Showing 1 - 10 of 27
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.
Delayed Rohingya repatriation becoming a regional crisis
Asia focus, Abantika Kumari, Published on 08/08/2022
» The future of the Rohingya people is not only a Bangladeshi issue, it is now a global issue. Bangladesh has been seeking the cooperation of regional countries and the United Nations to repatriate hundreds of thousands of Rohingya since they were first driven from Myanmar in 2017. But the results have not materialised, and the security risk is growing.
China debates a financial stability guarantee fund
Asia focus, Wei Hongxu, Published on 16/05/2022
» A Chinese government proposal for a financial stability guarantee fund to safeguard against systemic risks has attracted attention from many parties. Some have differing opinions on how to best resolve the current financial risks related to defaults and debt reduction, especially among property developers.
Wasted Year
Asia focus, Nareerat Wiriyapong, Published on 21/02/2022
» Once perceived as Asia's final frontier, Myanmar has been tested severely by dual shocks -- a surge in Covid-19 cases in 2021 and the military coup that has brought its economy close to a standstill and left its people suffering from ongoing violence.
Second innings
Asia focus, Pattama Kuentak, Published on 21/02/2022
» There are no perpetual competitors in today's complex business world. Talented executives increasingly can be found jumping from one firm to another. Rajiv Ramaswami is a case in point. He worked for Nutanix's competitors before, but now he's thrilled to be leading the global cloud company into its "second innings" as its new CEO.
Year of Turbulence
Asia focus, Asia Focus Team, 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.
Exit strategy needed
Asia focus, W Audi Pattarapatumthong, Published on 01/11/2021
» The swift and steady progress of the Asean+3 economies -- the latter are China, Japan and South Korea -- in mass vaccinations will be a game-changer for containing Covid-19 and spurring economic recovery.
Clearer skies
Asia focus, Published on 19/07/2021
» Southeast Asian citizens accustomed to holding their breath in anticipation of toxic haze generated annually by forest fires in Indonesia can expect clearer skies and breezy days this year, say experts who have been monitoring the region's chronic transboundary haze.
Common ground
Asia focus, Ismira Lutfia Tisnadibrata, Published on 28/06/2021
» The European Union (EU) is turning east as it seeks to increase its presence in the Indo-Pacific region, where the major events of the current century will unfold, by forming closer relationships with Asean and its members.
In search of the middle ground
Asia focus, Apiradee Treerutkuarkul, Published on 31/05/2021
» As the African proverb goes, when elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers. The intensifying China-US rivalry is putting mounting pressure on smaller countries, and Southeast Asian economies are no exception.