Today Trends

Author: Greg Raymond, ANU Thailand’s protracted electoral process began with great excitement after the success of the liberal progressive Move Forward party in the 14 May poll. But the denouement is now visible and unambiguous. It is apparent that Thailand’s democratic processes have been subverted by not only a deeply illiberal constitution but also by a set of opaque machinations reminiscent of those that elevated conservative former prime minister Abhisit Vejajiva to office in 2008. Then as now, the voice of the people is less important than backroom negotiations between powerful elites. It might be thought that the joint sitting of Parliament on 22 August that elected Pheu Thai’s Srettha Thavisin as Thailand’s 30th prime minister represents a significant realignment of Thai politics, ending two decades of bitter conflict, a coalition comprising Pheu Thai and former government parties. It is much more likely that this is but a tactical manoeuvre as the durable conservative est

Author: Muhammad Beni Saputra, ANU In 2023, Indonesia has been busy with conflicts between its youth and local elites. The first clash was between Bima Yudho Saputro, an Australia-based undergraduate student, and the governor of Lampung Province, Arinal Djunaidi. The second feud occurred in Jambi Province , involving Syarifah Fadiyah Alkaff, a middle school student, and Jambi’s mayor, Syarif Fasha. Despite receiving limited local media coverage, these two local cases became a national sensation through social media channels such as TikTok . Bima and Syarifah leveraged the platform to voice their criticism of leaders that they considered corrupt. The failure of local media — mainstream media outlets that operate in regional Indonesia and cover local stories, including legacy outlets and online-only new entrants — is largely due to their co-option by local political elites. The number of media outlets in Indonesia grew exponentially after the fall of former president Suharto in 19

Author: Kitti Prasirtsuk, Thammasat University There has been a remarkable transformation of Japan’s relationship with ASEAN over the past fifty years. In the 1970s, anti-Japanese product campaigns and protests were common across the region. Today, Japan is the most trusted and familiar power among Southeast Asian opinion leaders and the public in ASEAN countries, according to ‘The State of Southeast Asia’ annual survey conducted from 2019 to 2023 by the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute. Whatever difficulties and troubles there are in the relationship today, appear trivial alongside those 50 years ago. There is now a deep foundation of business and people-to-people, social and cultural ties built on largescale economic interdependence that anchors Japan’s dealings with its Southeast Asian partners. Japan has apparently won the hearts and minds of Southeast Asians through cultural exchange, official development assistance, foreign direct investment and soft power. This was reflected kee

Author: Abdul Rahman Yaacob, Lowy Institute The AUKUS agreement between the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia significantly shifts Australia’s defence strategy and future capabilities by providing the opportunity for Australia to acquire nuclear-powered submarines. But Australia will also receive advanced technologies under Pillar Two of the deal. This is one area in which Australia can leverage AUKUS to cement its defence relations with Southeast Asia. Pillar Two focusses on developing advanced technologies in several areas, including artificial intelligence (AI), hypersonic missiles, undersea capabilities, cyberspace and electronic warfare. Many of these technologies are just as crucial to Australia as the nuclear submarines, but it’s the acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines has received most of the public’s attention. The AUKUS leaders’ joint statement in March 2023 was issued at Naval Base Point Loma in San Diego, California with warships in the background

Author: Yusaku Yoshikawa, JIN Corporation Japan’s dairy farmers are facing a tough financial situation. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), the number of dairy farmers in the country declined by 5.3 per cent —faster than the average rate of 4 per cent — over the past 10 years. Two major factors caused these difficulties: soaring production costs and cutbacks in milk production promoted by the Japanese government. Soaring production costs — especially for feed — are mainly triggered by the Russia-Ukraine war. The war drastically decreased crop production in Ukraine, one of the biggest crop exporters in the world, which lifted international feed prices. A weak yen that led to increasing feed prices and electricity bills in Japan poured salt on the wound. In June 2023, the average feed price had increased by 48.4 per cent compared to 2020. Dairy farmers in Japan usually combine fibre-abundant roughage with concentrated feed that is rich in

Authors: Lee G Branstetter and Mengjia Ren, Carnegie Mellon University and Guangwei Li, ShanghaiTech University Governments around the world regularly spend an enormous amount of money subsidising businesses. But few spend like China. A 2022 report suggests that China spends 1.7–5 per cent of its GDP on industrial policies, more than most countries. As Lardy shows , direct subsidies to Chinese listed companies have grown substantially from 5 per cent of listed firms’ profits in 2010 to almost 14 per cent in 2015. Our own calculations corroborate this upward trend. From 2007 to 2018, total government subsidies for Chinese listed companies surged over sevenfold. China’s industrial subsidies have caused considerable controversy both internationally and domestically. Trading partners have accused China of unfairly favouring its indigenous firms with subsidies, leaving foreign companies at a disadvantage in the race to lead the technologies of the future. Within China, supporters a

Author: Yogi Setya Permian, Leiden University Indonesia is one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries, frequently exposed to various geophysical and climate-related hazards. In 2021, flooding was the most frequent type of natural disaster in Indonesia, with a total of 788 cases . Unlike other natural disasters such as landslides, hurricanes, drought, forest fires and earthquakes, flood cases have shown an increase in intensity over the previous decade. But some Indonesian cities perform better than others in managing the deadly risk of urban flooding, even if important conditions such as geography and rainfall pattern are roughly the same. Surprisingly, cities that do not invest heavily in massive technological interventions do just as well or even better than cities that depend on such interventions. Beyond the engineering and infrastructure domains, existing power structures and ongoing political processes play a crucial role in shaping a city’s ability to cope with flood

Author: Michikazu Kojima, IDE-JETRO In 2022 the UN Environment Programme’s Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution has argued for a new international treaty on plastic pollution. It is common knowledge that plastics negatively affect ecosystems and the health of animals and potentially, of people. Developing countries in Asia such as China, Indonesia and the Philippines are big sources of plastic leakage into the ocean. They could well turn to Japan for inspiration on how to better manage plastic waste, particularly the expansion of waste collection services to rural areas where there is a higher proportion of mismanaged waste. For example, a 2020 report published by the World Economic Forum estimated the fate of Indonesia’s plastic waste across four main categories — megacities, medium-sized cities and rural and remote areas. Medium-sized cities and rural areas account for around 72 per cent of mismanaged waste. While megacities only accounted for around 10

Author: Robyn Alders, ANU Rice is central to food security in Asia. The domestication of rice in Asia is well known, and its reliable supply continues to be a key component of food security strategies in the region. Less well known is that chickens and pigs were also domesticated in Asia and that livestock continue to play a key role in its cultures and economies. According to the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund, access to animal-source food for women and children is also important to achieving good health and nutrition. The organisation states that in Southeast Asia , complementary diets are usually rice-based and tend to contain small amounts of animal-source foods. This limits access to quality protein and micronutrients — which contributes to long-term negative health outcomes. In 2023, animal-source food in Asia is procured from multiple sources , including the more traditional extensive production systems — for example, backyard chickens in most countri