China
CPC leadership to hold key meeting from October 20 to 23 on five-year plan, injecting greater confidence into volatile world. The fourth plenum in Beijing will review proposals for the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026–30) after a Politburo meeting chaired by Xi Jinping, emphasizing party leadership, people-centered policy, high-quality development, “new quality productive forces,” deeper reform, expanded opening, and risk prevention; a draft will go to the 14th NPC in 2026. Ma Jingjing and Tao Mingyang, Global Times, September 29
China’s new K visa beckons foreign tech talent as U.S. hikes H-1B fee. Beijing launches a K visa aimed at young STEM graduates, allowing entry, residence and employment without a job offer, positioning China as more welcoming as the U.S. plans a $100,000 annual H-1B fee. Unresolved issues include eligibility specifics, paths to residency, family sponsorship and language hurdles, while citizenship remains rare for foreigners. Eduardo Baptista, Reuters, September 29
China’s US ambassador chides Washington for ‘closing doors’, enacting tariffs. China’s envoy Xie Feng cast Beijing as a champion of globalisation and multilateralism, rebuking Washington’s unilateral tariffs and tighter visa policies, urging “extra prudence” on Taiwan, and announcing that Americans will soon apply for Chinese visas online via a consular app. He contrasted China’s market opening and breaks for least-developed nations with rising protectionism in the United States. Khushboo Razdan, South China Morning Post, September 29
South Korea
South Korea, U.S. to hold business visa talks on Tuesday, ministry says. Seoul and Washington will launch their first working group to streamline U.S. visa pathways for South Korean firms after a Georgia raid at a Hyundai battery site. Plans include clarifying existing programs and exploring a new category, amid the absence of treaty work visas; officials said progress would aid investors but is separate from stalled tariff talks. Ju-min Park and Heejin Kim, Reuters, September 29
Lee, Japan’s Ishiba set for summit talks in Busan. President Lee Jae Myung will host outgoing Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in Busan on Tuesday, the first visit by a Japanese leader to a South Korean city other than Seoul in 21 years. The revived shuttle diplomacy marks their third meeting in 2025, with planned talks on demographics, regional revitalization, AI, hydrogen, and possibly trade. Kim Eun-jung, Yonhap News Agency, September 29
North Korea
North Korea tells UN we will never give up nuclear program. Vice Foreign Minister Kim Son Gyong told the UN General Assembly that demands for denuclearization violate North Korea’s sovereignty and constitution, declaring the arsenal permanent. He said strengthened deterrence ensures a balance of power on the peninsula and indicated talks with the United States are possible if denuclearization is dropped; sanctions relief alone will not prompt disarmament. Michelle Nichols, Reuters, September 29
N. Korea, China pledge to strengthen partnership during Choe-Li meeting: KCNA. North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui met Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Beijing, conveyed Pyongyang’s intent to deepen ties “in line with the demands of the era,” and cited recent Kim–Xi talks to spur high-level exchanges. Her trip included talks with Wang Yi. Li vowed stronger exchanges, cooperation, and strategic communication under Kim and Xi’s guidance. Park Boram, Yonhap News Agency, September 29
Thailand
Former Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra seeks royal pardon, lawyer says. Thaksin Shinawatra has filed a petition seeking a royal pardon for his one-year sentence, his lawyer said, noting the clemency process is available to all inmates. The Supreme Court jailed the 76-year-old earlier this month after ruling his six-month hospital stay did not count toward time served; his original eight-year term was previously commuted. Chayut Setboonsarng, Panarat Thepgumpanat, and Panu Wongcha-um, Reuters, September 29
Thailand’s new PM outlines policies to parliament amid economic challenges. Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul presented policies to cut living costs, ease household debt, and boost tourism, including aid for borrowers owing up to 100,000 baht and liquidity up to 1 million baht for small firms, plus a 47 billion baht co-payment subsidizing 60% of essentials. He plans to dissolve parliament by end-January and prioritized the Cambodia dispute, illegal gambling, and disaster warning systems. Orathai Sriring, Chayut Setboonsarng and Panarat Thepgumpanat, Reuters, September 29
