Economy

A clerk sorts yuan notes at a bank in Taiyuan, China on Feb. 24: Asia finds itself poorly prepared to confront a triple whammy of threats.
Opinion

World Bank's 'third shock' threatens to reverse Asia's economic progress

After trade war and COVID-19, continent-wide recession would put millions into poverty

6 April 2020
Firefighters spray disinfectant to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease in Jakarta.
4 April 2020
Tourist and school buses are seen at a parking lot near Kwai Chung Container Terminal in Hong Kong, April 1: The novel coronavirus outbreak has devastated the territory's tourism industry.
Economy

Pandemic to cut Asian growth to 2.2%, worst since 1998 crisis: ADB

Thailand, Hong Kong and seven other economies to shrink, China to slow sharply

3 April 2020
Food delivery drivers in Bangkok keep safe distance: As borders close, economies in Asia that have thrived on openness and connectivity are having to undo decades of integration. (Photo by Akira Kodaka)
The Big Story

How the coronavirus is reshaping Asia's borders, business and trade

As countries turn inward, pandemic threatens the foundations of globalization

1 April 2020
A worker wearing a protective suit sprays disinfectant at the international arrivals terminal of Soekarno-Hatta Airport near Jakarta, Indonesia, on March 13.
Coronavirus

Indonesia to ban foreign arrivals as it declares health emergency

President signs regulation to ease budget deficit rule for three years

31 March 2020
A parched field in the southern Vietnamese province of Tien Giang.
31 March 2020
Congress gave final approval to the largest economic package in U.S. history. 
Coronavirus: Free to read

Coronavirus: Week of Mar. 22 to Mar. 28, US House passes a $2.2tn stimulus

Hong Kong bans gatherings of over 4 people; Trump tweets he is working with Xi

28 March 2020
A worker sprays disinfectant at a closed Kuala Lumpur market. With a prolonged coronavirus lockdown choking the economy, the Malaysian government has introduced two rounds of stimulus.
Coronavirus

Malaysia adds $53bn of coronavirus stimulus as fiscal pressure mounts

Indonesia also in tight spot while Singapore and others have wiggle room

27 March 2020
Pedestrians in Seoul: Governments across Asia are scrambling to mitigate the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
Coronavirus

Asia turns on the fiscal taps to cushion coronavirus impact

As crisis drags on, governments face pressure to offer even more aid

23 March 2020
A freeway sits almost empty in downtown Los Angeles, after California's Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an unprecedented statewide "stay at home order" directing the state's 40 million residents to hunker down in their homes for the foreseeable future during the global outbreak of coronavirus disease, in California, U.S., on March 20, 2020.
Coronavirus: Free to read

Coronavirus: Week of Mar. 15 to Mar. 21, New York orders millions to stay indoors

Mainland China reports zero new local cases for 3rd day; worldwide total surges

21 March 2020
Rodrigo Duterte speaks during an Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases at the Malacanang presidential palace on Mar. 16: the Philippine president has been trying to please China.
Opinion

Philippines ignored neighbors' lessons on how to tackle coronavirus

Manila lockdown comes far too late after Duterte tried to placate China

18 March 2020
A crude oil import terminal in Qingdao, China, pictured in August 2019: the combination of easy money and cheap oil could worsen deflationary pressures.
Opinion

Oil price crash will not offer help that Asian economies need

Long-term uncertainty has grown, overturning budgets and demanding cool heads

12 March 2020
Lujiazui financial district in Shanghai, pictured on Feb. 5: the coronavirus outbreak is nothing short of a human credit squeeze. 
Opinion

Asia has little hope of economic recovery in 2020

Coronavirus, oil shock, weakened central banks all bode ill for struggling region

11 March 2020
The Philippines' ratio of women in senior management positions stood at 43%, versus just 12% in Japan.
Economy

Women in management: Southeast Asia improves but Singapore slips

Philippines' ratio of female execs tops region as Japan lags behind at 12%

7 March 2020
Cambodia's garment industry faces widespread shutdowns. 
Coronavirus

Cambodia's garment industry hangs by a thread

Factories face idling 160,000 workers as coronavirus cuts China textile supply

6 March 2020
A coal yard of the Cua Ong Coal Preparation Company in Cam Pha, Vietnam: the coal exit has to happen to avoid irreversible climate chaos.
Opinion

Japanese banks must stop funding coal megaprojects

#ChangeMizuhoChangeWorld protest highlights environmental damage of dirty fuel

6 March 2020
A street sign for Wall Street is seen outside the New York Stock Exchange in Manhattan, New York.
29 February 2020
Vietnamese guards patrol the Huu Nghi gate bordering China. Vietnam has shut down schools to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
Coronavirus

Vietnam isolates all South Korea arrivals, squeezing Samsung

Country serves as key assembling hub for Galaxy smartphones

29 February 2020
Industry watchers say Microsoft and Google are better positioned to shift production away from China than companies like Apple and HP. (Nikkei montage/source photo by Reuters) 
Coronavirus

Google, Microsoft shift production from China faster due to virus

'Made in Vietnam' Pixel phones and Surface laptops expected in 2020

26 February 2020
Rice fields line the Mekong River as it passes through southern Vietnam. Hanoi is receiving support from some quarters as it tries to check China's growing economic dominance over the river.
International relations

Vietnam puts the Mekong's fate on ASEAN's agenda

Hanoi looks to counter China by stressing river's noncommercial role

26 February 2020
People wait at a crosswalk along the Dongseong-ro shopping street in Daegu, South Korea. The country reported 142 new coronavirus cases on Saturday.
Coronavirus: Free to read

Coronavirus: Week of Feb. 16 to Feb. 22, South Korea cases soar again, to 433

US confirms 34 additional infections and expects more from cruise ship

22 February 2020
A staff member wearing a face mask stands in front of a restaurant on Valentine's Day in Beijing.
15 February 2020
Foreign students in Japan are allowed to work in unskilled-labor positions, such as convenience store work, for up to 28 hours per week. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi) 
Japan immigration

Japan intensifies crackdown on student visa overstayers

Number of countries subject to stricter checks to increase tenfold

11 February 2020
Medical staff work in the isolated intensive care unit in a hospital in Wuhan, China on Feb. 6. 
Coronavirus: Free to read

Coronavirus: Week of Feb. 1 to Feb. 8 brings supply chain strain

US citizen dies in Wuhan as impact on business begins to crystallize

8 February 2020
Watermelons in front of Myanmar's border with China in Muse in 2018: For the immediate future, farmers will have to find other markets for their produce as borders with China remain closed.
Coronavirus

Coronavirus leaves tropical fruit rotting at China border crossings

Farmers in Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam hit hard as city lock-downs disrupt trade

6 February 2020