Economy

A satellite image from Planet Labs shows thick black smoke rising from Saudi Aramco's Abqaiq oil processing facility in Buqyaq, Saudi Arabia.
Energy

Saudi Aramco oil sites hit by drones, disrupting production

Attack reduces kingdom's crude output by half, energy minister says

15 September 2019
The central train station in Amsterdam: the Netherlands is one of the world's top destinations for "phantom" direct investment, a new study finds.
Economy

Tax avoidance drives nearly 40% of global FDI: report

'Phantom' investment flows into Netherlands, Luxembourg and other tax havens

10 September 2019
Central bank officials have expressed interest in Japan's low interest rate policy amid concerns over a global economic slowdown.
Datawatch

Subzero interest rate trend sends shivers through Asia

Global negative-yield bonds double to $17tn, posing economic risk

8 September 2019
China is looking at acquisition of Ukrainian military technology, including purchasing a stake in a military helicopter engine manufacturer.
International relations

Ukraine is new battleground in US-China fight for influence

Beijing casts an eager eye on military technology from ex-Soviet republic

3 September 2019
The Mekong River in Laos: drought is a reflection of the broader inability of the Mekong countries to agree on a regional plan for managing their water resources.
Opinion

Mekong nears tipping point as US-China rivalry grows

Difficult choices ahead as drought takes hold in downstream countries

27 August 2019
French President Emmanuel Macron and U.S. President Donald Trump with other leaders at the G-7 summit in Biarritz, France.
International relations

Bare-bones G-7 statement fails to light the way for global economy

Summit highlights bloc's limitations in a protectionist world

27 August 2019
Group of Seven leaders discussed issues including risks to the global economy Aug. 25 at their summit in Biarritz, France.
Trade war

Trump sends mixed messages on China as G-7 watches helplessly

Second thoughts become regrets for 'not raising tariffs higher'

26 August 2019
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi gives his Independence Day speech on Aug. 15, in which he insisted that scrapping the special status of Jammu and Kashmir was necessary for the region's development.
International relations

Kashmir looms over Modi's trip to France and Middle East

Indian PM makes countermove as Pakistan vows to take dispute to Hague

22 August 2019
People hope that their children's lives will be far better than theirs.
Opinion

Growing Asian economies breed high expectations among citizens

Governments must handle slowdown carefully to avoid rise of populism

22 August 2019
The crackdown on Huawei's R&D facilities could hinder innovation, analysts say. Clockwise from top right, the Beijing Research Center, the Chengdu Research Center, the Shanghai Research Center and the Hangzhou Research Center.
Huawei crackdown

US hits at Huawei innovation with blacklist of R&D centers

Washington expands campaign against China's tech flagship

21 August 2019
"This is about world trade, and we have to look into trading practices first," Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said in an interview. "If it breaches any international law, of course, we will go to the international court." (FIle photo from June 2018 by Takaki Kashiwabara)
Interview

Exclusive: Mahathir weighs taking EU to court over palm oil ban

Malaysian leader and Indonesia's Widodo 'disappointed' over negative sentiment

19 August 2019
The relaxing of a tech ban on Huawei does nothing to extract global companies from a much more pervasive web of export controls.
Opinion

US's Huawei ban highlights growing network of tech export controls

Sales of everything from 3D printing to AI are now subject to tight rules

19 August 2019
A port in Singapore. The European Union’s trade pacts with Singapore and Vietnam could hurt other ASEAN members if the EU increases its investment in those two countries at the expense of the others. (Photo by Kosaku Mimura)
International relations

EU struggles to strike trade pacts with major ASEAN countries

Sticking points could hinder other deals, as Vietnam gains from recent agreement

4 August 2019
China and the U.S. will continue to lead the world in GDP, but mounting protectionist sentiment is threatening to split the world into rival economic blocs.
Economy

US and China to fight for top GDP in 2060 while Japan dips to 5th

Report claims digital tech and free flow of data keys to future global economy

1 August 2019
European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, seen here in Brussels in May, told the Nikkei Asian Review: "It is the EU as a whole that has decided to enhance its engagement on security issues in and with Asia, and we are intent on delivering on that objective."
Interview

EU keen to strengthen security ties with Asia: foreign policy chief

Korean Peninsula and South China Sea 'matter to all of us,' Federica Mogherini says

30 July 2019
Steel pipes pile up awaiting shipment and export at Lianyungang Port in China's Jiangsu Province. Chinese steel production has spiked in recent months as the government boosts infrastructure investment to push up the economy.
Commodities

Asia awash in Chinese steel as Trump tariffs wall off US

Trade war divides market, leaving no clear winner as demand weakens

30 July 2019
A new trade bloc comprised of the Asia-Pacific region and EU would account for 35% of global GDP, eclipsing both the U.S. and China.
Comment

TPP-EU alliance makes good sense in fight against protectionism

Huge free trade zone can serve as warning and example to US-China squabbles

18 July 2019
Cargo wagons sit at a rail yard in Munich. The freight unit of Germany's state rail group is boosting capacity for shipments to China.
Belt and Road

German rail group bets on Belt and Road with more trains to China

Beijing subsidies seen fueling growth in overland Eurasian trade

29 June 2019
Toll Group's large logistics center in Singapore. (Photo by Kentaro Iwamoto)
Business trends

Trade war lures logistics giants deeper into Southeast Asia

Nippon Express and DHL respond to demand as supply chains move out of China

22 June 2019
Japanese imports of European cheese are on the upswing as tariffs are reduced. (Photo by Wataru Ito)
Economy

European cheese smells trade treaty opportunity in Japan

Imports jump 57% in April after tariffs go down

20 June 2019
An economy in a liquidity trap is the unique environment in which MMT is valid.
Opinion

Japan and the limits of liquidity

Modern monetary theory is too simplistic to solve all today's complex economic challenges

18 June 2019
The Northern Sea route could cut journey times from east Asia to Europe by 40% over the passage through the Suez Canal. 
Opinion

Nordic nations can stand up to China in the Arctic

Cooperation with Russia boosts Beijing's position but West has key cards to play

13 June 2019
Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann is widely considered a candidate to lead the ECB.
Interview

Bundesbank head warns trade conflicts 'could flare up'

Weidmann, known as hawk, calls ECB hike delay 'appropriate'

7 June 2019
An activist wearing a mask of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg calls for more taxation of the social network.
Economy

G-20 to tax digital giants by business footprints

Location of users, not company headquarters, to be key factor

30 May 2019
Telenor can help Southeast Asia make its own decisions and try to enhance an open market place. (Photo by Yuichi Nitta)
Opinion

Telenor-Axiata merger can help connect Southeast Asia

Strong local companies can control its digital future despite US-China fight

29 May 2019