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January 10th, 2019

The China connection

Beijing revives a pan-Asian rail dream in Southeast Asia

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The Big Story

Why China is determined to connect Southeast Asia by rail

Planned 3,000-km rail network raises debt, sovereignty concerns

A high-speed train runs through an arched noise barrier in Jiangmen, China. Bullet trains have been operating in China for only a decade or so.
North and South Korean officials kick off a project to link railways and roads between their two countries at a ceremony in Kaesong, North Korea, on Dec. 26.
The Big Story

South Korea's rail dreams face harsh realities

Moon envisions a North-South link, but US sanction and funding hurdles loom

(Source photos by Takaki Kashiwabara, Akiyoshi Inoue, Akira Kodaka and Reuters)
The Big Story

The 'silver tsunami': Ten nonagenarians who shaped Asia in 2018

Mahathir's election made him the poster boy for 90-year-olds

AirAsia is entering a market where the skies are already crowded with key players, including the ambitious budget carrier Vietjet.
Company in focus

AirAsia set to meet its match in Vietnam's Vietjet

Low cost-carrier drives growth by copying from Southeast Asia's budget pioneer

A Muji store in Shanghai: China accounts for 18% of its total sales. (Photo by Kosaku Mimura)
Company in focus

Muji, Japan's 'no brand' brand, battles copycats in China

Minimalist retailer tweaks product strategy to maximize Asian reach

Wang Xing, CEO of online food delivery-to-ticketing provider Meituan-Dianping, led the company’s huge IPO in September, which pushed its market value to $44 billion.
Startups

Millennials take their place among Chinese billionaires

Membership of '2-billion-yuan club' battered by falling share prices

An embedded phase-change memory chip displayed at the stand of Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology of Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Trade war

Exclusive: Taiwan's UMC to scale down chip project with Chinese partner

Sources say Fujian Jinhua project to be dismantled after US charges

A customer visits an Apple store in Hong Kong's Kowloon District. CEO Tim Cook said the company did not foresee "the magnitude of the economic deceleration, particularly in Greater China."
Companies

China turns sour for Apple, leaving Asian suppliers exposed

Former iPhone-lovers ditch the high-priced lineup as economy slows

Maruti Suzuki's total sales fall 1.3% to 128,338 units in last December.
A view of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge connecting Hong Kong to mainland China.
Business deals

Hong Kong's New World buys insurer FTLife for $2.7bn

Conglomerate diversifies with eye toward expanding into mainland China

SK Innovation looks to open three new plants for lithium-ion batteries by 2022, all supplying the U.S. or Europe.
Business trends

South Korean battery makers look beyond China for growth

SK Innovation and LG Chem add plants to supply Europe and US

© Illustration by Eric Chow
Asia Insight

Japan to Asia: Give us your young, your skilled, your eager workers

Abe bets on foreign talent -- blue and white collars alike -- to revitalize the economy

© Nikkei illustration
Asia Insight

India and Japan awaken to risks of superpower space race

Fears for satellite security grow as US and China take confrontation into orbit

Indonesian President Joko Widodo, left, Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, center, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi all face election tests in 2019.
Politics

Asian leaders hurl populist policy firepower ahead of elections

Incumbents in Thailand, Indonesia and India seek support with cash handouts

Scott Morrison's first trip overseas as Australian Prime Minister was to neighboring Indonesia in August.
International relations

Australia's canceled Israel embassy move shows country's Asian concerns

Government buckles amid backlash from Muslim-majority Indonesia and Malaysia

The share price of Indian motorcycle maker Bajaj Auto rose over the last two months of 2018 as oil prices slid.
Economy

December PMI shows inflation pressures ease at Asia manufacturers

Export slump proves more intractable, dragging down business confidence

President Xi Jinping's decisions in 2019 will likely determine China's direction for the next few decades.
Opinion

China in 2019 -- reform or staying the course?

Xi's Deng anniversary speech suggests reform prospects will fade

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad needs a plan to unite his countrymen.
Opinion

Mahathir's deep dilemma for 2019

Can he win over the dominant ethnic Malays and halt the growth of Islamist forces?

A key item on Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's to-do list for 2019 is improving ties with China.
The Nikkei View

As a new year dawns, Japan must shed its old ways

Government and corporate reform is essential for survival in a fast-changing world

Dubbo zoo visitors feed carrots to a giraffe. (Photo by Di Smith)
Life

'Glamping' thrill in Australia's bush has a serious side

Luxury holidays bring visitors up close to endangered rhino

"In Family We Trust" has struck a chord with many Thai viewers.
Tea Leaves

TV drama shines unsettling light on Thai family values

Improbably happy endings emerge from complex and painful social dynamics