Sri Lanka

Imran Khan, Pakistan's new prime minister, faces a long list of challenges to get his country's economy back on track. 
The Big Story

Imran Khan inherits an economy on the edge

Will Chinese investment save Pakistan -- or trap it?

17 October 2018
The small town of Sialkot, which supplies hand-sewn soccer balls for the World Cup, is one of Pakistan's few export success stories.
The Big Story

Pakistan struggles to reverse decades of industrial decline

Lack of export policy bites as India and other rivals pull further ahead

17 October 2018
IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde announced that Pakistan has formally asked for financial assistance on Oct. 11.
Economy

Pakistan formally asks IMF for help

Any bailout will require 'absolute transparency,' warns Lagarde

11 October 2018
BRI in progress: A freight train bound for Malaszewicze, Poland leaves the railway port in Yiwu, Zhejiang province, China.
Economy

China's Belt and Road investment hits high as overall FDI falls

Record sum poured into initiative in 2017 looks set to be beaten this year

8 October 2018
Nima Tenjing Sherpa smells a cup of coffee during a cupping in Kathmandu in July. (Courtesy of Green Land Organic Farm)
Life

Nepal -- the latest specialty coffee grower

Himalayan climate is ideal for coffee growing but farmers face numerous hurdles

7 October 2018
The Sinamale Bridge is often called the China-Maldives Friendship Bridge due to funding provided by Beijing. "We all love a bridge, but please don't push it on us," former Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed said.
Belt and Road

China's infrastructure diplomacy takes a beating in Asian elections

Maldives seen as latest example of Beijing's 'shortsighted' strategy

30 September 2018
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan visits Saudi Arabia on Sept. 18.
Belt and Road

Pakistan pulls out all stops to avert economic crisis

Khan revises budget and seeks Saudi participation in Belt and Road projects

26 September 2018
Sushma Swaraj, India's external affairs minister, canceled a meeting with Pakistan's foreign minister just one day after the talks were announced.
International relations

India abruptly cancels foreign minister talks with Pakistan

Short-lived plans quashed over cross-border killing of Indian police

22 September 2018
The China-backed Colombo Port City in Sri Lanka  @GettyImages
Belt and Road

Thailand sees shortcut to Belt and Road with Sri Lanka trade deal

Two nations to kick off bilateral FTA talks in Bangkok on Thursday

20 September 2018
The four Nepalese women climbers and the internationally famed mountaineers they are climbing with stop to admire the mountain during their acclimatization journey to the base camp of Mt. Saipal in March. (Photo by Ashok Thapa)
Life

An ascent for female emancipation in Nepal

Expedition of women bucks tradition and sexual stereotypes to climb 7,000-meter Mt. Saipal

19 September 2018
A Chinese soldier checks an aiming device: Nepal plans to join military drill with China, spurning India. 
International relations

After snubbing India, Nepal set to hold military drill with China

New Delhi on edge as Nepalese army plays down Chengdu exercise

12 September 2018
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan ponders how far to go in reviewing Belt and Road investments.
Opinion

China's Belt and Road partners will not hold back for long

Pakistan and other nations grumble but have few alternatives to Beijing's billions

12 September 2018
Pakistani troops take part in combat drills. The country has been accused of providing a safe haven to Taliban militants from neighboring Afghanistan.
International relations

US urges Pakistan's cooperation on Afghan militants

Pompeo meets new premier Khan after Washington cancels $300m aid

6 September 2018
A woman carries a sack of reusable items found at a garbage dump site in Dhaka.
Opinion

Asia's waste management failures reach crisis levels

Japan offers lessons in how to handle the challenge quickly and cost-effectively

5 September 2018
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan is set to meet Wednesday with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
4 September 2018
Prime Minister and the leader of Pakistan Tahreek-e-Insaf party Imran Khan seized power in an election in July. 
Economy

Pakistan rules out possible IMF bailout funds to repay China

Officials say Islamabad examining options as it seeks way out of debt crisis

3 September 2018
India scratched out a rare victory over England in the third cricket test match in Nottingham, England on Aug. 22.
Life

Asian cricketers still getting mauled when straying far from home

World governing body wants to implement proposals to avoid 'boring' games

30 August 2018
Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping before a meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on April 8, 2016. 
Belt and Road

Sri Lanka sinks deeper into China's grasp as debt woes spiral

Colombo to borrow $1bn from China and issue $250mn Panda bonds before year-end

29 August 2018
Asia cannot go on like this.
Opinion

A warming Asia needs to chill

Record high temperatures highlight the need to avoid a cooling crisis

24 August 2018
Sailors aboard the Akebono, a Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force vessel. The ship called at the Sri Lankan port of Hambantota in April.
International relations

Japan makes its move in Indian Ocean power game

Defense minister tours Sri Lanka as part of drive to check China

22 August 2018
Charisma helped Imran Khan win Pakistan's election, but will it help the new prime minister confront the country's stark political and economic realities? (Reuters)
The Nikkei View

Towering hurdles for Pakistan's new government

Massive debt, IMF pressure and diplomatic tightropes threaten Imran Khan's populist pledges

22 August 2018
The attack took place in southwestern Balochistan Province, the heart of the $62 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. @AFP/Jiji
Belt and Road

Terrorist attacks show Pakistan's need to reassure China on security

Suicide bombing on key part of Belt and Road may make Beijing nervous

21 August 2018
Thousands of sports lovers visited the Pakistan pavilion at Sportec 2018, held in July at Tokyo Big Site. (Photo by Go Yamada)
Business trends

Field is wide open in Japan for Pakistan's sporting goods makers

World's top manufacturer of soccer balls gears up for 2020 Tokyo Olympics

20 August 2018
A Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force vessel enters a harbor in Manila, the Philippines. Tokyo wants to deepen security ties with other Asian nations to offset Chinese influence.
International relations

Japanese defense chief kicks off tour of India and Sri Lanka

Tokyo seeks greater security ties to curb Beijing's regional clout

20 August 2018
A freight train bound for Tehran is pictured in China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in May.
Belt and Road

Turkey crisis rattles Asian nations with rising Belt and Road debts

Costly Chinese projects could leave emerging economies with a hangover

19 August 2018