Economics
The country is a key source of the nickel needed in electric vehicle batteries, but to be a major producer it must invest in tech, talent and renewable energy.
Local communities fear diminished prospects as the country’s agricultural powerhouse loses steam amid China’s upstream energy ventures.
Electric vehicle sceptics like Japan’s Toyota chief point out that on some measures electric vehicles produce more carbon dioxide than traditional cars.
Trade Minister Chan Chun Sing said at SCMP’s China Conference: Southeast Asia that investments into Myanmar had helped create jobs and grow the economy.
The bill, proposed by an Australian lawmaker, wants all items made by forced labour in China, including those from Xinjiang, to be banned. But rights groups suggest including all countries known to have cases of forced labour.
Analysts say both sides can claim a win, with Facebook avoiding enforced arbitration but Canberra emboldening other countries’ bids to regulate big tech.
These competitors are also vying for a slice of Southeast Asia’s US$62 billion e-commerce sector, looking to secure resources and partnerships as the sector evolves.
China’s largesse in funding infrastructure has prompted claims it is seeking leverage over poorer, indebted nations, yet Laos’ reliance on its neighbour has gone strangely unnoticed.
What began as a modest gaming firm has grown into a US$137 billion behemoth with e-commerce and digital payment ambitions. Will this unicorn’s fairy tale rise have a happy ending?
While some see the new law requiring the social media giant to pay for content as also being politically motivated, Facebook’s decision to block Australian media outlets has revealed the extent of the company’s influence.
Laos has seen a dam-building boom in recent decades - funded in part by China, Malaysia and Thailand - but it has come at a cost for both the environment and local communities.
Indian PM has reiterated his resolve to carry out agricultural reforms, but the protesting farmers insist they will not go home without a victory.
Ridha Wirakusumah, who was named as head of the Indonesia Investment Authority, gets high marks for his integrity and experience.
Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat says fresh drawdown of up to S$11 billion (US$8.31 billion) is necessary ‘given the exceptional circumstances we are in’.
A cordial solution to the long-running wrangle over retrospective taxation will assure potential investors and help position India as an alternative to China.
Heng Swee Keat is expected to avoid another draw on reserves, focusing on targeted spending, reskilling workers, and tapered support schemes.
Nightclubs from Singapore to Hong Kong are suffering. Will the arrival of vaccines be music to their ears?
Singapore’s third-biggest supermarket chain reported soaring revenue during the Covid-19 pandemic, but its mass-market strategy means it is still seen as a budget option.
Ho, who joined Temasek in 2002 and was appointed chief executive two years later, is also the wife of Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.