Economy

Internet giants are the target of efforts to tighten the tax net for digital services.
Economy

From Thailand to Indonesia, taxes tighten for digital businesses

E-commerce has boomed in Asia during pandemic but new levies challenge profits

27 November 2020
In the famous cover engraving of Thomas Hobbes' "Leviathan," the state is embodied in an authority-bearing figure presiding over a serene European landscape. But as the world tries to reimagine the state in the aftermath of COVID-19, it makes sense to look toward governments like South Korea and Taiwan, which have mixed high state capacity with plenty of technological innovation.
The Big Story

Coronavirus: Asia embraces big government to battle recession

Lavish spending, deep debt, high-tech surveillance. Is this the end of the small state tradition?

25 November 2020
Singapore's economy is gradually regaining momentum, but the road back from the COVID-19 slump is long.
Economy

Singapore lifts Q3 GDP and eyes 4-6% rebound from COVID in 2021

Officials caution path to recovery will be 'slow and uneven across economies'

23 November 2020
The Chang'e 5 lunar probe completes vertical transport in Wenchang, Hainan, China on Nov. 17.
Your Week in Asia

China's moonshot, Xiaomi results, and India GDP

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

22 November 2020
Singapore is no longer the world's most expensive city -- though at No. 4, it is not exactly cheap.
Coronavirus

COVID knocks Singapore and Osaka off top of expensive cities list

Hong Kong still No. 1 as pandemic spreads deflationary pressure, survey finds

18 November 2020
Singapore is the Asian regional headquarters for 59% of multinational tech companies, according to the government.
Comment

Switzerland of Asia: Singapore increases presence as tech hub

China-US rivalry boosts role for city-state as regional launch pad

5 November 2020
DBS' net interest margin, a key profitability gauge, weakened to 1.53% in the latest quarter from 1.9%.
Finance

Singapore banks fail to soar despite economic reopening

Lower profits but some brighter signs after relaxing of COVID restraints

5 November 2020
Singapore is handing out these TraceTogether "tokens" -- electronic trackers intended to help stop coronavirus clusters before they start.
Coronavirus

How Singapore fights COVID with contact tracing: 5 things to know

After dorm crisis, city-state is again a success story, but can others copy it?

3 November 2020
Singapore had 1.35 million foreign workers as of June 2020, up from around 300,000 in 1991.
Asia Insight

Local jobs or global talent? Singapore faces COVID-era conundrum

Asian hub raises cost of hiring foreign workers it needs for growth

3 November 2020
A man and his grandchild in Tokyo: Japan received a "D" grade for pension adequacy in a recent report, putting it in a low tier alongside China, India, the Philippines and Thailand.
Coronavirus

Asia's pension systems forced to cut back under COVID pressures

Study highlights concerns over retirement outlook as contributions fall

28 October 2020
A Singaporean preschool class in the COVID-19 era: Across Asia, the pandemic is making some couples think twice about marriage and having kids.
Coronavirus

Singapore and rest of aging Asia scurry to avoid COVID baby bust

Japan, South Korea and Hong Kong all eye ways to spur marriage and childbirth

21 October 2020
The departure hall of the Changi Airport in Singapore, pictured on Oct. 12: the costs of international travel restrictions grow with each passing month.
Opinion

Why Asia should rethink strict travel rules

Ultra-cautious reopening policies risk deeper economic pain

21 October 2020
Monetary Authority of Singapore managing director Ravi Menon, pictured in July 2016: MAS refused to ease rates further, making Singaporean authorities unique.
Opinion

Does Singapore have the world's best central banker?

Ravi Menon is showing his peers how to signal 'last call'

15 October 2020
Singapore's economy is stirring back to life as the city-state's coronavirus situation stabilizes.
Economy

Singapore GDP decline slows to 7% in Q3 after reopenings

Monetary authority stands pat and signals accommodative policy for 'some time'

14 October 2020
Construction workers build Beijing's new National Speed Skating Oval on Sept. 23 -- one of many infrastructure projects now underway in China.
Economy

China and India infrastructure construction paves way out of crisis

Governments look to buoy COVID-hit economies, setting builders on recovery path

12 October 2020
Singapore's Merlion Park, a major tourist spot: The city-state aims to revive general travel, either by unilaterally allowing visitors from certain countries or through reciprocal "bubbles."
Coronavirus

Singapore speeds up travel restart as COVID keeps Malaysia gripped

Neighbors' contrasting circumstances underscore health-economy dilemma

12 October 2020
Room service robots at a hotel in Singapore: The city-state leads Southeast Asia in AI adoption, and hospitality is a key sector for the technology.
Technology

ASEAN faces wide AI gap as Vietnam and Philippines lag behind

Study says tech can add $1tn to bloc's economy but investments are lacking

9 October 2020
Stacks of containers are seen at Tanjung Priok port amid the coronavirus outbreak in Jakarta, Indonesia, Aug. 3.
Economy

India and ASEAN set to return to growth in early 2021: JCER

Survey shows curbing COVID and income support keys to economic recovery

6 October 2020
Singapore has established a new coastal and flood protection fund to help protect the country against rising sea levels.
Opinion

We cannot stop climate change, but we can be better prepared

Data and digital technology can help deliver more resilient infrastructure

29 September 2020
The Great Wall of China: The government in Beijing has not rushed to allow international tourists, counting on its large domestic travel market.
Coronavirus

Over 60% of Asia still closed to tourists, versus 17% of Europe

COVID-wary region lags behind in reviving vital sector, data shows

21 September 2020
Singapore is home to about 37,000 Japanese people, the second-biggest community in Southeast Asia. (Photo by Takashi Nakano)
International relations

Singapore's minimum pay rule stifles hiring of Japan expats

New thresholds translate to 20% to 30% drop in job placements from abroad

17 September 2020
Precision or personalized medicine based on analysis of patients' genomes is beginning to catch on in Southeast Asia. (Nikkei illustration)
Asia Insight

Cracking ASEAN's code: Inside the push for genomic medicine

Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand doctors seek funds as COVID adds new hurdle

15 September 2020
Singapore's leaders are under pressure to protect jobs for citizens without missing out on foreign talent.
Politics

Singapore juggles global talent vs local jobs under COVID threat

Lee warns against turning inward but new policy raises cost of foreign hiring

4 September 2020
Asian youth face the prospect of a bleak future as the effects of lost opportunity and social isolation resulting from policies to limit the spread of the novel  coronavirus harken the emergence of a "lockdown generation."
Asia Insight

Lockdown generation: COVID-19 upends Asian students' plans

With university experience on hold, traditional path to success gets a rethink

25 August 2020
Donald Trump, Shinzo Abe and Xi Jinping attend the Group of 20 summit event on the Digital Economy in Osaka in June 2019: Japan led the way.
Opinion

How Indo-Pacific countries can keep their options open

Multipolar relationships can survive rising US-China tensions

22 August 2020