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Can Singapore and Indonesia’s energy push kick-start regional power grid?

The cooperation could boost both countries’ sustainability goals and help shape regional frameworks for the Asean Power Grid, analysts say “Indonesia has tremendous potential in renewable energy and Singapore would like to partner with Indonesia in unlocking this potential,” he said at the Singapore-Indonesia Leaders’ Retreat in Jakarta on Monday. Jakarta’s sovereign wealth fund Danantara signed agreements with Singapore firms Keppel Electric and Sembcorp Industries on Monday to explore collaboration on the offtake of imported low-carbon electricity.

July 7, 2026

Business

India to supply Indonesia with long-range missiles

The two countries will also collaborate on air-to-air missiles cooperation that ‘enhances technology collaboration and defence capabilities’ An agreement for “cooperation on BrahMos system” was struck during the visit, Indian foreign ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on social media. The two countries also reached an agreement on air-to-air missile cooperation that “enhances technology collaboration and defence capabilities”, he said. Details on the deal were not disclosed, and an Indonesian defence ministry spokesman did not respond to a request for comment. Modi touted the “growing trust” between Jakarta and New Delhi after his meeting with Prabowo, which he said underpinned cooperation in “defence, security and maritime affairs”.

July 7, 2026

Business

China trains Belt and Road technical talent

By continuing to browse our site you agree to our use of cookies, revised Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. You can change your cookie settings through your browser. China is training a new generation of engineers and technicians from Belt and Road partner countries through its "New-Quality Technician" Vocational Skills Training Program. In Suzhou, participants from Indonesia and Laos are gaining hands-on experience in advanced manufacturing and automation. CGTN's Wang Tianyu has the story.

July 7, 2026

Business

Organized crime resurgence fears stalking wartime Russia

Support us Hands of a prisoner in Russia, 2019. Photo: Jonas Petrovas / Shutterstock via The Conversation Following the Soviet Union’s collapse in 1991, Russia endured a period of violent criminal lawlessness known as the “wild 90s.” Organized crime spiked, with gangs taking control of banks, factories and other lucrative markets. Contract killings, shootings and car bombings became part of urban life. There are now fears that the Ukraine war will give rise to a similar situation as members of Russia’s army, as well as former convicts who were pardoned in exchange for military service, return from the frontlines. A variety of conditions enabled organized crime to flourish in the 1990s. Weak state institutions, economic turmoil and mass privatization following the Soviet Union’s collapse created a governance vacuum in Russia. As criminologist Federico Varese, of the University of Oxford, explains in his work, criminal groups stepped in to provide “private protection” in areas where the state was ineffective or absent. They provided services such as contract enforcement, debt recovery and physical business security.

July 7, 2026

Business

Save the United Nations by abolishing the Security Council

Support us The United Nations isn't as relevant as it used to be. Image: X Screengrab The race to replace outgoing UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is underway, and as of today, five contenders are vying for the post. As part of the selection process, all the contenders have made public their vision for the United Nations and how they see the role of the secretary-general. Assuming all the contenders have been truthful, it is clear from their statements that none has the least idea about what the job entails, what its constraints are or how it should be presented in the future. The United Nations was born from a dream that never materialized, in a world that never existed. At its core, it embodied the vision espoused by President Franklin D. Roosevelt of a post-World War II order that would seek to prevent wars through collective security, international cooperation and a mechanism to address conflicts before they erupted into open confrontation. However, these lofty principles did not survive the drafting of the UN Charter, which took effect on October 24, 1945.

July 7, 2026

Business

AI applications and prospects in the transportation industry

By continuing to browse our site you agree to our use of cookies, revised Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. You can change your cookie settings through your browser. Editor's note: Li Hongchang is a researcher of Sustainable Transportation Innovation Center and professor at School of Economics and Management, Beijing Jiaotong University. Liu Ziyi is a PhD student at School of Economics and Management, Beijing Jiaotong University. This article reflects the authors' opinions and not necessarily those of CGTN's. Artificial Intelligent (AI) is learning through real-time traffic. /VCG Wide-scale deployment of AI across integrated transportation systems Against the backdrop of global urbanization, surging multimodal travel demands and door-to-door logistical supply, modern transportation infrastructure confronts systemic bottlenecks including recurrent congestion, frequent safety hazards and excessive carbon emissions. Artificial intelligence, represented by traffic foundation large models, computer vision and digital twin simulation, has become a core transformative technology reshaping the operation paradigm of intelligent transportation systems (ITS).

July 7, 2026

Business

Global institutions upbeat about China’s economic resilience

By continuing to browse our site you agree to our use of cookies, revised Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. You can change your cookie settings through your browser. A growing number of international organizations and financial institutions have successively lifted their economic outlooks on China's economy. Check out for more!

