ISEAS - Yusof Ishak Institute

Upcoming next week - Events on 's Madani economic policy, the healthcare system and in .

Full details at https://www.iseas.edu.sg/events/upcoming-events/

This webinar, the first in a series jointly organised by ISEAS and NDC Partnership to discuss the respective 3.0 targets and regional climate cooperation of member countries, will focus on the latest NDCs submitted by , , and .

Sign up here - https://www.iseas.edu.sg/mec-events/understanding-southeast-asias-new-climate-pledges-a-deep-dive-into-indonesia-malaysia-and-singapore/

Fulcrum Commentary by Ooi Kok Hin - A storm in a teacup is brewing over the issue of Malaysia’s Chinese schools, not helped by the government’s mixed signals.

Minority Education, Major Controversy: Malaysia’s Lose-Lose Reform on Chinese Independent Schools | FULCRUM A storm in a teacup is brewing over the issue of Malaysia’s Chinese schools, not helped by the government’s mixed signals.

Do You Know?

In a region shaped by major power competition, perceptions can shift quickly.

In this hypothetical forced choice question, 52.0% of total respondents in 2026 select China over the United States. This marks a shift from 2025, when the United States held a narrow lead of 5.6%. Support for China is particularly strong in Singapore this year.

To find out why, read The State of Southeast Asia: 2026 Survey Report: https://for.edu.sg/ssea2026surveyreport

ASEAN Studies Centre (ASC)

Discover Thai cuisine through our special book display this month

Now at Level 1, !

Fulcrum Commentary by Paul Teng - How can the region’s policymakers and leaders ensure that we can meaningfully feed ourselves?

Heeding the Call for Collective Resilience in Regional Food Security | FULCRUM How can the region’s policymakers and leaders ensure that we can meaningfully feed ourselves?

ISEAS Perspective by Chan Xin Ying - Malaysia’s civil service operates through a highly centralised but layered administrative system spanning federal, state, and local levels of government.

2026/44 “Understanding Malaysia’s Federal Civil Service: Who’s Who and How It Works” by Chan Xin Ying Malaysia’s civil service operates through a highly centralised but layered administrative system spanning federal, state, and local levels of government.

ISEAS webinar - We are pleased to have three speakers Ms Kanchuya Sukdheva, Dr Renard Siew and Dr Riza Suarga with us this morning to discuss about readiness in and present case studies from and .

Giving an overview on the article which forms an important framework for the market, the speakers discussed various aspects such as – Transaction Flow of Internationally Transferred Mitigation Outcomes, and strict accounting to prevent double counting, the roles countries like Singapore, Japan and South Korea play especially in bilateral partnerships, the credit supply potentials of Malaysia and Indonesia and the importance of ex*****on now that the rulebook is set.

This webinar, titled 'Gearing Up for Article 6 in Southeast Asia: Lessons from Malaysia and Indonesia', is moderated by Dr Christopher Len and organised by Climate Change in Southeast Asia Programme.

Fulcrum Commentary by Nguyen Khac Giang and Le Hong Hiep - Vietnam has a chance to prevent a potential disaster in Cuba, given its unique position.

Havana in the Crossfire, Hanoi in a Bind | FULCRUM Vietnam has a chance to prevent a potential disaster in Cuba, given its unique position.

Fulcrum Commentary by Stephen Olson - Faced with possible US forced labour tariffs, Southeast Asian countries should remember that the Trump administration’s underlying objectives are to reconstitute the reciprocal tariff regime, discourage economic linkages with China and reduce trade surpluses with the US.

What Do the US Forced Labour Tariffs Mean for Southeast Asia? | FULCRUM Faced with possible US forced labour tariffs, Southeast Asian countries should remember that the Trump administration’s underlying objectives are to reconstitute the reciprocal tariff regime, disco…