AJA Newsbites is a curated roundup of major news and developments from across Asia, brought to you by members of Asia Journalist Association (AJA)
Lee Sang-ki, THE AsiaN, Korea
Independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon ranked first among named politicians in a 2026 trust survey commissioned by SisaIN and conducted by Gallup Korea. In an open-ended question asking which active politician respondents trusted most, 11.4 percent named Han, narrowly ahead of President Lee Jae-myung at 11.1 percent. However, “none, don’t know, or refused to answer” remained the largest response category at 39.3 percent. Lee’s broader trust rating also fell, with 35.9 percent of respondents expressing trust in him, while 50.4 percent said they did not. His score on a 0-to-10 trust scale dropped to 4.19 from 5.54 last year. In terms of political parties, the Democratic Party scored 3.74, while the People Power Party recorded 3.12. The survey questioned 1,013 adults nationwide from September 6 to 8, with a ±3.1 percentage-point margin of error at a 95 percent confidence level.
Norila Daud, Malaysia World News, Malaysia
Malaysia has offered Indonesia a Bombardier CL-415MP firefighting aircraft, three helicopters and 52 officers from the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma), Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) and Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) to help combat forest fires.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi conveyed the offer to Indonesian Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka during a meeting in Jakarta on September 17. Zahid said the matter would be referred to President Prabowo Subianto for approval.
The MMEA’s Bombardier CL-415MP was previously deployed to South Sumatra in 2015, where it dropped 546,000 liters of water over five days. The aircraft draws water from lakes, seas or rivers before releasing it over fire-affected areas.
“Malaysia is deeply concerned about this problem, which occurs every year due to open burning in Kalimantan and Sumatra, with the resulting haze reaching Malaysia. We want to help Indonesia address the problem together,” Zahid said.
Zahid’s four-day visit to Indonesia runs until September 20 at the invitation of Indonesia’s Halal Product Assurance Agency (BPJPH) for the 5th Halal 20 Summit. Separately, the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation between Malaysia’s Rural and Regional Development Ministry and Indonesia’s Ministry of Villages and Development of Disadvantaged Regions.
Chhay Sophal, Cambodia News Online, Cambodia
Prime Minister Hun Manet inaugurated the TH Automotive Manufacturing plant in Kampong Tralach district, Kampong Chhnang Province on September 17. The $19 million facility will assemble GAC and Chevrolet vehicles with an annual capacity of up to 15,000 units and employs about 250 workers.
The plant is Cambodia’s tenth operational vehicle assembly facility. Hun Manet noted that another five have been approved, with two expected to begin operations soon and three under construction, bringing the sector’s total investment to approximately $248 million with 2,774 jobs created.
Hun Manet called for a study on the sector’s market demand and operational sustainability, emphasizing that investment success depends on thriving operations rather than the number of factories opened. He described the growth of vehicle assembly as a milestone in Cambodia’s industrial shift toward higher-value manufacturing, technology transfer and skilled employment.
Bob Iskandar, Indonesia Global News, Indonesia
BRICS leaders have adopted a joint communiqué criticizing trade protectionism and unilateral sanctions, amid growing concerns over U.S. tariff policies. Indonesia joined the consensus, while China promoted greater international cooperation on open-source artificial intelligence. Although Beijing’s specific proposal was not formally adopted, the summit underscored the growing role of BRICS in reshaping global trade and technology cooperation.
Shakil Yamin Kanga, APNEC, Pakistan
Federal Finance Minister Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb said Pakistan is moving from aid toward trade and investment, with remittance inflows and IT exports supporting the external account. He spoke via video link at the 9th Leaders in Islamabad Business Summit (LIIBS) held at the Serena Hotel on September 17.
Aurangzeb noted that Pakistan achieved 3.7 percent GDP growth last fiscal year and that large-scale manufacturing has turned around. He highlighted the country’s return to international capital markets with a $3 billion bond issuance after a four-year gap, saying investor orders were nearly twice the amount sought.
Themed “The Next Move,” the summit organized by the Nutshell Group brought together federal ministers, representatives of international organizations and heads of Pakistan’s major companies across six sessions covering geopolitics, the economy, AI and digital transformation, and capital markets. Nutshell Group Chairman Muhammad Azfar Ahsan, a former investment minister, said Pakistan is at a crucial moment and needs to plan for the next 25 years.
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