Asia

28 articles tagged with this topic

China and Japan reopen pre-COVID-era leader-level economic dialogue

China and Japan agreed Tuesday to reopen the leader-level economic dialogue that had been suspended since 2019, with the first round of revived talks scheduled for July in Tokyo.

5 min read

ASEAN follow-up: Vientiane working group circulates draft code-of-conduct text

The ASEAN working group on South China Sea code-of-conduct negotiations has circulated a Vientiane-drafted text to member capitals and to Beijing, marking the first substantive textual movement in three years.

4 min read

South Asia heat emergency extends as water rationing spreads across Pakistan and northern India

Provincial governments across the Indo-Gangetic plain extended emergency heat declarations into a second week as municipal water boards imposed rationing on more than 180 million residents and grid operators warned of rolling blackouts through the weekend.

5 min read

Manila and Hanoi push joint code-of-conduct draft as ASEAN summit opens in Vientiane

The Philippines and Vietnam tabled a joint maritime code-of-conduct draft on the opening day of the ASEAN summit, an unusually direct challenge to Beijing as Southeast Asian leaders sought to redirect attention to regional disputes after the Iran war.

5 min read

Beijing pitches yuan-financed reconstruction track at Marseille as China tests postwar influence

China's vice premier used the Marseille donor conference to unveil a $12 billion yuan-denominated lending facility for Iran and Iraq, a quiet but unmistakable bid to anchor Beijing in a reconstruction architecture being designed largely by European and Gulf capitals.

4 min read

PLA launches largest Taiwan Strait drills since 2024 as Beijing tests postwar Pacific attention

China's military encircled Taiwan with 71 warplanes and two carrier groups Wednesday in the largest Strait exercise in two years, a show of force Pacific officials read as a deliberate probe of allied bandwidth still absorbed by the Iran war's aftermath.

4 min read

May Day rallies fill European capitals as post-war economy and AI anxiety share the streets

Hundreds of thousands marched in Paris, Berlin, Rome and across Asian capitals on Friday in International Workers' Day demonstrations that braided traditional labor demands with anger over the cost of the Iran war and unease about an accelerating wave of AI-driven job losses.

5 min read

Modi government greenlights Chabahar expansion as India recalibrates Iran ties after ceasefire

New Delhi cleared a long-stalled $370 million package for the Chabahar port and signed letters of intent on Iranian crude offtakes, in the clearest sign yet that India intends to use the post-war moment to deepen its commercial footprint in the Gulf.

5 min read

Sharif cashes mediation prestige at home as Pakistan pushes IMF relief and trade-corridor deals

Buoyed by Islamabad's role in brokering the Iran ceasefire, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is leveraging fresh diplomatic capital to press for IMF concessions and regional trade deals — even as the PTI opposition warns the prestige will not survive contact with the economy.

5 min read

Tokyo, Seoul and Canberra Finalize Energy Security Compact as Asian Buyers Rewrite Post-War Supply Map

Japan, South Korea and Australia signed a three-way energy security framework in Tokyo on Monday that locks in long-tenor LNG and crude supply, the most concrete Asian response yet to the supply scare triggered by the Iran war.

5 min read

Beijing Quietly Lifts Iranian Crude at Steep Discount as Post-War Trade Recalibrates

Chinese independent refiners restarted Iranian crude lifting at the steepest discounts in three years this week, ship-tracking and trade data showed Saturday, as Beijing moved to lock in cheap barrels while Tehran's economy reeled from the war.

5 min read

TSMC, SK Hynix order books firm as ceasefire thaws Asian AI supply chain

Asian chip and memory suppliers reported a sharp firming of hyperscaler order activity in the forty-eight hours after the Iran ceasefire took effect, even as the moratorium fight in Washington continued to cloud second-half forecasts.

4 min read

New Delhi Pushes for Gulf Reconstruction Stake as Ceasefire Takes Hold

Hours after the Iran-Israel ceasefire took effect, India dispatched senior envoys to four Gulf capitals to press its case for energy contracts, reconstruction work and labor agreements that have favored other regional players.

5 min read

India Winds Down Gulf Evacuation Airlift as New Delhi Recalibrates Post-War Energy Strategy

India said Tuesday it would scale down the chartered evacuation airlift that has carried more than 38,000 nationals out of the Gulf since early March, as New Delhi began publicly mapping a post-war recalibration of crude purchases and labor diplomacy.

