Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, left, and ASEAN Secretary General Le Luong Minh shake hands after signing the migrant worker deal in Manila on Nov. 14. (Photo by Simon Roughneen)
Economy

ASEAN migrant worker deal gets cautious welcome

Critics cite limitations, such as ability of nations to opt out of key provisions

24 November 2017
The planned missile is seen being equipped on the cutting-edge F-35 stealth fighter used by Japan's Air Self-Defense Force. (Courtesy of ASDF)
International relations

Japan and UK to collaborate on missile development

Tokyo's first non-US partnership would develop an air-to-air weapon

24 November 2017
Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali, left, meets with Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi in Naypyitaw on Thursday.
Rohingya crisis

Myanmar and Bangladesh reach deal to repatriate Rohingya

Refugees to start returning in two months, with details still up in the air

24 November 2017
APEC leaders pose for a group photo in Danang, Vietnam, on Nov. 11.
Economy

Trump's tour of Asia shows just how powerful Xi has become

'America first' takes second place to trade deals being crafted by China

23 November 2017
Lippo first ventured into overseas hospital operations with Pun Hlaing Siloam Hospital in Yangon.
Business

Indonesia's Lippo Group spreads its hospital network to China

Company inks agreement with China Merchants Group to manage 100 facilities

23 November 2017
Water bus rides cost the equivalent of 22 cents.
Business

Yangon's new water bus lets commuters sail around gridlock

City hopes to ease traffic, but so far most passengers are tourists

23 November 2017
Bangkok's SkyTrain keeps commuters off the clogged roads. (Photo by Shinya Sawai)
The Big Story

How Bangkok became a model for mass transit

The city's safe and reliable rail systems give emerging Asia something to aspire to

22 November 2017
Workers move a steel girder at a metro construction site in Ho Chi Minh City. (Photo by Shinya Sawai)
The Big Story

Emerging Asian economies race to build metros amid choking congestion

Manila, Jakarta and Ho Chi Minh City invest heavily in new transport systems

22 November 2017
Japan's Don Don Up sells used clothing from Japan at its Dondondown on Wednesday outlets in Cambodia.
Business

Japan's clothing recyclers find eager markets in Southeast Asia

Don Don Up, Geo, Treasure Factory enjoying hot demand for secondhand items

22 November 2017
Commuters from Dala township arrive in downtown Yangon on the morning ferry. (Photo by Steve Gilmore)
Economy

Myanmar GDP growth to rebound despite Rakhine crisis

IMF sees strong FDI as government readies 'second wave' of economic reforms

22 November 2017
Police officers stand guard at the Supreme Court in Phnom Penh on Nov. 16, during a hearing prior to the ruling to dissolve the main opposition party.
Politics

Cambodian business world shrugs off political crackdown

Execs signal confidence as opposition dissolved, but unrest simmers

21 November 2017
Myanmar's State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi speaks at a news conference at Myanmar International Convention Center in Naypyitaw on Nov. 21.
Politics

Suu Kyi promises 'steady progress' on Rohingya refugees issue

Myanmar's State Counselor to discuss problem at bilateral meeting with Bangladesh

21 November 2017
Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, left, talks with Federica Mogherini, the EU's top diplomat, in Naypyitaw on Nov. 20.
Rohingya crisis

EU pushes Myanmar for speedy end to refugee crisis

Suu Kyi stresses threats from illegal migration and extremism

21 November 2017
Rohingya refugees walk towards a refugee camp after crossing the border in Anjuman Para near Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, November 19, 2017
Politics

UN ready to help Myanmar process Rohingya citizenship

High Commissioner says crisis is worst since Balkan War and Rwanda

20 November 2017
Federica Mogherini, right, the EU foreign policy chief, speaks during the Asia-Europe Foreign Ministers' meeting in Naypyitaw.
International relations

European countries to press Suu Kyi on Rohingya crisis

Foreign ministers likely to ask for independent investigation

20 November 2017
Police officers stand guard at the Supreme Court in Phnom Penh on Nov. 16 during a hearing prior to the ruling to dissolve the main opposition party.
Politics

One-party Cambodia's grim message

China-backed authoritarianism on the rise as US retreats

20 November 2017
Soe Thane, then a Myanmar government minister, speaks to the Nikkei during the 2015 Future of Asia conference in Tokyo. (Photo by Masayuki Kozono)
Politics

Minister's memoir highlights roots of Myanmar reform

Leading reformer gives first insider's glimpse into Thein Sein administration

18 November 2017
China has created concrete landscapes on reclaimed islands in the South China Sea that were previously little more than reefs and sand bars. REUTERS/Erik De Castro
International relations

China, ASEAN still far from South China Sea code of conduct

Leaders endorse framework after 17 years, but the 'legally binding' question remains

17 November 2017
Rohingya Muslims wait to receive aid at a refugee camp in Ukhiya, Bangladesh.
Politics

UN rebukes Myanmar rights violations against Rohingya

Country rejects resolution calling for accountability against military

17 November 2017
Supporters of Kem Sokha, the imprisoned leader of the shuttered Cambodia National Rescue Party, outside a Phnom Penh court in September.
Politics

Cambodian opposition dissolved as Hun Sen consolidates control

Supreme Court hammers 'final nail in the coffin' of Cambodian democracy

16 November 2017
Japan's Minister of Economic Revitalization Toshimitsu Motegi, right, and Vietnam's Industry and Trade Minister Tran Tuan Anh shake hands after a news conference at the TPP Ministerial Meeting in Da Nang, Vietnam on Nov. 11.
Economy

The TPP 11 rekindle multilateral trade hopes as Trump looks on

Broad agreement on US-less trade pact could set the tone for other deals

16 November 2017
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte addresses the ASEAN Business and Investment Summit in Manila on Nov. 12. (Photo by Yukako Ono)
Politics

Duterte says the South China Sea dispute is better left untouched

Philippine president echoes China's opposition to a 'useless war'

16 November 2017
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks on the final day of the APEC CEO Summit in Danang, Vietnam on Nov. 10.
Politics

Can an 'America first' approach restore US leadership in Asia?

Trump embraces Indo-Pacific vision but remains fixated on 'fair' bilateral deals

16 November 2017
Stream article image
Politics

Tillerson demands honest probe of Rohingya 'atrocities'

US secretary of state makes appeal after meeting Suu Kyi in Myanmar

16 November 2017
U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping make joint statements at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Nov. 9.
Economy

Xi Jinping bests Trump in Asia-Pacific diplomacy

US push for bilateral trade deals could make or break its regional influence

15 November 2017