Economy

U.S. President Joe Biden greets a worker as he arrives to speak about investments in infrastructure in Los Angeles on Oct. 13: Is it possible for unelected central bankers to ask the government in a democratic society to trim their fiscal plans?
Opinion

Spare some sympathy for central bankers

Favorable supply-side conditions are gone and fiscal activism poses challenge

25 October 2022
The global economy is under pressure from the war in Ukraine, high energy prices and rising interest rates. 
Economy

IMF cuts 2023 global growth forecast to 2.7% as rate hikes bite

'The worst is yet to come, and for many people 2023 will feel like a recession,' report says

12 October 2022
Ukrainian rescuers at a building damaged by Russian shelling in Zaporizhzhia on Oct. 6. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)
Ukraine war: Free to read

Ukraine from Sept. 15 to Oct. 7: Russia strikes housing in Zaporizhzhia

Biden says nuclear 'Armageddon' risk highest since Cuban crisis; two Russians sail to Alaska, seek asylum

7 October 2022
Victims of flooding walk with their cattle in Sehwan, Pakistan, on Sept. 9: The country will be difficult to live in because of flooding within thirty years.
Opinion

Emerging problems can only be effectively addressed globally

Conflict within and between nations to grow as planet heats

21 September 2022
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy poses for a photo with soldiers after attending a national flag-raising ceremony in Izium, Ukraine on Sept. 14.
Ukraine war: Free to read

Ukraine from Aug. 22 to Sept. 15: Zelenskyy in car accident, no serious injuries

U.N. aims to facilitate Russian fertilizer shipments; India may start trade with Russia in rupees

15 September 2022
A cotton harvester works in the field in Hami in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on Oct. 9, 2020. Europe is proposing a ban on all goods made using forced labor, in light of alleged force labor practices in the Chinese region. (Source photos by AP) 
Trade

In swipe at China, EU moves to ban goods made using forced labor

Beijing likely to react angrily to 'protectionist' measures

15 September 2022
Maintaining healthy garment exports will be crucial for Bangladesh as the country struggles with dwindling foreign exchange reserves.
Trade

Bangladesh clothing exporters target Asia as Western demand fades

Manufacturers increasingly look to markets such as Japan, South Korea

7 September 2022
 A currency trader in Tokyo: Soaring energy uncertainty in Europe looms over the inflation outlook. 
Currencies

Yen hits 143 to dollar in quickening sell-off

BOJ holds out on easing as soaring energy prices accelerate inflation

7 September 2022
Though beneficial to government balance sheets, the "inflation tax" could burden consumers with unmanageable price hikes.
Datawatch

Inflation tax hits $4.5tn in U.S., Europe amid global price hikes

Consumers may ultimately pay for less government debt through devalued currencies

30 August 2022
Past summits between the European Union and ASEAN were limited to members of the EU's executive body.
International relations

EU, ASEAN to hold summit in December to develop supply chain

Two blocs seek to tighten ties and cut reliance on Russia, China

24 August 2022
Group of Seven countries and democratic allies like Australia are dangling infrastructure support in Southeast Asia as an alternative to China's Belt and Road.
Asia Insight

China's ASEAN Silk Road gets slippery as other powers move in

U.S., Europe, India join battle to build regional supply chains from Thailand to Vietnam

23 August 2022
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson meets Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at 10 Downing Street, London, on May 5.
Comment

U.K. seeks 'new Anglo-Japanese Alliance' on trade, security

London pursues 'middle power' strategy in Asia with nations like Japan

22 August 2022
Yangshan deep-water port in Shanghai, where containers are stacked.
22 August 2022
People attend an exhibition displaying destroyed Russian military vehicles in central Kyiv.
22 August 2022
Companies looking to transport goods between Europe and China face the political, ethical and commercial dilemma of using the Russian route, or sending them on a slower, more expensive trek across Central Asia.
Business Spotlight

Russia's war leaves Europe with China rail route dilemma

Exporters forced to choose between sanctions risks and lengthy delays

19 August 2022
Pakistani and Chinese flags fly above a construction site in Gwadar, Pakistan. Much of the construction associated with the Belt and Road Initiative in the town remains unfinished. 
The Big Story

Road to nowhere: China's Belt and Road Initiative at tipping point

Pakistan, Sri Lanka debt crises threaten Beijing's regional influence

10 August 2022
Manchester United star Bruno Fernandes signs shirts for fans at a preseason match in Bangkok. Replica shirts are big business for the world's most famous soccer clubs.
Sports

Soccer shirts in short supply as deliveries from Asia delayed

Fans left frustrated as Premier League season kicks off

4 August 2022
Port of Felixstowe, the U.K.'s largest container terminal, on April 9: The U.K. is ready to play its part.  
Opinion

CPTPP trade pact will be better with U.K. inside

Admitting Britain will magnify impact of high-standards agreement

27 July 2022
Electric cars, such as this concept vehicle from Tata Motors, lie at the heart of India's push for greener transport.
Automobiles

Indian electric car makers charge up to head off overseas rivals

Global auto giants have been speeding into nation's fledgling EV sector

25 July 2022
Japan's imports of Beaujolais Nouveau have been dropping since 2012 and fell 5% in 2021. Steep cost increases in 2022 will deepen the trend. 
Food & Beverage

Beaujolais Nouveau prices expected to nearly double in Japan

Weak yen, Russian airspace detours add to cost of popular early wine

23 July 2022
Pudong Lujiazui financial district in Shanghai on April 1: Europe is becoming nothing more than a bit player in Asia.
Opinion

Europe's descent into irrelevance in Asia

Natural forces displacing the continent from the region are ever more powerful

20 July 2022
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, second from left, tours Doosan Enerbility in June. (Photo courtesy of the Office of the President of South Korea)
Energy

Yoon reboots South Korea's nuclear export ambitions

Delegation touts reactors in Czech Republic and Poland

12 July 2022
Foreign ministers of the Group of 20 major economies will discuss global issues face-to-face in Bali, meeting for the first time since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. (Nikkei montage/Reuters)
International relations

G-20 foreign ministers gather in Bali amid Ukraine war, inflation

U.S.-China, other meetings on sidelines; Russia's Lavrov expected to attend

7 July 2022
An advertisement of Bitcoin near Shibuya train station in Tokyo in January 2018: There was never a real market test for bitcoin's fantastical claims. 
Opinion

Bitcoin will be remembered as a historically insignificant fallacy

Unlike other important ideas, problems associated with cryptocurrencies remain unsolved

4 July 2022
The logo of German solar power equipment company Q-Cells at a factory site near Bitterfeld in April 2012; The sudden emergence of Chinese competitors wiped out Germany's advanced solar power industry.
Opinion

China is steadily wiping out German industry

National strategy that defined Angela Merkel era has run its course

30 June 2022