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April 12th, 2018

Australia’s identity crisis

Turnbull reaches out to ASEAN as the U.S.-China power struggle heats up

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The Big Story

Identity crisis: Australia seeks new allies amid US-China rivalry

Trade and security links make Southeast Asia a natural choice

U.S. President Donald Trump, left, and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull hold a press conference at the White House on Feb. 23.
The University of Sydney: Australia has welcomed a rapidly growing number of students from China in recent years.
International relations

Australia sounds the alarm over Chinese 'interference'

Critics say Beijing is influencing politics and stifling criticism Down Under

Thai Union workers peel shrimp at a factory in Samut Sakhon, Thailand. The company's labor practices drew intense criticism in 2015.
Company in focus

King Oscar aims to conquer China

Seafood giant Thai Union comes armed with Western brands

This SM Prime Holdings condominium complex near Manila Bay is home to many Chinese who work for offshore gambling companies. (Photo by Jilson Tiu)
Property

Chinese appetite for Manila condos grows with warmer ties, weaker peso

Tourism and online gambling are helping to drive record residential sales

Grab and Uber helmets on sale at a used-helmet shop in Jakarta, Indonesia, April 2, 2018.
Business deals

Grab-Uber merger makes patchy debut in SE Asia

Homegrown, digital-driven 'regional champion' faces bumpy ride

Kayo Yoshida, the fifth president of Umenoyado Brewery, shook up the sake business with a sparkling product that contains fruit juice.
Business trends

Women save Japan's old family businesses with new ideas

A 260-year-old paint maker now sells nail polish thanks to female heir

Monex Group CEO Oki Matsumoto, left, and Coincheck CEO Koichiro Wada at Friday's press conference in Tokyo. Monex sees buying Coincheck as a chance to quickly gain entry into the cryptocurrency field. (Photo by Takuya Imai)
Cryptocurrencies

Coincheck weathers rejections to find savior in Monex

Yahoo Japan and Daiwa balked at potential legal pitfalls from crypto theft

Vinamilk products in a supermarket in Hanoi, Vietnam. (Photo by Takaki Kasihwabara)
Companies

Jardine Matheson appoints first board member to Vinamilk

British group is latest foreign investor to gain board seat at Vietnam state dairy

India's government is selling most of its delay-prone flag carrier. (Photo by Takaki Kashiwabara)
Companies

Airlines set for bidding war over Air India stake

IndiGo and Jet seek to extend reach by securing network of troubled state carrier

A nuclear-powered Russian icebreaker plies the Arctic Ocean, where warmer temperatures are opening new shipping routes.
Asia Insight

China and Russia battle for North Pole supremacy

Melting ice and ample resources spark race with US over Arctic

Najib Razak, Malaysian prime minister and president of ruling party Barisan Nasional, speaks during the launch on April 7 of his party's manifesto for the upcoming general elections.
Malaysia in transition

Malaysia's parties dangle populist policies ahead of election

Electoral promises sideline economic reforms with aid targeted toward low-income groups

Indonesia has not raised retail prices for fuel despite rising costs, hurting state-owned oil company Pertamina.
Politics

Indonesia's Widodo backtracks on fuel aid as elections near

President looks to raise subsidies he had cut to fund infrastructure building

Indonesian President Joko Widodo's government believes its plan will create anywhere from 7 million to 19 million jobs.
Economy

Indonesia seeks industry upgrades to join world's top 10 economies

Widodo's manufacturing road map targets five sectors, from food to cars

U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are pushing each other's limits on trade.
International relations

US and China inch toward the point of no return on trade

Trump's rhetoric raises stakes in global game of chicken

Proton cars in Kuala Lumpur: The trade battle may spur Chinese companies to invest more in Southeast Asia, as Geely did with Malaysia's national automaker.
Trade war

US-China trade row spells pain and gains for ASEAN

Spread of 'China plus one' production expected to boost investment in bloc

Few economists in a Nikkei and Nikkei QUICK survey expect China and the U.S. to engage in a full-blown trade war.
Trade war

US-China trade friction becoming a concern

Nikkei-surveyed economists expect China to grow at 6.5% pace in 2018

Manufacturers concerned about a China-U.S. trade war.
Nikkei PMI

Asian manufacturers less optimistic about output amid trade tensions

March PMI shows rising material costs is another concern

The serious response by Asian regulators indicates how the region is waking up to the reality that Facebook's data-handling practices may have had far-reaching effects beyond the U.S.
Facebook

Facebook faces fresh scrutiny in Asia over massive data leak

Potential fallout could be huge in a region with over 800 million active users

People smash a Japanese-made car in a campaign sponsored by northern Indiana steelworkers in 1982.
Opinion

Trade wars -- lessons from the 1980s

Stakes too high for either US or China to press the economic red button

Stream article image
Opinion

Trump's weak dollar may help Asia more than US

Strong currencies will drive investment and innovation

The plan to let China Telecom enter the market is the latest among the Philippines' moves to bring in Chinese investment.
Opinion

Duterte's elusive Chinese investment bonanza

Beijing has lured Manila with promises that are so far unfulfilled

Former South Korean President Park Geun-hye sits near her longtime friend Choi Soon-sil for her trial at the Seoul Central District Court in Seoul on May 23, 2017.
The Nikkei View

Moon must honor his pledge to promote South Korean unity

With the North Korea summit approaching, now is not the time for political divisions

Ethnic Tibetans play basketball in "Ritoma," a documentary by Hong Kong's Oscar-winning filmmaker Ruby Yang. (Courtesy of Chang Ai Media Project Ltd.)
Arts

Hoop dreams on the Tibetan Plateau

Documentary explores nomads' changing lives and a favorite sport: basketball

Rajah Banerjee inspects his tea plants on Makaibari Tea Estate. (Photo by Aroon Thaewchatturat)
Tea Leaves

Darjeeling's tea king wants an organic agricultural revolution

Pioneer points the way to cooperative future for India's farming