TOPIC

Infrastructure in Asia

Infrastructure in Asia
The politics and economics behind Asia's big-ticket infrastructure projects.
A passenger train at a railway crossing in Hanoi last year. Vietnam approved the new high-speed railway in November as part of efforts to modernise the country’s colonial-era railway system. Photo: AFP
Vietnam

The US$67 billion question: who will fund Vietnam’s North-South express railway?

Vingroup and Thaco’s proposals to build the Hanoi-Ho Chi Minh City high-speed rail line both demand substantial state support.

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Indonesia

Will Indonesia’s Whoosh extension to Surabaya be derailed by Chinese debt?

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The Philippines

Philippines confirms US funding for railway project amid foreign aid freeze

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The Philippines

Tragedy on Philippine roads stirs grief, outrage – and calls for reform

From unlicensed drivers to substandard infrastructure, the deadly aftermath of recent crashes is forcing a reckoning on Philippine roads.

Workers tow a vehicle that crashed into the entrance of Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 in Manila on May 4, killing two and injuring several others. Photo: Reuters
Thailand

Bangkok to trial disaster alerts after Myanmar quake criticism

The system will use three mobile networks to send warning messages in Thai and English, accompanied by a siren.

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Thailand

Thai-Chinese firm denies safety breach at probe of Bangkok skyscraper collapse

Xin Ke Yuan Steel is being scrutinised for the quality of steel rods in a high-rise that collapsed during last month’s Bangkok earthquake, the only building to fail that day.

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Thailand

Chinese executive linked to Bangkok tower collapse arrested

The 30-storey tower was reduced to rubble when a quake struck neighbouring Myanmar last month, killing 47 people and leaving 47 missing.

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Rescue workers conduct a search operation for survivors at the site of the collapsed tower on 29 March. Photo: EPA-EFE
Diplomacy

Opinion | How China can help Bangladesh escape India’s foreign policy grip

The 15 years of Hasina government saw Bangladesh draw closer to India but for the next stage of greater regional integration, it needs China.

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Malaysia

Beyond the sea: Malaysia’s rail port project targets a trade corridor shake-up

Perlis Inland Port aims to offer Southeast Asia a viable land-based trade alternative to the instability of current shipping routes.

Thailand

Thais outraged by expensive furniture for now-collapsed Bangkok tower

Corruption watchdog page reveals list of items including sofas costing nearly US$5,000 and 28 rosewood armchairs for State Audit Office building.

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Rescuers search for survivors on Friday at the site of the collapsed State Audit Office tower building in Bangkok. Photo: EPA-EFE
Thailand

Massive Myanmar earthquake reveals cracks in Bangkok’s ‘tofu buildings’

The Chinese embassy in Bangkok has called for full cooperation with the Thai authorities’ investigation into the State Audit Office collapse.

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Rescuers conduct a search for survivors on Friday at the site of the collapsed State Audit Office tower building in Bangkok. Photo: EPA-EFE
China trade

Lao Airlines cruising to first C909 – a milestone for the made-in-China aircraft

China’s aircraft manufacturer continues spreading its wings abroad with fresh deals to supply passenger jets to Asian neighbours.

South Korea

Video | Giant sinkhole in Seoul kills motorcyclist

The body of the motorcyclist was found 17 hours after his vehicle was swallowed by the sinkhole in the eastern part of the capital, Seoul

China trade

China lays track for stronger regional relations through railway lines

China’s neighbours in Southeast and Central Asia have begun construction or made agreements on cross-border railway projects, bolstering bilateral ties.

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Railway projects between China and its Asian neighbours indicate a greater willingness for deeper bilateral ties and overall connectivity. Photo: AFP
Two Sessions 2025

‘Two sessions’ 2025: how can China get its private sector back on track?

China will need stronger action to ensure a level playing field – as the struggles of its first privately owned high-speed railways show.

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
Vietnam

Vietnam’s US$8 billion railway to China gets the go ahead

It is one of two railway lines to China that Vietnam plans as part of its ‘Two Corridors, One Belt’ initiative.

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India

Should India be worried about Sri Lanka and China’s growing cooperation?

The new deals ‘signal a deepening of China’s influence in Sri Lanka’ and revive concerns of a debt trap, analysts say.

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Malaysia

My Take | Can Johor-Singapore SEZ be a flag-bearer for Southeast Asia’s economic clout?

The SEZ aims to tap new growth areas alongside priority industries to make it the region of choice for businesses, but challenges remain.

Singapore’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong walks with his Malaysian counterpart Anwar Ibrahim with the background of Putra Mosque in Putrajaya, Malaysia, on Tuesday. Photo: Pool via Reuters
Banking & finance

Macroscope | Rising ‘United States of Eurasia’ will need a development bank to support it

From Eurasia’s vast potential to growing new development banks, emerging market economies are carrying more weight in a global economy.

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China economy

Opinion | China’s Dalian airport will be more than an infrastructure marvel

This would-be world’s biggest offshore airport marries China’s aim to revitalise its northeastern belt with its ambition to bolster its global influence in aviation, trade and logistics.

Infrastructure

Video | China has built the world’s longest expressway tunnel

Chinese tunnel crews drill through Xinjiang mountains to build world’s longest expressway
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Climate change

Opinion | Asia must not let its appetite for sand consume its rivers and seas

The environmental consequences of sand mining are immense. Across Asia, rivers are shrinking, coastlines eroding and ecosystems unravelling.

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Ferries sail along the Mekong River at dawn in Phnom Penh on August 13. The river has become a hotspot for sand mining. Photo: AFP
Xinjiang

Chinese tunnel crews punch through mountains for Xinjiang expressway project

The Tianshan Shengli Tunnel is expected to be the longest of its kind and help link the region with neighbouring countries.

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China's economic recovery

China’s infrastructure spending may surge in 2025 to meet 5-year goals

With construction seen as vital to stabilising the national economy, authorities emphasise that there is still a lot of room to increase fiscal spending.

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Belt and Road Initiative

How a new railway will extend China’s reach into Central Asia

The 523km line linking China, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan could eventually be extended to the Middle East, South Asia and Europe.

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The 100,000th China-Europe freight train arrives in Duisberg, Germany in early December. The new railway will offer an alternative to the current route, which runs through Russia. Photo: Xinhua
Vietnam

Vietnam to build US$67 billion high-speed railway

The railway will run from Hanoi in the north to Ho Chi Minh City in the south, in a boost to infrastructure expected to drive investment.

A railway worker holds a flag to signal safety for a passenger train passing through a railway crossing in Hanoi. Photo: AFP
China’s military drills

China and Pakistan talk security as they target terrorism against belt and road

Top Chinese military official meets Pakistani counterpart in wake of attacks against Chinese interests in the South Asian country.

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China-Asean relations

China leveraging Laos to link up its Southeast Asian economic interests

Premier Li Qiang visited Laos earlier this month, with the relatively undeveloped and small Southeast Asia nation seen as key to China’s plans in the region.

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