Li Ka-shing waves goodbye after announcing his retirement as chairman of CK Hutchison Holdings at a news conference in Hong Kong on March 16.
The Big Story

After Li Ka-shing, Hong Kong's property tycoons inherit tough market

Influx of mainland investors and push for affordable housing to squeeze profits

18 April 2018
A woman and her son live in this 60-sq.-foot subdivided unit, which has a monthly rent of $487.
Business trends

Apartments shrink as Hong Kong's property tycoons prosper

Critics say policy failure to blame for affordable housing crisis

18 April 2018
The University of Sydney: Australia has welcomed a rapidly growing number of students from China in recent years.
International relations

Australia sounds the alarm over Chinese 'interference'

Critics say Beijing is influencing politics and stifling criticism Down Under

11 April 2018
U.S. President Donald Trump, left, and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull hold a press conference at the White House on Feb. 23.
The Big Story

Identity crisis: Australia seeks new allies amid US-China rivalry

Trade and security links make Southeast Asia a natural choice

11 April 2018
A Chinese construction worker at the site of a Chinese-backed hotel complex in Colombo in October 2015
The Big Story

Is China's Belt and Road working? A progress report from eight countries

Beijing's infrastructure push clouded by project delays and mounting debt

28 March 2018
Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, and his Kazakh counterpart, Nursultan Nazarbayev, at the Presidential Palace in Astana in June 2017
International relations

Linking China to the EU's 'gateway' for exporters

Kazakhstan seeks to become part of China's supply chain, while Poland seeks infrastructure funding

28 March 2018
A woman tries out augmented reality glasses with the Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus phone at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in February.
The Big Story

Asia Inc. comes roaring back in 2017

Nikkei Asia300 companies reap historic profits as tech demand booms

16 March 2018
PetroChina's ROE is significantly lower than that of its global peers, as its assets have swelled faster than its profits.
Asia300

Asian corporate profit at record high, but what about low ROE?

A 'mad rush of capacity creation' haunts highly leveraged companies

16 March 2018
Teams face off at the League of Legends Champions Korea tournament in Seoul on Feb. 1. (Photo by Koji Uema)
The Big Story

Esports: Why pro video gaming will be bigger than the NFL

Players of 'Dota 2' and 'League of Legends' reap millions

14 March 2018
A student attends an esports management class at the Sichuan Film and Television University in Chengdu, China, in 2017.
Business trends

Life after esports: What happens when pro gamers hang up the joystick?

Lack of education and skills often makes finding a new career a challenge

14 March 2018
A container ship in Singapore: The trade-dependent city-state hopes the TPP 11 will provide an economic tailwind.
The Big Story

TPP 11: How Asia took the lead in free trade

The trans-Pacific pact will help business, but hopes remain for a US return

7 March 2018
U.S. President Donald Trump holds up the executive order pulling his country out of the TPP in January 2017.
International relations

Trump's about-face on the TPP keeps the world guessing

But as US president sends mixed signals on trade, governments move ahead with deals

7 March 2018
A construction project in Beijing's Tongzhou district in May 2017
The Big Story

The hidden risks of China's war on debt

Lending clampdown sparks fears of an economic chilling effect

28 February 2018
A woman walks past a closed branch of peer-to-peer lender Ezubao in Huaibei, Anhui Province, in 2016. The company turned out to be a Ponzi scheme that collected over $9 billion from investors.
Economy

China's wild online lending frontier tests regulators

As the industry swells, Beijing scrambles to weed out fraudsters and Ponzi artists

28 February 2018
Japanese chat app operator Line is leveraging its huge popularity among young Asians to expand into financial services across the region.
Economy

Japan's online banks gain ground on their conventional counterparts

Unshackled by huge costs, digital lenders woo customers with better rates and new services

21 February 2018
New college recruits gather for an orientation session at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking's Tokyo headquarters in 2016. (Photo by Yuichiro Takagi)
The Big Story

Shrinking to survive: Japan's banks face a quiet crisis

Thousands of positions at risk as online upstarts threaten bloated megabanks

21 February 2018
A woman waits for customers at her newsstand in Bangkok.
The Big Story

Money troubles compound Southeast Asia's press woes

Traditional business models are under pressure as the internet devours ad revenue

14 February 2018
Stream article image
The Big Story

Enemies of the state -- why the press in Southeast Asia is under attack

News outlets from the Philippines to Myanmar face growing threats

14 February 2018
A South Korean luge athlete makes a training run in Pyeongchang, South Korea, on Feb. 5.
The Big Story

How Moon's Olympic hockey gamble is exposing South Korean rifts

North Korea olive branch sparks backlash among young economic have-nots

7 February 2018
North Korean ice hockey players arrive at the South Korean national training center in Jincheon on Jan. 25.
The Big Story

North Korea's Olympians skate cautiously into the spotlight

Hastily assembled united hockey team sparks intense scrutiny -- and mixed feelings

7 February 2018
Stream article image
The Big Story

Don't understand cryptocurrencies? You're not alone

From bitcoin to blockchain, our glossary helps decode this high-tech trend

31 January 2018
Stream article image
The Big Story

Inside Asia's bitcoin economy

Crypto startups scramble amid regulatory pressure

31 January 2018
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and U.S. President Donald Trump shake hands during their meeting in the Oval Office in February 2017.
The Big Story

Abe's fourth arrow -- diplomacy

How Japan's prime minister took a central role on the world stage

26 January 2018
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Russian President Vladimir Putin shake hands before their bilateral meeting at the G-20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, in July 2017.
International relations

Island dispute with Russia tests Abe's diplomatic skills

Can Japan's leader resolve the territorial spat his father couldn't?

24 January 2018
Stream article image
The Big Story

Asia's airline wars: The great profit squeeze in the sky

Competition from budget upstarts and Chinese carriers is hitting flag carriers

10 January 2018