Features

Jiangsu Suning's Ji Xiang (right) fights for the ball with Guangzhou Evergrande's Yang Liyu during last year's Chinese Super League final.
Business Spotlight

Chinese soccer plunges deeper into crisis

Sport already failing to deliver on global ambitions hit by property sector slowdown

24 December 2021
China is maintaining its food stockpiles at a "historically high level," says the head of grain reserves at the National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration. "There is no problem whatsoever about the supply of food."
Datawatch

China hoards over half the world's grain, pushing up global prices

Testy ties with U.S. and Australia could be prodding China to boost food reserves

23 December 2021
How firm is Chinese President Xi Jinping's grip over the country? His rejection of predecessors Deng Xiaoping, Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao is drawing pushback. (Source photo by Ken Kobayashi)
China up close

Analysis: When China's leading paper ignores Xi, all bets are off

Commentary piece extols Deng Xiaoping and successors but not Mao Zedong

23 December 2021
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is using an unconventional mix of soft and hard power to extend his influence throughout Eurasia. Gendarmerie officers at an oath-taking ceremony in Bursa, Turkey.
The Big Story

Making Turkey great again: Erdogan throws out the rule book

Ankara has pursued geopolitical power at all costs, but now the bill is due

22 December 2021
Experts say the digital revolution raises the stakes of standardization, as rules set today will shape the global economy tomorrow.
Asia Insight

Standard-bearer: China races U.S. and Europe to set tech rules

Beijing's focus on strategic sectors like lithium and 5G puts West on defensive

21 December 2021
Cryptocurrency companies are keen to break into the Singapore market, but local regulators are taking a cautious approach to giving their approval. (Source photo by AP)
Market Spotlight

Crypto entrepreneurs find Singapore is not so hospitable after all

Scores of businesses fail to win licenses from city-state's financial regulator

20 December 2021
Cambodia has struggled to crack down on gangs that force people, often under threat of violence, to work in online scams rings. (Source photos by AP and Vann Soben) 
Business Spotlight

China grapples with Cambodia's failure to curb crime gangs

Chinese business steps in to help people enslaved by online scammers

17 December 2021
The delayed authorization and slow development of coronavirus vaccines in Japan have exposed deeper problems. (Source photo by Takaki Kashiwabara)
Datawatch

Japan falling behind in developing biopharmaceutical drugs

Trade deficit in medicines likely to top $26bn in 2021 due to weak R&D

16 December 2021
President Xi Jinping has long worried about rising home prices in China. (Nikkei montage/Reuters/Getty Images)
China up close

Analysis: Xi plays with dynamite reviving Bo Xilai's housing policy

President struggles to find economic model that makes 'common prosperity' work

16 December 2021
Following the emergence in early November of the omicron COVID-19 variant, pictured here, countries in Asia have stepped up travel restrictions and quarantine requirements.
The Big Story

Omicron in Asia: A wake-up call for COVID policymaking

New variant shows futility of border closures and vaccine hoarding

15 December 2021
Hong Kong's Legislative Council election on Dec. 19 is the first since a Beijing-approved overhaul effectively barred anyone deemed "unpatriotic" from running.
Asia Insight

Reshaped in China's image, Hong Kong set for 'patriots only' polls

Election highlights divide among democrats reeling from impact of security law

14 December 2021
(Source photos by Getty Images and Reuters) 
13 December 2021
A Toyota assembly plant in Zarate, Argentina, on the outskirts of Buenos Aires. Strains on global supply chains have cost the auto industry the ability to produce several million vehicles this year.
Business Spotlight

Automakers hit limits of 'just-in-time' supply chain management

Shortages and rising costs prompt overhaul procurement practices

10 December 2021
Tennis star Peng Shuai's allegations against former Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli are putting President Xi Jinping's "zero tolerance" anti-corruption campaign to the test. (Nikkei montage/AP/Getty Images/Reuters)
China up close

Analysis: Peng Shuai scandal mismanagement triggers Olympic boycotts

Xi caught in dilemma over how to deal with former party heavyweight Zhang Gaoli

9 December 2021
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Datawatch

Faltering capital spending saps Japan's economic growth

Problem comes on top of festering issues such as country's dwindling population

8 December 2021
Pandemic lockdowns, energy restrictions and chip shortages across Asia have led to an ongoing supply chain crisis, causing delivery delays for many electronic gifts this festive season.
The Big Story

Apple's nightmare before Christmas: Supply chain crisis delays gift deliveries

Two years of lockdowns, chip shortages, and energy cuts have finally caught up with the iPhone maker

8 December 2021
Sunday's referendum in New Caledonia is the final of three votes on gaining independence from France. A split was rejected in the first two plebiscites.
Asia Insight

China looms over New Caledonia vote on independence from France

Most indigenous Kanaks favor a split, but European residents tend to favor status quo

7 December 2021
Compared to regional peers, Thailand is a relatively mature economy, leading companies to try to outpace competitors by venturing into other countries or equipping themselves with better digital offerings. (Source photos by AP and Getty Images) 
Market Spotlight

Thailand leads Southeast Asia IPO resurgence, but has challengers

Listing of tech unicorn Bukalapak boosts funds raised in Indonesia above $2bn

6 December 2021
A government policy to improve the pay and working conditions of delivery personnel was described as an embodiment of President Xi Jinping's love for the "delivery brothers." (Source photos by Xinhua/AP and AP) 
Business Spotlight

Xi policy eases price war among China's parcel delivery services

Companies can no longer cut wages to subsidize grab for market share

3 December 2021
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Datawatch

New global rules set to end race to cut corporate taxes

Move set to spark big gains in tax revenues in many countries

2 December 2021
Chinese President Xi Jinping won some handsome political dividends from his virtual summit with U.S. President Joe Biden. (Nikkei montage/AP)
2 December 2021
The USS Arizona was destroyed during the Imperial Japanese Army's surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, nearly 80 years ago. Japan and the U.S. have yet to completely resolve matters of historical guilt and reconciliation.
The Big Story

Pearl Harbor 80 years on: Lessons and legacies

Japan and U.S. struggle to put fraught history to rest

1 December 2021
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Asia Insight

China-Pakistan Belt and Road Initiative hits buffers

Disagreements, terrorism and COVID-19 stymie CPEC projects

30 November 2021
The stock market in Sri Lanka continues to climb despite a disconcerted public beset with rising prices and shortages of daily goods. (Source photo by AP) 
Market Spotlight

Sri Lankan stocks soar even as economic alarm bells ring

Market tops 11,000 for first time as rupee sinks to new low

29 November 2021
Ground down by almost two years of overtime, low pay and discrimination, health workers throughout Southeast Asia are reaching the breaking point. 
The Big Story

Seen and not heard: health workers in Asia bullied into silence

Brutal hours, poor conditions, low pay -- from Indonesia to the Philippines, the region's carers have learned to keep quiet

24 November 2021