ASEAN must move beyond dialogue frameworks and demonstrate tangible economic, energy and social outcomes, according to its secretary-general, as the region confronts geopolitical shocks and pressure to prove the practical value of integration. The message speaks directly to an investor concern: Southeast Asia has no shortage of agreements, but competitiveness depends on implementation that companies can see in lower costs, faster approvals and more resilient supply chains.
ASEAN regulators met at an inaugural Durham sustainability summit to examine transition finance, market credibility and regional regulatory cooperation.
Shopping-centre owners across Asia are redesigning ageing malls into mixed-use destinations as online commerce, changing consumer habits and expensive urban land force a reassessment of traditional retail economics.
Singapore has opened a public consultation on artificial intelligence and intellectual-property policy, giving businesses, creators and technology developers a formal opportunity to shape rules for training data, ownership and commercial responsibility.
Chinese researchers have reported a ferroelectric-memory advance designed to improve endurance by roughly 100 times, a potentially important step toward faster and more energy-efficient computing if the laboratory result can be manufactured reliably.
Beijing is promoting generative artificial intelligence for electronic-design automation, seeking to shorten chip-development cycles and reduce dependence on foreign tools at a time of tighter technology controls.
China and India have reaffirmed a strategic and long-term view of their relationship at the BRICS summit, signalling an effort to stabilise ties despite unresolved border and geopolitical tensions.
Tesla has established a corporate unit in Vietnam, giving the electric-vehicle manufacturer a formal platform from which to assess sales, charging infrastructure and longer-term investment in a fast-growing Southeast Asian market.
Hong Kong is extending tokenised settlement tests with regional partners as Project Ensemble moves towards real-value, interoperable financial infrastructure.
China’s AI infrastructure is moving deeper into liquid cooling as Shenzhen scales domestic computing clusters and a broader thermal-management supply chain.
