Oceania

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, left, shakes hands with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz ahead of a G-7 summit in Brussels on March 24. The two leaders are expected to discuss issues such as Russia's invasion of Ukraine when Scholz visits Japan this week.
Your Week in Asia

Raisina Dialogue, German chancellor visits Japan, New Zealand expands reopening

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

24 April 2022
New Zealand Minister for Trade and Export Growth Damien O'Connor. (Photo by Tetsuya Kitayama) 
Interview

N.Z. calls for potential CPTPP members to meet 'high standards'

Membership negotiations with U.K. will be held cautiously, says Minister O'Connor

22 April 2022
Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare, left, and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi attend a signing ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China on Oct. 9, 2019. (File photo by Reuters) 
International relations

Taiwan joins chorus against China's pact with Solomon Islands

Taipei urges Pacific nation not to be 'China's military bargaining chip'

22 April 2022
Santos decided last year to build a $165 million carbon capture facility in central Australia. (Photo courtesy of Santos)
Climate Change

Australia's Santos aims for 'world's largest' carbon capture plant

Decarbonization tech gains traction in resource-rich country to offset emissions

22 April 2022
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida agreed in Tokyo to start negotiations to share information and intelligence. 
International relations

Japan, New Zealand in talks to share information and intelligence

PM Ardern stresses importance of bilateral ties in move toward renewable energy

21 April 2022
Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in Beijing in 2019. Diplomatic ties between the countries have grown closer under Sogavare.
Indo-Pacific

China-Solomon Islands security pact raises red flags in Washington

Deal sparks speculation of Beijing's base-building ambitions

21 April 2022
A display case shows photos outside Chinese Embassy in Honiara, Solomon Islands, on April 2: China is here to stay in the Pacific.
Opinion

Solomon Islands pact cements China's Pacific power status

Recent controversy is just the first step in a long-running struggle

19 April 2022
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern appears at Wellington International Airport on April 13, after the country's borders reopened to Australian tourists at 11:59 pm on April 12. 
International relations

New Zealand PM eyes economy reboot with Japan, Singapore visits

As approval ratings dip, Ardern seeks political boost with tourism, trade

18 April 2022
Narendra Modi, right, and Scott Morrison, upper left, hold a virtual signing ceremony on April 2: India is slowly emerging from its protectionist cocoon. (Handout photo from India's Press Information Bureau)
Opinion

India and Australia's winning deal on trade will boost the Quad

Canberra and New Delhi finally move beyond cricket, curry and the Commonwealth

18 April 2022
Scott Morrison addresses the media in Canberra on April 10: The coalition ad used evocative cinematography.
Opinion

Australia's Scott Morrison sharpens his pitch for the 'bloke vote'

Conservative coalition is counting on conservative men to win reelection

18 April 2022
GoTo was formed last May through a merger between Gojek, a ride-hailing and payments super app, and the e-commerce giant Tokopedia. It was the biggest merger in Indonesian corporate history. (Photo courtesy of GoTo group) 
Your Week in Asia

Indonesia's GoTo IPO, China economic data, Hong Kong's one man race

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

10 April 2022
Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison speaks to reporters in Sydney on Feb. 24.
Australia election

Australian PM Morrison calls general election on May 21

Trailing in polls, ruling coalition is attacking Labor for being 'pro-China'

10 April 2022
A container ship off Mumbai. The India-Australia deal is expected to almost double bilateral annual trade in the next five years.
Indo-Pacific

India-Australia trade pact pushes back against 'panda in the room'

Long-stalled deal came together as Quad partners aim to cut dependence on China

10 April 2022
Alvin Chau's Suncity Group has been forced to shut the VIP rooms it operated with all six of Macao's casino operators. (Source photos by Ken Kobayashi and Getty Images) 
Business Spotlight

Downfall of Macao's junket king rocks Asia-Pacific gambling world

Alvin Chau was seen as a pillar of the community but now sits in jail

8 April 2022
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi at NATO headquarters in Brussels.
Ukraine war

NATO, Asia-Pacific partners agree to bolster cooperation

Cyber defense, new technologies and countering disinformation will become focus

8 April 2022
The U.S., U.K. and Australia will cooperate on the development of hypersonic weapons and electronic warfare capabilities. 
6 April 2022
The Port of Newcastle in Australia is expected to get busier now that Russia's invasion of Ukraine is adding to the upward pressure on coal prices. (AAP)
Energy

Australian coal majors' earnings swell as demand takes off

'Live with virus' strategies, Ukraine war, even bad weather inflate prices

4 April 2022
Scott Morrison at Parliament House on Mar. 29: things may not go according to plan.
Opinion

Do not count Australia's ruling coalition out just yet

A change of government is likely, but not definite

4 April 2022
China's first F1 driver, Zhou Guanyu, and Thai driver Alex Albon will take part in the Formula One Australian Grand Prix when the event returns after a two-year hiatus.
Your Week in Asia

Asian Development Outlook, Samsung earnings, Australian Grand Prix

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

3 April 2022
The tie-up is designed to ease the investment burden on NTT, the world's third-largest data center operator.
Telecommunication

NTT ties up with Australian fund Macquarie in data center investment

$800m deal to co-own European and American facilities of Japanese telecom group

2 April 2022
Solomon Islands citizens tour a landing craft from a New Zealand ship that dropped off personnel and supplies in 2013. The islands' government is drawing closer to China. (Photo courtesy of U.S. Navy)
International relations

No China base: Solomon Islands' denial does little to quell fears

Analyst says Sogavare risks boxing himself in despite vow not to choose sides

29 March 2022
Regulators in New South Wales have been holding public hearings as part of their review of Star’s suitability to run its flagship casino in Sydney.
Travel & Leisure

CEO of Australian casino group Star quits amid Chinese cash probe

Bekier 'takes responsibility' for alleged failings of money laundering controls

28 March 2022
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, whose government will unveil a new budget on March 29, is seeking to engineer a come-from-behind election victory.
Economy

Australia PM faces budget test as inflation flares before election

Morrison set to court vulnerable voters amid calls to spend responsibly

28 March 2022
Uluru, the massive sandstone monolith also known as Ayers Rock, is one of Australia's most important Indigenous sites. (Getty Images)
Tea Leaves

Time to listen to Australia's Indigenous voices

After 234 years, original inhabitants deserve proper hearing

23 March 2022
Loy Yang coal fired power station, operated by AGL Energy, in the state of Victoria. Australia relies on coal for more than half of its power generation.
Energy

Australian power companies speed closure of coal-fired plants

Doubts grow over security of country's power supply

22 March 2022