Asia - South China Morning Post

We have selected seven stories from the SCMP’s coverage of Asia over the past week that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing.

1. Bus queue brawl at Malaysia-Singapore crossing spotlights border bottlenecks

Viral footage of two commuters wrestling on the floor of Johor Bahru’s main border terminal has once again highlighted the chronic congestion – and fraying tempers – at one of Southeast Asia’s...

More than half of Australians are concerned about US interference while support for defence spending has reached a new high, according to a nationwide poll that comes as friction mounts between the allies over issues such as trade.

The survey released on Tuesday by the Australia-China Relations Institute at the University of Technology Sydney found that 54 per cent of respondents are worried about US influence on domestic affairs – a jump of nearly 20 percentage points since 2021. The increase...

Investors in Malaysia’s fast-growing data centre hub of Johor have been asked to postpone water-cooled expansion projects for at least 18 months, as authorities grapple with drought and mounting pressure on the state’s water supplies.

Officials say the temporary deferral will apply to developers whose facilities depend on water for cooling servers that run around the clock, amid growing unease among residents and environmentalists that billions of dollars in tech investment are colliding with...

We have put together stories from our coverage of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comments on Taiwan, the reaction and articles on Beijing-Tokyo relations for context. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing.

1. Beijing slams Japanese PM for ‘seriously damaging’ ties over Taiwan comment

This article was published on November 10, 2025.

2. Has Takaichi planted a Taiwan ‘time bomb’ in Tokyo’s ties with Beijing

This article was published on November 13,...

The death of Juan Ponce Enrile has brought an end to one of the most complicated lives in Philippine politics – a man I covered for decades, whose brilliance, ruthlessness and endless reinventions shaped the country as much as they confounded those who tried to understand him.

A central figure in the Philippines’ modern history, Enrile served as Ferdinand Marcos Snr’s defence minister during martial law, defected during the 1986 People Power revolt, and eventually reclaimed power as Senate...

The chairman of a Cambodia-based conglomerate indicted by US authorities over alleged large-scale investment fraud and money laundering had acquired a luxury property in Tokyo as his residence, Japanese corporate registration documents showed on Monday.

Chen Zhi, a Cambodian national of Chinese descent who heads Prince Holding Group, established Prince Group in the Japanese capital in 2022 and is believed to have sought long-term residence status in Japan by starting his own business.

The US...

A Japanese woman in her 50s has been indicted without detention for forcing a kiss on Jin of BTS during a public fan event last year.

The Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors’ Office said that the suspect was charged on Monday with indecent assault.

She is accused of approaching Jin (real name Kim Seok-jin) during a fan meeting held at Jamsil Indoor Stadium in Seoul’s Songpa district in June last year, shortly after he completed his military service. She forced a kiss on Jin’s cheek without...

Washington’s approval for South Korea to build nuclear-powered submarines has become a turning point in the alliance, analysts say, one that is already pushing Seoul towards a more explicit role in the United States’ broader Indo-Pacific strategy to counter China.

As the US military reframes the region around a “strategic triangle” linking South Korea, Japan and the Philippines, observers say Washington has begun naming its price for its endorsement of the submarine project – pressing Seoul to...

Thailand’s Supreme Court ordered jailed former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra on Monday to pay back taxes over the sale of his telecoms firm, the judiciary said, with reports putting the sum due at around half a billion dollars.

In 2006, Thaksin was dogged by corruption allegations and mired in controversy over the tax-free sale of shares in his company, Shin Corporation.

Later that year he was ousted as prime minister in a coup and then went into exile for more than a decade.

The 76-year-old...

The EU’s European Investment Bank (EIB) and the Australian government said in a joint statement on Monday they would deepen cooperation on critical raw materials, as Western powers scramble to cut their reliance on China.

With the exception of Japan, Group of Seven (G7) countries and the EU are heavily or exclusively reliant on China for a range of materials from rare earth magnets to battery metals.

European officials and industry sources say financing remains a key hurdle in the bloc’s efforts...