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May 23rd, 2019

Return of the SEA turtles

Why Southeast Asia’s tech entrepreneurs are ditching Silicon Valley

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The Big Story

Southeast Asian 'turtles' return home to hatch tech startups

Skills shortage prompts companies to scour Silicon Valley for talent

Southeast Asia's young tech talent, long drawn to Silicon Valley to study and work, have begun returning to their home shores to build the next tech boom. (Illustration by Eric Chow)
Southeast Asian companies are going abroad: Ride-hailing company Grab has tied up with U.S.-based driverless-car startups drive.ai and nuTonomy in recent years.
The Big Story

In role reversal, Southeast Asia's VCs are investing in US tech

Singapore's Grab pours millions into driverless car startups

 (Nikkei Montage/ Getty Images)
Asian Family Conglomerates

Hong Kong property patriarch leaves sons with $64bn question

Heirs challenged to preserve Lee Shau-kee's Henderson Land legacy

Huawei has been expanding its supplier base to prepare for uncertainties.
Trade war

Exclusive: Huawei stockpiles 12 months of parts ahead of US ban

Fears of collateral damage hang over Chinese tech group's Asian supply chain

The fight between Tencent and Alibaba extends to mobile payments, cloud computing and other areas of the digital economy.
Companies

Tencent, Alibaba and the fight to control China's online ecosystem

Earnings beat estimates but competition intensifies over payment and cloud

A worker conducts an inspection at Lupin's biosimilar plant in Pune, India. (Photo courtesy of Lupin)
Companies

India's Lupin targets generic potential of biotech drugs

Expiring patents open window for launch in Japan and Europe by year end

Seven-Eleven, the largest convenience store operator in Japan, has recently come under fire for its insistence on 24/7 operations. (Photo by Tomoki Mera)
Business trends

58,000 shops later, Japan's convenience stores turn fresh page

Consumers push 7-Eleven and peers to shorten hours and reduce food waste

Oversupply of stainless steel in China is raising concerns among Japanese traders.
Commodities

China trade conflict reverberates in Asian stainless steel market

Oversupply limits room for price rise, spreading anxiety in Japan

Leshi Internet Information & Technology founder Jia Yueting, right, introduces an electric car. The company's expansion outside streaming services has led to a pile of debt it cannot repay.
Companies

China's Leshi on verge of delisting as debts pile up

Startup's fall from grace fueled by overly aggressive expansion

Stream article image
Companies

ITC posts better-than-expected quarterly profit on India cigarette demand

Sanjiv Puri named new chairman after Y.C. Deveshwar passes away

CDL will take a 70% stake in a commericial property in the heart of Shanghai's commercial district.  (Photo by Kosaku Mimura)
Business deals

Singapore's City Developments bets big on China real estate

Developer partners with Sincere Property to tap mainland's long-term growth

© Illustration by Michael Tsang
Asia Insight

Islamic State sneaks into Asia through family terror cells

Sri Lanka bombers' wealth and choice of explosives raise red flags

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison speaks to supporters after his opponent, Labor Party leader Bill Shorten, conceded defeat in the federal election in Sydney on Sunday.
Politics

Australia's conservatives owe 'miracle' win to economic promises

Prime Minister Scott Morrison's shrewd marketing proves successful

Market observers speculate that China may retaliate against American tariff hikes by dumping Treasurys.
Trade war

China shrinks US Treasury holdings to 2-year low

Lingering trade war fuels speculation of continued sell-off

President Donald Trump has directed the U.S. trade representative to pursue negotiations on national security concerns regarding auto imports.
Trade war

Toyota slams Trump's move to label auto imports a security threat

Japanese carmaker receives message its investments 'not welcomed'

Members of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party clash with National Assembly officials during a protest over controversial bills on electoral and judicial reforms at the parliamentary building in Seoul last month @EPA/Yonhap
Politics

South Korea's economy in limbo as standoff holds up stimulus

Lawmakers tussle as petitions call for dissolution of main political parties

Samsung Electronics headquarters in Seoul. Samsung is one of five chaebol that hold more than half of the combined assets among South Korea's 59 family-run business empires.
Business trends

Elite chaebol tighten grip on South Korean economy

Five conglomerates took in 72% of profit among peers last year

Retreating Arctic ice means increased competition for the region's vast natural resources.
International relations

Heated power game plays out for Arctic Ocean resources

International cooperation effort aims to avoid 'another South China Sea'

Japan will join the U.S.-led Gateway project, which involves putting a manned space station into lunar orbit.
International relations

Japan to sign on to US moon exploration platform

Trump and Abe to ink space cooperation deal with eye toward rising China

Singapore’s non-oil domestic exports declined 6.4% on the year in the first quarter, according to government data released on May 21.
Economy

Southeast Asia faces more trade obstacles after slow Q1 growth

Thailand and Singapore downgrade full-year GDP forecasts on US-China tensions

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, right, inspects the G-20 summit venue at the Osaka Castle Park on April 20: Japan is keen to enlarge the G-20 agenda. (Photo by Maho Obata)
Opinion

Time for the G-20 to focus on results, not promises

As host, Japan should address the failure to implement past pledges, notably in health

Trump will be looking to Abe for a quick win on the world stage.
Opinion

Japan's coming recession -- Trump to blame, or Abe?

Domestic reform failures magnify the impact of U.S.-China trade war

The new chairman of CSRC Yi Huiman: Reformers appear to have the upper hand under him. 
Opinion

China's market regulator must stick to reforms despite trade tumult

Staying the course will help persuade investors of commitment to opening

Chinese President Xi Jinping’s ambitious infrastructure push has left some nations with dangerously swollen debt burdens.
The Nikkei View

China is a major global lender; it should act like one

Joining the Paris Club would be a crucial step toward transparency

Just like restaurant owners care about their interiors, food-truck owners go the extra mile to make functional and eye-catching "kitchen cars."
Life

Tokyo food trucks get in gear

Once viewed with disdain in Tokyo, food trucks are now transforming disused parts of the city thanks to a canny new company.

In its former life, the Craftsman hotel was a getaway for U.S. soldiers during the Vietnam War. 
Life

Bangkok design duo turns trendy into timeless

As hotels adapt to changing tastes, their interior designers are innovating. Bangkok's Studio Freehand is equal to the task.

The flags of China and Taiwan fly next to each other at a pro-unification demonstration in Taipei's Ximending neighborhood.
Tea Leaves

China's heavy shadow divides Taiwanese voters

'Han mania' raises prospect of Beijing's KMT allies retaking control