Economy

British International Trade Secretary Elizabeth Truss speaks with Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi on Tuesday, the opening day of FTA negotiations between the two countries. (Photo courtesy of the U.K.'s Department for International Trade)
Interview

UK seeks swift Japan trade deal and TPP membership

Trade secretary Truss aims to deepen ties with 'like-minded partners' in Asia

10 June 2020
Thailand's coronavirus lockdown left central Bangkok deserted. The pandemic has rubbed salt in the wound left by falling Chinese real estate investment. (Photo by Akira Kodaka)
Economy

Thailand's condo market sinks as Chinese investment ebbs

Coronavirus travel bans speed drop sparked by stronger baht and trade war

10 June 2020
HSBC and Standard Chartered Bank abandoned their usual political neutrality.
Opinion

Hong Kong national security law forces big business to choose sides

UK banks have come out in favor of Beijing proposal, drawing criticism

9 June 2020
If elected, Amina Mohamed of Kenya, left, would become the first woman and the first African to lead the World Trade Organization. But she could face challenges from New Zealand's Tim Groser, center, and Phil Hogan of Ireland. (Source photos by Reuters)
International relations

Another US-China feud looms over WTO leadership race

Kenyan and Kiwi candidates become proxies in fight for hegemony

9 June 2020
Workers piece together clothes at a factory in Ho Chi Minh City. Vietnam ranks as the world's third-largest apparel exporter.
Trade

Vietnam greenlights EU trade pact in bid for China-exit deals

Unanimous vote, despite absentees, bodes well for apparel and auto parts exports

8 June 2020
The coronavirus pandemic has slammed Cambodia's $9.5 billion apparel, footwear and travel goods sector.
Trade

EU set to reject Cambodia tariff relief plea

Garment industry set for 'one-two' punch as coronavirus hammers global demand

6 June 2020
A Volkswagen dealership in the U.K. waits for customers on June 1. Auto sales in Britain appear to be bottoming out.
Automobiles

China leads global auto sales out of slump, while Japan lags

US and Europe see light at end of tunnel as dealerships reopen

6 June 2020
Klaus Schwab says the world must change "outdated" systems in the post-coronavirus era.  (Photo courtesy of WEF)
Interview

'Talentism' defines success in new capitalism, says Davos chief

Hong Kong will keep its economic power if it can retain its entrepreneurial spirit

3 June 2020
The director-general Roberto Azevedo's surprise departure reflects the WTO's decline. (Source photo by Reuters)
Comment

WTO out of gas: Global powers vie for control over stuck vehicle

New and old worlds push candidates -- and agendas -- as economies sputter

3 June 2020
U.S. President Donald Trump described the group as “outdated” while talking to reporters aboard Air Force One on May 30.
International relations

Trump's G-7 expansion falls flat on reluctance to exclude China

Moscow uneager to alienate Beijing; members cool on Russia re-entry

3 June 2020
New York partially reopened its economy in May.
Datawatch

US and UK take riskier path in dilemma over reopening economy

France and Germany waited for lower virus case counts; China sees new infections

1 June 2020
Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina spoke to her Swedish counterpart, Stefan Lofven, who assured her that garment buyers would honor purchase agreements. (Nikkei collage/Akira Kodaka)
Trade

Bangladesh goes to bat for textile industry as buyers scrap orders

Trade group teams up with rights lobby for 'battle' with European partners

31 May 2020
Boris Johnson visits a laboratory at the Public Health England National Infection Service in Colindale on Mar. 1: London is mobilizing.
Opinion

UK and China's 'golden era' comes to abrupt end

Coronavirus, Hong Kong and trade war questions shake relationship

26 May 2020
A woman is seen wearing a protective face mask as she gets on a train at London Bridge underground station on May 14.
Datawatch

Major economies reopen but traffic still 60%: Google data

People commute, but stay away from restaurants

22 May 2020
A Chinese flag placed on a street in Belgrade, Serbia, pictured on Apr. 13: countries which are reliant on China are being required to thank Beijing for the medical supplies.
Opinion

Winning compensation from China for coronavirus is a long shot

Legal claims stand no chance, but there are other kinds of punishment

22 May 2020
Japan's state of emergency to combat the coronavirus, initially scheduled to be lifted on May 31, will be maintained in metropolitan Tokyo for now. (Photo by Masayuki Terazawa)
Coronavirus

Japan weighs lifting Tokyo's coronavirus emergency May 25

Restrictions scrapped in Osaka, Kyoto and Hyogo prefectures as outbreak eases

21 May 2020
Japan on Thursday will examine whether to ease coronavirus restrictions in Tokyo. The city has a significantly lower death toll than similarly sized global cities. (Photo by Kai Fujii)
Coronavirus

Japan reassesses Tokyo and Osaka emergency restrictions Thursday

New cases in capital slow, but unease over low testing remains

20 May 2020
Employees work on a smartphone production line in Wuhan. In advanced electronics, companies have barely shifted out of China at all, despite cajoling from Trump.
Opinion

US-China decoupling is much harder than Donald Trump thinks

Despite threats and incentives, companies like Chinese manufacturing

20 May 2020
Boris Johnson meets with Shinzo Abe during the G-7 Summit in August 2019: a liberal trading arrangement is in the interests of both Japan and the U.K.
Opinion

UK should make Japan trade deal post-Brexit priority

Both nations believe in more liberal regulations and would benefit from closer ties

19 May 2020
The International Monetary Fund forecasts that inflation will slow down around the globe.
Datawatch

China sees inflation slow as coronavirus weighs on consumption

Production resumes as lockdowns ease, but falling demand pushes down prices

18 May 2020
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's news conference on the coronavirus emergency is displayed on a large screen in Tokyo on May 14.
Coronavirus

Asia and world seek different paths to exit coronavirus crisis

Singapore, India, and US look to strike balance between public and economic health

16 May 2020
Chinese components made 42% of the total value of parts used in Huawei's new 5G smartphone, Mate 30, much higher than those used in its last model, Mate 20 Pro.
Huawei crackdown

Huawei teardown shows US ban made company turn to Chinese parts

Flagship model Mate 30 now only has 1% American components

14 May 2020
Vietnam is bullish to achieve over 5% GDP growth in 2020. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc attends the Special ASEAN summit on COVID-19 in Hanoi in April.
Economy

Vietnam vows 5% growth in post-outbreak foreign investment pitch

Prime minister calls on South Korea, Japan, US and Europe at business conference

11 May 2020
People exercise in a Bangkok park on March 29. Fitness clubs were closed in a nationwide state of emergency that is now being eased. (Photo by Akira Kodaka)
Coronavirus

Asia scans the world for best practices to reopen economies

South Korea latest to ease coronavirus restrictions, with Singapore eager to follow

8 May 2020
Boris Johnson speaks outside 10 Downing Street after recovering from COVID-19 on Apr. 27: the Johnson government has been on the backfoot during the crisis.
Opinion

Letter from London: Boris Johnson, back in charge, looks to reopen UK

PM, recovered from coronavirus, is considering flexible 'second phase' lockdown

28 April 2020