Myanmar

Myanmar's garment industry will be irreparably damaged if the EU ends privileged access for the country's exports.
Opinion

Misplaced calls for Myanmar sanctions threaten wrong people

EU trade restrictions in response to Rohingya crisis would hurt ordinary workers

22 November 2019
The days of stack-them-high, sell-them-cheap "fast fashion" are coming to an end, casting a shadow over the South and Southeast Asian economies that, for decades, positioned themselves as hubs for the most basic elements of the garment supply chain. (Photo by Rie Ishii)
The Big Story

How the death of fast fashion is transforming Asia's garment industry

New technology and demanding consumers unravel a decadeslong race to the bottom

20 November 2019
American-born historian Thant Myint-U had front-row seats to Myanmar's opening up and uncertain transition toward democracy.  
Life

Historian gives inside view of Myanmar's bumpy journey

New book by former adviser Thant Myint-U brings difficult transition to life

20 November 2019
Stream article image
Markets

Asian stocks gain as investors weigh trade deal prospects

Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea jump in Mumbai after price-increase plan

19 November 2019
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and the European Union flag. The EU last week sent Cambodia its preliminary report on whether to suspend the country from special trade privileges over its human rights record. (Nikkei Montage/ Source photo by Reuters)
Hun Sen's Cambodia

Hun Sen rival faces trial even as EU threatens Cambodia sanctions

Kem Sokha will be tried for treason despite being released from house arrest

19 November 2019
Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen, pictured at the ASEM leaders summit in Brussels in October 2018: external pressure is unlikely to transform the mindset of those in power.
Opinion

European trade threats risk pushing Cambodia closer to China

Beijing offers financial backing under framework of noninterference

19 November 2019
Yoma's Serge Pun, left, and Ayala's Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala have been friends for years. (Photo by Weixiang Lim)
Business deals

Ayala keen to 'replicate' Yoma deal with more ASEAN family empires

'Chemistry' was key in Philippine and Myanmar conglomerates' rare tie-up

16 November 2019
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has been criticized for quashing the opposition during his more than three decades in power.
Hun Sen's Cambodia

Cambodian leader releases activists to save EU trade perks

Hun Sen eases grip on opposition after blocking Sam Rainsy's homecoming

16 November 2019
The tie-up will boost Southeast Asian expansion plans for both groups.
Business deals

Yoma shares surge on $238m capital tie-up with Ayala

Philippine conglomerate emerges as major shareholder of Myanmar group

14 November 2019
Algae is collected at a lake in Myanmar for use as fertilizer. Daiwa Securities will enter the business of microlendiing in the country to low-income people.
Finance

Daiwa to offer microloans to low-income earners in Myanmar

Japanese brokerage expands operations in emerging economy

14 November 2019
Ayala Chairman and CEO Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala looks to capitalize on rising incomes and increasing integration across Southeast Asia. (Photo courtesy of Ayala)
Business deals

Asia powerhouses unite as Ayala invests in Myanmar conglomerate

Philippine group tightens bond with Serge Pun via $238m deal

14 November 2019
Wave Money is the largest mobile payment services provider in Myanmar. Transactions via its platform exceeded 2 trillion kyat for the first time in 2018. (Photo by Yuichi Nitta)
Business deals

Singapore's Yoma increases stake in Myanmar's Wave Money

$6m investment strengthens foothold in fast-growing mobile payments sector

13 November 2019
A mysteriously long runway has appeared near the site of a planned resort that a Chinese company is building in Cambodia, along the Gulf of Thailand. (Photo by Tomoya Onishi)
International relations

Cambodia's China-built runway irks US but locals have other concerns

Farmers and workers carry on as Chinese transplants drive up land prices

11 November 2019
Cambodia's self-exiled opposition party founder Sam Rainsy hugs a supporter during his arrival at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Saturday.
Hun Sen's Cambodia

Sam Rainsy enters Malaysia ahead of planned Cambodia homecoming

Hun Sen's government appears willing to allow opposition leader's return

9 November 2019
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen attends a funeral in Phnom Penh. Cambodia has sent arrest warrants for Rainsy to all 10 members of the Southeast Asian bloc.
Hun Sen's Cambodia

Hun Sen rival blocked from flight as Cambodia showdown heats up

Sam Rainsy unable to transit via Thailand as he faces ASEAN roadblocks to homecoming

8 November 2019
Street vendors sell vegetables in Yangon. Japanese insurer Taiyo Life sees door-to-door sales as the key to opening up the Myanmar market. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Insurance

Japan's Taiyo Life goes big on hiring in Myanmar's tiny insurance market

Company plans to mobilize as many as 5,000 for door-to-door sales

7 November 2019
Myanmar's State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi attends a meeting in Bangkok on Nov. 3, on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit. 
International relations

UN chief calls on Myanmar to ensure 'safe' Rohingya repatriation

Guterres -- and Indonesia's Jokowi -- increase pressure on Suu Kyi

3 November 2019
France's President Emmanuel Macron embarks on a three-day visit to China this week.
This Week in Asia

SoftBank results, Macron meets Xi at Shanghai Expo, Huawei's Ren and RCEP talks

Nikkei Asian Preview is your weekly lineup of Asia's biggest business and political events

3 November 2019
A Cambodian woman works at a loom: The European Union will soon complete a review of human rights in the Southeast Asian country that could make it ineligible for trade preferences.
International relations

EU weighs softer stance toward Cambodia over human rights

Official says ending trade preferences will impoverish already-poor workers

3 November 2019
Cambodian riot police are seen in Phnom Penh. Opposition leader Sam Rainsy’s planned return coincides with Independence Day and security personnel across the Kingdom have been put on alert over the past few weeks.
Politics

Cambodia braces for showdown with EU over opposition icon

Garment industry stands to lose access to biggest market if Sam Rainsy is arrested

2 November 2019
Myanmar's auto market is growing, but local production is still getting off the ground.
Automobiles

Race for Myanmar's auto market heats up as Toyota builds factory

Carmaker chases Suzuki, Ford and Hyundai in Southeast Asia's final frontier

2 November 2019
Drilling at a KrisEnergy-operated oilfield in the Gulf of Thailand. The company is funneling its limited cash toward its Cambodia offshore concession. (Photo courtesy of KrisEnergy)
Industry in focus

Cambodian oil: the dream that refuses to die

Sector beset by delays and corruption now pins its hopes on debt-crippled energy firm

1 November 2019
Shinta Mani Wild river at dusk. (Courtesy of Bensley Collection -- Shinta Mani Wild and Elise Hassey)
Life

Going 'wild' in Cambodia's Cardamom Mountains

Luxury hotel designer Bill Bensley's Shinta Mani resort is as green as it gets

1 November 2019
A woman works at a sewing machine during a power outage in Yangon on May 24.
Economy

Myanmar rushes power plant projects to avoid more blackouts

Critics say harsh contract terms are scaring off potential bidders

28 October 2019
Rohingya refugees march on to camps after crossing the border from Myanmar into Bangladesh in October 2017. Their situation remains tenuous two years later.
Comment

Rohingya crisis redraws fault lines in Myanmar politics

Conflicting views of public, military and international community hem Suu Kyi in

24 October 2019