Economy

A health worker shows Covishield vaccine in Gauhati on Mar. 1: the Modi government chose to be penny-wise and pound-foolish.
Opinion

Narendra Modi fails India's vaccine test

Rollout was meant to be a moment to shine

14 April 2021
The coronavirus has taken a heavy toll on Thailand's tourism.
Interview

Asia's recovery 'divergence' will last for years: IMF official

ASEAN countries expected to trail China and India in GDP growth for 2021

14 April 2021
Gwadar Port, the centerpiece of the Pakistan component of the Belt and Road Initiative, suffers from infrastructure gaps. (Source photos by AP)
Belt and Road

Pakistan takes desperate measures to revive Belt and Road's port

Struggling Gwadar effectively chosen as regional subcapital and tourist destination

13 April 2021
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is trying to convince his country of 1.3 billion that "in every aspect of life, modernization is essential."
Asia Insight

Modi's structural reforms enter climax as vested interests dig in

Indian PM faces Thatcher moment as he sweeps away decades-old socialist residue

13 April 2021
The logo of the Reserve Bank of India on a smartphone: the RBI can afford to let real interest rates come down.
Opinion

Money in the bank provides hope for India's beleaguered economy

Reserve Bank of India should ease real interest rates

8 April 2021
The IMF now sees the U.S. economy growing 6.4% in 2021, up from 5.1% in January, while China is forecast to grow 8.4%. (Nikkei montage/AP)
Economy

China and US to power 6% global growth in 2021, IMF says

Vaccines and fiscal aid brighten outlook but worldwide recovery speeds diverge

6 April 2021
Tanjung Priok Port in Jakarta. Analysts revised up Indonesia's economic growth for 2021.
Economy

Vaccines seen helping Singapore and Indonesia rebound: survey

Economists cut 2021 growth forecasts for Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand

6 April 2021
A worker at a cotton processing facility in Gujarat, India: Indian cotton exports to Pakistan are set to resume as early as June.
Trade

Pakistan to resume India trade in June after 19-month freeze

Planned sugar and cotton imports signal growing thaw in ties

1 April 2021
A rickshaw puller in Delhi in August 2020. Due to the pandemic, many Indians still use public transport only when they must, severely impacting transportation workers' income.
Coronavirus

India's poor hit hard by pandemic-induced downturn

Study shows number of those in poverty doubles, middle class shrinks by a third

30 March 2021
 A woman shops for grocery items at a store in Peshawar, Pakistan. The country will have its second finance minister in the two and a half years of Prime Minister Imran Khan's tenure. 
Economy

Pakistan PM Khan replaces finance minister in cabinet shake-up

Industries and Production Minister Hammad Azhar tasked with fresh 'pro-poor policies'

30 March 2021
A worker in a hazmat suit disinfects a Manila street as a preventive measure against COVID-19 on March 19.
Coronavirus

Asia COVID cases hit record as virus outpaces vaccine campaigns

Surges in Philippines and India bode ill for region's economic recovery

26 March 2021
Plastic canisters filled with petrol from Iran at a roadside station on the outskirts of Quetta, Pakistan: Iranian oil has become widely available across the whole country.
Opinion

The hidden costs of Pakistan's crackdown on Iranian oil smuggling

Illicit trade highlights failure of China's economic corridor to generate employment

26 March 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
Motorbikes in Hanoi: Vietnam is one of only two countries in East Asia and the Pacific out in front in terms of economic recovery, according to the World Bank.
Interview

World Bank sees 'three-speed' recovery across East Asia and Pacific

China and Vietnam lead the exit from pandemic as inequality deepens across region

26 March 2021
Men daubed in colors throw powder at each other during Lathmar Holi celebrations amid the pandemic in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India on March 24.
COVID vaccines

India expands jabs to include everyone aged 45 and older

Mumbai and Delhi ban public 'festival of colors' celebration as cases rise

25 March 2021
Assam's female tea pickers say a $0.7 daily wage increase is inadequate to get by, while tea garden owners say rising costs are making their businesses unsustainable. (Photo by Yuji Kuronuma)
Politics

Indian tea workers curse Modi's party for broken wage pledge

Activist says best option is to oust Assam government in coming state poll

23 March 2021
Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan recently signed bilateral agreements with Uzbekistan intended to boost activity in the virtually idle port of Gwadar. 
Belt and Road

Pakistan promotes Belt and Road port for Central Asian trade

Move expected to increase volume of goods moving through Gwadar

18 March 2021
Bank employees protest in New Delhi on March 16 as part of a two-day nationwide strike against plans to privatize public sector banks.
Politics

One million Indian bank workers strike against privatization

Financial services come to a halt as unions expect job losses and pay cuts

17 March 2021
Beijing's central business district: A survey found 55.6% of mainland China employers intend to increase their head counts in 2021.
Economy

China employers bullish on hiring and pay as Hong Kong feels chill

Politics and COVID loom over city, research shows, as other Asian markets rev up

15 March 2021
Narendra Modi addresses a public rally in Kolkata on Mar. 7: the Prime Minister's leadership gives debt-market skeptics ample ammunition.
Opinion

India's brawl with debt vigilantes tells bigger story

Underlying cracks in the country's microeconomy are worrying foreign investors

15 March 2021
A man collects recyclable materials from the shores of the Arabian Sea in Mumbai in June 2018: wherever we live, we can no longer afford to destroy it.
Opinion

Asia's century of domination not yet a certainty

Rising power is one thing, but real progress will only come with global collaboration

11 March 2021
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi receives a dose of the Covaxin coronavirus vaccine in New Delhi on March 1.
COVID vaccines

India stumbles in race to vaccinate 300m by August

National campaign stalls amid safety concerns about homegrown COVID shots

9 March 2021
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, seen here at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in January 2020, survived the confidence vote on Saturday, to ensure the continuance of his government.
Politics

Pakistan's Khan wins vote of confidence to save prime minister post

With opposition abstaining, political instability to impact Belt and Road projects

6 March 2021
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan will seek a confidence vote in parliament after his finance minister lost his senate seat.
Politics

Pakistan's deal with IMF clouded as Khan faces confidence vote

Ruling coalition setback raises uncertainty, with China seen edging closer

5 March 2021
The disengagement process between Indian Army and China's People's Liberation Army in Ladakh on Feb. 11: China is too important to India's economic fortunes.
Opinion

China is the rival India cannot live without

Delhi has learned the hard way that it must kowtow to Beijing

4 March 2021