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April 14th, 2022

Sanction-proofing China

Spooked by sanctions on Russia, Beijing works on a backup plan

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The Big Story

China scrambles for cover from West's financial weapons

Spooked by sanctions on Russia, Beijing looks to build on its own international payments system

After seven Russian banks were banned from SWIFT following the invasion of Ukraine, China is hoping its own Cross-border Interbank Payment System, CIPS, will be enough to weather potential future sanctions from the West. 
Alvin Chau's Suncity Group has been forced to shut the VIP rooms it operated with all six of Macao's casino operators. (Source photos by Ken Kobayashi and Getty Images) 
Business Spotlight

Downfall of Macao's junket king rocks Asia-Pacific gambling world

Alvin Chau was seen as a pillar of the community but now sits in jail

John Lee, Hong Kong's former security chief and chief secretary, looks poised to win the city's top job.
Asia Insight

Hong Kong fears run deep as John Lee aims to take charge

Police vet emerges as China's pick to lead a public wary of security law

At the Best in Business Awards, run by the U.S. Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing, Nikkei Asia won the top prize in the international reporting section for a three-part investigation into online scams run from Cambodia. It was one of three prizes received by the publication. 
Announcements

Nikkei Asia wins three SABEW Best in Business Awards

Publication recognized for reports on Apple's woes, cybercrime gangs, tech-worker exploitation

Engineers working at a United Microelectronics Corp. facility in southern Taiwan in 2006. (File photo by AFP/Jiji)
Semiconductors

Chip industry's expansion plans at risk as equipment delays grow

TSMC, Samsung and others chase vital equipment as delivery times reach 18 months

Rattan is an abundant natural forest resource in Indonesia that Nio is using to replace interior plastics on its newest electric vehicle. (Source photos courtesy of Out for Space)
Transportation

Indonesia's humble rattan moves on from furniture to electric cars

German company devises way to use tropical climbing plant in vehicle interiors

The Montreux Convention gives Turkey the right to close the Bosporus in times of war, which it has. But If Vladimir Putin desperately needed more ships in the Black Sea, Recep Tayyip Erdogan would have a hard choice to make. (Source photos by Reuters and Getty Images) 
Indo-Pacific

Location, hard power underpin Turkey's geopolitical renaissance

But prolonged fighting in Ukraine may force Erdogan to clearly pick sides

T. S. Tirumurti, India's Ambassador to the United Nations, addresses the U.N. Security Council in New York on Tuesday.
International relations

India's hazy Ukraine stance lures suitors from West, Russia, China

Ministers and officials seek to bring New Delhi to their side on the war

Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, presents a medal to Valery Gergiev in 2016. The two are known to be friends.
Politics

Sudden disharmony: Pro-Putin maestros get the boot in Europe

Ukraine invasion poses moral dilemma for Russian musicians abroad

The Taliban's decision to keep girls out of school -- made the night before they were due to return on March 23 -- has drawn widespread international condemnation.
Afghanistan turmoil

Taliban drafting education-for-all plan, minister says as girls wait

Official in charge of schooling says authorities 'need time' to maintain unity

Vladimir Putin speaks during an event on the sidelines of the ASEAN-East Asia summit in October 2021: This is a time of existential crisis for ASEAN where fudging and muddling may not get by. (Handout photo from Brunei ASEAN Summit)
Opinion

Putin's war in Ukraine has deepened ASEAN disunity

10-member bloc needs to find a way to accommodate opposing points of view

Taiwan Air Force fighter jet pilots walk on a runway during drills in Hsinchu, Taiwan, in January 2019: Military deterrence alone is unlikely to be decisive.
Opinion

A three pillar strategy to prevent war in East Asia

China, U.S. and Taiwan need to learn from the war in Ukraine

In addition to showcasing a rich variety of artwork, Rupert Mann's "Bangkok Street Art and Graffiti" contains essays peppered with interviews that address the history of street art and graffiti, from its origins in the U.S. and Europe to its rise in Thailand. (Nikkei montage/source photos by River Books and Tom Vater) 
Books

Books: For creative protest, in Thailand the writing is on the wall

Illustrated book traces history of political street art and graffiti

The Indian game of kattam vilaiyattu is similar to the Western game of tic-tac-toe. (Courtesy of Kreeda Games)
Tea Leaves

Indians go back to future via board games

Modern games lose their monopoly amid a resurgence of traditional pastimes