alt

October 10th, 2019

Out of step

Duterte struggles to sell his China strategy at home

View all editions

The Big Story

Duterte struggles to sell his China pivot at home

Little has come of Beijing's $45bn of promised investment. But the Philippine president is doubling down

China-backed projects have faced stringent reviews, public backlash and cancellations, posing a challenge for Duterte as he tries to use Chinese money to build infrastructure, create jobs -- and to cement his legacy. (Nikkei photo illustration/Source photo by Reuters)
Manila opened its doors to online casinos in 2016. The industry now powers the city's real estate sector and employs close to half a million people, many of them Chinese. (Photo by Kimberly dela Cruz)
The Big Story

Tensions flare around Manila's lucrative online casinos

Duterte holds out on a crackdown, but relations with Beijing -- and locals -- grow strained

Malaysian leader Mahathir Mohamad said he cried when "national automaker" Proton was sold to China's Geely. He may have to sell part of the national airline.
Company in focus

Sell it to save it? Mahathir weighs Malaysia Airlines' fate

National pride collides with financial reality as JAL waits in wings

The new budget-conscious iPhone 11 range, released in September, marks the first time that Apple has reduced the starting price of its model upgrade. It came as the global smartphone market is expected to shrink overall for the third year running. (Photo by Tokuyuki Matsubuchi)
Technology

Apple increases production of iPhone 11: sources

Extra 8m units follow unexpected higher demand after iPhone sales collapse last year

Rajeev Misra, CEO of SoftBank Investment Advisers, is in charge of the Vision Fund. (Nikkei montage/source photo courtesy of SoftBank Investment Advisers)
Technology

SoftBank Vision Fund chief rejects criticism over valuations

'Does it matter?' CEO Rajeev Misra asks, 'we're looking for three times return'

Mobile operators in Indonesia are gearing up to offer 5G services in Southeast Asia's biggest economy.
5G networks

Mixed signals: as Indonesia's 5G race heats up, government says 'no rush'

Global vendors see opportunities in digital push despite officials warning of delay

Three major Thai food companies are doing what they can to protect their pigs from contracting African Swine Fever.  
Business trends

Thai food companies fund police on national border to stop swine fever

Desperate move by CP, Betagro, Thai Food will set up checkpoints to protect $3.3bn industry

"They don't have enough hotels to house everyone," Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky says of next year's summer Olympics in Tokyo. "Where are all these people going to stay?"
Interview

Tokyo Olympics to put Airbnb 'on the map' in Japan: CEO

Planned listing for shareholder liquidity, not fundraising, says Brian Chesky

India's auto industry has been grappling with falling demand as a credit crunch hits consumer sentiment.
Automobiles

Maruti and Tata post lower sales in September as weak India demand persists

Automakers are hopeful festive demand will revive sales growth

Outside Samsung Electronics' smartphone plant in Vietnam's Bac Ninh Province. (Photo by Kotaro Hosokawa)
Companies

Samsung to shut down last smartphone plant in China

South Korean tech behemoth squeezed by mainland rivals

Potential Hyflux suitor Utico says it's open to holding another meeting retail investors with a view to improving its offer.
Companies

Hyflux wins sixth delay on debt repayment

Troubled water company given until December to secure rescue deal

As global warming accelerates, Asian countries are turning to technology to secure threatened food supplies. (© Illustration by Michael Tsang)
Asia Insight

Climate change drives Asia's 'life and death' race for food security

From Japan to ASEAN bloc, agritech offers hope for hungry region

Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Mongolian President Khaltmaagiin Battulga attend a welcoming ceremony ahead of their September talks in Ulaanbaatar.
International relations

Russia renews interest in Mongolia to counter Chinese influence

Rebuilding ties with former close ally crucial to Moscow's pivot to the east

South Koreans chant during an anti-Japan rally in Seoul in August.
Japan-South Korea rift

South Korean bestseller attacking anti-Japan 'tribalism' stirs debate

Opposition says Moon's harsh criticism of Tokyo has effect of isolating nation

Onion prices more than doubled in recent weeks after floods damaged crops across the country. (Photo by Yuji Kuronuma)
Economy

India's eye-watering onion prices put extra pressure on Modi

Government bans exports and warns 'unscrupulous' merchants against hoarding

Beijing's military parade on the 70th anniversary of the People's Republic of China showcased new weapons systems that could deter the U.S. from intervening in a mainland invasion of Taiwan (Xinhua/Kyodo)
Communist China at 70

China's military parade heralds 'war plan' for US and Taiwan

Beijing's new arsenal designed to deter American forces while invading Taipei

If China becomes the largest economy in the world, especially with its consumers leading the way, this will boost the world economy.
Opinion

US must realize size is not everything when it comes to GDP

China's economic growth benefits Americans too

A tanker carrying crude oil imported from Iran arrives at China's Port of Zhoushan: Beijing is doubling down on its strategic partnership with Tehran.
University students attend a career fair in Tokyo in October 1993: the unlucky members of the lost generation did not bring about their fate on their own.
Opinion

Helping Japan's 'lost generation' is chance to change whole country

We need to acknowledge role of luck in shaping lives and be more inclusive

Members of the People's Liberation Army march in the 70th anniversary parade in Beijing on Oct. 1.
The Nikkei View

Harmony, not hegemony, is right path forward for China

70th anniversary offers chance to begin moving away from Xi's hawkish stance

Hints of globalization do not distract Tibetan pilgrims from their circumnavigations around the Jokhang, Tibet's holiest shrine. (Photo by Kit Yeng Chan)
Life

Tibetans look to tourism to end isolation

Globalization is shaping a new future for Tibetan Autonomous Region

When the Somdet Theater opened in 1981 it had to be powered by a gas generator because that area of northeastern Thailand had yet to be linked to the electricity grid. (Courtesy of Philip Jablon)
Life

Southeast Asia's independent movie theaters show face of bygone era

'Cinema detective' documents scores of closures -- and a few survivors

Then-British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson visits Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon in January 2017.
Tea Leaves

Misunderstood and misquoted, Kipling bridges East-West divide

Early 'poet of empire' should not be used to justify fear of dialogue and negotiation