Asia - South China Morning Post

Australian telco Optus said on Monday that it had suffered an emergency call outage in an area south of Sydney, 10 days after a broader disruption that it said had probably caused four deaths when customers were unable to get timely aid.

The Australian government has been seeking answers about the disruptions at the country’s No 2 telecom, which is owned by Singapore Telecommunications (Singtel).

Singtel Group CEO Yuen Kuan Moon plans to meet Australia’s Communications Minister Anika Wells this...

A pledge between the Philippines and Vietnam to deepen naval cooperation could serve as a “model for maritime collaboration” amid mounting tensions in the South China Sea, according to observers.

Philippine Navy chief Vice-Admiral Jose Maria Ambrosio Ezpeleta and his Vietnamese counterpart Tran Thanh Nghiem met last week in Manila, where they reaffirmed their commitment to conducting joint activities, humanitarian coordination and regional maritime security.

“We are maritime neighbours with...

As Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party begins the process of selecting a new leader – and by extension, the country’s next prime minister – the race is quickly shaping into a duel between a conservative heir to Shinzo Abe’s legacy and a reformist standard-bearer promising broader appeal within the divided party.

The party’s internal election on October 4 follows Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s resignation after barely a year in office, with the winner expected to assume leadership through a...

As the United States begins its public consultation process for a 2026 review of the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), Asian economies should pay close attention. The USMCA review will most likely yield one of four results: a renewal of the agreement for another 16 years until 2042, an agreement to allow the pact to expire in 2036, a more immediate termination upon six months’ notice by any party, or a partial or complete overhaul of the agreement.

Given the litany of trade complaints levelled...

While it has China as its main trade partner and the United States as its primary export destination, Vietnam is strengthening its economic, political and military ties with Russia. The country is carefully balancing its relations with all three powers while trying to get the most economic and strategic benefit from each.

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s 2024 visit to Vietnam seems to have been mutually beneficial. On the one hand, it allowed the Kremlin to demonstrate to a Russian audience...

India is expected to continue developing a key port in Iran due to its strategic value as a trade gateway to Central Asia and the Middle East, despite the project facing the threat of imminent US sanctions, according to analysts.

Washington’s revocation of a waiver on sanctions for the Chabahar port may lead to delays in construction and investments, as well as complicate India’s efforts to boost trade with Afghanistan and beyond, forcing it to rely again on overland routes through its...

A top contender to lead Japan’s ruling party suggested that a trade renegotiation with the US could be on the table if the deal does not serve Japan’s interests.

“We must stand our ground if anything unfair that is not in Japan’s interests comes to light in the process of implementing the deal,” Sanae Takaichi said on Sunday with regard to a US$550 billion Japanese investment fund that was part of an agreement to lower US tariffs. “That includes a potential renegotiation.”

The right-leaning...

The Philippines is among Asian nations to be covered by a US$55 million maritime defence funding from the United States, but Manila is not expected to buy any significant game-changing security assets with its share.

Analysts say while the funding signals Washington’s focus on pulling mid-sized states into its orbit to counter Beijing’s growing regional presence, the Philippines is likely to use its undisclosed allocation on radars, drones and coastguard purchases.

US Secretary of State Marco...

The number of Japanese travellers to Hong Kong jumped more than 32 per cent for the first half of this year compared with the same period in 2024, an encouraging sign of recovery for tourism authorities in the Chinese city seeking to draw more visitors from the Land of the Rising Sun.

Between January and July, 395,375 Japanese travelled to Hong Kong, a healthy 32.2 per cent increase on the same period last year. This figure is still, however, slightly more than 46 per cent down on arrivals in...

A crude map drawn from memory marking a mosque, train station and warren of small Jakarta lanes that lead to her home finally reconnected Ani Anggraeni with a family who had feared she had already been executed in a Malaysian jail for drug trafficking.

Like more than a million other Indonesians, Ani left for economic opportunities in neighbouring Malaysia, where many work – legally and illegally – to send money back to their families. It was 2011, and the then 51-year-old had never left...