Heavy traffic in Bangkok. A joint Thai-Taiwanese venture called Aionex will produce and sell e-bikes plus operate battery-swapping services for them. (Photo by Kenya Akama)
Automobiles

Thailand energy group PTT to make e-motorbikes with Taiwan's Kymco

State-owned company eyes Southeast Asia, world's third-largest bike market

21 August 2023
William Lai, the front-runner in Taiwan's 2024 presidential election, speaks at an event in San Francisco on Aug. 16.
Taiwan elections

Taiwan presidential hopeful Lai avoids making waves on U.S. stopover

Vice president keeps itinerary in New York and San Francisco brief and under wraps

18 August 2023
Three generations of Chinese leaders: Hu Jintao, left, Xi Jinping and Jiang Zemin. Xi is thought to be attending the annual summer conclave in Beidaihe, but without the most powerful party elders. (Nikkei montage/Kyodo/Yusuke Hinata)
China up close

Analysis: Xi opens Beidaihe with no elders but plenty of challenges

Secretive conclave to discuss Taiwan unification, sour economy and U.S. ties

10 August 2023
TSMC dominates the global market for advanced semiconductors, which it now produces exclusively in Taiwan. (Photo by Hideaki Ryugen)
Semiconductors

TSMC to make cutting-edge 2-nm chips at new plant in southern Taiwan

Leading chipmaker confirms 2nd hub in Kaohsiung for AI components

10 August 2023
Stream article image
The Big Story

Coastal towns brace for Fukushima water release, from Japan to Jeju

Distrust of TEPCO and fear for small businesses fuel anxiety, despite IAEA approval

9 August 2023
The German plant marks TSMC's third overseas expansion since 2020. 
Semiconductors

TSMC reveals $11 billion deal to build first European chip plant

Chipmaker partners with Infineon, Bosch and NXP in German joint venture

8 August 2023
Japan's former Prime Minister Taro Aso speaks during the Ketagalan Forum in Taipei on Aug. 8. 
Taiwan tensions

In Taiwan, Aso says Japan must show 'will to fight' to deter China

Former prime minister meets with presidential front-runner William Lai

8 August 2023
 The Indonesian International Motor Show in 2018: The country's main trade group will hold the Gaikindo Indonesia International Auto Show starting Aug. 10
Your Week in Asia

Indonesia auto show, Cambodia PM transition, Taiwan's Lai visits U.S.

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

6 August 2023
U.S. Marines during their joint exercise with Japan Ground Self-Defense Force in Eniwa, Japan, in August 2017.
Indo-Pacific

U.S. weighs new military element in Japan for closer coordination

Japan's bold defense reform, Taiwan crisis require enhanced operational arrangement

5 August 2023
Former Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso. Exchanges between political parties serve as a route for communication between Japan and Taiwan. (Photo by Uichiro Kasai)
International relations

Japan ex-PM Taro Aso to go to Taiwan, speak on security at forum

Will be ruling party's first vice president to visit since diplomatic ties cut in 1972

4 August 2023
Chengdu J-20 stealth fighter jets of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force: Over the past year, the number of Chinese military planes flying around Taiwan has sharply increased.
Taiwan tensions

China's military speeds preparations to blockade Taiwan

Move has been gathering steam since Pelosi's 2022 visit to island

1 August 2023
TSMC opens its first-ever dedicated research and development center in Hsinchu, Taiwan, on July 28. (Photo by Cheng Ting-Fang)
Semiconductors

TSMC opens first dedicated R&D center in Taiwan

Chipmaker says it is committed to domestic market despite expanding overseas

28 July 2023
Foxconn Chairman Young Liu has visited Sharp offices in Osaka, Tokyo and Chiba during the past month. (Photos by Takaki Kashiwabara and Hideaki Ryugen)
Electronics

Foxconn boss demands improvement plan from Sharp in 3 months

Parent's chief visits Japan to meet with unit's leaders, employees

27 July 2023
Construction on the new plant will begin in the second half of 2024, with mass production expected in 2027.
Semiconductors

TSMC to invest $2.9bn in advanced packaging plant for AI chips

Taiwanese chipmaker sees segment sales rising 50% yearly

26 July 2023
AMD Chair and CEO Lisa Su says the semiconductor market for accelerating capabilities of data centers will grow around 50% over the next three or four years. (Photo by Satoko Kawasaki)
Semiconductors

AMD will consider 'other' partner foundries to TSMC: CEO

U.S. chipmaker is open to diversifying foundries amid Taiwan risks

21 July 2023
Chris Miller, top left, and Nikkei Asia tech correspondents talk about the semiconductor industry during a Nikkei webinar.
Semiconductors

Revealing untold stories of the chip war with Chris Miller

A peek into the global battle for semiconductor dominance

21 July 2023
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. has posted its sharpest year-on-year drop in quarterly profit since early 2019 amid a persistent semiconductor market slump. (Photo courtesy of TSMC)
Semiconductors

TSMC's woes signal global chip slump extending throughout year

Generative AI not expected to fully offset weak demand from PCs and smartphones

21 July 2023
Sluggish demand for smartphones and other consumer electronics contributed to a 23.3% decline in TSMC net profits during the April-June quarter.
Semiconductors

TSMC delays U.S. chip plant start to 2025 due to labor shortages

Taiwan chipmaker logs quarterly net profit drop on consumer electronics slump

20 July 2023
A cafe, transformed from an old military fort, is seen in Nangan, Matsu archipelago, Taiwan. Even the shelves of convenience stores on this Taiwan-administered island near mainland China carry political overtones. (Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) 
China up close

Analysis: On Taiwan's remote islands, Lithuanian beer is the star

Convenience store shelves reflect the geopolitical tensions with China

20 July 2023
Lai Wei-hsin, speaking at a Jakarta restaurant, heads the Indonesia chapter of the Trust Lai Taiwan Friendship Association (Photo by Randy Mulyanto)
Politics

Taiwan presidential hopefuls woo Southeast Asian diaspora

Front-runner Lai has set up support bases across region as China influence dims

16 July 2023
Eric Huang, head of the Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania, speaks to Nikkei Asia in his office in Vilnius on July 11. (Photo by Ken Moriyasu)
Interview

Fight China's economic force with strength: Taiwan rep to Lithuania

Beijing will not respond to humble requests, warns Eric Huang

14 July 2023
Kenneth Weinstein was previously nominated as the U.S. ambassador to Japan under the Trump administration. (Photo courtesy of Hudson Institute)
Interview

Hudson Institute's new Japan chair urges cooperation with U.S., Taiwan

Kenneth Weinstein wants Tokyo to become 'America's closest ally'

13 July 2023
Demand for Apple and other electronic devices has cooled following the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by Hideaki Ryugen)
Technology

TSMC, Foxconn hit in biggest Taiwan tech slump in 10 years

Industry's sales fall 20% in June on weak global demand for electronic devices

13 July 2023
Former Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je has ridden voter frustration with the two-party system to the top of the polls. (Photo obtained by Nikkei)
Taiwan elections

Taiwan People's Party takes early role of spoiler ahead of vote

Third party leads polls with presidential and Legislative Yuan elections six months away

12 July 2023
In 2022, Foxconn had signed an agreement with India's Vedanta to set up semiconductor and display production plants in the Indian state of Gujarat. (Source photos by Getty Images and courtesy of Vedanta) 
Semiconductors

Foxconn withdraws from $19.5bn chip JV with India's Vedanta

Departure dampens New Delhi's efforts to make country a semiconductor hub

10 July 2023