Economy

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
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan this week makes his first trip to China since taking office.
International relations

Pakistan's Khan heads to China to seek more aid

Facing fiscal crisis, prime minister keeps options open between Beijing and IMF

2 November 2018
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, center right, attends a Saudi investment conference Tuesday that was boycotted by many international business and political figures.
Economy

Saudis throw Pakistan $6bn lifeline in return for show of support

Riyadh saves face with Khan's visit amid uproar over journalist's killing

25 October 2018
The Buddha Dordenma statue in Bhutan's capital Thimphu. Hydropower exports to India have been the primary driver of Bhutan's rapid economic growth in recent years.
Politics

Mounting Indian debts hang over Bhutan election

Parties in runoff split on whether to accelerate dam development

17 October 2018
IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde announced that Pakistan has formally asked for financial assistance on Oct. 11.
Economy

Pakistan formally asks IMF for help

Any bailout will require 'absolute transparency,' warns Lagarde

11 October 2018
BRI in progress: A freight train bound for Malaszewicze, Poland leaves the railway port in Yiwu, Zhejiang province, China.
Economy

China's Belt and Road investment hits high as overall FDI falls

Record sum poured into initiative in 2017 looks set to be beaten this year

8 October 2018
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan visits Saudi Arabia on Sept. 18.
Belt and Road

Pakistan pulls out all stops to avert economic crisis

Khan revises budget and seeks Saudi participation in Belt and Road projects

26 September 2018
The China-backed Colombo Port City in Sri Lanka  @GettyImages
Belt and Road

Thailand sees shortcut to Belt and Road with Sri Lanka trade deal

Two nations to kick off bilateral FTA talks in Bangkok on Thursday

20 September 2018
Prime Minister and the leader of Pakistan Tahreek-e-Insaf party Imran Khan seized power in an election in July. 
Economy

Pakistan rules out possible IMF bailout funds to repay China

Officials say Islamabad examining options as it seeks way out of debt crisis

3 September 2018
Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping before a meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on April 8, 2016. 
Belt and Road

Sri Lanka sinks deeper into China's grasp as debt woes spiral

Colombo to borrow $1bn from China and issue $250mn Panda bonds before year-end

29 August 2018
The attack took place in southwestern Balochistan Province, the heart of the $62 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. @AFP/Jiji
Belt and Road

Terrorist attacks show Pakistan's need to reassure China on security

Suicide bombing on key part of Belt and Road may make Beijing nervous

21 August 2018
A freight train bound for Tehran is pictured in China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in May.
Belt and Road

Turkey crisis rattles Asian nations with rising Belt and Road debts

Costly Chinese projects could leave emerging economies with a hangover

19 August 2018
Pakistanis are unlikely to give Imran Khan much time to make good on his election promises.
Politics

Imran Khan faces economic tests in Pakistan's political caldron

Former cricket star to be sworn in as prime minister on Saturday

17 August 2018
Anger over road deaths in Bangladesh spilled over into violent protests.
Politics

Violent 'moral uprising' threatens Bangladesh government

Thousands of youths protest lax road safety and lagging job growth

13 August 2018
Pakistan barely has enough foreign reserves to finance imports for two months. This container is being loaded on to the first Chinese container ship at the port of Gwadar.
International relations

Pakistan economic crisis puts Chinese investments under spotlight

Loans from Beijing tied to secrecy but IMF would likely demand transparency

10 August 2018
Imran Khan, expected to become Pakistan's next prime minister, plans ambitious tax reform measures. 
Economy

Imran Khan walks tightrope to revamp Pakistan's tax collection

Reforms seen as essential to IMF assistance but face obstacles in parliament

6 August 2018
Imran Khan, who is expected to become the next prime minister, addresses the nation after the general election results were announced in Islamabad on July 26.
Economy

Belt and Road headache awaits Khan as Pakistan PM

Dwindling reserves and mounting debts to put new government in fiscal bind

31 July 2018
A supporter of Imran Khan, chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, waves a flag during a campaign rally on July 22 in Karachi, Pakistan.
Politics

Pakistan goes to polls as debt reckoning looms

Islamabad likely to need bailout from IMF or Beijing

24 July 2018
A Chinese national flag is affixed to a buffer stop on a railway at a freight yard in the Kazakh border town of Khorgos.
Belt and Road

China's Belt and Road stirs up local anxieties

Loans and investments ignore profits and blur economics and security

24 July 2018
Soybeans being loaded at a port in China's Jiangsu Province. China, the world's largest consumer of soybeans, relies on U.S. imports for up to 30% of its needs.
Trade war

Soybean showdown: China removes tariffs in Asia

Beijing touts alternatives to US, but effect may be limited

27 June 2018