Features

Chinese migrants' encounters with U.S. border authorities were 10 times higher in 2023 than in pre-pandemic years. The economic slowdown back home coupled with human rights concerns is prompting many to seek new lives in America.
The Big Story

Why so many middle-class Chinese migrants take risky, illegal route to U.S.

Economic malaise, debt and despair push families to trek through jungle to Mexico border

22 May 2024
The IMF has told Pakistan it must stop subsidizing money-losing entities, such as Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), as a condition for loans to help prop up its faltering economy. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Getty Images)
Asia Insight

Pakistan moves to sell national airline in test case for privatization drive

Dozens of state enterprises on auction block as IMF calls for end of subsidies

21 May 2024
The yen's weakness stems from the wide rate differential between the U.S. and Japan. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Akira Kodaka and Yuji Murakami)
Market Spotlight

Potential for earlier BOJ rate hike rises amid hawkish signals, weak yen

Some analysts expect Japan's central bank to use bond yields to stop yen's fall

20 May 2024
The 13.2% wage rise among smaller businesses in Miyazaki prefecture between 2018 and 2023 was the fastest in Japan.
Datawatch

Japan's small regional companies vie to raise pay amid labor shortage

Wages rise faster in mostly rural prefectures than in urban centers

18 May 2024
In China, the buzz over AI models was expected to spur a significant increase in demand for AI computing and related services, but the most recent quarterly earnings did not paint the expected rosy picture. (Photo by Reuters)
Business Spotlight

China's cloud service providers are still waiting for AI to make it rain

Alibaba, Baidu and ByteDance battle for customers as a price war weighs on revenue

17 May 2024
As more than 900 million Indian voters head to the polls, influencers on Instagram, X and other platforms have become key pawns in the ruling BJP's bid for a third term in power.
The Big Story

India's Instagrab: Modi's re-election bid weaponizes social media influencers

BJP leaves nothing to chance, boosting favorable online celebrities while suppressing dissent

15 May 2024
Lawrence Wong, left, will succeed Lee Hsien Loong as Singapore's prime minister on May 15. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by AP and Tomoki Mera)
Asia Insight

New Singapore PM Lawrence Wong's test: Change with continuity

Incoming leader expected to 'refresh' job support, 'listen' to diverse voices

14 May 2024
Currency analysts are focused on the U.S. consumer price index for April due Wednesday after the previous month’s data caused the yen to tumble. (Source photos by Hiroshi Tamehiro and Akira Kodaka)
Market Spotlight

Mighty dollar pushes Asian governments to boost currency protection

Asian monetary officials seek to buy time until the U.S. economy slows down

13 May 2024
Google and other U.S. tech giants play a key role in laying international undersea cables that bypass Chinese influence. 
Datawatch

More subsea cables bypass China as Sino-U.S. tensions grow

No new projects will connect the country after 2025 as focus shifts to Southeast Asia

11 May 2024
The artificial intelligence revolution relies on cutting-edge components known as high-bandwidth memory, and demand for it is shaking up the memory chip market.  
Business Spotlight

AI memory emerges as new battleground for SK Hynix, Samsung and others

Demand for high-bandwidth memory is driving competition -- and prices -- higher

10 May 2024
The car freighter BYD Explorer No. 1 brings 3,000 cars to Bremerhaven, Germany. Europe needs Chinese EVs if it is to meet its goal of banning combustion engines in 2035.
The Big Story

Europe faces up to China's EV dominance as carbon-zero targets loom

As Xi travels through EU this week, automakers weigh whether to fight or team up with cheaper Chinese rivals

8 May 2024
"Not enough time, not enough support": Uzbekistan, a landlocked country slightly bigger than California, is facing the consequences of a history of poor irrigation, with rising salinity slashing the size of usable growing areas.
Asia Insight

Uzbek farmers battle to save cotton, wheat crops from mortal enemy: salt

Growing salinization crisis bites as cotton exports to Bangladesh skid 80% in 5 years

7 May 2024
The IPO boom in India is driven by a buoyant stock market that outperformed peers in China, Hong Kong and Japan. (Source photos by Ken Kobayashi and Kosaku Mimura)
Market Spotlight

