Malaysia

Economics

Politics

The center-right Barisan Nasional, or BN, coalition -- which governs alongside Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's center-left Pakatan Harapan, or PH, coalition as a junior partner at the federal level -- joined forces with the opposition Islamist-led Perikatan Nasional, or PN, coalition to win 25 of Negeri Sembilan's 36 seats in the Aug. 1 state election, Channel News Asia reported the same day.

Malaysia: Another State Loss for Prime Minister's Coalition Makes Snap Election Less Likely

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's Pakatan Harapan, or PH, bloc won just eight seats in Johor's state elections, down from 12, including just six for the Chinese Democratic Action Party, or DAP, within PH, down from 10, Reuters reported on July 11. 

Malaysia: Anwar Loses Ground in Johor, Raising Prospect of a Snap Election

China

Bangladesh

India

Bangladesh's Prime Minister Tarique Rahman met with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to discuss strengthening bilateral relations across a range of sectors, including trade, investment and energy, The Daily Star reported on June 22.

Bangladesh: Rahman Visits Malaysia and China

Philippines

Thailand

Vietnam

Russia

Energy

Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted leaders and senior officials of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Kazan, Russia, for a two-day summit, AP reported on June 18, marking the first such leaders' summit since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. 

ASEAN, Russia: Summit Highlights How Energy Shock Gives Moscow a Regional Opening

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is facing growing pressure from both high-profile and rank-and-file defections within his People's Justice Party (PKR), with roughly 6,000 former PKR members in recent weeks applying to join a newly revamped Bersama party led by former economy minister Rafizi Ramli, Reuters reported May 29.

Malaysia: Prime Minister Weighing Snap Elections as Pressures Mount

Brunei Darussalam

Cambodia

Timor-Leste

Indonesia

Laos

Myanmar

Singapore

Military & Security

Association of Southeast Asian Nations members agreed to boost maritime cooperation and create a new center for maritime issues after the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz highlighted the region's exposure to shipping disruptions and energy supply shocks, Bloomberg reported on May 8. 

ASEAN: Strait of Hormuz Shock Spurs Limited Maritime Coordination

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is considering dissolving parliament for a general election, well ahead of the early-2028 deadline, to seek a fresh mandate before potential fuel subsidy reductions force higher prices on consumers, Bloomberg reported on April 24.

Malaysia: Anwar Weighs Early Polls Before Fuel Subsidy Pain Hits

Australia

Japan

South Korea

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has signaled growing opposition to a windfall tax on gas exports that had been expected to be proposed for the May 12 federal budget, making its inclusion unlikely in the upcoming legislative session, the Australian Financial Review reported on April 23.

Australia: Fuel Diplomacy Shelves Canberra's Gas Tax Push

Snapshots

Philippine Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro (center) and other leaders leave after a group photo session on the sidelines of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Manila on July 24, 2026.

The meetings in Manila produced talks but no immediate collective action on critical regional issues like the Iran war's energy shock, intensifying South China Sea tensions and the Myanmar civil war.

ASEAN Meetings Make Little Headway on Pressing Energy and Security Issues

Assessments

A man fills up his truck at a Petroleum Sarawak Berhad (Petros) station in Kuching, Malaysia, on June 20, 2025.

While fuel subsidies have so far cushioned the impact, if the Iran-related energy disruptions persist, the government may have to sacrifice economic reforms to preserve political support before the next election.

Malaysia's Ballooning Fuel Subsidy Costs Will Test the Government's Reform Agenda

Philippine Foreign Minister Theresa Lazaro speaks at a press conference during a Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting in Cebu City, the Philippines, on Jan. 29, 2026.

The coming year will test ASEAN's ability to maintain unity, manage crises and remain a credible regional forum amid rising internal security risks and a more fractured world order, particularly as the Philippines butts heads with China in the South China Sea.

Previewing the Philippines 2026 ASEAN Chairmanship

United States

U.S. President Donald Trump (center) poses for a group photo with the leaders of (L-R) Singapore, East Timor, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei, Indonesia and Laos during the ASEAN leaders summit on Oct. 26, 2025. 

Global Trade

U.S.-China Relations

The summit highlighted the Southeast Asian bloc's attempts to boost internal unity and economic integration amid the U.S.-China rivalry, but it also exposed structural divides and external pressures that hinder unified action and leave ASEAN states vulnerable to coercion.

The Takeaways From the 2025 ASEAN Summit

The Geopolitics of Trade

The impending full implementation of sweeping U.S. tariffs threatens to significantly disrupt export-driven ASEAN economies, which is driving countries to seek alternative trade partners.

