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January 19th, 2023

Beijing's infrastructure binds Hong Kong

New rail and real estate plans will deepen integration with the Greater Bay Area

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The Big Story

Beijing's new infrastructure binds Hong Kong to mainland

An interactive look at the string of Chinese-backed rail and real estate plans fusing city to Greater Bay Area

Beijing's new infrastructure binds Hong Kong to mainland
The rise of China and its increasingly ambitious electric vehicle makers have presented Japan with its first serious rival in Thailand. (Source photos by Kyodo and Getty Images)
Business Spotlight

Thailand's auto industry becomes a Japan-China battleground

'Detroit of Southeast Asia' courts investment from both of Asia's giants

Speakers from Huawei Technologies attend a November launch event for its first data center in Indonesia. (Screenshot from video posted by Huawei on social media)
China tech

Alibaba, Huawei race to gain edge in Southeast Asia's cloud market

Chinese tech firms build out network of data centers, tapping into booming sector

Use of feminine-hygiene products remains low in India, especially in rural farming communities.
Consumer

Unicharm cultivates entrepreneurs in India with women-run pad shops

Project takes on menstrual taboo in rural areas, where usage remains low

People walk past stores selling consumer goods in an alley in Dharavi, Mumbai. Asia's biggest slum has been earmarked for redevelopment against the wishes of many locals.
Asia Insight

Mumbai slum residents stand up against Adani's redevelopment plan

Contract to overhaul Asia's biggest slum bagged by subsidiary of conglomerate

Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar in Vienna on Jan. 2. He recently spoke with Nikkei about India's diplomatic approach, which he said covers "a range of interests and a range of partners."
Interview

Jaishankar explains 'India way' of diplomacy, from Quad to Ukraine

Foreign minister insists disagreement isn't a reason to stop cooperation

Left, Kang Dong-wan collects trash from North Korea. (Photo courtesy of Kang Dong-wan) Right, a North Korean soldier stands in front of a pile of garbage near Sinuiju in 2009. 
N Korea at crossroads

North Korean trash offers window into its economy

South Korean scholar studies litter from the North for signs of change

U.S. President Joe Biden meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the G-20 leaders' summit in Bali, Indonesia on Nov. 14, 2022. 
Indo-Pacific

China adopts mild tone to smooth way for Xi visit to U.S.

Beijing dials down rhetoric to ensure warm welcome at APEC meeting in November

Xi Jinping after his speech at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Oct. 23: No one can challenge the Chinese leader.
Opinion

Do not be fooled by China's COVID policy reversal

Xi's change of course a tactical retreat rather than an embrace of pragmatism

Shoppers in Tokyo's Ginza district in August 2022.
Opinion

Tokyo will not get back to normal until it sheds COVID inhibitions

Officials and businesses can revive spirit of fun by dropping masks, sanitizers

Terraced paddies in the Hoshitoge area of Tokamachi, a city in Niigata Prefecture, gleam next to crimson foliage in late autumn.  (Photo by Tomohide Yamaguchi) 
Life

How terraced rice paddies bring Japan's inhabitants together

'Tanada' evoke a nostalgia that grips city dwellers and villagers alike

Left: Bilums from the author's collection made of traditional bark and sisal fibers, with the odd daub or strip of modern color in two cases. Right: A bilum trader at Port Moresby's Four Mile handicraft market makes a bilum out of modern materials while waiting for customers. (All photos by Hamish McDonald)
Tea Leaves

Papua New Guinea's 'bilums' weave together function, fashion

Traditional string bags find buyers in Sydney and New York