Economy

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is expected to attend the upcoming TICAD meeting in Tunisia virtually.
International relations

Japan to push investment in human resources at TICAD Africa conference

PM Kishida taps 'new capitalism' concept to compete with China's deep pockets

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
A solar power project in Burkina Faso. NEXI's credit insurance will cover the development of renewable energy, as well as transition projects.
Climate Change

Japan readies credit insurance for Africa's decarbonization

State-backed NEXI to partner with Afreximbank to spur energy transition

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
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
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
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
China launched a bank settlement network as an alternative to SWIFT in 2015.
Currencies

China and Russia step up bid to challenge U.S. dollar's dominance

Moscow pushes BRICS reserve currency plan while Beijing expands yuan network

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
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
Joe Biden attends the IPEF launch event in Tokyo on May 23: The Biden administration is trying to balance engagement in the Indo-Pacific and fending off a skeptical Congress.
Opinion

IPEF plan is bad news for U.S. economic influence in Asia

Trade discussions of limited value unless Washington can offer enticements

9 August 2022
Bananas are displayed at a shop in Halle, Belgium. Eaten across the world, the fruit is grown in the tropics, from Southeast Asia to Latin America.
Agriculture

Banana growers fight renewed extinction risk as lethal fungus spreads

Resurgence of Panama disease threatens one of world's most valuable crops

8 August 2022
Fitch Ratings said in a report last month that Singapore banks are poised to benefit from the rise in global interest rates as economic recovery continues across the lenders' key markets.
Finance

DBS, other ASEAN banks ride U.S. rate hikes to stronger earnings

Southeast Asia's largest banks expect higher returns from lending

5 August 2022
Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema has been working to secure support from the International Monetary Fund.
International relations

Zambia emerges as a test case as China joins debt relief talks

Beijing's consent to negotiate sets potential precedent for other indebted nations

5 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
An oil platform at the Kravtsovskoye oilfield in the Baltic Sea, Russia, in September 2021: China and India helped prevent a major squeeze on global supplies and took some heat out of price pressures.
Opinion

China and India should reject West's Russia oil-price cap plan

Latest sanction effort likely to backfire and cause market turmoil

1 August 2022
Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves seeks to export more to Asia.
Indo-Pacific

Costa Rica wants to join CPTPP, president says

Other Latin American countries also seek to expand trade in Asia

30 July 2022
The yen reached the 132 range against the dollar on July 29 as concerns over a weakening U.S. economy grew. (Photo by Yusuke Matsuzaki)
Currencies

Yen hits six-week high as short-sellers rethink Fed's next moves

Twin rallies by Japanese currency and bonds point to unwinding of negative bets

30 July 2022
Pakistan's army chief, Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa, is widely regarded as the country's most powerful man.
International relations

Pakistan army chief appeals to U.S. in rush to avoid debt default

Sources say unusual move aimed at speeding up $1.2bn dispersal by IMF

29 July 2022