Pacific Islands

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
The Center skyscraper fetched a record price for a Hong Kong office building in late 2017.
Property

China-fueled property boom distorts markets in Asia-Oceania

Authorities move to stop overheating as soaring prices cause concern

14 February 2018
An investor watches the electronic board at a stock exchange hall on Feb. 9 in Chengdu, China.
Equities

China stocks lead Friday's Asian sell-off after US plunge

Hong Kong H-shares and Shanghai drop 4% as Tokyo market falls 2%

9 February 2018
Yuan Longping of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, center, aimed to achieve a yield of 17 tons per hectare by age 90. He succeeded at 87.
Economy

Who will feed China? 87-year-old rice expert answers the call

Yuan Longping's superstrain raises hopes for averting a global food crisis

8 February 2018
Australia's Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull speaking to the press at Parliament House in Canberra on Dec. 5, 2017.
Politics

Australia's proposed secrecy laws raise press freedom fears

Opposition demands greater protection for journalists

8 February 2018
An Indonesian Muslim holds up a poster during a rally calling for the arrest of Jakarta's then-incumbent governor Basuki Purnama.
Politics

Democracy rankings put Asia in poor standing

Six of seven regions around the world slipped in freedoms for 2017

8 February 2018
U.S. President Donald Trump arrives for the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 25.
International relations

Message to Trump -- no TPP renegotiation

Asia-Pacific states should welcome back the US but only on original terms

7 February 2018
Screens show the Nikkei index, left, and the Dow in Tokyo on Feb. 6. (Photo by Maho Obata)
Equities

Asian stock rout worsens as Nikkei index plunges nearly 5%

Algorithmic trading blamed for deepening the losses

6 February 2018
Australian National University Emeritus Professor Peter Drysdale speaks to the Nikkei Asian Review in Tokyo. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Interview

Asian coalition needed to keep multilateral trade alive

Peter Drysdale argues RCEP potential not to be underestimated

6 February 2018