Economy

Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo addresses Nikkei's Future of Asia conference on May 27. (Photo by Tomoki Mera)
The Future of Asia 2022

Indonesia's Jokowi urges quick rollout of China-backed trade bloc

At Nikkei forum, Hun Sen defends succession plan and denies China 'debt trap'

27 May 2022
Indonesian President Joko Widodo says that "Indonesia wants to make sure that the G-20 will serve as a catalyst for global economic recovery." (Photo by Suzu Takahashi)
The Future of Asia 2022

Indonesia's Jokowi aims to host successful G-20 despite Russia issue

President urges 'immediate' implementation of China-backed trade bloc

27 May 2022
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her government have been tightening social media controls since 2018. (Nikkei montage/Reuters/Akira Kodaka)
Politics

Bangladesh tightens grip on Facebook, Twitter and other platforms

Next salvo would compel social media players to hand over user details

9 September 2021
Colombo's ill-planned import ban to protect Sri Lankan foreign reserve is negatively impacting the economy.
Economy

Sri Lanka's import ban puts hundreds of businesses in jeopardy

Colombo's ad hoc efforts to save forex likely to hamper economy and cost jobs

28 July 2021
Onlookers gather near a beverage and food factory on July 11, after a fire gutted the building in the Narayanganj district, near Dhaka, three days earlier.
Fires

Bangladesh factory fire puts new spotlight on worker safety

Improvements incomplete and focused on export businesses, say critics

26 July 2021
Bangladesh has ample electric power for now but wants to add more renewables to its energy mix of the future.
International relations

Bangladesh scraps plans for 10 coal-fired power plants

Projects involving China, Japan and others axed due to environmental concerns

8 July 2021
The Karnaphuli underwater tunnel project in Chittagong, Bangladesh, has been funded by China, which recently said it would not fund at least two rail projects in the country.
Belt and Road

Belt and Road projects in limbo as Bangladesh cuts budgets

China withdraws infrastructure funding after Dhaka trims proposed costs

28 June 2021
Bangladesh's image has drastically changed after a decade of strong economic growth.
Economy

Bangladesh helps out cash-strapped Sri Lanka with $200m loan

Former recipient of major foreign aid, Dhaka now has money to lend

7 June 2021
Laborers work in a sewing section of a garment factory in Gazipur on May 2: Bangladesh's economic rise has been powered by the ready-made garment industry,
Opinion

Bangladesh goes from basket case to rising star

Recent success was far from preordained

4 June 2021
Boats on the Buriganga river in Dhaka in February. Bangladesh's economy has grown substantially since independence in 1971.
Business trends

Bangladesh at 50: how the country has fared since independence

The economy has boomed and exports have soared but vulnerabilities remain

26 March 2021
India has allowed transit by rail of Bangladeshi fertilizer to Nepal as it mends relations with its Himalayan neighbor. (Source photo by Reuters)
Trade

India mends Nepal ties with transit of Bangladeshi fertilizer

New Delhi improves regional connectivity as it normalizes neighbor relations

19 February 2021
A street vendor hawks fresh bank notes, in high demand, ahead of the Eid festival, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on May 24, 2020.
Economy

Bangladesh scores $1.2bn through tax amnesty offer

COVID also helps as it prevents cheaters from sheltering cash overseas

4 February 2021
Prime Minister Narendra Modi attends the launch of the pan-India COVID-19 vaccination drive via video conference in New Delhi on Jan. 16. (Photo courtesy of Government of India)
Coronavirus

Vaccine diplomacy: Indian supplies reach Bangladesh and Nepal

New Delhi's aid shipments come amid China's own COVID outreach to the region

21 January 2021
A boy carries a bag of onions at a food distribution center at a Rohingya refugee camp near Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh: The WFP's efforts have been hit by COVID-19. (Photo by Yuji Kuronuma)
Coronavirus

Food insecure Asians doubled to 265m in 2020: UN report

World Food Program faces budget pinch as governments face 'harsh reality'

21 January 2021
Sheikh Hasina's government positioned Bangladesh's economy as another haven for multinational companies looking to diversify away from China.
Opinion

Bangladesh confounds the naysayers for all the right reasons

Four ways Dhaka can accelerate the transition to middle-income status

23 November 2020
Women work in a garment factory in Dhaka on May 3: there is something here to learn from.
Opinion

India's horrible year just got worse: it has fallen behind Bangladesh

To revive its economic fortunes, Delhi can learn a lot from its eastern neighbor

4 November 2020
An air service agreement between Bangladesh and the U.S. is just one sign of growing relations between the countries. (Source photo by Reuters) 
International relations

US rush to Bangladesh revs up economic race with China

Washington signs air pact with Dhaka to further Indo-Pacific agenda

6 October 2020
India, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, pictured at top left, and China under President Xi Jinping, lower right, are seeking to cement closer ties with Bangladesh through delivery of coronavirus vaccines. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Reuters and AFP/Jiji)
International relations

China and India vie for clout in Bangladesh with COVID vaccines

Russia also seeks a foothold as powers jockey for geopolitical influence

4 September 2020
Prime Minister Narendra Modi waves at the 150th-anniversary celebration of Kolkata Port Trust on Jan. 12 in Kolkata, India. 
Economy

Modi calls for 'trustworthy' supply chains, in alternative to China

Japan adds India and Bangladesh as eligible sites for relocation subsidies

4 September 2020
Workers assemble air conditioners for Japan's Daikin Industries at a plant in Neemrana, India.
Economy

Japan adds India and Bangladesh to 'China exit' subsidy destinations

Industry ministry launches second round of program to diversify supply chains

4 September 2020
A medical personnel uses a bag-mask valve at an isolation facility in Metro Manila on May 1: few problems are insurmountable when collaborative science rise to the occasion.
Opinion

Reimagining Asia's response to COVID-19

Purpose-driven leadership, digital transformation and collective effort are critical

19 August 2020
Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wazed is welcomed by President Xi Jinping to Beijing's Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in July 2019.
International relations

China's economic clout chills Bangladesh-India relations

Dhaka warned against becoming a theater for proxy wars between regional powers

11 August 2020
Employees work at a factory supplier of the H&M brand in Kandal province, pictured in December 2018: the garment industry is one of the very few job creators in Cambodia.
Opinion

Asia's garment industry should drive post-COVID economic recovery

Rich Western and Asian nations must support millions of workers

25 July 2020
Migrant workers, mostly from Bangladesh, line up to collect free masks and have their temperatures taken in Singapore in February.
Economy

Bangladesh weighs paying for infrastructure with remittances

Migrant workers build record foreign reserves, but IMF urges caution

13 July 2020
The coronavirus pandemic has resulted in new opportunities for corruption in Bangladesh. (Source photos by Reuters and EPA/Jiji)
Politics

Bangladesh dirty money fight complicated by coronavirus twist

Overcharging for essential medical equipment scars Hasina's anti-graft campaign

21 June 2020