Showing 1 - 10 of 13
Year of Turbulence
Asia focus, Published on 27/12/2021
» Pandemic drags on recovery: In the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, many Asian countries had enviable success, avoiding large-scale outbreaks and mass deaths. But the arrival of the more transmissible Delta variant this year and sluggish vaccine rollouts compounded by low availability sent cases surging. Combined with poor monitoring and easy movement among countries, often unofficially, Southeast Asia became a virus hotspot. The ballooning health crisis collided with churning political discontent in the case of Myanmar, Thailand and Malaysia. Economically, the new wave of infections, and attendant restrictions imposed to curb the spread, stalled recoveries. After nearly two years of strict border controls, many countries started to loosen up and live with Covid. But the rise of the Omicron variant now threatens to scuttle those tentative reopening plans and usher in a third year of economic anxiety.
Belt and Road: Just a vast mess?
News, David Fickling, Published on 10/01/2019
» Is China's Belt and Road Initiative a bold infrastructure vision, or a slush fund? The question is becoming more pressing.
Dam victims deserve 'non-spin' response
News, Published on 01/08/2018
» The breaching and subsequent flooding of the Xe-Pian Xe-Namnoy Power Company dam in southern Laos is clearly a disaster. Some 27 people have already been confirmed dead (at the time of writing), while a further 100 remain missing. Numerous villages have been affected by the deluge, with some seemingly beyond recovery.
Getting fatter faster
Asia focus, Published on 23/10/2017
» Most people tend to associate obesity with "being rich" -- as incomes rise, so too do opportunities to consume more. However, the causes of this growing public health problem are more complex, while finding solutions is a growing challenge.
Opec output-cut deal provides lift for equities
Business, Published on 03/10/2016
» Recap: Global stock markets see-sawed last week with news developments. The relief rally that followed the previous week's Fed meeting ebbed, but Hillary Clinton's strong performance against Donald Trump in the first US presidential debate cheered investors. Also buoying sentiment was Opec's surprise agreement to cut oil output, but worries about the health of Deutsche Bank, which faces huge US fines for dodgy business practices, capped gains. The Opec decision helped the energy-heavy Thai stock market recoup some earlier losses.
Japan unveils $110bn plan to fund Asia infrastructure
Published on 21/05/2015
» TOKYO — Japan unveiled a plan on Thursday to provide US$110 billion (3.67 trillion baht) in aid for Asian infrastructure projects, as China prepares to launch a new institutional lender that is seen as encroaching on the regional financial clout of Tokyo and its ally Washington.
China rejects Taiwan as AIIB founding member
Published on 13/04/2015
» BEIJING/TAIPEI — Taiwan is not able to become a founding member of the Beijing-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) but is still welcome to become an ordinary member in the future, the Chinese government said on Monday.
China's bank heralds decline of US
News, Published on 24/03/2015
» Some events are epochal. The decision by Great Britain to join the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) was one such event. It may have heralded the end of the American century and the arrival of the Asian century.
AIIB to complement existing institutions: China
Published on 22/03/2015
» BEIJING - China's finance minister said a proposed Chinese-led Asian regional bank that has raised concerns in Washington will complement rather than compete with established international lenders such as the World Bank, state media reported Saturday.
Woman on a mission
Asia focus, Published on 09/03/2015
» As the number one destination for US investment in Asia and its fourth-largest export market worldwide, Asean has clear economic as well as strategic importance for Washington. The relationship moved to a new level in 2010 when the United States established a permanent mission to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Jakarta — separate from the US embassy to Indonesia.