New Zealand

A steel mill in Dalian, China
Trade war

Trump's steel and aluminum tariffs take effect

China and Japan hit while South Korea, EU and Canada exempted

23 March 2018
Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, left, and Australia's Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull shake hands at a joint press conference in Sydney on March 16.
International relations

Australia right to huddle closer to Southeast Asia

With the US in retreat and China ascendant, chances grow for future ASEAN accession

20 March 2018
China occupies Subi Reef, part of the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea.
International relations

Australian and ASEAN pursue maritime code of conduct

Summit draws nations with mixed views on Beijing's moves in South China Sea

19 March 2018
Fortescue plans to convert 100 trucks at its Chichester mining hub to autonomous vehicles in 18 months.
Business

Australia's Fortescue follows Chinese steelmakers' pivot to quality

Miner to invest up to $1.5bn in new site with higher-grade ore: CEO

17 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
Members of idol group Nogizaka46 pose for a photo in their uniform-like costumes in Tokyo.
Business trends

Dressing Japan's schoolkids gets dearer as wool prices spike

Rising demand in China and a school uniform boom at home send prices higher

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.
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
JX Nippon Mining & Metal's production site in Fukui Prefecture accommodates a test recycling plant for rechargeable li-ion batteries.
Business trends

Rare metal miners dig into used batteries for lithium and cobalt

Recycled resources to fill shortages in an electric car future

14 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 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
Low-cost carriers' planes sit on the tarmac at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.
Transportation

Asian budget airlines ride growth in long-haul flights

Four of the 10 low-cost carriers with the most long routes come from the Asia-Pacific region

6 March 2018
Stream article image
International relations

RCEP a step closer to finalization

Ministerial meeting makes headway on patching up differences

4 March 2018
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has sought to shore up ties with a number of traditionally friendly countries.
International relations

Abe charms old friends amid Beijing's growing influence

Closer security ties sought to counter China's economic clout

3 March 2018
A tanker loads LNG at ExxonMobil's PNG LNG plant off Port Moresby. (Courtesy of Oil Search)
Economy

Chinese demand spurs LNG investment in Papua New Guinea

ExxonMobil and partners set to spend $9 billion to expand export capacity

1 March 2018
A ship departs a port in Zhanjiang, China, in July for Africa's Djibouti to dispatch members of the People's Liberation Army to man a military base there.
Politics

Brahma Chellaney: China is ensnaring vulnerable states in debt traps

The Maldives is just the latest nation at risk from Beijing's maneuvering

1 March 2018
Delegates from the 11-member Trans-Pacific Partnership meet in Da Nang, Vietnam Nov. 2017.
International relations

Revised TPP faces obstacles on road to ratification

Potential hurdles include internal politics and US return

24 February 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's remaining members ease path for trade deal

Approval by countries with majority of GDP no longer required to take effect

23 February 2018
Sime Darby Plantation has submitted preliminary expression of interest to purchase India’s Ruchi Soya.
Business deals

Sime Darby Plantation plans to cut stake in Papua unit

Submits initial bid to buy India's Ruchi Soya, 2Q net jumps 35% on year

22 February 2018
Mining heavyweight BHP Billiton recently upgraded its Olympic Dam copper facility (AAP Image)
Business

Australian miners ramp up investment in electric-vehicle metals

Copper and lithium among targets for spending as demand and prices climb

22 February 2018
The site of a Chinese-financed project to build a bridge connecting the Maldivian capital of Male with a nearby airport island (Photo by Yuji Kuronuma)
Politics

China debt puts the Maldives at risk of 'land grab,' ex-leader warns

Former president says Male government has opened the door to a takeover

22 February 2018
An aerial view of Male, the Maldives' capital.
Politics

Beijing hits back at criticism of its Maldives policy

Foreign ministry blasts 'land grab' allegations as 'absurd'

22 February 2018
A tanker loads LNG at ExxonMobil's PNG LNG plant off Port Moresby. (Courtesy of Oil Search)
Business trends

Chinese gas demand spurs new investments in Papua New Guinea

ExxonMobil and Total expected to commit $6bn to increase LNG export capacity

16 February 2018