Asian Insider: Better US-China ties but misperception remains | Will Manila revive its ‘white elephants’?

Associate Foreign Editor

Updated

Published

Mar 07, 2024, 08:24 PM

Dear ST reader,

We hope you’ve been keeping well.

Over here in Singapore, we remain gripped by Taylor Swift mania as she is midway through her stretch of six concerts and continues to make the headlines.

The city state’s exclusive deal with the pop phenomenon cropped up again when Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, in Melbourne for the Asean-Australia special summit, was asked about criticism that the agreement had undermined the spirit of cooperation within the regional bloc. Mr Lee responded, “I don’t see that as being unfriendly. Sometimes, one country makes a deal. Sometimes, another country does.”

South-east Asia’s Swifties, the term used for the singer’s fans, were happy to go the extra mile by hopping on planes, ferries and buses to catch her show, reports Linda Yulisman. Read too about a music performance of a more traditional kind, as Tan Tam Mei explores Thailand’s mor lam and how it has adapted to the times.

Moving on to more sedate events in the region, this week also sees thousands of Chinese officials gather at the annual meetings of the top legislative and government advisory bodies, known as lianghui or the Two Sessions. Our bureau in Beijing, led by Tan Dawn Wei, reports on key highlights of the sessions including pronouncements on the economy, as well as calls to “tell China’s story well”.

That story, however, has yet to reach a happy ending in the Philippines, where many Beijing-funded infrastructure projects have become mired in delays and controversy. The new administration’s pivot towards the US may slow progress even further, reports Mara Cepeda.