 January 2023
By Mr Kavi Chongkittavorn, Senior Communications Advisor: An astute scholar of ASEAN from Cambodia, Dr Kao Kim Hourn, has now become the 15th Secretary General …

Indonesia’s ASEAN Chair, Continuity with Prickly Tweaks
11 January 2023
By Mr Kavi Chongkittavorn, Senior Communications Advisor: After the democratic transformation in the post-Suharto era in the past 25 years, whenever Indonesia has served as …

Can Indonesia Enable a Green Hydrogen-based Economy?
11 January 2023
By Ms Citra Endah Nur Setyawati, Research Associate and Dr Alloysius Joko Purwanto, Energy Economist: Climate change and the energy transition have made research and …

Philippines, China Seek to Mend Ties
10 January 2023
By Mr Kavi Chongkittavorn, Senior Communications Advisor: It's not an overstatement to say that the recent visit by Philippines President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr to …

Southeast Asia’s Tech Industry Goes from a Gallop to a Canter
30 December 2022
By Giulia Ajmone Marsan, Strategy and Partnership Director: After a couple of years of spectacular growth, tech start-ups and tech giants alike are now facing …

Peace in Ukraine Remains Elusive
28 December 2022
By Mr Kavi Chongkittavorn, Senior Communications Advisor: Talk about peace has intensified since the visit of Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky to Washington DC last week. …

ASEAN's International Status is Rising
27 December 2022
By Mr Kavi Chongkittavorn, Senior Communications Advisor: It might sound pompous to keep stating the strategic importance of Southeast Asia over the past year due …

Myanmar’s Quagmire and Two New Game Changers
26 December 2022
By Mr Kavi Chongkittavorn, Senior Communications Advisor: The recent newly passed bill by the Congress, known broadly as Burma Act 2022, which allows the US …

Japan is No Longer the Same
25 December 2022
By Mr Kavi Chongkittavorn, Senior Communications Advisor: It must be clear today that the Japan with which Southeast Asia has been familiar throughout the …

A Spirit of Idealism or Pragmatic Global Discourse? What to Expect from India’s G20 Presidency
21 December 2022
By Dr Venkatachalam Anbumozhi, Director of Research Strategy and Innovation: India inherited the Group of Twenty (G20) presidency from Indonesia on 1 December 2022 and …

Humanitarian Peril on Western Border
13 December 2022
By Mr Kavi Chongkittavorn, Senior Communications Advisor: While the country’s political machinery and personnel are now gearing up for the upcoming election, there is a …

G20-2023: What is India's agenda?
06 December 2022
By Mr Kavi Chongkittavorn, Senior Communications Advisor: The success of the G20 in Bali has turned President Widodo Joko into a global leader for overcoming …

Three Summits Jointly Boost Centrality
22 November 2022
By Mr Kavi Chongkittavorn, Senior Communications Advisor: Cambodia, Indonesia, and Thailand with distinctive styles of leadership and diplomatic finesse have succeeded in performing the most …

Xi’s visit to Bangkok, East Wind Blowing
18 November 2022
By Mr Kavi Chongkittavorn, Senior Communications Advisor: Thailand gladly welcomes Chinese President Xi Jinping with three understandings at the forefront of its mind, namely that …

Setting Aside a Slip of the Tongue, Biden Performs Well at Summit
15 November 2022
By Mr Kavi Chongkittavorn, Senior Communications Advisor: President Joe Biden, mistakenly referring to the host “Cambodia” as “Colombia”, should be forgiven, because he performed very …

Significance of Vietnamese President Phúc’s visit
13 November 2022
By Mr Kavi Chongkittavorn, Senior Communications Advisor: Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuân Phúc will become the first APEC leader to arrive in Bangkok and will be …

PM Hun Sen Excels in Global Politics
11 November 2022
By Mr Kavi Chongkittavorn, Senior Communications Advisor: Who could have imagined that Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen, or Prime Minister Hun Sen …

US Midterms – Red Ripples, but No Tsunami
10 November 2022
By Mr Kavi Chongkittavorn, Senior Communications Advisor: US President Joe Biden has benefitted from good Karma, because the outcome of the midterm elections on 8th …

From Climate Negotiations to Actions: Will COP27 Be a Turning Point?
04 November 2022
By Dr Venkatachalam Anbumozhi, Director of Research Strategy and Innovation: The UN climate conference known as COP 27 will convene in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt on …

Thailand-Australia Ties Strengthen
03 November 2022
By Mr Kavi Chongkittavorn, Senior Communications Advisor: The visit of Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong to Bangkok early this week has boosted bilateral ties with …

India Has Become a Major Player in Low-Orbit Space
02 November 2022
By Dr Venkatachalam Anbumozhi, Director of Research Strategy and Innovation: In a historic maiden commercial flight, an Indian government rocket successfully placed 36 satellites of …

It's Time to Mainstream the AOIP
01 November 2022
By Mr Kavi Chongkittavorn, Senior Communications Advisor: One of the top priorities that the Asean leaders have to vet and approve at the Asean-related summit …

Intellectual Property Rights: Key to Sustainability in Indonesia
31 October 2022
By Michelle Chandra Kasih, Research Associate: Indonesians are increasingly aware of the need to develop in a more sustainable manner. In October 2022, the Jakarta …

ASEAN Foreign Ministers Must Not Lose Their Way
30 October 2022
By Mr Kavi Chongkittavorn, Senior Communications Advisor: Judging by the outcome of the special ASEAN foreign ministerial meeting in Jakarta on October 27th, the ASEAN …

Why Thailand abstained in UNGA vote
25 October 2022
By Mr Kavi Chongkittavorn, Senior Communications Advisor: After Thailand abstained from voting at the UN General Assembly on Oct 12 before the 11th Emergency …

US Plans for Indo-Pacific 'Misguided'
18 October 2022
By Mr Kavi Chongkittavorn, Senior Communications Advisor: To ensure a free, open, prosperous, and secure world, the United States must be the winner in the …