Politics

Construction workers take a break in Singapore, where migrants make up about a third of the workforce.
Asia Insight

Southeast Asia's vulnerable migrants pose an economic dilemma

Countries struggle to prevent abuse without hindering business

6 March 2018
The USS Carl Vinson arrived in Vietnam's Danang Bay on Mar. 5.
International relations

US carrier arrives in Vietnam, putting China on notice

First such visit since war's end serves as check on Beijing's expansion

6 March 2018
Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang, left, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi shake hands in New Delhi on March 3, 2018. (Press Information Bureau photo)
International relations

India and Vietnam vow to work toward open Indo-Pacific

Modi and Tran make pledges that send a message to China

3 March 2018
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, left, and Vietnam's President Tran Dai Quang
International relations

India and Vietnam to strengthen defense ties against assertive China

President Tran's visit to New Delhi seen to boost strategic relationship

1 March 2018
The rules hammered in the TPP-11 free trade agreement signed on March 8 are at risk of not keeping pace with-fast moving developments in worlds of technology and business.
International relations

TPP's remaining members ease path for trade deal

Approval by countries with majority of GDP no longer required to take effect

23 February 2018
The USS Carl Vinson is expected to be anchored at the Philippine capital for several days.
International relations

US sends signal to China with aircraft carrier's Asia tour

Warship docks in Manila ahead of historic visit to Vietnam

19 February 2018
A ban on the import of Japanese beef in China may have created unofficial routes for the product into the country.
Economy

Is Cambodia a 'Japanese beef-laundering' hub?

Smugglers bypass Chinese import ban to satisfy hunger for prized meat

18 February 2018
Thailand has been recruiting Chinese-speaking volunteers in anticipation of a huge influx of tourists during the Lunar New Year holiday. (Photo by Takaki Kashiwabara)
Economy

China's neighbors gear up for record Lunar New Year tourism

Thais and others ready to cash in on travelers from Vietnam as well

17 February 2018
A monk uses his smartphone in Mandalay, Myanmar. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Politics

Vietnamese mobile carrier enters Myanmar in foreign drive

Military-owned Viettel to invest $1.5bn to expand country's 4G network

15 February 2018
Trade ministers attend a meeting on the struggling RCEP free trade pact in Manila on Sept. 10, 2017.
The Nikkei View

Japan must update its bilateral EPAs for 21st-century trade

Reworking bilateral Asian deals is a key step to creating high-standard rules

15 February 2018
Vietnam's new smart town will be built on 310 hectares near Hanoi.
International relations

Vietnam smart town draws Japan Inc.'s big names

Sumitomo-led consortium's $37bn plan covers self-driving buses and cherry trees

14 February 2018
Stream article image
The Big Story

Enemies of the state -- why the press in Southeast Asia is under attack

News outlets from the Philippines to Myanmar face growing threats

14 February 2018
An Indonesian Muslim holds up a poster during a rally calling for the arrest of Jakarta's then-incumbent governor Basuki Purnama.
Politics

Democracy rankings put Asia in poor standing

Six of seven regions around the world slipped in freedoms for 2017

8 February 2018
U.S. President Donald Trump arrives for the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 25.
International relations

Message to Trump -- no TPP renegotiation

Asia-Pacific states should welcome back the US but only on original terms

7 February 2018
Some at the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Retreat voiced concerns over land reclamation and other activities in the South China Sea that undermine peace and stability. (Photo by Mayuko Tani)
International relations

ASEAN 'concern' resurfaces over contested waters with China

A shift in tone as the Philippines rotates out as the regional bloc's chair

7 February 2018
An Indonesian Muslim holds up a poster during a rally calling for the arrest of Jakarta's then-incumbent governor Basuki Purnama.
Politics

Democratic conditions 'fall sharply' in Asia

Region regresses as minorities suffer in Indonesia and Myanmar, says think tank

1 February 2018
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, right, leads ASEAN heads of state and others to a reception following the Republic Day parade in New Delhi on Jan. 26.
Economy

Modi fetes ASEAN leaders at India's Republic Day celebration

China fears have the prime minister angling for closer ties with Southeast Asia

1 February 2018
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan.26.
Politics

Is the US heading back to the TPP? Not so fast

Even if Trump is serious, renegotiation will take time and effort

30 January 2018
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen chats with a garment worker during a visit to the Phnom Penh Special Economic Zone last August.
Asia Insight

Minimum wage politicking stings employers in Southeast Asia

Rush to woo voters raises the risk of layoffs and factory relocations

30 January 2018
PV Gas's distribution center in the northern province of Thai Binh.
Energy

PV Gas seeking strategic foreign partner for 30% divestment by 2020

Shell, Total, Tokyo Gas among contenders, over $3bn in project investments planned

27 January 2018
Policewomen take part in India's Republic Day parade in Srinagar on Jan. 26, 2018.
International relations

Modi showcases links with ASEAN at New Delhi parade

India steps up maritime cooperation amid growing concerns over China

26 January 2018
U.S. President Donald Trump listens to a discussion by European business leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 25.
International relations

Asia puzzles over Trump's TPP remark

Japan and Australia offer guarded response as investors await more details

26 January 2018
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders arrive for the group photo session at the summit in Danang, Vietnam on Nov. 11. (Photo courtesy of APEC Secretariat)
Economy

Host problems cloud the outlook for this year's APEC

Beset by domestic issues, Papua New Guinea may struggle to put on the event

25 January 2018
Toshimitsu Motegi, Japan's economic revitalization minister, speaks about the TPP agreement in Tokyo Tuesday.
International relations

TPP 11 deal reached as Canada and Vietnam end holdout

Side deals will enact concessions needed to reach March signing

24 January 2018
Japanese Trade Minister Toshimitsu Motegi speaks during the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade initiative talks in Tokyo on Jan. 22. The 11 countries reached an agreement Jan. 23 to move ahead without the participation of the U.S.
Economy

TPP 11 set to sign accord in March, without US

Earlier holdout Canada now part of deal on free trade zone spanning Pacific

23 January 2018