Asian Insider: Walking the tightrope on regional security | Stargazing takes off in Thailand

Dear ST reader,

We hope you’ve been keeping well.

Regional security and trade restrictions are back in the limelight, with China being called out on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly over its aggressive behaviour in the South China Sea and the EU announcing a probe into state subsidies for Chinese electric vehicles.

Kicking off our selection this week, our correspondents Lim Min Zhang and Hariz Baharudin examine Indonesia’s decision to move the location of the Asean maritime drills and its purchase of F-15 fighter jets for clues on whether Jakarta has changed its stance on US-China rivalry.

On the other side of the world, Charissa Yong analyses Washington’s trade tariffs and export curbs on China, and concludes that they have not had the desired effect, and could even backfire on American businesses. Nevertheless, associate editor Ravi Velloor sees signs of a thaw in the US-Sino freeze, citing examples such as a recent meeting between their defence officials on cybersecurity and working groups being set up to discuss both countries’ economic and trade issues.

Meanwhile, if you’re a true crime junkie, listen to the final instalment in our True Crimes of Asia series by Walter Sim, who narrates the harrowing tale of a killer in Japan who prowled for victims on Twitter.

Turning to lighter reads, our Thailand correspondent Tan Tam Mei explores the growing interest in astronomy tours while Elizabeth Law tells us why China’s national liquor, baijiu, is turning up in ice-cream, chocolates and coffee.