Sri Lanka

"As the budget unfolds and the cost of living in Pakistan rises, there will be resentment on the streets," one economist predicted.
Economy

Pakistan's Khan stuck between IMF and public with crisis budget due

Analysts warn of backlash if PM attempts 'most difficult' reforms yet

5 June 2019
Sri Lankan Army soldiers secure the area around St. Anthony's Shrine after a blast in Colombo on April 21.
Opinion

After Sri Lanka, Asia should brace itself for more IS terrorist attacks

States must counter youth radicalization with educational, social and economic plans

5 June 2019
When government officials abruptly revealed  that the drilling project had been abandoned after its failure to find any gas or oil reserves, Khan and his government faced rapidly mounting criticism.
Politics

Imran Khan under fire after Pakistan fails to find offshore oil

Critics say prime minister trying to deflect attention from massive IMF loan

3 June 2019
Chinese President Xi Jinping,right, speaks to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a visit to a Buddhist Temple in Xian, Shaanxi province. India and China are fighting for influence in an area that India regards as its backyard.
International relations

Modi eyes fiercer rivalry with China over neighbors in second term

India to be tested in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh while ignoring Pakistan

2 June 2019
From left: Malaysia's Mahathir Mohamad, Bangladesh's Sheikh Hasina and Cambodia's Hun Sen speak at Nikkei's Future of Asia conference on May 30.
The Future of Asia 2019

Cambodia's Hun Sen quashes Chinese 'debt trap' fears

Political and business luminaries discuss Asia's future at Nikkei forum

30 May 2019
Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina speaks at the Future of Asia conference on May 30. (Photo by Yuki Nakao)
The Future of Asia 2019

Bangladesh grows beyond garments to technology, PM Hasina says

Digital technology is 'reducing inequality' and 'creating opportunities'

30 May 2019
In Narendra Modi’s India, playing the nationalist card means playing the religious community card. (Photo by Kosaku Mimura)
Comment

The dark side of Modi's election victory

Divisive campaign rhetoric leaves many Indians feeling insecure

29 May 2019
Pakistan is one of the world’s worst performers when it comes to income tax collection. Less than 1% of its population of more than 210 million pays an income tax.
Economy

Pakistan’s tax amnesty leaves doubt as wealthy keep evasive methods

Low-income workers discover bank accounts opened in their names by the rich

22 May 2019
Tourists businesses in Kathmandu have increasingly focused on Chinese visitors as their numbers surge.
Companies

Nepal bans China's Alipay and WeChat Pay

Central bank move comes as Kathmandu draws close to Beijing

21 May 2019
A security robot with Huawei 5G technology: Despite many denials, Huawei has failed to clear the air on security concerns.
Opinion

Huawei's Asian partners right to defy Trump -- for now

Developing states will resist U.S. pressure but China cannot take them for granted

21 May 2019
© Illustration by Michael Tsang
Asia Insight

Islamic State sneaks into Asia through family terror cells

Sri Lanka bombers' wealth and choice of explosives raise red flags

21 May 2019
Shopping for groceries at a store in Peshawar. Pakistan's rupee has become Asia's weakest currency in recent months.
Economy

Pakistan hikes interest rates to 5-year high after IMF deal

Inflation-fighting move takes borrowing rate to more than 12%

21 May 2019
Port of Colombo is an important strategic spot for both China and Japan. (Photo by Yuji Kuronuma)
International relations

Japan and India to develop Colombo port, countering Belt and Road

With Sri Lanka, partners take on China's expanding Indian Ocean presence

20 May 2019
Men pray at a mosque at the Xinjiang Islamic Institute in Urumqi, in China's Xinjiang autonomous region, in January. Some observers believe that the $62 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor has provided reasons for Islamabad to look the other way on the Uighur issue.
International relations

Pakistan's silence on fasting ban for China Uighurs riles activists

But is public resentment enough to force PM Khan's government to confront Beijing?

20 May 2019
India and Pakistan have not been on speaking terms since February, when Indian warplanes flew into Pakistani airspace to strike what India said is a militant training camp.
India elections

Indian election keeps Pakistan anxious

Nuclear-armed neighbors 'cannot keep tensions high indefinitely'

18 May 2019
A Pakistani money changer counts US dollar bills in Islamabad. Pakistan's IMF loan deal is likely to further devalue the nation's currency.
Economy

Pakistan's currency in line for further hits after IMF loan

Famously stubborn tax evaders in focus as opposition rejects deal's provisions

14 May 2019
A Paramilitary soldier takes position beside a wall during an attack on the Chinese consulate, where blasts and shots were heard, in Karachi, Pakistan on Nov. 23, 2018.
Belt and Road

Pakistan insurgent attacks on China project seen to persist

Despite high risks to CPEC, Beijing will not back down on investments, experts say

13 May 2019
Pakistan has faced an economic crisis over the past year.
International relations

Pakistan and IMF negotiators reach $6bn loan deal

Pact will show effective reforms are underway, finance minister says

13 May 2019
Thailand is one of nine telecom markets where Axiata and Telenor are active.
Business deals

Telenor CEO vows to 'control' Asia tie-up with Axiata

Singtel and Viettel are also bent on Southeast Asian domination

9 May 2019
A photovoltaic power station, installed over a reservoir, borders flowering fields in Hefei, Anhui Province. For some observers, China has emerged as an environmental protector as it battles to clean up its polluted landscape.
The Big Story

China finally gets serious about cleaning up

World's biggest polluter turns would-be environmental protector with green tech investments

8 May 2019
Axiata operates mobile services in Malaysia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Cambodia and Nepal. Telenor serves Thailand, Malaysia, Myanmar, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
Business deals

Malaysia's Axiata and Norway's Telenor to merge Asia services

5G competition push regional rivals to join hands in challenge to Singtel

6 May 2019
Supporters of India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party celebrate the U.N. Security Council's decision to blacklist Masood Azhar, head of Pakistan-based militant group Jaish-e-Mohammed. REUTERS/Amit Dave
India elections

Modi boosted in election by UN listing of Pakistani terrorist

India's decadelong campaign finally given tacit greenlight by China

6 May 2019
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has made three changes in his economic team in less than a month, suggesting he has yet to set the stage for the country’s economic direction.
Economy

Pakistan appoints IMF official for new central bank governor

PM Khan's changes to economic team come amid new loan discussions

6 May 2019
Sri Lanka's Muslim population is unusually important in its business life.
Opinion

Sri Lanka and Asia's failure of tolerance

Island's tragedy highlights regional inability to counter sectarian divisions

6 May 2019
A woman lights a candle during a vigil to show solidarity with the victims of Sri Lanka's serial bomb blasts, inside a college in Kolkata, India on April 26.
Politics

Five things to know a week after the Sri Lanka bombings

Blasts a wake-up call to India and China, competing for influence on the island

28 April 2019