An Indian-Russian joint venture has won a 30-year contract to manage Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport, built with Chinese funding and called the world's emptiest airport, in southern Sri Lanka. 
International relations

Sri Lanka turns to India as counterbalance to Chinese presence

Vital power, port, airport projects involve neighbor as Asian rivals focus on Indian Ocean

9 May 2024
"Not enough time, not enough support": Uzbekistan, a landlocked country slightly bigger than California, is facing the consequences of a history of poor irrigation, with rising salinity slashing the size of usable growing areas.
Asia Insight

Uzbek farmers battle to save cotton, wheat crops from mortal enemy: salt

Growing salinization crisis bites as cotton exports to Bangladesh skid 80% in 5 years

7 May 2024
The Bombay Stock Exchange in Mumbai. The Sensex stock index rose above 75,000 for the first time in April.
Markets

India stock rally signals confidence in Modi's growth agenda

Sensex index hits record highs heading into marathon election

3 May 2024
MDH and Everest are among the biggest packaged spice manufacturers in India. 
Food & Beverage

Indian spice makers under heat in Asia for alleged contamination

Australia, New Zealand, U.S. on alert after Hong Kong, Singapore recalled products

2 May 2024
Gold represents three-quarters of India's imports from European Free Trade Association nations.
Opinion

New European trade pact marks a milestone for India

Agreement provides model for aligning trade and foreign direct investment

30 April 2024
A New Delhi auto show in February. India already surpassed Japan in domestic car sales in 2022. (Photo by Ryosuke Hanada)
Economy

India to surpass Japan as 4th-largest economy in 2025, IMF says

Latest estimate shows weak yen hastening reversal by a year

21 April 2024
Sojitz has signed a $290 million contract with Jakarta Mass Rapid Transit to extend the Indonesian capital's subway system. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Transportation

Indonesia awards Jakarta MRT extension project to Japan's Sojitz

Trading house to work with India's L&T on the $290m construction

18 April 2024
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, center, wearing a saffron cap, on the election campaign trail near Delhi on April 6. He is aiming for a third-straight term as head of the world's biggest democracy.
Your Week in Asia

India votes, China GDP and Germany's Scholz meets Xi in Beijing

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

14 April 2024
Indian commuters outside New Delhi: Even with recent urbanization, only about 35% of the country's population lives in cities.
Opinion

India's economy can overtake China's if it can stay on track

But complacency toward reform and trade links could haunt New Delhi

12 April 2024
A shopkeeper in Mirpur selling Indian saris waits for customers. (Photo by Faisal Mahmud)
Economy

Bangladeshi 'India out' campaign hits Ramadan sales

Retailers report demand drop; PM Hasina points to dependence on Indian staples

12 April 2024
A Cosco Shipping container ship at the Yangshan Deep Water Port in Shanghai. (cnsphoto via Reuters)
Economy

China to cap 'healthy' developing Asia's growth in 2024, says ADB

Second-largest economy's downturn could bring 'spillovers to trading partners'

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
Reserve Bank of India Gov. Shaktikanta Das in Mumbai in 2022: India now has around $600 billion in foreign reserves banked to cushion against any shocks.
Opinion

Reserve Bank of India deserves share of credit for economic stability

Country has come long way since it was a 'fragile five' emerging market

4 April 2024
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has rolled out billions of dollars in incentives and tax cuts to attract manufacturers from diverse sectors including battery-powered vehicles and pharmaceuticals.
Economy

India manufacturing PMI surges to 16-year high ahead of elections

Demand and production grow, helping Modi as he seeks third term

2 April 2024
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, right, with Tesla CEO Elon Musk in New York in 2023: New Delhi is too focused on big-name companies. (Narendra Modi YouTube channel via AP)
Opinion

Small business can create more jobs in India than Tesla will

Policies favoring big companies aren't making impact on youth unemployment

28 March 2024
Mukesh Ambani, chairman of Reliance Industries, is India's richest man. He is seen here walking the red carpet at the opening of Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre, named after his wife, in Mumbai in April 2023. 
Economy

Mumbai becomes Asia's billionaire capital, topped by Mukesh Ambani

China still dominates rich list but has fewer ultra-wealthy than before

25 March 2024
A newborn in the Indian state of Bihar in March 2023. While India's falling fertility rate could bring some benefits to the world's most populous nation, and the full impact is decades away, experts say policymakers need to begin preparing for some serious challenges. 
Society

India fertility fall puts policymakers on clock to avoid Japan-like strain

Lancet report shows New Delhi needs to 'start acting now,' experts say

25 March 2024
Wigs at a market in China's Zhejiang province. India is the top exporter of human hair for such products.
Crime

India shines light on hair smuggling as China demand grows

Illicit trade blamed for job losses as wig industry leader faces more competition

17 March 2024
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi gestures toward a Republic Day crowd in New Delhi on Jan. 26. He is primed to seek a third straight term in power in the upcoming general election.
Economy

India's 'glittering' economy lights Modi's reelection path

South Asian nation to surpass Germany and Japan by 2027, but experts warn of weaknesses

13 March 2024
The Progressive Party of Maldives has campaigned for India to remove all of its troops from the country: New Delhi's influence around South Asia is diminishing.
Opinion

India Inc. should take the lead in South Asian economic integration

Cross-border supply chains could give new life to ineffective SAFTA

12 March 2024
India's External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar speaks at the Raisina Roundtable in Tokyo on March 7. (Photo by Nanami Sato) 
International relations

India's top diplomat calls for more Japanese investment

External Affairs Minister Jaishankar says countries should deepen business ties

7 March 2024
Russian President Vladimir Putin still presides over economic growth despite U.S.-led efforts to isolate his country. (Sputnik/Kremlin via Reuters)
International relations

Cracks in G20 let Russia grow trade with China and India

Western sanctions have failed to hobble Russian economy

1 March 2024
The manufacturing sector helped to boost India's economy in the third quarter.
Economy

India Q3 GDP growth surges to 8.4%, exceeding expectations

PM Modi cruises to election as government upgrades this year's forecast

29 February 2024
People walk through a crowded market in Mumbai. India will announce gross domestic product in the October-December quarter on March 1.
Your Week in Asia

Cobra Gold military exercise, South Korean birth rate, India GDP

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

25 February 2024
A Hindu devotee prays near the Lord Ram temple after its inauguration in Ayodhya on Jan. 22.
Politics

India's Ram Temple spotlights rise of religious boomtowns

Property prices soar as Modi's Hindu nationalism drives infrastructure buildups

24 February 2024