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October 29th, 2020

NEW DISORDER

How Trump refashioned U.S.-China relations

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Business deals

SK-Intel NAND deal points to wider shake-up of chip sector

Korean to pursue further acquisitions; US players outsource manufacturing

SK Hynix's purchase of Intel’s NAND flash memory business may be the first step in a further consolidation of the industry.
Pro-democracy protesters occupy a main road at Bangkok's central business district on Oct. 15: the fight burning in the hearts and minds of the young generation is beyond state control.
Opinion

Thailand's kingdom of enslavement

Ignoring reasonable reform demands could force end of palace-military nexus

A supporter of the NLD, pictured on Oct. 2 in Yangon: the last thing Myanmar needs is business as usual.
While presiding over a White House in chaos, Donald Trump has managed a once-in-a-generation overhaul of America's China policy. Beijing, by contrast, has amassed enormous state capacity which it expends in a disciplined, if brutal, fashion. 
A lack of investment is threatening Indonesia's once-promising oil and gas sector. (Photo courtesy of Inpex)
Business Spotlight

Indonesia's energy pipeline springs leak as Chevron eyes exit

Pertamina fights to maintain output as foreign players drop oil and gas projects

Hitachi is also considering selling a stake in Hitachi Metals, a plan that would complete structural reforms that the corporation began a decade ago.
Engineering & Construction

Hitachi to divest some of its Hitachi Construction shares

Japan government-backed JIC fund and other parties consider buying the stake

Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee in Frankfurt, Germany, in 1993. Lee told executives to change everything but their wives and children in order to take the group to the next level.
Obituaries

Lee Kun-hee: 'Hermit philosopher' took Samsung to the global stage

Late chairman engineered rise of South Korea's top conglomerate

Wang Xing, founder, cief executive officer of China's Meituan Dianping hits the gong during the debut of the company at the Hong Kong Exchanges, Sept. 20, 2018.
China tech

China 'second-generation' internet entrepreneurs take helm

Jack Ma's retirement marks a new era for the country's innovators

Dogs are crammed into cages like this and transported to slaughterhouses in Cambodia -- one of several Asian countries where their meat is consumed. Experts say the trade exacerbates the danger of rabies.
Asia Insight

Cambodia cools on dog meat as COVID puts Asia on disease alert

Bans in Siem Reap, China and India raise hopes for healthier, more humane future

Workers gather around the Indian Navy's first Scorpene submarine as it leaves a shipyard Mumbai in 2015. India is beefing up its defense industry, both for its own military and for exports.
International relations

With an eye on China, India gifts submarine to Myanmar

New Delhi's naval diplomacy expected to aid its broader Indo-Pacific vision

Thousands of protesters returned to Bangkok's Ratchaprasong intersection on Sunday for the first major protest in Thailand since a state of severe emergency was lifted on Thursday. (Photo by Masayuki Yuda)
Turbulent Thailand

Thailand's youth protest draws thousands after PM refuses to quit

Demonstrators return to Bangkok's commercial heart in smaller numbers

Renewal energy sources need to account for 40%-50% of Japan's power consumption in 2030 for the nation to realize a zero-emissions society in 2050, estimates show. 
Climate Change

Suga's 2050 zero-carbon goal thrusts Japan into green tech race

Foreign rivals ahead in EVs and hydrogen-powered steel mills

Malaysia's King Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin: The royal household says the king has confidence the government is already capable of handling the pandemic.
Malaysia in transition

Malaysia's king rejects COVID emergency in blow to Muhyiddin

Royal household sees 'no need' to give prime minister special powers

Xiao Mo and her husband A Hou and the specially rigged camper van they are using to explore China's Highway 318. "This route goes through 30 degrees north latitude," says A Hou. "As I am turning 30 this year, we thought it would be a special way to celebrate." (Photo courtesy of Xiao Mo and A Hou)
Life

A hipster road trip through China in the year of COVID

Being unable to travel abroad triggered an urge to explore China from the inside

A brightly painted handcart loaded with "bakso," Indonesia's most popular street food. (All photos by Ian Neubauer).
Tea Leaves

Indonesia in a 'bakso' ball

Culture revealed in popular street food dish