Economy

FATF is keeping Pakistan on its grey list until further progress is made in eliminating terrorism funding. (Nikkei montage/Reuters)
International relations

Terror-financing grey listing costs Pakistan billions annually

FAFT to keep South Asian economy's status despite 'significant progress'

3 March 2021
Passengers head to the exits at a Kolkata train station in November, when the country's economy was emerging from two quarters of negative growth.
Economy

India GDP up 0.4% in December quarter after half-year contraction

Public and private investment helps economy improve, while consumption is still weak

26 February 2021
A rooftop bar in Bangkok: those two decades of convergence began to look more like an unusual exception.
Opinion

Asia's growth engines set to misfire as post-COVID bounce wears off

Wave of de-globalization will make it harder for developing economies to catch up

24 February 2021
Luxury shopping in Jakarta: Indonesia is projected to see a 67% annual increase in the ranks of its superwealthy through 2025.
Economy

Indonesia to outpace China in rise of crazy rich as COVID abates

Report says vaccine-fueled economic recovery will deepen pockets of superwealthy

24 February 2021
Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman and Prime Minister Imran Khan. Saudi Arabia and Pakistan are finding more areas of common interest, like Arabian Sea security.
International relations

Pakistan efforts to mend fences with Saudi-led bloc bear fruit

Islamabad also maintains strong ties with counter-alliance of Turkey and Iran

22 February 2021
Lunar New Year decorations at Gardens by the Bay in Singapore: Asian countries are forecast to lead the global economic recovery in 2021.
Economy

Asia's allure for global investors in 2021 tempered by ESG risks

Region's opportunities go hand in hand with environmental and human rights challenges

22 February 2021
India has allowed transit by rail of Bangladeshi fertilizer to Nepal as it mends relations with its Himalayan neighbor. (Source photo by Reuters)
Trade

India mends Nepal ties with transit of Bangladeshi fertilizer

New Delhi improves regional connectivity as it normalizes neighbor relations

19 February 2021
Black smoke emitted from a coal-fired power plant in Jharkhand: the growth in Indian emissions is likely to offset any gains made in Europe.
Opinion

India's prosperity must not become hostage to European climate agenda

So-called border tax adjustments are really just a new generation of tariffs

19 February 2021
Skyscraper in Dubai, pictured on Jan. 29: the UAE is shrewdly positioning itself as a favored destination for Indian HNWIs.
Opinion

How COVID is hastening the exodus of India's gilded class

Unlike a brain drain, there is little hope the money will return home

19 February 2021
India's Nirmala Sitharaman: The finance minister says state-run companies should be confined to "strategic" sectors, such as defense.
Politics

India's state-run companies should be cut to 'bare minimum:' minister

Finance chief wants government to operate only in 'strategic' sectors, such as defense

19 February 2021
A worsening bad debt problem at Indian banks could choke off lending to businesses and individuals.
Finance

India central bank warns of bad debt surge as pandemic relief ends

Nonperforming loans projected at 13.5%, with auto and steel industries hit hard

17 February 2021
Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, and Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan in Beijing in April 2019. Experts say Beijing is increasingly unwilling to pour money into the Belt and Road projects in Pakistan without exercising greater control. (Source photos by Getty Images) 
Belt and Road

China moves for more control over Belt and Road in Pakistan

Demand for joint parliamentary oversight indicates Beijing's frustration on projects

11 February 2021
Activists from United Hindu Front burn an effigy depicting Rihanna and Greta Thunberg in New Delhi on Feb. 4: pro-government protests have been on a scale that might make even Donald Trump jealous.
Opinion

Trolling India's Modi has been Rihanna's biggest hit yet

Singer's tweet in support of #FarmersProtests has shaken New Delhi

11 February 2021
India's recently hiked tariffs on about 30 products, including components for solar cells.
Trade

India tariff hikes target mainly China in protectionist drive

Duties on solar panels and electronics go up while raw materials see decrease

11 February 2021
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sparked huge, enduring protests with his attempt to reform the agricultural sector. (Source photos by Getty Images) 
Politics

Indian farmers protesting Modi reforms dig in with fresh tactics

Road blockade planned for Saturday, with food for motorists, after months of unrest

5 February 2021
Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani, left, shakes hands with then-Gujarat state Chief Minister Narendra Modi in Gandhinagar in January 2011: Adani hails from the western Indian state of Gujarat, which is Modi's home state.
Opinion

Modi risks turning India into a nation of gangster capitalists

Clutch of billionaire cronies are growing richer at everyone else's expense

5 February 2021
A street vendor hawks fresh bank notes, in high demand, ahead of the Eid festival, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on May 24, 2020.
Economy

Bangladesh scores $1.2bn through tax amnesty offer

COVID also helps as it prevents cheaters from sheltering cash overseas

4 February 2021
Port Louis, the Mauritian capital, is getting busier as the free trade agreement with China comes into play, but observers are concerned that the balance of trade is already in Beijing's favor by a factor of over 30. (Photo by Yuji Kuronuma)
International relations

Beijing expands Indian Ocean FTAs westward with Mauritius

Concern among small island nations over huge trade imbalances with China

2 February 2021
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, with Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs Anurag Thakur, left, as she leaves her office to present the budget in parliament on Monday.
Economy

India doubles health care outlay in budget for next fiscal year

Government lifts FDI ceiling in insurance and expands credit lines to farmers

1 February 2021
Alibaba Group will post quarterly earnings on Tuesday, the first results since Chinese authorities launched a series of antimonopoly actions against the group. 
Your Week in Asia

Alibaba results, Kuaishou stock debut, India budget

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

31 January 2021
China is set to lay the final leg of a cross-border fiber optic cable in Pakistan, linking to a cable in the Arabian Sea. (Source photo by Getty Images)
Belt and Road

China builds Digital Silk Road in Pakistan to Africa and Europe

PEACE cable will reduce Pakistani internet traffic going through India

29 January 2021
Apple is tapping India and Vietnam to take over a greater portion of production from China. (Source phots by Reuters and Rie Ishii)
Trade war

Apple ramps up iPhone and iPad output shift to India and Vietnam

Move is part of wider shift from China that includes Macs, AirPods and more

27 January 2021
Narendra Modi speaks to victorious party workers at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi in May 2019: His Hindu majoritarian agenda has divided a multireligious society.
Opinion

Narendra Modi has turned India into a quagmire

Hindu supremacist agenda has dangerously divided a multireligious society

26 January 2021
Migrants take shelter at a construction site in Ahmedabad, India, during the coronavirus crisis. Experts warn the pandemic could lead to greater inequality, as workers who cannot adapt to telework are left behind.
WEF in Singapore

Mind the digital gap in Asia's post-COVID economy: Davos panelists

Singapore minister and others stress workforce upskilling for 'inclusive growth'

26 January 2021
Prime Minister Narendra Modi attends the launch of the pan-India COVID-19 vaccination drive via video conference in New Delhi on Jan. 16. (Photo courtesy of Government of India)
Coronavirus

Vaccine diplomacy: Indian supplies reach Bangladesh and Nepal

New Delhi's aid shipments come amid China's own COVID outreach to the region

21 January 2021