Under Secretary Richard Stengel will travel to Jakarta, Indonesia April 14–15. While in Jakarta, Under Secretary Stengel will meet with the U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia and U.S. Embassy staff. He will also meet the U.S. Ambassador to ASEAN...

China’s moves in Laos are indicative of a much grander strategy, however, which aspires to deepen Chinese-Thai relations, counter Vietnam, and potentially even ‘flip’ Cambodia from Hanoi’s influence.

It is no coincidence that Southeast Asia has appeared more prominently in Canada's economic consciousness recently. For federal officials, Southeast Asia is a major focus for pursuing business opportunities, and they say that is unlikely to change in the near future.

The Japanese government announced last week that it would provide aid for the first time to foreign militaries through its Official Development Assistance (ODA) program. The move is part of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s aggressive diplomatic efforts to build Japanese influence and ties, particularly in Asia, on all levels, including military.

The Foreign Ministry has been called on to advance its diplomatic role in promoting Islam as a tolerant religion amid growing global concern over the Islamic State (IS) organisation, which has sparked hate crimes against Muslims.  The country's soft approach has been said to have contributed to false perceptions of Islam, which holds the basic value of rahmatan lil alamin (grace for all people). 

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has appealed to all diplomats to act like salespeople. During his election campaign he also outlined his vision, focusing on people’s economic welfare, in particular in rural development, agriculture, fisheries, marine resource development and infrastructure.