Economy

Production in Myanmar's Yadana gas field faces possible disruption as Western operation partners prepare to pull out. (Photo courtesy of PTTEP)
Energy

Russia-Ukraine war prompts PTTEP to produce more oil and gas

Thai exploration arm invests massively to boost profits, secure energy supply

14 April 2022
The Mallnow compressor station which mainly receives Russian natural gas in Brandenburg, Germany, on March 29: Gas supplies are harder to reroute.
Opinion

A ban on Russian energy will hurt Europe more than it helps Ukraine

Western governments should avoid 'act now, think later' policies

14 April 2022
Containers are stacked at the Chinese port of Qingdao. Chinese imports from Russia grew 26% in March. (Xinhua via Kyodo)
Trade

China, South Korea lift Russian energy imports, eroding sanctions

Even countries opposing Moscow take advantage of discounts

14 April 2022
People walk past the Russia Central Bank headquarters in Moscow.
Currencies

Russia boosted yuan holdings over dollar just before invasion

Shift in foreign currency reserves made to minimize fallout from sanctions

14 April 2022
China Zhongwang controlling shareholder Liu Zhongtian at company headquarters in Liaoyang, China in 2009.
Materials

U.S. fines 6 companies linked to Chinese metals tycoon $1.8bn

Court found conspiracy to inflate sales of Hong Kong-listed Zhongwang

12 April 2022
An employee inspects a wellhead at an oil field in Irkutsk, Russia. Energy-related exports make up around half of Russian exports.
Ukraine war

Russian export shutdown would cut 28% of GDP: Nikkei estimate

Energy imports by West hold key to maximizing Moscow's economic pain

11 April 2022
An 11-year-old boy carries a bag of cobalt on his back in southern Congo in July 2018: The risks of forced labor increase as you move deeper into the supply chain.
Opinion

Japan must embrace chance to make companies more responsible

European law offers a road map to a world where workers are valued and protected

11 April 2022
The Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in Lubmin, Germany. Its certification was suspended during the run-up to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. 
Ukraine war

G-7 resists going after $1bn-a-day Russian energy revenue

Despite civilian killings, West and Japan avoid painful cuts

8 April 2022
The Port of Los Angeles. The new framework is designed to bolster U.S. economic ties in the Indo-Pacific but will not grant greater access to the American market.
Indo-Pacific

U.S. aims to launch new Indo-Pacific framework as early as May

Washington plans nontraditional economic pact to boost Asian presence

8 April 2022
The U.S. Federal Reserve, chaired by Jarome Powell, is getting ready to slash its balance sheet to tackle soaring inflation. 
Economy

Fed prepares to shrink balance sheet by up to $95bn a month

Central bank officials look to 0.5-point rate hike in the future

7 April 2022
European Commissioner for Financial Services Mairead McGuinness addresses reporters in Brussels on Feb. 2. In working toward a low-carbon future, the EU will phase out the highest-carbon energy sources like coal. 
Opinion

Toward carbon neutrality: the role of the EU sustainable finance strategy

Geopolitical situation underlines the need to move away from fossil fuels

6 April 2022
U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai is pitching a new Indo-Pacific economic framework that includes labor and environmental protections.
Trade

Singapore welcomes U.S. 'high-ambition' trade engagement in Asia

But USTR Katherine Tai says framework needs to 'defend' American interests

5 April 2022
An LNG plant of the Sakhalin-2 project: the responses of Mitsubishi and Mitsui were meek and muted in a shy Japanese way.
Opinion

Japan is right to defer Russia sanctions to the government

Kishida takes official responsibility for remaining in Russian energy projects

2 April 2022
A traveler at Kansai International Airport in Osaka, Japan.
Coronavirus

Japan lowers travel warnings for U.S., Thailand, 100 other nations

Many places had been on higher alert level since start of coronavirus pandemic

2 April 2022
Some American companies are warning that they may quit China if strict COVID-19 controls continue.
Coronavirus

U.S. companies warn over China's COVID lockdown measures

AmCham survey says some groups eyeing relocation if strict rules continue

1 April 2022
People arrive at a temporary accommodation center after fleeing Russian invasion of Ukraine, in Korczowa, Poland on March 3.
Indo-Pacific

From war to nuclear warheads, geopolitical risk hits boardrooms

Ukraine reminds companies that strategies cannot be based on peaceful outlook

1 April 2022
Japan says it is prioritizing energy security in declaring it will not withdraw from three Russian energy projects, including this one off the coast of Sakhalin, north of Hokkaido.
Ukraine war

Japan will maintain Russia oil and gas projects: economy minister

Koichi Hagiuda cites energy security as reason to stay in Sakhalin and Arctic

1 April 2022
Stream article image
Trade

U.S. and Japan to ask ASEAN to help avert next chip crisis

Biden seeks Indo-Pacific supply chain partnership to cut reliance on China

1 April 2022
A portrait of Vladimir Putin and the letter Z, a symbol of the Russian military, displayed in the window of a children's library in St. Petersburg on Mar. 11: Western leaders' calls for the removal of the Russian president will serve to further unite people.
Opinion

Russians will continue to back Vladimir Putin

People are yet to link economic downturn with events in Ukraine

31 March 2022
Ukraine is one of the world's largest agricultural producers, growing vital crops like wheat and corn.
Ukraine war

Global wheat shortage looms as summer risk over Ukraine war

Russian invasion, Western sanctions threaten to choke supply from 2 crucial exporters

31 March 2022
Speculation that the government and central bank would respond to the yen's sharp depreciation in recent weeks pushed the currency back up to the 121-yen level against the dollar on Wednesday. (Photo by Kosuke Imamura) 
Currencies

Yen surges to 121-level as BOJ governor meets Kishida

Speculation is growing that government, central bank will respond to sharp depreciation

30 March 2022
As the conflict in Ukraine rages, war insurance can give shippers some peace of mind as their freight travels via the China-Europe Railway Express.
Supply Chain

China opens wallet to keep trans-Eurasian express moving

Operators cover 'war insurance' and slash rates

28 March 2022
A containership off Singapore: Europe accounts for 9% of ASEAN exports, according to Maybank.
Ukraine war

ASEAN faces 'collateral damage' from Ukraine war's Europe impact

From Singapore to Thailand, spillover threatens COVID-hit economies anew

27 March 2022
Geopolitics will, at some stage, force banks to choose between the dollar framework and a rival yuan system.
Opinion

The risks of a global financial schism are mounting

Precedent set by Russian sanctions dramatically increases geopolitical instability

27 March 2022
Senior General Min Aung Hlaing and his army ousted Myanmar's elected government in a military takeover on Feb. 1 last year, and Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24 this year. (Nikkei montage/Reuters/Getty Images/PTTEP）
25 March 2022