https://www.scmp.com/rss/522475/feed The latest news and top stories on Amitendu Palit, Senior Research Fellow and Research Lead (Trade and Economics) at the Institute of South Asian Studies at the National University of Singapore. An economist specialising in international trade and economic policy, he also focuses on investment policies, free trade agreements, supply chains, connectivity, cross-border data flows and the Indian economy. He previously served in India’s Ministry of Finance and Ministries of Industry and Civil... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Joseph Sipalan,Biman Mukherji Joseph Sipalan,Biman Mukherji Malaysia’s government has been forced onto the defensive over its much-touted tariff deal with the United States, after a minister walked back an earlier claim that the agreement had been rendered “null and void” by a US Supreme Court ruling. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s administration signed the deal in October, promising US$240 billion in investments and purchases of American goods, including beef and aircraft, in exchange for continued access to the world’s largest consumer market at a... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3346749/confusion-over-malaysia-us-trade-deal-null-and-void-claim-retracted?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3346749/confusion-over-malaysia-us-trade-deal-null-and-void-claim-retracted?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Mar 2026 09:14:40 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji US President Donald Trump’s threats of military action against drug cartels in Mexico and Colombia are adding a new layer of uncertainty for Asian exporters shipping to the Americas, analysts have said, compounding the strain from higher import tariffs and already fragile supply chains. Trump has issued explicit warnings about possible strikes in both countries following a major US operation in Venezuela earlier this month, as part of an escalated regional strategy to counter drug trafficking... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3340564/why-trumps-mexico-military-plan-blow-asian-exporters-americas?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3340564/why-trumps-mexico-military-plan-blow-asian-exporters-americas?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 20 Jan 2026 11:00:09 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji India ushered in the new year with a symbolic triumph as its economy edged past Japan’s to become the world’s fourth largest by nominal gross domestic product. The achievement unleashed a wave of national pride in New Delhi and among business leaders, but behind the celebrations lingers a question: can the world’s fastest-growing economy turn rapid growth into widespread prosperity? Economists warn that GDP figures alone cannot create jobs, lift incomes or bridge yawning inequality in a nation... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3339378/india-overtakes-japan-economic-size-prosperity-trails-far-behind?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3339378/india-overtakes-japan-economic-size-prosperity-trails-far-behind?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 10 Jan 2026 00:00:17 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji For much of the past year, Asian exporters have been racing to stay ahead of a global tariff storm – re-routing shipments, reconfiguring supply chains and absorbing rising costs as the United States tightened its trade barriers. Now another pressure point is emerging. From the start of next year, Mexico plans to impose import duties of up to 50 per cent on a wide range of goods from Asia, threatening to choke off a key workaround companies have relied on to maintain access to the North American... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3337107/mexicos-50-tariff-shock-shuts-asias-north-american-trade-bypass?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3337107/mexicos-50-tariff-shock-shuts-asias-north-american-trade-bypass?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Dec 2025 05:30:09 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji The better-than-expected growth of India’s economy, driven by strong performance in the domestic consumer and manufacturing sectors, highlights its near-term resilience despite a slowdown in exports and US import tariffs. While India’s 8.2 per cent year-on-year growth figure in the July to September quarter was the fastest among major economies, analysts warn that the headline numbers may not provide a true picture of the challenges it faces. Private consumer spending, which accounts for more... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3334912/indias-strong-economic-growth-impresses-amid-doubts-overstated-data?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3334912/indias-strong-economic-growth-impresses-amid-doubts-overstated-data?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Dec 2025 10:30:14 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji India’s stronger-than-expected economic growth of 7.8 per cent in the April–June quarter has been hailed by leaders as a resounding retort to US President Donald Trump’s claim that the country’s economy is “dead”, even as experts warn that retaliatory tariffs from Washington could weigh on the outlook. Bilateral ties have plummeted recently after Trump enacted a 50 per cent import tariff on India last week, doubling a 25 per cent import tariff as a penalty for New Delhi’s purchase of sanctioned... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3323929/indias-dead-economy-growth-hailed-trumps-tariffs-pose-risks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3323929/indias-dead-economy-growth-hailed-trumps-tariffs-pose-risks?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Sep 2025 09:40:53 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji For decades, India’s economic rise has been intertwined with the fortunes of its trading partners, none more so than the United States. Now, as Washington moves to impose punitive tariffs, industry leaders and policymakers alike are asking how the world’s most populous democracy might build a more self-reliant, resilient economic future. The wave of introspection follows the Trump administration’s announcement last Wednesday of an additional 25 per cent tariff – effective from August 27 – on... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3321591/us-tariffs-stir-debate-indias-economic-destiny-stay-your-lane?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3321591/us-tariffs-stir-debate-indias-economic-destiny-stay-your-lane?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 Aug 2025 09:33:20 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji When Indian pilgrims set foot in Tibet again this summer, their arrival heralded a new beginning for India and China, five years after a deadly Himalayan clash plunged the two bitter rivals into a diplomatic deep freeze. But with the machinery of engagement whirring once more amid flaring global trade wars and shifting strategic alliances, hopes have sprung anew that Asia’s two largest economies might finally move past the years of suspicion and silence. Late last month, New Delhi resumed... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3320481/all-out-thaw-can-india-and-china-unfreeze-icy-ties-last?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3320481/all-out-thaw-can-india-and-china-unfreeze-icy-ties-last?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 02 Aug 2025 00:00:08 +0000 Ji Siqi,Kandy Wong Ji Siqi,Kandy Wong Trade relations between China and the United States remain mired in uncertainty after two days of tense negotiations in Sweden earlier this week. But Beijing may actually have emerged in a stronger position as Washington continues to raise tariffs on other global economies, analysts said. A third round of US-China trade talks in Stockholm ended on Tuesday with China announcing that both sides had agreed to extend their “tariff truce” by another 90 days, while the US side insisted the deal was... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3320157/us-china-trade-talks-why-beijing-unexpectedly-emerged-stronger-position?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3320157/us-china-trade-talks-why-beijing-unexpectedly-emerged-stronger-position?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 30 Jul 2025 14:00:10 +0000