Nikkei Asian Review
China calls for quick development of Sino-Thai rail link
A proposed high-speed railway linking southern China to Thailand’s industrialized Eastern Seaboard should be built “quickly” according to Wang Yi, China’s foreign minister, after a meeting on Monday with Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha. “This Thai-China train project may face problems but the important matter is ...
Tokyo Gas to ferry LNG to remote islands in Southeast Asia
Tokyo Gas is starting a project to efficiently deliver liquefied natural gas to Southeast Asian nations home to many far-flung islands. In energy-hungry Southeast Asia, a number of plans are underway to construct large LNG receiving terminals in such countries as the Philippines, Indonesia and ...
Japan's Daiwa to buy into Myanmar internet provider
Daiwa Securities Group will invest nearly 700 million yen ($6.26 million) in Myanmar internet service provider Frontiir with the hope of cashing in on abundant growth potential. Daiwa PI Partners will purchase newly issued shares, obtaining a stake of nearly 10%. Founded in 2013, the ...
Land-locked Laos on track for controversial China rail link
Construction of a 414 km railway line linking China to mainland Southeast Asia through Laos is underway in Phonesai village, about 30km north of Luang Prabang, the country’s ancient former capital and modern-day tourism center. A workers’ dormitory has been built under a banner in ...
South China Sea agreement expected in November: official
Asian countries will likely agree on a code of conduct for the South China Sea when regional leaders meet for a summit in November, Philippine Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Policy Enrique Manalo said Monday. Manalo spoke at a panel on the achievements and challenges of ...
Abe's belt and road pivot signals push to improve bilateral ties
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s conditional support for China’s Belt and Road infrastructure plan tells Beijing that Tokyo is ready to work toward warmer bilateral ties as the future of Asian security grows more uncertain. Abe praised the initiative’s “potential to connect East and West” in ...
Southeast Asia tends to defenses in South China Sea
With Vietnam welcoming foreign warships to a key port and the Philippines building on a disputed island, Southeast Asian nations are working to reinforce their South China Sea claims in the face of an increasingly assertive Beijing.Japan’s Izumo helicopter carrier — one of the country’s ...
China, India and the global auto industry's transformation
Zhejiang Geely Holding Group’s acquisition of a 49.9% stake in Malaysian automaker Proton Holdings from DRB-Hicom is unlikely to trigger an immediate change in the Southeast Asian market overall. Japanese automakers, particularly Toyota Motor, hold overwhelming shares in the region. South Korean automakers have been ...
ASEAN exports and consumption are up, but for how long?
One weekend in late May, car dealerships in Singapore’s Queenstown were packed with families and middle-aged couples hunting for new cars. Brochures in hand, a 50-year-old businessman had been visiting showrooms of upscale brands such as BMW and Volvo, looking for a second auto. Singapore ...
Energy-drink ad exposes uncomfortable truth in Thai society
A TV commercial for an energy drink has become a social phenomenon in Thailand as it depicts the privileged elite being humbled, to the delight of the majority here. In the commercial for Lipovitan D, a drink from drugmaker Osotspa Taisho, a wealthy young woman ...
