Asia Economist and CEO, Centennial Asia Advisors

Manu Bhaskaran

Mr. Bhaskaran is a leading Asian economist based in Singapore with more than 30 years of experience in studying economic, political and security issues that shape the business environment in Asia. He co-ordinates the Asian business of Washington DC-based strategic advisory firm, Centennial Group, directing its Asian economic research practice which provides in-depth analysis of macro trends in Asia. He works extensively with investment institutions, government agencies and corporations. Mr. Bhaskaran regularly presents his views on the economic, political and business environment in Asia at business conferences and in-house briefings. He has conducted studies on a wide range of subjects including: consumer finance in Asia; Asian integration; regional and country-specific political and economic outlooks; the Impact of China on Asia; portfolio capital flows in emerging markets, amongst many others. He is as a member of the Regional Advisory Group for Asia and the Pacific of the International Monetary Fund. Mr. Bhaskaran is a regular columnist for The Edge (Singapore) and holds positions in think tanks including being Adjunct Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS); Vice President of the Economics Society of Singapore, and Council Member of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs (SIIA). Mr. Bhaskaran serves on the boards of CIMB Investment Bank and Japfa Limited.

Asia Economist and CEO

Sanctions/ Boycotts/ Bonds/ Centenary/ Russia

China Tests Biden: East & Southeast Asia Are the Main Arenas of Contestation

Consumption/ Billionaires/ Taiwan/ Boycotts/ Climate

US-China/ Tech War/ Huawei/ Credit/ Vaccines

US-China Relations: Not Quite a Thaw Just Yet

Centennial Asia Advisors

At Centennial Asia Advisors, we tell it like it is. We have no vested interests, no need for a China wall, and no reason to skew our outlook any other way. With over 30 years experience covering Asia’s political economy, you can be sure our conclusions and analyses are based on the unadulterated facts. Through years of fine-tuning our research methodologies, we deliver a quality of macroeconomic analysis few other houses can match.

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Economic Policy and Strategic Advisors

Macroeconomics

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<li>The meeting of the foreign ministers of China and the US highlighted the new chemistry in their relationship, one that is more ill-tempered, with less willingness to compromise.</li>
<li>However, the real action took place before and after that meeting. The US has been busy rebuilding its alliance with Japan and South Korea and successfully elevating its strategic relationship with India to its strongest ever level. The US has also been penalizing China with sanctions. China, in turn, is determined to show that it will not be intimidated.</li>
<li>The resulting higher risk in the region will force the smaller countries to divert scarce resources into higher defence spending. There is now a stronger case for ASEAN regional integration. With Indonesia showing more leadership in regional matters of late, there is hope that integration could be more successful. Finally, Singapore could gain as political trends weaken Hong Kong’s position as a global heart of commerce and finance.</li>
</ul>


The meeting of the foreign ministers of China and the US highlighted the new chemistry in their relationship, one that is more ill-tempered, with less willingness to compromise.
However, the real action took place before and after that meeting. The US has been busy rebuilding its alliance with Japan and South Korea and successfully elevating its strategic relationship with India to its strongest ever level. The US has also been penalizing China with sanctions. China, in turn, is determined to show that it will not be intimidated.
The resulting higher risk in the region will force the smaller countries to divert scarce resources into higher defence spending. There is now a stronger case for ASEAN regional integration. With Indonesia showing more leadership in regional matters of late, there is hope that integration could be more successful. Finally, Singapore could gain as political trends weaken Hong Kong’s position as a global heart of commerce and finance.


What Do Worsening US-China Relations Mean for Asia?