Economy

Fourteen countries have signed onto the U.S.-led Indo-Pacific Economic Framework. (Photo from Katherine Tai's Twitter account)
Indo-Pacific

Indo-Pacific framework objectives take shape, but India not all in

Group's most populous member stops short of agreeing to trade 'pillar'

10 September 2022
U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai, left, speaks at the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework conference in Los Angeles on Sept. 8, with Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo. (Photo by Satsuki Kaneko)
Biden's Asia policy

Indo-Pacific ministers talk skills training, not tariffs, at U.S. gathering

1st in-person IPEF forum to cover supply chain resiliency, emergency chip reserve

9 September 2022
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has told Sri Lanka that Washington will support its debt restructuring effort.
Sri Lanka crisis

U.S. backs Sri Lanka's debt restructuring effort: Yellen

Treasury chief calls for all creditors to cooperate

7 September 2022
Joe Biden, Fumio Kishida and Narendra Modi participate in the IPEF launch event in Tokyo on May 23: When one door closes, others can open.
Opinion

Success of Biden's IPEF will depend on business involvement

Initiative can benefit region's economies even without cutting tariffs

7 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
BOJ Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda, left, stressed at Jackson Hole that Japan must continue its easing policy, while U.S. Fed Chair Jerome Powell called for fighting inflation "until the job is done." (Nikkei montage/Photos by Reuters, iStock)
Currencies

The Fed and the Bank of Japan are even further apart after Jackson Hole

With big U.S. rate hike expected in September, pressure on Kuroda set to rise

5 September 2022
U.S. President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi participate in the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity launch event in Tokyo on May 23. 
Indo-Pacific

Indo-Pacific nations to agree on better supply chain communication

IPEF draft statement for Sept. 8-9 meeting also includes push for clean energy

4 September 2022
The Biden administration had been considering whether to remove some tariffs as a way to reduce inflationary pressures.
Trade war

U.S. to maintain China tariffs while review continues

USTR's office says it received requests to maintain the 'Section 301' tariffs

3 September 2022
The Japanese currency has fallen by 25 yen against the dollar since the beginning of this year. 
Currencies

Japanese yen falls to 140 per dollar for 1st time since 1998

Prospect of further U.S. interest rate hikes drive sell-off

2 September 2022
The dollar's nominal effective exchange rate against a broad basket of currencies, including from both advanced and emerging economies, is now at one of its highest points since it started publicizing the data in 1994. 
Currencies

Superstrong dollar threatens debt crisis across emerging economies

Mexico pressured to follow Fed hikes, while Sri Lanka's repayment costs soar

2 September 2022
Nvidia and compatriot AMD say that have been affected by tighter U.S. export controls regarding shipments of advanced chips to China. 
Semiconductors

U.S. tightens chip export rules to China, hitting Nvidia and AMD

Latest move targets high-end processors used in supercomputer development

1 September 2022
An employee of a semiconductor factory in Binzhou, China on Jan. 9: An effort to further restrict Beijing's access to American chipmaking technologies looks likely to backfire.
Opinion

U.S. controls on China chip tech will crack if tightened too far

Efforts to restrict access to older equipment could fracture fragile alliance

1 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
Docked oil drilling platforms in Port Aransas, Texas, in 2020: The emergence of the U.S. as an energy exporter makes the country a source of energy security for its international allies and friends.  
Opinion

The U.S. is ready for the next era of globalization

Consensus undermined by China's coercion and Russia's weaponization of energy

30 August 2022
About 96% of companies surveyed by the U.S.-China Business Council said they were negatively impacted by Beijing's COVID-19 measures.
US-China tensions

U.S. company business outlook for China sinks to record low: survey

COVID-19 lockdowns and diplomatic tensions are among the biggest challenges

30 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
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
High inflation and interest rate hikes by developed nations could plunge indebted emerging economies into a debt crisis, a World Bank economist warns. 
Interview

World Bank economist fears repeat of '80s debt crises

Inflation and weak growth put emerging markets at risk, says Ayhan Kose

22 August 2022
Producing the highly sophisticated Apple Watch would be a win for Vietnam as it attempts to further upgrade its tech manufacturing sector. (Source photos by AP and Reuters) 
Technology

Vietnam to make Apple Watch and MacBook for first time ever

Country benefits as tech giant looks to build more products outside of China

17 August 2022
At least 20 Chinese companies plan to set up operations at Hofusan Industrial Park in northern Mexico. (Photo by Kosuke Shimizu)
Trade war

Chinese factories flock to Mexico, crossing U.S. border to avoid tariffs

Investment surges 76% to $606m as appliance and furniture makers build plants

17 August 2022
Bangkok's port along the Chao Phraya River. As the developed world struggles with rising prices, concern grows over spillover effects on the developing world.
Economy

Inflation drives global economy to first contraction since COVID

Countries walk tightrope between curbing prices and pulling plug on growth

16 August 2022
Monica Duhem Delgado, head of the Secretariat of Economy's global economic intelligence unit, says officials are working on incentives to bring chip companies to Mexico.
Interview

CHIPS Act will help boost semiconductor investment in Mexico: official

Intel and Texas Instruments 'express interest' in possible expansion

14 August 2022
New orders for Land Cruisers have been suspended in Japan because production cannot keep up. (Photo by Yuki Nakao)
Automobiles

Used Land Cruisers fetch over double new price amid Toyota shortage

$129,000 resale price shows car buyers willing to pay more to skip waitlist

11 August 2022
While travel demand has been slower to recover in Asia than elsewhere, Thailand's reopening is helping, Booking CEO Glenn Fogel said.
Travel & Leisure

Post-COVID tourism boom undiminished by inflation: Booking CEO

Asia remains outlier as travel restrictions hamstring recovery

10 August 2022