Vietnam
Vietnam to create more favourable conditions for U.S. businesses: Party leader. Party General Secretary To Lam told U.S. Ambassador Marc E. Knapper that Vietnam will further improve its investment climate for American firms and encourage Vietnamese investment in the United States, aligning with the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership’s 30th-anniversary agenda. Priorities include science and technology, semiconductors, energy industries and digital transformation, with expanded access to advanced U.S. technology envisioned. Vietnam News, September 29
Myanmar
Myanmar army razed Rohingya villages to build security outposts, UN-backed report says. A UN-backed investigation says authorities demolished villages, mosques and farmland after the 2017 expulsion, replacing them with fortified compounds, roads and helipads, including a base over Inn Din’s remains. Private firms allegedly supplied machinery and labor. The probe cites witness accounts and satellite imagery and precedes a UN meeting on the crisis. Emma Farge, Reuters, September 29
Philippines
VP Sara Duterte govt ‘unstable’ amid corruption scandal; Palace calls it a ‘big lie’. Vice President Sara Duterte said the government is unstable amid a corruption scandal over flood-control projects, claiming institutions are abused for personal gain. Malacañang called the claim a “big lie,” with communications undersecretary Claire Castro accusing “obstructionists” of trying to discredit President Marcos. Bernadette E. Tamayo and Kristina Maralit, The Manila Times, September 29
Palace vows ‘anomaly-free’ budget for 2026. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will ensure the P6.793-trillion 2026 budget is free of irregularities, with vetoes for questionable items, Press Officer Claire Castro said. She added the President was unaware of 2025 insertions and directed zero allocation for DPWH locally funded flood control projects next year, reallocating P255.5 billion to social programs. Dexter Cabalza and Luisa Cabato, Philippine Daily Inquirer, September 29
Singapore
Singapore’s pharmaceutical sector faces uncertainty after new US 100% tariffs. President Donald Trump announced a 100% duty on “branded or patented” drugs from Oct. 1 unless firms build in the United States, prompting Singapore manufacturers to watch for ripple effects. Hilleman Laboratories flagged possible knock-on impacts; BioNTech and GSK said they are monitoring. Officials noted many firms already plan U.S. investments; pharmaceuticals form about 13% of Singapore’s U.S.-bound exports. Chelsea Ong, Channel News Asia, September 29
Taiwan
High time for Europe to stand with Taiwan, foreign minister says in Poland. Taiwan Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung told the Warsaw Security Forum that Europe and Taiwan face similar coercion from authoritarian neighbors, naming China, Russia, Iran and North Korea, and urged a coalition to defend shared values. He encouraged policies to attract Taiwanese semiconductor investment, citing TSMC’s Germany project, during a Europe tour that drew Chinese rebukes. Ben Blanchard, Reuters, September 29
KMT lawmakers slam U.S. ‘50-50’ chip idea after Lutnick comments. Opposition legislators condemned a proposed U.S.–Taiwan “50-50” semiconductor production split after Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick’s remarks, calling it exploitation that would erode Taiwan’s “silicon shield.” They pressed President Lai Ching-te to disclose negotiation details. Lawmakers noted TSMC’s pledged US$165 billion U.S. investment for six fabs, with the first two targeting 600,000 wafers annually. Liu Kuan-ting and James Thompson, Focus Taiwan, September 29
East Asia
China’s wage growth is losing steam amid economic transition. After a delayed release, all 31 regions posted 2024 social average wages with gains mostly between 1 and 2 percent. Shanghai, Beijing, and Tibet exceeded 10,000 RMB monthly, while several central provinces stayed below 7,000. Only Heilongjiang reached 8 percent growth. The metric sets next year’s social security bases, capped at 300 percent and floored at 60 percent of the monthly average. New mandatory contribution rules from 1 September increased employer burdens. Economists cite a property slump and a shift toward lower-paid private employment for the slowdown, plus negative wealth effects from falling home prices. Shanghai’s base rose 1.03 percent; Beijing’s 1.5 percent. Li Kang, ThinkChina, September 29
