Politics

U.S. President Donald Trump, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Pakistan is trying to distance itself from U.S.-Iran tensions, not only to avoid getting caught up in violence but also to keep the Belt and Road infrastructure projects on track. (Photos by Reuters, AP)
Iran tensions

US-Iran tensions challenge Pakistan's balancing act

Islamabad aims to avoid angering Shiites as it protects Belt and Road projects

13 January 2020
The scene in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, on Sept. 20, 2019. Critics wonder if India has since turned this part of Kashmir into a Potemkin village.
International relations

India invites envoys on Kashmir tour that critics call a sham

Modi maneuvers to project normalcy amid international outcry over human rights

10 January 2020
Pakistan's Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Muhammad Hammad Azhar talks to the Nikkei Asian Review in Tokyo. (Photo by Yuichi Shiga)
Interview

Belt and Road corridor to boost Pakistan economy: minister

Azhar says free trade agreement with Beijing will also help

8 January 2020
An official in Imran Khan's administration said that media cooperation between Pakistani and Chinese media is necessary for countering negative propaganda against projects under CPEC.
Belt and Road

Xinhua begins Pakistan language service to push Belt and Road

Islamabad hopes China's state news agency will improve image of projects

4 January 2020
Narendra Modi has embarked on implementing his party's core political projects and he will continue on this track in 2020.
Opinion

2020 look ahead: Politics and protectionism to dominate Indian economy

Slowing growth needs corporate kick-start, but Modi only offers distractions

2 January 2020
Student activists burn effigies of Indian Home Minister Amit Shah, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister of Assam Sarbananda Sonowal over a legal provision that grants citizenship to minorities persecuted in neighboring countries.
Politics

India citizenship law fuels fear and anti-immigrant fervor in Assam

Muslims feel targeted while nationalists decry leniency for other groups

1 January 2020
Vietnamese residents take photos as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un goes past in Hanoi on Feb. 26.
Photos

2019 in pictures: Looking back at a year of celebrations, confrontations and more

A selection of striking images from across Asia, and the stories behind them

29 December 2019
Nepalese police personnel detain a demonstrator during a protest against the new map of India in Kathmandu, Nepal Nov. 10, 2019.
24 December 2019
Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad delivers a speech at the Kuala Lumpur Summit in Kuala Lumpur on Dec. 19.
International relations

Mahathir's Muslim summit turns Malaysia-Saudi ties bitter

The kingdom may cut hajj pilgrimage quotas for Malaysians in retaliation

24 December 2019
A man stands on the back of a vehicle carrying sacks of onions in the ancient Nepalese city of Bhaktapur. India has banned onion exports in response to flooding, forcing Nepal to turn to China for supplies.
18 December 2019
The new Indian four-lane highway to the Kartarpur Corridor border crossing was not very busy on Nov. 24. (Photo by Michael Hayes)
Tea Leaves

Small border crossings can have big dimensions

India and Pakistan test if a frontier gate can help build some trust

18 December 2019
An activist sets on fire an effigy of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a protest to express solidarity with the people of Kashmir on International Human Rights Day in Karachi, Pakistan, on Dec. 10.
Kashmir turmoil

Kashmir conflict takes toll on India and Pakistan economies

Business groups step up calls to improve economic ties

14 December 2019
Student activists hang effigies of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, right, and Home Minister Amit Shah, left during a protest against the Citizenship Amendment Bill in Gauhati, India, on Dec. 9. 
International relations

Modi-Abe summit postponed amid protests over citizenship bill

Bangladeshi minister also cancels visit as tensions in northeast India escalate

13 December 2019
A laborer whose name is excluded from the final list of the NRC stands at a construction site of a detention center in Assam on Sep. 1: the real challenge is what India is going to do with the people who do not make it on to the NRC.
Opinion

India's citizenship changes are immoral and self-defeating

Making it harder for Muslims to become citizens risks global backlash

13 December 2019
Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan has been cheering a brighter economic picture, but high interest rates threaten to put a damper on growth.
Economy

Khan boasts of Pakistan's economic revival despite slow demand

Cheap currency reduces current-account deficit, but interest rate stays high

12 December 2019
Port City Colombo, part of China's Belt and Road Initiative, has given Sri Lanka hope that the project will eventually grow into "South Asia's premier residential, retail and business destination." (Photo courtesy of CHEC Port City Colombo)
Belt and Road

China grips Sri Lanka with artificial island off Colombo

Development and legal framework draw 'one country, two systems' comparison

12 December 2019
An elephant walks past tourist safari jeeps at Kaudulla national park in Habarana, Sri Lanka, on Aug. 6, 2019.
Economy

Sri Lanka awaits winter tourists to revive terror-hit sector

Some flights resume, bringing hope of earlier-than-expected recovery

6 December 2019
© Illustration by Hiroko Oshima/Michael Tsang
Asia Insight

Nepal's territorial flare-ups with India and China test its finesse

Public outcries imperil Himalayan nation's development strategy

3 December 2019
Railway tracks in Karachi
Opinion

Pakistan says railways on track to success

Upgrade of 1,900 km of railway has 'tremendous momentum'

29 November 2019
A recent speech by a U.S. diplomat marked the first time a high-ranking U.S. government official had launched a direct and comprehensive attack on CPEC. (Source photo by AP)
Belt and Road

US attack on China's Belt and Road puts Pakistan in tough spot

Islamabad sides with Beijing over CPEC but keeps response measured

28 November 2019
People wait to check if their names are included in the National Register of Citizens at a draft center in Mayoung, India, pictured in July 2018: migration from Bangladesh has become politically explosive in India.
Opinion

China and India must address causes of migration to stop human traffic

Larger Asian countries are closing their borders, just like West and Gulf states

25 November 2019
India's light combat aircraft Tejas lands at an airbase on the outskirts of New Delhi in October. The fighter is claimed to be a good choice to upgrade Malaysia's air force.
Politics

Malaysia considers purchase of Indian jet fighters

Kashmir tensions fail to stymie trade as Kuala Lumpur looks to upgrade air force

24 November 2019
Pakistan's moves to free itself from the current CPEC inertia come as China has turned chilly toward the series of big infrastructure projects. (Nikkeimontage/Reuters/Getty Images)
Belt and Road

Pakistan seeks Iran, Saudi help for Belt and Road projects

Beijing-friendly minister hired as Islamabad scrambles to revive momentum

23 November 2019
Sri Lankans rally after voting in the presidential election in Colombo on Nov. 16. India fears Chinese influence may once again surge in Sri Lanka.
International relations

India seeks to contain China presence in new Sri Lanka government

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to steer between big global powers, experts say

22 November 2019
Mahinda Rajapaksa, left, and brother Gotabaya Rajapaksa wave to supporters during a party convention earlier this year in Colombo.
Politics

Sri Lankan president to name pro-China brother prime minister

Rajapaksa clan's return to power provides boost for Beijing

21 November 2019