Economy

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

Only bigger public investment can ease Asia's infrastructure shortages

Private funding is too small to close the gap in transport, energy and telecoms

27 March 2018
Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (Photo by Takaki Kashiwabara)
International relations

Vietnam leader calls for US to rejoin expanded TPP

Hanoi committed to fighting protectionism to help drive global growth

27 March 2018
China's plan to blast deep channels in the Mekong river for cargo vessels has been put on hold. (Getty Images)
Economy

Greens take on China's infrastructure projects in Southeast Asia

Tougher environmental compliance facing Chinese companies at home and abroad

26 March 2018
A Samsung Electronics plant in Bac Ninh Province, northern Vietnam.
International relations

South Korea's Moon visits Vietnam to deepen economic ties

Seoul eyes exports to ASEAN amid US protectionism and Chinese boycotts

22 March 2018
Siam Cement Group's office in Bangkok (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Asia300

Siam Cement sees opportunities along Belt & Road

Thai conglomerate's CLMV investments will pave way to China and India, CEO says

19 March 2018
Workers at online retailer Lazada's warehouse in Indonesia.
Business trends

Alibaba counters Amazon's expansion in Southeast Asia

Injection of $2bn into Lazada will boost logistics network

19 March 2018
A boy writes on a board during the first day of the year at Thuc Nghiem school in Hanoi.
Education

Students in east China and Vietnam top rich-world peers

Lower incomes not a bar to educational achievement, World Bank says

19 March 2018
Apparel imports from ASEAN are growing, spurred by low labor costs in such countries as Vietnam.
Economy

Japan's import prices for daily goods sink further

Production shifts to Southeast Asia as wages rise in China

18 March 2018
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull takes a selfie with a delegate in Sydney on March 16.
International relations

Australia courts Southeast Asia with unprecedented summit

Leaders to talk trade and security amid doubts about US, concerns about China

16 March 2018
This 24-year-old Vietnamese man says he felt trapped after heavily borrowing to come to Japan for a construction job and then finding himself doing radiation-cleanup work in Fukushima Prefecture.
Economy

Vietnamese man surprised to be driven to Fukushima to do cleanup work

Immigration bureau says 'interns' cannot be given decontamination jobs

16 March 2018
Thailand wants to increase exports to places like this border town in Myanmar -- Payathonzu.
Business trends

Thailand aims to boost trade with neighbors by 15% in 2018

Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Malaysia to help offset pressure from strong baht

16 March 2018
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc attend a signing ceremony at Parliament House in Canberra on March 15.
International relations

Australia and Vietnam sign strategic partnership pact

China's growing influence prompted both to deepen ties in security and trade

15 March 2018
The rules hammered in the TPP-11 free trade agreement signed on March 8 are at risk of not keeping pace with fast-moving developments in worlds of technology and business.
Comment

Pacific trade rules on digital data may already be outdated

TPP-11 principles to contain China could be counterproductive

15 March 2018
The rules hammered in the TPP-11 free trade agreement signed on March 8 are at risk of not keeping pace with fast-moving developments in worlds of technology and business.
Economy

The 'TPP 11' is signed, and ready to welcome more members

Despite America's withdrawal, the trade deal is set to reshape how business is done all over the Pacific

15 March 2018
People take pictures of themselves in front of the Sydney Opera House.
Economy

Australia's immigration debate flares up over property prices

Some fear the country's population boom could mean an end to an established way of life

15 March 2018
South Korean finance minister Kim Dong-yeon speaks at press briefing in Sejong on March 13. (Photo courtesy of Finance Ministry of South Korea)
Economy

Seoul to decide on new TPP membership by June

UK, Thailand mull joining Japan-led economic bloc as US protectionism widens

13 March 2018
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, right, and Vice President Venkaiah Naidu, center, arrive with Southeast Asian leaders at a reception in New Delhi on Jan. 26. India is building partnerships in the region to counter China's influence.
FT Confidential Research

India pivots to Southeast Asia to counter China's growing clout

New Delhi seeks to capitalize on discontent over Beijing's influence: FTCR

13 March 2018
A staff member collects merchandise for customers' orders at the Amazon Prime Now facility in Singapore, which opened in 2017.
Asia300

Amazon to enter Vietnam in challenge to Alibaba

US e-commerce company teams up with local businesses to boost product offering

12 March 2018
The rules hammered in the TPP-11 free trade agreement signed on March 8 are at risk of not keeping pace with fast-moving developments in worlds of technology and business.
International relations

'TPP 11' emerges as bulwark against American protectionism

Japan and Mexico press to put trade deal into effect this year as others look to join

10 March 2018
Representatives from the 11 member nations of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership met March 8 in Santiago, Chile, to sign the revised trade and investment pact.
International relations

Eleven countries sign revamped TPP in Chile

Pacific trade deal brought back from the brink after US departure

9 March 2018
A woman shows her finger after voting in national elections in the Philippines. The Southeast Asian nation ranks above the global average in women in parliament.
Politics

Once a world leader, Asia now trails in women lawmakers

Philippines, Laos and China among best in terms of females in parliament

8 March 2018
Higher commodity prices, such as those for industrial base metals and iron ore, were the primary factor behind rising costs for manufacturers.
Economy

Rising costs loom over Asia's upbeat factory activity

Nikkei PMI readings came in strong in February, but manufacturers worry about weak currencies

8 March 2018
Asia's big economies are likely to keep growing strongly in 2018, but slowing chip exports and higher interest rates are risks.
Economy

Asian export rebound is boosting better growth, at least for now

Higher interest rates and weaker smartphone demand are risks for China and the ASEAN4, says JCER

8 March 2018
Higher commodity prices, such as those for industrial base metals and iron ore, were the primary factor behind rising costs for manufacturers.
Economy

Solid demand improves Asia manufacturing in February

US tightening and Chinese economy loom as risk factors

8 March 2018
A container ship in Singapore: The trade-dependent city-state hopes the TPP 11 will provide an economic tailwind.
The Big Story

TPP 11: How Asia took the lead in free trade

The trans-Pacific pact will help business, but hopes remain for a US return

7 March 2018