Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with top U.S. executives to encourage foreign investment in his country on March 27. (Photo from Chinese Foreign Affairs Assistant Minister Hua Chunying's X account)
International relations

Xi Jinping meets top U.S. executives, then Dutch PM in Beijing

China's leader seeks 'common ground' with America, eyes more Netherlands imports

27 March 2024
U.S. subsidies on the purchase of an EV exclude vehicles assembled outside North America.
Trade

China challenges U.S. electric vehicle subsidies at WTO

Beijing vows to protect its companies and 'fair' global competition

27 March 2024
Turbines silhouetted in the sunset at Noshiro Port, Akita, Japan, will form part of the country's biggest offshore wind farm as Japan seeks to allay fears of impacts on fishing communities while ramping up its wind power capacity fivefold by 2030. (Photo by Masayuki Kozono) 
Asia Insight

Japan sails close to offshore wind snags as fisheries, tech challenges lurk

Fishing co-ops must clear plan to connect turbines to central grid amid seabed doubts

26 March 2024
Mukesh Ambani, chairman of Reliance Industries, is India's richest man. He is seen here walking the red carpet at the opening of Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre, named after his wife, in Mumbai in April 2023. 
Economy

Mumbai becomes Asia's billionaire capital, topped by Mukesh Ambani

China still dominates rich list but has fewer ultra-wealthy than before

25 March 2024
The U.N. Security Council has been unable to pass any new resolutions against North Korea for over six years.
Datawatch

U.N. sanctions on North Korea have been losing their bite

Pyongyang has been boosting trade amid discord in the international community

24 March 2024
Argentina's Foreign Minister Diana Mondino said the BRICS because is more of a political framework than a trade one. (Photo by Kotaro Igarashi)
Interview

Argentina won't push companies to buy from China: top diplomat

Little to gain from dealing with countries that aren't liberal democracies, Mondino says

23 March 2024
U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump's planned tariffs on Chinese imports would stretch the spirit, if not the letter, of World Trade Organization rules.
Opinion

Trump's China tariff plan would be the death of the WTO

Republican presidential candidate would turn 'MFN' principle on its head

21 March 2024
Like all major cities in China, Shanghai, the financial capital, is suffering from weak foreign investment. 
Economy

China plans to ease visa rules to attract foreign talent and money

Officials head off to the U.S. and Europe to rekindle waning foreign interest

20 March 2024
Stuart Hordern, chief winemaker at Brokenwood Wines, says an end to China's tariffs would be "great news." (Photo by Rurika Imahashi) 
Food & Beverage

Australian winemakers hopeful about China lifting tariffs

Many producers are 'incredibly excited,' but some have moved on from the market

19 March 2024
A man walks past a construction site in Beijing's central business district in late February.
Economy

China industrial output rises 7% but real estate weighs on economy

January-February stats show retail sales beat expectations, buoying prices

18 March 2024
Debt restructuring or swaps for local government financing vehicles, either through banks or special refinancing bonds, will only provide temporary relief against an imminent liquidity crisis, scholars and analysts say.
Caixin

Why China's drive to resolve hidden government debt could fall short

Some estimates indicate nation has around $10tn in such debt

18 March 2024
UBTech Robotics has been developing robots to help older adults get around. (Photo by Takashi Kawakami)
Technology

Panasonic, Midea, robotics upstart step up to meet aging China's needs

Companies leverage tech to seek opportunities in growing 'silver economy'

17 March 2024
This year's National People's Congress revealed little about how China's policymakers plan to revive the economy. (Photo by Mizuho Miyazaki)
Editor-in-Chief’s Picks

Letter from Nikkei Asia's editor: China's growth dilemma

Shin Nakayama shares his weekly reflections and recommendations

15 March 2024
An unfinished residential building in Tongchuan, in China's Shaanxi province: House prices declined again in February, hinting that steps taken to stem the fall have not worked so far.
Economy

China home prices sink further despite mortgage rate cut

February data shows another 0.3% monthly drop in top-tier cities

15 March 2024
Many Indonesian workers have found jobs in Japan's short-handed agricultural sector. (Photo obtained by Nikkei)
Japan immigration

Indonesians, Vietnamese form larger share of Japan's foreign workers

Weak yen and relatively low wages sap appeal for Chinese and Western workers

15 March 2024
A worker loads Coca-Cola drinks from a truck in Beijing. Swire Pacific, one of the major bottlers in greater China and Southeast Asia, faces a "challenging" business environment in mainland China.  
Consumer

Swire's Coca-Cola business in China remains 'challenging'

Key bottler eager to expand in Southeast Asia; group touts overall profit surge

14 March 2024
A seafood processor in Wenchang, Hainan province. The U.S. lawmakers urge the Biden administration to ban seafood imports from any of the Chinese companies that employ North Korean workers.
Trade

China seafood targeted by U.S. lawmakers over North Korean labor

Congress members warn sales could fund Pyongyang's nuclear program

13 March 2024
The opening ceremony for China's military base in Djibouti in August 2017: One of its ostensible missions is to fight piracy. 
Opinion

Red Sea inaction proves China is not a 'responsible stakeholder'

Beijing well-positioned to join fight against Houthi piracy but is standing aside

13 March 2024
A nearly empty shopping mall in central Beijing: China is grappling with weak consumption, youth unemployment and huge local government debts as the economy continues to slow. (Photo by Mizuho Miyazaki)
The Big Story

China faces familiar growth dilemma as economy slows

Anxious to avoid reinflating a property bubble, Beijing chooses caution over expansion

13 March 2024
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang attend the National People's Congress in Beijing on March 11. (Photo by Mizuho Miyazaki) 
China People's Congress

China National People's Congress leaves markets divided

Mainland traders laud support measures, while foreign investors remain cautious

13 March 2024
The Nam Ou hydroelectric plant, consisting of seven dams, is one of the largest power generation facilities in Laos' north. (Photo by Kenya Akama)
Energy

China goes big on Laos power projects, boosting Southeast Asian sway

Belt and Road Mekong River dams help Beijing secure renewable energy

12 March 2024
A ship transports containers down the Mekong River. Recently installed Cambodian PM Hun Manet said the $1.7 billion China-backed canal project would allow his country to "breathe through our own nose," diverting its goods for export directly to its own coast rather than via the Vietnam-controlled Mekong Delta. (Photo by Jack Brook)
Asia Insight

Cambodia to divert Mekong trade via China-built canal, vexing Vietnam

Planned Phnom Penh-coast link raises alarms amid regional influence tussle

12 March 2024
Chinese Premier Li Qiang at the National People's Congress in Beijing on Mar. 5: Hopes for an announcement of a major stimulus package went unrealized.
Opinion

China is not giving anyone solid grounds for economic optimism

Steps taken so far focus on supply side, further aggravating demand shortfall

11 March 2024
Workers walk past a construction site in Shenzhen, China.
Economy

China's real estate slump hits municipal bond market

City of Shenzhen postpones early redemption of infrastructure bonds

11 March 2024
Trucks wait to cross into the U.S. via the Jeronimo-Santa Teresa International Bridge, in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, on Oct 4.
Trade

Mexico replaces China as top exporter to U.S. in 2023

Trade deficit between world's two largest economies falls to lowest level since 2010

9 March 2024