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June 21st, 2018

Can India deliver?

Inside the billion-dollar battle over online groceries

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The Big Story

Amazon and Walmart bet big on Indian grocery delivery

Local startup Grofers tweaks business model as battle for users heats up

Amazon and Walmart bet big on Indian grocery delivery
Members of Aam Aadmi Party's trade wing hold rally in New Delhi on May 12 to protest Walmart's purchase of a majority stake in Flipkart.
The Big Story

Indian retail is ripe for disruption despite pushback

Backlash against Walmart-Flipkart deal poses challenge for Modi's reform agenda

Olivia Lum Ooi Lin, the founder, chairman and CEO of Hyflux, which has sought court protection, along with its five subsidiaries, in order to restructure its bloated debt load. (Photos by Shinya Sawai)
Company in focus

Singapore water company's tap runs dry amid debt crisis

Hyflux stumbles after helping to bring crucial self-sufficiency to city-state

Stanley Ho, pictured in Hong Kong on January 27, 2011, will step down from the board of SJM Holdings, completing his retreat from official operational involvement in the three main Hong Kong-listed companies.
Companies

Force of former Macau casino monopoly fading as founder retires

Stanley Ho leaving chairmanship of SJM Holdings to four successors

Australia's Qantas Airways and Dubai-based Emirates extended their partnership for another five year in March.
Companies

Qantas flies high again on Emirates alliance

Australian airline's Dubai connection has helped expand its reach

Japanese companies have been encouraged by Beijing's efforts to strengthen the country's manufacturing sector.
Business trends

Japanese manufacturers turn back to China

Belt and Road and Made in China 2025 strengthen business confidence

The cash infusion from Google should enhance JD.com's already strong logistics and supply chain expertise. 
Asia300

JD.com chases Alibaba with logistics advantage

Newly tied to Google, Chinese e-tailer to grow market share with swift delivery

Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing, right, listens to his son Victor Li, co-managing director and deputy chairman of CK Hutchison Holdings Ltd., during a news conference in Hong Kong on March 16.
Business deals

CK group leads $9.8bn bid for Australian energy company

Hong Kong conglomerate continues overseas expansion laid out by Li Ka-shing

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Companies

Philippines' San Miguel eyes Malaysia's state assets sale

Company chief sees opportunities in Mahathir's drive to cut debt

Revenues of many Taiwanese tech suppliers were boosted in May by orders from Chinese phone makers such as Huawei. (Photo by Cheng Ting-fang)
Taiwan tech tracker

Taiwan tech sales up on demand for Chinese smartphones, networking devices

Apple suppliers' product diversification pays off amid slow iPhone season

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Asia Insight

Asian biofuel policies produce a volatile political cocktail

Governments seek to drum up rural support but risk driving up food prices

Vietnamese legislators voted overwhelmingly in favor of a controversial new cybersecurity law on Tuesday, sparking an outcry from human rights organizations and business lobbies. 
Politics

Vietnam's cybersecurity law sparks concerns from businesses

Google, Facebook and local companies say restrictions will harm investment climate

China's retaliatory tariffs against the U.S. prompted alarm from American soybean farmers, a vital political constituency that fears damage from the escalating trade feud. 
Trade war

US tariffs spark vicious cycle of retribution

Escalating trade feuds with China, Canada and Europe endanger growth worldwide

Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, shakes hands with Swaziland's King Mswati III in 2015. The country now known as eSwatini has become Taiwan's last formal diplomatic partner in Africa.
International relations

China verges on luring all of Africa away from Taiwan

Beijing uses economic leverage to cultivate allies against American pressure

BOJ Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda has been fighting low inflation for more than five years now. (Photo by Taro Yokosawa)
Economy

BOJ left alone as it maintains ultra-loose policy

Japan falls behind global tightening trend, lowers inflation assessment

Nikkei Asian Review Commentary Editor Stefan Wagstyl collected the 2018 SOPA prize for excellence in opinion writing on behalf of William Pesek in Hong Kong. (Photo by Chung Lam-chi)
Companies

The Nikkei Asian Review wins SOPA prize

Judges say William Pesek's columns show 'depth of knowledge'

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad speaks about free trade and democracy at the Future of Asia forum in Tokyo on June 11. (Photo by Taro Yokosawa)
The Future of Asia 2018

Mahathir revives 'Look East' policy to join ranks of economic giants

Malaysian PM reveals vision of Asian trade framework including India

Laos Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith speaks about his country's efforts to go from "landlocked" to "land-linked" at the Future of Asia in Tokyo on June 12. (Photo by Maho Obata) 
The Future of Asia 2018

Laos 'not concerned' about debt from China's Belt and Road

Prime minister downplays fiscal risk from $5.8bn high-speed rail project

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe speaks at a dinner for the Future of Asia conference in Tokyo on Monday. He emphasized the need for a denuclearized Korean Peninsula. (Photo by Maho Obata)
The Future of Asia 2018

