Economy

Shipping containers are stacked at a commercial port in Vladivostok, Russia.
Trade

China-Russia trade tops $200bn a year ahead of schedule

Bilateral trade soars after Ukraine war draws Western sanctions

8 December 2023
A Canadian flag flies in front of the Peace Tower on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. Canada assumes the rotating chair of the CPTPP commission from January. 
Trade

New CPTPP chair Canada should seek to engage Taiwan: ex-officials

Working group invitation floated, but Beijing sure to oppose

7 December 2023
A port in Shanghai. China's economy has struggled to mount a solid recovery.
Trade

China posts surprise November export growth after six-month decline

Demand picks up for cars and phones but rebound may not last, analysts say

7 December 2023
Chinese President Xi Jinping's administration is desperate to change the China-cratering narrative dominating global media coverage.
Opinion

China's property crisis won't be solved by just treating symptoms

More loans for developers will simply keep problems festering

7 December 2023
A high-rise project in Tianjin is abandoned partway through construction. Hidden debt has emerged as a major concern in China's struggling property sector. (Photo by Noriyuki Doi)
China debt crunch

China's hidden debt spurs warnings of more Moody's downgrades

Governing financing vehicles, banks and Hong Kong face outlook cuts

7 December 2023
China's military vehicles carry DF-17 hypersonic missiles in Beijing in 2019. Japan has added the China Academy of Engineering Physics to a list of foreign entities for which concern cannot be eliminated regarding involvement in activities such as the development of weapons of mass destruction.
Politics

Japan adds Chinese nuclear weapons lab and others to WMD concern list

China Academy of Engineering Physics included on list to prevent military use of exports

6 December 2023
Chinese carmakers shipped more than 3.9 million vehicles overseas between January and October, up nearly 60% year-on-year, according to the latest data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.
Caixin

Chinese auto exporters face costly detour after Red Sea attacks

Route to Europe around the Cape of Good Hope could add two weeks, expert says

6 December 2023
Shipping containers in California: China's share of U.S. imports has dropped over the past several years but its global share of green-tech exports is expanding.
Opinion

China's export dominance is getting stronger, not weaker

Falling monthly totals obscure growth of indigenous green tech supply chains

6 December 2023
A housing exhibition in Guangzhou: Property buyers in the country are increasingly wary of developers who could renege on their promises. (Photo by Iori Kawate)
China debt crunch

China homebuyers shun presale deals on nondelivery fears

Shift to finished properties creates financial strain for developers

5 December 2023
Trucks line up in Osaka: New rules capping overtime hours for truck drivers in Japan are forecast to cut the country's cargo delivery capacity by more than a third by 2030. (Photo by Kosaku Mimura)
Asia Insight

Japan's 2024 problem? Trucker overtime curbs risk an economic pileup

Multiple industries brace for impact of move to tackle chronic driver shortage

5 December 2023
U.S. President Joe Biden stands next to a Ford Mustang Mach-E electric SUV at the Detroit Auto Show in September 2022.
US-China tensions

In EV tax rules, U.S. prefers China decoupling over decarbonization

Washington looks to further block China from supply chain, alarming EV makers

5 December 2023
China's slowing economy is contributing to persistent manufacturing inventory gluts worldwide.
Business trends

China slowdown swells global manufacturing inventories

Industrial machinery among sectors hit hardest by falling demand

5 December 2023
Trucks have resumed traveling between Dandong, China, and Sinuiju, North Korea. (Photo by Kohei Fujimura)
N Korea at crossroads

China-North Korea truck traffic resumes in sign of reopening

Vehicles seen on Dandong-Sinuiju bridge as Pyongyang slowly lifts border shutdown

4 December 2023
Southeast Asia is raking in foreign direct investment as the region positions itself as a buffer zone amid the intensifying U.S.-China rivalry.
Datawatch

U.S. and China butt heads over investment in Southeast Asia

Region attracted a record $222bn in foreign direct investment in 2022

2 December 2023
Construction work appears to have come to a halt some time ago on this building in a suburb of the northeastern Chinese city of Tianjin. (Photo by Iori Kawate)
China debt crunch

China's real estate slump shatters myth of ever-rising prices

Industry withers as people on the ground grope for a way out of crisis

2 December 2023
Graphite anodes are a key component of lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles.
Supply Chain

China's graphite export curbs take effect with uncertainty for EVs

Chinese battery material makers' push abroad raises questions over access

2 December 2023
Unfinished residential buildings in Shaanxi province: As more developers run into trouble, the government should look to restructure their debts.
Opinion

China can contain its property market troubles

Stronger policy framework would reduce risk of further real estate bubbles

1 December 2023
A JD.com's advertisement promoting Singles Day shopping festival in Beijing. Sales connected to the Singles Day grew just 2% this year, compared to 14% growth in 2022.
Economy

China PMI underlines weak economic recovery

Manufacturing activity contracts for a second straight month in November

30 November 2023
There has been a change in child trafficking, with an increase in biological parents selling their children for profit under the guise of putting them up for adoption, said one expert.
Caixin

China vows crackdown on birth certificate sales linked to trafficking

Fraudulent identification often used to conceal identities of surrogate children

28 November 2023
Sentosa Cove is the only place in Singapore where foreigners can buy mansions without needing to get the extra layers of approval that similar properties elsewhere require. (Photo by Dylan Loh)
Property

Singapore property playground for rich foreigners hits rough patch

Money laundering arrests plus sales dip test 'little Monaco' on Sentosa Island

28 November 2023
The People's Bank of China issued a notice on Nov. 27 outlining 25 measures to support the private sector.
Finance

China pushes banks to set private-sector lending targets

25-point plan meant to fuel investment and employment

28 November 2023
Porters carry imports into Mong Cai, Vietnam from China in 2018: Southeast Asia is depending more on Chinese imports but growth in exports has slowed.
Opinion

China's slowdown will not stop growth in Southeast Asia

Region's economies can offset impact by attracting relocating supply chains

28 November 2023
Japan relies on China for most of its natural graphite, a critical mineral for battery production.
Supply Chain

Japan looks beyond China for EV and chip materials

Mitsubishi Chemical, Panasonic seek to diversify supplies of graphite for batteries

28 November 2023
South Korean Minister for Trade Ahn Duk-geun speaks to Nikkei Asia on Nov. 25 in Seoul about a U.S. move giving South Korean companies a way around "hopelessly difficult" restrictions on shipments to China. (Photo by Ahn Seong-bok)
Semiconductors

South Korea welcomes new rules easing chip tool shipments to China

Updates to U.S. regulations 'very significant' for Samsung, SK Hynix, trade minister says

27 November 2023
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, left, shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Nov. 6.
Comment

Australia's Albanese tackles China paradox with shrewd diplomacy

Premier carefully juggles trade and security to achieve long-term deterrence

27 November 2023