July 7, 2026

Business

My conversation with Karl Marx about Donald Trump

Support us “I’m glad to say that I am not a ‘Marxist,’ given how much idiotic rubbish has been babbled by some who so label themselves,” said Karl Marx in the conversation imagined by the author. Image: AI-generated Norman Solomon: You’ve downplayed the importance of the individual in history. But the United States now has as president an individual who transformed power relations and the political landscape. Karl Marx: I can assure you that he did not do that by himself. Power relations are class relations. And by the way, I never said individuals are irrelevant to history. I exhorted individuals to get involved in changing history. NS: President Trump has rolled back gains from the last hundred years and more. Also, he’s mentally unstable, to put it mildly. KM: The basics still hold. As I wrote in 1869 about a situation in France where a cult existed around a tyrant, the class struggle “created circumstances and relationships that made it possible for a grotesque mediocrity to play a hero’s part.” NS: But now one highly dangerous and unhinged person has taken control of the US government. And he got there with a majority of votes of the working class. It’s been a huge shock to have a virtual psychopath as president.

July 7, 2026

Business

Japan’s yen pain is Southeast Asia’s economic gain

Support us Yen's collapse is viewed favorably across much of Southeast Asia. Image: YouTube Screengrab The Japanese yen’s collapse through mid-2026 has become one of the most consequential disruptions to hit global financial markets in decades. The currency has slid past 162 yen to the US dollar, its weakest level since 1986 — a sharp reversal from its 1995 peak of about 80 yen per dollar. Japan’s real effective exchange rate (REER) has fallen to its lowest point in more than 50 years, a sign that the yen’s decline reflects deep structural forces rather than a temporary market swing. The fallout has reached far beyond Japan’s shares, redrawing economic fortunes across Southeast Asia. The region has emerged as a net beneficiary of the yen’s slide — from lower debt-servicing costs on yen-denominated loans to a surge in Japanese investment and tourism — even as the same forces expose it to the risk of a sudden reversal should the yen’s decades-long carry trade unwind. Several factors have driven the sharp depreciation. Chief among them is the persistent interest-rate gap between Japan and other advanced economies, particularly the United States.

July 7, 2026

Business

Trump resort rises on Vietnam graveyard as US links grow

Support us The Trump family have capitalist interests in communist Vietnam. Image: YouTube Screengrab BANGKOK – Vietnam is digging up a graveyard so a sprawling Trump International golf resort with plush residences can be built along the Red River, while “the highest Starbucks coffeehouse in Asia” has opened on Vietnam’s tallest mountain peak near Sapa. Trillionaire Elon Musk, meanwhile, received a Starlink satellite operating license in February to expand Vietnam’s highly censored internet. And Apple CEO Tim Cook told CNBC last year that for US sales of “Mac and iPad and AirPods and the (Apple) watch, almost all of the country of origin is Vietnam.” Hanoi’s eager embrace of American capitalism spotlights how vastly US-Vietnam relations have changed since their grueling war ended with a communist victory in 1975. Hanoi favors close ties with Washington to balance its economic vulnerability with China, its giant trading partner across Vietnam’s northern frontier. US investments in Vietnam, meanwhile, appear to be growing despite the Trump administration’s emphasis on reshoring to boost American manufacturing at home.

July 7, 2026

Business

China’s often flawed arms still buy lasting influence

Support us China's VT-4 tanks have reliability issues. Image: Instagram China’s weapons may face mounting questions over quality, reliability and after-sales support, but its arms trade still serves a larger strategic purpose: locking vulnerable states into long-term military, economic and political dependence. That paradox is at the center of a June 2026 report by The Takshashila Institution, which argues that China’s rise as a major global arms exporter has outpaced its ability to guarantee battlefield performance and life-cycle support. The report says China’s state-led military-industrial complex has supplied a rising number of tanks, drones, ships, missiles and aircraft to buyers, including Pakistan, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Algeria, Nigeria, Kenya and Myanmar. It notes repeated problems in widely exported systems, including thermal and metallurgical issues in VT-4 tanks used by Thailand and Nigeria, and crashes, offloading incidents or groundings involving CH-4B drones operated by Jordan, Iraq and Algeria. China became one of the world’s top arms exporters while reducing its own dependence on imports, with Pakistan, Serbia, Thailand and Algeria relying heavily on Chinese weapons systems by 2025.

July 7, 2026

Business

AI ‘central plank’ in Hong Kong’s economic development, John Lee says

City leader says first five-year blueprint and coming policy address will drive AI-led growth Hong Kong’s high-quality economic development will be guided by its first five-year blueprint and the coming policy address, with artificial intelligence (AI) as the “central plank”, the city’s leader has said. Speaking at the South China Morning Post’s China Conference 2026 on Tuesday, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu also said Hong Kong’s “one country, two systems” advantages and commitment to innovation and technology position the city to connect the world with opportunities in an AI-powered future. “Hong Kong is recognised worldwide for its openness, deep international networks and role as a vital bridge between mainland China and the rest of the world,” he said. This year’s China Conference, themed “Intelligence at Scale: Hong Kong’s AI-Powered Future”, is primarily sponsored by Manulife. The government last month launched a two-month public consultation on its first five-year plan and aims to publish the blueprint in the third quarter. Lee described the plan as a “historic milestone” and a strategic road map aligning Hong Kong with the national 15th five-year plan, which will guide the country’s development from 2026 to 2030.

July 7, 2026