5 min read

ASEAN Foreign Ministers Press Jakarta Statement as Southeast Asia Counts Cost of Iran War

Southeast Asian foreign ministers issued a joint Jakarta statement Monday welcoming the Islamabad ceasefire and pledging coordinated logistics for the return of an estimated 1.4 million regional workers stranded across the Gulf.

5 min read

From Tokyo to Lagos to Brussels, World Capitals Greet Iran Ceasefire With Relief and Skepticism

Governments from Tokyo and Beijing to Brussels and Lagos welcomed Sunday's Islamabad ceasefire announcement with a mixture of relief and cautious skepticism, as foreign ministries scrambled to weigh in on a deal that will take effect at midnight GMT on April 15.

4 min read

Jakarta and Canberra Sign Indo-Pacific Stability Pact as Iran War Reshapes Maritime Risk Map

Indonesia and Australia signed an unusually broad maritime and diplomatic coordination pact in Jakarta on Saturday, citing the cascading effects of the Iran war on Indo-Pacific shipping lanes, fuel security and the regional refugee picture.

5 min read

North Korea Fires Three Medium-Range Missiles Into Sea of Japan in Rare Daylight Launch

Pyongyang launched three medium-range ballistic missiles eastward from a coastal site early Thursday, the first daylight test in nearly two years and a provocation that allied officials read as an attempt to exploit Washington's preoccupation with the Iran war.

5 min read

Caucasus States Walk Narrow Line as Iran War Reshapes Northern Border

Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia are recalibrating their public postures on the Iran-Israel war as displaced Iranian Azeris stream across the Astara crossing and Baku faces fresh scrutiny over its long-standing security ties to Israel.

4 min read

Tokyo Taps Strategic Oil Reserve as Japan and South Korea Coordinate on Gulf Supply Shock

Japan ordered the release of 12 million barrels from its national petroleum stockpile on Saturday and opened a joint emergency-supply working group with South Korea, marking the most coordinated response by Northeast Asia's two largest importers since the Iran war began.

4 min read

Beijing Presses for Iran Cease-Fire as China's Energy Bill Climbs

China called Friday for an immediate halt to the fighting between Israel, the United States and Iran, signaling a sharper diplomatic posture as Beijing's oil import bill swelled and refiners drew down strategic stockpiles for a third consecutive week.

5 min read

India Watches Warily as Pakistan Claims Diplomatic Spotlight Over Iran Talks

New Delhi has begun a quiet but pointed diplomatic push to remind Western and Gulf partners of its own regional weight, as Pakistan's high-profile hosting of the Islamabad peace talks on the Iran war reshapes South Asia's geopolitical optics.

4 min read

Asian Markets Open Sharply Lower as Iran War Disrupts Sunday Futures Trading

Asian equities tumbled at the Monday open in Tokyo as escalating strikes between Iran, Israel and U.S.-aligned Gulf states sent Brent crude past $125 a barrel and pushed safe-haven flows into the Japanese yen.

4 min read

Aditya Birla Group Acquires IPL's Royal Challengers Bengaluru for $1.78 Billion

The Aditya Birla Group completed the acquisition of the Indian Premier League franchise Royal Challengers Bengaluru for $1.78 billion on Thursday, one of the largest transactions in the history of cricket and a landmark moment for the commercialization of Indian sport.

4 min read

Afghan-Pakistan Ceasefire Collapses as Cross-Border Shelling Kills Two

A fragile ceasefire between Afghanistan and Pakistan broke down on Wednesday when cross-border shelling killed two people in Afghanistan's Kunar Province, prompting Pakistan to summon the Taliban's diplomatic representative for a formal protest.

5 min read

Tornado in Eastern India Causes Casualties and Structural Damage

A tornado in eastern India has left multiple homes damaged and casualties reported as emergency crews respond to the affected area.

1 min read

Pakistan-Taliban Border Clash Kills 14 Soldiers Along Durand Line

Taliban forces killed 14 Pakistani soldiers and wounded 11 others during the capture of a border guard post along the Durand Line in Kunar Province, Afghanistan.

2 min read

Taipei’s Defense Posture Adjusts as Regional Tensions Escalate

Taiwan recalibrates its defense strategy amid increased patrols and military activity from regional neighbors, highlighting growing tensions in East Asia.

1 min read