Electricity demand in Myanmar is soaring, especially in urban areas.
Economy

Suu Kyi's dilemma over Myanmar energy mix

Push for coal sparks environmentalist backlash, shortages curb development

12 August 2017
Massive traffic jams like this are a daily occurrence in Jakarta. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Economy

ASEAN is looking good, but now looking up to China and India

Even with solid growth through 2050, region will still be dwarfed by two giants

11 August 2017
Smartphones help commuters pass the time at a train station in Jakarta.
Economy

Angel Gurria: Making the digital age work for ASEAN

The OECD aims to help close internet access gaps and foster vital skills

10 August 2017
An a erial view of ​Jakarta's ​Sudirman business district ​at sunset​. For half a century, peace has broadly prevailed and prosperity taken hold in many Southeast Asian countries.
Economy

At 50, ASEAN is still punching below its weight

A stronger secretariat would help group build on its stability achievements

9 August 2017
Ayesha Aziz Khan, managing director and CEO of Summit Power International
Economy

Bangladesh power giant wants $1bn to fund expansion drive

Summit Power up for possible $50m injection from GE, eyes Singapore listing

9 August 2017
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen speaks to Japanese business leaders and investors at a seminar in Tokyo on Aug. 8.
International relations

Hun Sen stresses Cambodia's stability to Tokyo investors

Prime Minister says 2018 general election will not hinder economy

8 August 2017
Leaders attend the signing ceremony for the ASEAN Community, which includes the ASEAN Economic Community, in Kuala Lumpur in November 2015.
Economy

Ever-adaptable ASEAN confronts new tests

After a fruitful 50 years, the bloc is divided by uneven wealth and China's rise

8 August 2017
Signing of Bangkok Declaration, Aug.8, 1967 (Courtesy of ASEAN Secretariat)
Economy

ASEAN is more than it may seem

Regional grouping is still relevant after all these years

8 August 2017
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, left, and Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono shake hands before their meeting in Manila on Aug. 7.
Economy

US, Japan, Australia urge ASEAN to 'maximize pressure' on North Korea

Also call for legally binding code of conduct in South China Sea

8 August 2017
Malaysians in traditional dress hold flags of ASEAN ​member countries. The Southeast Asia's club of nations, ASEAN, will turn 50 on Aug. 8 and already it appears to be grappling with midlife crisis.
Economy

ASEAN's awkward midlife crisis

Regional bloc needs closer integration to withstand challenges

7 August 2017
An employee counts a roughly 60 million kyat pile of bank notes at a branch of Socio Lite Foundation, a microfinance institution, on the outskirts of Yangon. About half of the money will be loaned to customers that day. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Economy

Snapshots of Myanmar's flourishing microfinance market

Low-income female entrepreneurs are using small loans to build a better future

6 August 2017
A delegate at a meeting of the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights, during the grouping’s foreign ministers’ summit in Myanmar in August 2014.
Economy

How ASEAN can stay relevant in next 50 years

Leaders must develop a unified and coherent strategy

5 August 2017
AMRO chief economist Khor Hoe Ee speaks at a news conference at the Bank of Thailand in Bangkok on June 12.
Economy

AMRO trying to prove itself as Asia's answer to the IMF

Economic monitor's quest for bigger role in ASEAN+3 faces a skeptical China

3 August 2017
ASEAN leaders pose for a photo at the signing ceremony of the ASEAN Economic Community in Kuala Lumpur on Nov. 22, 2015.
Economy

ASEAN integration lags the real world

China's rise and the digital economy are absent from the group's plans

3 August 2017
Set Aung speaks to reporters in October 2014, while serving as deputy governor of Myanmar's central bank.
Economy

Suu Kyi government brings back Myanmar's 'Mr. SEZ'

Set Aung, the last president's special economic zone architect, to push reforms

2 August 2017
SM Group and its Indonesian partner aim to open 10 Alfamart convenience stores -- like this one in Metro Manila -- in the Philippines every month. (Photo by Kimberly dela Cruz)
Economy

Southeast Asian companies find ideal partners -- each other

Cross-border alliances give global rivals a run for their money

31 July 2017
Stream article image
Economy

Toyota supply chain is Exhibit A of deepening ASEAN integration

Carmaker capitalizes on falling trade barriers with plants across the bloc

29 July 2017
Fukunari Kimura (Photo by Kentaro Iwamoto)
Economy

In search of ASEAN 'champions'

To grow, Southeast Asian bloc needs companies with proprietary tech

28 July 2017
Stream article image
Economy

At 50, ASEAN is reaping the rewards of economic integration

Falling trade barriers are boosting growth and changing how the bloc does business

27 July 2017
Amitav Acharya
Economy

ASEAN must stay out of great-power tussles in Asia

Amid rising China-US tensions, Southeast Asia should focus on its home ground

27 July 2017
SM Group and its Indonesian partner aim to open 10 Alfamart convenience stores -- like this one in Metro Manila -- in the Philippines every month. (Photo by Kimberly dela Cruz)
Economy

Southeast Asian companies find ideal partners -- each other

Cross-border alliances give global rivals a run for their money

27 July 2017
Massive traffic jams like this are a daily occurrence in Jakarta. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Economy

ASEAN is looking good, but now looking up to China and India

Even with solid growth through 2050, region will still be dwarfed by two giants

27 July 2017