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December 7th, 2023

Taiwan's defining moment

January's election will determine the future of relations with China

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The Big Story

Taiwan's defining moment: Election to determine future of relations with China

Against backdrop of Ukraine and Hong Kong, voters must choose confrontation or compromise with Beijing

Supporters of Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party, which aims to defend the island's sovereignty, gather at the party's campaign headquarters in Taipei on Dec. 3, ahead of the presidential election in January. (Photo by Hiroki Endo)
China churns out nearly all the high-quality graphite used in electric vehicle materials.
Technology

What China's graphite export curbs mean for EVs: 5 things to know

Rules starting Dec. 1 threaten to snarl supplies of key battery material

Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, speaks to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in California on Nov. 17.
Opinion

Australia's Albanese paid a high price for his trip to China

Canberra no longer seems willing to stand up for rules-based international order

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, right, with NATO leaders in Lithuania in July: Combined efforts by the U.S. and its allies have powered Kyiv's defiance of Moscow. (Pool via Reuters) 
Opinion

U.S. does not have to choose between Ukraine and Taiwan

Allies make the difference in supporting America's stability mission

A flare falls over Gaza on Dec. 3, two days after the end of a temporary truce between Israel and Hamas.
The Nikkei View

International actors must work to revive Gaza truce

End of fighting and release of hostages are needed before peace talks can begin

Investors and analysts have been asking questions about Alibaba's move, which caused the tech giant's share price to plunge.
Business Spotlight

Clouds gather over Alibaba's key unit after IPO plans shelved

Cloud computing was supposed to be a surefire growth driver, but the future looks less sunny

The new Seibu store at The Exchange TRX mall in Kuala Lumpur is bigger than the Japanese chain's two Indonesia locations. (Photo by Mayuko Tani)
Retail

Japan's Seibu opens upscale department store in Malaysia

Fortress Investment-owned brand follows Japanese peers back to Southeast Asia

Cleaners work to prevent bedbugs at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, on Nov. 17.
Travel & Leisure

Bedbugs threaten to bite Asia's post-COVID travel recovery

Scares in South Korea, Hong Kong and elsewhere are manageable, experts say

Trucks line up in Osaka: New rules capping overtime hours for truck drivers in Japan are forecast to cut the country's cargo delivery capacity by more than a third by 2030. (Photo by Kosaku Mimura)
Asia Insight

Japan's 2024 problem? Trucker overtime curbs risk an economic pileup

Multiple industries brace for impact of move to tackle chronic driver shortage

Sentosa Cove is the only place in Singapore where foreigners can buy mansions without needing to get the extra layers of approval that similar properties elsewhere require. (Photo by Dylan Loh)
Property

Singapore property playground for rich foreigners hits rough patch

Money laundering arrests plus sales dip test 'little Monaco' on Sentosa Island

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks in a group interview in Kyiv: "There will be an understanding of peace and security in the future only if Russian troops are not on our territory." (Photo courtesy of Public Interest Journalism Lab)
Ukraine war

Zelenskyy says no Ukraine peace talks until full Russian withdrawal

President worries Israel-Hamas war will sap aid to his beleaguered country

In "Made in Taiwan," author Clarissa Wei, pictured here in a yellow apron with collaborator Ivy Chen, illuminates facets of the island's cuisine seldom covered in international media. (All photos © 2023 by Yen Wei and Ryan Chen)
Books

Hit cookbook explores the multiethnic roots of Taiwanese cuisine

Clarissa Wei highlights diverse influences to argue that the island's cooking is not 'Chinese' food

Local transport in Lahore in March 1998. By this time, Pakistan had serious image problems that kept all but the hardiest travelers away. (Photo by Tom Vater)
Tea Leaves

Asia's overland hippie trail falls victim to geopolitics

Wars and fast travel have shut a once-popular route for Western travelers