U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres speaks to Japanese reporters at U.N. headquarters in New York on Dec. 8.
Politics

UN head pledges 'every possible effort' toward dialogue with North Korea

Sending political undersecretary on 5-day visit was a 'necessary step'

9 December 2017
Surin Pitsuwan gives an exclusive interview to the Nikkei Asian Review on Nov. 30, just hours before his death. (Photo by Yukako Ono)
Politics

Remembering former ASEAN Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan

Gifted speaker who fought for a more unified bloc dies at age 68

7 December 2017
Pope Francis, right, and Myanmar Buddhist leader Bhaddanta Kumarabhivamsa, chairman of the State Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee, speak in Yangon on Nov. 29.
Politics

Pope Francis clears a new path for Christianity in Asia

Vatican watches over minorities while making overtures to China

7 December 2017
Surin Pitsuwan, then secretary-general of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, speaks during a lecture in Kuala Lumpur in 2012.
Politics

Michael Vatikiotis: The statesman who raised Southeast Asia's profile

As secretary-general of ASEAN, Surin Pitsuwan fought the odds to do good in the region

7 December 2017
British Prime Minister Theresa May, right, and her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi in New Delhi in November 2016
Opinion

Brexit Britain's troubled quest to 'Asianize' the Commonwealth

London is struggling to find partners, even in India, where it has focused diplomatic efforts

6 December 2017
China's President Xi Jinping is shown on a screen during the fourth World Internet Conference in Wuzhen, Zhejiang province, China on Dec. 4.
Politics

China toughens web censorship, encourages others to follow

Beijing sees internet controls as a 'question of sovereignty'

5 December 2017
Pope Francis, right, and Myanmar Buddhist leader Bhaddanta Kumarabhivamsa, chairman of the State Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee, speak in Yangon on Nov. 29.
Asia Insight

Pope Francis clearing new path for Christianity in Asia

Vatican watches over minorities while making overtures to China

5 December 2017
Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, left, shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on May 16.
Politics

Myanmar and China to cooperate on economic corridor

Suu Kyi seeks closer ties with Xi amid condemnation over Rohingya crisis

2 December 2017
Surin Pitsuwan, then secretary-general of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, speaks during a lecture in Kuala Lumpur in 2012.
Politics

Statesman who raised ASEAN's international profile

Former Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan sought reform and cohesion

1 December 2017
Police officers stand guard at the Supreme Court in Phnom Penh on Nov. 16 during a hearing prior to the ruling to dissolve the main opposition party.
Politics

Sebastian Strangio: Cambodia's troubling return to de facto one-party rule

China-backed authoritarianism is on the rise in Asia as the US retreats

30 November 2017
Pope Francis moves through a crowd at an open-air mass at the Kyaikkasan Grounds stadium in Yangon on Wednesday. (Photo by Thurein Hla Htway)
Politics

Pope Francis calls for forgiveness in Myanmar

'Anger not the way' says first pontiff to visit Southeast Asian nation

29 November 2017
A man rides a motorcycle past the Cambodia National Rescue Party headquarters in Phnom Penh on Nov. 17, 2017.
Politics

Chinese support fuels Southeast Asia's authoritarian tilt

Hands-off Beijing enables Cambodia's political repression, Myanmar's ethnic persecution

29 November 2017
Myanmar State Counselor and Foreign Minister Aung San Suu Kyi speaks to journalists after a meeting of Asian and European foreign ministers Nov. 21 in Naypyitaw.
Politics

Rohingya backlash pushes Suu Kyi toward Beijing

Myanmar leader set to visit China amid swirl of Western condemnation

28 November 2017
Christians line the streets of Yangon to welcome Pope Francis on Monday. (Photo by Thurein Hla Tway)
Politics

Pope makes first visit to Myanmar amid Rohingya crisis

Pontiff to play delicate balancing act or risk backlash against Christians

27 November 2017
The Doha skyline
Economy

Qatar looks to build Asia ties as Gulf isolation drags on

World's top LNG producer wants to import more food and sell more gas

25 November 2017
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, left, and ASEAN Secretary General Le Luong Minh shake hands after signing the migrant worker deal in Manila on Nov. 14. (Photo by Simon Roughneen)
Economy

ASEAN migrant worker deal gets cautious welcome

Critics cite limitations, such as ability of nations to opt out of key provisions

24 November 2017
The planned missile is seen being equipped on the cutting-edge F-35 stealth fighter used by Japan's Air Self-Defense Force. (Courtesy of ASDF)
International relations

Japan and UK to collaborate on missile development

Tokyo's first non-US partnership would develop an air-to-air weapon

24 November 2017
Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali, left, meets with Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi in Naypyitaw on Thursday.
Rohingya crisis

Myanmar and Bangladesh reach deal to repatriate Rohingya

Refugees to start returning in two months, with details still up in the air

24 November 2017
APEC leaders pose for a group photo in Danang, Vietnam, on Nov. 11.
Economy

Trump's tour of Asia shows just how powerful Xi has become

'America first' takes second place to trade deals being crafted by China

23 November 2017
Commuters from Dala township arrive in downtown Yangon on the morning ferry. (Photo by Steve Gilmore)
Economy

Myanmar GDP growth to rebound despite Rakhine crisis

IMF sees strong FDI as government readies 'second wave' of economic reforms

22 November 2017
Police officers stand guard at the Supreme Court in Phnom Penh on Nov. 16, during a hearing prior to the ruling to dissolve the main opposition party.
Politics

Cambodian business world shrugs off political crackdown

Execs signal confidence as opposition dissolved, but unrest simmers

21 November 2017
Myanmar's State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi speaks at a news conference at Myanmar International Convention Center in Naypyitaw on Nov. 21.
Politics

Suu Kyi promises 'steady progress' on Rohingya refugees issue

Myanmar's State Counselor to discuss problem at bilateral meeting with Bangladesh

21 November 2017
Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, left, talks with Federica Mogherini, the EU's top diplomat, in Naypyitaw on Nov. 20.
Rohingya crisis

EU pushes Myanmar for speedy end to refugee crisis

Suu Kyi stresses threats from illegal migration and extremism

21 November 2017
Rohingya refugees walk towards a refugee camp after crossing the border in Anjuman Para near Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, November 19, 2017
Politics

UN ready to help Myanmar process Rohingya citizenship

High Commissioner says crisis is worst since Balkan War and Rwanda

20 November 2017
Federica Mogherini, right, the EU foreign policy chief, speaks during the Asia-Europe Foreign Ministers' meeting in Naypyitaw.
International relations

European countries to press Suu Kyi on Rohingya crisis

Foreign ministers likely to ask for independent investigation

20 November 2017