Billionaire investor Ray Dalio sees the U.S. on the brink of a "great disruption" stemming from excessive debt creation and challenges to the world order. (Photo by Emily Hey)
Interview

Ray Dalio sees U.S. on 'brink of great disruption' as election looms

Bridgewater founder warns of geopolitical risk from economic warfare with China

25 May 2024
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen holds a news conference in Stresa, Italy, on May 23 ahead of the meeting of Group of Seven finance ministers and central bank governors.
Trade

Yellen cites China overproduction as G7 ministers meeting opens

Italy finance ministers gathering to grapple with fragmentation of global trade

24 May 2024
Chinese migrants' encounters with U.S. border authorities were 10 times higher in 2023 than in pre-pandemic years. The economic slowdown back home coupled with human rights concerns is prompting many to seek new lives in America.
The Big Story

Why so many middle-class Chinese migrants take risky, illegal route to U.S.

Economic malaise, debt and despair push families to trek through jungle to Mexico border

22 May 2024
POM copolymer belongs to a group of durable and heat-resistant materials known as engineering plastics. Chinese President Xi Jinping's government is thought to be protecting domestic production for economic security. (Source photos by Reuters)
Trade war

China plastics probe hits EU, U.S., Japan, Taiwan: 5 things to know

Target material used in cars and more; timing on eve of Lai inauguration raises eyebrows

21 May 2024
A port in Shanghai: A number of U.S. companies, including defense equipment makers, have been blacklisted by Chinese authorities, and barred from importing and exporting in the country,
US-China tensions

China commerce ministry bans trading by some U.S. companies

Defense contractors blacklisted, execs barred from entering country

20 May 2024
U.S. President Joe Biden has announced tariffs aimed squarely at China's EV industry, with potential ramifications for companies in other Asian nations. 
Supply Chain

Asia's tech and auto suppliers weigh up impact of U.S. tariff hike

Tariffs likely to reinforce supply chain shifts from China but EV makers little moved

17 May 2024
Shipping containers at the port of Long Beach, California. Beijing says the U.S. is "hyping" industrial overcapacity "as an excuse to discredit and suppress China."
US-China tensions

China slams 'wrongful' U.S. tariff hikes as markets await response

Commerce Ministry blasts overcapacity claims but stays mum on escalation

16 May 2024
BYD cars are prepared for export at the port of Lianyungang, China: More than half of EVs being sold worldwide are made in the country.
Opinion

West must face up to paradox of green transition

Importing Chinese products will be cheaper and faster but hurt local suppliers

16 May 2024
U.S. President Joe Biden, center, with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at an IPEF event in Tokyo in 2022.
Opinion

Asia-Pacific free trade pacts have been a big success for the U.S.

Singapore agreement shows benefits in terms of strategic competition with China

13 May 2024
A BYD vehicle carrier prepares to ship EVs to Brazil from Lianyungang port in China.
Electric cars in China

China EVs soar in Brazil, threatening Fiat, GM and VW dominance

BYD, Chery and Great Wall look to Latin America as trade tensions with West flare

11 May 2024
Restricting trade in "legacy" semiconductors would mark a significant milestone in U.S.-China decoupling.
Opinion

Next U.S.-China chip battle will require more than export controls

Washington could seek to ban import of common products with 'legacy' semiconductors

10 May 2024
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks at the Presidential Office in Seoul on May 9, pledging to make efforts to address rising food prices.
Politics

South Korea's Yoon calls for boosting ties with Japan and the U.S.

President announces new ministry to deal with birthrate 'national emergency'

9 May 2024
The yen strengthened to the 151 level against the dollar, the highest since April 10.
Currencies

Yen surges against dollar, but weakness concerns remain

Finance minister declines comment on currency's level or suspected intervention earlier

4 May 2024
The OECD on May 2 raised its global growth forecast to 3.1% this year and 3.2% in 2025, up from a February prediction of of 2.9% in 2024 and 3% in 2025. 
Economy

OECD upgrades global growth outlook as U.S. outperforms

China to grow faster than expected, with EU, Japan remaining sluggish

2 May 2024
Gita Gopinath is first deputy managing director at the International Monetary Fund.
Interview

IMF's Gita Gopinath: Global trade realignment 'going to last a long time'

'It's going to make it harder for us to achieve our common goals'

26 April 2024
Hope Knight, president of Empire State Development, called on Japanese chipmakers to invest in the state of New York. (Photo by Yutaka Miyaguchi)
Semiconductors

New York woos Japan companies to join Micron in nascent chip hub

State economic development chief offers suppliers tax breaks and cheap clean energy

23 April 2024
A Filipino soldier practices holding a weapon as part of annual US-Philippines joint military exercises held in April 2023.
Your Week in Asia

Philippine-U.S. drills, South Korea GDP, Beijing revives auto show

Your weekly lineup of Asia's biggest business and political events

21 April 2024
A laborer works at a Shandong Iron & Steel Group plant in Jinan, in China's Shandong province: China's steel production far outstrips that of producers elsewhere.
Materials

China steelmakers show overcapacity strain as U.S. battens import hatches

Worsening earnings push manufacturers to seek new export markets

18 April 2024
U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks at United Steel Workers headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Trade

Biden calls for tripling tariffs on Chinese steel

At United Steelworkers, president stresses that U.S. Steel should remain American

18 April 2024
Janet Yellen, left, with Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Beijing on April 7: The U.S. Treasury secretary tried to persuade her counterparts to focus on bolstering domestic demand.
Opinion

U.S.-China fight over manufacturing subsidies just getting started

Yellen's attempts to persuade Beijing to change course fell on deaf ears

15 April 2024
A man stands outside a currency exchange bureau in downtown Nairobi, Kenya. Emerging economies around the world are feeling the pressure of a strong greenback.
Economy

From Indonesia to Japan, dollar's rising strength raises global alarm

G20 finance ministers likely to discuss issue as their currencies depreciate

14 April 2024
The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in late March has significantly affected exports out of the Port of Baltimore.
Supply Chain

U.S. coal exports take hit after Baltimore bridge collapse: EIA

Japan the top importer of steelmaking coal from the port

11 April 2024
From left: South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris at the ASEAN summit in Jakarta in 2023. (Pool via Reuters)
Opinion

India-U.S.-South Korea tech cooperation has strategic logic

By capitalizing on competitive advantages, trio can strengthen supply chains

10 April 2024
U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell in Washington on March 20: Some observers now expect the Fed to stand pat on rates this year. 
Opinion

U.S. rate cut doubts are a headache for Asian central banks

Preempting the Fed would bring depreciation pressure and drive outflows

10 April 2024
Japan has decided to spend nearly $26 billion over three years to support the domestic semiconductor industry. (Photo by Nikkei)
Semiconductors

Japan outspends U.S., Germany on chip subsidies as share of GDP

0.71% figure is highest, even as America provides more support in value terms

10 April 2024