Politics

G7 finance ministers and central bank governors meeting in Chantilly, France, July 17, 2019.
Your Week in Asia

G-20 finance ministers, Nissan shareholders and a China-ASEAN meeting

Your weekly lineup of Asia's biggest political and business events

17 February 2020
Hun Sen is adamant that Cambodia is not going to bow to European demands. (Photo by Akira Kodaka)
Opinion

Punishing Cambodia is going to backfire on EU

Removing tariff-free access will drive Phnom Penh toward Beijing's orbit

14 February 2020
A nurse checks the temperature of a visitor as part of the coronavirus screening procedure at a hospital in Kuala Lumpur on Feb. 5.
Coronavirus

Coronavirus exposes Southeast Asia's public health shortfalls

Experts say health infrastructure remains 'systematically underfinanced'

13 February 2020
The Westerdam cruise ship anchored near Sihanoukville port in Preah Sihanouk province, Cambodia, on Feb. 13. It had been denied permission to dock at five ports before Cambodia agreed to accept it. 
Coronavirus

Westerdam finally arrives in Cambodia after 5 ports refused

Prime Minister Hun Sen says decision is "humanitarian"

13 February 2020
Women work on a  production line at a shoe factory in Kampong Speu, Cambodia.
Trade

Cambodia loses EU tariff privileges on $1bn worth of trade

Southeast Asian nation's top trading partner cites human rights violations

13 February 2020
Foreign students in Japan are allowed to work in unskilled-labor positions, such as convenience store work, for up to 28 hours per week. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi) 
Japan immigration

Japan intensifies crackdown on student visa overstayers

Number of countries subject to stricter checks to increase tenfold

11 February 2020
A passenger wearing a mask walks outside a railway station in Shanghai on Feb. 8  as the country is hit by an outbreak of the new coronavirus.
Your Week in Asia

China's partial reopening, SoftBank results and Singapore Airshow

Your weekly lineup of Asia's biggest business and political events

9 February 2020
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen's human rights record has been criticized by the European Union, which is set to announce its decision Wednesday on removing trade privileges on some Cambodian exports. (Nikkei montage/Reuters)
Trade

EU to end privileges on some Cambodia exports: lawmaker

Decision due Wednesday could hurt nation's $9.5bn apparel sector

9 February 2020
Medical staff work in the isolated intensive care unit in a hospital in Wuhan, China on Feb. 6. 
Coronavirus: Free to read

Coronavirus: Week of Feb. 1 to Feb. 8 brings supply chain strain

US citizen dies in Wuhan as impact on business begins to crystallize

8 February 2020
Supporters hold portraits of Aung San Suu Kyi as they gather in front of City Hall in Yangon on Dec. 10, 2019: Suu Kyi has reemerged as the protector of the Burmese people, the nation and the Myanmar military.
Opinion

Aung San Suu Kyi comes out on top in ICJ Rohingya ruling

Military finds a defender in Myanmar's de facto leader, but pays a price

8 February 2020
Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Feb. 5.
International relations

'A friend in need is a friend indeed,' Xi tells visiting Hun Sen

Cambodian leader flies to Beijing to show solidarity amid coronavirus

6 February 2020
A view of a bridge that collapsed in Bali, Indonesia in 2016. The new insurance aims to offer protection for such Asian infrastructure. 
Economy

Asia's bridges and piers to be insured against disasters

Singapore, Japan and World Bank team to protect infrastructure

6 February 2020
U.S. national security adviser Robert O'Brien attended the ASEAN summit and related events in Bangkok in November 2019, in place of President Donald Trump.
International relations

Five ASEAN leaders to attend 'olive branch' summit with US

Members want South China Sea in spotlight as Washington refocuses on region

4 February 2020
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Jan. 30 that Phnom Penh's decision not to evacuate students from Wuhan is a form of "soft diplomacy."
Coronavirus

Hun Sen offers Wuhan visit, while Pakistan resumes China flights

Beijing's clout generates measured responses to the virus crisis with some allies

4 February 2020
A doctor puts on protective goggles before entering the isolation ward at a hospital in Wuhan, China.
Coronavirus: Free to read

Coronavirus: How the outbreak unfolded from Jan. 27 to Feb. 1

As cases surpassed 10,000, countries rushed to fly citizens out of China

1 February 2020
A Union Jack flag on the tag of a mattress in a store in Bangkok: total two-way trade between Britain and ASEAN amounted to more than $48 billion in 2018.
Opinion

Post-Brexit UK should prioritize Southeast Asia trade deals

London is well-placed to surpass Brussels in relations with ASEAN

30 January 2020
Vietnamese porters carry goods from China in the border city of Mong Cai in 2018. The coronavirus crisis is reverberating in this and other border towns.
Coronavirus

Coronavirus fears haunt Vietnam and Myanmar border towns

Communities reeling from lack of Chinese visitors race to protect themselves

29 January 2020
In taking a step to appease voters, Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi risks fracturing an already tense relationship with her country's military.
Politics

Myanmar's ruling party escalates constitutional feud with military

National League for Democracy sends bills to legislature in bid to sway voters

27 January 2020
Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Presidential Palace in Naypyitaw on Jan. 18. (Pool photo)
International relations

China and Myanmar agree to accelerate key Belt and Road port

Deep-sea project will give Beijing vital access to Indian Ocean

19 January 2020
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is flanked by U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping during a meeting at the G-20 leaders summit in Osaka in June 2019.
Comment

Is China following Japan into the haven of Southeast Asian nations?

US adjusts trade policies in an attempt not to repeat Plaza Accord mistakes

18 January 2020
Activists hold placards during a protest against the China-backed Myitsone dam project in March 2019: China remains remarkably unpopular in Myanmar.
Opinion

China leaves rivals in the dust with influence in Myanmar

As Xi Jinping visits, Beijing risks backlash if it pushes too far

16 January 2020
Cambodia's opposition leader Kem Sokha speaks to reporters outside his before leaving for his trial in Phnom Penh on Wednesday. Image made from video.
Politics

Cambodia begins treason trial of opposition leader Kem Sokha

Case has repercussions for nation's favored trade status with EU

15 January 2020
An influx of Chinese money and workers coupled with loose regulations fueled explosive growth in Cambodia's coastal city of Sihanoukville. (Nikkei montage)
Business Spotlight

In Cambodia's boomtown, a gamble on Chinese money goes sour

Online casino ban slams the brakes on Sihanoukville's runaway growth

10 January 2020
Myanmar plans a general election in November. Aung San Suu Kyi and the National League for Democracy dominated the 2015 election. (Photo by Htet Aing Phyoe)
Politics

Suu Kyi invokes iconic father to solidify support before election

Biopic and kyat note come as Myanmar's leader takes heat on economy

8 January 2020
Japan will provide aid to help 3,000 people who fled their villages return home in Myanmar's northern state of Kachin. (Photo by Rie Ishii)
International relations

Japan offers $5m for refugee resettlement in Myanmar's Kachin

Strategic competition between Tokyo and Beijing moves into a new realm

1 January 2020