• Sat-12-2024
Young Uzbeks are finding new markets for traditional handicrafts online (December 19, 2024, CNN)

Suzanis are experiencing a resurgence, in Uzbekistan and overseas. Fashionable Uzbeks wear clothing made from the fabric, and suzanis have become popular with interior designers from the UK to Singapore, who use them as wall décor, bedding, or as the fabric for throw pillows. “The younger generation … they know how to use digital media, and they’re helping their parents or grandparents show their products to the world…”

  • Sun-12-2024
Cambodia's Techo International Airport to officially open in July 2025 (December 20, 2024, The Nation Thailand)

Phase 1 of the $1.339 billion Techo International Airport (TIA) project has reached over 92% completion as of December 9. It is on schedule for an official opening in July 2025

  • Sun-12-2024
Turkmenistan's ‘Father of the fatherland's' city of wonders (December 19, 2024, PIME Onlus - Asia News)

The former president of Turkmenistan, Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, despite having handed over the office to his son Serdar, still glories in the title of ‘father of the fatherland’ and in his honour, a brand new smart-city is being built under the name Arkadag. And he has called for the construction time to be shortened so as to settle a greater share of new inhabitants and attract more investment.

  • Sun-12-2024
Taiwan is now facing school closures due to a population decline, following Japan and South Korea (December 19, 2024, Jason Deegan)

The effects of declining birth rates are becoming increasingly visible across Asia. Following in the footsteps of Japan and South Korea, Taiwan is now grappling with the harsh reality of school closures due to a rapidly shrinking population. This trend, driven by plummeting fertility rates, is reshaping the island’s educational landscape and raising questions about its demographic future.

  • Sun-12-2024
Long-awaited Asia Direct Cable, connecting Japan to Singapore, ready to operate (December 19, 2024, BAIRD Maritime)

A new undersea fiber-optic cable connecting Japan to Singapore with branches to other Asian countries is ready for operation this month…The cable will have branches to Thailand, Vietnam, Hong Kong, China and the Philippines.

  • Sun-12-2024
Thailand joins other Asian nations in battle against cheap Chinese imports (December 18, 2024, Voice of America)

For many countries in Southeast Asia, Chinese investment and tourism are key to their economies. However, cheap low-quality Chinese products that are flooding markets across the region are also raising concerns about how they are undercutting local businesses. That is forcing countries like Thailand to find ways to combat the onslaught of low-priced goods.

  • Sat-12-2024
Hong Kong dollar peg at risk in Trump’s coming fight with China (December 26, 2024, Asia Times)

The new arrest warrants may provide more fuel for hawkish American lawmakers to advocate for more sanctions against Hong Kong officials and companies or even more extreme measures such as the removal of some Hong Kong-based banks from the SWIFT financial transfer system, which if implemented could trigger a de-pegging of the Hong Kong dollar and to the US buck.

  • Sat-12-2024
Cityscape of Hohhot in N China's Inner Mongolia (December 23, 2024, Xinhua Net)

Hohhot, capital city of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, is writing a new chapter of high-quality development by building industrial clusters that range from traditional ones like dairy processing to pioneering ones like green computing capability, in addition to its enhanced efforts in boosting ecological protection and cultural tourism.

  • Sun-12-2024
For Xi Jinping, 'Made in China 2025' has been worth every penny (December 20, 2024, Nikkei Asia) (Subscription required)

The trillions of yuan that Beijing has poured into subsidies and other financial support for companies taking part in Made in China has aggravated imbalances in the economy between production and consumption. Yet for Chinese President Xi Jinping, the freedom of action that Beijing has gained through this self-reliance drive is worth all the trouble and ructions it has brought.

  • Sun-12-2024
Hong Kong outshines Singapore as demand for flexible office space grows: report (December 19, 2024, South China Morning Post) (Subscription required)

Demand for flexible office space in Hong Kong grew this year as a three-year slide in rental attracted companies from financial and legal sectors, while the market in Singapore slumped. Bengaluru and Makati emerged as the hottest cities.