The SCO development bank: China’s answer to Western financial hegemony? Xi Jinping backed creating an SCO development bank, pairing RMB grants and loans with a call to expedite negotiations, while members endorsed greater use of national currencies. The bank would offer an alternative to Western lenders, support infrastructure across Eurasia, and advance RMB internationalization, yet faces resistance from Russia, capital constraints, and governance risks that could mirror NDB’s weaknesses. If realized, it could become the first non-dollar-denominated, security-linked multilateral lender and strengthen the bloc’s political cohesion; success hinges on credible oversight, financing depth, and alignment among diverse members. Genevieve Donnellon-May, ThinkChina, September 29
Venezuela exposes the limits of China’s global power. US naval and air deployments near Venezuela test Beijing’s capacity to shield partners from coercion; China condemns pressure but lacks practical options to deter Washington. Distance, escalation risk, and Caracas’s weak defences make arms transfers unviable, and China halted military exports to Venezuela in 2023. Even rare earth restrictions, previously used to temper tariff threats, are unlikely given bilateral tensions. The episode signals to Global South states that China cannot yet substitute US security guarantees, as hybrid operations sustain leverage over Maduro while Beijing’s diplomatic cover proves insufficient. Emanuele Scimia, ThinkChina, September 29
Southeast Asia
The quiet retreat of Indonesia’s fiscal decentralisation. Local unrest over property tax hikes revived concern about shrinking local autonomy. Since 2001, repeated legal changes expanded transfers and own-source revenue, which rose from Rp 15 trillion to Rp 264 trillion by 2020, and lifted education and health outlays. Yet local capital spending stalled after 2015, plunged 30 percent in 2020, and has barely recovered, while central capital spending grew 14.3 percent annually. Earmarked transfers and a 2022 fiscal revision tightened central control. Special Purpose Transfers fell from Rp 58.8 trillion in 2015 to a projected Rp 36.9 trillion in 2025. The remedy: wider local tax prerogatives and flexible long-term finance. Sandy Maulana, East Asia Forum, September 29
Smarter patents can cool a hotter Asia. Rising heat makes cooling a survival issue across South and Southeast Asia. Air-conditioner stock is set to triple by 2050, with over half of growth in India, China, and Southeast Asia, while many units remain inefficient. India targets a 25 percent cut in cooling demand by 2037–38, and ASEAN runs efficiency programs, but cooperation centers on standards and financing. Fragmented patent rules hinder access, scale-up, and affordability. Harmonizing IP via interoperable examination pathways, such as extending ASPEC participation to India, would reduce costs and accelerate diffusion. Examples include Daikin’s R32 patent sharing and compulsory licensing precedents. Seemantani Sharma, East Asia Forum, September 30
Anutin’s Hybrid Cabinet: Compromise and Control in Thai Politics. Thailand’s new cabinet mixes elected politicians with military, technocrats, and business insiders, reflecting continuity with the conservative establishment rather than reform. Appointments include Gen. Natthaphon Narkphanit as defence minister and Ekniti Nitithanprapas as finance minister, alongside senior diplomat Sihasak Phuangketkeow at foreign affairs and constitutional expert Borwornsak Uwanno as deputy premier. PP’s refusal to take cabinet seats enabled a minority government and freed quotas for outsider selections, reassuring royalist and military networks. Bhumjaithai consolidates power through control of Interior, Education, Labour, Higher Education, and influence in Transport and Public Health, embedding patronage and electoral leverage. The model promises managed stability, not transformation, by centralising authority while appeasing conservative elites. Natchapat Amorngul and Suthikarn Meechan, FULCRUM, September 29