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September 22nd, 2022

Uphill battle

Vietnam's efforts to climb the global value chain

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The Big Story

Vietnam's battle to climb the global value chain

The country earns global factory status but fears it will remain an 'assembly platform'

Inside a Manutronics Factory in Bac Ninh province, Vietnam. The country is trying to repeat the industrial success of Taiwan and South Korea but might be a few decades too late.
Tech titan Alibaba has gotten into the ready-to-eat food business via its investment in Freshippo, whose offerings can be seen at this Hema Supermarket in Shanghai. (Photo by CK Tan)
Business Spotlight

China's food businesses seek the recipe to satisfy home diners

Pre-prepared meal kits have been a COVID hit with consumers but pitfalls remain

Hong Kong's "nano flats" were billed as a way for first-time homebuyers to leap on the property ladder in one of the world's priciest real-estate markets.
Property

Living large: Hong Kong moves out of pint-sized 'nano flats'

New mortgage rules, slumping property market hit sales of micro apartments

Grab, which reported a $1 billion net loss for the first half of this year, will focus on attaining profitability.
Companies

Grab faces crossroads in food delivery as restaurant dining returns

Southeast Asian leader joins competitors in shaking up growth strategies

A report by Freedom House says the Chinese Communist Party "and its proxies are using more sophisticated and coercive tactics to shape media narratives and suppress critical reporting" -- accusations Beijing rejects.
Asia Insight

China builds global media muscle to amplify its message

Study shows how country with dismal press freedom record sways reporting abroad

Queen Elizabeth II passes onlookers in Kuala Lumpur on Feb. 23, 1972.
International relations

Queen Elizabeth's soft power in Asia went beyond the Commonwealth

New U.K. King Charles III faces struggle to match mother's ties in region

Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, meets Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on Sept. 16.
International relations

Pakistan and China hail 'brotherhood' but IMF terms spell friction

Xi-Sharif meeting overshadowed by Islamabad's need to renegotiate power deals

Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo decided to slash fuel subsidies starting Sept. 3, causing price hikes that sparked massive protests. (Source photos by AP and Reuters) 
Inflation

Jokowi's hard choice: 'Extreme' subsidies or 'political suicide'

Fuel bill may hit 25% in 2022 budget, forcing Indonesia to cut for fiscal health

Though beneficial to government balance sheets, the "inflation tax" could burden consumers with unmanageable price hikes.
Datawatch

Inflation tax hits $4.5tn in U.S., Europe amid global price hikes

Consumers may ultimately pay for less government debt through devalued currencies

A worker makes clothes at an apparel factory in Enshi, China, in November 2020: Chinese manufacturers are still gaining export share across low-technology and labor-intensive industries.
Opinion

China's dominance of manufacturing is growing, not shrinking

Country gaining market share in both low- and high-tech sectors

Quad leaders chat in Tokyo on May 24: Joe Biden has coaxed the group into adopting an expansive agenda.
Opinion

The Quad is at risk of losing its strategic focus

Biden is saddling the group with a distracting global agenda

To prepare for hosting of this year's Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, history-drenched Samarkand -- Uzbekistan's second-largest city -- has undergone big changes.
Life

Ancient Samarkand gets a modern makeover

Silk Road city turns into building site ahead of Sino-Russian summit

Don't knock it till you've tried it: Vietnamese egg coffee from Hanoi. (Photo by Charukesi Ramadurai)
Tea Leaves

'Camouflage cooking' makes a comeback

Pandemic times in Asia inspire return to kitchen traditions