Showing 1 - 10 of 159
How realistic are China's semiconductor ambitions?
Asia focus, Keun Lee, Published on 18/07/2022
» When US President Joe Biden landed in South Korea last month, he headed straight for Samsung's massive semiconductor factory outside Seoul. There, he met with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and Samsung Electronics vice-chairman Lee Jae-yong, and praised the construction of a US$17-billion Samsung semiconductor factory in Texas. The economic and strategic importance of semiconductors could not have been made any clearer.
The fight for press freedom is local
Asia focus, Jos Midas Bartman, Published on 20/06/2022
» A macabre political thriller recently unfolded in the Philippine province of Palawan, an island known mostly for its rich biodiversity and pristine beaches.
New Asean-US era
Asia focus, Apiradee Treerutkuarkul, Published on 13/06/2022
» The special summit held last month in Washington between US President Joe Biden and nine Southeast Asian leaders clearly emphasised his administration's attempts to engage the region it sees as central to countering China's rising influence in Asia and beyond.
Sri Lanka needs a currency board
Asia focus, RM Manivannan, Published on 13/06/2022
» The war in Ukraine has generated an economic tidal wave that is crashing over countries near and far. Among the more far-flung is Sri Lanka, half a world away from the battlefield, where surging food and fuel prices have supercharged a downward spiral that was already under way.
When does inflation stop?
Asia focus, Koichi Hamada, Published on 30/05/2022
» Until a few years ago, major economies were struggling to achieve even mild inflation, with policymakers in the United States, the United Kingdom and the euro zone struggling to meet their targets of 2% annual price growth.
The Quad at a crossroads
Asia focus, Brahma Chellaney, Published on 23/05/2022
» When the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue was first conceived as a strategic coalition of the four leading democracies in the Indo-Pacific, many doubted it would amount to much. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi mocked it as a "headline-grabbing idea" that would dissipate "like the sea foam in the Pacific or Indian Ocean".
Post-pandemic healthcare
Asia focus, Published on 16/05/2022
» Health crises and emergencies such as Covid-19 have brought into sharp focus the critical need for preparedness. The unprecedented pandemic has led to a dynamically changing environment across the healthcare industry, posing challenges that call for innovative solutions.
Will China hit its growth target?
Asia focus, Shang-Jin Wei, Published on 09/05/2022
» In early March, Premier Li Keqiang announced that China was targeting GDP growth of "about 5.5%" this year. That would be ambitious even without Russia's war against Ukraine and the attendant increases in global energy and food prices.
Bangladesh pursues careful Myanmar policy
Asia focus, Parvej Siddique Bhuiyan, Published on 02/05/2022
» The history of Myanmar is one of struggle with coups, military rule, religious persecution and ethnic conflict. The ongoing violence between the country's military and organised armed civilians is now leading the country to the verge of a full-blown civil war that is unlikely to end anytime soon.
Will China's 'common prosperity' survive Putin's war?
Asia focus, George Magnus, Published on 18/04/2022
» Last month, as Russian forces shelled Ukrainian cities and Covid-19 infections soared, Communist Party of China (CPC) leaders gathered for their most important annual political meetings: the National People's Congress and Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.