Full Steam Ahead in the Pacific
Issue 22 — Key Developments Across the Philippines, Singapore, and Vietnam
Editor’s Note
by Karen Ysabelle R. David, Lead Editor - Pacific Corridor Desk
In today’s world filled with unpredictable geopolitical currents and shifting tides of change, the three countries of the Pacific Corridor all look incessantly towards the future, each in their own ways.
In his article this week, Tri Vo reports that a visit by the Vietnamese Communist Party General Secretary to the United Kingdom signals Vietnam’s evolution into playing a more central and active role on the world stage amidst great power competition. The role is new, but the country’s vision is clear. A more active Vietnam is a diplomatic win for all of Southeast Asia.
Meanwhile, Arianne De Guzman writes about the potential of the Philippines’ creative and game development industries. Following the game-changing Gamescom 2025, it is now up to the Philippine government to build on this momentum and promote these industries and their possible soft power benefits.
In the second part of her series focusing on Singapore’s “we-first” society, Nurul Aini discusses the city-state’s efforts to establish spaces and mechanisms for those struggling with their mental health. With more and more conversations and projects underway, there is much hope and much to look forward to.
For all three countries, despite pitfalls and challenges - full steam ahead.
Vietnam 🇻🇳
The Shaping of a Shaper: Vietnam’s Evolving Role on the World Stage
by Tri Vo, in Ho Chi Minh City
When Vietnamese Communist Party General Secretary To Lam arrives in London on 28 October for a landmark visit, the diplomatic discussions will be about more than just a courtesy call or even trade and investment. This high-profile engagement with a G7 and United Nations (UN) Security Council permanent member is a well-thought-out strategy that is designed to signal Vietnam’s evolution into a new international role, a role that is a far cry from what the country has been perceived to be.
This diplomatic maneuver is best understood through the lens of Role Theory in international relations. The theory posits that states possess a national role conception, an understanding of their own status and function in the world, and then engage in role performance to project and realize that identity on the global stage. For decades, Vietnam’s role has remained that of a developing nation focused on post-war recovery and integration. This visit is a deliberate performance of its new, chosen role: a responsible, central player in the Indo-Pacific and a bridge for global powers to this economically dynamic region.
The stage for this performance could not be more fitting, as by engaging a major Western power on its home turf, Hanoi is demonstrating a shift from being a passive recipient of global rules made by great powers with little input from Vietnam and its peers, to an active participant in shaping them. The agenda is perhaps the clearest indication of this change: gone are the discussions centered on aid; instead, the interlocutions now revolve around high-level strategic cooperation in artificial intelligence, semiconductors, the green transition, and building resilient global supply chains. This is the performance of a peer with a clear vision for its own development trajectory in a new, high-tech era, instead of a supplicant of largesse.
The expected climax of this performance is the elevation of bilateral ties with the United Kingdom (UK) to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP), Vietnam’s highest diplomatic tier. This adds the UK to a rapidly expanding network of CSPs, which includes global powers like the United States, China, and Australia, signaling Vietnam’s conscious strategy to enhance its strategic autonomy and international standing by shoring up diplomatic relations with an oftentimes conflicting set of great powers. In doing this, Vietnam gains the means to hedge against shifting diplomatic currents in the face of increasing global turmoil caused by the return of great power competition.
This diplomatic graduation has wider implications for Southeast Asia as well. By forging close relations with the UK, Vietnam serves as a crucial bridge for ASEAN as a whole. A more strategically influential Vietnam reinforces the bloc’s centrality in the diplomatic considerations of a great power at a time of heightened global tensions, while also offering its neighbors a trodden pathway for deeper engagement with a major European economy and global financial center.
Tri has experience in management consulting and strategy, having worked with institutions such as the UNDP, The Asia Group, and ARC Group. He has provided strategic, legal, and operational insights to clients in sectors including manufacturing, energy, and technology. He holds both academic and professional experience related to Southeast and East Asia, with a focus on regional development and policy.
The Philippines 🇵🇭
Creative Economy in Play: Philippine Games at the Crossroads of Culture and Commerce
by Arianne De Guzman, in Bulacan
On 3 November 2025, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) announced that the Philippine game development industry has secured approximately US$4.87 million worth of confirmed and potential sales following Gamescom 2025. DTI Assistant Director Maria Katrina Rivera stated that B2B (business-to-business) engagements during the event have opened up more partnership opportunities for Philippine studios, which could be a driving factor for the industry’s growth.
According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the Philippines’ creative economy accounted for 8.7% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product in 2024, contributing approximately PHP 1.94 trillion and providing employment opportunities for approximately 7.51 million people in the creative industry. Although these numbers could be a sign of the country’s support for higher-value creative work, a closer look reveals structural constraints. While the creative industries have generally been considered a pathway to economic growth, a significant portion of workers are employed in freelancing, project-based, or contract-based positions. A recent survey by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority revealed that around 34.1% of workers in the creative sector are either freelancers or subcontractors.
