Letter from the Editors

It’s the new year, and at The Diplomat that means taking stock of the Asia-Pacific. As is tradition, our first cover story of the year identifies key trends and events to watch for in 2025. Across Asia, governments are awaiting the advent of a second Trump presidency, many with trepidation. Meanwhile, each region is facing domestic headwinds, whether economic or social, that complicate the outlook for 2025. The geopolitical atmosphere is charged – where will the lightning strike next?

January 2025 also marks the five-year anniversary of what was then known as the “novel coronavirus” bursting onto the global stage. While the visual trappings of the pandemic – ubiquitous testing booths and checkpoints – are long gone, COVID-19 reshaped China’s economic, social, and diplomatic trajectories in ways still being felt today. Yanzhong Huang, a senior fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations, explains how “the pandemic left an indelible but mixed imprint on everything from patterns of socio-economic development to China’s state apparatus and foreign relations.”

A new year means a new ASEAN chair, and in 2025 it’s Malaysia’s turn in the hotseat. It’s a crucial time for the Southeast Asian bloc, as the grouping faces unprecedented challenges to both its unity and effectiveness, notes Angeline Tan, an analyst at the Institute of Strategic & International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia. From Myanmar’s civil war to the South China Sea to general great power competition, ASEAN has struggled to respond to pressing challenges in its own backyard. The hopes are high for Malaysia’s year at the helm, given its status as a founding member of ASEAN and its impressive track record as chair in years past. But Tan cautions against setting the bar too high: “Regardless of Malaysia’s efforts, it is ASEAN’s collective ability to move beyond a shallow consensus that is critical.”

We hope you enjoy these stories and the many more in the following pages. And from all of us at The Diplomat: Happy New Year.