Category: Asia Focus

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s falling public support is sharpening investor concern that her government may respond with tax cuts and heavier spending, adding pressure on the yen and Japan’s government bond market.

A July poll showed approval for Takaichi’s Cabinet dropping to 57% from 69% in June, as households grew more dissatisfied with rising living costs. Other surveys have also pointed to weakening support, though the level varies considerably among polling organisations.

The decline has placed greater scrutiny on the government’s economic

Chou Tien-chen became the oldest player to win a BWF World Tour Super 1000 title after overcoming France’s Toma Junior Popov in a demanding three-game China Open final in Changzhou.

The 36-year-old from Taiwan secured the men’s singles championship 21-15, 7-21, 21-13 on Sunday, combining controlled aggression with the stamina that has sustained his career among badminton’s leading players for more than a decade.

Chou recovered from a one-sided second game to regain command in the decider. He slowed Popov’s attacking rhythm,

Chinese refiners are securing Russian crude weeks ahead of normal purchasing schedules as threats to Middle Eastern supply routes intensify, pushing buyers towards oil shipped from Russia’s Pacific coast.

September-loading cargoes of ESPO Blend, Russia’s flagship Far Eastern crude grade, have attracted brisk demand from state-owned and independent refiners despite shrinking discounts. Buyers that would normally enter the market closer to loading dates are moving early to lock in supplies and reduce exposure to possible shipping delays across the Gulf and

Saudia and Garuda Indonesia have agreed to pursue a joint business partnership aimed at expanding passenger connectivity between Southeast Asia, Saudi Arabia and destinations across Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

The airlines signed a memorandum of understanding that establishes a framework for negotiating a future joint business agreement. The proposed arrangement would deepen their existing codeshare relationship and could allow closer coordination across schedules, sales, network planning and passenger services.

The partnership is expected to explore single-ticket journeys across the two

VinFast has partnered with Bespoke Logistics to create a dedicated processing and service facility for electric motorcycles in the Philippines, strengthening the infrastructure behind its planned expansion in one of Southeast Asia’s largest two-wheeler markets.

The agreement gives Bespoke Logistics responsibility for warehousing, vehicle inspection, technical preparation, stockyard management and transportation before motorcycles are delivered to customers. The company will also operate a VinFast-authorised service workshop at the site.

The 20,000-square-metre facility is located in Carmona City in Cavite province, south of

Shein Global Holdings is preparing to raise as much as $3 billion through a Hong Kong initial public offering that could begin as early as August, after securing a long-awaited clearance from China’s securities regulator.

The online fashion retailer is considering an offer of between $2 billion and $3 billion, although the final size will depend on its valuation, investor demand and prevailing market conditions. The timetable could also change as the company completes the remaining stages of Hong Kong’s listing

Samsung Group and SK hynix have laid out investment plans worth about $174 billion for South Korea’s Chungcheong region, expanding the country’s drive to secure a stronger position in artificial intelligence chips, advanced packaging, displays and next-generation battery materials.

The commitments, unveiled at a government-backed industrial development event in Asan, place Chungcheong at the centre of a broader strategy to spread high-technology manufacturing beyond the Seoul metropolitan area and existing semiconductor clusters. President Lee Jae Myung praised the companies’ “bold decision”

Twenty Saudi university students are undergoing artificial intelligence training at Huawei’s headquarters in Shenzhen under a Mawhiba-Huawei programme designed to build specialist digital skills among high-performing young talent.

The training, announced on July 6, brings together the King Abdulaziz and His Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity, known as Mawhiba, and Huawei as Saudi Arabia expands its pipeline of students capable of working across artificial intelligence, cloud computing, big data and telecommunications. The initiative forms part of a wider partnership that

China has offered fresh channels for easing trade tensions with the European Union after Foreign Minister Wang Yi completed a four-country Nordic tour aimed at rebuilding confidence with some of Europe’s most security-conscious governments.

Wang’s 2-8 July visit to Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Norway came as Brussels and Beijing try to prevent a deepening dispute over industrial subsidies, electric vehicles, market access, export controls and critical minerals from turning into a broader trade confrontation. The trip placed trade, green technology, shipping,

Temasek’s portfolio value climbed to a record S$518 billion, or about $400 billion, as the Singapore state investment company sharpened its push into artificial intelligence and reported stronger returns after two years of portfolio recalibration.

The latest figure, based on a mark-to-market valuation of listed and unlisted holdings, showed a S$49 billion rise for the financial year ended 31 March 2026. The increase reflected stronger performance from Singapore-based portfolio companies, gains from divestments and a broader recovery in public market valuations.

A UAE-based company has moved to bring Korean manufacturing into Abu Dhabi through a proposed industrial zone that could host more than 25 factories in its first phase and attract investments exceeding $1 billion.

AG Company signed a strategic partnership with Akbar Investment Company of the Republic of Korea to study the establishment of a zone dedicated to Korean industries, with Al Ain identified as the proposed location. The initiative comes as the UAE and Korea deepen economic ties under a

Singapore has set out a two-decade plan to reshape Sentosa and neighbouring Brani into a larger leisure and lifestyle district, with new attractions, hotels, beaches, transport links and coastal protection works expected to open in phases from the early 2030s.

The Greater Sentosa Master Plan brings the 120-hectare Brani under Sentosa’s development framework, creating a larger tourism precinct at a time when Singapore is refreshing its visitor economy and preparing for stronger regional competition in leisure, hospitality and events. The project

BitAuto Malaysia Automotive Forum 2026 has ended in Kuala Lumpur with automakers, dealers, digital platforms and content creators positioning online engagement, localisation and electrification as the next drivers of Malaysia’s automotive growth.

