Showing 1 - 10 of 212
Time to tone down Taiwan tensions
Asia focus, Nareerat Wiriyapong, Published on 08/08/2022
» It was a picture-perfect shot, really. That was my thought when I saw US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi standing side by side with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in Taipei last Wednesday. But the one-day visit to the self-ruled island by the 82-year-old American politician has created no end of tension, not only for the US and China but also many of their allies across the Asia Pacific region.
Sri Lanka's next test
Asia focus, Priyanka Krishnamoorthy, Published on 01/08/2022
» In a win for democracy, mass protests in Sri Lanka recently led to the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Hope for the marginalised in India
Asia focus, Nareerat Wiriyapong, Published on 25/07/2022
» While the final no-confidence debate targeting Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and his crew was under way at home last week, my focus was on India's presidential election. The result was widely welcomed as veteran tribal politician Draupadi Murmu made history.
Japan's crucial moments after Abe murder
Asia focus, Nareerat Wiriyapong, Published on 18/07/2022
» It was a bullet that some people said would change Japan forever, and it certainly had people outside taking a closer look at the world's third largest economy. For me, hearing the news that Shinzo Abe had been shot on July 8 was a shock similar to the events of Sept 11, 2001, which most people agree changed the world.
Financial transformation
Asia focus, Pattama Kuentak, Published on 04/07/2022
» The financial sector is on the cusp of yet another transformation. Customers emerging from Covid-19 are demanding new and better sets of services to meet their new consumption patterns, be it how they shop, eat, work or transfer money. It's a dramatic shift that is compelling banks to transform or risk being left behind.
Frontier markets fret
Asia focus, W Audi Pattarapatumthong, Published on 20/06/2022
» 2022 has been another challenging year for Asian frontier markets against the backdrop of a recovery from the protracted coronavirus pandemic. The challenges have been magnified by the impact of the Ukraine-Russia conflict, and high commodity prices that are exacerbating inflationary pressures, even as global demand for manufactured goods remains weak.
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.
Steps to wellness
Asia focus, Nareerat Wiriyapong, Published on 13/06/2022
» It takes about 90 minutes for an eight-seater plane departing Suvarnabhumi International Airport to reach an airport on a small island in Trat province in eastern Thailand. Then all the guests of Soneva Kiri, a luxury resort operated by an award-winning sustainable resort operator, board a speedboat for the five-minute trip to their destination on the unspoiled island of Koh Kood.
Lancang-Mekong 'soft connectivity'
Asia focus, Duan Haosheng and Liu Yunkang, Published on 30/05/2022
» China has collectively consulted, contributed to and shared in the development of the Lancang-Mekong region with the five Mekong countries -- Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam -- over the past five years, helping to promote economic sustainability and connectivity.