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December 19th, 2019

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Dominant at home, mistrusted overseas: Can China’s AI players compete internationally?

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The Big Story

Why China's AI players are struggling to evolve beyond surveillance

Suspicion and reliance on state support make Chinese technology a hard sell overseas

Impressive as China's technological surge has been, it is far from clear whether the country will, as its government expects, become an AI superpower in the near term. (Nikkei photo illustration/Source photos by Getty Images, Reuters)
Can a brewer successfully run a major airport? The Philippines may be about to find out. (Nikkei montage / source photos courtesy of San Miguel)
Company in focus

San Miguel's $15bn airport: Game changer or white elephant?

Philippine beer giant bets its future on a four-runway aerotropolis

Tata Consultancy Services CEO Rajesh Gopinathan at a news conference announcing the company's quarterly results in Mumbai, India, July 13, 2017. 
Interview

Tata Consultancy CEO remains bullish despite global uncertainties

Key India IT company plans to splurge $8.5bn to upgrade services and staff

Apple CEO Tim Cook speaks to Nikkei in Tokyo on Dec.10. (Photo courtesy of Apple)
Interview

Apple CEO looks at 'all countries' to pick best suppliers

Tim Cook wants tech giant's No. 1 contribution to be health care

Xiaomi's Steven Wang says the company is ready to make a push into Japan with the start of 5G service in the country. (Photo by Kai Fujii)
China tech

Xiaomi seeks fans in Japan with budget-friendly phones

Chinese manufacturer taps new market abroad as Huawei eats its lunch at home

Japan Inc. could learn a thing or two from the West about focusing on core competencies and divesting unprofitable businesses.
Datawatch

The $100bn ceiling Japanese companies cannot shatter

Growth stalls as CEOs hesitate to cut off unprofitable units

John Riady, the 34-year old heir apparent of Indonesian conglomerate Lippo, is launching a radical strategic revamp of the group. (Photo by Manami Yamada) 
Interview

Interview: Indonesia's Lippo embarks on radical revamp

Iconic group to focus on real estate and health; other operations may be sold

Jan Craps, left, CEO of Budweiser Brewing Co. APAC, attends the listing ceremony at the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on Sept. 30.
Hong Kong protests

Hong Kong clings to IPO crown despite protest turmoil

Mainland businesses eye listings closer to home as U.S.-China trade frictions continue

The Bank Central Asia tower in Jakarta: BCA also finalized its purchase of Bank Royal Indonesia at the end of October.
Business deals

Top Indonesian lender BCA buys Rabobank local unit for $28m

Bank Central Asia deal deepens consolidation of country's financial sector

Unrelenting price competition from the Mukesh Ambani-backed Reliance Jio Infocomm has poses a threat to Bharti Airtel's financials.
Riot police stand guard inside Sha Tin Mass Transit Railway (MTR) station as anti-government protesters gather to demonstrate against the railway operator, which they accuse of helping the government, in Hong Kong, China September 25, 2019.
Nikkei Markets

MTR gains on dividend comfort despite profit hit from unrest

Rail operator puts profit impact from protests and vandalism at HK$1.6 bn

Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha has incurred the wrath of the Donald Trump administration over a proposed ban on three farm chemicals. (© Nikkei montage/Source photos by Getty Images)
Asia Insight

Trump squeezes Thailand in trade row over chemicals ban

Kingdom's reversal reveals vulnerability to 'America First' pressure

A year-end countdown at Tokyo Disneyland: The theme park's entrance fees are cheaper than U.S. Disney parks. 
Economy

Cheap Japan: From Disney to Big Macs, prices are frozen in time

Global bargain attracts hordes of international visitors

The Japanese ski resort Niseko has seen a massive influx of foreign visitors and investors.(Photo courtesy of Altus: https://flickr.com/photos/altus)
Economy

Cheap Japan: Investors dig up bargains in Niseko's powder paradise

Japanese town ranks just 31st in land prices among ski resorts worldwide

People take photos of the illumination at Osaka's Midosuji district. After three decades of slow growth, Japan has become a low-paying country. (Photo by Tomoki Mera)
Economy

Cheap Japan: Low wages for tech workers delight foreign companies

Hong Kong, Singapore and US outshine former dream destination

Russia sold $6.6 billion in arms to Southeast Asia between 2010 and 2017, making it the largest weapons supplier to the region.
International relations

Russia quietly expands military ties with Laos

Beijing has not objected to Moscow's military role in the region, experts say

South Korean President Moon Jae-in, right, shakes hands with Thailand Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha during the ASEAN-Republic of Korea Commemorative Summit in Busan, South Korea on Nov. 25.
Comment

How ASEAN can gain from South Korea relations -- and Kim Jong Un

10-nation bloc should use Seoul's pivot south to bolster its diplomatic prowess

The old Bukit Asam building in Sawahlunto, Indonesia, built during the Dutch colonial era, is currently being converted into a hotel. (Photo by Jun Suzuki)
Economy

Indonesia exploits industrial past to expand tourism market

Jokowi government wants to grow industry to 10% of GDP

A young woman wearing a mask rides during a dust storm in Taiyuan in March 2018: in the Chinese context, environmental protection refers to more tangible issues like air pollution, rather than climate change.
Opinion

China is not going to produce its own Greta Thunberg

Politics and priorities constrain climate change activism among Chinese youth

Japan is the top foreign partner in Duterte's ambitious $180 billion "build, build, build" infrastructure program.
Opinion

Japan offers Southeast Asia way out of US-China rivalry

As a major regional investor and security partner, Tokyo is stepping up

Bad data produces bad decisions. 
Opinion

How China can set the record straight about its GDP figures

Admitting to bigger quarterly ups and downs could highlight need for policy action

 China has agreed to increase agricultural imports from the U.S.
The Nikkei View

The US-China trade deal is a welcome, but small, step toward peace

True test lies in reforming China's state-owned companies and industrial aid

A haori jacket with a dragon design. Painting directly on clothes requires courage, as not a single stroke can be changed once it has been made. (Courtesy of Tamayo Samejima)
Arts

Tokyo 'sumi-e' artist brings new life to traditional art

From formal kimonos to fashion T-shirts, Japan's celebrated ink painting bridges eras

Jo Rankine, an Australian photographer, has visited Newa Chen -- a 300-year-old-home-turned-bread and breakfast in Nepal's Kathmandu Valley -- twice since coming across it on a digital platform. (Photo by Sunil Pradhan)
Life

Digital platforms help to save traditional Nepalese homes

Refurbishment boom sustains local culture but sometimes threatens authenticity

The new Indian four-lane highway to the Kartarpur Corridor border crossing was not very busy on Nov. 24. (Photo by Michael Hayes)
Tea Leaves

Small border crossings can have big dimensions

India and Pakistan test if a frontier gate can help build some trust