Indonesian President Joko Widodo speaks about Nusantara in Singapore on June 7: The new capital aims to be a futuristic green city with zero waste.
Bambang Susantono

Indonesia will chart a circular economy path with its new capital

Nusantara aims to be a futuristic green city with zero waste

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Bambang Susantono
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Joe Tsai's advantage of understanding both the U.S. and China means far less than it did in the early days of Alibaba.
Henny Sender

Joe Tsai can't take Alibaba back to its golden days

Investors, consumers and regulators are all more demanding now

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Henny Sender
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Cosmo shares dropped immediately after its poison pill passed, as the market saw that obstructing a potential Murakami buyout would diminish corporate value. (Photo by Kosuke Imamura) 
Stephen Givens

Cosmo Energy's anti-Murakami poison pill won't improve value

Dubious shareholder vote at Japanese refinery operator only raises more questions

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Stephen Givens
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Foreign ministers of BRICS nations with Global South representatives in Cape Town on June 2. Countries such as Iran and Bangladesh are looking to join the bloc. (Handout via Reuters)
Oleg Yanovsky

ASEAN wants economic cooperation more than military links

Prioritization of development drives stampede to join BRICS

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Oleg Yanovsky
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An exhibition at the Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution in Beijing: Consultancies alleged to have obtained information on the military have been raided.
Christopher Aston

Beijing is on the prowl for anyone bearing bad news overseas

Risk consultants are just latest target of information crackdown

Christopher Aston
Displacement triggered by the expansion of AI will hit more workers much more quickly than any disruption seen before.

World is still unprepared for the risks that AI will bring

Disinformation, proliferation, displacement and replacement must be addressed

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The 2023 Women's Day march in Kuala Lumpur: LGBTQ+ Malaysians simply want to be free from discrimination.
Benjamin Loh and Lyana Khairuddin

Malaysia cannot pretend anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination does not exist

Failure to ensure equal rights likely to be criticized by U.N. council

Benjamin Loh and Lyana Khairuddin
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg in Berlin in June: Rather than extend its confrontation with Russia to a new region, the West should strike a balance with revisionist states.
Mangantar Simon Hutagalung

A NATO office in Japan would only bring trouble

Formalized presence would only raise tensions with China and Russia

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Mangantar Simon Hutagalung
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Flooding in Bengaluru in September 2022: Infrastructure investment is essential for lifting India's growth trajectory, job creation and raising income levels.
Priyanka Kishore

India will need more money to keep up its infrastructure drive

With limited fiscal leeway, private and foreign investors should play bigger role

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Priyanka Kishore
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Condominiums in Shanxi province in January: Property sales are stagnant in China.
Nikkei Editorial

China's flagging recovery cause for global concern

Weak economic data indicates post-COVID growth trailing expectations

Nikkei Editorial
Baidu executives celebrate the company's Hong Kong listing in 2019: It is unclear to foreign investors if Beijing's crackdown on tech companies has fully run its course.

New stock option will not change views on Hong Kong or China

Doubts remain whether private sector is free again to innovate

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From left, French President Emmanuel Macron, China's President Xi Jinping and European Commission President Ursula von de Leyen in Beijing: EU interests are different. (Pool via Reuters)
Peter Mandelson

Europe has role to play in breaking U.S.-China deadlock

By leveraging its relationships, EU can help set guardrails on rivalry

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Peter Mandelson
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Vietnamese Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and his allies may not be able to purge rivals again in an open way until the next party congress expected in 2026.
Zachary Abuza

Vietnam's political infighting has gone quiet but is far from over

High-level purge on pause amid growing worries about slowing economy

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Zachary Abuza
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U.S. President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the 2022 G20 summit in Bali: For Washington, India can be a gateway to reengage with the Global South. (Handout via Reuters) 
Karan Mehrishi

India and the U.S. are ready to be more than just friends

Democratic alliance would be more effective with outreach to Global South

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Karan Mehrishi
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OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, center, speaks to Liberal Democratic Party members in April at the group's headquarters in Tokyo. (Photo by Yuki Nakao) 
Kris Shrishak

Japan should seize chance to get generative AI rules right

Tokyo can build on pluses and minuses of EU, U.S. and Chinese approaches

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Kris Shrishak
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A "flying car" from China's EHang Holdings at the Hanazono Expo, a preview event for Expo 2025 Osaka. (Photo by Toshiki Sasazu) 
Carlo Ratti

World Expos can give globalization back its mojo

To remain relevant, fairs must reembrace commitment to genuine experimentation

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Carlo Ratti
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An anti-U.S. mural in Tehran: The most negative perception of the West relates to the prevalence of double standards. (West Asian News Agency via Reuters)
Dino Patti Djalal and Michael Sheldrick

The Global South is tired of the West's disrespect

Relationship can be repaired with fulfillment of past promises and more sincerity

Dino Patti Djalal and Michael Sheldrick
U.S. President Joe Biden with ASEAN counterparts in Phnom Penh in November 2022: Through diplomatic engagement, the U.S. is working to align strategic interests.
Rahm Emanuel

U.S. and its partners have strategic momentum in the Indo-Pacific

Blinken to arrive in Beijing with the wind at his back from re-energized alliances

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Rahm Emanuel
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U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks at a COVID-19 assistance event in Manila: Washington is the largest provider of health-related assistance to the region. (Pool via Reuters)
Alexandre Dayant and Susannah Patton

West must be more strategic about Southeast Asia development aid

Competing with China will require more flexibility and better communications

Alexandre Dayant and Susannah Patton
A rail yard in Ahmedabad, India: Government initiatives aim to reduce logistics costs to  less than 10% of GDP by 2027 from 14%.
Malavika Mysore and Gopal Nadadur

India's infrastructure and logistics transformation is for real

By understanding policy environment, companies can capitalize on opportunities

Malavika Mysore and Gopal Nadadur
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, right, met with President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Russia's Victory Day in May. (Pool via Reuters)
David A. Merkel

Kazakhstan's backdoor trade with Russia must be stopped

Time for sanctions over funneling of restricted goods to support war in Ukraine

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David A. Merkel
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Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., left, has been warming up to the West in a sharp pivot from his Beijing-leaning predecessor Rodrigo Duterte, right. (Pool via Reuters)

China is at crux of clash of Philippine presidential dynasties

Arroyo and Dutertes pull away in discomfort with Marcos' Western pivot

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The upper house of Japan's Diet passed and enacted the revised immigration law on June 9. (Photo by Uichiro Kasai)
Nikkei Editorial

Japan's immigration policy should aim for inclusive society

Revised law offers chance to rethink treatment of foreign nationals

Nikkei Editorial
The opening match in the new Soccer For Life over-80 division in Tokyo in April: Soon, more than 100,000 Japanese will be 100 years old or older. 
Andrew M Saidel

Japan's health care system isn't keeping up with working seniors

Much more investment needed to keep over-65s economically productive

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Andrew M Saidel
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Neil Shen's extraordinary success can be partly explained by Sequoia Capital's hands-off approach to its China operations.
Henny Sender

Sequoia will still stand tall in China after VC firm's breakup

With split, Neil Shen faces less regulatory risk on both sides of the Pacific

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Henny Sender
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