New Zealand

A woman at work in a store selling bags and purses. Australian businesses are eager to cash in on the rising number of visitors from China.
Business trends

Australia caters to Chinese with tailored products and services

Despite cool official relations, visitors from the mainland receive warm welcome

14 August 2018
The New Zealand dollar hit its weakest level in more than two years due to a continued expansionary monetary policy.
Economy

New Zealand will keep interest rate at historic low until 2020

Unexpectedly dovish policy, prompted by slackening growth, weakens currency

10 August 2018
The Peace Ark sails southeast of Hawaii in July 2014. On its current cruise, the vessel has been providing medical services to Pacific islanders, but critics worry about Beijing's underlying motives.
International relations

Chinese hospital ship cruises the South Pacific to spread influence

Australia and New Zealand worry about Beijing's growing 'soft power' in the region

9 August 2018
A logo of Dai-ichi Life. Japanese insurers have expanded their presence in Australia in recent years.
9 August 2018
Wesfarmer's coal mine in Bengalla. The Australian company decided to sell the mine as coal falls out of favor due to its high carbon emissions.
Companies

Australia's Wesfarmers quits coal as pollution headwinds mount

Conglomerate to sell off last mining stake for $640m and focus on retail

8 August 2018
Hay prices have skyrocketed in southeastern Australia due to a severe drought.
Commodities

Australian drought doubles hay prices in blow to cattle farmers

International beef prices expected to rise if dry spell continues

7 August 2018
ASEAN economies are increasingly concerned over "collateral damage" from the U.S.-China trade war. (Photo by Mayuko Tani)
Trade war

ASEAN urges partners to speed up RCEP talks amid US-China trade war

Ministers call for 'swift' conclusion, but obstacles remain to deal by year-end

3 August 2018
U.S. beef prices have fallen about 5% in Japan over one month.
Trade war

Aussie beef prices rise as China loses appetite for US meat

As trade war kicks in, Australian products take over hot pot menus

2 August 2018
China's Belt and Road infrastructure initiative to create a new Silk Road has triggered concern among other key countries in the Asia-Pacific region.
International relations

Indo-Pacific initiatives gain currency despite gaps over China

Key players Japan and Australia grapple with response to Belt and Road

1 August 2018
Australia's Foreign Ministry has announced a partnership with Japan and the U.S. to promote infrastructure investment in the Indo-Pacific and counter China's effort to gain influence in the region.
Economy

US, Japan and Australia team up on Indo-Pacific building push

Trilateral infrastructure framework aimed at countering China's Belt and Road

31 July 2018
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s Coalition government came away empty-handed in five by-election contests on July 28, and now faces an uphill battle for re-election in a national poll due by May 2019.
Politics

Australian prime minister's economic plans take by-election hit

Losses dent Turnbull's hopes for another term as head of Coalition government

30 July 2018
The Inpex-led Ichthys plant in Darwin, Australia, has an annual production target of 8.9 million tons of liquefied natural gas.
Companies

Japan's Inpex fires up major LNG project in northern Australia

Oil and gas distributor pushes into field dominated by Western companies

30 July 2018
Australian scotch fillet steak, A$33 per kilogram at a Coles supermarket (Photo by Geoff Hiscock)
Food & Beverage

Australian beef in high-tech push against fraudsters

Edible electronic etching allows meat to be traced from pasture to plate

29 July 2018
The massive Escondida mine in Chile is a major part of BHP's copper holdings.
Business deals

BHP unloads US shale assets in return to minerals

With sale to BP, mining giant to focus on copper and iron ore

28 July 2018
Fairfax Media publishes both The Sydney Morning Herald and The Australian Financial Review.
Business deals

Australia media merger gives Murdoch a run for his money

Nine's $1.5bn buyout of Fairfax redraws newspaper market

27 July 2018
Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop poses for photos with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at the 2018 Australia-U.S. Ministerial Consultations in Palo Alto, California, on July 23. 
International relations

US bolsters security ties with Indo-Pacific regional powers

Pompeo and Mattis hold 2-plus-2 meetings with Australia and India

26 July 2018
The Television Match Official review system has been used in rugby since 2001.
Life

Referee tech raising concerns ahead of Rugby World Cup in Japan

Overreliance on video systems could undermine refs' authority and slow down games

24 July 2018
© Illustration by Luis Mendo
Asia Insight

Australia becomes Exhibit A for countering China's influence

As Canberra weighs blocking Huawei's 5G bid, other governments watch and learn

24 July 2018
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull speaks at the Commonwealth Parliament Offices in Sydney on July 19.
Politics

Australian Prime Minister and Labor rival face by-election test

Liberal-led Coalition looks to gain seats despite trailing in polls

23 July 2018
A female BHP employee drives a haul truck at an Australian iron ore mine. BHP has set a 50-50 gender parity goal for 2025.
Business trends

Women are BHP's last untapped resource

Back in stride, global miners push gender parity for productivity

22 July 2018
Coal is removed from a cargo ship at a port in China. Contrary to seasonal expectations, coal prices shot up in spring due to Chinese demand.
Commodities

Missing benchmark for coal price leaves Asian utilities confused

Failed contract talks between industry giants stress need for alternate pricing

20 July 2018
Japan Post unit Toll Holdings' Singapore hub could help the subsidiary live up to its promise as the heart of the shipper's international operations.
Companies

Singapore hub gives new hope for Japan Post's Toll purchase

Acquisition of Australian company has so far generated massive losses

19 July 2018
Immigrants, largely from Asia and Europe, have been a key driving force behind the Australian economy for years. (Photo by Fumi Matsumoto)
Politics

Turnbull's 'Australians first' policy dents immigration

Foreign arrivals blamed for urban congestion and regional unemployment

18 July 2018
The Montara project, located off the Kimberley coastline of Western Australia, produces an average of 7,694 barrels per day. (Photo from PTTEP)
Business deals

PTTEP sells petroleum field off Australia

Jadestone Energy to pay Thai oil producer $195m for 100% stake

17 July 2018
Fortescue Metals Group Chairman Andrew Forrest and his counterpart at Hancock Prospecting, Gina Rinehart, are locked in a battle to acquire Australian iron ore miner Atlas Iron.
Business deals

Australian miners Fortescue and Hancock battle for Atlas Iron

Uncertainty over Chinese ore demand throws value of acquisition into doubt

17 July 2018