Indian founders make hay with IPOs amid rally, but investors suffer

44 of the 183 companies that listed since 2021 are trading below their offer price

6 May 2024
Generative AI is trained on a massive amount of data through graphic processing units and depends on power-hungry data centers with large-capacity servers.
Datawatch

AI investment boom extends to nuclear power generation and uranium

Servers to support tech's data appetite will increasingly run on atomic energy

4 May 2024
Dresden, in eastern Germany, is at the heart of Europe's chip industry. (Photo by Cheng Ting-Fang) 
Business Spotlight

Can investment from TSMC, Infineon and others revive Europe's chip dreams?

Skeptics say more government subsidies, skilled workers and end customers are needed

3 May 2024
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in Beijing in June 2023, left, and then again in April 2024. Notice the difference in indoor plants from one meeting to the next. (Source photos by Reuters)
China up close

Analysis: Xi Jinping sends a message but no flowers to Antony Blinken

China's symbolism indicates that relations with U.S. are deteriorating further

2 May 2024
Unable to source key technological components from the West due to sanctions, Russia is acquiring civilian tech from Chinese online sellers and repurposing it for the battlefield in Ukraine. (Illustration by Yoshiko Kawano)
The Big Story

How China's ad-hoc tech pipeline fuels Russia's Ukraine war efforts

Civilian electronics, sourced from Chinese e-commerce sellers, find their way to the battlefield

1 May 2024
Taiwanese on March 18, 2024 commemorate the Sunflower Movement, which has left a deep impression on the island's political life that will be felt by President-elect Lai Ching-te, set to be inaugurated May 20. (Photo by EPA=Jiji)
Asia Insight

Taiwan's Sunflower protest legacy looms large for incoming president Lai

New generations build pressure for change 10 years after movement paved way for DPP wins

30 April 2024
American investor Warren Buffett. Investor attention next week is likely to be fixed on whether the companies will upgrade their shareholder return policies. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by AP and Shinya Sawai)
Market Spotlight

Japan's Buffett-backed trading houses hit by weaker commodity prices

Outlooks expected to be flat, while investors eye payout upgrades for early May

29 April 2024
Many cloud service providers lack clear guidelines on dealing with government requests for information on user accounts.
Datawatch

Vulnerable cloud services cast shadow over national security

Many vendors lack proper policies on privacy protection, survey finds

27 April 2024
Apple's most recent official supplier list shows the company is sourcing from more companies from China. (Nikkei montage/Source Photo by Getty Images)
Business Spotlight

Apple moves closer to China despite supply chain shifts

Japan, Taiwan and U.S. supplier numbers dip as iPhone maker expands in Southeast Asia

26 April 2024
The three new forces emerging from China's latest military reorganization will have to report everything to Xi Jinping. Failure to do so will not be tolerated. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Yusuke Hinata and Getty Images)
China up close

Analysis: The ulterior motive behind Xi Jinping's latest military reforms

Reorganization of Strategic Support Force shows Xi preparing for a fourth term

25 April 2024
New recruits at Japanese airline ANA gather for an entrance ceremony on April 1. Spurred by a shrinking population and social changes, young job hunters are becoming more selective than their parents could afford to be. (Photo by Sae Kamae)
The Big Story

Japanese companies navigate workplace revolution as job hunters get choosier

New generation of recruits value work-life balance and wages over lifetime employment and overtime

24 April 2024
Lawrence Wong, the 51-year-old deputy prime minister of Singapore, will succeed Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on May 15. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Ken Kobayashi, Mayumi Tsumita and Reuters)
Asia Insight

Lawrence Wong, Singapore's next PM, seeks growth in 'troubled world'

From falling births to regional hub race, challenges will mount after May handover

23 April 2024
Singapore's GIC is reportedly considering the sale of a Hilton hotel in Fukuoka, left, while railway operator Seibu hopes to raise up to $2 billion through a sale of an upscale office and hotel complex in central Tokyo. (Source photos by Kyodo)
Market Spotlight

Hotels are new darling of foreign investors in Japanese property

Deals expected to maintain 2023 levels, thanks to weak yen

22 April 2024