The Geopolitics of Trade: U.S. Tariffs Give Impetus to ASEAN Trade Diversification

The ASEAN logo May 15 in front of the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Malaysia will host the first of the two annual summits of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations on May 26.

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: Trans-Atlantic Trade Talks Intensify, Malaysia Hosts Two Summits

Ecuador

Iran

Europe

Italy

Chinese President Xi Jinping attends the closing session of the National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing, China, on March 11, 2025. 

U.S.-Iran Relations

The Weekly Rundown: Xi Tours Southeast Asia, Iran-U.S. Nuclear Talks Begin

The flags of the countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, are seen on display.

Malaysia's chairmanship will be pivotal in navigating security risks as well as those from U.S. trade restrictions, potential Chinese economic coercion, and supply chain realignments that threaten ASEAN's cohesion and strategic autonomy.

Previewing Malaysia's 2025 ASEAN Chairmanship

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba hold a joint press conference on Jan. 10, 2025.

Japan is intensifying its diplomatic and security engagement in Southeast Asia through defense, trade and infrastructure agreements to counterbalance China and enhance regional stability.

Ishiba Strengthens Japan's Role in Southeast Asia With Defense and Trade Deals

Columns

On Geopolitics

Asia-Pacific

Taiwan

U.S. President Joe Biden gestures to reporters after landing on the South Lawn of the White House on Sept. 22, 2024, in Washington, D.C. 

Trump's more aggressive and transactional approach could deliver quick wins for the U.S.'s position in the region, though it could also strain ties with key partners. 

Trump's Asia-Pacific Approach Will Test Biden's Gains

Laos' Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone (center) and other ASEAN leaders take part in the 2024 ASEAN summit in Vientiane on Oct. 9, 2024. 

The deals signed at the summit reflect an increasing focus on economic integration amid the Southeast Asian bloc's continued failure to find consensus on security issues.

Reviewing the 2024 ASEAN Summit

The flags of ASEAN members are displayed at a naval base during the ASEAN Solidarity Exercise in Batam, Natuna regency, Riau Islands province, Indonesia, on Sept. 20, 2023. 

ASEAN's economic and geopolitical diversity will impede significant progress toward deeper integration, despite members' intention to collaborate more closely.

Economic and Geopolitical Diversity Hinders ASEAN's Path to Deeper Integration

Malaysia straddles Southeast Asia's key geopolitical divide, between the mainland and the archipelago. Peninsular Malaysia occupies the southernmost tip of Southeast Asia's Malay Peninsula. East Malaysia, however, is on the island of Borneo, over 600 kilometers away across the South China Sea.       Peninsular Malaysia is defined by north-south mountain ranges flanked by coastal lowlands. The nation's core is its west coast from Penang to Johor Bahru, including the capital, Kuala Lumpur. This coastline fronts major east-west trade routes through the Malacca Strait, whose shores are divided between Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore. Malaysia's primary geographic challenge is to secure this coastline in order to extract revenue from east-west trade. Today, Malaysia's substantial manufacturing center is concentrated in this core region. Johor Bahru also benefits from proximity to Singapore, which left Malaysia in 1965.        Malaysia's ethnic minority Indian and Chinese communities are also concentrated in the core, comprising 30 percent of the population. These groups wield outsized economic power and form the basis of the political opposition. Their population growth is slower than the ethnic Malay majority, creating an increasingly volatile political environment.      East Malaysia makes up 60 percent of the country’s landmass but has only 20 percent of the population. This sparse population is tipped toward the ethnic Malays and is growing in electoral significance. East Malaysia is playing a growing role in energy production — key to sustaining the country’s decades of steady economic growth.     Borneo also fronts the South China Sea, where Malaysia's maritime claims overlap with the claims of the Philippines, Brunei, Vietnam and China. As Borneo's offshore fields become more important to Malaysia, the nation's South China Sea claims could bring it into conflict.  

SITUATION REPORTS

Malaysia: Another State Loss for Prime Minister's Coalition Makes Snap Election Less Likely

Malaysia: Anwar Loses Ground in Johor, Raising Prospect of a Snap Election

Bangladesh: Rahman Visits Malaysia and China

ASEAN, Russia: Summit Highlights How Energy Shock Gives Moscow a Regional Opening

Malaysia: Prime Minister Weighing Snap Elections as Pressures Mount

ASEAN: Strait of Hormuz Shock Spurs Limited Maritime Coordination

Malaysia: Anwar Weighs Early Polls Before Fuel Subsidy Pain Hits

Australia: Fuel Diplomacy Shelves Canberra's Gas Tax Push

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