The Chinese embassy’s latest statements on West Philippine Sea incidents was a classic case of “taking the piss”, a British slang term that means “making fun of” – feigned, performative outrage while their ships harass Filipino fisherfolk and play bumper cars with PCG vessels. This is part of a strategy
As global companies seek cost efficiencies and digital transformation in remote B2B services and customer support, Southeast Asian nations are intensifying competition for a slice of the multi-billion-dollar outsourcing pie. The Philippines has long dominated as the world’s call center capital, leveraging English proficiency, cultural alignment with Western clients, and
ASEAN comprises a politically diverse bloc of ten member states. Democracy levels vary widely, shaped by historical legacies of colonialism, authoritarian rule, ethnic diversity, and economic priorities. Using indices like the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) Democracy Index, Freedom House scores, and V-Dem data, who is leading, and who is lagging?
Former U.S. Mayor Pleads Guilty to “Just Being a Very Enthusiastic Fan of Beijing”.
Chinese Communist Party propaganda, influence and infiltration is ubiquitous, worldwide. One of the most egregious examples of how far Beijing is willing to go in its effort to “Sino-Form” the planet was Mayor Alice Guo
Corruption remains a significant challenge across much of ASEAN, as reflected in the 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI – published annually by Transparency International), where Singapore ranks highly clean while countries like Myanmar, Cambodia, and the Philippines score poorly. The crux is paying public officials living wages to alleviate dependence
Political polling and public opinion surveys are essential tools for gauging citizen preferences in democratic societies. However, in hybrid and authoritarian-leaning contexts within ASEAN – particularly the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and Indonesia – standard data collection methods often undermine accuracy. Surveys conducted in public or semi-public spaces (such as
