Countries can afford to miss growth targets but cannot afford a banking system weighed down by bad loans. Thailand suffered from this 30 years back and Vietnam should take note.

Banks can withdraw from business that is costly to verify, but financial centres ultimately bear the impact.

Against a backdrop of trade tensions, supply chain disruptions, and rapid digital change, experts examined how APEC China 2026 is shaping Asia Pacific’s policy agenda.

What's more controversial than coal, harder to build than a dam, and suddenly, back on Southeast Asia's policy agenda? Nuclear. For years, it was too politically sensitive. Too scary and too expensive. But now, demand from industry, data centres and urbanisation is making it necessary for governments to look again. Renewables can definitely help, but they have limits. So nuclear, especially Small Modular Reactors, is being reconsidered. In Singapore, the issue is also moving from hypothetical debate to formal assessment. From 2027, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) experts will assess Singapore's nuclear infrastructure readiness. Though the government has emphasised that this is not a decision to adopt nuclear, but part of a rigorous three-phase assessment. So nuclear isn't just an engineering question. It's about trust, safety, public fear, and what happens when risk crosses borders.