The forum, held on June 30 at Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur, marked BitAuto Malaysia’s first large-scale industry showcase. Hosted by BitAuto Tengyi Malaysia Sdn Bhd, the event brought together GWM Malaysia, Chery Corporate Malaysia, Proton New Energy, SGMW, JoyStar Dealer Group, TQ Wuling Manufacturing, Beritarian and representatives from Zeekr,

Alibaba Cloud has been named a Leader in Omdia’s Market Radar for Agentic AI Cloud Titans in Asia & Oceania, 2026, strengthening its position in a fast-expanding field where cloud providers are racing to turn generative AI into autonomous enterprise systems.

The ranking places Alibaba Cloud among the region’s most advanced providers of agentic AI infrastructure and development platforms. The company achieved the highest scores across six of nine evaluation dimensions, with its full-stack agentic AI approach highlighted as a key

Hong Kong’s wealth management industry placed renminbi internationalisation, enterprise expansion and ageing-linked investment demand at the centre of its growth agenda as Bank of China and Television Broadcasts Limited held the Wealth Management Expo 2026.

The event, staged on 27 June under the theme “Empowering Enterprises to Go Global, Pioneering the Blue Ocean of Silver Economy”, brought together senior government officials, banking executives, fund specialists and business figures at a time when Hong Kong is sharpening its role as an

Singapore’s push to embed artificial intelligence across business is moving from operational efficiency to the boardroom, forcing companies to confront a harder question: how far can machines assist corporate leadership before accountability becomes blurred?

The debate has sharpened as enterprises test AI systems for strategy modelling, risk alerts, market forecasting, compliance reviews and scenario planning. These tools promise faster decisions and broader analysis, but they also raise questions over directors’ duties, audit trails and responsibility when algorithmic advice shapes corporate choices.

Singapore

Singapore-based used-car marketplace Carro is considering a confidential filing for an initial public offering in the United States as early as this month, signalling renewed confidence among Southeast Asian technology companies seeking access to deeper global capital markets.

The SoftBank-backed company has been evaluating a US listing that could raise as much as $500 million and value the business at more than $3 billion, though the size, timing and venue of the offering remain subject to market conditions. A confidential filing

Oman and Sri Lanka have opened a new channel of investment cooperation centred on special economic zones, free zones and industrial cities, adding momentum to efforts by both countries to attract long-term capital into logistics, real estate, services and manufacturing.

Qais Mohammed Al Yousef, Chairman of the Public Authority for Special Economic Zones and Free Zones, held talks in Muscat with Harsha Amarasekera, Chairman of the Colombo Port City Economic Commission, on opportunities to link the two countries’ zone-development strategies. The

President Lee Jae Myung has invited Pope Leo XIV to visit South Korea next year for World Youth Day in Seoul, using his first Vatican audience as president to seek support for efforts to lower tensions with North Korea and revive dialogue on the Korean Peninsula.

Lee met the Pope at the Apostolic Palace on Monday during the Vatican leg of a wider European tour, accompanied by first lady Kim Hea Kyung. The meeting placed religion and diplomacy at the centre

Foreign investors delivered their strongest one-day purchase of Vietnamese equities in nearly six years on 15 June, signalling a sharp improvement in risk appetite after fears over Middle East energy disruption eased.

Overseas funds bought a net US$160.4 million of Vietnamese shares on Monday, the largest daily inflow since 10 September 2020. The buying helped steady a market that had been under pressure from rising oil prices, global risk aversion and sustained foreign withdrawals despite Vietnam’s long-awaited move towards emerging-market status.

The

Taiwan is moving to anchor its alliance with Paraguay through a data-centre project expected to require at least $200 million in its first phase, tying diplomatic survival to artificial intelligence, clean energy and strategic infrastructure.

The plan, centred on a sovereign AI computing facility in Paraguay, gives Taipei a rare large-scale investment platform in South America as Beijing intensifies pressure on Asunción to cut formal ties. Paraguay remains Taiwan’s only diplomatic partner on the continent and one of just 12 governments

Shin-Etsu Chemical plans to build a new rare-earth refining facility in Fukui Prefecture as Japan accelerates efforts to protect critical mineral supply chains from disruption caused by China’s export controls.

The project marks the company’s first new rare-earth refining facility since 2008 and comes as demand for high-performance magnets rises across electric vehicles, hard disk drives, robotics, wind power systems, defence equipment and advanced electronics. The investment is expected to exceed ¥35 billion, with ¥17.5 billion to be covered by government

Japan recorded a sharp rise in arrivals from GCC states in 2025, as affluent Gulf travellers turned increasingly to long-haul holidays built around luxury stays, food, culture, snow escapes and nature-led itineraries.

Visitor arrivals from the six GCC countries reached 55,924 in 2025, up 25.2 per cent from the previous year, outpacing Japan’s wider inbound tourism growth. The increase came as total international arrivals hit 42.683 million, a record annual figure and a 15.8 per cent rise from 2024, when Japan

Nvidia has signed a wide set of artificial intelligence and data centre agreements with major South Korean companies, placing the country at the centre of its next phase of AI infrastructure expansion across Asia.

The agreements involve SK Telecom, SK Hynix, Naver, Doosan Group, LG Group, Hyundai Motor Group and continued discussions with Samsung Electronics, linking Nvidia’s graphics processors, AI factory architecture and robotics platforms with South Korea’s strengths in memory chips, telecoms, manufacturing, cloud services and industrial automation.

The deals were