Politics

While Trump sends tweets on his Asian-assembled smartphone, his introduction of new tariffs means the products that were assembled across global supply chains are going to cost more.
Opinion

Trump's tariffs revive damaging prewar world of trade barriers

Contagion through Asian nations would hurt global economy

17 September 2019
Tourists walk on Gold Bridge near the central Vietnamese city of Danang. The country has been attracting more South Koreans in recent months.
Business trends

Politics drive tourists away from Japan and Hong Kong to SE Asia

Previously popular destinations lose out from summer of troubles

15 September 2019
Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, right, meets with Malaysian counterpart Mahathir Mohamad in Hanoi on Aug. 27. (Photo by Tomoya Onishi)
International relations

Vietnam seeks 'peaceful' solution to South China Sea tensions

Prime minister urges cooperation by neighbors as US and China trade barbs

28 August 2019
The Mekong River in Laos: drought is a reflection of the broader inability of the Mekong countries to agree on a regional plan for managing their water resources.
Opinion

Mekong nears tipping point as US-China rivalry grows

Difficult choices ahead as drought takes hold in downstream countries

27 August 2019
People hope that their children's lives will be far better than theirs.
Opinion

Growing Asian economies breed high expectations among citizens

Governments must handle slowdown carefully to avoid rise of populism

22 August 2019
ASEAN should remain front and center of regional action and coordination to keep powers from outright conflict.
Opinion

ASEAN must mitigate war without weapons between US and China

Southeast Asian bloc should stop coining acronyms and start acting

21 August 2019
A freight train departs from Henggang in China on its way to Vietnam. In one survey, a leading 66% identified Vietnam as a place with BRI opportunities.
Belt and Road

Vietnam and Indonesia stand out as Belt and Road bets, reports show

Southeast Asia draws flurry of investment but concerns over China linger

18 August 2019
Pol Pot's right-hand man Nuon Chea, pictured in February 2008, was finally brought to justice.
Opinion

Nuon Chea's death highlights importance of Khmer Rouge Tribunal

There can be no perfect justice for Cambodian genocide, but law helps healing

16 August 2019
Phone numbers are seen on taxis on a street in Hanoi.
Politics

Vietnam drops taxi-style roof-sign requirement for ride-hailers

Latest proposal calls for operators to store data for at least 2 years

14 August 2019
A cloth stall in Jakarta: Indonesia is seen exporting more textiles and clothing to the U.S. to fill the hole left by China.
Trade war

Southeast Asia poised for export boost from new US tariffs

Businesses seek reprieve as trade war squeezes Chinese shipments

13 August 2019
The EU's foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, right, is greeted by Vietnam's Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc in Hanoi on Aug, 5. (Photo from Vietnam government's press release)
Opinion

EU should expand maritime activity in Southeast Asia as China looms

New defense pact with Vietnam foreshadows bigger role in global security

9 August 2019
A man works at a factory in Hanoi.
Trade war

Hanoi narrows 'made in Vietnam' to block Chinese detours

Locally added value must be 30% or higher, government says

8 August 2019
Solar panels could provide an efficient option in tropical nations requiring significant new generating capacity.
Opinion

Asia is the right place for a US 'Green New Deal'

Funding environmentally friendly projects would curb emissions and provide BRI alternative

7 August 2019
A port in Singapore. The European Union’s trade pacts with Singapore and Vietnam could hurt other ASEAN members if the EU increases its investment in those two countries at the expense of the others. (Photo by Kosaku Mimura)
International relations

EU struggles to strike trade pacts with major ASEAN countries

Sticking points could hinder other deals, as Vietnam gains from recent agreement

4 August 2019
European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, seen here in Brussels in May, told the Nikkei Asian Review: "It is the EU as a whole that has decided to enhance its engagement on security issues in and with Asia, and we are intent on delivering on that objective."
Interview

EU keen to strengthen security ties with Asia: foreign policy chief

Korean Peninsula and South China Sea 'matter to all of us,' Federica Mogherini says

30 July 2019
Hanoi will reportedly begin to formulate internationally accepted practices to prevent illegitimate transshipments as more manufacturers leave China for Vietnam.
Trade war

Vietnam cracks down on tariff-dodging export detours

US wary of Chinese products passed off as made in Vietnam

23 July 2019
Nguyen Xuan Phuc's team is reeling, unsure what Washington might do next.
Opinion

Vietnam must act boldly to avoid getting trumped by the trade war

Time to tackle corruption, control banking and diversify export-led economy

18 July 2019
A Huawei company logo is seen at a shopping mall in Shanghai.
9 July 2019
Trump arrives in Osaka on June 27 for the Group of 20 summit: Leaders from India and Vietnam are also attending.
28 June 2019
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc called for Tokyo to create an environment facilitating Vietnamese workers' adjustment to Japan.
International relations

Vietnamese prime minister 'welcomes' Japan's new work visa

Phuc stresses cooperation to protect workers and prevent abuses

27 June 2019
Thailand Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha gestures during a press conference following the Association of Southeast Asian Nations opening ceremony in Bangkok on June 23.
International relations

ASEAN seeks to steer middle path between US and China

Southeast Asian leaders come up with their own Indo-Pacific strategy

23 June 2019
Some of Southeast Asia's plastic waste, like this stuff in Thailand, ends up in recycling centers, but a lot of it is discarded haphazardly and finds its way into the ocean. (Photo by Akira Kodaka)
Environment

Southeast Asia's trash, Japan Inc.'s power-generating treasure

Public-private deals put waste to use in Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia

23 June 2019
Japan's government is encouraging companies to keep employees on the payroll until age 70. 
Asia Insight

Aging Asia rethinks retirement to pursue 'productive longevity'

Active seniors join robots as a potential answer to labor shortfalls

18 June 2019
A day after being elected prime minister by Thailand's parliament, Prayuth Chan-ocha is seen before a meeting at the prime minister's office in Bangkok on June 6. (Photo by Kosaku Mimura)
Comment

Southeast Asian politics slide back toward oppression

Democracy on the wane as wave of strongman rule sweeps the region

16 June 2019
Just as China bore the brunt of its mishandling of SARS, experts say the country is poised to incur serious economic consequences from African swine fever that could last well into the next year or two.
Agriculture

China's African swine fever outbreak ripples across Asia

As higher pork prices spark inflation, many see long-term economic impact

1 June 2019