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January 14th, 2021

THE AGE OF RE-GLOBALIZATION

It's the era of new rising powers, new competition -- and economies more intertwined than ever

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Coronavirus

Japan's second COVID state of emergency: Five things to know

'Limited, concentrated' rules to target Tokyo restaurants -- with no fines for now

The new state of emergency for the Tokyo area is expected to focus on restaurants and bars, which experts see as major virus spreaders.
People wearing protective masks cross a street in Kuala Lumpur on Dec. 17: as the pandemic drags on and fatigue sets in, new waves of infections are likely.
Opinion

Southeast Asia must prepare for the worst in 2021

Region will do well if things do not go backward

Xi Jinping waves during a video conference with European leaders from Beijing on Dec. 30: the deal amounts to so little.
Opinion

Europe's disappointing investment deal with China

Why rush a deal that is so inherently complex?

Four years ago, the Trump administration vowed to bring back industrial jobs from Asia and revitalize American manufacturing. But things haven't worked out as planned. (Nikkei photo illustration)
The Big Story

The next wave of globalization: Asia in the cockpit

Don't worry about the future of globalization. Make sure you have a place in it

Shopee is now Vietnam's most-visited e-commerce site, followed by Mobile World, Tiki and Alibaba's Lazada. (Source photos by Kentaro Iwamoto, Reuters and courtesy of Tiki) 
Business Spotlight

Alibaba and Shopee clash in Vietnam as ASEAN e-commerce war rages

COVID triggers tie-ups and investment as region's tech battleground shifts

Shein's website and mobile app list thousands of ultracheap clothing items, with thousands more added each day. (Photo by Tomoko Wakabayashi)
Business trends

China's fast-fashion newcomers target Zara in global push

Shein and Zaful's ultracheap styles drive sales in US, Europe and Middle East

The Indonesia Stock Exchange in Jakarta in September. In 2020 the amount raised in IPOs on the exchange was lower than in most other regional economies.
Market Spotlight

Indonesia expects 2021 IPO boost from reforms and COVID rebound

Startups and state-backed companies set to improve listing outlook

The European Union has come under intense pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump to block equipment made by Chinese tech giant Huawei from its 5G networks. Now, a new administration is set to take power in Washington and the 27-member bloc is anticipating what stance it will take in relation to China.
Asia Insight

EU hopes for 'tech alliance' with Biden after Trump Huawei 5G ban

But cutting dependence on cheap Chinese network equipment to keep testing allies

A medical worker collects a coronavirus test sample from a police officer in Shah Alam, Malaysia, on Jan. 7.
Coronavirus

Malaysia COVID emergency measures 'not a coup,' Muhyiddin says

Parliament suspension gives PM respite from pressure to call election

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the congress of the Workers' Party of Korea in Pyongyang in this photo supplied by the official Central News Agency on Jan. 11.
N Korea at crossroads

North Korea's Kim Jong Un crowned as party general secretary

Sister Kim Yo Jong not in Politburo, likely to protect her from 'villain role'

A statue symbolizing wartime "comfort women" near the Japanese Embassy in Seoul: The countries still face tensions over the issue despite a 2015 agreement designed to "finally and irreversibly" put it to rest.
Japan-South Korea rift

Comfort women ruling frays South Korea-Japan ties ahead of Biden era

US president-elect's 'united front of allies' faces challenge from the get-go

 King Maha Vajiralongkorn moves among royalists during a candlelit vigil outside the Grand Palace in Bangkok on Dec. 5 to mark the birthday of his late father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej.  
Turbulent Thailand

Germany plans no moves against Thai king, document shows

Berlin gives monarch a pass on conducting Thai state affairs from Germany

Tokyo's Kabukicho district is as famous as it is notorious, a neighborhood so full of night entertainment that it is often called a "sleepless town." (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Life

How Tokyo's 'Sleepless Town' is fighting the COVID taint

Kabukicho looks to claw back the crowds the pandemic has turned away

Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke and Hu Yaobang, general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, in 1985.
Tea Leaves

Anti-China drift imperils Australia's tolerant self-image

Political wrangles threaten to engulf Asia's perfect business couple