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April 13th, 2023

The return of Jack Ma

Alibaba's "soft breakup" seeks to ease tensions with Beijing

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The Big Story

Jack Ma's China homecoming heralds new era for Alibaba

Company's 'soft breakup' aims to boost flagging growth and draw line under feud with Beijing

"My biggest mistake was that I made Alibaba," Jack Ma once told investors. "I never thought this thing would change my life. I was just trying to run a small business."
An elementary school's yard in Tokyo: Japan has tasked a new agency with creating a "children-centric" society.
Politics

Aging Japan opens Children and Families Agency: 5 things to know

New organization aims to create a youth-friendly society as births fall

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testifies before the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee on March 23.
Opinion

U.S. politicians must decide what they really want from TikTok

Data exploitation and geopolitical issues have gotten muddled

Dong-E-E-Jiao's ejiao in a drugstore in Shanghai: Donkey hides are the source of the gelatin that is the main ingredient for the traditional Chinese medicine.
Opinion

China must tame its donkey trade for Africa's sake

Smugglers hurt continent's rural poor to meet demand for traditional medicine

Supporters of the National League for Democracy gather outside the party's headquarters in Yangon after the general election in November 2020.
The Nikkei View

Dissolution of Suu Kyi's party deepens Myanmar's political disarray

Elections excluding pro-democracy NLD will be rejected at home and abroad

GoTo and its CEO, Andre Soelistyo, are grappling with how to make the superapp and e-commerce company profitable. (Source photos by Getty and Reuters) 
Business Spotlight

Indonesia's GoTo far from profitability one year after listing

Investors shun stock amid sea of red ink, as regional peers' prospects brighten

BYD plans to release the U9 supercar under the luxury brand Yangwang. (Photo courtesy of BYD)
Electric cars in China

BYD eyes overtaking Tesla this year as world's top EV maker

Chinese automaker aims to double capacity in push to reach 3.6m vehicles sold globally

Samsung Electronics, the world's biggest memory chipmaker, expects first-quarter operating profit and sales to have both declined.
Semiconductors

Samsung cuts memory chip output on weak demand amid supply glut

South Korean tech giant expects 96% decrease in Q1 operating profit

Embraer's E195-E2 aircraft is undergoing the certification process in China.
Aerospace & Defense Industries

Embraer sets sights on China and India with latest jets

Brazilian aircraft maker focuses on Asia-Pacific, seeking 100 deliveries in 2025

Who would U.S. President Joe Biden call first in a crisis? Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida may be a leading candidate, thanks in part to ties forged under Tokyo's National Security Council.
Asia Insight

How Japan's National Security Council rewrote China strategy

As Kishida prepares for G-7, Tokyo has closer White House ties and a clearer global role

Some economists are concerned that the recovery in consumption will slow down and hit overall growth this year. 
Economy

China economists expect 5.4% GDP growth in 2023: survey

Outlook upgraded on consumption recovery, exceeding Beijing's 5% target

Pakistan's government led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif insists it cannot afford to fund provincial elections nor guarantee their security, while the Supreme Court has ordered polls to proceed. (Source photos by Reuters and AP)
Politics

Pakistan faces constitutional crisis over elections: What to know

Parliament passes motion rejecting Supreme Court order for polls to proceed

Workers scale bars at a construction site in Manila on March 22, 2021. 
Economy

Philippine workers seek hike in minimum wage amid inflation

Growth has been strong, but workers say rising prices are eroding earnings

Calligrapher Mohammad Ghalib, 60, creates a work for a customer in the bookshop where he works in the Old Delhi district of the Indian capital. (Photo by Mehran Bhat)
Arts

The last Urdu calligrapher of Delhi

Technological and political pressures threaten centuries-old Indian art form

Rugby fans gather for the Hong Kong Sevens tournament on April 1. The city's citizens have increasingly few reasons to cheer these days.
Tea Leaves

Hong Kong's 'new normal' is anything but

City retains its business buzz as political freedoms wither