A Huawei Mate 60 Pro smartphone at the company's flagship store in Beijing on Sept. 25: At the core of the handset are 7-nm microchips made by SMIC.
Douglas Fuller

U.S. regulators made Huawei's chip 'breakthrough' possible

SMIC exploited loose licensing and poor standards but still faces limits

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Douglas Fuller
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The opening ceremony of the ASEAN joint military drills in Batam, Indonesia, on Sept. 19. The exercise marked the first time for troops from across the bloc to train only among themselves. 
Nikkei Editorial

ASEAN should harness joint exercise for greater unity

Southeast Asian bloc needs better cooperation to boost role in regional security

Nikkei Editorial
A farmer in West Sumatra, Indonesia: Millions of Southeast Asians lack access to credit to improve their quality of life. (VWPics via AP Images)
Mel Carvill

Better regulation key to widening credit access in Southeast Asia

Improved financial literacy will help consumers make appropriate decisions

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Mel Carvill
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Facial recognition systems control access to Peking University in Beijing in 2020: In China, the CCP can gather data at will.
Diana Choyleva

Data could let Xi loosen grip on China's economy but keep control

Tools like digital yuan key to vision of using technology to raise alarms

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Diana Choyleva
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, right, addresses the U.N. Security Council alongside Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Sept. 20.
James D.J. Brown

Japan can do more for Ukraine even without a change of policy

Anti-drone systems would support defense of power and grain infrastructure

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James D.J. Brown
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Saudi Arabia's first robot, Sara, on display in Riyadh in February: The country is pivoting to reduce its heavy reliance on petroleum exports. 
Tarek Fadlallah

A real economic transformation is underway in Saudi Arabia

'Vision 2030' is reducing country's dependence on oil exports

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Tarek Fadlallah
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Warren Buffett has taken significant stakes in five of the largest sogo shosha, helping push the Nikkei 225 index back to a level unseen in decades. (Nikkei montage)
Mitsuru Claire Chino

Warren Buffett is right to be 'proud' of Japan's trading companies

'Sogo shosha' have become key players in supply chain transformation

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Mitsuru Claire Chino
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Mainstream acceptance of the childless lifestyle could mean that women will finally have a chance to reset the gender equity narrative at work.

Japan must embrace childlessness as a lifestyle choice

Building block of policymaking has to shift from family to individual

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Nanjing Road in Shanghai on Sept. 26: Episodes of rapid economic expansion are frequently punctuated by periods where the pace of growth drops off.
Richard Yetsenga

China's economic troubles are not 'transitory'

Larger forces at work mean impact of policy changes will be limited

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Richard Yetsenga
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U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in August: The challenges and opportunities of this century require a strong alliance between the two countries.
Suzanne Clark

With shared values, Japan and U.S. can lead way on challenges

Strong alliance can advance cause of free trade and open markets

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Suzanne Clark
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Wind turbines in Calahorra, Spain: Europe's biggest challenge lies in manufacturing the super magnets essential for sophisticated systems like electric vehicles and wind turbines.
Luke Patey

Europe can go green and rely less on China at the same time

Bloc must 'de-risk' clean energy supply chains to reduce dependence

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Luke Patey
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Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Sept. 11: A "fourth pole" on the geopolitical landscape could be emerging.
Michael O'Sullivan

Working with Gulf states, India can build a new center of power

'IMEC' could point the way forward for emergence of world's 'fourth pole'

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Michael O'Sullivan
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Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov addresses the U.N. General Assembly in New York on Sept. 23. Russia's aggression against Ukraine is exposing problems with how the global body operates.
Nikkei Editorial

U.N. reform urgently needed to better promote peace

Security Council dysfunction threatens global security

Nikkei Editorial
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has done a solid job forging closer ties with Washington but all bets are off as both U.S. parties scramble to look tougher on trade with Asia.

U.S. election season is wrong time for yuan, yen to slide

As American politicians look for economic scapegoats, Kishida should seek cover

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Dang Dinh Bach, an environmental justice lawyer, is serving 5 years in prison after speaking out against Vietnam's reliance on coal. (Courtesy of Vietnam Climate Defenders Coalition)
Tran Phuong Thao

Vietnam is betraying its 'Just Energy Transition Partnership'

Environmental activists who campaigned for net zero are languishing in prison

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Tran Phuong Thao
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A Nippon Steel plant in Kimitsu, Japan: Major Asian steelmakers seem at a loss about how to respond to changing global standards.
Joojin Kim

Asia must lean harder on its steelmakers to decarbonize

Governments can boost industry transition by ensuring renewable energy access

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Joojin Kim
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi, right, greets Foxconn Chairman Young Liu at a semiconductor conference in Gandhinagar, India in July. 
Malavika Mysore and Gopal Nadadur

India is serious about becoming a global electronics hub

While policy tensions remain, subsidies and reforms prove government commitment

Malavika Mysore and Gopal Nadadur
Cotton harvesting in Egypt: Under the new disclosure guidelines, a clothing company will account for emissions related to cotton cultivation and transportation.
Terence Jeyaretnam and Mads Lauritzen

Asian companies need to start counting suppliers' carbon emissions

New sustainability standards to be phased in across region

Terence Jeyaretnam and Mads Lauritzen
The University of Tokyo: Japan's most prestigious university consistently has a male-female ratio of 4-1. (Photo by Mayumi Tsumita) 
Stephen Givens

Sex imbalance at Japan's top university is nothing to worry about

Paucity of women at University of Tokyo is result of student preference

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Stephen Givens
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Kathmandu Mayor Balendra Shah, center, visits a school: He has introduced scholarships for underprivileged 11th graders. (Photo by Dipendra Dhuungana)
Kushal Pokharel

Fresh faces are shaking up politics in Nepal

2022 election victors have had rapid impact but endurance not yet clear

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Kushal Pokharel
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A view of Hun Sen's Facebook page in 2016: The platform is allowing dictators to make public threats while getting other voices supressed.
Sam Rainsy

Imitators are adopting Chinese tactics to quash online critics

Allies like Cambodia and Bangladesh are deploying fake voices to drown out dissent

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Sam Rainsy
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Commuters in Tokyo: Making economic activity sustainable depends on our capacity to develop leaders for the next generation of business.
Jody Ono

Sustainability requires Japan Inc. to rethink leadership

Organizational endurance today takes deep self-awareness and personal resolve

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Jody Ono
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Women work in a garment factory in Dhaka: Bangladesh is the world's second-largest exporter of clothing.
Yuka Fujimoto

Corporate 'inclusion' must apply to business partners too

Multinationals need to ensure that suppliers treat their workers with respect

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Yuka Fujimoto
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Xi Jinping at the China-Central Asia Summit in May: The "hurt feelings" law reflects the president's resentment of the West. (Pool via Reuters)
Benjamin Qiu

China's 'hurt feelings' law is tailor-made for Xi Jinping

Anxious public worries about crossing line by eating sashimi or reading manga

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Benjamin Qiu
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