alt

July 19th, 2018

Cambodia's Chinafication

Chinese investment floods in as Hun Sen seeks to extend his 33 years in power

View all editions

The Big Story

Cambodians wary as Chinese investment transforms their country

Hun Sen, ruler for 33 years, faces little opposition in upcoming election

Chinese investment is fueling a construction boom in Cambodia, but it is also bringing headaches. (Photo by Akira Kodaka)
A Cambodian cement plant first donated by communists now faces crowding out by Chinese enterprise. (Photo by Akira Kodaka)
The Big Story

Cementing the China-Cambodia relationship

A 54-year-old factory reflects tumultuous history

Guests at the Red Planet Tokyo Asakusa. The market for budget hotels is rapidly growing in the Asia-Pacific region and competition is heating up. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Startups in Asia

Millennials drive Red Planet's pan-Asia hotel expansion

Thailand-based budget chain targets guests with digital offerings

A Tesla dealership in Beijing. The American automaker is on course to turn China into a second export hub for its electric vehicles.
Electric cars in China

Tesla Shanghai factory to drive China's electric car dominance

CEO Elon Musk makes high-profile visit to tout plans for enormous production hub

Ofo bicycles near a subway station in Wuhan, China 
Sharing Economy

Alibaba-backed Ofo shrinks overseas bike-sharing

Shuts down India, Australia and Israel to focus on profitable cities

Ride-hailing drivers in Malaysia will be required to obtain public service vehicle licenses under new rules that take effect on July 12.
Sharing Economy

Malaysia hits ride-hailing companies with taxi industry rules

Grab faces scrutiny over reports of higher fares after Uber merger

Singaporea's Temasek Holdings expects its investments in early stage companies to provide higher aggregate returns in the long term. 
Business

Cautious Temasek turns to startups as trade risk looms

Singapore state investor's unlisted assets grow to $88bn in annual report

TSMC's founder Morris Chang and his wife Sophie attend a building dedication ceremony after the new management team decided to rename the company's headquarters in his honor. (Photo by Cheng Ting-fang)
Trade war

TSMC founder sees trade dispute as 'reality show with no script'

Morris Chang warns top chipmaker faces fierce competition and unpredictable conditions

Chinese tourists have helped drive up sales of MTG’s ReFa facial and body massage devices.
Business trends

J-beauty brands look beyond China success

Buoyed by millennials, smaller players are venturing into new markets

Medics examine a patient at a hospital in Kozhikode in the southern state of Kerala, India, in May 2018. 
Business deals

'Modicare' boom led Malaysia's IHH to buy Fortis

The $1.07bn purchase gains access to India's health care sector and talent pool

Tencent submitted a proposal to separately list its subsidiary Tencent Music.
Asia300

Tencent Music plans US IPO, inspired by Spotify

China's top streaming service skips Hong Kong to seek higher valuation.

LG Electronics recently made its biggest-ever acquisition, buying Austrian automotive lighting maker ZKW Group.
Asia300

New LG chief faces first big test after earnings slowdown

Mainstay electronics unit sees profit tumble 30%

India's farm market focuses heavily on tractors, and Mahindra & Mahindra looks to expand abroad to tap demand for other agricultural equipment.
Asia300

Mahindra digs farm machine demand in Americas and Japan

Indian market leader aims to generate half of segment revenue overseas

Each electric car battery requires about 10 kg of cobalt -- a fact that has dramatically increased the importance of the metal.
Asia Insight

China's cobalt dominance meets blockchain-backed resistance

Technology could transform supply chain for electric car battery material

Kim Jong Un's recent economic tour to sites such as this potato factory in Samjiyon County has taken precedence over political appearances.
N Korea at crossroads

Kim Jong Un projects image as economic reformer-in-chief

North Korean leader busy visiting farms, one month after Trump summit

Banners declaring the Philippines a province of China appeared in various parts of Metro Manila on July 12. Nobody has claimed responsibility for the apparent prank.(Contributed photo)
International relations

Duterte under pressure to press South China Sea claims

Two years after arbitration win, Philippine policy slammed as soft on Beijing

Workers build a road in front of U-Tapao airport, south of Pattaya City in the Eastern Economic Corridor. (Photo by Takaki Kashiwabara)
Companies

Thailand's $7bn rail project draws 31 local and foreign bidders

Companies likely to form joint ventures for Eastern Economic Corridor link

Malaysian Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng is pushing to lower the costs of ongoing infrastructure projects.
Malaysia in transition

Malaysia to halve cost of key rail project in infrastructure review

Mahathir government shows determination on fiscal discipline

A Yemeni refugee looking at the distant sea outside of Jeju City. He arrived in Jeju this year to avoid the civil war in Yemen. (NurPhoto/Getty Images)
International relations

Yemeni refugees in South Korea face fake news and friction

People fleeing civil war mix uncomfortably with locals on resort island of Jeju

A subway tunnel under construction in Changsha, China. Investment in such public works has flagged amid a crackdown on shady financing, weighing on overall economic growth.
Economy

China's deleveraging weighs on growth as trade war unfolds

Quarterly GDP drops to 6.7% with investment and consumption suffering

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi wields ever-growing power due to an increasingly lame legislature.
Datawatch

In Modi's India, bright mood masks danger to democracy

Citizens are happy with nation's direction but data shows troubling trajectory

Still friends? Malaysia's Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad meets Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in Putrajaya, Malaysia on May 19, 2018
Opinion

'New Malaysia' makes Singapore look outdated

Mahathir's triumph exposes shortcomings of city-state's one-party rule

Conflict or concession - China's President Xi Jinping must decide on how to respond to US president Donald Trump.
Opinion

Xi risks losing face in a trade war with Trump

Beijing must choose between a humiliating retreat and a dangerous economic conflict

Is Japan coming too late to the party?
Opinion

Japanese casinos are a real gamble

Tokyo has a lot to tempt operators but it is late entering a crowded Asian market

Japan will scrap tariffs on 94% of goods from the EU, broadening the market for European wine and other key exports.
The Nikkei View

Japan and EU: New leaders on global trade

Economic partnership pact will help fill void as US turns inward

"The biggest conservation issue" for Australia, a female feral cat is found at Newhaven Wildlife Sanctuary (Photo by C. Thomas, AWC)
Life

War in the wild: Australian conservationists battle feral cats

Sanctuaries helping to prevent extinction of continent's native fauna

The first edition of a new Myanmar film magazine "3-Act," titled "Cinema is not dead, but not alive." (Courtesy of 3-Act)
Arts

Once-thriving Myanmar cinema readies for new wave

Independent filmmakers seek to challenge risk-averse industry

Hello Kitty Shinkansen leaves Shin-Osaka Station on its maiden run on June 30. (Kyodo)
Business trends

Hello Kitty shows no signs of slowing down despite middle age

Iconic character's warm and fuzzy charm still a hit with companies and consumers

Inside Tianjin Railway Station: China may have many internet restrictions, but the population is highly connected.
Tea Leaves

South Asians unfazed by China's Great Firewall

In Yunnan's eternal spring, visitors navigate their way around internet controls