Philippines

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has lifted a six-year moratorium on oil exploration in the South China Sea. 
Energy

Manila asserts 'economic rights' in lifting South China Sea ban

Duterte OKs drilling, raising hopes for joint exploration with Beijing

16 October 2020
Perturbed Duterte couldn't contain his growing frustration.
Opinion

'Game of Thrones' style infighting threatens Philippines COVID revival

President Duterte has squandered unprecedented political advantages

16 October 2020
Philippine President Rodrigo Roa Duterte holds a news conference on Oct. 14.  (Photo courtesy of the Presidential Communications Operations Office)
South China Sea

Duterte reopens South China Sea oil exploration amid Beijing talks

Philippines takes step toward joint projects with China despite maritime dispute

16 October 2020
Large Singaporean companies are less transparent than those in Thailand and Malaysia, according to a report that covered companies in ASEAN nations.
Companies

Singapore corporate governance worse than in neighbors

Malaysia and Thailand more transparent than financial hub, study finds

14 October 2020
The planned Philippine ID system could accelerate adoption of electronic payments in the Southeast Asian country. 
Politics

Philippines starts registering millions for national ID cards

Manila hopes system will spur consumer adoption of electronic payments

13 October 2020
President Rodrigo Duterte has been able to grow his popularity during the Philippines' devastating COVID-19 outbreak. (Photo courtesy of Presidential Communications Operations Office of the Philippines)
Politics

Filipinos keep faith in Duterte amid pandemic woes

Philippine president's popularity intact despite record unemployment and hunger

10 October 2020
Room service robots at a hotel in Singapore: The city-state leads Southeast Asia in AI adoption, and hospitality is a key sector for the technology.
Technology

ASEAN faces wide AI gap as Vietnam and Philippines lag behind

Study says tech can add $1tn to bloc's economy but investments are lacking

9 October 2020
Philippine broadband provider Converge ICT Solutions aims to raise up to $600 million in its IPO next week. (Screenshot from Converge ICT's website)
Markets

Philippines' Converge aims to raise $600m in 2nd-biggest IPO

Broadband boom could bring internet service provider a market value of $2.6bn

9 October 2020
 Cebu Air, operator of Philippine budget airline Cebu Pacific, is looking to shore up its balance sheet.
Companies

Philippine budget carrier Cebu Air seeks $500m to weather COVID

Government says private sector must lead airline industry's recovery

8 October 2020
Stacks of containers are seen at Tanjung Priok port amid the coronavirus outbreak in Jakarta, Indonesia, Aug. 3.
Economy

India and ASEAN set to return to growth in early 2021: JCER

Survey shows curbing COVID and income support keys to economic recovery

6 October 2020
President Duterte could seek even closer ties with Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, if the Philippine Human Rights Act was passed in the U.S.
International relations

US human rights bill risks pushing Duterte closer to China

New legislation in Congress aims to cut aid to Philippine security forces

4 October 2020
Duterte lashed out at Facebook's latest crackdown for supposedly "promoting the cause of the rebellion." 
Opinion

Philippines versus Facebook brawl exposes China's sharp power

President Duterte has openly accused the social media giant of censorship

2 October 2020
Philippine Airlines, like its peers around the world, has taken a severe blow from the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Companies

Philippine Airlines begins major job-cutting program

Flag carrier aims to slash a third of its workforce due to pandemic blow

1 October 2020
Today, Asia is in the same position as the U.S. at the beginning of the 20th century: an economic giant, but a political dwarf.
The Big Story

This is the Asian Century: Seven reasons to be optimistic about it

From dominance in the US-China tech war to the end of coronavirus, experts weigh in

30 September 2020
Singapore has established a new coastal and flood protection fund to help protect the country against rising sea levels.
Opinion

We cannot stop climate change, but we can be better prepared

Data and digital technology can help deliver more resilient infrastructure

29 September 2020
People cast votes at a polling station during state elections in the outskirts of Kota Kinabalu, in Malaysia's Sabah state on Borneo island on Sept. 26.
International relations

Malaysia's spat with Philippines over Sabah: Five things to know

Tensions add further complication to sovereignty issues in South China Sea

29 September 2020
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has taken aim at U.S. social media giant Facebook. (Nikkei montage/Malacanang Presidential Photographers Division/AP and Kei Higuchi)
Companies

Duterte slams Facebook after military-linked accounts purged

'We have to talk' about platform's future in the Philippines, president says

29 September 2020
Philippine power company First Gen teamed with utility Tokyo Gas in 2018 to build LNG terminals. (Photo courtesy of First Gen)
Energy

Philippine floating LNG terminal wins green light for construction

First Gen and Tokyo Gas to expect to complete work in 2022

29 September 2020
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte speaks in a pre-recorded message that was played during the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly on Sept. 22.
International relations

Asian leaders hedge bets at UN as Trump throws barbs at China

'When elephants fight, it is the grass that gets trampled flat,' Duterte warns

28 September 2020
A wet market in Beijing: China said on Sept. 26 that stop accepting import declarations from two Russian ships for four weeks, after it discovered the novel coronavirus on seafood packaging. 
Coronavirus: Free to read

Coronavirus: Week of Sept. 20 to Sept. 26, China halts seafood imports from Russian vessels

Australia says inquiry into COVID origin crucial; Indonesia reports record daily rise for 3rd day

26 September 2020
Police are seen in Melbourne, the capital of the Australian state of Victoria, on Sept. 12. Victoria reported its lowest daily increase of infections in three months, putting it on course to relax a hard lockdown in Melbourne by the end of the month. 
Coronavirus: Free to read

Coronavirus: Week of Sept. 13 to Sept. 19, Australia's Victoria logs fewest cases since June

Japan lawmaker infected for first time; Roche says its drug reduces ventilator need

19 September 2020
Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr., pictured on Feb. 20: the Philippines' exact motivations are far from certain.
Opinion

Will the Philippines risk war with Malaysia over Sabah?

Manila's bombast more likely an attempt to deflect claims that it's weak on China

18 September 2020
Dito Telecommunity is aiming to break the Philippines' longstanding telecom duopoly. (Source photos from Reuters and screenshot of Dito Telecommunity's website)
17 September 2020
Sabah Chief Minister Shafie Apdal insists his state will remain in Malaysia during an interview with the Nikkei Asian Review. (Photo courtesy of the Sabah Chief Minister's Office)
Interview

Sabah chief looks to ASEAN to quash Philippine territorial claim

Shafie Apdal urges Malaysian government to resolve dispute 'once and for all'

17 September 2020
Cranes are seen at Tanjung Priok port amid the coronavirus outbreak in Jakarta, Indonesia, Aug. 3.
Economy

Emerging Asia set for 1st recession in six decades, says ADB

Nobel laureate Stiglitz signals the end of region's labor intensive growth model

15 September 2020