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March 17th, 2022

Player or played?

Xi-Putin alliance faces defining moment in Ukraine

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The Big Story

Player or played? Xi-Putin alliance faces defining moment in Ukraine

China seeks to appear impartial amid global scrutiny of military ties

Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping meet in Beijing on Feb. 4. Putin has reportedly asked Beijing for military support for his war on Ukraine, leaving Xi and the powers' "no limits" partnership at a crossroads.
Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam's administration has been criticized for frequent U-turns as it fights a wave of omicron-driven COVID-19 cases and deaths.
Asia Insight

China scrambles as COVID exposes cracks in Hong Kong leadership

Deadly omicron wave dents city's global status, while mainland fights spillover

Major economies are looking to ensure cryptocurrencies are not used as a tool for dodging financial sanctions imposed on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.
Ukraine war

Russia sanctions put spotlight on crypto: 5 things to know

Authorities, industry consider ways to limit use in dodging financial sanctions

An affiliate of Cerberus, a U.S. fund, is about to get a 50-year lease on the 300-hectare shipyard at Subic Bay, the former U.S. naval base turned economic zone. (Photo courtesy of Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority)
Business deals

Cerberus to take over Subic Bay shipyard near South China Sea

US fund nears deal on strategic Philippine facility that stirred China interest

SoftBank Group is not investing in Indonesia's project to build a new capital in Borneo. (Source photo by Reuters and Jun Suzuki)
SoftBank

SoftBank pulls out of Indonesia's new capital project

Vision Fund remains committed to backing Indonesian startups, tech group says

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has roiled global metal markets, with Turkey's steelmakers rushing to ramp up production and boost their exports. (Source photos by Turkey Steel Producers Association and Reuters) 
Business Spotlight

Turkey's steelmakers grab for market share from China, Russia, Ukraine

Industry sets expansion plan to capitalize on global disruption

A thick layer of foam generated by contamination floats on the Yamuna River, India, on Jan 24: pollution intensity will disqualify industries in developing countries from ESG funding when they are the ones needing it the most.
Opinion

Current ESG scheme leaves emerging economies' efforts unrewarded

International system favors companies from developed countries

Units of the Russian armed forces enter Kyiv region on Mar. 3: this time, it is China's partner Russia that has gone to war, not its rival, America.
Opinion

Was China duped on Ukraine?

Beijing is now in damage control mode

Yoon Suk-yeol thanks his supporters in Seoul on March 10 after winning the presidential election. 
Comment

South Korea diplomacy faces tough test as Yoon assumes power

Seoul, Tokyo and Washington float idea of May trilateral summit

The Turkish Bayraktar TB-2 drone has been exported to Ukraine, Turkmenistan and Morocco. (Photo courtesy of Baykar Defense)
Aerospace & Defense Industries

Turkish drone success in Ukraine sets stage for Asia roadshow

Drone companies see potential customers in Japan, Indonesia and Malaysia

Liu Daoxue, who lives in the village of Baiping, in central China, has escaped poverty, the government says, thanks to heavy public spending. (Photo by Yusuke Hinata)
The age of 'Great China'

China's aging population leads to predictions of '17-year supremacy'

Leaders need another $7.8tn to realize Xi's 'common prosperity'

Lena Bumiller-Klathale, her husband Suriyan "Hook" Klathale and their son Noah aboard their kabang houseboat in Thailand. The traditional boats are used by the Moken, a nomadic Austronesian group community that has traveled the Andaman Sea coast of Thailand and Myanmar for centuries, living off the ocean and the coastal forest. (All photos by Tom Vater)
Life

Headwinds buffet Thailand's 'sea nomads'

Multicultural couple shine light on Thailand's disenfranchised Moken minority

Children look out the windows of a school bus at an English-language school in New Delhi in December 1995. Only 0.02% of Indians speak English as their first language, yet English is the language of the supreme court, elite business, much of government and the national media.
Tea Leaves

Politics of language loom large in India

Time is running out for India's English-speaking minority amid Hindi-based mass culture