• OPINION

  Biden needs to do better in Asia

  Asia focus, Nareerat Wiriyapong, Published on 30/05/2022

  » When Joe Biden arrived in Asia last week for the first visit to the region of his presidency, he aimed to pick up where his predecessor left off. Landing in South Korea on May 20 as events in North Korea and the Ukraine crisis loomed large, Mr Biden then travelled to Tokyo for a meeting of an alliance of the US, Australia, Japan and India that aims to counter China's growing influence.

• BUSINESS

  Myanmar tests Asean unity again

  Asia focus, Nareerat Wiriyapong, Published on 07/02/2022

  » Feb 1 was a day of celebration as millions marked the beginning of the Year of the Tiger. But it was also a day of sober reflection as it reminded us about the military takeover in Myanmar exactly a year ago.

• BUSINESS

  Hun Sen's Myanmar gamble

  Asia focus, Nareerat Wiriyapong, Published on 17/01/2022

  » I'm not a fan of Hun Sen, the strongman who has ruled Cambodia for more than 38 years. A co-premier from 1993-97 before seizing power in a 1997 coup, the Cambodian leader has won all subsequent elections while political rivals have been jailed or exiled and critical media crushed. His legacy appears secure now that his Cambodian People's Party has endorsed his eldest son, 44-year-old army commander Hun Manet, as "future prime minister".

• BUSINESS

  Hun Sen's diplomatic test in Myanmar

  Asia focus, Nareerat Wiriyapong, Published on 13/12/2021

  » As chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) for 2022, Cambodia seems keen to lead the 10-member bloc to help tackle the ongoing political and humanitarian crisis in Myanmar.

• BUSINESS

  Asean's bold Myanmar move

  Asia focus, Nareerat Wiriyapong, Published on 25/10/2021

  » The whole world is now looking at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) in hope that the regional group is ready to carry a bigger stick in addressing the crisis facing one of its members -- Myanmar.

• BUSINESS

  Rising sun startups

  Asia focus, Nareerat Wiriyapong, Published on 26/10/2020

  » Hampered by cautious investors and a rigid corporate culture, Japan has produced just a handful of major startups. The world's third largest economy is far behind the US and China when it comes to breeding "unicorns" -- new companies valued at more than US$1 billion.

• OPINION

  Adjusting to the new world of work

  Asia focus, Nareerat Wiriyapong, Published on 08/04/2019

  » Waking up on my first morning in Las Vegas, where the time is 14 hours behind Thailand, was not easy. Cup of coffee in hand, I walked past a group of senior citizens wearing red long-sleeved T-shirts outside a large conference hall. They were event ambassadors, hired to welcome and guide participants from all over the world, and the sight of their smiling faces helped to bring me awake. What a pleasant start to the day: I get to experience human interaction and some seniors have a chance to earn extra income, I was telling myself.

• BUSINESS

  Driving the New India

  Asia focus, Nareerat Wiriyapong, Published on 12/11/2018

  » Known as the automotive hub of India and the birthplace of spiritual leader Mahatma Gandhi, Gujarat has long been at the forefront of the country's economic development.

• WORLD

  Asean balancing act

  Asia focus, Nareerat Wiriyapong, Published on 14/05/2018

  » China's growing influence in Asia and beyond is real. Beijing's escalating confrontation with the United States and threats of a trade war between the two superpowers are also pressing, with experts saying that would put the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) in the most difficult position in its 50-year history.

• WORLD

  Going with the flow

  Asia focus, Nareerat Wiriyapong, Published on 17/08/2015

  » Countries in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) have enjoyed a dramatic increase in Japanese investments, and the recent tripartite agreement for the massive Dawei project in Myanmar could push Japanese direct investment in the area to rise further, says the Japan External Trade Organization (Jetro).

1 2 Next Last