South China Morning Post
China’s Belt and Road Initiative criticised for poor standards and ‘wasteful’ spending
China’s massive infrastructure spending in Southeast Asian nations under the Belt and Road Initiative has run into a series of problems including substandard work and money wasted on unprofitable projects, a new report has warned. The Belt and Road Initiative, launched by Chinese President Xi Jinping ...
Teddy Ng
Southeast Asia to suffer intense, more frequent drought without government action: UN and Asean report
Drought in Southeast Asia may become even more frequent and intense if countries do not take steps to reduce its impact, according to a joint study from the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and ASEAN. “Ready for the Dry Years: ...
Dozens of companies launch US$1 billion bid to end plastic pollution in Asia but environmentalists dismiss it as ‘greenwashing’ stunt
The “Alliance to End Plastic Waste” (AEPW) consortium of more than 30 companies launched last month, dedicating a combined total of US$1 billion over the next five years – aiming for US$1.5 billion if more conglomerates join – to develop better plastic recycling practices and ...
What Does China’s Belt and Road Have to Do with Myanmar’s Meth Problem?
If Myanmar is to break an addiction to methamphetamine production that has seen it become one of the world’s largest suppliers there is one country above all others that must act: China. That’s according to a report released on Tuesday that highlighted how complexities in ...
Chinese companies top human rights ‘dirty list’ of firms complicit in Myanmar violations
Chinese companies make up the bulk of a “dirty list” of corporations accused of involvement in human rights and environmental violations in Myanmar, or of doing business with the country’s military. The list of 49 companies from the US, UK, France, Switzerland, China and elsewhere, compiled ...
Cambodia frees 32 surrogate mothers after they vow to keep their babies following
Thirty-two Cambodian women who were charged with human trafficking for serving as surrogate mothers have been provisionally released from detention after agreeing to keep the babies rather than giving them up as originally planned, officials said on Wednesday. []Surrogacy was banned in 2016 because the country ...
China's Trade War Pain Can Be ASEAN's Gain
The current trade war between the United States and China is causing considerable stress to businesses in the line of fire. Even after the US midterm elections next month, the tension will not go away. []As the world adjusts to a shifting geopolitical landscape, the greatest ...
Getting high in the drug-riddled mountains of Laos
UN drug agency is leading a coffee cultivation programme across 10 former opium growing villages in Houaphan province, which borders Vietnam. Keep reading ...
Laos dam collapse: Mekong River projects move forward despite promise to halt and review
Decision to continue work on two huge dams calls into question how serious the government is about reviewing numerous multibillion-dollar hydropower projects after last month’s disaster. Keep reading ...
Laos dam collapse: survivors tell devastating tales as blame shifts to government’s aggressive growth model
As surging waters swallowed the ground floor of Vee Keoheuy’s home, she hoisted herself out the window onto a rickety boat with her husband, children and grandchildren – in the dark. Officials had told her neighbours in Ban Mai that heavy rains required the opening ...
