Pakistan

© Illustration by Eric Chow
Asia Insight

China runs into Belt and Road barriers in South Asia

Countries try to slow Beijing's advance without provoking hostility

5 February 2019
RCBC told the Philippine Stock Exchange on Friday that it was aware of a complaint filed in the US by the Bangladesh central bank.
Companies

Bangladesh Bank sues Philippine lender over $81m cyber theft

RCBC hits out at Dhaka's legal action as 'covering up their own liability'

1 February 2019
China has poured huge amounts of money into developing the port of Gwadar, a key hub in its China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, but Pakistan has now opened the door for Saudi investment in an oil refinery in the area, stoking tensions.
International relations

Saudi investment in Pakistan stokes tensions with China

Riyadh's billion dollar refinery projects in Gwadar seen irking Beijing

28 January 2019
Central Bank of Sri Lanka Gov. Indrajit Coomaraswamy expects the Indian Ocean tug of war between China and India to help his country secure aid. (Photo by Yuji Kuronuma)
Interview

Sri Lanka set to avert debt crisis this year: central bank chief

South Asian island plays balancing act to secure bailouts from China and India

27 January 2019
Karachi, a city of up to 25 million people and Pakistan's economic center, is working to contain the violence that has driven away business from the country.
The Big Story

Can a revival in Karachi spark change in Pakistan?

Violence is declining sharply, but poor basic services plague businesses

23 January 2019
Police disperse a rally in downtown Karachi. The city has been plagued by violence and corruption, setting the scene for superintendent Omar Shahid Hamid's widely read crime novels.
The Big Story

Novelist's hard-boiled fiction reflects his life as a top Karachi cop

Omar Shahid Hamid has survived gunshots and life on a hit list

23 January 2019
Foreign tourists explore an old Dutch built Fort along the Southern coastal belt in Sri Lanka. (Photo by Rajpal Abeynayake)
Tea Leaves

Sri Lanka recovers its tourism mojo

Touted as a top global destination for 2019, challenges remain

23 January 2019
Sri Lanka is in dire straits as the debt-strapped country confronts a looming balance of payment crisis.
Economy

Sri Lanka seeks regional bailout as balance of payments crisis looms

Colombo looks to India and China for financial assistance and renegotiates with IMF

21 January 2019
Emerging economies across Asia have long had a relatively low ratio of government debt to gross domestic product.
Economy

Public debt in emerging Asia creeps past 50% of GDP

Region opens fiscal taps, but borrowing could spell trouble in next slowdown

21 January 2019
Foreign ministers from ASEAN member states met in Chiang Mai, Thailand on Jan. 17 and 18. (Photo by Apornrath Phoonphongphiphat)
18 January 2019
The gateway to Hambantota port in Sri Lanka, now controlled by the Chinese. (Photo by Yuji Kuronuma)
Economy

Sri Lanka taps forex reserve to whittle down debt

Billions more owed this year, much of it to China, after market fundraising fails

16 January 2019
A man shops for grocery items at a store in Peshawar, Pakistan. Indonesia is tapping Muslim markets such as Pakistan as export destinations.
Economy

Indonesia doubles trade missions to Muslim markets in export push

Widodo promotes textiles, footwear and train cars, competing with Chinese goods

15 January 2019
A controversial bidding process has resulted in a contract for a dam project in Pakistan going to a consortium that includes a company founded by one of Prime Minister Imran Khan's advisers. The dam seen here is from a file photo.
Belt and Road

Pakistan dam in spotlight as contract goes to former China critic

PM Khan's adviser faces conflict of interest cries after family company wins bid

11 January 2019
Garment factory workers took to Dhaka's streets for a fifth straight day on Jan. 10 to protest pay practices.
Economy

Over 100 Bangladesh garment plants halt operations in strike

Wage woes stir outcry at world's No. 2 exporter, in blow to H&M

11 January 2019
Maia Santos-Deguito was found guilty of money laundering offenses in relation to the 2016 heist of Bangladesh's central bank. (Photo by Cliff Venzon).
Most read in 2019

Philippine court finds banker guilty over Bangladesh Bank heist

Dhaka wants Manila to expedite other cases related to $81m theft in 2016

10 January 2019
In August, a suicide bomber wounded six people, including three Chinese engineers, in an attack on a bus in Balochistan. (AFP/Jiji)
Belt and Road

Pakistani separatists vow to target Belt and Road projects

Insurgents say leader's killing won't stop attacks unless China ends exploitation

8 January 2019
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina knows China and India must court her. (Photo by Akira Kodaka)
Opinion

Victory strengthens Hasina's foreign policy hand

Election win reinforces Bangladesh leader's position in dealings with New Delhi and Beijing

8 January 2019
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan attends talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping (not pictured) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Nov. 2.
Belt and Road

Pakistan asks China to diversify investments, PM adviser says

Country wants more Chinese money in agriculture, industrialization and education

4 January 2019
An LNG ship prepares to berth at the new LNG receiving terminal in Zhoushan, China.
Commodities

Ship shortage threatens Asian LNG market growth

Vessel supply not keeping pace with surging demand for spot charters

2 January 2019
Dhaka residents stand next to a mural of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who has been accused of suppressing opposition groups. (Photo by Yuji Kuronuma)
Politics

Modi congratulates Bangladeshi leader as opposition calls for revote

Hasina faces rocky start to new term after election marred by violence

1 January 2019
Pakistani soldiers stop traffic outside the heavily protected port town of Gwadar in southern Pakistan.
Belt and Road

Rural Pakistan voices dissatisfaction over Belt & Road

Province home to Gwadar Port says $62bn project not evenly distributed

31 December 2018
The USS John C. Stennis, seen in this filed photo, took part in a mission near Sri Lanka in early December. (Getty Images)
International relations

China and US play the Great Game in South Asia

US Navy using Sri Lanka to counter China's growing Indian Ocean presence

29 December 2018
The government's probe into alleged corruption in a gas deal the previous administration signed with Qatar could backfire if much-needed imports are halted.
International relations

Pakistan's probe into Qatar gas deal risks worsening power cuts

PM Khan caught between pledge to rid corruption and country's energy needs

26 December 2018
Supporters of the ruling Awami League campaign ahead of the general election in Dhaka, Bangladesh. 
Politics

Bangladesh parties outbid each other promising growth

Hasina's Awami League boasts decade of expansion heading into Sunday's election

26 December 2018
A bear market has driven investors into holding vigil at the Nepal Stock Exchange. (Photo by Deepak Adhikari)
Markets

Protesting investors demand Nepal market reforms

Companies hesitate on listing amid suspicions of Communist government's plans

26 December 2018