Economy

Poppy cultivation in Afghanistan has tripled by area since the U.S.-led invasion that deposed the Taliban in 2001.
Afghanistan turmoil

Afghan poppy season returns in force under Taliban rule

Farmers say authorities have not halted cultivation, despite public pledges

29 October 2021
Plastic waste is piled up at a landfill in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia, on Oct. 14: the warning sign is hard to miss.
Opinion

U.N. Secretary-General: World leaders face stern climate test in Glasgow

Old, carbon burning model of development a 'death sentence' for the planet

28 October 2021
A healthcare volunteer administers a vaccine to a woman in Mumbai on Sept. 27: COVID-19 has revealed critical vulnerabilities in our global health security.
Opinion

Moon shot effort needed to beat the next pandemic

100-day goal for deployment of new vaccines against next emerging infectious disease

28 October 2021
Under President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Sri Lanka has been printing money at a high rate partly to offset a fall in the tax take following cuts he pledged to gain election. (Nikkei montage/Reuters/Getty Images)
Economy

Sri Lanka's economy seen as a 'ticking time bomb'

Central Bank has been printing money as tax take falls and prices soar

27 October 2021
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, center, speaks to reporters on the first day of the budget session on Jan. 29. The country raised tariffs on over 50 items for fiscal 2021-22.
The Nikkei View

India must abandon protectionism to unleash growth

Throwing up barriers to foreign investment won't help boost GDP per capita

27 October 2021
The cargo center in Termez in southern Uzbekistan is a base for trade with Afghanistan. The Uzbek government has proposed extending a railway from there to as far as the southern Afghan city of Kandahar. (Photo by Yohei Ishikawa)
Interview

Afghanistan should be regional trade hub, says top Uzbek senator

Politician Safoyev says neighbor needs north-south transport corridor

21 October 2021
A man rides in a car filled with produce Oct. 18 at a market in Kabul. Afghanistan faces an economic collapse due in part to inflation and a weak currency.
Afghanistan turmoil

Afghanistan faces 30% economic slump under Taliban rule: IMF

Neighboring countries likely to bear financial burden of refugee crisis

20 October 2021
A crowded market in Mumbai: India hit a new global record of over 410,000 daily infections earlier this year, but the figure has since fallen to under 20,000.
Economy

Indian economy charges past prepandemic level

Global chip and energy shortages threaten lasting comeback

19 October 2021
An armed member of Taliban forces stands outside an emergency hospital in Kabul on Oct. 3: health services are close to collapse. 
Opinion

Afghan lives depend on international engagement with the Taliban

Deep humanitarian crisis affecting everybody demands urgent attention

15 October 2021
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi makes a speech at the launch of the PM Gati Shakti  infrastructure plan in New Delhi on Oct. 13. (Photo courtesy of government of India)
Economy

India's Modi unveils $1.3tn infrastructure plan 'for next 25 years'

Project aims to set long-term direction, but funding source is unclear

13 October 2021
Customers look at Ford Figo Aspire car in a New Delhi showroom. Ford said it will exit Indian production by June 2022.
Automobiles

Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai tighten grip on India as U.S. rivals exit

EVs offer rare chance to disrupt dominance of the 2 market leaders

12 October 2021
The Bombay Stock Exchange in Mumbai, pictured on Sept. 24: India stepped into a higher orbit.
Opinion

Global investors should start paying attention to India's rise

Equities are not the only thing primed for liftoff

8 October 2021
Heavily loaded trucks waiting last month to cross into Afghanistan from Pakistan at Friendship Gate near the Pakistani town of Chaman. 
Afghanistan turmoil

Afghan food prices soar as imports from Pakistan squeezed

Traders unable to settle payments after U.S. cuts off Taliban dollar access

8 October 2021
India once again claims the container terminal deal in Colombo after being dumped by Sri Lanka earlier this year. (Source photos by Yuji Kuronuma and AP)
International relations

Sri Lanka walks India-China tightrope with port deal

Adani Group to build Colombo terminal in $700m agreement

7 October 2021
Prime Minister Imran Khan called China's planned $3.5 billion development of Karachi port a "game-changer." (Source photos by Getty Images and Reuters)
Belt and Road

Pakistan and China unveil ambitious plan to develop Karachi coast

Problematic Gwadar possibly out of favor, but experts say new project hard to implement

5 October 2021
Tanjong Pagar Container Terminal in Singapore, pictured on Sept. 21: Asia's market share in global exports has resumed its upward trajectory,
Opinion

Expect a broad-based Asian economic recovery by early next year

Growth firing on all cylinders should see GDP exceed pre-COVID levels

5 October 2021
A worker repairs power lines on a pole in Kochi, India. Soaring coal prices caused Indian imports to drop more than 30% in August and September from the average in July.
Energy

India nears widespread power crunch on coal shortage

Rising prices of fossil fuel leave most plants with only 3-day stockpile

5 October 2021
A port in Bangkok in 2016. Thailand's growth prospect was the lowest in the latest survey.
Economy

Thailand and Indonesia growth dips below forecasts: survey

U.S. monetary policy and Chinese economy pose uncertainties

4 October 2021
A flooded street in Jammu, India, pictured on July 26: one of the indications that the impacts of climate change are becoming more frequent and intense.
Opinion

Averting climate catastrophe is a huge investment opportunity

Private sector financing and innovation vital to lowering carbon emissions

1 October 2021
China systematically underreports its debt to the World Bank's Debtor Reporting System by lending money through special purpose vehicles, a study reveals. (Source photos by AP and Reuters) 
Belt and Road

$385bn of China's Belt and Road lending kept undisclosed: report

Beijing's loans to Pakistan cost 3.76% interest, while Western peers offer 1.1%

29 September 2021
The European Union will visit Sri Lanka next week to see if a desperately needed trading concession should be suspended because of a recent "U-turn" there on human rights. (Nikkei montage/Reuters)
Trade

Sri Lanka's vital EU trade privileges hang in the balance

Dark human rights record could nix tax-free status in largest export market

25 September 2021
India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi is preparing to seize an opportunity to export about $10 billion to $11 billion worth of COVID-19 vaccines over the next three years. (Source photos by Reuters)
COVID vaccines

India gears up to export vaccines as Quad summit approaches

Nation adds burden as it rushes to fully inoculate all its adults by December

22 September 2021
A draft of a joint statement obtained by Nikkei shows how Quad leaders intend to take a stand against China's use of science and technology to maintain authoritarian regimes around the world.
Indo-Pacific

Quad leaders to call for securing chip supply chain

Japan, India, Australia and U.S. leaders to link advanced tech with human rights

19 September 2021
COVID-19 patients wait outside the casualty ward at a hospital in New Delhi on Apr. 23: the pandemic reveals the reality that had been hiding beneath the bureaucratic red tape.
Opinion

Modi needs emergency powers to rebuild India's health system

Devastation wrought by COVID provides unique opportunity for reform

17 September 2021
The Taliban's actions have raised skepticism about its promises to respect women's rights. (West Asia News Agency via Reuters)
Afghanistan turmoil

Aid for Taliban-led Afghanistan poses dilemma for West

Economic paralysis since takeover seen plunging 97% into poverty

15 September 2021