One of the unfinished 'ghost buildings' in Sihanoukville, Cambodia.  (Photo by Hiroki Endo)
Property

Chinese exodus leaves Cambodia boomtown with 500 'ghost buildings'

Sihanoukville saddled with unfinished projects due to casino clampdown and COVID

14 April 2024
A worker helps operate a gas field in Uzbekistan in June 2023. Methanol obtained from natural gas can be used to churn out raw materials for products ranging from plastics to films.
Economy

Uzbekistan chases chemical hub dream with Chinese polymer tech

Nation aims to export value-added products made from its natural gas

13 April 2024
Pumpjacks sit atop an oil field in Heilongjiang province, China.
Energy

China slowdown will lead to global oil glut in 2025: IEA

Decarbonization and surging oil prices also weigh on demand

13 April 2024
Containers and cargo vessels are pictured at the port of Qingdao in China's Shandong province. (China Daily via Reuters)
Trade

China exports decline by 7.5%, far more than forecast

Imports down 1.9% in dollar terms as March data overshadows positive factory signals

12 April 2024
Indian commuters outside New Delhi: Even with recent urbanization, only about 35% of the country's population lives in cities.
Opinion

India's economy can overtake China's if it can stay on track

But complacency toward reform and trade links could haunt New Delhi

12 April 2024
French President Emmanuel Macron, right, has tried to build personal rapport with China's Xi Jinping. Last April, they spent seven hours together in China.
Opinion

Germany and France have to form a common front toward China

Insubstantial Ukraine pledges will not justify watering down trade complaints

11 April 2024
A vegetable vendor attends to customers at a market in Beijing.
Economy

China consumer price growth slows, renewing deflation fears

March CPI rose just 0.1% while producer price contraction deepened by 2.8%

11 April 2024
A Cosco Shipping container ship at the Yangshan Deep Water Port in Shanghai. (cnsphoto via Reuters)
Economy

China to cap 'healthy' developing Asia's growth in 2024, says ADB

Second-largest economy's downturn could bring 'spillovers to trading partners'

11 April 2024
A worker in Chile checks a shipment of copper bound for Asia. China is the world's largest consumer of the metal.
Commodities

Copper hits 1-year high amid economic green shoots in China

Signs of manufacturing recovery on strong U.S. demand buoy metals and stocks

11 April 2024
Thailand has been courting foreign investment to grow its EV industry.
Automobiles

Thailand smiles at both Taiwan and China as it courts EV investment

Delta Electronics, BYD among companies betting on Southeast Asia's top auto producer

11 April 2024
U.S. President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will meet in Washington this week.
Your Week in Asia

Japan's Kishida visits Washington, Uniqlo parent earnings, China data

Your weekly lineup of Asia's biggest business and political events

7 April 2024
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen meets Chinese Premier Li Qiang at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on April 7.
US-China tensions

Yellen meets China's Premier Li amid 'tough conversations' on industry

Chinese leader tells U.S. Treasury chief that nations should be 'partners not adversaries'

7 April 2024
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen speaks during an event by the American Chamber of Commerce in China in Guangzhou on April 5.
US-China tensions

Yellen's overcapacity digs rehash 'China threat' rhetoric: Xinhua

Chinese state media says comments create pretext for more U.S. protectionism

6 April 2024
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen arrives for a meeting with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng in San Francisco last November. She is scheduled to arrive in China on April 4 for a nearly weeklong visit aimed at smoothing economic ties.
US-China tensions

U.S. Treasury's Yellen returns to China, aiming to stem green tech glut

Secretary likely to face pushback over sanctions on Chinese companies

4 April 2024
A nearly empty shopping mall in Beijing on March 8. Experts from major banks and institutions see China's economic downturn deepening in the years ahead. (Photo by Mizuho Miyazaki)
Economy

China economists flag GDP slowdown despite Beijing's 'bright future' talk

Specialists project sub-5% rates in years to come amid property woes, other issues

3 April 2024
Prabowo Subianto, Indonesia's president-elect and defense minister, shakes hands with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Tokyo on April 3. (Photo by Uichiro Kasai)
International relations

Indonesia's Prabowo visits Japan for balance after his China trip

President-elect wants to strengthen defense and economic ties with Tokyo

3 April 2024
Indonesia's first high-speed train carried its 2 millionth passenger in March. (Photo by Nana Shibata)
Transportation

Xi calls Indonesia high-speed rail a 'gold standard' of ties

Jakarta weighs extension of China-backed line as passengers cross 2m in 6 months

2 April 2024
China is increasing its economic clout in Southeast Asia as its rivalry with the U.S. intensifies.
International relations

Majority of ASEAN people favor China over U.S., survey finds

In a first, Beijing becomes Southeast Asia's preferred choice over Washington

2 April 2024
An employee works on a production line for mechanical parts in Beijing: China's official and private industrial activity indexes jumped in March.
Economy

China's brighter-than-expected industry indicators buoy recovery hopes

Official and private PMIs jump, but some warn of unresolved economic problems

1 April 2024
Tourists at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport in 2023. China's economic woes are negatively affecting nearby tourism-reliant economies. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Economy

World Bank sees 4.6% growth in developing Asia in 2024

Regional economy dragged by China, investment slowdown and trade protections

1 April 2024
Samsung Electronics' headquarters in Suwon, South Korea. The tech giant will release preliminary earnings on April 5.
Your Week in Asia

BOJ Tankan, Indian monetary policy, Samsung earnings

Your weekly lineup of Asia's biggest business and political events

31 March 2024
A truck passes by a chemical factory near the Jinjie Industrial Park in Shenmu, Shaanxi province, China on Nov. 20, 2023. 
Economy

China's factory activity expands for first time in six months

Official PMI rose to 50.8 in March, beats expectations

31 March 2024
Australia is looking to play a bigger role in the rare earths supply chain, but it is up against a dominant China. 
Commodities

Australia doubles down on rare earths despite Chinese dominance

Ambitious strategy to boost role in critical minerals confronts market challenges

29 March 2024
Zhao Leji is one of seven members of the Politburo Standing Committee top leadership, and he ranks third in the party hierarchy. (Photo by Noriyuki Doi)
Economy

China urges more investment in country, warns against decoupling

'Get on board' development track, No. 3 official Zhao Leji says at Boao Forum

29 March 2024
Bottles of Australian wine occupy the top shelf of a Hangzhou supermarket on Nov. 27, 2020, when China was the No. 1 importer of the stuff.
Trade

China lifts punitive tariffs on Australian wine after three years

Beijing's 'economic coercion' led to 'deepest low' for Aussie vintners

28 March 2024