Politics

Central Bank of Sri Lanka Gov. Indrajit Coomaraswamy expects the Indian Ocean tug of war between China and India to help his country secure aid. (Photo by Yuji Kuronuma)
Interview

Sri Lanka set to avert debt crisis this year: central bank chief

South Asian island plays balancing act to secure bailouts from China and India

27 January 2019
Sri Lanka is in dire straits as the debt-strapped country confronts a looming balance of payment crisis.
Economy

Sri Lanka seeks regional bailout as balance of payments crisis looms

Colombo looks to India and China for financial assistance and renegotiates with IMF

21 January 2019
Foreign ministers from ASEAN member states met in Chiang Mai, Thailand on Jan. 17 and 18. (Photo by Apornrath Phoonphongphiphat)
18 January 2019
A controversial bidding process has resulted in a contract for a dam project in Pakistan going to a consortium that includes a company founded by one of Prime Minister Imran Khan's advisers. The dam seen here is from a file photo.
Belt and Road

Pakistan dam in spotlight as contract goes to former China critic

PM Khan's adviser faces conflict of interest cries after family company wins bid

11 January 2019
Maia Santos-Deguito was found guilty of money laundering offenses in relation to the 2016 heist of Bangladesh's central bank. (Photo by Cliff Venzon).
Most read in 2019

Philippine court finds banker guilty over Bangladesh Bank heist

Dhaka wants Manila to expedite other cases related to $81m theft in 2016

10 January 2019
In August, a suicide bomber wounded six people, including three Chinese engineers, in an attack on a bus in Balochistan. (AFP/Jiji)
Belt and Road

Pakistani separatists vow to target Belt and Road projects

Insurgents say leader's killing won't stop attacks unless China ends exploitation

8 January 2019
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina knows China and India must court her. (Photo by Akira Kodaka)
Opinion

Victory strengthens Hasina's foreign policy hand

Election win reinforces Bangladesh leader's position in dealings with New Delhi and Beijing

8 January 2019
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan attends talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping (not pictured) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Nov. 2.
Belt and Road

Pakistan asks China to diversify investments, PM adviser says

Country wants more Chinese money in agriculture, industrialization and education

4 January 2019
Dhaka residents stand next to a mural of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who has been accused of suppressing opposition groups. (Photo by Yuji Kuronuma)
Politics

Modi congratulates Bangladeshi leader as opposition calls for revote

Hasina faces rocky start to new term after election marred by violence

1 January 2019
Pakistani soldiers stop traffic outside the heavily protected port town of Gwadar in southern Pakistan.
Belt and Road

Rural Pakistan voices dissatisfaction over Belt & Road

Province home to Gwadar Port says $62bn project not evenly distributed

31 December 2018
The USS John C. Stennis, seen in this filed photo, took part in a mission near Sri Lanka in early December. (Getty Images)
International relations

China and US play the Great Game in South Asia

US Navy using Sri Lanka to counter China's growing Indian Ocean presence

29 December 2018
The government's probe into alleged corruption in a gas deal the previous administration signed with Qatar could backfire if much-needed imports are halted.
International relations

Pakistan's probe into Qatar gas deal risks worsening power cuts

PM Khan caught between pledge to rid corruption and country's energy needs

26 December 2018
Supporters of the ruling Awami League campaign ahead of the general election in Dhaka, Bangladesh. 
Politics

Bangladesh parties outbid each other promising growth

Hasina's Awami League boasts decade of expansion heading into Sunday's election

26 December 2018
A bear market has driven investors into holding vigil at the Nepal Stock Exchange. (Photo by Deepak Adhikari)
Markets

Protesting investors demand Nepal market reforms

Companies hesitate on listing amid suspicions of Communist government's plans

26 December 2018
Stream article image
15 December 2018
Sri Lanka's President Maithripala Sirisena speaks to reporters at his residence in Colombo on Nov. 25.
Politics

Sri Lanka's president isolated after ruling in constitutional crisis

Emboldened judiciary rules Sirisena dissolution of parliament illegal

14 December 2018
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan faces an acrimonious parliamentary session as opposition members demand to know the terms of a provisional bailout package from the International Monetary Fund.
Economy

Pakistan's opposition seeks full disclosure of IMF bailout plan

Businesses prepare for weaker rupee as Khan faces stormy parliamentary session

7 December 2018
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina predicts that her government will boost growth as high as 10% if she is re-elected this month. (Photo by Akira Kodaka)
Interview

Exclusive: Bangladesh aims for 10% annual growth

PM Hasina says nation will seek bids for a second nuclear plant next year

6 December 2018
A police officer ushering people away from the Chinese consulate in Karachi on Nov. 23 after the attack
Belt and Road

Pakistan struggles to contain rise of anti-China sentiment

The south becomes focus of insurgent attacks due to Belt and Road development

26 November 2018
A railway guard walks along the tracks in Lhasa, the capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region. Nepal and China are looking to build a rail link over their border.
Interview

Nepal to join hands with China on Tibet-Kathmandu railway

Landlocked nation wants to connect to world economy, minister says

22 November 2018
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has been making the rounds of "friendly countries" to seek a way out of economic turmoil. (Getty Images)
Economy

Pakistan turns to 'friends' after failing to secure IMF bailout

Analysts say Saudi and Chinese billions will not restore country's credibility

21 November 2018
Workers inside a Korean-owned garment factory in Yangon, Myanmar's commercial capital (Photo by Simon Roughneen)
Economy

Myanmar tops poor nations' FDI league as China cash flows in

Cambodia and Bangladesh make top five of the global economy's lowest tier

21 November 2018
Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena, right, took a major blow on Nov. 14 as parliament rejected his newly appointed Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, left.
Politics

Sri Lanka crisis escalates as parliament turns against president

Sirisena's handpicked PM rejected with no-confidence vote

14 November 2018
Once allies and now enemies -- President Maithripala Sirisena, right, with Ranil Wickremesinghe, whom he has sought to oust as prime minister
Opinion

Sri Lanka -- democracy in danger

Yet another Asian nation's liberties at risk as China and India struggle for ascendancy

13 November 2018
India recently announced its first submarine armed with ballistic missiles and nuclear warheads has completed its first patrol.
International relations

India's nuclear submarine provokes Pakistan to renew arms race

Islamabad seeks way to respond but financial crisis complicates strategy

12 November 2018