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.

Despite escalating pressure, repeated negotiations, and even military confrontation, the United States and Iran remain locked in a persistent deadlock. The ongoing negotiations following the US strike on Iranian nuclear facilities on February 28, 2026, illustrate the core problem: while Iran has signalled willingness to de-escalate—such as proposing to reopen the Strait of Hormuz—it has resisted addressing the nuclear issue upfront, seeking instead to defer it. The United States, by contrast, insists that nuclear constraints must be the starting point of any agreement. This divergence is not merely technical—it is structural. It reflects a deeper reality: the nuclear issue is not just another policy variable, but the most politically and symbolically charged component of the conflict. As a result, even intense pressure and partial compromises have failed to produce a breakthrough.

Expert urges caution when turbulence is mistaken for transformation