Toll Group's large logistics center in Singapore. (Photo by Kentaro Iwamoto)
Business trends

Trade war lures logistics giants deeper into Southeast Asia

Nippon Express and DHL respond to demand as supply chains move out of China

22 June 2019
Yangon has planned rolling blackouts every day to cope with Myanmar's power shortage. (Photo by Yuichi Nitta)
Economy

World Bank warns Myanmar to double electricity sector investment

A power shortage that already results in scheduled blackouts is set to worsen

20 June 2019
Malaysia is lukewarm about joining military exercises yet accepts aerial surveillance drones from the U.S.
Opinion

Asia-Pacific's smaller states can be active players in great-power rivalry

US-China tensions are raising anxiety but Trump and Xi do not hold all the cards

18 June 2019
Chinese and Cambodian workers at a construction site in Sihanoukville: official data shows 78,000 resident Chinese nationals in the city but with only 20,000 having work permits.
Opinion

Rising concern in Cambodia over immigrant workers

Inflows from China and elsewhere need better control and supervision

11 June 2019
Just as China bore the brunt of its mishandling of SARS, experts say the country is poised to incur serious economic consequences from African swine fever that could last well into the next year or two.
Agriculture

China's African swine fever outbreak ripples across Asia

As higher pork prices spark inflation, many see long-term economic impact

1 June 2019
Pichet Durongkaveroj, Thailand's minister of digital economy and society, speaks at the Future of Asia conference on May 31. (Photo by Yuki Nakao)
The Future of Asia 2019

Thailand casts wide net for 5G partners amid Huawei concerns

Ericsson and Nokia are among the potential beneficiaries

31 May 2019
Kyaw Tint Swe, Myanmar's minister for the Office of the State Counselor, speaks to the Nikkei Asian Review on May 31 in Tokyo. (Photo by Manami Yamada)
The Future of Asia 2019

Myanmar promises level playing field for all -- Huawei included

Minister says US-China trade war will 'not really damage us economically'

31 May 2019
Laotian Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith talks to the Nikkei Asian Review in Tokyo. (Photo by Manami Yamada)    
The Future of Asia 2019

Laos can 'manage' debt to China, PM insists

Thongloun pushes back against warnings over infrastructure burden

31 May 2019
From left: Malaysia's Mahathir Mohamad, Bangladesh's Sheikh Hasina and Cambodia's Hun Sen speak at Nikkei's Future of Asia conference on May 30.
The Future of Asia 2019

Cambodia's Hun Sen quashes Chinese 'debt trap' fears

Political and business luminaries discuss Asia's future at Nikkei forum

30 May 2019
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen expresses concern about the U.S.-China trade conflict at the Future of Asia conference in Tokyo on May 30. (Photo by Yuki Nakao)
The Future of Asia 2019

Cambodia's Hun Sen quashes fears of Chinese 'debt trap'

PM calls on fellow leaders to adopt 'common stance' against protectionism

30 May 2019
A child in Manila is vaccinated against measles by Red Cross employees. In the Philippines, measles cases from January to mid-April soared to 31,056, up 368% from the same period last year, including 415 deaths.
Economy

Southeast Asia scrambles to contain measles outbreak

Disease strains Philippine health budgets, while measles-free nations face threats

8 May 2019
Railroad maintenance workers fix rail tracks outside Phnom Penh on April 22.
Economy

Thailand and Cambodia reopen rail and sea links as ties blossom

Leaving a love-hate relationship behind, both hope trade hits $15 billion by 2020

1 May 2019
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen attends a groundbreaking ceremony for the Project for Flood Protection, donated by Japan, in Phnom Penh on March 4.
International relations

Cambodia's silent investment from Japan: reform or realpolitik?

Human rights advocates criticize Tokyo for 'acting like China'

30 April 2019
Indonesian fishermen work near pipes flushing sewage into the Porong River in the province of East Java.
Environment

Southeast Asia looks for outside help to flush sewage problems

Water treatment projects lure foreign expertise to deal with rising raw effluent

12 April 2019
Amid chronic blackouts, the Cambodian People's Party government is getting poor marks for energy planning. 
Economy

Chinese construction rush aggravates Cambodia's electricity shortage

Hun Sen threatens energy denial to critics of heavy hydropower dependency

8 April 2019
Nuns walk past the IKBZ Insurance building in downtown Yangon in June 2013. Myanmar's insurance market is small but is forecast to balloon in the next decade.
Economy

Myanmar opens insurance market to Prudential, Dai-ichi and others

More-than-expected five groups approved to enter tiny but promising sector

6 April 2019
Myanmar's State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi faces mounting challenges and has less than two years to address them.
Politics

After 3 years, Suu Kyi running out of time to energize Myanmar economy

Slowing investment and growth threaten NLD's chances in 2020 election

30 March 2019
Aung San Suu Kyi told investors that "much of Rakhine's economic potential still remains untapped."
Opinion

Myanmar -- investors should be cautious but take the risk

If government pursues humanitarian agenda, foreign partners can back projects, even in Rakhine State.

27 March 2019
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has been irked by false social media posts claiming that he is dead.
International relations

Cambodia squeezes online speech despite threat of EU backlash

European delegates to decide if country keeps preferential trade status

18 March 2019
The economic potential of Rakhine State "remains untapped," Myanmar's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi told investors and businesses last week.
Economy

Suu Kyi urges investment in Rohingya crisis' epicenter

Myanmar leader keen to boost rural economy as 2020 election looms

27 February 2019
A store assistant at a Singapore supermarket arranges Japanese snacks.
Economy

ASEAN and Japan to ink revamped economic pact in March

Deal will open up Southeast Asia's investment and service industries

25 February 2019
Children play in a village built from shipping containers that house migrant workers on the outskirts of Bangkok. About 700 people live in the settlement's 120 metal boxes. (Photo by Akira Kodaka) 
Life

Migrant workers in Thailand live harsh, but improving, reality

Bangkok takes legal steps to retain vital laborers from neighboring countries

17 February 2019
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen is facing an economic storm, as Brexit threatens to upend export growth and the EU mulls the suspension of duty-free access to its markets.
Hun Sen's Cambodia

Brexit and EU sanctions threaten to push Cambodia into economic crisis

Economy will suffer if bloc pulls benefits, but Hun Sen continues with iron fist

11 February 2019