Luxury sector eyes reopening of China

The gradual reopening of China – which abandoned the last of the travel restrictions of its zero-COVID policy on Jan 8 – should help its economy expand by 5.2 per cent in 2023, according to the International Monetary Fund’s latest forecast. With the restrictions having restrained consumption, the reopening ofContinue Reading

Ukraine war puts poor Asia, not rich Europe, in the dark

Through a year of war in Ukraine, the US and most European nations have worked to help counter Russia, in supporting Ukraine both with armaments and in world energy markets. Russia was Europe’s main energy supplier when it invaded Ukraine, and President Vladimir Putin threatened to leave Europeans to freeze “like a wolf’s tail” – […]Continue Reading

Asia’s coming great demographic divide

The trend of Asian populations growing and moving to cities — providing cheap labor, demand for modern infrastructure and high economic growth — has reached a turning point with China now joining countries with shrinking populations in the region. Still, the aging and shrinking countries of Northeast Asia are likely to continue to be Asia’s […]Continue Reading

US fumbling to close hypersonic gap with China, Russia

The US plans to test a hypersonic weapon from a Zumwalt-class destroyer in 2025, a move that likely aims to plug a growing deterrence gap vis-à-vis China in the Pacific.  This month, Naval News reported that the US Navy will conduct a test launch of a hypersonic weapon from the USS Zumwalt in December 2025, with […]Continue Reading

How India’s scandal-hit Adani Group hushes critics

The short-seller’s report alleged the conglomerate had artificially inflated its market value using related-party transactions conducted through tax havens. The stock market reaction sent the firm’s billionaire founder, until then Asia’s richest man, tumbling down the ranks of global rich-listers, though shares in the group’s listed entities have since stabilised.Continue Reading