Showing 1 - 10 of 66
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.
Raising a glass
Asia focus, W Audi Pattarapatumthong, Published on 11/07/2022
» Describing herself as a courageous person, Preeti Arora Razdan likes taking risks -- whether it be in her personal life or in business. She is passionate about exploring new places. Her enthusiasm for skydiving and scuba diving also exemplifies these qualities.
Biden-BTS summit fuels hope
Asia focus, Nareerat Wiriyapong, Published on 06/06/2022
» Perhaps Joe Biden's pursuit to engage more with Asia has just started. Just days after a trip to South Korea and Japan late last month, his first visit to Asia as US president, the 79-year-old leader followed up with a message that touched the hearts of millions of Asians, particularly those living in his country.
Chinese policies hold back growth
Asia focus, Nareerat Wiriyapong, Published on 24/01/2022
» When I first heard a Moody's economist discuss the cooling Chinese economy late last year, it caught my interest but not much. As we have been living with a pandemic for two years, an economic slowdown seems unavoidable, even in the country that has been the world's engine of growth for years.
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.
The Zeronomics challenge
Asia focus, Standard Chartered, Published on 13/09/2021
» The transition to net zero carbon emissions is one of the biggest challenges facing our generation. The Paris Agreement -- intended to stave off the worst effects of climate change by keeping global warming below 2°C -- requires companies and economies to move at an unprecedented pace.
Book a date
Asia focus, Pattama Kuentak, Published on 07/06/2021
» With a degree in English literature under his belt, John Brown never expected to become a businessman, let alone the CEO of one of the largest travel booking platforms in Asia, Agoda.
Restoring respect
Asia focus, Nareerat Wiriyapong, Published on 07/06/2021
» Patama Chantaruck still remembers an unsettling encounter she experienced during her early days of living in the United States 28 years ago.
Free fall
Asia focus, Larry Jagan, Published on 22/03/2021
» Yangon is burning: Plumes of smoke rose into the skyline in the north of the city every day last week. Large parts of Myanmar's biggest city and main commercial centre resembled a battle zone after the military junta imposed martial law in several neighbourhoods.
Asia's climate optimism
Asia focus, Christine Loh, Pamela Mar, Peter Seligmann and Lin Xu in Hong Kong, Published on 22/02/2021
» Optimism is in the air in Asia, where the new Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership has brightened prospects for a post-pandemic recovery and a revival of multilateralism. Even more promising, there is growing regional agreement on the need to address climate change.