Abe pledges $50bn for infrastructure in Indo-Pacific

Japanese leader says North Korea solution must include missiles and abductions

South Korean Deputy Prime Minister Kim Dong-yeon speaks to the Nikkei Asian Review in Tokyo on June 11. (Photo by Hiroyuki Kobayashi)
The Future of Asia 2018

South Korea hopes Kim-Trump summit leads to economic synergy

Seoul prepared for any outcome of historic meeting, deputy PM says

Singapore Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean speaks at the Future of Asia 2018 in Tokyo on June 11. (Photo by Maho Obata)
The Future of Asia 2018

Singapore seeks a more connected Asia amid US-China trade frictions

Beijing should learn how to work with ASEAN, deputy prime minister says

Jusuf Kalla, Indonesia’s vice president, said in an interview that his government currently is studying how the country’s competitiveness would be affected if it joins the Trans-Pacific Partnership. (Photo by Yoichi Iwata)
The Future of Asia 2018

Indonesia making preparations to join TPP

Vice president says policy change comes regardless if US returns to trade pact

Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh stresses the benefits of economic cooperation at the Future of Asia conference in Tokyo on June 11. (Photo by Taro Yokosawa) 
The Future of Asia 2018

Asia must counter protectionist tide, Vietnam deputy PM says

Truong Hoa Binh stresses importance of TPP even without US

David Parker, New Zealand's trade and export growth minister, speaks in an interview on June 11. He said the U.S. is welcome to return to the TPP on acceptable terms for existing members. (Photo by Keiichiro Sato)
The Future of Asia 2018

New Zealand sees TPP 11 as antidote for 'turbulent times'

Trade minister says pact should take effect in 2018 and calls for adding members

Myanmar's Kyaw Tint Swe, minister for the Office of the State Counselor, speaks at the Future of Asia conference in Tokyo on June 12. (Photo by Taro Yokosawa)
Uttama Savanayana, Thailand’s minister of industry, speaks at the Future of Asia conference in Tokyo on June 12. He assured investors that the Eastern Economic Corridor project would continue following next year's election. (Photo by Taro Yokosawa) 
Sukhbaatar Batbold, a former Mongolian prime minister, speaks to the Nikkei Asian Review in Tokyo on June 11. (Photo by Hiroyuki Kobayashi) 
The Future of Asia 2018

Belt and Road provides landlocked Mongolia with chance to grow

Better infrastructure and trade hold opportunities, ex-PM says

Getting rid of North Korea's nuclear weapons would take two and a half years, said South Korean presidential adviser Moon Chung-in. (Photo by Hiroyuki Kobayashi)
The Future of Asia 2018

Dismantling North Korea's nuclear weapons only the beginning, adviser says

Seoul envisions EU-like 'freedom of movement' for divided peninsula

Jia Qingguo, dean of Peking University's School of International Studies, speaks to the Nikkei Asian Review on June 11. (Photo by Keiichiro Sato)
The Future of Asia 2018

Key Chinese policy adviser urges more carrots for North Korea

Even if Trump-Kim talks succeed, an 'uncertain and tortuous' road lies ahead on denuclearization

Toshiba's flash memory business sale is a sign of Japanese companies' growing readiness to slash key business operations.
Opinion

Profits and pitfalls -- taking over a Japanese company

Private equity investors should look to boost growth

The Energias de Portugal example shows Chinese companies' seriousness in buying critical infrastructure and a need for Europe to deal with it.
Opinion

Europe must resist the lure of Chinese money

EU needs tough rules to scrutinize inward investment and ensure countries comply

Hong Kong's controversial Next magazine debuted in 1990 and added a Taiwan edition in 2001, but saw advertising revenues dwindle in recent years.
Opinion

Feisty magazine's end raises questions over Hong Kong media's future

New online startups should learn from demise of Next

Shipping containers are loaded onto a Chinese vessel in Long Beach, California, in April. Will the countries allow their tariff spat to develop into a full-blown trade war?  
The Nikkei View

US-China trade feud threatens the global economy

Dialogue, not rash punitive actions, would benefit everyone

The Myeik Archipelago, a chain of 800 largely pristine islands, is untouched by the mass tourism seen in neighboring Thailand.
Life

Myanmar's eco-resorts open up Asia's new tourism frontier

Myeik Archipelago's pristine beaches brace for rising tide of day trippers

Duc Nguyen has no problem getting around on a motorized tricycle.
Life

Two Vietnamese overcome hardships of Agent Orange exposure

Former conjoined twin and disabled painter maintain positive outlooks

Anon Amornlertsak, left, of Buriram United and Takumi Miyayoshi of Sanfrecce Hiroshima competes for the ball during the AFC Champions League match on March 16, 2016, in Hiroshima, Japan. 
Tea Leaves

Dark art of politics clouds Southeast Asian soccer

Sport’s long-term goal should be to put its fans in charge of clubs