South China Sea Tensions: Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. delivered a veiled rebuke of China in his State of the Nation address, vowing to defend the 2016 arbitration ruling and saying Filipinos “do not yield,” after racist AI-generated depictions of Filipinos were condemned by Manila. ASEAN Tech & Digital Policy: Marcos also urged ASEAN to strengthen regional cooperation, highlighting the Asean Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve and the Asean Digital Economy Framework aimed at harmonising digital rules and boosting fintech and digital banking. Regional Weather Tech: Korea’s Meteorological Administration expanded its Korean Integrated Model (KIM) to share high-resolution numerical weather data with Brunei and other Southeast Asian and Oceania cities, supporting severe-weather forecasting for climate-vulnerable island states. Brunei Aviation Skills: Royal Brunei Airlines and Aviation Australia signed an MoU to train future aircraft maintenance engineers, using Aviation Australia’s EASA Part 147-approved diploma pathway. Cybercrime & Cross-Border Policing: Malaysia’s MACC will host the Asean-PAC Secretariat meeting to strengthen anti-graft cooperation, while ASEANAPOL conference outcomes stress real-time intelligence sharing and cybercrime investigations. Digital Dentistry Showcase: APEC Digital Week delegates, including Brunei officials, visited West China Hospital to try mixed-reality dental training using 3D oral reconstructions and immersive simulation. Brunei-Linked Financial Crime: A foreign national wanted by Brunei for alleged ATM skimming was arrested at Miri Airport after joint Malaysia–Brunei intelligence sharing.