Dear ST reader,
We hope you’ve been keeping well.
Defence chiefs and experts will have their eyes on China’s top security forum in Beijing this Sunday, even as the Israel-Hamas war continues to rage.
Not only will the Xiangshan Forum yield clues on who will be China’s next defence minister, it could signal whether military relations between Beijing and Washington are getting back on track, report Benjamin Kang Lim and Lim Min Zhang. Warmer ties between the two superpowers are on the cards, with China’s top diplomat Wang Yi scheduled to be in Washington from Thursday to smooth the path for a Xi-Biden meeting in California next month.
Over in Indonesia, election season has kicked off with three presidential candidates vying for the top job – Mr Prabowo Subianto, Mr Ganjar Pranowo and Mr Anies Baswedan – after a high-drama week of political wrangling that culminated in President Joko Widodo’s son Gibran Rakabuming Raka getting on the vice-presidential ticket as Mr Prabowo’s running mate.
Meanwhile, Indonesia bureau chief Arlina Arshad visits Rempang island, where local villagers have clashed with the authorities after refusing to make way for a China-funded industrial park project.
Among our lighter reads this week, Philippines correspondent Mara Cepeda looks at the debate surrounding a Broadway musical on the Marcos family, while Hazlin Hassan reports on the rising popularity of food trucks in Malaysia.
China’s top security forum holds clues for next defence minister, US-China ties
Thai workers in Israel risk death to clear debts
Fielding his son could be a winning gamble for Jokowi
Rempang clash casts new spotlight on Chinese investments in Indonesia
Hong Kong’s aspiring home owners take a backseat to saving the economy
Can a disco musical revise Philippines’ history?
