This Month
Accor checks into three hotels as big chains battle to expand
The hotel conglomerate has signed three new management agreements for hotels run by a Malaysian platform in Sydney, Western Australia and New Zealand.
April
Lynas blasts Labor over critical minerals stockpile plan
Lynas CEO Amanda Lacaze has warned Labor’s critical minerals stockpile will be counterproductive and may damage Australia’s only rare earths producer.
Beijing’s flag-planting in South China Sea revives tensions with Manila
The Philippines sent navy, coastguard and maritime police officers to Sandy Cay and two neighbouring sandbanks in the Spratly Islands “uphold sovereignty”.
US hits SE Asia with up to 3521pc tariffs on solar imports
The Trump administration is largely targeting Chinese companies that have set up solar panel factories in Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia and Thailand.
China warns nations not to cut US trade deals at its expense
While it respects nations resolving their trade disputes with the US, Beijing “resolutely opposes any party reaching a deal at the expense of China’s interests”.
Will China’s bid to win allies in Asia work?
The world’s second-largest economy is settling in for the long game with a strategy that could soon extend to Australia.
‘No winners’ in a tariff war, says Xi, as he shores up alliances
China’s leader is touring South-East Asia this week. Although the trip likely was planned earlier, it has become significant because of the trade war with the US.
China weaponises rare earths in tariff war
China’s dominance in processing rare earths metals and high-performance magnets means Beijing’s curbs on the crucial exports are a major threat to US manufacturing.
Xi to bolster regional alliances in Trump’s trade war
The Chinese president is under pressure to shore up relationships with South-East Asian allies who are trying to appease Donald Trump and escape his tariffs.
March
Myanmar quake death toll hits 1700 as aid scramble intensifies
The devastation has piled more misery on Myanmar, already in chaos from a civil war that grew out of a nationwide uprising after a 2021 military coup.
Trump’s trade ‘Liberation Day’ explained
The US has said it wants to impose tariffs on a “country by country” basis, hitting any trading partners that have higher levies on the US than it imposes back.
December 2024
Former human rights barrister to lead Victorian Supreme Court
Court of Appeal judge Richard Niall, who is recognised for his administrative and constitutional law expertise, has been picked to be Victoria’s chief justice.
TikTok owner ByteDance takes early lead in race to capitalise on AI
The company has purchased enough cutting-edge Nvidia graphics processing units to build advanced AI models, according to numerous sources.
November 2024
In a Malaysian pop-up city, echoes of China’s housing crash
For years, Chinese developer Country Garden gorged on cheap money to sustain a build-and-they-will-come strategy. When it tried to take that model overseas, it ran into trouble.
October 2024
Property downturn nips into Walker Group profit
The empire founded by the late Lang Walker is powering on, with a $36 billion development pipeline and landmark projects stretching from Sydney to Malaysia.
Malaysia PM says he welcomes Najib’s 1MDB apology
Anwar Ibrahim said while his stance on 1MDB was well known, it was not fair to single out one person for the goings-on in the sovereign wealth fund.
Albanese to press China on trade
The Association of South-East Asian Nations leaders’ summit will take place in Vientiane, Laos this week, the latest international push by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
September 2024
City with too many skyscrapers now home to world’s second tallest
There are growing questions about the proliferation of skyscrapers in the Malaysian capital.
AirTrunk’s $23.5b AI pay day
Blackstone emerged as the winning bidder in the year’s biggest merger and acquisition deal, netting its founder Robin Khuda a $1 billion-plus payday.
How China’s coast guard is ‘trying to occupy the ocean’
In most countries, coast guards are there to do just that: guard domestic coasts and territorial waters. China’s, however, is more like a second navy.