Despite the benefits of flexibility, working conditions are often characterized by precariousness and uncertainty, particularly due to intermittent job offers and income instability resulting from low and irregular earnings. Creative industry workers are also often engaged in unpaid internships because entry into the field demands substantial prior experience.
Nonetheless, several Filipino-developed games have demonstrated the industry’s capability in both creativity and profitability. “Streetfood Tycoon” by Kuyi Mobile has been downloaded millions of times across Southeast Asia, while “Potion Punch 2” by Monstronauts Inc. earned international recognition as Apple’s “Game of the Day,” and “Bayani: Kanino Ka Kakampi?” by Ranida Games introduced Philippine history to global audiences.
Filipino-developed games have soft power benefits, as they can export local narratives, aesthetics, and creative talent and shape perceptions of the Philippines in the global cultural market. Regionally, ASEAN is recognized as a global leader in the digital creative economy, driven by its market strength, a population of 680 million, the world’s third-largest internet user base, and its youth talent. In 2024 alone, Southeast Asia generated US$6 billion in revenue, making it the fastest-growing gaming market.
The creative and gaming industries play a dual cultural and economic role. To fully maximize their potential, the Philippine government must create programs and enact legislation to provide creative workers with stable employment and opportunities for career development. As reported during the ASEAN Digital Content Summit 2025, the ASEAN digital economy is estimated to reach US$1 trillion by 2030, up from US$300 billion today. With these figures, Southeast Asia can leverage cultural production into tangible economic returns, providing considerable latitude for the Philippines to enhance its regional influence.
Arianne has worked in legal research at the Philippines Department of Justice and in policy research at De La Salle University’s Jesse M. Robredo Institute of Governance, supporting projects on systemic reform. She holds a degree in Political Science from Colegio de San Juan de Letran and is pursuing a master’s in Sociology at the University of the Philippines Diliman. She is also involved in youth development and grassroots advocacy through the Rotaract Club of Santa Maria.
Singapore 🇸🇬
We-First Society (II): Targeted Mental Health Approaches
by Nurul Aini, in Singapore
The idea of a we-first society encourages a mindset shift as much as it drives policy changes.
And empathy is a crucial value.
When it comes to supporting mental health in Singapore, there is an urgency to broaden spaces — in workplaces, schools, and within individual communities — where people’s emotional and psychological safety is guarded through proper communication, and appropriate channels and efforts.
In July 2025, it was revealed that the actual finalized figure for suicides in 2023 in Singapore was 434 instead of the previous estimate of 322 deaths. This follows a count of 314 deaths in 2024. For six consecutive years, suicide remains to be the leading cause of death for young people aged 10 to 29 years old. Though these numbers may seem relatively ‘modest’ compared to other regions, each data point is a life lost.
There is a glimmer of hope – nationwide efforts involving both the government and civil society groups open up various avenues of seeking and providing help to those struggling mentally.
Community groups like Project Hayat will be launching scientific papers detailing its “unique community-led governance structure, its shift away from a moral framing of suicide, and the constructive role of media in prevention,” by the end of 2025. Meanwhile, there are plans to launch two studies that aim to improve statistical measures of suicide and reveal factors driving male suicide. In 2024, Project Hayat released a White Paper that provides expert-backed research of the suicide landscape in Singapore, while prompting further efforts for suicide prevention. Advocacy groups like Lepak Conversations specifically study the topic of mental health struggles of Malay/Muslim men, prompting considerations of age, gender, socioeconomic status, and cultural expectations into the conversation. Through their dialogue sessions and surveys, the group has suggested the need to bridge the gap between complementary or alternative medicine and more ‘secular’ approaches to mental health struggles.
As part of Singapore’s National Mental Health and Well-Being Strategy, individuals in need of support from trained counselors can now call a national mental hotline, chat via WhatsApp, or use an online chat widget. In support of seniors, efforts are also underway to employ AI capable of understanding the English language, various mother tongues, and even Singlish (Singaporean English) that is also sensitive to angry and sad tones. If required, the Meralion bot is said to be able to alert human staff for closer attention.
Non-profit agency Babes Pregnancy Crisis Support empowers young women to make informed decisions about their pregnancies through a “mother-centric” approach prioritizing autonomy and care. Babes provides a 24-hour hotline to those who wish to reach out, and offers economic support for daily necessities like transport, baby essentials and groceries, workshops to support parenthood and life transition, and bridging programs that offer scholarships and bursaries to support integration of these young people into the educational sphere.
Clearly, the conversations and efforts surrounding mental health affirm that there are economic and cultural intersections involved. Avenues of emotional expression ensure that conversations can take place and that there will always be platforms for seeking help.
Aini is currently pursuing a master’s degree in English literature at Nanyang Technological University. She has experience working in youth groups, contributing to the planning and management of outreach activities.
Editorial Deadline 04/11/2025 11:59 PM (UTC +8)
