alt

July 6th, 2023

The U.S.-China rare earths battle

How one mine in California is trying to challenge Beijing’s dominance

View all editions

The Big Story

The U.S.-China rare earths battle

How one mine in California is trying to challenge Beijing's dominance

 The Mountain Pass Rare Earth Mine in California is the U.S.'s only active rare-earth producer. (Photo courtesy of MP Materials)
A sign points to the Brexit zone at the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium. Bill Emmott called on the U.K. to improve trade relations with the European Union.
Interview

CPTPP won't make up for U.K.'s losses from Brexit: ex-Economist editor

Asia-Pacific trade pact's benefits are more political, Bill Emmott says

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg in Berlin in June: Rather than extend its confrontation with Russia to a new region, the West should strike a balance with revisionist states.
Opinion

A NATO office in Japan would only bring trouble

Formalized presence would only raise tensions with China and Russia

Joe Tsai's advantage of understanding both the U.S. and China means far less than it did in the early days of Alibaba.
Opinion

Joe Tsai can't take Alibaba back to its golden days

Investors, consumers and regulators are all more demanding now

Japan and South Korea agreed on the bilateral currency swap arrangement at a "finance ministerial dialogue" held on June 29 in Tokyo.
The Nikkei View

Japan, South Korea should expand mutual economic interests

Currency swap agreement is positive step in improving bilateral relations

The industrywide push to adopt renewable energy may force TSMC, Samsung and regional peers to consider expanding chip plants beyond their home soil. (Source photos by AP and TSMC) 
Business Spotlight

From TSMC to Samsung, Asia's chipmakers struggle to go green

Dearth of renewable energy at home leaves titans lagging U.S. and European peers

An MTR train at Chai Wan Station in Hong Kong on June 15. The city's railway operator may face new challenges at home in the near future. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Transportation

Hong Kong's MTR eyes foreign expansion in face of potential rivals

City's railway monopoly views Middle East as likely target for growth

In this November 2010 photo, Toyota President Akio Toyoda, right, shakes hands with Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk during a news conference in Tokyo.
Automobiles

Tesla 20 years on: EV leader's rise sparked by Toyota partnership

Japanese automaker now turns to Musk's company for production expertise

A year into the job, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has shaken off some of the most pessimistic predictions that greeted his historic election victory. But the spiraling cost of living is still a huge concern for many Filipinos. (Source photos by Reuters and Getty Images)
Asia Insight

Philippines' Marcos Jr. defies skeptics but challenges persist

As president enters second year in power, Filipinos fed up with inflation

Stream article image
Most read in 2023

Singapore senior minister's presidential bid signals shift in ruling party

Tharman's candidacy leaves 'huge hole' in PM Lee's cabinet, says expert

Top tutors assume celebrity status on billboards advertising their cramming services. (Photo by Ahn Seong-bok)
Society

Yoon controversially challenges South Korean exam practices

President takes on lucrative cramming industry and educational inequality

Former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair: "I think China does not believe it is in its interest at all for [the Ukraine war] to slide towards a global conflict." (Photo by Koji Uema) 
Interview

Tony Blair says China key in blunting Russia nuclear threat

Beijing is keen to prevent escalation into global conflict: former U.K. PM

Osaka's street-food scene is bursting with flavor and variety, from motsu-nabe beef intestine hot pot, far left, to takoyaki octopus balls, far right. (All photos by Stephen Mansfield)
Life

Osaka is Japan's 'soul kitchen'

Gourmet tour of a food-obsessed city yields cultural insights and expanded waistlines

The author leaves Bangkok by train, beginning his 1,800-kilometer journey to Singapore. (All photos by Andrew Benfield)
Tea Leaves

Can Europe's 'flight shaming' movement work in Asia?

It may be (much) slower but train travel gives a lot more back