Asia practiced tariff diplomacy: public deference, private deals China’s rare-earth grip set the terms, yielding a short truce and modest tariff relief Schools should hedge purchases and teach the supply-chain math behind these negotiations

COP30 must set enforceable trade rules Join a carbon price-floor club with fair borders Recycle revenues and standardise carbon data to reward clean goods The most crucial climate figure this month is not another reco

Private school subsidies risk emptying public schools by erasing price differences Competition will shift to entrance exams and prep, as Korea shows Link subsidies to fair admissions and fee caps, invest in public quality, and track enrolment

Japan’s new PM locks in a hard-line, US-aligned stance Japan–China ties enter “stable instability” as ASEAN/Seoul outreach continues Schools and policymakers must harden compliance and diversify partnerships Only 13% o

Older adults are missing out on generative AI Used well, it can boost independence and wellbeing Policy must make these tools senior-friendly In 2000, only 14% of Americans aged 65 and older were online.

ASEAN needs its own stability fund to protect trade during crises Europe shows that regional firewalls boost confidence An ASEAN-led design would secure faster, fairer support In 2022, the global

AI chatbots in education are mediators now, not replacements Set guardrails: upstream uses, training, human escalation, and source transparency Prepare for embodied systems next while protecting attention, care, and truth

Rare earth price spikes show fragile supply chains The U.S.

FTAs expand exports without hollowing local markets Regional deals boost affiliate-to-third-country sales while domestic supply shifts to higher-value stages Policy should anchor high-skill functions at home and train compliance and data roles to use FTAs well

Japan’s labor is tight and the yen is weak Despite 2.3 million foreign workers, only 1,685 Indian students study in Japan A Japan–India education corridor would scale skills, lift productivity, and lock in a deeper partnership

Rising interest bills make public spending efficiency the growth strategy Prioritize smarter procurement, disciplined investment, and service productivity over sector wish lists Measure, review, and reallocate to what works to free fiscal space

Internal AI now performs junior work, collapsing the old apprenticeship Education must build AI finance talent—aim, audit, and explain models Policy should fund governance sandboxes to grow trusted hybrid roles The most meaningf

High housing costs lock households into hand-to-mouth budgets and suppress saving Targeted housing support and expanded affordable supply free cash for productive spending and learning Prioritize urban renters, index aid to rents, and track overburden rates monthly

Short-video nationalism is entertainment-driven but spreads grievance fast When it targets Japan, boycotts and tourism losses impose real costs Teach short-form literacy and use narrow, transparent rules to curb harms A sing

AI now touches most jobs—about 60% in advanced economies Hire for verified skills that complement AI, using portfolios, micro-credentials, and apprenticeships Redesign schooling around agentic AI to widen mobility and prevent exclusion

Digital services trade is booming, shrinking global gaps but widening domestic ones Remote work and uneven AI adoption heighten wage pressure and regional divides Adopt a compact: wage insurance, sectoral training, portable benefits, and remote-first, AI-literate education

Power of Siberia 2 shifts China’s energy risk from tankers to pipelines With Alaska LNG, Asia gains buyer leverage and softer price spikes—not an oil crash Winners will master contract design, sanctions exposure, and long build timelines

Australia’s diversity is high; classrooms decide cohesion Data show immigrant students succeed with language support and safe schools Priorities: rapid language screening, teacher training, and clear cohort tracking Australi

Climate finance must fund people, not just projects Put Pacific climate education at the center Tie every grant to learning-days and local ownership In a year when the oceans in the South-West Pacific set new heat record

AI energy demand may surge—but isn’t guaranteed Nuclear later; near-term: renewables, storage, shifting Schools should plan for boom or bust with flexible procurement By 2030, global electricity generation for data c