Asia Competitiveness Institute

Don’t miss it! Join us on Friday, 19 June 2026 | 2:00pm – 3:00pm (GMT+8).

Chinese investment into ASEAN is rising as trade tensions and export controls reshape manufacturing and supply chains. This seminar asks whether firms are rerouting trade through ASEAN or shifting production into the region, and whether this investment is changing local production, industry trade profiles, and regional supply chains.

Register now by scanning the QR code or via the link: https://lkyspp.nus.edu.sg/aci/events/details/aci-seminar-series-on-asean-economic-linkages-impact-of-china-s-offshoring-on-asean-supply-chains

As global markets become more fragmented, economies that can bridge capital, trade, and ideas across regions will matter even more. Hong Kong has long played that role, and Singapore continues to strengthen its position as a trusted “superconnector” in Asia.

Its digital economy agreements and collaborations with Australia, South Korea, the UK, the EU, Chile, and New Zealand, together with support for ASEAN’s Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA), demonstrate Singapore’s ability to orchestrate flexible multilateralism that connects business opportunities in the region with the world.

Read our full op-ed published in South China Morning Post:https://lkyspp.nus.edu.sg/docs/default-source/aci/south-china-morning-post-10-jun-2026-like-hong-kong-singapore-proves-itself-a-vital-superconnector-economy.pdf

Are we facing an affordability crisis, or a more uneven impact from rising costs? Price pressures are being felt differently across households, and the broader picture may be more nuanced than it first appears.

Read our full op-ed published in The Business Times :https://lkyspp.nus.edu.sg/docs/default-source/aci/the-business-times-4-jun-2026-are-we-in-an-affordability-crisis.pdf

The gains from the JS-SEZ and RTS Link may extend well beyond Johor and Singapore. At ACI’s latest webinar, researchers presented new simulation evidence showing how cheaper trade and easier cross-border movement could lower prices and raise real incomes across Peninsular Malaysia. The simulations also suggest that people and production may shift more strongly toward the Johor-Singapore corridor, leaving neighbouring states more exposed to change. Find out more here: https://aciperspectives.com/2026/06/11/beyond-the-causeway-spatial-impacts-of-the-johor-singapore-economic-zone-and-rail-link/

The Johor–Singapore Special Economic Zone is set to reshape more than just its immediate corridor. By 2030, it is projected to lift real wages across Peninsular Malaysia while drawing labor force toward Johor. Read more here: https://aciperspectives.com/2026/06/10/how-the-johor-singapore-special-economic-zone-reshapes-peninsular-malaysias-economic-landscape/

Join us on Thursday, 11 June 2026 | 12:00pm – 1:00pm (GMT+8) as we examine Singapore’s role in shaping digital trade governance through DEAs, and whether these agreements have translated into measurable gains in digital and services trade.
Register now by scanning the QR code or via the link: https://lkyspp.nus.edu.sg/aci/events/details/aci-seminar-series-on-asian-digital-economy-assessing-the-impact-of-singapore-s-digital-economy-agreements

As economic weight shifts towards Southeast Asia amid geoeconomic fragmentation, Singapore is emerging as Asia’s super-connector.

But it’s doing more than just bridging the region with global markets. It is orchestrating stability by shaping the very rules that govern this connectivity.

In today’s fragmented world, the “super-connectors” that will safeguard the region’s economic dynamism and resilience are economies that can provide a predictable, rules-based environment for businesses to operate.

Read our full op-ed published in The Business Times:https://lkyspp.nus.edu.sg/docs/default-source/aci/the-business-times-2-june-2026-singapore-can-be-asia-s-super-connector-and-strengthen-global-trade.pdf

The 2027 RCEP General Review is best chance for the world’s largest trading bloc to become an anchor against geoeconomic fragmentation. A strengthened RCEP would diversify regional supply chains, reduce vulnerability to unilateral trade measures, and amplify a collective voice that neither Washington nor Beijing can afford to ignore.

Read our full op-ed published in The Lowy Institute:https://lkyspp.nus.edu.sg/docs/default-source/aci/lowy-institute-28-may-2026-rcep-s-moment-to-matter.pdf

Chinese investment into ASEAN is rising as trade tensions and export controls push firms to rethink how they manufacture, source inputs, and organise supply chains. This seminar asks whether Chinese firms are simply rerouting trade through ASEAN, or actually shifting production into the region. It examines whether this investment is being matched by real changes in local production, industry trade profiles, and regional supply chains.

Join us on Friday, 19 June 2026 | 2:00pm – 3:00pm (GMT+8) and register now by scanning the QR code or via the link: https://lkyspp.nus.edu.sg/aci/events/details/aci-seminar-series-on-asean-economic-linkages-impact-of-china-s-offshoring-on-asean-supply-chains

How can Indonesia’s maritime network better support industrial upgrading in resource-rich provinces? Using West Kalimantan as a case study, this article examines the role of regional shipping routes, Port of Tanjungpura, midstream aluminium processing, and vocational training in supporting a phased pathway for deeper industrial participation and greater local value capture. Find out more here: https://aciperspectives.com/2026/06/03/indonesias-shipping-network-linking-ports-skills-and-industry/