Economy

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan visited Beijing in November to request financial help.
International relations

China's disappointing aid offer dashes Pakistan's hope of debt rescue

Loans Beijing promised fell short of what Islamabad needs to build up reserves

11 February 2019
© Illustration by Eric Chow
Asia Insight

China runs into Belt and Road barriers in South Asia

Countries try to slow Beijing's advance without provoking hostility

5 February 2019
China has poured huge amounts of money into developing the port of Gwadar, a key hub in its China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, but Pakistan has now opened the door for Saudi investment in an oil refinery in the area, stoking tensions.
International relations

Saudi investment in Pakistan stokes tensions with China

Riyadh's billion dollar refinery projects in Gwadar seen irking Beijing

28 January 2019
Central Bank of Sri Lanka Gov. Indrajit Coomaraswamy expects the Indian Ocean tug of war between China and India to help his country secure aid. (Photo by Yuji Kuronuma)
Interview

Sri Lanka set to avert debt crisis this year: central bank chief

South Asian island plays balancing act to secure bailouts from China and India

27 January 2019
Sri Lanka is in dire straits as the debt-strapped country confronts a looming balance of payment crisis.
Economy

Sri Lanka seeks regional bailout as balance of payments crisis looms

Colombo looks to India and China for financial assistance and renegotiates with IMF

21 January 2019
Emerging economies across Asia have long had a relatively low ratio of government debt to gross domestic product.
Economy

Public debt in emerging Asia creeps past 50% of GDP

Region opens fiscal taps, but borrowing could spell trouble in next slowdown

21 January 2019
The gateway to Hambantota port in Sri Lanka, now controlled by the Chinese. (Photo by Yuji Kuronuma)
Economy

Sri Lanka taps forex reserve to whittle down debt

Billions more owed this year, much of it to China, after market fundraising fails

16 January 2019
A man shops for grocery items at a store in Peshawar, Pakistan. Indonesia is tapping Muslim markets such as Pakistan as export destinations.
Economy

Indonesia doubles trade missions to Muslim markets in export push

Widodo promotes textiles, footwear and train cars, competing with Chinese goods

15 January 2019
A controversial bidding process has resulted in a contract for a dam project in Pakistan going to a consortium that includes a company founded by one of Prime Minister Imran Khan's advisers. The dam seen here is from a file photo.
Belt and Road

Pakistan dam in spotlight as contract goes to former China critic

PM Khan's adviser faces conflict of interest cries after family company wins bid

11 January 2019
Garment factory workers took to Dhaka's streets for a fifth straight day on Jan. 10 to protest pay practices.
Economy

Over 100 Bangladesh garment plants halt operations in strike

Wage woes stir outcry at world's No. 2 exporter, in blow to H&M

11 January 2019
Maia Santos-Deguito was found guilty of money laundering offenses in relation to the 2016 heist of Bangladesh's central bank. (Photo by Cliff Venzon).
Most read in 2019

Philippine court finds banker guilty over Bangladesh Bank heist

Dhaka wants Manila to expedite other cases related to $81m theft in 2016

10 January 2019
In August, a suicide bomber wounded six people, including three Chinese engineers, in an attack on a bus in Balochistan. (AFP/Jiji)
Belt and Road

Pakistani separatists vow to target Belt and Road projects

Insurgents say leader's killing won't stop attacks unless China ends exploitation

8 January 2019
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina knows China and India must court her. (Photo by Akira Kodaka)
Opinion

Victory strengthens Hasina's foreign policy hand

Election win reinforces Bangladesh leader's position in dealings with New Delhi and Beijing

8 January 2019
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan attends talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping (not pictured) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Nov. 2.
Belt and Road

Pakistan asks China to diversify investments, PM adviser says

Country wants more Chinese money in agriculture, industrialization and education

4 January 2019
An LNG ship prepares to berth at the new LNG receiving terminal in Zhoushan, China.
Commodities

Ship shortage threatens Asian LNG market growth

Vessel supply not keeping pace with surging demand for spot charters

2 January 2019
Pakistani soldiers stop traffic outside the heavily protected port town of Gwadar in southern Pakistan.
Belt and Road

Rural Pakistan voices dissatisfaction over Belt & Road

Province home to Gwadar Port says $62bn project not evenly distributed

31 December 2018
Workers at a garment factory in Bac Giang province, near Hanoi. Vietnam's apparel industry is benefiting from buyers looking increasingly beyond China.
Trade war

Trade war buoys apparel industry in Bangladesh and Vietnam

Production shift likely to pick up as buyers look beyond China

15 December 2018
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan faces an acrimonious parliamentary session as opposition members demand to know the terms of a provisional bailout package from the International Monetary Fund.
Economy

Pakistan's opposition seeks full disclosure of IMF bailout plan

Businesses prepare for weaker rupee as Khan faces stormy parliamentary session

7 December 2018
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina predicts that her government will boost growth as high as 10% if she is re-elected this month. (Photo by Akira Kodaka)
Interview

Exclusive: Bangladesh aims for 10% annual growth

PM Hasina says nation will seek bids for a second nuclear plant next year

6 December 2018
A police officer ushering people away from the Chinese consulate in Karachi on Nov. 23 after the attack
Belt and Road

Pakistan struggles to contain rise of anti-China sentiment

The south becomes focus of insurgent attacks due to Belt and Road development

26 November 2018
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has been making the rounds of "friendly countries" to seek a way out of economic turmoil. (Getty Images)
Economy

Pakistan turns to 'friends' after failing to secure IMF bailout

Analysts say Saudi and Chinese billions will not restore country's credibility

21 November 2018
Workers inside a Korean-owned garment factory in Yangon, Myanmar's commercial capital (Photo by Simon Roughneen)
Economy

Myanmar tops poor nations' FDI league as China cash flows in

Cambodia and Bangladesh make top five of the global economy's lowest tier

21 November 2018
Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena, right, took a major blow on Nov. 14 as parliament rejected his newly appointed Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, left.
Politics

Sri Lanka crisis escalates as parliament turns against president

Sirisena's handpicked PM rejected with no-confidence vote

14 November 2018
Security officers try to control a crowd pushing toward the main stage during a rally by Sri Lanka's newly appointed Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and President Maithripala Sirisena, in Colombo on Nov. 5. 
Politics

Sri Lanka's crisis deepens as parliamentary speaker cries 'coup'

Sirisena faces test in poll after weeks of rule by presidential fiat

9 November 2018
After a visit to Beijing, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan now faces negotiations with the IMF for financial assistance.
Economy

Pakistan turns bullish with backing of Beijing and Riyadh

Islamabad begins bailout talks with IMF, but lacks sense of urgency

9 November 2018