Politics

A steel mill in Dalian, China
Trade war

Trump's steel and aluminum tariffs take effect

China and Japan hit while South Korea, EU and Canada exempted

23 March 2018
Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, left, and Australia's Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull shake hands at a joint press conference in Sydney on March 16.
International relations

Australia right to huddle closer to Southeast Asia

With the US in retreat and China ascendant, chances grow for future ASEAN accession

20 March 2018
China occupies Subi Reef, part of the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea.
International relations

Australian and ASEAN pursue maritime code of conduct

Summit draws nations with mixed views on Beijing's moves in South China Sea

19 March 2018
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull takes a selfie with a delegate in Sydney on March 16.
International relations

Australia courts Southeast Asia with unprecedented summit

Leaders to talk trade and security amid doubts about US, concerns about China

16 March 2018
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc attend a signing ceremony at Parliament House in Canberra on March 15.
International relations

Australia and Vietnam sign strategic partnership pact

China's growing influence prompted both to deepen ties in security and trade

15 March 2018
People take pictures of themselves in front of the Sydney Opera House.
Economy

Australia's immigration debate flares up over property prices

Some fear the country's population boom could mean an end to an established way of life

15 March 2018
The rules hammered in the TPP-11 free trade agreement signed on March 8 are at risk of not keeping pace with fast-moving developments in worlds of technology and business.
International relations

'TPP 11' emerges as bulwark against American protectionism

Japan and Mexico press to put trade deal into effect this year as others look to join

10 March 2018
Representatives from the 11 member nations of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership met March 8 in Santiago, Chile, to sign the revised trade and investment pact.
International relations

Eleven countries sign revamped TPP in Chile

Pacific trade deal brought back from the brink after US departure

9 March 2018
A container ship in Singapore: The trade-dependent city-state hopes the TPP 11 will provide an economic tailwind.
The Big Story

TPP 11: How Asia took the lead in free trade

The trans-Pacific pact will help business, but hopes remain for a US return

7 March 2018
Stream article image
International relations

RCEP a step closer to finalization

Ministerial meeting makes headway on patching up differences

4 March 2018
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has sought to shore up ties with a number of traditionally friendly countries.
International relations

Abe charms old friends amid Beijing's growing influence

Closer security ties sought to counter China's economic clout

3 March 2018
A ship departs a port in Zhanjiang, China, in July for Africa's Djibouti to dispatch members of the People's Liberation Army to man a military base there.
Politics

Brahma Chellaney: China is ensnaring vulnerable states in debt traps

The Maldives is just the latest nation at risk from Beijing's maneuvering

1 March 2018
Delegates from the 11-member Trans-Pacific Partnership meet in Da Nang, Vietnam Nov. 2017.
International relations

Revised TPP faces obstacles on road to ratification

Potential hurdles include internal politics and US return

24 February 2018
The rules hammered in the TPP-11 free trade agreement signed on March 8 are at risk of not keeping pace with-fast moving developments in worlds of technology and business.
International relations

TPP's remaining members ease path for trade deal

Approval by countries with majority of GDP no longer required to take effect

23 February 2018
The site of a Chinese-financed project to build a bridge connecting the Maldivian capital of Male with a nearby airport island (Photo by Yuji Kuronuma)
Politics

China debt puts the Maldives at risk of 'land grab,' ex-leader warns

Former president says Male government has opened the door to a takeover

22 February 2018
An aerial view of Male, the Maldives' capital.
Politics

Beijing hits back at criticism of its Maldives policy

Foreign ministry blasts 'land grab' allegations as 'absurd'

22 February 2018
Australia's Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull speaking to the press at Parliament House in Canberra on Dec. 5, 2017.
Politics

Australia's proposed secrecy laws raise press freedom fears

Opposition demands greater protection for journalists

8 February 2018
An Indonesian Muslim holds up a poster during a rally calling for the arrest of Jakarta's then-incumbent governor Basuki Purnama.
Politics

Democracy rankings put Asia in poor standing

Six of seven regions around the world slipped in freedoms for 2017

8 February 2018
U.S. President Donald Trump arrives for the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 25.
International relations

Message to Trump -- no TPP renegotiation

Asia-Pacific states should welcome back the US but only on original terms

7 February 2018
Australian National University Emeritus Professor Peter Drysdale speaks to the Nikkei Asian Review in Tokyo. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Interview

Asian coalition needed to keep multilateral trade alive

Peter Drysdale argues RCEP potential not to be underestimated

6 February 2018
Trade ministers pose for a photo during a Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership ministerial meeting in Hanoi, Vietnam, on May 22, 2017.
International relations

With TPP agreed, RCEP members look to catch up

Trade negotiations kicking off Friday will cover tariffs, investor protections

2 February 2018
An Indonesian Muslim holds up a poster during a rally calling for the arrest of Jakarta's then-incumbent governor Basuki Purnama.
Politics

Democratic conditions 'fall sharply' in Asia

Region regresses as minorities suffer in Indonesia and Myanmar, says think tank

1 February 2018
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan.26.
Politics

Is the US heading back to the TPP? Not so fast

Even if Trump is serious, renegotiation will take time and effort

30 January 2018
U.S. President Donald Trump listens to a discussion by European business leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 25.
International relations

Asia puzzles over Trump's TPP remark

Japan and Australia offer guarded response as investors await more details

26 January 2018
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders arrive for the group photo session at the summit in Danang, Vietnam on Nov. 11. (Photo courtesy of APEC Secretariat)
Economy

Host problems cloud the outlook for this year's APEC

Beset by domestic issues, Papua New Guinea may struggle to put on the event

25 January 2018